Page 1315 - Politics
SP fields Tabassum Hasan from Kairana
The Samajwadi Party on Friday fielded sitting MP Tabassum Hasan from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh as it announced its fourth list of candidates for the general election. Hasan had won the Kairana Lok Sabha by-election last year when she contested on an Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket and as a joint candidate of the Opposition. Releasing a list of four candidates, the SP said Hasan would be the party candidate from Kairana and Shafiq-ur-Rehman Burq from Sambhal. Vinod Kumar alias Pandit Singh will contest from Gonda and Ram Sagar Rawat from Barabanki (reserved), it said. The SP has already released three lists of 11 candidates and with this list, the party has named its candidates for 15 seats out of its quota of 37 seats. Of the 80 parliamentary seats in UP, the SP will contest 37 and the Bahujan Samaj Party 38, leaving three for the Ajit Singh-led RLD and two for Congress' Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli) and Rahul Gandhi (Amethi).
Premier: China will offer Taiwan 'preferential policies'
China will introduce more "preferential policies" for Taiwan so the self-governed island's residents can enjoy the same treatment as mainland Chinese citizens, Premier Li Keqiang said Friday. Li said new initiatives will be implemented to invite people from Taiwan to "work hand-in-hand to realize our shared dream for the nation." They follow 31 incentives recently introduced to bolster China's argument that political unification should follow increasingly close economic ties. Such appeals form the carrot in China's strategy toward Taiwan in contrast with the stick of threatened military attack. China has used increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid a civil war 70 years ago, but has sought to balance the two approaches to try to avoid alienating those in the island republic who are wary of Beijing. The ruling Communist Party maintains that Taiwan is part of China. It opposes Taiwan independence and formally says it seeks a "peaceful ...
Karnal ex-MP Arvind Sharma joins BJP
Former Congress MP Arvind Sharma, who joined the BSP five years ago ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Reshma Patel quits BJP, dubs it 'marketing company'
The female face of the two-and-a-half-year Patel agitation in Gujarat, Reshma Patel, who had later joined the ruling BJP, on Friday resigned from it, saying the party was only a "marketing company" and nothing else.
Seat-sharing talks underway, RJD begins campaign
Following a green signal from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, nearly half a dozen likely candidates including former MP Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, have started campaigning even before the final seat-sharing formula of the opposition Grand Alliance has been announced, a senior party leader said.
TMC's 48-hour dharna begins, BJP terms it 'drama'
The ruling Trinamool Congress Friday began its 48-hour-long sit-in against the BJP's alleged attempt to malign West Bengal by urging the ECI to declare all booths in the state as "super sensitive". Women activists of the TMC organised the sit-in at Esplanade in the heart of the city. The saffron party, however, described the dharna as a drama. The BJP does not have a base in Bengal and yet it is hoping to win the elections by using central forces, Chandrima Bhattacharya, the party's women cell chief, claimed. The BJP and its leaders are living in a fool's paradise, she said. They can deploy one paramilitary jawan for every voter and "we will still win the elections", Bhattacharya said. "The law and order situation is fine in Bengal. Despite this, the BJP is demanding that the state be declared super sensitive," Bhattacharya said. She asked, is it not an insult to the people of West Bengal? "We will protest against any attempt to malign our state," Bhattacharya ...
LS Polls: DMK announces constituencies allotted self, allies
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin on Friday announced the constituencies from where his party and its allies will contest for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.Speaking to media, the DMK Chief said, "This alliance has come together on the basis of the ideology but not on money. This is a secular front.""Our candidates' list will be out March 17," he added.A total of 39 Lok Sabha seats are at stake in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry.As per the released list, DMK will contest from 20 seats which include - Thoothukudi, Chennai (South), Chennai (Central), Chennai (North), Kanchipuram, Nilgiris, Pollachi being the major ones.Rahul Gandhi led Congress will be contesting from Thiruvallur(SC), Krishnagiri, Arani, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Sivaganga, Theni, Virudhunagar, Kanyakumari, and the union territory of Puducherry.The Communist Party of India (CPI) has been given only two seats in Nagapattinam(SC) and Tiruppur, while the CPI(M) had been given ...
CPI hopeful Left parties will perform well in LS polls
The CPI is hopeful that the Left parties will perform well in the upcoming general election and end up with an impressive number of seats in the Lok Sabha, compared to the outgoing House. "It will definitely be much better than in the previous parliament. It will be an impressive number (for the Left parties) I hope," Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told PTI here on Friday. The CPI has one MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Reddy said the party would do well in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bihar in the upcoming polls, besides putting up a keen fight in Odisha, West Bengal and a few other states. "We hope we will improve our position in parliament. We have high hopes in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and we are hoping to give a very good fight in Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal and Manipur," he said. Reddy added that the CPI had decided to contest around 55 seats in 24 states. The party was trying to forge alliances or arrive at an understanding in as many ...
