Page 1196 - Politics
LS polls: BJP fields Odisha ex-top cop from Cuttack
Former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra was Monday named by the BJP as its Lok Sabha candidate from Cuttack in the state. In a statement, the BJP also announced that former MP, Mahamegha Bahan Aira Kharbela Swain, will be its nominee from Kandhamal. Mishra had joined the BJP on Sunday. The party also announced its candidates for nine more assembly seats in the state. Assembly polls in Odisha are being held simultaneously with Lok Sabha in four phases beginning from April 11.
TDP not to field candidates in Telangana in LS polls
: For the first time since its formation in 1982, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) would not be fielding candidates in Telangana in the Lok Sabha elections. "We are not contesting in Telangana in the Lok Sabha elections," a senior TDP leader told PTI. The TRS has always tried to make sure that the TDP does not exist as a party in the state, he alleged. It may be recalled that a large number of TDP leaders have switched over to the TRS in recent years which has weakened the party substantially. The latest to join TRS was TDP politburo member Nama Nageswara Rao who would have been the party candidate from Khammam constituency. Rao who joined the TRS last week, is now its nominee from Khammam in the parliamentary polls. TDP, the ruling party in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has been opposing the BJP since its exit from the NDA on denial of special status to the state and other issues. The TDP leader said the party has in principle agreed to the Congress's request for support in ...
LS polls fight between people & Modi: Tejashwi
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said the Lok Sabha elections will be a fight between the people and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress open to support from all anti-Citizenship Bill
Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi Monday said the party will seek support from all organisations and social groups who are opposed to the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The former Assam chief minister said Meghalaya-based National People's Party was contesting most of the seats in Assam and North East and alleged that it is aimed at helping the BJP. "We will seek support from all those opposing the Citizenship Bill. We will welcome the support from AASU, AJYCP, KMSS and others for the interest of Assam and its people," Gogoi said at a press conference here. The Congress wants that all anti-BJP and anti-Bill forces unite to defeat the present regime at the Centre, he said. "Because of the Congress party, the Central government could not introduce the bill in Rajya Sabha. We stood by the people of Assam. We will never introduce this bill once we come to government," Gogoi said. He said BJP president Amit Shah in a rally in ...
Paralympic Games winner Deepa Malik joins BJP
Deepa Malik, a noted para athlete, Monday joined the BJP with the party asserting that her presence will strengthen the organisation. She joined the BJP in the presence of the party's Haryana unit chief Subhash Barala, and general secretary Anil Jain, who is in charge of its affairs in the state. She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games. "We welcome her into the party. She is an inspiration for all of us. She has made the country proud," Jain said. With the BJP yet to announce all its candidates in Haryana for the Lok Sabha elections, Malik may be in the reckoning for one of the seats, sources said.
Israel army accuses Hamas of firing rocket that hit near Tel Aviv
Israel's army accused Hamas of firing a rocket that hit a house north of Tel Aviv on Monday, wounding seven people, and announced it was sending reinforcements to the Gaza area. The military said on Twitter the rocket had been fired from the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip. It announced it was sending two additional brigades to the area around the Hamas-run enclave and was carrying out a limited call up of reservists.
Chamling files nomination from two assembly seats
Sikkim Chief Minister and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president Pawan Kumar Chamling, the longest serving chief minister of the country, on Monday filed his nomination papers from two assembly constituencies. Chamling, who has been in power since December 12, 1994 will fight to retain office for the eighth successive term. The 68-year-old chief minister is seeking re-election to the state legislative assembly from Namchi-Singithang and Poklok-Kamrang seats in his native south Sikkim. Assembly election in 32-member Sikkim house will be held simultaneously with the lone Lok Sabha seat on April 11. Chamling submitted his nomination papers to south Sikkim district magistrate Raghul C at his Namchi office. The SDF president was accompanied by a large number of supporters and party leaders when he filed his nomination papers.
Kashmiri Hindu group extends support to PM Modi
A group of Kashmiri Hindus has welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's decision to ban Yasin Malik-led Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and extended its support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress to contest from Bangalore North
The Congress will contest from the Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency on April 18 as ally Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) has decided not to field its candidate, a JD-S official said on Monday.
