BJP leads in both Maharashtra LS seats
Mumbai, May 31: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party notched early leads in the Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha bypolls, counting of votes for which in underway on Thursday.
In Palghar, the BJP nominee Rajendra Gavit was leading over his nearest Bahujan Vikas Aghadi rival Baliram Jadhav.
The Shiv Sena' Shriniwas Vanga, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Kiran Gahala and Congress's Damodar Shingada, trailed in that order in the high-stakes elections held on Monday.
In Bhandara-Gondiya, initial reports indicated that BJP's Hemant Patle was leading over his nearest NCP rival Madhukar Kukde, but figures were not announced by the Election Commission.
Elections in both the constituencies were marred by large-scale incidents of malfunctioning EVM-VVPATs with all the opposition parties and ruling ally Shiv Sena hurling allegations of foul play and tampering of the machines.
As per current trends, the BJP appeared strong in both the seats, fulfilling Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' vow, to win the elections "come what may" -- and his later controversial remarks of using "Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed" to bag the polls at all costs.
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Hazrat Nizamuddin-bound Vande Bharat Express gets delayed by 11 hours; passengers protest
Bhopal, Nov 25: High drama was witnessed at Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal after the Vande Bharat Express for Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi was delayed on Monday by nearly 11 hours due to a technical snag, officials and eyewitnesses said.
Before the premium train, which otherwise departs from Rani Kamalapati station at 5.40 am, left for its destination in the evening, angry passengers staged a protest on railway tracks alleging they had not been intimated about the delay.
As a result of the delay, the Vande Bharat Express (20172) from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamalapati station was cancelled on Monday evening. Similarly, the Vande Bharat Express (20171) from Kamalapati to Nizamuddin stands cancelled on Tuesday, Jabalpur-based West Central Railway (WCR) Chief Public Relation Officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI when contacted over phone.
The semi-high speed train left for its destination in the evening instead of its scheduled time in the morning, WCR's Acting Public Relation Officer (Bhopal Division) Naval Agrawal confirmed to PTI.
Agrawal, however, maintained he does not know the exact departure time, but eyewitnesses said the train left for Hazrat Nizamuddin at around 4.30 pm, nearly 11 hours late.
The train was delayed due to technical reasons, he said, adding passengers were kept in the loop via different mediums, including train-related apps, about the delay.
Many passengers boarded the Vande Bharat Express (20171) headed to Nizamuddin, he said.
The Railways did not cancel the train on Monday keeping the interest of passengers in mind, the acting PRO emphasised.
Agrawal said the rail yard at Rani Kamalapati station (formerly Habibganj) was well equipped and has the expertise to repair and do maintenance work of the new-age Vande Bharat trains.
According to eyewitnesses, passengers who turned up at Rani Kamalapati station protested after the train did not depart for Hazrat Nizamuddin at its scheduled time of 5.40 am.
Some of the passengers, after a long wait, tried to entered the Shatabdi Express (which goes to New Delhi) at around 3.10 pm, but were pushed back by Railway Protection Force personnel, they said.
A group of angry passengers with backpacks then squatted on the tracks in protest, the eyewitnesses added.
The Vanda Bharat Express (20172), upon returning from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamlaapati station at around 10.20 pm on Sunday, suffered a technical malfunction as a spring of C11 coach went kaput, sources said.
The train was taken to the yard for repair, but the snag could not be fixed in time, thus delaying its early morning departure, they explained.
वंदे भारत जैसी ट्रेनों का कोई भी मोबाइल एप्लिकेशन सही समय ही नहीं बतापा राहा है तो कैसी चलेगी रेलवे?? 8 hrs already delayed
— Ankit Swarnkar (@swarnkar_ankit) November 25, 2024
Train number 20171 Rani kamlapati to Hazrat Nizamuddin station @IRCTCofficial @AshwiniVaishnaw @ntes @irctcnorthzone pic.twitter.com/P9J7lyexW5
