The BJP and Congress party presidents were recently served notice by the Election Commission over alleged Model Code of Conduct violations by their top leaders — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Their replies were expected on Monday, but the parties sought more time from the EC. Although the Commission usually responds to deadline extension requests on the same day, Monday was unusually busy with party delegation visits. EC’s decision on the request wasn’t formally communicated even on Tuesday. Finally, on Wednesday, it is learnt, the Commission wrote to both BJP and Congress, giving them seven more days to file their replies. They now have to respond by 11am on May 6.
Daughter’s Debut
With a court ruling on Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari’s eligibility to fight elections from the seat awaited, the Ansari family has already picked a “backup” candidate — his eldest daughter, 32-year-old Nusrat Ansari. Afzal is the brother of gangster-turned-politician late Mukhtar Ansari. Nusrat, who has already started campaigning in Ghazipur, will become the first woman from the family to enter politics. A graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi, Nusrat had met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav when he visited the family after Mukhtar’s death and the latter encouraged her to enter politics. All eyes are now on the Allahabad High Court which is scheduled to hear Afzal’s matter.
Tech Shift
The Supreme Court in the last few weeks has seen some technological shifts — from integrating WhatsApp messaging services with the court’s IT systems to finally migrating to a new website. Lawyers now get WhatsApp updates on new filings, court orders in their respective cases. While a new website was launched earlier, the old one continued to be operational and was being used more than the new one. On Wednesday, the old website was removed, completing the migration to a new website with easier access to e-services.
