New Delhi, Jun 3,2024: A BJP delegation, led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, met the Election Commissioners in New Delhi, and urged them to take “stringent action” against those who are trying to undermine the electoral process.
In a letter submitted to ECI, BJP alleged that a coordinated attempt is being made by opposition parties, led by the Congress party, and certain motivated civil society groups, to undermine integrity of ongoing electoral process.
“These efforts are a direct attack on our democratic institutions and pose significant risks to public order and trust in the electoral system,” the letter said.
The compliant letter further said, “The decisive mandates given by the Indian electorate in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, which brought BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power, have been repeatedly challenged by the opposition through baseless allegations and actions.”
“Despite clear verdicts from the people, the opposition has resorted to a series of unfounded claims aimed at discrediting the election process,” it said.
BJP also urged EC to ensure safety and security of electoral process during counting and announcement of results, including enhanced monitoring and security measures to prevent any attempts at violence or unrest.
It also demanded that every official engaged in counting process is fully conversant with the minutest details of prescribed process and engages diligently with ECI counting protocols so as there are no deviations therefrom.
New Delhi, June 3,2024: A delegation of INDI alliance met with the Election Commission on Sunday and urged it to count the postal ballots first, as they have been playing an important role in the election results.
Addressing the media after meeting the Election Commission at the Nirvachan Sadan here, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “The vital importance of counting postal ballots first and declaring the results of postal ballots first. This is very clearly stated in Statutory Rule 54 A, which specifically says that you shall take up and deal with the postal ballots first.”
“Our complaint is that this statutory rule of this 2019 guideline has been given the go by. The Election Commission has now repealed this 2019 practice. The net result is that, by a method of practice, EVMs can be counted, and if the EVM counting gets over before the postal ballots, it will still be completed,” he said.
He alleged that the Election Commission has changed the guidelines for 2019, whereas according to rules, the Commission cannot change the rules by issuing guidelines.
The Congress spokesperson said that the multi-party delegation had already met the Commission twice on this issue earlier, and today it has met the Commission for the third time on this issue.
CPI (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said that on the day of counting, when the counting officers are asked to count the postal ballot paper first, they say that orders should be taken from the Election Commission in this regard, which is not possible on the day of counting. That’s why the delegation met with the Election Commission yesterday and made this request.
Beijing, June 1,2024: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will never allow Taiwan to become independent and “break away,” Chinese Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, said on Saturday.
“The PLA will never allow Taiwan to break away from China, Taiwan’s independence is tantamount to war,” Jing said on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
The PLA will continue to train troops, conduct preparations in case of a war and fight against Taiwan’s independence, as well as promote reunification and resist any external interference, the military official said, adding that the army will resolutely carry out its duties to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun held talks with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. The parties discussed China’s latest activities in the Taiwan Strait, the situation around Ukraine and space.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.