Tibet struggle's slow slide off the global radar as Dalai Lama ages
Sixty years after the Dalai Lama fled into permanent Indian exile, the cause of Tibetan freedom that earned him a Nobel prize and a celebrity-studded international following has lost much of its momentum -- neutralised, analysts say, by the passage of time and China's rising global power. Inside Tibet, Beijing has effectively wiped out any organised opposition to its iron-clad rule, while outside, the once-vocal support of sympathetic governments and world leaders has dwindled to near-silence in recent years despite the 14th Dalai Lama's enduring personal popularity. "The fate of Tibet is in the hands of the Chinese state... Tibetans outside the region are not very relevant to the fate of Tibet, and this includes the Dalai Lama", said Nathan Hill, convener of Tibetan studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. In 2007, the Buddhist spiritual leader said his homeland was facing its "darkest period in 2,000 years". The following year, with the world's eyes on
Congress a lie-manufacturing machine: U'khand BJP chief Ajay Bhatt
The Uttarakhand BJP on Friday accused the Congress of being a "lie-manufacturing machine" and said its stands on Rafale deal and the Balakot air strike were all set to cost it dearly in the Lok Sabha polls. It also accused the Congress of lacking maturity and being irresponsible. "The Congress has become a lie-manufacturing machine. It spoke one lie after another on Rafale deal to mislead the masses. It did not stop spreading lies on the issue even after the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to the government on the deal," state BJP president Ajay Bhatt told PTI in an interview. Hes said this penchant for "spreading lies" is going to prove very costly for the party in elections. "People can see through the party's lies and are in a mood to reject it completely at the hustings," Bhatt said. Claiming that the people had made up their mind about electing Narendra Modi again as prime minister, he said the general feeling countrywide is that India is safe only in his hands. "The way it ...
DMK announces list of LS constituencies allotted to itself, allies
The DMK Friday announced the names of constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the party and its allies will field their candidates for the second phase of the general elections to be held on April 18. There are 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and one in neighbouring Puducherry, voting for all of which will be held in a single phase. DMK president M K Stalin released the list of constituencies allotted to the allies in presence of coalition leaders, including Tamil Nadu Congress chief K S Alagiri and MDMK's Vaiko, at the party headquarters here. Stalin also named his party-led coalition the "Secular Progressive Alliance." Addressing a press conference, Stalin said the DMK's 20 seats include Chennai (North), Chennai (South), Chennai (Central), Tuticorin and Pollachi. Hoping to extend its 2016 electoral success to the parliamentary polls also, the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu opted to field its candidates in 20 seats across the state including the three in Chennai where
Lok Sabha polls: West Bengal has maximum first-time voters followed by UP, MP
West Bengal has the maximum number of first-time voters in the coming Lok Sabha election, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. According to Election Commission data, 20.1 lakh first-time voters will be exercising their franchise in West Bengal. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have 16.7 lakh and 13.6 lakh first-time voters, respectively. The number of people eligible to vote in Lok Sabha polls beginning next month has increased by 8.4 crore as compared to the 2014 general election, and these include 1.5 crore "young voters" who are in the 18-19 age group and would exercise their franchise first time. Over 1.5 crore voters are in the age group of 18-19 years. These "young voters" constitute 1.66 per cent of the total electors. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have 12.8 lakh, 11.9 lakh, 8.9 lakh and 5.3 lakh first-time voters, respectively. Delhi has 97,684 first-time voters. Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May .
Gaza border protests called off after Israel air raids: organisers
Weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border were called off Friday after a military escalation between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants in the territory, organisers announced. "In keeping with the public interest, the commission has decided to exceptionally postpone its activities scheduled for this day," the body which organises the protests said in a statement. Protests will resume in the coming weeks, with particular preparation for the one-year anniversary of their beginning on March 30, it said. The cancellation, the first of its kind in a year, came after Israel said its aircraft struck dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza overnight in response to rockets fired from the enclave, including at Tel Aviv. An official from the organising committee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the protests were delayed "to protect our people due to the escalation and the Israeli aggression." The often violent protests are demanding Palestinian refugees and their descendants be ...
