Page 1062 - Politics
Sana Dua to be brand ambassador for elections in J&K
Lawyer-turned-fashion model Sana Dua will be the brand ambassador for the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, it was announced on Wednesday.
Delhi BJP seeking public views to chalk out campaign strategy
To chalk out a campaign strategy for the coming general election, the Delhi BJP has begun a survey to seek views from people on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition Congress, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital and other local issues. The views and feedback will be used by Delhi BJP's media department to draft speeches and campaign programmes, said a member of its social media team. The department has constituted a team of 36 "experts" to collect information to prepare support documents for the party's media panellists and spokespersons participating in television debates. Under the programme, the party has so far recorded 700 videos of people giving their feedback. These videos are not for public consumption, the party said. Also, the issue of setting up a research desk was discussed in the meeting of the media department held on Wednesday at Delhi BJP's office. The meet, to review the campaign strategy, was attended by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. "We compile
Assange 'repeatedly violated' asylum agreement: Ecuador president
Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno said Julian Assange has "repeatedly violated" the conditions of his asylum at the country's embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder has lived for more than six years. Assange sought refuge there in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced accusations of sexual assault that prosecutors in Stockholm have since abandoned. In an interview broadcast by several Ecuadoran radio stations, Moreno said: "Assange has too often repeatedly violated the agreement we have with him and his legal team," without saying whether Ecuador would withdraw asylum. "It is not that he cannot speak freely, it is not that he cannot express himself freely, but he cannot lie, let alone hack into accounts or intercept private telephone calls" under the terms of his asylum agreement, Moreno said. Assange has refused to leave the embassy to avoid extradition to the United States to face charges over his website publishing huge caches of hacked State Department and ...
84 candidates file papers in Karnataka
Umesh Jadhav, a rebel Congress MLA who joined BJP, and former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappas son Madhu Bangarappa of JDS are among over 80 candidates who filed their nominations on Wednesday for the 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to elections in the second phase on April 23. As many as 84 candidates filed 110 nominations, taking the total to 249 by 172 candidates, including five women, an election official said. While 28 candidates are from national parties, among 172 filed nominations so far, 3 are from state parties, 49 from registered unrecognised parties, and 89 independents. Jadhav, who resigned as MLA recently, held a road show along with state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and filed his nomination from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat, where he will take on Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge. He had joined BJP at a rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, two days after he quit the Karnataka Assembly membership. Madhu Bangarappa, a former JD(S) MLA
BJP names candidates to take on Sonia, Mulayam and Akhilesh
The BJP Wednesday fielded local strongman Dinesh Pratap Singh against Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli and also named candidates who will taken on Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Singh Yadav. Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was elected to the state legislative council for the second time in 2016 and left the Congress last year, is pitted against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on a seat held by her since 2004. In Azamgarh, Bhojpuri singer Dinesh Lal Yadav will contest against former chief minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav. Known as Nirauha among his supporters, the 40-year-old is also an actor and a television presenter. Prem Singh Shakya has been named the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency, from where SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav will contest. Chandra Sen Jadun is the BJP candidate from Firozabad, from where the SP patriarch's brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, who broke away from the parent party to set up the Pragatisheel Samajwadi ...
T'gana CM attacks Cong, BJP; says Modi an "utter flop"
Attacking both the BJP and the Congress, TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned out to be an "utter flop" despite having a complete majority in the Lok Sabha. People had seen the governments of Congress and BJP, but development had not taken place as it should have been, he charged. "Definitely, a good government needs to come if good is to happen in this country. We have seen both parties. We have seen Congress party and also BJP party. People had lot of hopes from Narendra Modi. But, he has also been an utter flop," Rao said. "Modi ji has been Prime Minister for the last five years with complete majority and complete opportunity. But what (good) happened I am asking," he said, He also said while Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged TRS was with Modi, the prime minister alleges it was with Congress. But, TRS was not with anyone and was the agent for the people of Telangana, he ...
Congress declares five more Lok Sabha candidates
The Congress on Wednesday declared five more Lok Sabha candidates including four from West Bengal.
Tawde hits back at Cong-NCP, lists irrigation & other 'scams'
Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Vinod Tawde Wednesday alleged that several scams, including the irrigation scam worth thousands of crores, had taken place during the erstwhile Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra. His allegation comes a day after the Congress and the NCP launched an ad campaign "Laj vatat nahi?" (Aren't you ashamed?) against the BJP-led government ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Slamming former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress unit president Ashok Chavan, Tawde said the Adarsh scam took place during his tenure and he even had to quit following the allegations of impropriety. "Why don't they feel ashamed of it?" Tawde asked. The minister also took a dig at NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar over the statement he had made years back when farmers were demanding water. "Pawar had then asked whether he should urinate in the dam for the water. Are the opposition parties not feeling ashamed about these issues?" the Education ...
