Counting for Sikkim, Arunachal assembly begins
Gangtok (PTI): Counting of votes for 32 assembly seats in Sikkim began on Sunday, amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
The counting was underway at one location each in all six districts of the state.
Postal ballots will be taken up first for counting while votes in the EVMs will be counted later, officials said.
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, his spouse Krishna Kumari Rai, ex-Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, former Indian footballer and SDF leader Bhaichung Bhatia, state BJP president DR Thapa, Speaker Arun Upreti and senior minister Lunga Nima Lepcha are the prominent candidates among 146 nominees.
Tamang and Chamling are contesting from two assembly constituencies.
An estimated 80 per cent of the 4.64 lakh voters exercised their franchise on April 19.
An additional four per cent of votes were cast through postal by government officials and employees, the CEO office said.
Tamang is contesting from the Rhenock and Soreng Chakung constituencies, while Chamling is in the fray from the Namcheybung and Poklok Kamrang seats.
Bhaichung Bhutia, the SDF vice-president, is contesting from the Barfung assembly constituency.
The state unit BJP president DR Thapa is seeking re-election from Upper Burtuk.
Chief Minister Tamang's wife Krishna Kumari Rai is contesting from the Namchi Singhithang seat, while Speaker Arun Upreti is in the fray from the Arithang constituency.
Counting begins for 50 assembly seats in Arunachal
Counting of votes for 50 assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh began on Sunday with a massive security cover in place, an election official said here.
The counting commenced in 24 district headquarters at 6 AM amid heavy rain across the state and the final results are expected to be out by noon, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said.
Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held simultaneously in Arunachal Pradesh in the first phase of polls on April 19.
The northeastern state has 60 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats. The ruling BJP has already won 10 assembly seats unopposed.
“Counting of postal ballots will be conducted first which would be followed by counting of votes in EVMs,” Sain said.
The counting process would be managed by over 2,000 officials.
"A three-tier security arrangement has been made in all counting centres," he said.
An estimated 82.71 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the assembly polls while the turnout for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state was recorded at 77.51 per cent.
Votes polled in the two Lok Sabha seats in the state would be counted on June 4 along with the rest of the country.
The BJP had won both the Lok Sabha seats and 41 assembly constituencies in the 2019 polls. The JD (U) had won seven assembly seats, the NPP five, Congress four and the PPA one. Two Independent candidates had also emerged victorious.
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Three arrested for running fake Aadhaar racket in UP's Badaun
Budaun (UP), Apr 30 (PTI): The Budaun Police on Thursday busted a gang allegedly involved in preparing fake Aadhaar cards and forged documents, and arrested three of its members, officials said.
The action was carried out in the Hazratpur area, where the accused were found operating an illegal setup to generate fake identity documents, they said.
The accused have been identified as Farman Ali, a resident of Munshi Nagla, Anuj Kumar of Uprela, and Brajnandan of Sirsauli.
The police said a fingerprint scanner, three laptops, a hard disk, a scanner, a large number of Aadhaar cards and several suspicious documents were recovered from their possession.
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During interrogation, it was revealed that the gang had been involved in preparing fake identity documents for a long time, misleading people and earning money through illegal means, officials said.
Station House Officer Pushpendra Singh said the accused have been produced before a court, and efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang.
He added that further revelations are likely as the investigation progresses.
