Page 1297 - Politics
Neither NDA nor UPA can form govt on its own after polls:KTR
Claiming that neither the NDA nor UPA is in a position to form government on its own after the Lok Sabha elections, TRS working president K T Rama Rao said TRS should win 16 Lok Sabha seats to ensure that Telangana gets substantial funds and development projects. The popularity graph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the wane, he claimed. "We will show what we can do with 16 MPs," he said, addresing a party meeting in Nalgonda district. TRS has been seeking 16 seats for itself and one for ally AIMIM (total number of Lok Sabha seats is 17). Meanwhile, TDP polit bureau member Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy said his party would like to go with the Left parties in Telangana in the elections if they are willing. Left parties have spoken to TDP earlier, he said.
EC fixes timeline for political parties to release manifesto
Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced fixing a timeline for the release of a manifesto by political parties.It has issued a directive that manifestos for both single and multiphase elections shall not be released during the prohibitory period, as prescribed under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 pertains to the prohibition of public meetings during the period of forty-eight hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of poll.Election Commission of India has also said that the provision will, henceforth, be applicable and implemented as a part of the Model Code of Conduct for all future elections.
No alliance with Congress, BJP: PPA Chairman
Days after the Congress in Arunachal Pradesh announced an alliance with the Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA), the regional party on Saturday said it would maintain equal distance from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
EC bars manifesto release 48 hours before vote day
The Election Commission (EC) here on Saturday barred political parties from releasing election manifestos in the last 48 hours of the voting day in the multi-phase Lok Sabha elections.
Grand alliance sealed in Jharkhand: Soren
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Saturday said that the grand alliance in the state has been officially sealed for the Lok Sabha polls. The JMM, along with the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Left Front and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) comprise the grand alliance in the eastern Indian state. "The fight against @BJPIndia & BJP4Jharkhand in GeneralElections2019 is a momentous one and the future #Jharkhand depends on the combined #GrandAlliance which is now officially sealed," JMM working president Hemant Soren tweeted. The former chief minister claimed he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday, following which the deal was clinched. "Today morning I met @INCIndia President @RahulGandhi ji on presence of RPN Singhji and others. We had a fruitful discussions on the contours related to finalizing #GrandAlliance in #Jharkhand including accommodating Left parties in this fight (sic)," Soren tweeted. The tweet, however, did not mention the number of seats to be contested .
Goa: Alliance party legislators meet Parrikar, say condition of CM stable
Amidst rumours surrounding health of ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, a group of six MLAs, who are alliance partners in the government, met him at his private residence and asserted that Parrikar's health condition is stable.The group of MLAs included Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai, Jayesh Salgaonkar, Vinod Palyekar and Independents - Rohan Khaunte, Govind Gawade and Prasad Gaonkar.Sardesai said that the group of MLAs had met to inquire about Parrikar's health condition."We went to meet him to see how he is. All six of us has given unequivocal support to the CM," he said."When his ailment was detected and CM showed willingness to step down that time we had asked for permanent solution and stability. Today when his health deteriorated but still we are with him. He is stable. I don't know medical science what exactly is his stage," the GFP leader said."We went to show the solidarity. He is not on life support. I don't know what medical term can we use for it. We have to
No chances of Manohar Parrikar recovering, very ill, says BJP leader and Goa Deputy Speaker Michel Lobo
Stating that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is "very ill," Deputy Speaker and Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Saturday said that "there are no chances of him getting well."Speaking to ANI on Saturday, he said: "Emergency meeting was called because Parrikar's health has deteriorated since last night. Doctors are continuously monitoring his health but are not saying that he will get alright anytime soon.""It was also about the Lok Sabha elections. There is no change of leadership and Manohar Parrikar will remain the Chief Minister," he said."We are praying to God that he should get well but there are no chances of him getting well. He is very ill. It is almost...," he added.He also said that even if there is a new leader in the government it will be from the BJP.Lobo's statement comes hours after Union Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik had said that Goa Chief Minister's health witnessed slight fluctuations but is stable now."His health condition witnessed slight up and down but it .
