Page 1208 - Politics
Israel strikes Gaza after border bombs
Israeli aircraft targeted Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip early Sunday after Palestinians there threw explosive devices at the border fence during "riots", the army said. Also Sunday, the health ministry in Gaza announced the death of a Palestinian wounded previously in clashes with Israeli forces. Palestinians in Gaza had thrown a number of explosive devices toward the border fence with Israel, one of which set off air raid sirens in the south of the country late Saturday, the army said. "In response to multiple explosive devices that were hurled and exploded during Gaza riots near Israel's border fence this evening, an IDF aircraft targeted two Hamas observation posts in the southern Gaza Strip," a statement from the military read. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Gaza. The Gaza health ministry however announced the death of 24-year-old Habib al-Masri, who was wounded in clashes with the Israeli army. It gave no details on when he was wounded. On Friday, two ...
Congress Working Committee to meet tomorrow
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is scheduled to meet here on Monday and is likely to discuss the poll preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls, party sources said.The meeting will be held at the Congress office here.According to party sources, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has convened the meeting of the highest decision-making body which had its last meeting at Ahmedabad in Gujarat on March 12.Chaired by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the Ahmedabad meeting was also attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was also present in the meeting.The 17th Lok Sabha election, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 11. The final phase of voting will take place on May 19. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.
Mulayam Singh Yadav not in list of SP campaigners for Lok Sabha polls
Samajwadi Party on Sunday announced the list of candidates for Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to contest from Azamgarh - the parliamentary constituency of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav while senior SP leader Azam Khan will contest elections from Rampur constituency.The party also released the first list of 40 poll campaigners for the state including party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leaders like Ramgopal Yadav, Azam Khan, Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Yadav and others.Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's name however was missing in the list of campaigners.The first list of poll-campaigners have 40 names These leaders will campaign various Lok Sabha constituencies that will go for poll in the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.Though the party sources claim that Mulayam Singh Yadav's name would be there in the second list as his constituency Mainpuri will go for polls in the second phase.There are 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar ...
May's Brexit deal could gain support if she quits
British Prime Minister Theresa May could gain support for her Brexit deal if she promises to stand down from her post, Conservative MPs told the BBC.
Congress announces 9 candidates in Madhya Pradesh
The Congress has announced its candidates for nine of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, fielding former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal.
Modi remembering chowkidars after forgetting chaiwalas: Sibal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has forgotten about his bonhomie with "chaiwalas", is now remembering "chowkidars", and will focus on somebody else the "next time" for political gains, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said, taking a swipe at the PM's 'main bhi chowkidar' campaign. The former Union minister also accused Modi of politicising the Balakot air strikes and asked whether the 'chowkidar' (watchman) was sleeping when terror attacks took place in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Uri, Baramulla, and Pulwama. On the prime minister's 'main bhi chowkidar' campaign to counter the Congress' 'chowkidar chor hai' barb, Sibal said: "First of all he has forgotten about the chaiwalas (tea sellers). He now remembers the chowkidars (watchmen). Next time he will remember somebody else and forget the chowkidars." "The sad part of it is that he was sleeping while we were attacked at Gurdaspur, at Pathankot, at Uri, at Baramulla, at Pulwama. What was the chowkidar doing, was he sleeping. What happened .
Expect 2019 polls to be 'election of women of India': Book
Women's participation in elections has been rising much faster than men, and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections could be the first time in India's history that women's turnout will be higher than men's, claims a new book. Between the 1962 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections there has been nearly a 20 per cent increase in women's turnout versus only a five per cent increase in men's turnout, it says. "Today, the turnout of both women and men is almost the same. In fact, in State Assembly elections, women's turnout has now overtaken men's turnout. Women voters had a 71 per cent turnout versus 70 per cent for men. A revolutionary change, the book "The Verdict: Decoding India's Elections" says. Written by Prannoy Roy and Dorab R Sopariwala, the book seeks to address the need for a detached assessment of almost seven decades of elections, their evolution, the enormity of their scale and their confounding complexity. It uses psephology, research and as-yet-undisclosed facts to talk about the entire span
Purification ceremony result of RSS superstition
The alleged purification of the site where Manohar Parrikar's mortal remains were kept for public veneration is the outcome of RSS's superstitious ideology that is being endorsed by the BJP government, Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar said on Sunday.
