Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) A team of the Election Commission of India on Monday reviewed the preparations for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections with the state Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam, the Municipal Commissioners of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, Commissioners of Police, and District Collectors.

The Assembly elections are likely to be held in September-October this year.

According to a state government release, the presentation was made to the visiting ECI team on the work done by the District Collectors and District Election Officers during the Lok Sabha elections.

The ECI team instructed the state and district officials regarding the work to be done for the ensuing Assembly elections. It asked the District Collectors to set up polling stations in high-rise buildings and group cooperative housing societies with more than 200 homes in cities in a bid to increase the voting turnout.

The other instructions include undertaking a drive to update the voters list and a special short revision programme of the voters list to reduce a few names and include new voter names, setting up new polling stations, and the printing and distribution of voter cards.

The ECI team gave information with regard to the required manpower, EVMs, and VVPATs for the upcoming elections.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) In a major relief, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday allowed the Sharad Pawar-led NCP SP to accept donations under section 29 B of the Representation of People Act.

ECI gave its ruling after hearing on NCP SP’s plea.

NCP SP Working President Supriya Sule welcomed the ECI’s order saying that the party is now allowed to accept donations under Section 29 B of the Representation of People Act.

“The people blessed us by seeing the manner in which Sharad Pawar’s party was taken away. Assembly elections will be held in the state soon. For this, the party had requested the ECI to register NCP SP as a separate political party under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to raise funds. The Election Commission had a hearing on this today. After the hearing the ECI has allowed the NCP SP to accept donations under Section 29B,” she added.

“After having considered your letters, the ECI hereby authorises, on an interim basis, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar to accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company,” said the ECI in its order.

Sule said that ECI has assured to look into its plea to not to give a trumpet symbol to anyone where the symbol of a trumpeter is there.

Her plea was important as NCP-SP hit severely in Dindori and Satara in particular where the candidates with a trumpet contested the election against party nominees with a symbol of a trumpeter.

–IANS

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Ranchi/New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s decision to grant bail to JMM leader Hemant Soren, who was sworn in again as Jharkhand Chief Minister, in a money laundering case related to a land scam.

The ED has filed a petition in the apex court, seeking that Soren’s bail be cancelled. The High Court had granted Soren regular bail on June 28 with certain conditions.

The ED’s move comes as a significant development, as Soren had taken oath as CM for the third time on July 4, just a week after his release from jail. His government won the trust vote in the Assembly on Monday.

Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 and spent five months in jail before being released on bail.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) In view of the forecast of heavy rains, civic authorities have ordered all schools and colleges in Mumbai and Thane to remain shut on Tuesday, officials said late on Monday.

This will be the second consecutive day that all educational institutions in Mumbai will remain closed as a precautionary measure, given the heavy rainfall that claimed one life on Monday.

Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and coastal Konkan were battered by heavy rains since early Monday, disrupting normal life. The forecast for Tuesday is also heavy to very downpours in these regions, besides similar warnings for other parts of the state as all agencies went into a high alert mode.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence for a ‘private engagement’.

“PM Modi welcomed by President Vladimir Putin of Russia at his official residence at Novo-Ogaryovo for a private engagement,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

He said that the meeting was between two close friends and trusted partners. “An occasion for the two leaders to cherish & celebrate friendship,” the Spokesperson said.

Earlier, PM Modi arrived to a ceremonial welcome at the Vnukovo-II International Airport in what is his first visit to the Russian capital since 2015. He was received by Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

On Tuesday, PM Modi will interact with the Indian community in Russia, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kremlin and thereafter visit the Rosatom pavilion at an exhibition venue in Moscow.

These engagements will precede a restricted level talk between the PM Modi and President Putin, which will then be followed by delegation-level talks.

“I look forward to reviewing all aspects of bilateral cooperation with my friend President Vladimir Putin and sharing perspectives on various regional and global issues,” PM Modi said in his departure statement before leaving New Delhi.

He spotlighted that the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia has advanced over the past 10 years, including in the areas of energy, security, trade, investment, health, education, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

–IANS

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