Page 1177 - Politics
UP alliance could lift UPA prospects: IANS-CVoter 2019 Survey
The State of the Nation March 2019 Wave-II opinion poll conducted by CVoter for IANS shows that the UPA tally in the Lok Sabha elections based on a pre-poll alliance is expected to be just over half the seats the NDA is likely to get.
Haryana Cong kick-starts 'parivartan' yarta
The Congress kicked off its six-day long 'parivartan yatra' in Haryana on Tuesday, with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda asking voters to throw out Modi and the Khattar governments. Hooda and state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar set aside reported the factionalism in the state unit as they launched the bus yatra from the Congress headquarters in New Delhi in the morning. Besides Azad, who is the Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana; Hooda, and Tanwar, Congress legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Selja Kumari, former minister Ajay Yadav, former assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma were among the leaders who were on the bus. Tanwar -- who shared a seat with Hooda in the bus, on which pictures of the party's top central and state leaders were put up -- said: "The Congress will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats. The yatra will cover all the 10 constituencies over the next few days." Senior ..
Dhinakaran faction can't get pressure cooker symbol, EC to grant common symbol: SC
The Supreme Court Tuesday dashed the hopes of a faction led by former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran for getting the 'pressure cooker' symbol exclusively for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly by-elections, but asked the Election Commission to allot a common free symbol to it. The top court said to "ensure a level playing field" among the contesting political parties in Lok Sabha polls and by-election in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, it has directed the poll panel to allot a common free symbol to the group. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna also made it clear that if candidates fielded by Dhinakaran-led group win the elections, "they will be treated as independent candidates". "The claim of the appellant to the symbol of 'pressure cooker' in an exclusive manner cannot be acknowledged in view of the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India thereunder,
Decision on alliance with AAP likely to be taken by Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday: Chako
The decision on a proposed alliance between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls is "likely" to be taken on Wednesday by party president Rahul Gandhi, a senior party leader said. The AICC incharge of Delhi Congress, PC Chacko on Tuesday said detailed discussions on the issue have taken place with the Congress president, who is currently in Rajasthan and his final word on the decision is awaited. "He (Rahul) will return very late tonight. So, may be tomorrow he will tell us what to do. It (the decision on alliance) is likely tomorrow," Chacko told PTI. Rahul had met the Delhi Congress leaders including its president Sheila Dikshit and Chacko on Monday and discussed the issue. Dikshit at a press conference on Tuesday, parried questions on alliance with the AAP. "You will be informed when it happens," she said. Dikshit who leads a section of her party leaders opposing alliance with AAP stopped short of voicing her stand. The leaders of Delhi ...
AAP's Gautam Buddh Nagar candidate fails to find proposers, nomination rejected
Nomination of the Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat was rejected on Tuesday as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers, poll officials said. Ten mandatory proposers are required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national party or a recognised regional party in a state, the officials said. "She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI. He said only one proposer is required in case of a recognised party otherwise 10 proposers are needed.
Heavy firing between Indian, Pakistani troops on LoC
Heavy firing exchanges continued on Tuesday between Indian and Pakistan armies on the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, a defence official said.
Sikhs, not Modi, saved Kashmiris from mobs: Omar
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday that it was the Sikh community and not Prime Minister Narendra Modi who saved Kashmiri students from mob violence in Jammu and other places.
Senior PDP leader offers legal aid to Jamaat-e-Islami, JKLF against ban
Senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig Tuesday offered the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir and the JKLF legal help to contest the ban imposed on them by the Centre, saying while these outfits were ideologically opposed to his party, he would do it to uphold civil liberties. "Although both Jamaat-e-Islami and JKLF are our opponents, we are ready to provide legal help in contest the ban imposed on them. It is a matter of principles and for upholding civil liberties," Baig said. The senior leader made the offer of legal assistance to the two banned outfits while addressing a workers' meeting in Baramulla. The Union Home Ministry last week banned the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by Muhammad Yasin Malik, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. As per a notification issued on March 22, the central government is "of the opinion that the said organisation is involved in anti-national and subversive activities and is in close touch with militant outfits and is ...
