Morning Digest | Vote counting to begin at 8 am today for Gujarat and Himachal Assembly polls; work on Vizhinjam port to begin today after months of protests, and more

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December 08, 2022 07:50 am | Updated 07:51 am IST

Polling officers keep vigil on CC TV footage at Gujarat Art and Science College where EVMs are stored in Ahmedabad on Tuesday December 06, 2022 ahead of counting of votes. The result will be declared on 08, December 2022.

Polling officers keep vigil on CC TV footage at Gujarat Art and Science College where EVMs are stored in Ahmedabad on Tuesday December 06, 2022 ahead of counting of votes. The result will be declared on 08, December 2022. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Counting of Gujarat Assembly polls at 37 centres; results to be out on December 8

For the Gujarat Assembly polls, votes will be counted at 37 counting centres amidst tight security and in the presence of Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed observers across the State. 

The poll body has made elaborate security arrangements and completed all preparations for the counting process, and the entire counting process at 37 centres will be videotaped. 

Himachal Pradesh polls: Vote counting to begin on December 8 in 68 counting halls at 59 locations

More than 10,000 security personnel, returning officers, and other support staff will oversee the counting of votes for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls on Thursday.

The counting will start at 8 a.m. in 68 counting halls spread across 59 locations throughout the State, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maneesh Garg said on Wednesday.

Why is Parliament silent on voiding of NJAC, asks Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar

In any democracy, parliamentary sovereignty is inviolable, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said in his maiden speech as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the winter session of parliament. He chided the two Houses for not taking cognisance, over the last seven years, of the 2015 Supreme Court judgmentsetting aside the Constitutional amendment to constitute the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC). 

This is the second time in the last week that the Vice-President has raised the issue of “judicial incursions” into the legislative domain.

Peru’s Congress has removed President Pedro Castillo from office

Peru’s Congress removed President Pedro Castillo from office Wednesday, voting to replace him with the vice president, shortly after Castillo decreed the dissolution of the legislature ahead of a scheduled vote to oust him.

India has diplomatically made clear to China that unilateral attempts to change LAC will not be tolerated: Jaishankar in RS

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that it has been made clear to the Chinese diplomatically that any attempts to unilaterally change the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will not be tolerated, adding that the abnormality in relations with China has been witnessed over the past two years.

Counting of votes on December 8 in Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, six assembly constituencies

Counting of votes will be held on Thursday for by-elections in six assembly constituencies in five states and the high-profile Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, where the Samajwadi Party is locked in a battle for prestige with the BJP.

Trinamool and AAP attend Opposition meet called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge

In a show of unity, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress, which have been questioning the Congress’s status as the lead Opposition party, participated in a meeting of Opposition parties hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament.

China shifts away from ‘zero-COVID’ by announcing more easing measures

China’s government on Wednesday announced sweeping new measures to ease pandemic restrictions, marking a significant shift away from three years of a stringent “zero-COVID” policy.

For the first time since the pandemic began, mild positive cases will now be allowed to isolate at home instead of being taken to central quarantine facilities.

Work on Vizhinjam port begins today after months of protests

With the strike called off at Vizhinjam International Seaport, the Kerala government and Adani Group decided to resume work on the ₹7,500-crore all-weather port on Thursday. Though the concessionaire company, Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited, which develops the port on Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer basis, has lost around 140 days due to the protracted strike by the fishermen led by the Latin Archdiocese, Thiruvananthapuram, the government is of the view that the company has lost only around 60-70 days due to the strike.

AAP looks to ‘Gujarat boost’ for its national ambition

All eyes will be on the Aam Aadmi Party when the counting of votes polled in the Gujarat Assembly elections begins on Thursday as the outcome will determine the fate of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s national ambition.

Aiming to breach the BJP’s Gujarat bastion, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fielded its candidate to contest all 182 assembly seats and carried out a high decibel campaign in the run-up to the polls in Gujarat.

Jallikattu hearing | Will be dangerous if court makes impression based on photographs, says Supreme Court

The Supreme Court, which is hearing a challenge to a Tamil Nadu law allowing "jallikattu", on Wednesday said it will be a "very dangerous situation" if the court made an impression based on photographs placed before it by some petitioners to depict alleged cruelty to bulls during the bull-taming sport.

Germany busts bizarre coup plot by far-right cell

The German police staged nationwide raids on Wednesday and arrested 25 people suspected of belonging to a far-right “terror cell” plotting to overthrow the government and attack parliament.

Around 3,000 officers including elite anti-terror units took part in the early morning raids and searched more than 130 properties, in what German media described as one of the country’s largest police actions ever against extremists.

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