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3 states go to polls today

High alert in Maharashtra; 1.29 lakh security personnel deployed
Last Updated 12 October 2009, 17:41 IST

While the Congress is in power in Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, it shares power with Sharad Pawar-led NCP in Maharashtra where the main opposition is in the form of Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements with special focus on Naxal-hit areas in Maharashtra to ensure peaceful polling, which will start at 7 am in all the three states. The over four week-long electioneering saw top leaders of Congress, BJP and other major players of regional parties hitting the campaign trail in a big way.

While the campaign was generally peaceful, Naxalites struck in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra last week, killing 17 policemen in an ambush and triggering concern among election authorities. The EC has deployed as many as 18,000 central police forces in Maharashtra alone to ensure peaceful polling.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertook whirlwind tours of the three states, where the party is making all-out efforts to retain power.

Senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu were the opposition stalwarts who campaigned vigorously. Meanwhile a high alert has been sounded across Maharashtra for Tuesday’s Assembly polls, where over 1.29 lakh state police personnel along with Central Para Military Forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.

Over 60 ‘crorepatis’
Itanagar, Oct 12, PTI:

Over sixty of the total 151 candidates in fray for the assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh are ‘crorepatis’, according to a report. Takam Tagar, who is contesting from Palin constituency on a People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) ticket, is the richest of them.

Tagar has am asset worth over Rs 229 crore, a report by National Election Watch said. The highest number of 37 ‘crorepatis’ are from Congress, followed by eight from National Communist Party, seven from All India Trinamool Congress, six from Bharatiya Janata P, four from PPA and an independent candidate who has also declared his assets in crores, the report said.

Case against Shakti Kapoor
Mumbai, Oct 12, PTI:

A non-cognisable offence has been registered against Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor for allegedly violating model code of conduct by making a provocative speech during an election meeting in suburban Malad.

“The actor while seeking votes for Congress candidate Aslam Shaikh on October 6 had made some provocative and objectionable remarks,” alleged J K Hargude, senior inspector of Malvani police station. The actor had reportedly asked the audience to “throw the rivals out and break their back.”

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(Published 12 October 2009, 09:31 IST)

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