New Delhi: Elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry will be held from March 27 and the results will be announced on May 2, the Election Commission said today.
Bengal will vote in eight phases, March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala will vote in a single round on April 6. Puducherry will also vote on the same day.
Assam will vote on March 27, April 1 and April 6.
The model code of conduct is now in place in all the states. More than 18 crore are eligible to vote in these elections, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Feb 26, 2021 23:11 (IST)
Over 13,000 Get Covid Vaccine In Delhi Today; Records Dip In Beneficiaries
Over 13,000 beneficiaries received anti-COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in Delhi, a significant fall from the number of people who had got the shots a day before, according to data shared by officials.
Over 3.6 lakh beneficiaries have received the vaccine till date in Delhi since the start of the inoculation drive a month ago, with more than 18,900 people receiving jabs on Thursday.
Out of the total tally, more than 1.46 lakh are healthcare workers and over 2.2 lakh are frontline workers, as per the data.
Coronavirus vaccine shots were administered to more than 13,320 beneficiaries in Delhi on Friday. Four minor cases of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) were reported, the officials said.
Feb 26, 2021 22:13 (IST)
Fight Not Yet Over, Says Sister On Nodeep Kaur's Bail
The bail granted to labour rights campaigner Nodeep Kaur is far from a victory, her elder sister Rajvir Kaur said on Friday, noting that the fight is still on as the list of activists lodged in jails is "very long".
Ms Kaur was on Friday granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, around six weeks after her arrest in a criminal case filed under several charges, including attempt to murder.
Ms Kaur was arrested in Haryana's Sonipat for allegedly gheraoing an industrial unit and demanding money from a company on January 12. Police had claimed that a team of cops was allegedly attacked with sticks, resulting in injuries to seven policemen in the incident.
Feb 26, 2021 21:38 (IST)
"Will Go To Singhu, Sit With Farmers": Activist Nodeep Kaur Out Of Jail
Nodeep Kaur, the 23-year-old labour rights activist who was released on bail on Friday following global outrage, told NDTV that she will visit the Singhu border near Delhi where farmers have been protesting against the centre's agricultural laws for three months and join the demonstration.
"I will discuss with my family what to do next. I will definitely go to Singhu, sit with farmers. I have not done anything illegal in the past and will not do anything illegal in the future and will always stand for the people," she said.
She also spoke about Shiv Kumar, another Dalit activist who was arrested with her. "Shiv Kumar's condition is very bad. He wasn't even there on the 12th (January). Yet he was arrested and thrashed brutally. He has not been shifted to a hospital despite orders," Ms Kaur said.
Feb 26, 2021 21:15 (IST)
Nodeep Kaur, Dalit Labour Activist Arrested For Delhi Border Protest, Gets Bail
Dalit labour activist Nodeep Kaur, who was arrested on January 12 from a labourers' protest at Kundli border point, was today granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in an attempt to murder case. She has been lodged in a Karnal jail in Haryana. Ms Kaur had accused the police of sexual assault under custody, but the allegation was denied by authorities.
The court will consider separately her allegation of illegal confinement by the police, her advocate Harinder Deep Singh Bains told media persons today following the court order. It will also look at her medical records at a different date, he said.
Feb 26, 2021 20:38 (IST)
Bharat Biotech Signs Pact To Supply 20 Million Doses Of Covaxin To Brazil
Bharat Biotech will supply 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to Brazil during the second and third quarters of current year, the city-based vaccine maker said on Friday.
It has signed an agreement with the Brazilian government for the supply of the indigenously developed vaccine, a press release from the company said.
"The company is delighted to partner with Brazil in its battle against Covid-19 and aid its immunisation programme against the virus. It has signed an agreement for delivery of Covaxin during Q2 and Q3 2021," it said.
Feb 26, 2021 19:36 (IST)
Pfizer Covid Vaccine Reduces Transmission After One Dose: UK Study
A single dose of Pfizer and BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine cuts the number of asymptomatic infections and could significantly reduce the risk of transmission of the virus, results of a UK study found on Friday.
Researchers analysed results from thousands of COVID-19 tests carried out each week as part of hospital screenings of healthcare staff in Cambridge, eastern England.
"Our findings show a dramatic reduction in the rate of positive screening tests among asymptomatic healthcare workers after a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine," said Nick Jones, an infectious diseases specialist at Cambridge University Hospital, who co-led the study.
After separating the test results from unvaccinated and vaccinated staff, Jones' team found that 0.80% tests from unvaccinated healthcare workers were positive.
Feb 26, 2021 19:35 (IST)
No Vaccinations This Weekend As Software Is Upgraded
The Central government said on Friday it will let people choose their coronavirus vaccination centres when the campaign expands next week, effectively letting beneficiaries pick either a home-grown shot or the AstraZeneca one, unlike now.
The country will halt vaccinations this weekend to upgrade software used to coordinate its campaign, as it prepares to widen coverage beyond the 11.5 million health and front-line workers immunised since January 16. But the inoculation campaign has progressed slower than expected due to a reluctance of health and front-line workers to take the home-grown COVAXIN shot that was approved without late-stage efficacy data.
Only 11% of vaccinated people have opted for the product developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. With the world's highest tally of infections after the United States, the country wants to vaccinate 300 million of its 1.35 billion people by August.
Feb 26, 2021 17:36 (IST)
Bengal Elections In 8 Phases, Counting In 5 States On May 2
Elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry will be held from March 27 and the results will be announced on May 2, the Election Commission said today.
Bengal will vote in eight phases from March 27.
Assam will also start voting from March 27, in three phases.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala will have one round of polling on April 6.
More than 18 crore are eligible to vote in these elections, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said.
This is the first major set of elections to be held in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic after the Bihar election.
Feb 26, 2021 16:56 (IST)
Pointers from the Election Commission presser:
- 2021 ushered in COVID. Amid challenges of COVID we shall find immense hope in postive stories. This period will be remembered ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We pay tribute to COVID warriors doctors staff and those on poll duty.
- Last year entire word confronted with COVID. Counties across the world tried to balance the democratic rights and some took courageous decision to go with polls.
- ECI started trial with poll for 18 RS seats during COVID. This was in June.
- 7.3 crore voters in Bihar and it was watershed for ECI. It was litmus test. Bihar electorate imposed faith on us. CEO of Bihar and DEC put in day in and out work. 57.34% polls in Bihar exceeded previous polls. Women voters 59.79% turned up in large numbers.
- Discussed with home ministry for security forces and railways for coaches for transport.
I must compliment voters despite several odds.
824 seats to go for polls. 18.68 crore voters, 2.7 lakh polling stations in these states.
Feb 26, 2021 16:00 (IST)
Nodeep Kaur, Dalit Labour Activist Arrested For Delhi Border Protest, Gets Bail
Dalit labour activist Nodeep Kaur, who was arrested on January 12 from a labourers' protest at Kundli border point, was today granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in an attempt to murder case. She has been lodged in a Karnal jail in Haryana. Ms Kaur had accused the police of sexual assault under custody, but the allegation was denied by authorities.
The court will consider separately her allegation of illegal confinement by the police, her advocate Harinder Deep Singh Bains told media persons today following the court order. It will also look at her medical records at a different date, he said.
"The court has said that there was nothing on record with regards to section 360. Therefore the High Court has ordered bail for Ms Kaur," Mr Bains said. "It is with a restraint that no law and order situation be created. That is the only restriction."