Thailand awaits election results as junta poised to retain power
Thailand on Monday awaited the results of its first election since a 2014 coup, with the junta primed to retain its grip on power after a vote that saw its main rival diminished but vaulted a new pro-democracy force into the kingdom's politics. Election officials delayed without explanation a full announcement of preliminary results as a blizzard of complaints mounted over apparent mistakes in the count and possible irregularities at the polls. Nearly 1.9 million votes had been invalidated with 93 per cent of votes tallied, the Election Commission said. Earlier counts showed that in a handful of provinces more than half the ballots cast were invalidated. The EC pushed back a preliminary announcement on the number of constituency seats won by each party to late Monday. "Please wait.. this is Thailand, we are not like other countries who have an election one day and form a government the next," said Jarungvith Phumma, EC secretary-general. He sidestepped questions over wildly inaccurate
Consume poison, survive: Guj minister's Shiva dare for Rahul
A Gujarat minister Monday tapped into mythology - and controversy - by asking Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to consume poison to check if he was indeed an 'avatar' of Lord Shiva as claimed by his party workers. Addressing a gathering at Bardoli in Surat, Gujarat Tribal Development Minister Ganpat Vasava said Gandhi's "Shiva reincarnation" can be considered true only if he survives after having "500 grams of poison". "People from the Congress claim Rahul Gandhi is an avatar of Lord Shiva. Now, since Lord Shiva used to consume poison to save people, I want Congress workers to make their leader drink 500 grams of poison," Vasava said. "If he survives like Lord Shiva after consuming poison, we will all believe he is the true reincarnation of Lord Shiva" Vasava claimed. The BJP minister's Shiva jibe incensed the Congress which called it "extremely unfortunate" and reflective of that party's "true character" and stemming from the fear of poll defeat. "Such comments about our ...
Kremlin again denies meddling in US vote
The Kremlin on Monday reiterated its denial that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US presidential election after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report found there was no conclusive evidence of Russian meddling. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he had not seen the report but Russsias's "principled position on this matter is well known: our country has not interfered in the domestic affairs of other countries, including the United States.
Owaisi brothers target Modi over Pulwama, 'chowkidar' campaign
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Pulwama attack and asked whether he "slept after eating beef biryani" while 40 CRPF men died. Asaduddin's younger brother and party legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi too targeted Modi over his 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign and said if the prime minister wished to be a watchman, he would offer him a security guard's cap and a whistle. Addressing an election campaign here Saturday, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin highlighted Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) detected the presence of around 300 "active" mobile phones at the training camp site struck by IAF jets in Pakistan's Balakot. "I want to ask Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Modi that if NTRO can watch about 300 cell phones in Balakot then sitting in Delhi were you not able to see how 50 kg RDX was brought in Pulwama," Asaduddin questioned. "...right under your nose 50 kg RDX was transported in ...
Air India withdraws boarding passes with ads of Vibrant Gujarat
Government-owned Air India on Monday decided to withdraw boarding passes with advertisements of Vibrant Gujarat.Shashi Kant, a former Director General of Police from police, had complained that the airline his boarding pass carried pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Vibrant Gujarat campaign after the Model Code of Conduct had come into effect before the general elections."I wonder why we are wasting public money on this," he said in a tweet.The boarding passes were printed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, which was held in January.
BJP names nominees for 2 LS seats, 19 Assembly constituencies
The BJP on Monday announced the names of candidates for two Lok Sabha seats and 19 Assembly constituencies in Odisha, which is set to go for simultaneous polling in four phases between April 11 and 29. Former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra, who joined the BJP Sunday, has been fielded from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, while ex-MP Kharavela Swain, who was inducted into the party Monday morning, has been given a ticket from Kandhamal parliamentary constituency, currently a part of the country's Maoist belt. Swain, a three-time BJP MP from Balasore Lok Sabha seat, had resigned from the BJP in 2009 and formed his own political outfit Utkal Bharat, following differences with senior leaders of the saffron party. According to sources in the BJP, Swain was keen on contesting the general election from Balasore seat, but the party has already fielded Pratap Sarangi from the coastal constituency. "It is a homecoming for me. I will contest from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat," Swain who joined ..
