Page 1239 - Politics
2 terrorists killed in encounter with Army personnel in J&K's Baramulla
Two terrorists were killed and three Army personnel, including an officer, were injured in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's in Baramulla district on Thursday, a defence spokesman said. "Two terrorists have been eliminated in Nambalnar operation in Kalantara area of Baramulla," Srinagar-based Defence Spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. He said the encounter was in progress. Colonel Kalia said an officer and two soldiers were injured in the operation. The injured personnel have been sent to the Army's 92 Base Hospital at Badamibagh Cantonment here. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area earlier in the day based on information on the presence of terrorists here. The terrorists had opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated, triggering a gun battle, he said.
Purandeswari to contest from Vizag, Kanna from Nasaraopeta
: Former Union Minister Daggubati Purandeswari and BJP state unit president Kanna Lakshminarayana are the only two candidates whose names the Bharatiya Janata Party announced in its first list Thursday for the April 11 Lok Sabha election in Andhra Pradesh. BJPs two sitting MPs - Kambhampati Haribabu (Visakhapatnam) and Gokaraju Ganga Raju (Narsapuram) - have not been re-nominated as they chose not to contest the elections again, according to party sources. Purandeswari will contest from Visakhapatnam, a seat she won in 2009 as a Congress nominee, while Kanna will be contesting the Lok Sabha poll for the first time from Narsaraopeta. Though his name has not been officially announced, former state minister P Manikyala Rao is getting ready to file his nomination from Narsapuram parliamentary constituency on Friday. As there are practically two more days left for filing of nominations, its not clear whether or not the BJP will name its candidates for the other seats in the .
BJP chooses Kishan Reddy in place of Dattatreya for
BJP Thursday replaced former Union Minister and sitting MP Bandaru Dattatreya with former MLA G Kishan Reddy as its candidate from Secunderabad here for the Lok Sabha elections, as the party announced the first list of ten candidates for Telangana. A four time MP, Dattatreya's name did not figure among candidates for Telangana announced by the party Thursday. Dattatreya is representing Secunderabad in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Among other candidates announced by BJP, senior Congress leader and former minister D K Aruna, who joined the BJP this week, would fight the polls from Mahabubnagar. BJP MLC N Ramachandra Rao has been named the candidate from Malkajgiri. The other candidates in the list include Karimnagar- Bandi Sanjay, Nizamabad- D Aravind, Nagarkurnool (SC)- Bangaru Shruti, Nalgonda - Garlapati Jithender Kumar, Bhongir- PV Shamsunder Rao, Warangal-Chinta Samba Murthy and Mahabubabad- Jatothu Hussain Naik. Telangana, which has 17 Lok Sabha segments, goes to the ...
BJP ignores Dattatreya for Secunderabad constituency
The Bharatiya Janata Party has ignored its senior leader and sitting MP Bandaru Dattatreya for Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency and instead fielded G. Kishan Reddy.
Sitting INLD MLA in Haryana joins BJP
Sitting Indian National Lok Dal MLA in Haryana Ranbir Gangwa joined the BJP on Thursday, in the presence of the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Gangwa, who had been a Rajya Sabha MP, is currently the MLA from Nalwa constituency in Hisar district. Welcoming him into the party, Khattar said he is a grounded political leader who is connected to the people and has a good reputation among them. The polling for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana is scheduled to be held in a single phase on May 12. At present the BJP has eight sitting MPs in the state.
Modi sticks to Varanasi, Shah to contest Gandhinagar (3nd Lead)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from his Varanasi constituency while BJP President Amit Shah will make his debut in Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar, BJP leader J.P. Nadda announced on Thursday.
BJP fields Ajay Bhatt, Tirath Singh Rawat from Nainital, Pauri
The BJP on Thursday decided to field Uttarakhand state unit chief Ajay Bhatt and his predecessor Tirath Singh Rawat from Nainital and Pauri seats respectively, replacing former chief ministers B C Khanduri and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. The announcement was made after the party's central election committee released its first list of 184 nominees for the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month. BJP's decision to gamble on new faces from Nainital and Pauri parliamentary constituencies came after the sitting MPs-- Koshiyari and Khanduri-- decided not to contest this time. While Khanduri had expressed his unwillingness to enter the poll fray citing ill health, Koshiyari decided not to contest to make room for younger leaders. Considering their tall stature in the state politics, it will be interesting to see how their substitutes, who face the challenge of retaining the seats, fare at the hustings. Both Ajay Bhatt and Tirath Singh Rawat are former party MLAs. The sitting MPs from Haridwar, ...
