OFF THE RECORD review on some of todays headlines….
1. Cash found on Sr official bribe for IAS promotion–The Times of India..
काय हे? Talk about table news in India’s biggest paper !! By the way, I was the first one to report on senior Co-op officer Vikas Rasaal caught with cash (Rs. 50 lakhs) at the airport and IT sleuths conducting raid at his residence.. (I had blogged about it on 10.7.2017)…It took Times of India some 20 odd days to copy-paste my news literally…I had heard about translating previous days Marathi news to English (Political ones)& they appearing in Times but now this one has crossed all boundaries…By the way, if I give names as to who has become IAS offering bribes at Delhi, all promotee’s will be in a soup…Juniors have become IAS whereas seniors are often seeing running from here & there for simple promotions…
2. The truth about on the ongoing EVM machine controversy at Buldhana…
It was absolutely disgusting to see how the media is interpreting an isolated incidence of technical fault in one and only EVM during Zilla Parishad elections in Buldana district during February 2017. By doing so, we are not only creating doubts in the minds of very wise voters of this country but maligning the time tested,globally applauded free & fair election machinery of this country. Thereby, damaging the democracy itself. As per details available in public domain,Elections were held for 60 Zilla Parishad constituencies and 120 Panchayat constituencies. That means, there were 180 constituencies each having a different ballot paper. The sequence of names and symbols printed on each ballot paper was different & decided as per guidelines of State Election Commission.Technical fault was noticed in one EVM being used at a polling station 57/6-Sultanpur from 57-Sultanpur constituency of Buldana Zilla Parishad. One independent candidate Mrs Zore complained about this. The election officers and then Collector Mr.Vijay Zade acted promptly on this and reported matter to State Election Commission. On SEC directions, Re-poll was held at this polling station on 21 February. Counting was done in entire Maharashtra on 23th February.
The result of this constituency itself really speaks volumes about the fairness of the entire election process.
Votes secured by various candidates from 57-Sultanpur constituency are as under –
1 Zore Aashatai Arun (Complainant) – Independent 2399
2 Doifode Suman Tukaram – INC 311
3 Tejankar Vijaya Sadanand – NCP 5238
4 Pise Meena Madan – BJP 1655
5 Wagh Renuka Dilip – Shivsena 5659
6 NOTA 182
Now even you add all the votes secured by the BJP candidate to Smt. Zore’s score, it becomes 4054 and she remains on third position. It’s a simple logic which the contesting candidates and voters have understood and they have not filed any election petition.Elections were held for 180 constituencies with different sequence of names on ballot paper, there were 1691 polling stations fixed for these 180 constituencies, each polling station was having Separate EVM for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Constituencies and finally technical fault was developed in only one EVM used for ZP constituency at polling station no.57/6. Other EVM used for Panchayat Samiti constituency at this same polling had no problem. There was no complaint from rest of the 1690 polling stations. It was simply a technical fault which we must accept. There is no machine in the world which has not developed a fault in it in its lifetime.We all have witnessed recent general elections to various state assemblies where electors have given different mandate in different states.
3. NCP women president Chitra Wagh is upset!
One of the post on Facebook by NCP’s women cell President Chitra Wagh has actually made me think that the current Modi government actually takes older laws, fine touches them, and reinvents them with new names…Like many of the Cong-NCP leaders here in Maharashtra had voiced their similar opinion on introduction of the Jalyukt Shivaar Yojana here in Maharashtra which many claimed, was the brainchild of the Cong-NCP…Anwyay, Chitra Wagh has said that the web portal “SHe Box” which was launched recently by the Centre is nothing but the “Vishakha Law” that was formed in 2013 for women facing sexual harassment at work places. As per the law, wherever there are more than 10 women employees a committee of one senior most in those 10 will be the head along with an outside member of any NGO…But Wagh says nowhere this Committee seems to be formed and no actions have been taken if any complaints received; and also the SHe Box is nothing but an extension of the Vishakha Law…
Vikrant Hemant Joshi
