Yeddyurappa asks EC to appoint central observers for Mandya,Hassan and Tumkur LS seats
Bengaluru, Mar 28: The BJP's Karnataka unit Thursday requested the Election Commission to appoint central observers in Mandya, Hassan and Tumkur Lok Sabha seats, as it suspects that Chief Minister H DKumaraswamy would misuse the state machinery to suit the electoral needs of his son, nephew and father.
Unit chief B S Yeddyurappa in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner has pointed out that there are precedents of the election commission appointing special central observers in addition to the present official set up in highly volatile constituencies.
"In the wake of heat being generated in the elections in these three constituencies owing to high profile contestants, my sincere request is the commission should appoint central observer to each of the constituencies to guide and supervise ground level officials in conducting elections impartially," Yeddyurappa said in his letter.
"I hope the CEC will take cognizance of my request and post senior officials as observers in these three constituencies," the former chief minister said.
While Kumaraswamy's father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is JD(S) candidate from Tumkur, his son NikhilKumaraswamy and elder brother H D Revanna's son Prajwal are party candidates from Mandya and Hassan Lok Sabha seats respectively.
Highlighting the volatility of elections in Mandya, Hassan and Tumkur Lok Sabha constituencies, Yeddyurappa alleged there was every possibility ofKumaraswamy misusing the state official machinery to suit the electoral needs of his son, nephew and father in these three constituencies.
Pointing out that hurdles were created on the day of filing of papers by independent candidate Sumalathain Mandya Lok Sabha seat, he said "Kumaraswamy and his party leaders have a track record of allegedly mis-utilising the official machinery in the past."
"In the coming days as we approach the polling day, things may start going wayward forcing the people to suspect the conduct of elections in a free and fair manner in these three constituencies," he added.
In Mandya, Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil is pitted against multi-lingual actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, who is the widow of actor-politician M H Ambareesh.
Having been denied ticket by the Congress with Mandya going to the JD(S) due to coalition compulsions, Sumalatha iscontesting as an independent candidate.
She has the support of BJP and many disgruntled Congress leaders who are upset over their party ceding the seat to the JD(S).
In Tumkur Deve Gowda is pitted against BJP's Basavaraj while Congress rebel candidate and sitting MP Muddahanumegowda has also filed his nomination.
Prajwal has been fielded against A Manju of BJP, who quit Congressafter the party ceded the seat to JD(S).
Mandya, Hassa and Tumkur will go to polls in the first phase on April 18, and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is March 29.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
