THE HEADLINES:-
- Election Commission says, no repoll recommended in any polling station in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu where voting was held on Thursday.
- Centre raises wheat procurement target at MSP to support farmers hit by unseasonal rains.
- RBI cancels banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank.
- US imposes sanctions on China-based oil refinery, shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaches Islamabad, reviving hopes for second round of talks with US to end war in West Asia.
- In Women’s Cricket, fourth T20 International between India and South Africa to be played in Johannesburg tonight.
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The Election Commission has said no repoll has been recommended in any of the 44,376 polling stations in West Bengal where voting was held during the first phase on Thursday, indicating largely peaceful conduct of the exercise. According to the Commission, the polling process was completed without any major disruption that would warrant fresh voting at any booth. The Commission said, standard scrutiny mechanisms, including inputs from observers and field reports, were carefully reviewed before arriving at the decision. The first phase of polling in the state covered 152 constituencies across 16 districts, achieving a record 92.72 per cent of voter turnout amid the deployment of central forces and micro-observers to ensure free and fair elections.
The second phase of polling in the state is scheduled to take place on 29th of April.
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Election Commission has said, no repoll has been recommended in any of the 75,064 polling stations across Tamil Nadu where voting was held on Thursday. The polling process passed off without any incident that would warrant re-conducting voting in any constituency. The absence of repoll requests suggests that polling staff were able to manage the process smoothly across urban and rural segments alike. Tamil Nadu witnessed a high-voltage electoral contest on Thursday as polling for all 234 Assembly constituencies concluded with a robust voter turnout of over 85.15 per cent, reflecting strong public participation in one of the state’s most closely watched elections in recent years. Voter awareness campaigns by the Election Commission and the participation of over 14 lakh first-time voters helped register a record polling turnout in the state. This was also the first election held after the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state. The Commission expressed gratitude to voters across the State and thanked polling officials, security personnel and volunteers for ensuring a smooth, free and fair process. Delegations from several countries, including Bhutan, Egypt, Mauritius and Moldova, visited polling stations in Tamil Nadu and praised the conduct of the polls.
High Commissioner of Mauritius, Sheilabai Bappoo said, India is demonstrating to the world the practices, procedures and experience of conducting elections, exemplifying democracy by taking the vote closer to every voter.
A delegate from Indonesia, Ni Made Mahatma Devi, described the International Election Visitors’ Programme as a great opportunity to understand the Indian electoral system.
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In West Bengal, campaigning for the second and final phase of assembly election has intensified with senior leaders of various political parties conducting a series of rallies and roadshows in the final days leading up to polling. Voting for the second phase is scheduled to take place on 29th of this month.
Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address public meetings today at Selimabad Tarun Sangha ground in Jamalpur of Purba Bardhaman and at Shyampur in Howrah. He will also take part in a roadshow in Howrah. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also hold poll rally in the state. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J. P. Nadda will lead a Vijay Sankalp Yatra at Bajepartapur in Purba Bardhaman.
On the other hand, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi will hold rallies in Srirampur in Hooghly, at Shaheed Minar in Kolkata and in Metiabruz today. Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee will address rallies in Basirhat and Canning West, followed by a roadshow in Bali in support of party candidates.
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In our series of constituency profiles, today, we take a look at the Monteswar Assembly constituency in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal.
“The Monteswar assembly constituency in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal will go to the poll on 29th April under the second phase of General Election to the Assembly of West Bengal. The incumbent MLA is Siddiqullah Chowdhury is from Trinamool Congress. Total of 8 candidates including 2 independents are in the fray. BJP fielded Saikat Panja in this seat while Trinamool Congress fielded Siddiqullah Chowdhury again. CPIM candidate is Anupam Ghosh while Congress fielded Jyotirmoy Mondal. Total electors in the Monteswar assembly as on the last date of nomination are nearly two lakh seventeen thousand. All the political parties canvassing widely in this constituency. East Bardhaman’s potato farmers are not getting prices for their produce. BJP alleged that ruling Trinamool Congress’s embargo to export potatoes to other states is the main reason. Trinamool Congress said government purchasing potatoes from the farmers to alleviate the distress. Left and Congress blamed the ruling parties in the government for the distress of the potato farmers. Apart from this, issues like infiltration, unemployment, women security have been highlighted by the opposition parties. Kalyan Laha, Akashvani News Kolkata.”
