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[00:00:00] Hello, this is your Daily Dose of News from Onmanorama. I am your host Vishnu and these
[00:00:16] are the major news stories of Friday, April 19th, 2024.
[00:00:23] The first and largest of the seven-phase looks are by elections saw 102 constituencies across
[00:00:28] 21 states and union territories, casting their votes to decide the fate of the country for
[00:00:33] the next five years. Tehran played down the explosion over an Iranian
[00:00:39] city on Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, indicating it had no plans
[00:00:45] for retaliation, a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
[00:00:53] Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the Directorate of Enforcement of being
[00:00:57] petty and politicizing what he ate before a local court.
[00:01:03] PM Modi addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh said this year's Lok Sabha polls
[00:01:07] were about making India a big global power in the next five years.
[00:01:14] Four polling officials were suspended from service for allegedly failing to prevent
[00:01:18] outside interference in the voting process at the home of a 92-year-old woman during
[00:01:22] the Lok Sabha polls in Kalyar Shedi under the cast-aligned Lok Sabha constituency.
[00:01:28] Let's get into the details. The first of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections
[00:01:34] saw 102 constituencies across 21 states and union territories, casting their votes to
[00:01:39] decide the fate of the country for the next five years. According to the Election
[00:01:44] Commission, voting was largely smooth and peaceful and there was substantial voter turnout
[00:01:49] The first phase of polls was held on all seas of Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
[00:01:55] Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
[00:02:01] Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Lakshadweep. Besides, there were five
[00:02:06] seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four in Bihar, three in West Bengal, two
[00:02:11] in Manipur and one each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. At 3 p.m.,
[00:02:17] the recorded voting turnout was 49.9%. Tamil Nadu had recorded 51% turnout,
[00:02:23] Rajasthan 41.5%, Uttar Pradesh 47.4% and Madhya Pradesh 53.4%.
[00:02:30] The results will be declared on June 4th. Explosions echoed over an Iranian city on
[00:02:39] what sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and indicated
[00:02:44] it had no plans for retaliation, a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide
[00:02:49] war. The limited scale of the attack and Iran's muted response both appeared to signal a
[00:02:54] successful effort by diplomats who have been working round the clock to avert all-out war
[00:02:58] since an Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday. Iranian media and
[00:03:03] officials described a small number of explosions which they said resulted from Iran's air
[00:03:08] defenses hitting three drones over the city of Isfahan. Notably, they referred to the
[00:03:13] incident as an attack by infiltrators rather than by Israel, obviating the need for retaliation.
[00:03:19] The two long-standing foes had been heading towards direct confrontation since a presumed
[00:03:23] Israeli airstrike on April 1st that destroyed a building in Iran's embassy
[00:03:28] compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian officers including a top general.
[00:03:32] Iran's response with a direct attack on Israel was unprecedented but caused
[00:03:37] no deaths and only minor damage because Israel and its allies shot down hundreds of
[00:03:41] missiles and drones. Allies, including the United States, had since been pressing hard
[00:03:46] to ensure any further retaliation would be calibrated not to provoke a spiral of hostilities.
[00:03:54] Accusing the enforcement directorate of being petty and politicizing what he ate in jail,
[00:03:59] Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asserted before a court that the
[00:04:03] food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor.
[00:04:08] The ED had on Thursday claimed before the court that Kejriwal was eating food high in sugar,
[00:04:13] like mangoes and sweets every day despite having type 2 diabetes to create grounds for
[00:04:17] medical bail. Kejriwal has been allowed to have food cooked at home in jail.
[00:04:22] The Ahmadmi Party convener who had on Thursday withdrawn a petition for consulting his doctor
[00:04:26] thrice a week about his fluctuating sugar levels, moved a fresh plea on Friday seeking
[00:04:31] consultations with his physician for 15 minutes every day. Meanwhile, the ED opposed Kejriwal's
[00:04:36] submissions claiming the food he was eating did not match the diet chart prescribed by his
[00:04:41] doctor. It said the Haar Jail had sufficient medical facilities to take care of Kejriwal's
[00:04:46] diabetes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the ongoing Lok Sabha election
[00:04:53] is about making India a big global power in the next five years and asserted a strong and
[00:04:57] stable government was needed in view of the prevailing situation in the world.
[00:05:01] Addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh, he accused the Congress of weakening the
[00:05:05] defence sector for decades when in power and alleged the opposition party did not want
[00:05:10] French-made Rafale fighter jets to come to India. On the other hand, his government is
[00:05:14] strengthening the defence sector, said Modi. The PM asserted his government was committed to
[00:05:19] the welfare of the poor and pointed out that the centre has extended the free ration
[00:05:23] scheme for five more years for nearly 80 crore beneficiaries.
[00:05:29] Four polling officials were suspended from service for allegedly failing to prevent
[00:05:33] outside interference in the voting process at the home of a 92-year-old woman during
[00:05:37] the Lok Sabha polls in Kerala's Karnur, officials said on Friday. District Collector
[00:05:42] Arun Kevichan, also the district election officer, suspended the special polling
[00:05:46] officer, polling assistant micro-observer, special police officer and videographer in
[00:05:51] connection with the incident reported from Kalyashiri Grama Panjayat. The district
[00:05:55] collector also recommended an investigation against a person named Ganesan for allegedly
[00:06:00] interfering in the voting of 92-year-old Devi at a polling booth set up at her residence on
[00:06:04] April 18th to facilitate her democratic right. Kalyashiri Assembly segment in Karnur
[00:06:10] district falls under the cast-record Lok Sabha seat. The Congress alleged that Ganesan was
[00:06:14] a CPM worker while the BJP alleged that it was an attempt to sabotage the elections.
[00:06:19] The left party has not reacted to the allegations.
[00:06:25] That brings us to the end of this episode. Thanks for listening to Daily News Toast,
[00:06:29] hosted and produced by M.A. Vishnumar Lezren with technical support from IW Studios.
[00:06:34] Follow www.onmonautoma.com for detailed updates on the latest news and be sure
[00:06:38] to come back tomorrow.