'Patient' India to get Azhar branded as global terrorist
India will show patience for as long as it takes to get Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as global terrorist by the United Nations and will not cut any deal on the issue, informed sources said on Saturday, days after China put the proposal on hold at a meeting of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee.
Trinamool was suffocating, BJP is better: Arjun Singh
Returning here to a tumultuous welcome from his followers after joining the BJP, former Trinamool Congress strongman Arjun Singh on Saturday said he was confident of victory if his new party nominated him as its Lok Sabha poll candidate from Barrackpore.
Former BJP leader to contest LS polls from both seats of Jammu
Dogra Swabhimaan Sangathan (DSS) founder Choudhary Lal Singh on Saturday accepted a proposal of his party to contest both the Lok Sabha seats from Jammu region. "Singh accepted the proposal (to fight the elections from both Jammu and Udhampur parliamentary constituencies) at a high-level meeting of the party leaders here," a spokesperson of the DSS said. He said the DSS decided to contest both the seats of the Jammu province and the leadership was unanimous to field Singh from both the seats. Singh, a former BJP leader, launched the DSS on July 22 last year to mark 100 days of his campaign in support of the demand for a CBI probe into the Kathua rape and murder case. Singh had twice won Udhampur parliamentary seat on the Congress ticket in 2004 and 2009 before switching over to the BJP in 2014 after the party denied him a ticket from his Basholi assembly constituency despite representing the seat on previous occasions in 1996 and 2002. He won the seat for the BJP in 2014. Singh and ...
Congress seals alliance with Apna Dal faction in UP
The Congress on Saturday sealed an alliance with the Krishna Patel-led faction of the Apna Dal in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finalised a seat sharing deal with the Apna Dal (Sone Lal), the other faction of the party led by Anupriya Patel, a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government.
US says door open for India to bring serious trade proposal to table
Observing that trade has been an area of frustration in bilateral ties, the US has said that the door is open if India is prepared to bring a serious proposal to the table to address the issues related to trade and market access. The US in November last year revoked duty-free concessions on import of at least 50 Indian products, mostly from handloom and agriculture sectors, reflecting the Trump administration's tough stand on trade-related issues with New Delhi. A senior State Department official said Friday that the US is proud to be India's largest export market and most important economic partner. "But we have struggled with regulatory issues that get in the way of the ease of doing business and market access for American companies and products," said the official. "Trade has frankly been an area of frustration in the relationship, but the door is open if India is prepared to bring a serious proposal to the table," he said. Despite intensive engagement with the Government of India .
GJM's Gurung may be in Darjeeling before LS poll: BJP
Fugitive Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung might come back to the Darjeeling hills before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if he gets bail and emerge as a key factor in the coming elections, BJP's West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh said on Saturday.
Defence Ministry to soon decide fate of Rs 1,800 crore carbine deal
The Defence Ministry is soon going to decide the fate of the Rs 1,800 crore deal for buying over 93,000 close quarter carbines for the Indian Army at a high level meeting scheduled to take place this week, said a source.A firm from United Arab Emirates has been selected as the lowest bidder for the contract but after receiving several representations in the case, the Defence Ministry has formed an oversight committee to look into the case. A senior Lieutenant General-rank officer has been appointed as the member of the committee including other members from the Defence Ministry and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)."A high level meeting of the Defence Ministry is scheduled to be briefed on the programme to replace the existing vintage carbines of the Indian Army under which the weapons were to be procured under fast track procurement procedures," government sources told ANI.The government has already finalised contracts for buying two types of modern assault ...
Will prove majority on floor of house: Goa Congress leader Kavlekar on staking claim for forming govt.
Claiming that Congress is the single largest party, the leader of the Congress-led opposition in Goa Chandrakant Kavlekar on Saturday said that the Governor should give them a chance to prove majority on the floor of the house.Speaking to ANI after staking claim to form the government in Goa, he said, " I have sent the letter to the governor for dismissing the present government and to give us a chance as a single largest party. This is for the fifth time we are demanding this. We were the single largest party even before.""In past we have seen that when they are losing power they go to any extent. As a single largest party we should be given chance and we would prove our majority on the floor," he added.He also alleged that the government in Goa is almost non-existent."The Chief Minister doesn't meet his MLA's or ministers. Who would solve Goa's problems", he said.Meanwhile, following his first letter, Kavlekar has written another letter to the Governor, requesting for an urgent ...
BJP ally names own candidates for Tripura LS seats
In a first major setback to the year-old BJP-led coalition government in Tripura, alliance partner IPFT on Saturday announced their own nominees for the state's two Lok Sabha seats.
Maha LS polls: Sena's Khotkar meets Uddhav, seeks Jalna seat
Shiv Sena minister Arjun Khotkar Saturday met his party chief Uddhav Thackeray, adamant on contesting the Jalna Lok Sabha seat currently held by BJP state unit chief Raosaheb Danve. BJP minister Pankaja Munde, who along with Khotkar is the poll in charge for Marathwada, was also present at the meeting held at Thackeray's Bandra residence 'Matoshree'. The Sena and BJP parties had earlier entered into an agreement to fight April-May Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, slated for later in the year, jointly. Khotkar said he gave Thackeray two options in the meeting, one to ask BJP to give up the Jalna seat for the Sena or, second, let Sena and BJP both contest the Jalna seat. "If Sena contests the Jalna seat, it will surely win it. I have managed to convince Uddhav Thackeray too. A decision will be taken on it by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Thackeray soon," said Khotkar after the meeting. The meeting assumes significance as the two ruling parties will hold a joint rally in
UP lawyer moves court seeking case against Rahul for referring to JeM chief as 'Masood Azhar ji'
An advocate moved court on Saturday seeking the registration of a sedition case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for referring to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief as "Masood Azhar ji", saying it has "insulted" the country. The Acting Chief Judicial Magistrate accepted the petition moved by advocate Diwakar Verma and fixed March 23 as the date of hearing. "I have moved the court of chief judicial magistrate to register a case against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his statement, where he had suffixed 'ji' to Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's name," Verma said. "This act has insulted the country and amounts to ridiculing the martyrdom of soldiers on the country's borders," he told reporters. "Gandhi has so far not expressed any regret over his remarks. He has deliberately committed a heinous crime, which comes in the category of sedition," the petitioner said. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of national security, the Congress chief ..
Parrikar's health has deteriorated, but he is stable: Sardesai
Goa minister Vijai Sardesai on Saturday met Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and said his health had "deteriorated", but he was "stable". Sardesai, along with five Goa MLAs, met Parrikar at his private residence. The MLAs, all allies in the BJP-led government, are Goa Forward Party's Jayesh Salgaonkar and Vinod Palyekar and Independents Rohan Khaunte, Govind Gawade and Prasad Gaonkar. Emerging from Parrikar's private residence at Dona Paula, Sardesai told reporters, "The CMs health has deteriorated, but he is stable." "When cancer was detected and the CM showed willingness to step down, at that time we had asked for a permanent solution and stability. Today, his health has deteriorated, but we are with him. He is stable. I don't know what exactly is his stage (of ailment)," he said. "He is not on life support. I don't know what medical term we can use for it. The chief minister's office has said he is stable, so we will take it that he is stable," Sardesai said. They also ruled out the
Mahagathbandhan in Bihar: HAM leader Manjhi seeks 5 LS seats
Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) supremo Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday said that his party has asked for five seats from the 'Mahagathbandhan' out of 40 Lok Sabha seats at stake in the state.Addressing a press conference after the party's parliamentary board meeting here, Manjhi said: "We are second only to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in terms of the support base in the state. If we get five seats, our problems will be resolved."When asked about the Congress getting 11 seats, he said: "Whatever the Congress is saying about 11 seats is not final."President of HAM's Parliamentary board Santosh Manjhi said: "We had asked for 5 seats. We've agreed for 3-4 seats. Talks are going on. The final meeting is about to be held in Patna on March 18."Bihar will go to polls in all seven phases on April 11, 18, 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. The results would be announced on May 23.