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The Election Commission has ordered the immediate suspension of five police officers in West Bengal for alleged misconduct and failure to maintain neutrality during the ongoing Assembly elections. Those suspended include Additional SP of Diamond Harbour, Sandip Garai, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sajal Mondal, Inspector-in-Charge of Diamond Harbour Police Station, Mausam Chakraborty, Inspector-in-Charge of Falta Police Station, Ajay Bag, and Officer-in-Charge of Usthi Police Station Subhechha Bag. Departmental proceedings have also been initiated against them.
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The Central Government has increased its wheat procurement target at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by 15 per cent to 34.5 million tonnes for the current season, up from the earlier plan of 30 million tonnes. Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the decision aims to support farmers whose crops have been damaged due to unseasonal rains. Speaking at an event in New Delhi to release the annual wheat survey of the Roller Flour Millers’ Federation of India, Mr Chopra said state-wise procurement targets have also been revised upward.
The Food Secretary has said that wheat procurement quality norms in major producing states, including Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, have been relaxed to enable higher purchases from farmers affected by unseasonal rains that damaged crops.
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Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank. In a statement, RBI said the bank is prohibited to conduct any business from immediate effect. The apex bank has however clarified that Paytm Payments Bank has enough liquidity to repay its entire deposit liability upon winding up operations. The RBI further informed that the action follows its orders of March 2022 wherein the bank was directed to stop onboarding of new customers, followed by additional business restrictions imposed in early 2024.
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The United States has imposed economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and around 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil. The move, announced last night, follows a broader warning that secondary sanctions would target entities doing business with Iran.
Among the entities targeted is Hengli Petrochemical’s refinery in Dalian, one of China’s largest independent facilities, with a capacity of about four lakh barrels per day. The US Treasury said, the refinery has been receiving Iranian crude since 2023 and generated hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran’s military.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived at Islamabad in Pakistan late last night with a senior delegation, signalling renewed diplomatic efforts to revive stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington to end the war in West Asia.
“The Iranian delegation includes spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei. Mr Baqaei in a social media post clarified that no meeting is planned between Iran And the United States, adding that Tehran’s views and concerns would instead be conveyed to Washington through Pakistan. The United States is also preparing diplomatic outreach, with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to arrive in Islamabad for discussions. Talking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the development, stating that talks would be conducted directly. She added that Vice President JD Vance would remain engaged from Washington, coordinating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the national security team. US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Iran is preparing to make an offer aimed at meetingUS demands, as peace talks are expected to resume in Pakistan. The US President Further stated that the American military will continue its blockade of Iranianports until a deal is reached. THIS IS Ashish P. Abraham, FOR AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
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In Women’s Cricket, India will take on Hosts South Africa in the fourth T20 International of the five-match series at Wanderers Stadium, in Johannesburg tonight. The match will begin at 9:30 PM. The series has been completely dominated by the hosts so far, with South Africa taking an unassailable 3-nil lead.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:-
- Aam Aadmi Party MPs led by Raghav Chadha switching to BJP is top news in many dailies today. Hindustan Times terms it as AAP-heaval while both The Statesman and The Tribune have called it AAPocalypse.
- “In a stunning political development that effectively gutted the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in the Rajya Sabha, seven of its 10 MPs joined the BJP, invoking the constitutional provision that treats a two-thirds breakaway as a ‘merger’ rather than a split”, writes The Statesman.
- In its editorial piece titled, “Chokepoints, and the price of passage,” The Indian Express argues that recent moves to weaponise or monetise vital maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca threaten the principle of free navigation on which global trade depends. It notes that international law under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees transit passage through such straits, but warns that in times of conflict, power can override legal norms. The editorial concludes that, given its heavy dependence on these sea routes, India should take a leading role in upholding the law of the sea and ensuring that chokepoints do not become tools of coercion.
- The Supreme Court has observed that no court can force a woman, especially a minor, to carry a pregnancy against her will, while allowing a 15-year old girl to medically terminate her over seven-month pregnancy, writes The Pioneer.
- At least one in four smartphones made in India is now produced by the domestic contract manufacturers, reports The Times of India.
- And finally, The Indian Express quotes a new study that warns that by 2085, over a third of wildlife habitats on land could suffer multiple types of climate-driven extreme weather events, like heatwaves, wildfires and floods.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Election Commission says, no repoll recommended in any polling station in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu where voting was held on Thursday.
- Centre raises wheat procurement target at MSP to support farmers hit by unseasonal rains.
- RBI cancels banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank.
- US imposes sanctions on China-based oil refinery, shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaches Islamabad, reviving hopes for second round of talks with US to end war in West Asia.
- In Women’s Cricket, fourth T20 International between India and South Africa to be played in Johannesburg tonight.
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