Nation Briefs

Gaurav Gogoi to head Cong’s Assam election panel

New Delhi: Ahead of the Assembly polls, the Congress on Tuesday constituted its Pradesh Election Committee in Assam with state unit chief Gaurav Gogoi as its chairman. The 35-member committee includes Debabrata Saikia, Rakibul Hussain, Pradyut Bordoloi, Bhupen Kumar Borah, Ripun Borah, Paban Singh Ghatowar, Wajid Ali Chaudhary, Rosilina Tirkey, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Pradeep Sarkar and Arun Duttà Mazumdar. In addition to the 35 members, the committee will include Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) General Secretary (Organisation); heads of all frontal organisations, APCC; Chairpersons of SC, OBC, Minority, Adivasi Congress Departments and Tea-Garden Cell of APCC. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in the northeastern state, where elections are due in the next few months.

Rajasthan to hire EVMs from Madhya Pradesh to conduct local body polls

Jaipur: Rajasthan will hire electronic voting machines from Madhya Pradesh to conduct local body elections in the state, officials said on Tuesday. An additional MoU regarding the availability of EVMs has been signed between the state election commissions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh said. Under the MoU, the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission will provide 30,000 control units and 60,000 ballot units to Rajasthan on a rental basis for use in urban local body and Panchayati Raj elections, he said.