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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

Ambernath polls marred by cash-for-votes allegations

Ambernath: As polling took place on Saturday for 23 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra, the election to the Ambernath Municipal Council in Thane district drew statewide attention — but for all the wrong reasons. A series of serious incidents reported on the eve of voting raised questions over the transparency and fairness of the entire electoral process, casting a shadow over the civic polls in Ambernath.   While voting was underway peacefully in the city, a major...

Ambernath polls marred by cash-for-votes allegations

Ambernath: As polling took place on Saturday for 23 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across Maharashtra, the election to the Ambernath Municipal Council in Thane district drew statewide attention — but for all the wrong reasons. A series of serious incidents reported on the eve of voting raised questions over the transparency and fairness of the entire electoral process, casting a shadow over the civic polls in Ambernath.   While voting was underway peacefully in the city, a major controversy erupted late Friday night after allegations surfaced that voters were being bribed with cash. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) claimed that its workers caught two individuals red-handed in Ward No. 28 while allegedly distributing money to voters. According to the claim, bundles of currency notes and a receipt bearing the name of BJP candidate Poonam Patil were seized from the accused.   Following the incident, the Election Commission’s flying squad rushed to the spot and initiated an inquiry. Sources said that during the investigation, lists containing names of voters from a residential building along with cash were found in possession of the two individuals. Based on these developments, allegations of violation of the Model Code of Conduct were levelled against the BJP.   Meanwhile, the Ambernath civic election has turned into a battleground within the ruling Mahayuti alliance itself, with the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the NCP locked in a war of accusations, further intensifying the political atmosphere.   In another significant development, a large gathering of women was found assembled in a hall in the Kohujgaon area. Suspecting that these women were bogus voters, workers from both the Congress and the BJP rushed to the location. The Congress alleged that the women had been brought for bogus voting at the behest of the Shiv Sena (Shinde group). Police are currently investigating where the women came from and who instructed them to assemble at the venue.   Tampering With EVMs Tensions escalated further after the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alleged tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The party claimed that EVM manipulation had taken place at the South Indian School polling booth in Ward No. 5 of Ambernath. Shiv Sena candidate Shailesh Bhoir accused Tushar Telange, brother of a BJP candidate, of involvement in the alleged tampering. Following the allegation, a large number of Shiv Sena workers gathered at the polling centre, leading to a tense situation.   With allegations of cash distribution, suspicions of bogus voters and claims of EVM tampering surfacing within a short span, the Ambernath Municipal Council election has become embroiled in controversy. Notably, parties within the ruling alliance itself are accusing one another, creating confusion and mistrust among voters.   According to the Election Commission, voter turnout in the Ambernath Municipal Council election was recorded between 55% to 60%.   While Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore stated that barring minor disputes, polling in Ambernath was conducted peacefully. He revealed that at around 2 am on Friday night, Ambernath Police Station received information about nearly 200 people arriving from outside and gathering at a particular location. After verifying the information, police registered an offence under the Representation of the People Act against those present at the spot for unlawful assembly without valid reason. Further investigation in the matter is currently underway, DCP Gore said.   Raut meets Raj amid alliance talks Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray as the two parties are discussing seat-sharing for the January 15 civic elections in Mumbai. This was Raut's second visit to ‘Shivtirth’, Raj Thackeray's residence in Dadar, in the last three days. Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are slated to take place on January 15. On Friday, MNS leader Nitin Sardesai had said that the alliance talks between the two parties, led by cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, were in final stages, but it was difficult to say when the alliance would be officially announced. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab had met Raj Thackeray on Friday. BJP-Shiv Sena Tie The BJP and Shiv Sena are treading cautiously before committing to contest the upcoming elections to the Thane Municipal Corporation in an alliance, with a decision expected in the next two days. Thane is considered the home turf of Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A political dispute had erupted recently after some Shiv Sena workers crossed over to the BJP in Thane district. Senior leaders in both parties will take a final decision on the alliance as well as on a seat-sharing formula, said Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Saturday, a day after BJP and Shiv Sena leaders met in Thane to discuss the contours of the electoral contest. BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar said the meeting was aimed at directing the Mahayuti's election strategy. It was attended by senior leaders, public representatives, office-bearers, and grassroots workers of both parties. Kelkar said the leaders expressed determination to contest the elections with a focus on public interest, development, and decisive victory, under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shinde. Cong Gears Up Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday said the BJP's "religious politics and double standards" would be rejected by the voters of the metropolis who will focus on core civic issues. Polls to 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, will take place on January 15, while votes will be counted on the next day. "Whenever elections come, the BJP starts playing religious politics," Gaikwad said in a statement. She said while BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam claims NCP's Nawab Malik is unacceptable, the Ajit Pawar-led party's state president Sunil Tatkare holds discussions with senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar. "The BJP says Nawab Malik is unwanted, yet his (MLA) daughter Sana Malik votes in favour of the BJP government. This clearly exposes the party's double standards," she said. Gaikwad said the BJP's approach of seeking to remain in power, enjoying its benefits, and resorting to religious politics during elections is evident to the people of Mumbai. "Mumbaikars will not be misled by this. They will vote on real civic issues such as roads, traffic congestion, clean drinking water and air quality," the Lok Sabha MP added.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

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Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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