EC orders re-polling at one booth in Chamarajanagar LS segment in Karnataka on Apr 29
Bengaluru, Apr 27: The Election Commission said on Saturday that re-polling will be conducted at a polling station in Hanur which falls under Chamarajanagar Parlimentary Constituency in Karnataka on April 29.
In a letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the EC stated that on the basis of reports submitted by the Returning Officer and General Observer for Chamrajnagar Constituency and after taking all material circumstances into account, it declared that polling held at polling station number 146 under the Hanur Assembly Constituency on Friday to be void.
The letter further stated that April 29 has been fixed as the date for a fresh poll at the polling station in accordance with the Commission's instructions. The polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.
The move comes after the Electronic Voting Machines were destroyed at the said polling station in Indiganatha village in Chamarajanagara district on Friday during a clash between two groups of people over whether to vote or not in the Lok Sabha elections.
ALSO READ: Poll boycott in Chamarajnagar village: Govt officers, voter injured; booth, EVM destroyed by protest
According to the district administration, the villagers had earlier in the day decided to boycott the polls citing lack of adequate infrastructure development. However, after assurances and efforts by the local officials, polling was underway.
As per preliminary information, one of the groups wanted to vote while the other was keen to boycott, leading to clashes between them during which they destroyed EVMs, and also indulged in stone-pelting, the officials said.
RE-POLL: Election Commission of India u/s 58 (2) and A(2) of RP Act declares the poll taken on 26.04.24 at https://t.co/I6M9PA9XVH. 146 of 221 - Hanur AC of 21 - Chamrajanagar PC to be void and appoints 29.04.2024 (Monday) as date from 7 AM to 6 PM for taking fresh re-poll.
— Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka (@ceo_karnataka) April 27, 2024
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Uttarakhand Assembly passes censure motion against opposition over women's reservation bill
Dehradun (PTI): The Uttarakhand Assembly passed a censure motion against the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday for allegedly blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament.
The motion, which expressed the House's formal disapproval of the opposition's conduct, triggered a massive uproar by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House sine die.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal moved the censure motion, citing the "uncooperative attitude" of opposition parties toward the bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Addressing a special daylong session convened specifically to discuss "Nari Samman -- Rights in Democracy", Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the bill's passage would have benefitted every political party.
Dhami noted that after delimitation, the number of Assembly seats in the hill state would have gone up to 105, with 35 reserved for women. He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand would have risen from five to seven or eight.
"The opposition fears that if women from ordinary households enter politics, the shops of dynastic politics run by certain parties will shut down," the chief minister claimed.
He compared the opposition's conduct in Parliament to the assembly in Mahabharat where Draupadi was insulted. Dhami further likened the opposition's behaviour to the "arrogance of Ravan".
The chief minister highlighted his government's initiatives, asserting that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to protect women's rights. He said the UCC freed Muslim women from practices like "halala", "iddat", polygamy and child marriage.
Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the technical feasibility of the bill, calling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claims of providing reservation by 2029 "misleading".
He argued that the bill is linked to census and delimitation processes. The Congress leader said the 2026 census would conclude by 2027 and the final data publication would take two more years.
"The delimitation process will take another six years. The actual implementation of this bill is not possible before 2034," Arya said, describing the move as a strategy to protect the BJP's "political ground".
The session also saw high drama outside the Assembly gates, where Congress MLA Virendra Jati staged a protest, demanding the payment of "outstanding" dues to farmers by sugar mills.
Jati arrived at the Assembly's main gate with a tractor-trolley loaded with sugarcane and dumped it on the road. The move brought the traffic to a halt, prompting traffic and security personnel to intervene and clear the area.
Women Congress workers also staged a demonstration against the "anti-people policies" of the state government.
