Page 1218 - Politics
P.J. Kurien slams reports of joining BJP in Kerala
Former Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and veteran Congress leader P.J.Kurien on Saturday expressed anguish at the widespread speculation in the media circles and in the social media that he is all set to join the BJP, which he has dismissed as rubbish and baseless.
Italy, China sign memorandum deepening economic ties
Italy has signed a memorandum of understanding with China in support of Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative, which aims to weave a network of ports, bridges and power plants linking China with Africa, Europe and beyond. Premier Giuseppe Conte and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands during a ceremony in Rome after 29 separate sections of the memorandum were signed by members of both governments. With the memorandum, Italy becomes the first member of the Group of Seven major economies that includes the United States, to join Belt and Road, following Portugal's embrace of the initiative in December. Italy's involvement gives China a crucial inroad into Western Europe and a symbolic boost in its economic tug-of-war with Washington.
Maharashtra: Nitin Gadkari to file nomination from Nagpur seat on March 25
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will file his nomination from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency on March 25, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Pankaja Munde informed on Saturday.Beed MP Pritam Munde, daughter of late Gopinath Munde, will also file her nomination on the same day.Gadkari's name was announced in the first list of candidates released by BJP on March 21. He will be contesting against the Congress' Nana Patole who quit BJP to join Congress last year.BJP-Shiv Sena had last month finalised a plan to contest the upcoming General elections jointly in 48 seats. While BJP will contest on 25 seats, Shiv Sena will contest on 23 seats.Maharashtra will vote for Lok Sabha elections in the first four phases, April 11, 18, 23 and 29.
Former BJD MP Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh joins BJP
Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The Member of Parliament from Kandhamal was inducted into the party in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at BJP office in the state capital."It does not matter to which party I belong. My only aspiration is to serve the people of my state," she told ANI.Odisha will go to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will vote simultaneously for parliamentary and assembly constituencies.There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha..
LS polls 2019: Digvijaya Singh to contest from Bhopal
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath said on Saturday."I had asked Digvijaya Singh to contest from Bhopal and he immediately agreed. Even during the meeting with Congress high command, his name was suggested," Nath said during an event. "I hope people will support him."This ends speculation that Singh could contest from Rajgarh seat, which he had represented in 1984 and 1991.In Madhya Pradesh, polling will be conducted in four stages during phase four, five, six and seven scheduled on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had won from 27 constituencies while Congress bagged two seats..
Congress move to field Digvijaya hints at tough fight
Indicative of a tough fight, the Congress has decided to field former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, it was announced here on Saturday. Bhopal is one of the four seats the party has not been able to wrest from the BJP for the past three decades.
BJP releases 4th list, Muslim woman fielded in Bengal
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its fourth list of candidates for 11 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Digvijaya Singh Congress candidate from Bhopal: Kamal Nath
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will be the party's nominee from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat-- a BJP stronghold since the last three decades-- Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath said on Saturday. The announcement was made at the "Holi Milan" programme organised by the Congress here and comes a week after Nath had said that if Singh wants to contest the Lok Sabha polls, he should choose the "toughest seat" in the state. Singh, a former chief minister and a royale, had accepted the "challenge" the next day. Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, which was represented by Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1971-77 and 1980-1984, has been held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 1989. Sharma had served as the President of India from 1992 to 1997. The Congress had last won the Bhopal seat in 1984. Nath said, "I have a list of party candidates in my pocket but I can't disclose. However, I can make an announcement. (Congress) Election Committee yesterday (Friday) finalised the name of Digvijaya ...
NPP fields five contestants in Assam
The National People's Party which is making its maiden entry into the electoral fray in Assam, Saturday announced five candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state. The party is led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. The candidates are Nazia Yasmin Mazumdar at Silchar, Ram Bahadur Sunar at Tezpur, Abdul Aziz at Kaliabor, Kamala Rajkonwar at Jorhat and Bhaben Baruah at Dibrugarh Parliamentary seat. Polling in 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam would be held three phases from April 11.
Mayawati calls Modi greeting Pakistan PM cheating
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greeting to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the occasion of their National Day as "cheating" and accused him of double speak for votes.
Paswan happy for brother contesting LS poll from Hajipur
I am happy that my brother and Lok Janshakti Party's (LJP) state unit chief Pasupati Kumar Paras has replaced me as the party candidate in Hajipur for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, said Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan here on Saturday.Speaking to media persons, Paswan said: "I am very attached to Hajipur. That is why I chose my elder brother for this seat. I am sure that he will work for the development of the people residing in the region."The Union Minister also clarified that this time he will not be contesting Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Paswan won from Hajipur seat defeating Congress candidate Sanjeev Prasad Toni by a margin of 2,25,500 votes."People of Hajipur had created pressure that Pashupati must contest the election from this seat. At first, Pashupati was not ready and urged me to request my wife to contest the polls. But after too much pressure from the people, he agreed to contest from Hajipur."Out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, LJP has got six ...