Old Congress loyalist's son to take on Rahul in Amethi
Severing generations-old links with the Congress, the son of a veteran party loyalist has decided to take on Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the Lok Sabha polls. Haroon Rashid, whose father Haji Sultan had been the "proposer" in the poll nomination papers of the present Congress president's father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi, Tuesday said he has decided to fight for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat to work for the "neglected" people of the constituency. "My father has worked with Maulana Azad, Panditji (Jawaharlal Nehru), Indiraji and Rajivji. There had never been any lure for power or post. I too have been associated with the party," he told PTI. He, however, did not disclose from which party he would contest the poll from the high-profile constituency. Explaining his reasons for taking the electoral plunge from Amethi, he said, "There has to be something very serious for me to take this step." "For 70 years we have been living here. But the entire community and the constituency has ...
Priyanka Gandhi moving about as 'Ram bhakt': Irani
In a dig at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Union minister Smriti Irani said Wednesday the party that refused to believe in the existence of Lord Ram has now turned into an outfit of Ram followers. "The Congress party which presented documents in the court saying there is no existence of Lord Ram... the leader of that very party Priyanka Gandhi is moving about as a 'Ram bhakt'," she said. The Union Textiles Minister was apparently referring to the UPA government in 2007 withdrawing from the apex court an affidavit filed by the ASI claiming there was no historical or scientific evidence to establish existence of Lord Ram and Rama Setu as a man-made bridge. Irani's remarks also come in the backdrop of Priyanka Gandhi's proposed visit to Faizabad and Ayodhya later this week. Addressing a public meeting here, the Union minister also tore into the Congress for reportedly coining terms like "Hindu terrorists". The BJP had accused the opposition party of using the term "saffron ...
SC to hear petitions on electoral bonds on April 2
The Supreme Court Tuesday said it will hear on April 2 the petitions which have challenged the issuance of electoral bonds by the government. The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. The bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for one of the petitioners, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO, that the matter would be heard by an appropriate bench on April 2. "We will not be sitting in this combination. We will list the case before another bench next week," it said. ADR recently filed an application in the apex court seeking stay on the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018 which was notified by the Centre in January last year. It said amendments carried out in relevant Acts have "opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate donations to political parties and anonymous financing by Indian as well as foreign companies which can have serious repercussions on the Indian democracy". The ...
Theresa May under fire as British MPs seize control of Brexit
British Prime Minister Theresa May was reeling on Tuesday from yet another Parliament defeat when MPs backed an amendment to seize control of Brexit by 329 to 302 votes. In a House of Commons vote on Monday night, many of her own party MPs, including three ministers, backed the motion which called for a series of "indicative votes" to be held to find alternatives to May's controversial European Union (EU) divorce bill, which has been rejected twice before by Parliament. May has said she remains "sceptical" about the process as it was not guaranteed to produce a majority for any one course of action and refused to commit the government to abiding by any particular result at the end of Wednesday's votes. "The votes could lead to an outcome that is un-negotiable with the EU," she told MPs. As part of the latest Commons high-drama, MPs voted in favour of Conservative backbencher Oliver Letwin's cross-party amendment to allow them to put forward motions relating to Brexit. It will give ...
