“Our brother Kuldeep going through difficult times”: BJP MLA on rape accused
LUCKNOW: A BJP lawmaker in Uttar Pradesh has come out in support of his expelled colleague and rape accused Kuldeep Sengar, who is in jail for over a year for allegedly raping a teenage girl two years ago.
Ashish Singh Ashu, BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi, was seen in a video talking about Kuldeep Sengar facing "difficult times" and how he wished his colleague would walk out from jail soon.
"Our brother Kuldeep Singh could not be here among us today as he is going through difficult times. Out best wishes are with him. We hope that he will overcome the bad times, fight through it and come out of it and be with all of you. Wherever we are, our best wishes are with him," Mr Ashu said on Friday at a panchayat event near Unnao, the hometown of the expelled BJP leader who allegedly raped the teenage girl in June 2017 when she had come looking for a job.
The BJP expelled Kuldeep Sengar from the party on Thursday amid waves of public outrage over the rape survivor's ordeal - from losing her father in police custody to two aunts dying in a road accident. One of the aunts was also a witness in the rape case.
The Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer were critically wounded and two of her relatives were killed in a car crash involving a speeding truck, which had its number plate painted black, over a week ago. The girl is still critical and on the ventilator.
The Supreme Court has said four cases linked to the Unnao rape survivor would be transferred out of Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, after the family wrote to the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi alleging threats from the jailed lawmaker.
A CBI team investigating charges in the Unnao case has also asked for details of the politician's visitors in jail after the family alleged the four-time legislator had engineered the road accident and was allegedly calling the shots from jail.
courtesy: ndtv.com
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Assam records nearly 18 pc voter turnout in first two hours of assembly polls
Guwahati (PTI): A voter turnout of 17.87 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of the assembly elections in Assam, where the BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress is striving to reclaim a state it lost a decade ago.
Polling began at 7 am for the 126-member assembly, and 17.87 per cent of the state's 2.5 crore voters exercised their franchise till 9 am, officials said.
A total of 722 candidates are in the fray for the elections, which is largely witnessing a direct contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the opposition bloc helmed by the Congress.
The river island of Majuli recorded the highest turnout in the first two hours at 20.03 per cent, while Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial Region witnessed the lowest at 15.32 per cent.
Voters began queuing outside polling booths since early morning, despite rain in many parts of the state.
Prominent candidates who have cast their votes so far include Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia in Nazira, Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi in Khowang, and BJP's Pradyut Bordoloi.
Votes are being cast at 31,490 polling stations across the 35 districts of the state, with polling concluding at 5 pm.
Among the heavyweight candidates whose fates would be decided in this election are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi.
The Congress has fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90. The AIUDF has 30 candidates, while NDA constituents Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) are contesting 26 and 11 seats, respectively.
In the opposition bloc, Raijor Dal is contesting 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) 10, CPI(M) 3 and APHLC 2. Other parties in the fray include AAP (18), UPPL (18), TMC (22), JMM (16), besides 258 Independents.
Algapur-Katlicherra and Karimganj South have the highest number of candidates at 15 each, while nine constituencies -- Rangia, Jagiroad (SC), Hojai, Naduar, Jonai (ST), Doomdooma, Mahmora, Teok and Lakhipur -- have only two candidates each.