Delhi govt's DIP asks departments to remove advertisements
Delhi's publicity division DIP has asked various departments to remove advertisements funded by the government after the model code of conduct came into effect on March 10. The Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) has also directed the departments to form teams to inspect its premises and remove any such advertisements while asking them to maintain strict vigil in this regard. The DIP has directed heads of all the departments to ensure that such advertisements are not displayed, aired or broadcast as model code of conduct came into force with announcement of the schedule of Lok Sabha elections 2019 on March 10. In a letter by DIP Sandip Mishra earlier this week, the heads of department of the Delhi government have also been directed to ensure that no such advertisements are displayed at government premises. Mishra in the letter stated that if any such advertisements are on display, being aired or broadcast through radio or television channels, it should be immediately ...
Three-term Haryana MP Arvind Sharma joins BJP
Former Congress MP Arvind Sharma joined the BJP Friday and might be fielded from Karnal in Haryana, a constituency he had represented in the Lok Sabha twice. Joining the BJP in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and party general secretary in charge of the state Anil Jain, Sharma hailed the Modi government, saying all sections, especially the poor, of the society have progressed under it. Khattar and Jain said Sharma's induction into the party would strengthen it. The Brahmin leader had won from Sonepat as an Independent candidate in 1996 and then won from Karnal on a Congress ticket in 2004 and 2009. He had lost to the BJP's Ashwini Chopra in 2014. Chopra has been critical of the BJP leadership for some time and is unlikely to be fielded by it in the general election slated for April-May. The BJP has relied on the support of non-Jat communities in the state in elections and hopes that Sharma's induction will boost its prospects.
TN bypolls: SC seeks EC's response on a plea filed by DMK
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Election Commission seeking its response on a plea filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) regarding the bypoll schedule for the state.The DMK sought direction from the EC to notify bypolls and publish the schedule of elections in Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram and Tiruparankundram Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, along with other by-elections to be held on April 18.A division bench of the top court headed by Justice SA Bobde and also comprising of Justice S Abdul Nazeer sought a response from the EC within two weeks time.The petition claimed that the EC will hold bypolls in only 18 constituencies in Tamil Nadu but not in these three constituencies.There are 21 constituencies in the state and while elections will be held there on April 18, the Commission has not notified election dates of three constituencies - Ottapidaram, Tirupparankundrama and Aravakurichi.The bypolls of these three constituencies were being withheld in view .
SC dismisses plea on establishment of special courts for hearing cases of MCC breach
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking setting up of special courts across the country to deal with cases relating to breach of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.The Model Code of Conduct came into effect after Chief Election Officer Sunil Arora announced the schedule for the seven-phased elections in the country, slated to be held from April 11 to May 19. Despite the Model Code of Conduct having come into effect from Sunday, several leaders across various political quarters have violated it, as per reports. On Wednesday, the Election Commission had issued a notice to BJP's Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra and Rajasthan Congress' General Secretary Sunil Sharma for putting up posters in different locations across Jaipur depicting different operations done by Indian Armed forces along with their own photos.It also asked both the politicians to file a reply within three days.BJP MLA OP Sharma too was served a notice by the ...
Ensure good results in LS polls for true homage to Kanshi Ram: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Friday asked supporters to pay true homage to party ideologue Kanshi Ram by ensuring good results in the Lok Sabha election. "His birth anniversary is being observed at a time when the Lok Sabha elections have been announced and the true homage to Kanshi Ramji will be if party workers and leaders ensure good results by remaining vigilant against the all-out tricks that our political adversaries will be resorting to," Mayawati said after paying floral tributes to the BSP founder here. She said the birth anniversary, observed by his followers in a grand way, was being organised in a sobre manner in order to ensure that the model code of conduct was not violated. Recalling the services rendered by Kanshi Ram, Mayawati said he was an invaluable gem for the country and to commemorate this, as well as the contributions of other such leaders, her erstwhile government in Uttar Pradesh had accorded them proper respect and honour.
Before LS polls, spotlight on Tripura's tribal parties
Weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the spotlight has focused on Tripura's tribal-based parties since the indigenous people have always played a significant role in the mountainous state.
China does not tell its firms to spy on other countries: Premier Li
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Friday denied the allegations that Beijing instructs its companies like Huawei, one the world's biggest tech firms, to spy on foreign countries and played down the impact of the current trade war with the US. The Chinese government did not and will not tell its companies to spy on other countries, premier Li said during his annual press conference when asked about the spying allegations relating to Chinese giant Huawei which is facing stiff actions in the US and a number of other countries. "Let me tell you explicitly that this is not consistent with Chinese law. This is not how China behaves. We did not do that and will not do that in the future," he said. This was the first such comment on Huawei from the top Chinese leadership. Li's remarks came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo early this month said Huawei was owned by the Chinese government, has deep connections to their intelligence services and presents a national security threat. Pompeo urged ..