Page 19 - 31MAY2019E

general elections

across five districts. There were reports As the election Ghosh was then taken to Keshpur
of an attack on BJP’s Ghatal candidate, campaign in Bihar police station to protect her from the
former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, when wrath of the protestors. BJP’s candidate
she tried to enter a polling booth in Kes- enters the last and state party president Dilip Ghosh
hpur. Ghosh’s convoy was also targeted stretch, the ruling also faced protests from locals when he
when locals started pelting stones and tried to visit a polling booth in his con-
hurling bombs after she tried to enter JD(U) has apparently stituency, Medinipore.
another polling station in Keshpur. changed its
One of her security guards was in- Off the cuff
jured and a convoy vehicle damaged campaign narrative Casting their votes under their chosen
in the stone pelting following which gender identity for the first time in gen-
the security officers allegedly restored and returned to its eral elections, the transgender voters
to lathicharge. It was also alleged that demand for special in the national capital flaunted their
a Trinamool Congress worker was inked fingers and expressed hope for
injured in firing by personnel of the status for the State a government which ensures them a
central forces, who were the BJP can- better future. This is the first time that
didate. Ghosh, however, denied the intervened and her vehicle was seized. transgenders have been casting their
allegation. “Her vehicle has no valid pass to move votes under the category after Supreme
The official said, “So far we have not around the area on polling day. We Court had declared them as the “third
received reports of any firing. We are cannot allow her to move around like gender” in 2014. Earlier they had to cast
looking into it. Our officials in the dis- this. It is a matter of security,” the police their votes as male or female.
tricts have been asked to send details officer said. According to Delhi Chief Electoral
of the incidents of attacks on Bharati After the seizure of her vehicle, a officer, a total of 660 transgenders
Ghosh quickly”. large number of protestors gathered were eligible to cast their vote besides
The CEO also sought a report after there and she took shelter inside a tem- 78,49,947 male and 64,21,283 female
Ghosh was seen making a videogra- ple in Keshpur market area, with her voters.
phy inside a polling booth at Pikurda security officers guarding her. The mob In a controversial remark, Congress
in Keshpur. Ghosh’s vehicle was again also pelted stones at the policemen leader Mallikarjun Kharge asked will
blocked by locals when she tried to who resorted to lathicharge to disperse the Prime Minister hang himself if
enter Keshpur market area. The state them. Owners of shops in the market Congress gets more number of seats
police personnel, posted in the area, downed the shutters. than he claims. Recently, PM Narendra
Modi had predicted Congress will
not get even 40 Lok Sabha seats
this time.
“If Congress gets more than
40 seats, will Modi hang him-
self at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk?”
Kharge said addressing a
political rally in Karnataka’s
Kalburgi
The Election Commis-
sion has established a new
system in the voter hel-
pline mobile app for speedy
announcement of results. “The
mobile app users can view a cus-
tomised dashboard consisting of
his/her favourite candidate. The
result from the mobile app will
be in the real-time and the large
auto scrolling display panels
will also be provided across the
nation at important places,” the
panel said.
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