Heena Sharma Blog

Tribals’ dissatisfaction with the slow implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), which offers formal recognition of forest-dwellers’ land rights, could be a deciding factor in more than 62 of the 81 Assembly constituencies in the Jharkhand state elections , an independent research group said. The analysis is based on the fact that the number of SC/ST voters eligible for land rights under the FRA was more than the margin of victory in the last election in 58 of the 62 seats considered FRA-sensitive. Nearly 70% of the population in constituencies spread across Jharkhand —Chakradharpur, Gumla, Latehar and Simdega, for example — belong to the SC/ST category. Analysing the results of the 2014 Assembly elections in these 62 constituencies, researchers concluded that any political party that promised effective implementation of the FRA and other laws protecting land rights of tribals could defeat the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party. The FRA, which came into effect in 2006, i...

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday accused the RJD and the JMM of being complicit in the scams that surfaced during the UPA rule. Adityanath, while addressing an election rally here, said people were vexed with scams during the Congress-led UPA rule while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the country on the path of development. "During UPA rule, funds earmarked for development schemes used to go to the coffers of their party leaders. The RJD and the JMM were complicit in the scams that surfaced then. People were vexed with the issue and had staged protests. "But you voted Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister and the country is now flooded with developmental schemes," he said. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said people irrespective of their religion and women, youth, farmers and the poor have been benefited by schemes of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and the state. Read More

An estimated 28.56 per cent of over 4.7 million voters exercised their franchise till 11 am on Monday in the fourth phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections in 15 constituencies, Election Commission (EC) officials said. Polling, which began at 7 am, is going on peacefully, they said. Braving cold weather, voters, including women and senior citizens, are seen waiting in queues for their turn to cast their vote. Voting will end at 3 pm at Jamua, Bagodar, Giridih, Dumri and Tundi while the exercise will continue till 5 pm in the remaining seats, they said. The seats going for polls in this phase are Deoghar (SC), Jamua (SC), Chandankiyari (SC), Madhupur, Bagodar, Gandey, Giridih, Dumri, Bokaro, Sindri, Nirsa, Dhanbad, Jharia, Tundi and Baghmara spread across four districts. A total of 47,85,009 voters, including 22,44,134 women and 81 third-gender people, are eligible to decide the fate of 221 nominees in this phase. Read More