No reason to support Cong in UP: Bhim Army

New Delhi: The Bhim Army has said the Congress has done nothing for the Dalits during its 60-year rule and there is no reason for it to support the party in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls. The remarks by Bhim Army’s national president Vinay Ratan Singh came days after Congress general secretary incharge for east UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met its chief Chandrashekhar Azad at a hospital in Meerut on Wednesday. The Dalit group’s founder, Azad, had announced at a rally in the national capital on Friday that he would contest against PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi for which he said the support of all parties, including the Congress, was welcome. PTI

‘Others’ voters up by 15,306 in five years   

New Delhi: The number of transgender voters enrolled under ‘others’ category has not seen much increase since the 2014 General Election. According to the Election Commission data, the number of voters enrolled in the “other” category now stands at 38,325, an increase of 15,306 in the last five years. The poll panel had since 2012 allowed registration of transgender persons as ‘others’ in the electoral rolls. Activists claim the figure is quite low .The 2011 Census puts the population of transgenders at 4.9 lakh but activists say it is much higher than that. “Insensitivity of officials and manmmoth paperwork can heighten the anxiety of transgenders. Many prefer not to undergo the ordeal,” explained an activist. PTI