BJP fields greenhorn Acharya against Naveen Patnaik in Hinjili
The BJP Monday named party's state vice-president Pitamber Acharya as its candidate against ruling BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is seeking re-election from Hinjili assembly seat in Odisha's Ganjam district, party sources said. This will be the first time that Acharya will fight the assembly polls though he has been in politics since his student days and was the president of the students union in BJB College here in the 90s. Acharya, a senior advocate of Orissa High Court, is also the BJP's spokesman. He was assigned the responsibility of the party's vice-president barely two days ago. The BJP is yet to name its candidate against Patnaik in Bijepur assembly seat from where the BJD president will also contest. Confirming that he will contest from Hinjili assembly seat, Acharya said he would contest against the chief minister to win the polls. BJP sources said Acharya was interested to contest from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. But the party fielded former
Will assembly bypolls push up Lok Sabha voter turnout in Goa?
Simultaneous byelections in three assembly constituencies in Goa may increase the overall polling percentage in the forthcoming Lok Sabha contest on two seats, according to poll analysts. The most important factor that may push up the voter turnout is the assumption that the people want a stable government in Goa, in the aftermath of the death of chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The BJP has renominated sitting MPs Shripad Naik and Narendra Sawaikar from North Goa and South Goa constituencies, respectively. The Congress is yet to announce its nominees. The bypolls to Shiroda and Mandrem seats were necessitated due to defection of sitting Congress MLAs to the BJP. In case of Mapusa, the vacancy was created due to the death of legislator Francis D'Souza in February this year. While Mandrem and Mapusa segments are part of the North Goa Lok Sabha constituency, Shiroda falls under South Goa seat. The bypolls and Lok Sabha elections will be held on April 23. Goa, which ...
Gogoi slams Modi for neglecting BJP veterans
A day after BJP leader Ram Madhav said the Congress might win an election in Pakistan if it contests from there, former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Monday said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who "ate biryani" there and sent a "love letter" to his counterpart in the neighbouring country. The senior Congress leader also slammed Modi for the "neglect" shown to the veterans in the BJP. "It was Modi who wrote a love letter to Pakistan Prime Minister. He went to eat biryani and enjoyed birthday there, but accusing us," Gogoi said at a press conference here. The three-time chief minister was referring to a query on BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav's comment on Sunday that the Congress might win an election in Pakistan if they contest from there as the opposition party is "banking only on the neighbouring country and lies." "It was Congress government which bifurcated Pakistan and created two nations. These comments by BJP are nothing but just an attempt to ...
Let cricketers cast their votes in cities they are playing IPL, Ashwin urges PM Modi
India bowler Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday requested PM Narendra Modi to allow every cricketer playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to cast his vote in the cities they are playing.Ashwin first tweeted and urged the people to cast their votes and choose their rightful leader. His tweet reads, "Always thought voting is the fulcrum of our democracy and I definitely would like to urge the entire country, each and every one of you from every nook and corner of our country to vote and choose their rightful leader."In another tweet, Ashwin writes: "I would also like to request you @narendramodi sir to enable every cricketer playing in the IPL to be allowed to cast their votes from whichever place they find themselves at."Earlier, PM Modi tagged cricketers among many personalities from various fields by putting out a copious number of tweets appealing them to contribute on their part by urging people to make use their 'right to vote' and cast their votes in the ensuing Lok Sabha ...
China welcomes goodwill message exchange between Modi and Khan on Pakistan National Day
China on Monday welcomed the goodwill messages exchanged by Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan on the occasion of Pakistan National Day, saying it will play a constructive role and supports resolving the differences between the two nations through dialogue and consultations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the occasion of Pakistan Day on March 23, saying : "It was time for the people of the sub-continent to work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive and prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence". Welcoming Modi's greeting, Khan in a tweet said: "As we celebrate Pakistan Day I believe it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to address & resolve all issues, esp the central issue of Kashmir, & forge a new relationship based on peace & prosperity for all our people". Modi's message to Khan in the came in the midst of severe strain in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours ..