Page 1311 - Politics
DMK-led front in TN christened "Secular Progressive Alliance"
The DMK on Friday formally christened the alliance led by it in Tamil Nadu as 'Secular Progressive Alliance', in which the Congress and Left parties are the key constituents. DMK president M K Stalin, releasing the list of 40 Lok Sabha seats --39 in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry-- to be contested by each party in the alliance, said his party led pre-poll combine is the "Secular Progressive Alliance." The top Dravidian party leader said his party-led alliance was based on "principles" and expressed confidence that it would post a spectacular victory. Led by the DMK, the coalition comprises Congress, CPI(M), CPI, Vaiko-led MDMK, Indian Union Muslim League, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and smaller outfits, the Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi and the Indiya Jananayaga Katchi. In 2004, the DMK-led alliance was called the Democratic Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu. At the national level, the Congress and its allies that formed a front was christened "United Progressive ..
Will work for autonomy of Indian states: PMK
PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Friday released his party's 94-page manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections which places special focus on states' autonomy besides promising total prohibition.
Nehru's mistakes became cancer for India: Amit Shah
With Rahul Gandhi blaming the BJP for the release of Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar during the earlier National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, BJP President Amit Shah on Friday hit back saying before making such "insensitive remarks", the Congress President should think about the mistakes committed by his party and his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru on China and Kashmir, which he said had "turned into cancer for the country".
BJP veteran Devi Singh Bhati submits resignation
BJP veteran Devi Singh Bhati on Friday submitted his resignation over giving ticket to party MP Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "I have sent my resignation to the party headquarters through e-mail. I had already apprised the party leadership in the state and the Centre about my objection to the candidature of Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner," he told PTI. The BJP office-bearers, however, refrained from commenting on the development. The seven-time MLA accused Meghwal of working as an "agent of the Congress". He said he will remain with the BJP if Meghwal was denied ticket from Bikaner. Bhati also denied speculations of him joining the Congress. The BJP has not yet announced any nominee from the set. Though speculation is rife that Meghwal may be fielded from Sriganganagar seat.
Punjab: BJP forms committee to shortlist candidates for LS polls
Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik Friday constituted a 15-member election committee for shortlisting names of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Besides Malik, the committee also includes Union minister Vijay Sampla, party state general secretary Dinesh Kumar, national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna, national secretary Tarun Chugh, former minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Kamal Sharma, among others. The BJP will fight the Lok Sabha polls beginning April 11 with its old ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, the BJP will fight on three seats -- Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. The SAD will contest the remaining 10. Polling in Punjab will be held in single phase on May 19. The results will be announced on May 23.
Shocked by Christchurch terror attack, Modi to NZ PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed his deep shock and sadness at the "loss of scores of innocent lives" in the heinous terrorist attack at Muslim places of worship in New Zealand's Christchurch.
If voted to power Congress will fill all govt posts lying vacant: Rahul
Lamenting that Odisha has become an "unemployment centre" under the BJD government, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Friday promised to fill the 1.5 lakh government posts lying vacant in the state if his party returns to power after the elections. He claimed that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had failed to provide jobs to the unemployed youths in the state. "Can anyone present at this meeting claim that they have been provided a job by Modi or Patnaik," Gandhi asked at a public meeting here. "Odisha has become the centre for unemployment and its youths are migrating to other places in search of jobs. What has Naveen Patnaik done for providing employment to youths," Gandhi asked. "If voted to power, the Congress will fill all vacant posts, including 30,000 posts of teachers and 5,000 posts in medical services," he said. He also promised to waive farm loans, hike MSP for paddy to Rs 2,600 per quintal, build cold storages, set up food processing units ...
Mizoram Assembly adopts two private resolutions
Mizoram Assembly Friday adopted two private resolutions, one moved by an opposition member and another by a ruling party legislator. The first resolution moved by Vanlalhlana of the opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) sought to put "pressure" on the Centre to implement the "United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007". Vanlalhlana said though India was a signatory to the declaration, it has never been implemented in the country. Those who participated in the debate, cutting across party lines, stressed upon the importance of the declaration and that it would help in safeguarding the rights of the Mizos. Another resolution moved by the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) MLA Lalrintluanga Sailo welcomed the decision of the Centre to shift the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters from the heart of the Aizawl city. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recently issued an order instructing the Assam Rifles to shift from Aizawl to nearby Zokhawsang area ..
SC asks EC to respond to DMK's plea on by-polls in TN on three vacant seats
The Supreme Court Friday asked the Election Commission (EC) to respond to DMK's plea seeking a direction for holding by-elections in three vacant assembly seats in Tamil Nadu. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice to the EC and asked it to file reply within two weeks. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is seeking by-polls for Tiruparankundram, Ottapidaram and Aravakurichi assembly constituencies. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for DMK, told the bench that there are 21 vacant assembly seats in the state but the poll panel has notified by-polls for only 18 seats. He said by-polls on 18 seats are scheduled to be held on April 18 along with the Lok Sabha polls in the state. "It is a bizzare approach. On 18 vacant seats you (EC) are having by-elections and on three seats you are not having by-elections," Singhvi said. The EC counsel said that as per his instructions, by-polls for the three seats were not announced as some election petitions were pending .
Patidar leader Reshma Patel quits BJP, to contest LS polls
Gujarat BJP leader Reshma Patel Friday resigned from the party alleging that it has become a marketing company and its members have become sales persons. Patel said she will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Porbandar seat. She also made it clear that she was not joining the Congress or any other party, and might contest the election as an independent. Patel was once one of the leading members of the Hardik Patel-led quota agitation body- Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti(PAAS). But she had joined the BJP ahead of the December 2017 Assembly polls, after accusing Hardik of being a "Congress agent" and trying to use the agitation to overthrow the present state government led by the BJP. Hardik recently joined the Congress. In her resignation letter sent to the BJP state unit chief Jitu Vaghani on Friday, Reshma Patel alleged that party members are treated like "labourers". "BJP has merely become a marketing company, where party workers are asked to work like sales ..