World praises New Zealand PM's leadership after attack
The response by New Zealand's Prime Minister following a brutal terror attack at two mosques has earned her praise and admiration from around the world, with some voices even calling for her to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Iran accuses Trump of 'colonialism' over Golan move
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Tuesday accused his US counterpart Donald Trump of "colonialism" for recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized by Israel from Syria in 1967. "In a point of time when colonialism ruled, some colonialist powers did such things and bestowed parts of one country to another, but this is unprecedented in the present century," Rouhani said, according to the official government website. "Nobody could have believed that a man would come in America and unilaterally and against all international laws and regulations give away a land belonging to one country to an aggressor," Rouhani said in a meeting with advisors and ministers. Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Syria denounced as a blatant attack on its sovereignty. US recognition for Israeli control over the territory breaks with decades of international consensus and has been criticised by most Islamic
Govt indulging in 'surrogate advertising' through Khadi India: CPI to EC
The CPI wrote to the Election Commission on Tuesday alleging that the government is indulging in "surrogate advertising" through institutions like Khadi India. Modi replaced Mahatma Gandhi as the face of Khadi India in 2017. The Communist Party of India (CPI) also alleged that the brand selling khadi jackets as 'Modi jackets' amounted to promotion of the prime minister. "This is to bring to your attention that government is indulging in surrogate advertising through various government institutions like Khadi India," CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said in the letter. "A display board is put up at Khadi India retail shop at Connaught Place. There is a photograph of PM Modi in Khadi India, which was put up along with 'Rashtrapati' (president's) photo. This should be removed. This type of Modi advertising using public money is unacceptable and should be immediately stopped," he said. The letter suggested that as a deterrent, the EC should recover the cost of all this advertising ..
Joshi denied ticket, seats of Maneka, Varun swapped
The BJP on Tuesday denied ticket to veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi from Kanpur and fielded Uttar Pradesh Minister Satyadev Pachauri in his place.
Notices to 7 NPF MLAs for backing PDA candidate
The Naga People's Front (NPF) here on Tuesday issued show cause notices to its seven legislators for extending support to sitting Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) MP Tokheho Yepthomi in the Lok Sabha polls.
BJP MP Rajendra Gavit joins Sena, to contest from Palghar
Last year, tribal leader Rajendra Gavit crossed over to the BJP from the Congress and won the Palghar Lok Sabha seat in a bypoll, and Tuesday he joined its ally Shiv Sena which nominated him from the same constituency. As part of the pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the Sena, the Palghar seat adjoining Mumbai has fallen in the latter's kitty. However, apparently unable to find a strong candidate in its ranks, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has now got the BJP MP to fight the April 29 polls at its official candidate from the seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The Palghar Lok Sabha seat fell vacant last year following the death of sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga. In the bypoll, the BJP and the Sena, though allies in Maharashtra and at the Centre, fought against each other. The BJP had fielded Gavit, while the Sena gave ticket to Chintaman Wanga's son Sriniwas Wanga, who lost. "In the seat-sharing pact, the Sena has received the Palghar seat. During the previous bypoll,
Congress raising old 'Garibi Hatao' slogan: Sitharaman
The Congress is still relying on the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan coined by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1971 as they could not drive away poverty during their rule, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday. "They are coming up with the Garibi Hatao slogan again. Is that because they could not drive way poverty all these years?" she said at a press meet in Udupi referring to the basic minimum income (NYAY) scheme for poor families, a poll promise announced by Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Gandhi announced in New Delhi that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in Lok Sabha polls. Hitting out at the proposed 'grand alliance' of the opposition parties, Sitharaman said Narendra Modi was the only leader who has the capacity to hold the high office of Prime Minister. The leaders of 'Mahagathbandhan' should introspect whether any one of them can match the .
BJP leader says party will face heavy losses in Raebareli if he's not fielded again
BJP leader Ajay Agarwal, who lost to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Raebareli in 2014, has demanded the BJP ticket, telling Amit Shah Amit Shah that the party will face the wrath of the traders' community if he is not fielded again. In a letter to the BJP president, he said he polled 1.73 lakh votes against Gandhi in 2014 without the support of state and central leaders. "I request you to give me a chance to contest from Raebareli again and not to change the candidate here. In 2014, I secured 1.73 lakh votes against Sonia Gandhi and that too without any meeting of star campaigners, including Narendra Modi or any state or national-level BJP leader," the letter quoted Agarwal as saying. "If the BJP does not give me the ticket, it will face heavy losses due to the anger of the Vaish community," he said. Agarwal has also met senior BJP leaders to push his case. In 2004, BJP candidate Girish Pandey polled 31,290 votes. In the 2006 by-election, Vinay Katiyar got 19,657 votes and R B Singh .