Clarify whether Pak govt and its military not linked to terror attacks in India: Shah to Rahul
BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday said that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should clarify whether his party believes that Pakistan government and its military are not linked with the terror attacks that occur in India and demanded an apology from him for Sam Pitroda's remark on Pulwama terror attack."Congress president Rahul Gandhi should clarify whether the ghastly Pulwama terror attack, which shook the nation, was an ordinary incident. Does the Congress believe that terror attacks that have been taking place in this country have no link with Pakistan government and military? If a link is there, then who is guilty?" Shah said addressing the media here.His remark comes after Pitroda on Friday said, "Don't know much about attacks. It happens all the time. The attack happened in Mumbai also, we could have then reacted and just sent our planes, but that is not the right approach. According to me, that's not how you deal with the world."He added, "Rahul Gandhi should apologise for his ...
EC team seizes Rs 27 lakh cash from car in Dehradun
An Election Commission (EC) team on Saturday seized Rs 27 lakh cash from a car here.The State Surveillance Team appointed by the Election Commission of India confiscated the cash from the car during a routine checking on Dehradun-Rishikesh highway.The cash was handed over to the Income Tax (IT) Department to ascertain the source of money. Further investigation in this regard is underway.
ISIS loses its last stronghold in Syria to SDF
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) has lost its last stronghold, Baghouz, in eastern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Saturday."Syrian Democratic Forces declare total elimination of so-called caliphate and 100 per cent territorial defeat of ISIS. On this unique day, we commemorate thousands of martyrs whose efforts made the victory possible," tweeted Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF press office.The terror group had once controlled vast territories of land stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq.In February this year, head of the US military's Central Command, General Joseph Votel, said that he disagreed with US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria. He added that the Caliphate proclaimed in 2014 can be defeated but the terror group would continue to remain a threat, CNN reported."The caliphate still has leaders, still has fighters, it still has facilitators, it still has resources, so our continued military ...
Cong will 'positively consider' fielding Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala
Congress on Saturday said party chief Rahul Gandhi will 'positively consider' the proposal put forward by Kerala Congress to contest from Kerala's Wayanad parliamentary constituency."Kerala party workers have urged Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad, one of the Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. We thank them for their immense love and affection. Congress president will positively consider it," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said while speaking to media persons here on Saturday.Surjewala further said, "Rahul Gandhi has always said that Amethi is his 'Karmabhoomi' and it will remain so."The Congress earlier this month had announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest from his bastion Amethi. Meanwhile, BJP is fielding Smriti Irani from the constituency.The Congress state units in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have also reportedly demanded that the party president contest the Lok Sabha elections from the respective states.Earlier former Chief Minister and All India Congress Committee ...
Chaos at Rahul Gandhi rally in Bengal, no one hurt
It was complete chaos at Congress President Rahul Gandhi's rally in West Bengal's Malda district on Saturday as a massive crowd had gathered at the venue to hear him, a Congress leader said.
MGP expels senior leader Mamlatdar
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) Saturday expelled its general secretary Lavoo Mamlatdar after he declared, in a letter to Speaker, that he was the sole authority to communicate on behalf of his party. He was being expelled for six years for "anti-party activities", said the MGP, an ally of the ruling BJP in Goa. He was MGP's MLA from Ponda from 2012 to 2017 before being defeated in the last election by Congress' Ravi Naik. MGP chief Dipak Dhavalikar said the decision to expel Mamlatdar was taken by the party's Central Committee after it came to light that he had written a letter to the Assembly Speaker without taking the party into confidence. The letter, sent Friday, informed that "official communication from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party will be addressed only by the undersigned General Secretary (Mamlatdar), duly authorised of and by the party". "You are... requested to ignore any communication received from any other person...," it said. Dhavalikar said ..
Vote on May's Brexit deal may not happen next week
British Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs that there might not be a third vote on her Brexit deal next week if there was insufficient support for it to pass.
Shah accuses Cong of insulting soldiers' martyrdom, says only BJP can ensure country's security
BJP president Amit Shah Saturday cited Sam Pitroda's comments to accuse the Congress of "insulting" martyrdom of soldiers killed in the Pulwama terror attack and asserted that only his party can ensure the country's security. In a fresh offensive against the Congress a day after its leader Pitroda questioned the government's aggressive action against Pakistan, Shah asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to apologise to people and armed forces for these comments. Speaking to media, Shah said Pitroda's statement conveyed that the Pulwama terror attack was a "routine" incident carried out by a few people for which Pakistan cannot be blamed, as the BJP chief asked Gandhi to make his party's stand clear on the issue. Pitroda, he added, also questioned surgical strikes and air strikes by the Indian armed forces. "Does the Congress believe that terror incidents in the country have nothing to do with the Pakistan government or Pakistan Army?" Shah asked, seeking Gandhi's response. Pitroda is ..
Cong makes seat switch for Raj Babbar, UPCC chief to now contest from Fatehpur Sikri
The Congress has changed the seat allotted to its Uttar Pradesh unit chief Raj Babbar from Moradabad to Fatehpur Sikri, in an apparent bid to make the Lok Sabha contest easier for the actor-turned-politician. In its seventh list of candidates announced in New Delhi on Friday night, the party declared its picks for nine Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Imran Pratapgarhiya will now be the party's candidate from Moradabad in place of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief, who will now contest from Fatehpur Sikri. Party sources said that Babbar was not keen on contesting from Moradabad, where the BJP has fielded its sitting MP Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar. He has also been a five-time MLA from Thakurdwara assembly constituency. When contacted UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh recalled that Babbar has earlier fought from Fatehpur Sikri. "He knows the constituency very well, Singh said. Apart from this, prior to delimitation, assembly segments of the current Fatehpur Sikri ...