Left Front announces candidates in 25 Bengal seats
The Left Front on Friday announced its candidates for 25 of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats, including the two seats won by the CPI-M in 2014.
Odisha legislator quits BJD ahead of elections
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Sukanta Nayak on Friday resigned from the primary membership of the party, ahead of the Assembly elections in Odisha.
Omar calls on people of J&K to unite against 'divisive agenda' of RSS-BJP
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Friday called on the residents of Jammu and Kashmir to trounce the "divisive agenda" of the BJP and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said communal forces will try to vitiate the atmosphere but people must not get swayed by their "malicious propaganda". "It is high time for the people of all the regions across the state to put up a strong front against the divisive agenda of the RSSBJP in the state. I am sure that the people of the state will give a befitting reply to the RSS and its ilk," Abdullah said. He was interacting with delegations from various parts of the valley at the NC headquarters here. The sitting Lok Sabha member from Srinagar said the general elections will provide an opportunity to people to secure a peaceful future for themselves. "If the people don't forge unity at this time, the posterity will never forgive us. It is for us to bequeath our
Fiery political content arriving on social media (Dangal 2019)
Political parties have gone 24/7 on creating election-special content like issue-based memes, jokes, GIFs and short-format videos to bombard various social media platforms and woo millions of voters.
You may have no dearth of admirers, but I won't be among them: Shatrughan Sinha on Modi
Shatrughan Sinha Friday hinted he would not be working under Narendra Modi anymore, tweeting an Urdu verse that implied the Prime Minister may not have dearth of admirers but the dissident BJP leader would not be one of them. Sinha has on multiple occasions expressed his unhappiness with the Prime Minister and the BJP leadership and his Friday tweet made it clear he might soon quit the party he has been associated with nearly two decades now. "Mohabbat karne wale kam na honge, teri mehfil mein lekin ham na honge (you may perhaps have no dearth of admirers, but I would not be among them)," the Patna Sahib MP tweeted. Though he did not mention Prime Minister Modi in his tweets, the wordings made it clear who he was referring too. In his tweets, Sinha often refers to the Prime Minister as "sir". "Sir, the Nation respects you, but the only thing the leadership lacks is credibility & trust factor. Leadership jo kar rahi hai aur kah rahi hai kya log uspe vishwas kar rahe hain, shayad ...
Rahul Gandhi to address election rally in Arunachal on Mar 19
Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address an election rally here on March 19 in support of party candidates, a party leader said here Friday. Election to the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and the two Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on April 11. The Congress will announce the names of the candidates for the polls in the state before Gandhis visit, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Takam Sanjoy said. Gandhi will address an election rally at Indira Gandhi Park here on March 19, the party leader said. The Congress had won 42 seats in 2014 state Assembly election but now has only five MLAs as a large number of legislators left the party and joined other parties.
Ambedkar announces list of 37 Lok Sabha candidates
Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar Friday released a list of 37 Lok Sabha candidates who will contest the upcoming polls under the banner of his new political front, dealing a blow to Congress-NCP efforts to forge a grand alliance against the BJP in the state. They will contest the next month's polls under the banner of the VanchitBahujan Aghadi (VBA), a social coalition of Dalits and Muslims jointly formed by Ambedkar and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi. The list includes some constituencies in Mumbai. Interestingly, theVBA has mentioned the castes of all the candidates who figure in the list. However, the Hyderabad-based AIMIM has already announced it will not contest the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, which has 48 parliamentary seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80. Speaking to reporters here after releasing the list, Ambedkar saidhe has not declared the candidates on the remaining 11 seats, which include Akola, ...
TMC protests over 'super sensitive' tag to Bengal
Protesting against the BJP for urging the Election Commission (EC) to declare Bengal a super sensitive state during the 2019 elections, Trinamool Congress women activists launched a 48-hour sit-in protest on Friday.
BJP finalises candidates for 6 LS seats in J-K
The Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit on Friday said it has finalised candidates for six parliamentary constituencies in the state and will submit the list to the party's parliamentary board in Delhi. The names were finalised at a meeting of the party's state election committee which met here under the chairmanship of national vice president and state in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, a BJP spokesman said. "A threadbare discussion was held on every single name before a final report was drafted to be presented to the parliamentary board," he said. Among the prominent leaders who attended the meeting were Union minister Jitendra Singh, state party unit president Ravinder Raina and BJP MP Jugal Kishore. Khanna exhorted confidence that the party will win over 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
UK must offer 'clear' Brexit response ahead of EU summit: France
The British government must offer a "clear" answer on its intentions for Brexit before a EU summit next week, the French presidency said Friday, after UK lawmakers voted to seek a delay if no withdrawal deal is reached soon. "Without any clarity, no solution is possible," President Emmanuel Macron's office said, adding that if the current withdrawal deal is rejected, a "clear and new alternative plan" must be presented or else Britain will have to leave the EU with no deal. The summit next week is seen as the last chance for Prime Minister Theresa May to secure unanimous approval from the other 27 EU members for any Brexit delay. May is expected to again submit the withdrawal deal to lawmakers next week, though it has already been rejected twice. "That's the best option," the French presidency said, in which case no EU state is expected to oppose a "technical extension" that would give Britain time to vote on a series of laws for ensuring a smooth Brexit. But if the deal is again ...