Left parties claim irregularities in final stages of vote counting in Bihar
New Delhi: The Left parties alleged on Wednesday that there were "irregularities" during the final stages of counting of votes in the Bihar Assembly polls on Tuesday and said the issue will be raised with the Election Commission (EC) soon.
The three Left parties -- Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) -- won an impressive 16 of the 29 seats they contested in the Bihar polls.
"The Left parties are of the opinion that there were certain clear irregularities during the last stages of the counting that need to be seriously addressed by the Election Commission. Along with other partners of the Mahagathbandhan, the Left parties will take up these matters with the Election Commission of India," the three parties said in a joint statement.
Of the 16 seats, the CPI-ML (Liberation) won 12, while the CPI and the CPI(M) won two each.
The parties thanked the voters of Bihar for their support to the Mahagathbandhan.
"This included the candidates of the Left parties, which contributed to the Mahagathbandhan putting up a spirited contest in the election against the ruling BJP-JD(U) and its government.
"The response of the youth and the people to the issues concerning people's livelihood and employment was heartening," the statement said.
It also said the difference in the vote share of both the alliances was "very very small".
While the BJP-led alliance lost 12 percent votes compared to what it had polled in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) won only 43 seats, as compared to the 71 it had won in the last Assembly election, the statement said.
"The CM's defection from the Mahagathbandhan to the BJP is, amongst other factors, rejected by a large section of the electorate.
"The BJP and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi raised the communal agenda to a very high pitch and sought to communally polarise the electorate. This was effectively met largely by the Mahagathbandhan's focus on the economic distress caused by the lockdown and the utter failure of the BJP and its allies in containing the pandemic and galloping unemployment," it said.
The Left parties said their presence in the Bihar Assembly will be utilized to "advance the cause of the toiling people, raising crucial issues like jobs and on social/economic injustices".
"The struggles to achieve these objectives shall vigorously continue," the three parties said.
A stellar performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enabled the ruling NDA to attain a simple majority in the 243-member Bihar Assembly notwithstanding a sharp fall in the tally of the JD(U).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
