UP records 49.3% polling in by-elections; exit polls predict BJP to win maximum seats
An estimated 49.3% of the 34.35 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the by-elections for the nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
Chief secretary HK Dwivedi today presided over a meeting attended by the IG BSF, state’s home secretary and other senior government officials at Nabanna on the continuing violence in the districts.
The move, said sources, comes after a nudge from the Calcutta High Court, coupled with the chief minister’s tough talks on Wednesday to police for take action against the perpetrators irrespective of party colour. Sources said the meeting was to prepare a blueprint on how to stop the violence, which has already claimed over 40 lives.
The chief minister yesterday had pointed fingers at the State Election Commission for its alleged failure to book the culprits, despite downplaying the death figures and the recurring cases of violence. A source at Nabanna claimed that the chief secretary not only held meeting with the IG BSF, but also he spoke to district magistrates (DMs) and police chiefs through videoconference and handed a directive to go for noholds-barred action against the hooligans in areas like Bhangar, South 24-Parganas and Murshidabad.
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A decision is believed to have been taken to appoint three nodal officers with the DM, SP and BSF officer from every district to bridge the coordination. Today’s meeting with IG BSF SC Budakoti was also significant on two counts. First, the BSF in its affidavit filed in the court of the Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, had blamed the SEC for not providing it with the list of sensitive booths for adequate deployment of central forces. Secondly, claimed the source, it also accused the state poll panel of not providing the force with any logistical support and the lack of coordination allegedly from the district police also made the state to sit up. Today’s meeting , as the source put it, also tried to narrow down the alleged coordination gap that was glaring in its implementation on force deployment in an adequate manner in every booth as mandated by the HC. Meanwhile, an officer in the rank of special DIG of BSF today called on the Governor CV Ananda Bose
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