May seeks last-minute Brexit breakthrough with UK opposition
Prime Minister Theresa May met Wednesday with Britain's opposition leader in a bid to forge a Brexit compromise that avoids a potentially chaotic "no-deal" departure from the EU in nine days. May tore up her steadfast strategy and sought Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's support in a surprise last-minute move that could determine the fate of the country and her government. Her divorce deal with the other 27 EU nations has been rejected three times by parliament and patience is wearing thin in Brussels as an April 12 deadline to end Britain's 46-year membership nears with no agreement in sight. The premier emerged from a seven-hour meeting with her ministers Tuesday to announce she would seek another "short" Brexit extension at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels on April 10. She crucially added that she was now willing to bend her previous principles and listen to proposals for much closer post-Brexit relations with the bloc than most in her Conservative party are ready to accept. "I think .
Kejriwal-Goel Twitter spar over full statehood
The war of words between the ruling AAP and the BJP over full statehood to the national capital is hotting up with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday charging that the opposition party was seeking votes in the name of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but doing nothing to "realise his dream". The AAP has themed its campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls on its demand for full statehood to Delhi and accused the BJP of "betraying" Delhiites over the issue. Kejriwal's attack on the BJP came in response to senior party leader and Union minister Vijay Goel's tweet taunting the AAP for seeking support on full statehood from leaders outside Delhi. "Mamata Banejree neither raised the full statehood matter nor did she support the demand for full statehood to Delhi in 20 years. Kejriwal should first get those leaders support full statehood, alongwith whom he can be seen raising hands(in rallies)," Goel tweeted. Kejriwal hit back reminding Goel that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had brought .
Guj: Cong fields C J Chavda against Amit Shah, declares 9 more
The Congress has fielded MLA C J Chavda against BJP president Amit Shah from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat and declared nine other candidates in Gujarat. The opposition party released a list of four names including Chavda late Tuesday night and announced another six candidates Wednesday night. With this, the Congress has so far declared candidates for 24 out of 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in Gujarat, where the last date of filing of nominations is April 4 and the date of polling is April 23. Chavda, a two-time MLA from Gandhinagar-North Assembly seat, said he will give a tough fight to Shah. The Congress has also given ticket to Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Geeta Patel, a supporter of Congress leader Hardik Patel, from Ahmedabad-East. The party has fielded its Limbdi MLA Soma Patel from Surendranagar to take on the BJP's Mahendra Munjpara. It has given ticket to Murubhai Kandoriya from Jamnagar -- from where Hardik Patel had earlier planned to contest -- against ...
Central leaders only come to Odisha in elections: Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday attacked central leaders of opposition parties, saying that they appear in the state only during elections.
Cong to release manifesto at 22 places across country on Thursday
The Congress will release its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls at various state capitals on Thursday. Party spokespersons will release the manifesto at the state headquarters and list out the key points in the document. The aim is to reach out to the grassroots level and ensure that the message of the party reaches the people on the street and the hinterland. As part of its campaign, top party spokespersons will address the media at 22 places on Thursday with Anand Sharma in Mumbai, Kapil Sibal in Bengaluru, Sharmishtha Mukherjee in Chennai and Pawan Khera in Kolkata. Senior party leader Mohan Prakash will release the manifesto at Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, while Rajeev Gowda will do so in Hyderabad and Rajiv Shukla in Lucknow. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath will release the manifesto in Bhopal while Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will do so in Raipur. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot will release the ...
What is in Governorship when my father gave up CM's post for Ram temple, says Rajveer Singh
BJP MP from Etah Rajveer Singh on Wednesday threw his weight behind his father and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh for his remark where the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister batted for one more chance to Narendra Modi as the country's Prime Minister."My father did not say anything. Even if he did say something, he said at his home. Some people complained to the Election Commission about it," he said, adding that "I know the post of Governor is a Constitutional post.""If he could give up the post of Chief Minister for the (Ram) temple, what is there in Governorship," he said, while addressing an election rally after BJP candidate Jaya Prada filed her nomination from the seat.Jaya Prada, a former Samajwadi Party leader who joined the BJP only a few days back, urged the people of Rampur to support her in the Lok Sabha election.Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was also present on the occasion."As a worker of BJP, I genuinely want BJP to win. We want that once again Narendra Modi ...