Modi's "main bhi chowkidar" campaign hollow rhetoric:
BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, whose ties with the party appear to be all but severed, Thursday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Main bhi Chowkidar" campaign as a hollow rhetoric that lacked punch. Sinha, who is expected to join the Mahagathbandhan comprising the Congress and the RJD besides several smaller parties, came out with a series of tweets decrying the campaign that is meant to be a riposte to AICC president Rahul Gandhi's "Chowkidar hi chor hai" barb at Modi. "Happy Holi to you, Sirji. Once again I will remind you politely but firmly do not get into the sting of the operations of #Chowkidar. The more you are defensive of Chowkidar, the more the nation will be reminded of unanswered questions about the Rafale deal which the people have been desperate to know," Sinha's tweeted. The tweet came in his trademark style refraining from mentioning the prime minister by name but dropping ample hints to suggest whom he was referring to. "By the way, Sir, in a very ..
BJP declares first list of LS candidates for Odisha
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday declared the first list of 10 candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Odisha.
Congress in a fix over five Uttarakhand LS seats
The Congress high command is faced with hurdles in finalising list of candidates for Uttarakhand Lok Sabha seats, which go to polls on April 11.
Rs 2,000 spl assistance scheme in TN stopped in view of LS polls
A cash assistance announced by the Tamil Nadu government for below poverty line and poor families has been stopped in view of the model code of conduct coming into force ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the state dispensation informed the Madras High Court Thursday. Making the submission before a bench comprising justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad on two petitions challenging the scheme, State Advocate General Vijay Narayan said the enumeration of beneficiaries had also been stopped. Recording it, the bench adjourned the petitions to April 29. Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on February 11 announced the special assistance of Rs 2,000 each to about 60 lakh below poverty line and poor families across the state, keeping in mind the impact of Gaja cyclone as well as the prevailing drought. In their petitions, M Karunanidhi and M Murugesan have contended that the cash assistance of Rs 2,000 each should be given only to the people belonging to the below poverty line, ..
3 new entrants from Cong given BJP tickets in first list
Recent entrant and Congress rebel law maker Umesh Jadhav will take on Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from Gulbarga as the BJP announced its list of 21 candidates for the two-phased Lok Sabha polls in the state. Two other new entrants from the Congress A Manju, a former MLA, and his party colleague Devendrappa, both of whom joined the BJP recently, have been rewarded with tickets to contest from Hassan and Bellary, respectively. Fourteen of the 21 candidates announced are sitting members. The names of the candidates for Karnataka were part of the first list of 184 nominees for Lok Sabha polls announced by senior BJP leader J P Nadda in Delhi Thursday evening. The state has 28 Lok Sabha seats, of which the BJP had bagged 17, Congress 9 and JDS 2 in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP had yielded Ballari seat to Congress in the November bypolls. Jadhav, a former Minister, joined the BJP at a party rally in Kalaburagi on March 6, two days after he quit the ...
BJP TN chief Tamilisai to take on Kanimozhi in Tuticorin
Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, state party chief Tamilisai Soundararajan and national secretary H Raja, known for his rabble rousing speeches, are among the five candidates announced by the BJP Thursday for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. BJP has been alloted five out of the 39 seats as part of the NDA led by the ruling AIADMK in the state. The names of the five candidates for Tamil Nadu were part of the first list of nominees announced by senior BJP leader J P Nadda in Delhi Thursday evening. While Radhakrishnan will seek re-election from Kanyakumari, Soundararajan has been fielded from Tuticorin constituency and Raja from Sivaganga, all in southern Tamil Nadu. Radhakrishnan had emerged the sole winner for BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state which contested in allaince with smaller political parties. A straight contest is expected between the state BJP president and DMK's Rajya Sabha MP and party chief M K Stalin's sister Kanimozhi. State president of
BJP releases first list of 184 LS candidates; Modi to contest from Varanasi, Shah from Gandhinagar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi, the seat he represents in Parliament, BJP president Amit Shah will fight from Gandhinagar in place of veteran leader L K Advani as the party Thursday announced its first list of 184 candidates for the general election. BJP heavyweights such as Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari have been fielded from Lucknow and Nagpur seats respectively with the party reposing its faith in all but one Union minister from the constituency they had won in 2014. Senior party leader J P Nadda released the list at a press conference on the auspicious day of Holi following three marathon meetings of its central election committee (CEC). Union minister and fiery leader Smriti Irani will reprise her electoral battle with Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, where she had lost to him in 2014 but was seen to have put up a spirited fight. The biggest surprise in the first list .
