Seizure of cash, drugs up

New Delhi: Seizure of cash, drugs and freebies aimed at inducing voters in the Assembly poll in Maharashtra as compared to the last elections, the Election Commission said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here after the conclusion of the polls in the two states, Director General (Expenditure) in the poll panel Dilip Sharma said in Maharashtra the overall seizure stood at Rs 156.94 crore. It included Rs 60.69 crore in cash, over 23 crore worth of liquor and drugs worth Rs 19.5 crore.

In the 2014 Assembly polls, the total seizures were to the tune of Rs 30 crore. "It is a five-time jump," he said. Referring to the replacement of control units, ballot units and paper trail machines, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain told reporters that in Maharashtra, 525 ballot units, 481 control units and 2800 paper trail machines were replaced. —PTI

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Three injured as BJP, NCP workers clash

Jalna: Three persons were injured as two groups clashed over alleged bogus voting in the Badnapur Assembly segment in Maharashtra's Jalna district on Monday. BJP activists alleged that NCP workers were doing bogus voting at Jamkhed village in the constituency, a local pollice official said. It led to a fight between BJP and NCP workers in which three persons were injured, he said. They were admitted to a rural health centre. The main contestants are BJP nominee and sitting MLA Naryan Kuche and NCP's Roopkumar Bablu Chowdhary. PTI

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Thane man protests against EVMs, throws ink

Thane: A political activist opposing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) created a ruckus in a polling station by throwing ink on the voting machine and in the polling booth. He also shouted slogans of "EVMs Murdabad", "Burn EVMs", here on Monday, officials said. The man, reportedly a worker for a major political party and identified as Sunil Khambe, was immediately caught by the policemen at the polling centre and sent to the police station. As he was dragged out screaming and kicking by half-a-dozen policemen, he kept raising slogans condemning EVMs and warned people that democracy is in peril due to EVMs. After the minor fracas, voting continued as usual at the polling station, said the officials. IANS

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Teacher on poll duty faints, dies in Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli: A 45-year-old teacher posted on election duty in Gadchiroli district died in hospital after fainting while walking towards the voting booth on Monday morning, an official said. Bapu Pandu Gavade, who was heading to the voting booth with a polling party from Dehari base camp, fainted mid-way in the morning near Pursalgondi village of Gadchiroli's Etapalli area, he said. "He used to get epileptic fits. He suffered head injuries after he fainted. He was taken to Etapalli hospital first and then to a bigger facility at Chandrapur. Gavade, however, died during treatment," the official said. PTI

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EC set up creches at booths for kids of women voters

Mumbai: In a bid to make the polling process convenient for women voters, temporary creches for their children have seen set up for the first time in some Assembly segments of Maharashtra, an official said on Monday. Since many women voters have no option but to carry their children along with them to the polling booths, the Election Commission came up with this initiative, the EC official said.

"The experiment was carried out for the first time during the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, and now the EC has replicated the same concept in the Maharashtra polls," he said.

"This is the first time that the EC has come up with such a facility for women voters, who can now keep their children at the creche for a brief period and exercise their franchise," he said.PTI