Modi mask versus Trinamool motif sarees in Bengal
Masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are giving tough competition to sarees decked with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) symbol of twin flowers. This year, the nine-yard attire has joined the brigade of caps, t-shirts and other campaign material selling like hot cakes in West Bengal.
Opposition leaders anti-BJP, but unwilling to adjust, sacrifice seats to defeat it: Sudhakar Reddy
Leaders of opposition parties are anti-BJP, but they are unwilling to adjust or sacrifice seats to defeat it, said CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, raising questions on the leadership of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other regional parties. In a scathing indictment of Gandhi, Reddy, in an interview to PTI, said that his decision to let Congress state units have their say on seat-sharing issues has led to the breakdown in talks with other political parties. "We feel the Congress should have been more large- hearted. Rahul Gandhi did not assert to make his state committees accept the understanding on the ground with other parties. Also, regional parties like SP, BSP, RJD are also responsible for the failure in talks. "I believe the leadership is responsible. They were driven by local agenda, narrow outlook...They are all anti-BJP, but they are not ready to adjust or sacrifice some of their seats (to defeat the BJP)," he said. Reddy said the inability of the Congress and the ...
Fake Twitter, FB accounts pop up after Sawant takes over as CM
Several fake Twitter and Facebook accounts have been created in the name of Pramod Sawant since he was sworn in as Goa Chief Minister, his office has said. Sawant was sworn as chief minister on March 19 following the death of Manohar Parrikar. "Since chief minister Sawant took over, several fake IDs started surfacing on Twitter and Facebook. We brought it to the notice of both these organisations Saturday," a government official said. Sawant already has his personal account on both social media platforms while the official Facebook and Twitter accounts of the Chief Minister's Office also continue to operate, he said.
Bru voters in relief camps to vote in special polling booths
Bru voters lodged in relief camps in Tripura would exercise their franchise for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram on April 11 in special polling booths which would be set up for them at Kanhum village in Mizoram-Tripura border, officials said Sunday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed the Mizoram Election department to make arrangements so that the Bru voters lodged in relief camps in Tripura could exercise franchise at Kanhmun village, the officials said. The ECI has also instructed the Tripura government to make arrangements for the transport of the Bru voters from their relief camps to the polling booths on April 11. The officials said that Tripura government would make arrangements for transportation of over 12,000 Bru voters from their respective relief camps in North Tripura district to the Mizoram border on polling day. Over 6,000 Bru voters lodged in relief camps in Tripura had exercised their franchise at the special polling booths set up ...
Centre, state govts working together to make India TB-free by 2025: PM
The Centre and the state governments are working together to make India TB-free by 2025, ahead of global target of achieving the goal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday. In a series of tweets on the World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, he said, the government reaffirms its commitment towards ensuring a TB-free society. "This would greatly benefit the poor. Correct and complete treatment is the key to winning the battle against TB. I also salute the people and organisations strengthening the TB-free movement," he wrote. The Centre and various state governments are working hard to make India TB-free by 2025, 5 years before the global target of 2030, he asserted. Hesaid Centre's efforts such as the TB Free India campaign and Ayushman Bharat are improving health standards and providing assistance to TB patients.
Maha: EC seeks to make election 'accessible' for over 2 lakh
Over two lakh disabled or 'Divyang' voters in Maharashtra can use a specially designed mobile app to seek special facilities at polling booths during the next month's Lok Sabha elections. Facilities such as wheelchairs, ramps and transport from home will be rolled out for 2,24,162 registered Divyang voters in the state, an Election Commission official said. "Accessible Elections" is the EC's slogan, he said. The largest group --37,324 -- among Divyang voters are those suffering from visual impairment, while 18,022 voters suffer from handicaps of limbs (such as not being able to walk), the official added. Maharashtra will witness voting in four phases, starting from April 11. To make voting easier for Divyang voters, the Election Commission has come up with a mobile application called "PWD". The app, available on Google Play store, provides information such as the location of voting booth and the facilities available there. More importantly, a Divyang voter can seek free ..
