New Delhi: Two candidates from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency are currently in prison on charges related to terrorism and have been elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The result was declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 4 which raised the unusual situation.
As per ECI, Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh secured a victory from the Khadoor Sahib seat of Punjab while terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid also known as Engineer Rashid won from the Baramulla parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir.
Amritpal Singh secured victory from a margin of 1,97,120 votes against Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira. Amritpal is the chief of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit and is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the National Security Act (NSA). Rashid won from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat against National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah by a huge margin.
On jailed candidates being elected in Lok Sabha seats, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh said, “…The number of legislators with criminal charges is on the rise… The makers of the Constitution would have never thought that such people would be elected to the Parliament. A constitutional amendment is needed to specify the charges, holding which, the candidates will be disqualified from contesting elections”
“The irony is, that people in jails cannot vote, but can contest and win elections… A Parliamentary seat cannot lie vacant for more than 60 days, irrespective of whether they have taken an oath,” he said while speaking to ANI.
He further said that the Parliament should step in and not let such people get elected and in cases where they have to vacate their seats, they should not be allowed to recontest till the time they are out of custody.
“It is the need of the hour to bring a law addressing this issue… There is a provision somewhere which allows them to file their nominations by authorising someone, this is how they have contested elections,” he said.
If Amritpal Singh and Engineer Rashid were to be convicted and jailed for a minimum of two years, they would immediately lose their seats, as per the Supreme Court judgment of 2013.
New Delhi: Aiming for a third consecutive term, Prime Minister and BJP senior Leader Narendra Modi accused the INDIA alliance of receiving support from Pakistan and jihadis. On Sunday, while addressing the rally at Uttar Pradesh’s Bansgaon rally BJP leader said that prayers are being read in Pakistan for the Samajwadi Party and the Congress who are appealing for “vote jihad” here.
“Prayers are being read for the win of the INDI alliance of SP and Congress in Pakistan. Jihadis are supporting them from beyond the borders. SP and Congress are appealing for ‘Vote-Jihad’,” he said.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | In his Bansgaon rally, PM Narendra Modi says, “‘Lekin kuch taakatein aisi bhi hain jinhein Bharat ki pragati se pet me dard ho raha hai, ye log 4 June ko lekar alag hi sapne dekh rahe hain’. Prayers are being read for the win of the INDI alliance of SP… pic.twitter.com/icRGUVdY1t
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2024
Addressing a rally in Bansgaon, PM Modi asserted that June 4 is going to decide the future of India and on the same day India’s race to become the third-largest economy will also begin.
“June 4, 2024, is going to decide the future of India. The country will spread its wings and take a new flight on June 4 towards the resolve of ‘Amrit Kaal’, building a developed India, and fulfilling the dreams of 140 crore Indians. Millions of people are eagerly waiting for that day. On June 4, the countdown of India’s race to become the third largest economy will also begin,” he said.
Modi also said that there are many youths are getting benefits out of the Mudra scheme, “Those 3 crore poor who will get pucca houses, elderly people above 70 years of age who will get free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakhs, crores of youth who will be benefitted out of Mudra scheme,” he said.
“Those 3 crore sisters of self-help groups who will become ‘Lakhpati didi’ and crores of people who will be getting free electricity under PM Surya Ghar scheme are waiting for June 4,” he also added.
Election in 5 States: The Election Commission has announced the list of five states being considered as ‘semi-finals’ before the Lok Sabha elections next year. assembly elections The dates have been announced on Monday. Voting for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will be held in one phase on November 17, November 23, November 30 and November 7, while in Chhattisgarh, voting will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. Counting of votes will take place in these five states on December 3.
16 crore voters will vote
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced the election dates in front of the media and said that about 16 crore voters will be eligible to vote in these elections. Before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, these assembly elections are being considered as the ‘semi-final’ of the central government. Voting for all 40 assembly seats of Mizoram will be held on November 7 along with the first phase of voting for 20 seats of Chhattisgarh. Voting for the remaining 70 seats of Chhattisgarh along with all 230 seats of Madhya Pradesh will be held on November 17.
Voting will be held in Rajasthan on 23 November
Voting for all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan will be held on November 23, while the final voting for the 119-member Telangana Assembly will be held on November 30. Kumar said that counting of votes in all five states will take place on December 3. With the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force in five states. The Election Commission has written a letter to the Cabinet Secretary and Chief Secretaries of five states asking them to immediately implement the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. This election will be like a litmus test for the Congress, which is in power in two of these four big states, while a lot is at stake for the BJP, because its results are sure to have an impact on the Lok Sabha elections next year. .
Direct contest between BJP and Congress
There will be a direct contest between BJP and Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, while both the parties are also in the race for power in Telangana, where Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is trying to come to power for the third consecutive time. Still working. In Mizoram, regional parties and the Congress will challenge the ruling Mizo National Front as the opposition hopes that political polarization on caste lines following the violence in Manipur may boost its chances.
Close contest between BJP and Congress
Despite losing to Congress in the assembly elections, the BJP had won big in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In an unusual move, the BJP has announced 79 candidates, including three Union ministers and four other Lok Sabha members, for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and 21 candidates for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. The BJP is also hoping to emerge as a major force in Telangana, where observers believe the Congress has improved its position since the Karnataka elections in May.
BJP welcomed the election announcement
BJP President JP Nadda welcomed the Election Commission’s announcement of holding assembly elections in five states and claimed that his party will form the government with a huge majority in all the states under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on Will work with commitment. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that with the announcement of assembly elections of five states, the departure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies has also been announced.
Kharge claimed victory
Kharge also expressed hope that Congress will win in all five states. He posted on the social media platform ‘X’, “With the announcement of elections in 5 states, the farewell of BJP and its allies has also been announced. In Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram, the Congress party will go to the people with strength. Public welfare, social justice and progressive development are the guarantees of the Congress Party. Kumar said that there are 16.14 crore voters in total 679 assembly constituencies in these election states, out of which about 8.2 crore are male voters and 7.8 crore are female voters.
According to the Chief Election Commissioner, more than 60 lakh voters in these five states are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, who will vote for the first time. Kumar said that there will be 1.77 lakh polling stations in these five states, out of which 1.01 lakh will have the facility of webcasting. He said that more than 8,000 polling stations will be managed by women. He said, “We have gathered here after a gap of six months. These elections are important for the country and after this we will meet to announce the Lok Sabha elections. He said that we have met all stakeholders including political parties and law enforcement agencies during the preparation for the assembly elections in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
The CEC said the Election Commission has laid special emphasis on making the electoral roll inclusive and the focus will also be on ‘roll-to-poll’ or ensuring that all voters turn up to vote. Kumar said that all efforts have been made to ensure fairness of the elections. He called upon the voters of the five states, especially the youth, women and urban voters, to ensure their participation in voting. Kumar said that for the first time, a new election forfeiture management system is being introduced for the assembly elections to enhance surveillance to ensure inducement-free elections.
He said that a total of 940 checkposts have been created to strictly monitor the interstate borders and stop the flow of illicit liquor, cash, free goods and drugs. CEC said that the use of money power will not be tolerated at all and suspicious online cash transfers will also be closely monitored. The tenure of Mizoram Assembly will end on December 17. Mizo National Front is in power in this northeastern state. The tenure of the assemblies of Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh will end on different dates in January next year.