EC slaps cutout bill

Patiala: The Election Commission has issued bills to three parties in this Punjab district for their failure to remove hoardings and cutouts.

“The EC has issued bills for labour charge for removing cutouts in the constituency to the Akali Dal, Congress and the BSP,” Patiala additional returning officer Gurmit Singh said.

The Akali Dal will have to pay Rs 10,000, the Congress Rs 8,000, and the BSP Rs 5,000, Singh added.

The move to issue the bills followed district electoral officer and deputy commissioner Deepinder Singh’s communication on Friday to all parties to remove cutouts and hoardings immediately.

The Akali Dal candidate from this constituency is Prem Singh Chandumajra. The Congress and the BSP are yet to announce nominees. The charges will be included in the poll expenses of the candidates.

Kutty debate

Kannur: Efforts are on within the Congress-led UDF to field expelled CPM MP A.P. Abdulla Kutty from Kannur, the Kerala constituency he represented, but a section of the Congress is lukewarm to the move.

The two-time parliamentarian, sacked for praising Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, had last week expressed keenness to associate with like-minded parties.

A section of the Congress thinks he is the best bet to wrest Kannur, considered a CPM stronghold. Local Congress MLA K. Sudhakaran said talks were on with the party’s Kerala leadership and the UDF, though Abdulla Kutty had “not formally” expressed his willingness to contest from Kannur for the third time. Kannur district Congress chief P. Ramakrishnan said: “There is no reason why Kutty should be made a UDF nominee when there are many capable leaders to take on the (CPM-led) LDF.”

Mayavati

Lucknow: Mayavati’s former lieutenants have joined hands to float a new alliance with the sole objective of challenging the BSP. The Adhikar Manch has decided to contest all the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The Manch campaign is being led by the Sone Lal Patel-headed Apna Dal, which had last time forged an alliance with the BJP but failed to open its account.

other Manch partner, the Bhartiya Samaj Party, is also an offshoot of the ruling BSP. Om Prakash Rajbhar, once a trusted lieutenant of Mayavati, heads the party.