Election News Digest: Congress Fields Sheila Dikshit from North-East Delhi

New Delhi: Ending months of speculation over a possible tie-up with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress on Monday fielded three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit from North-East Delhi and former Union minister Ajay Maken from New Delhi, as it announced names of candidates for six Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.

The Congress also fielded J P Agarwal from Chandni Chowk, Arvinder Singh Lovely from East Delhi, Rajesh Lilothia from North-West Delhi and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi.

Dikshit, who took over from Maken as the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief earlier this year, was last a member of Parliament from 1984-89 from Kannauj. She was the chief minister of Delhi for three terms between 1998 and 2013. She will take on BJP's sitting MP Manoj Tiwari and Aam AAP’s Dilip Pandey.

Another interesting pick by the Congress is former DCC chief Arvinder Lovely from East Delhi where he will take on AAP's Atishi. The BJP is yet to declare its candidate from the seat.

SC Refuses to Entertain Plea on Cash-for-Vote in TN

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea which alleged that people were being bribed on a massive scale for the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was not inclined to hear the matter since the elections in the state were already over (on April 18).

"As elections in the state of Tamil Nadu are over, we are not inclined to entertain this petition," said the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna.

The petition had said that so far Rs 78.12 crore in cash has been seized in the state.

Former Deputy EC Named Special Observer for Tripura

New Delhi: Former deputy election commissioner Vinod Zutshi was on Monday appointed as special observer for Tripura where the Lok Sabha polls to one of the seats was postponed in view of the law and order situation.

On Tuesday last, the Election Commission had postponed polling in the Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat to the third phase on April 23 (Tuesday) from April 18, saying the prevailing law and order situation there is not conducive for holding free and fair polls.

Citing reports of the state chief electoral officer and special police observer, the poll panel had said, "The law and order situation prevailing … is not conducive to the holding of free and fair poll."

The returning officer had feared that "miscreant elements" may thwart the polling process in the constituency.

EC Submits Sealed Report in SC on Modi biopic

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Monday submitted its detailed report to the Supreme Court on the biopic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took the EC's report on Modi's biopic and asked the poll panel to supply a copy of the report to the producer of the movie.

The bench, which also comprised justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, has now fixed the plea of producers challenging the EC's ban on the movie for hearing on Friday 26.

The apex court had on April 15 directed the Election Commission to re-examine its earlier order and take an informed decision on banning pan-India the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after watching the full movie.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for film producers who have challenged the EC's ban on the biopic's release till the current general elections are over, had told the top court that the poll panel has taken the decision after watching the promo, and not the entire movie.The bench had then asked the poll panel to watch the full movie and then take an informed decision on whether its release should be banned or not.

Truck Carrying Cash Catches Fire in Anantnag

Srinagar: A truck carrying currency notes caught fire on Monday in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Police sources said the truck caught fire in the Qazigund area on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

"The truck, among other things, was carrying currency notes. The driver and the helper of the truck said they had no information about the presence of currency notes in their vehicle", police sources said.

Demonetised currency was found among the half-burnt notes, as also those presently in circulation, the sources said.

There is no official word on whether or not the cash being carried in the truck had any connection with the upcoming elections for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat.

The constituency will vote in three phases beginning on Tuesday.