No alliance with Congress, declares Kejriwal
Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday denied that AAP and Congress were in talks with each other for an alliance.Talking to ANI, he said: "Congress has officially conveyed to us that there will be no alliance. We are not in talks with the Congress party. Media reports about talks between AAP and Congress have been planted by the Congress."Media reports surfaced on Monday suggesting that Delhi unit Congress president Sheila Dikshit had penned a letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi informing him that a tie-up with the AAP would harm Congress' prospects in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Dikshit's letter was in response to a recent 'phone survey' by AICC's Delhi in-charge PC Chacko to gauge the 'mood' of the party workers in the capital and their opinion on a Congress-AAP tie up.Chacko had earlier said: "As far as I know, there are senior leaders in Delhi who think that defeating BJP is the party's immediate responsibility. For that, we should .
Kartarpur Corridor: India-Pakistan jointly survey coordinates of Zero Point
As a follow-up to the decision reached during the delegation-level talks on March 14, experts from India and Pakistan on Tuesday held a meeting at the Zero Point of the Kartarpur Corridor, to discuss technical details, including Finished Road Level, High Flood level etc.Asserting that the meeting was held in a "positive and constructive" environment, the Foreign Office stated, "The meeting between technical experts of Pakistan and India was held today at the Zero Point of the Kartarpur Corridor. Both sides jointly surveyed the coordinates of the Zero Point and discussed the technical details, including Finished Road Level, High Flood level etc."Expressing hope to finalise the modalities at the earliest, the two sides have also agreed on some technical aspects and details.According to sources, India has been seeking this meeting for a long time."India had even suggested holding it on 15 February. Pakistan, however, linked it to the meeting on draft Agreement," sources said.The next ...
Alphons, Rajasekharan among 13 BJP candidates in Kerala
Union Minister K.J. Alphons and new party entrant K.S. Radhakrishnan are among the 13 candidates in Kerala the BJP announced in its first Lok Sabha candidates list released on Thursday.
Gadkari, Sujay Vikhe Patil in BJP's first list of candidates in Maharashtra
Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Subhash Bhamre and Hansraj Ahir are among the key BJP candidates from Maharashtra as the party announced its first list for the Lok Sabha elections Thursday. The list also included Sujay Vikhe Patil, the son of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrihna Vikhe Patil. Gadkari would be taking on Congress's Nana Patole in Nagpur. Patole quit the BJP to join the Congress last year. Ahir, the Minister of State (MoS) for Home, would be contesting from Chandrapur, from where he has won four times. MoS for Defence Subhash Bhamre will face Congress's Kunal Rohidas Patil in Dhule. Among the members of political families who figure in the BJP's first list from Maharashtra are Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief and late Pramod Mahajan's daughter, Poonam Mahajan; late Gopinath Munde's daughter Pritam Munde, and state BJP leader Eknath Khadse's daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse. Mahajan will seek to retain her Mumbai North Central seat against ...
UN hosts new round of Western Sahara talks
A second round of talks on ending the Western Sahara conflict began behind closed doors in Switzerland Thursday, with the UN voicing hope the sides would discuss "how to build trust". Foreign ministers from Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania along with the chief negotiator from the Polisario Front liberation movement joined United Nations envoy to the disputed region, former German president Horst Kohler, in a secret location "near Geneva". The UN said the aim of the two-day talks was to take "a further step in the political process towards reaching a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara." A first round of talks was held at the UN in Geneva last December after six years of stalemate, but did not yield any breakthrough. The UN said the purpose of the new round "is for delegations to start approaching elements needed for building an enduring solution based on compromise." "The meeting will ..
16 candidates file nominations for LS polls in Karnataka
A BJP nominee is among the 16 candidates who filed their nominations in Karnataka on Thursday for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state. G S Basavaraj filed his papers from Tumkur constituency, hours before his candidature was officially announced by the party in New Delhi in the evening. A total of 18 nominations have been received from 16 candidates on Thursday, poll officials said, adding that cumulative nominations filed stands at 46 from 37 candidates. Other than one BJP candidate, most of the nominations were mainly from independents and from smaller parties. Though the BJP has announced a list of 21 candidates lateon Thursday evening, the Congress and JD(S), the other two major political parties, are yet to announce their list. The Congress and JD(S) that have decided to fight the polls in alliance will contest for 20 and 8 seats respectively. Karnataka will go to the polls in two phases, 14 constituencies each, on April 18 and 23. While the last date for .