Congress announces 6 Lok Sabha candidates from Gujarat
Congress on Wednesday announced the names of six candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gujarat.Paresh Dhanani, Congress CLP leader will be contesting from Amreli parliamentary constituency, while from Banaskantha, Congress has fielded Parthibhai Bhatol. Rajendra Thakor will be contesting from Sabarkantha seat.Other candidates announced in the list include Mannar Patel from Bhavnagar, Bimal Shah from Kheda and Ashok Adhevada from Surat.With the announcement of this list, Congress has declared candidates from 355 parliamentary seats so far.Polling for 26 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Congress manifesto is 'anti-national', says Modi
Terming the Congress' election manifesto as "anti-national", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warned that it will result in destabilisation and disintegration of the country.
PM Modi rattled by our manifesto, his frustration visible in address to rallies: Congress
The Congress Wednesday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were "rattled" after its manifesto promised to ensure justice to the people and that the PM's "frustration" was evident in his address to rallies. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Congress manifesto is a result of dialogue which is diametrically opposite to Modi's monologue through his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio address. "PM Modi and the BJP are absolutely rattled by the Congress manifesto which promises 'Nyay' - justice to people of India. PM Modi's frustration was clearly visible in his rallies today. "PM Modi has mastered the art of false propaganda and empty rhetoric, but after 5 years, no Indian is willing to listen to his mundane speeches where he stoops to the rock bottom of political discourse. The Congress manifesto is the voice of the people of India," he said. Surjewala said the Congress manifesto is the action plan for the future of India and is a progressive piece of vision of Congress
Change of guard at BMC's statutory committees, Lande dropped
A new set of chairpersons of statutory bodies of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was elected unopposed for one year Wednesday, with the BJP, Shiv Sena's ally, choosing not to occupy any of these posts. Except Yashwant Jadhav, whom the Sena renominated as standing committee chairman, the other three key panels got new heads. Anil Patankar was elected as BEST committee chairman, Anjali Naik as education committee head and Sadanand Parab as improvement committee chairman. All of them were Sena nominees. Parab replaced Dilip Lande, who had drawn flak for his decision to allow deletion of reservations on certain plots in the city on the ground that they had been encroached upon. City BJP chief Ashish Shelar refused to comment as to why the BJP did not seek any of the four key posts. A senior corporator from the BJP, however, said, "Our leadership has decided to continue to act as watchdogs, so we will keep a hawk's eye on the administration.
'NDA will not return to power; drama&rhetoric will not work'
: BSP chief Mayawati Wednesday asserted that the BJP-led NDA government would not return to power at the Centre as its 'naatakbaaji aur jumlebaaji' (drama and rhetoric) were not going to work in the April-May general elections. "BJP and Co is not going to come to power. Inka jumlas nahi chalega. Chowkidari ki naya naatakbaaji bhi inko nahi bachaa payegi" (their rhetoric will not work. Watchman's new drama will also be not able to save them) Mayawati said, addressing an election campaign meeting of the Jana Sena-led alliance of BSP, CPI and CPM here this evening. Mayawati, who earlier in the day hinted at her Prime Ministerial ambitions, alleged that the BJP was desperately trying to rake up nationalist fervor for political gains, but warned it would not succeed. The main reason for Narendra Modis loss would be his 'failure' to keep the promises he made ahead of the 2014 elections, she said. "Modi made a lot of alluring promises in 2014 for various sections. But not even .
33.17 lakh electors to decide fate of 34 candidates in first-phase polls in J&K
Over 33.17 lakh electors will decide the fate of 34 candidates in Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies, which will go to polls in the first phase on April 11, officials said. While the Jammu Lok Sabha seat is spread over 20 assembly segments in Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts, the Baramulla parliamentary constituency is spread over 15 assembly segments of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora districts in north Kashmir. In Jammu, 20,05,730 voters including 10,40,876 males and 9,64,834 females will cast their votes at 2,740 polling stations to decide the political fortune of 24 candidates on April 11, they said. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jugal Kishore is seeking re-election from the Jammu parliamentary seat, while the Congress has fielded its senior vice president and former minister Raman Bhalla who is supported by the National Conference. Other prominent candidates include former BJP minister and founder of Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Choudhary Lal Singh and .