Congress announces all 5 candidates from Uttarakhand
The Congress has announced candidates for all the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand.
Normal life affected in Kashmir due to strike by separatists against JKLF ban
Normal life was affected in Kashmir Sunday due to a strike called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), an amalgam of separatist groups, to protest against the ban on Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front led by Yasin Malik, officials said. Shops and business establishments remained closed while public transport was off the roads in most parts of the Valley due to the strike called by the JRL, they said. The officials, however, said the strike call evoked little response in some parts of the Valley as the weekly flea market, locally known as Sunday market, operated normally. This is the second organisation in Jammu and Kashmir which has been banned this month. Earlier, the Centre had banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir. The Yasin Malik-led JKLF was banned on Friday for a series of violent acts and being in the forefront of separatist activities in the militancy-hit state since 1988, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba had said. Separatists Saturday called for a strike against ..
Speculation about Jitin Prasada joining BJP put to rest: Close aide
A half-an-hour car drive of Jitin Prasada with Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday has put to rest all speculation about the former leaving Congress and joining BJP, a close aide of Prasada said.During the drive with Prasada at the wheels, the Gandhi scion successfully convinced him not to switch his loyalty, he said.The close aide informed ANI that the duo went on a half-an-hour drive from Tughlak Lane in Delhi to the airport during which Gandhi made efforts to resolve the impasse with Prasada on the Lok Sabha constituency from which he wants to contest."Prasada is yet to take a decision on the seat from which he wants to contest. The party now wants him to contest from Lucknow against Rajnath Singh of BJP," he added.The aide also informed ANI that Prasada has got an assurance from Congress that he will given a Rajya Sabha ticket if he loses in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.Prasada, who was a Minister of State in the UPA-I and UPA-II governments, had lost in 2014 Lok Sabha polls ...
Future of 'Mahagathbandhan' and emerging trajectories of 2019 polls
Indian politics is always moving along new, emerging trajectories. After 20 years of the Congress dominating electoral politics, it was perhaps in 1967 that for the first time the party faced a setback. In 1977, there was another strong anti-Congress mood prevailing in the country following the Emergency. But then, Indira Gandhi once again returned to power with a solid majority, partly due to the Morari-Charan Singh coalition experiment flopping.
LS Polls: Akhilesh Yadav to contest from Azamgarh
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav will contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections from Azamgarh constituency while senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan will fight for the Rampur seat.Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav is the sitting MP from Azamgarh.The party released its first list on March 8. Mulayam Singh Yadav has been fielded from Mainpuri constituency.SP, BSP and RLD are contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance in Uttar Pradesh in which the SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on three. The alliance will not contest two seats, Rae Bareli and Amethi.The party also released a list of campaigners of the first phase of Lok Sabha polls which includes Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav, Azam Khan, Dimple Yadav and Jaya Bachchan.Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases.The dates of polling in Uttar Pradesh are April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May
Thais vote in first general election since 2014 coup
Thais filled schoolyards, temples and government offices to vote Sunday in the first election since a 2014 coup, with a high turnout expected among a public who received a cryptic last-minute warning from the Thai king to support "good" leaders to prevent "chaos". All television stations repeated the rare statement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn moments before polls opened. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the palace is nominally above the political fray. But the institution retains unassailable powers and is insulated from criticism by a harsh royal defamation law. Sunday's election pits a royalist junta and its allies against the election-winning machine of billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and an unpredictable wave of millions of first-time voters. The kingdom remains bitterly divided despite the ruling junta's pledge to rescue it from a decade-long treadmill of protests and coups. Politicians across the spectrum fear a stalemate under election rules, written by the ..