Page 1362 - Politics
Not bothered about getting boxed in 'hate speech' image, focused on carrying out MP's duties: Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Sunday said it does not bother him that he is seen in the image of someone "giving hate speeches" or representing a certain class as he is focused on fulfilling his responsibilities as MP. "In fact, many people who are well wishers of mine have also voiced their concern that you have been boxed into this image. For me, I am not here to make an image or to create an image of myself. It does not bother me how my opponents box me into which image or whatever they want to do. "End of the day, as long as my conscience is clear, I am trying to do the work which has been bestowed upon me. It's a great honour to be a Member of Parliament," the Hyderabad MP said. As long as he tries his best to perform his duty, it does not make a difference, Owaisi said. "I don't have these grandeur ambitions of one day becoming this or that. Good luck to those people who have. That's why it does not bother when people box me into that, he said. He cannot get bogged down by ...
All should exercise right to vote without fear or favour: Kiran Bedi
Lt Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi appealed to the public to exercise their right to vote in the forthcoming general elections "without fear or favour". Election to the lone parliamentary seat in Puducherry will be held on the second of the seven-phase poll on April 18. With the model Code of Conduct coming into effect after the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, Bedi said all her official public engagements and interactions will remain suspended during the period poll code is in force. "All must exercise their right to vote without fear or favour. The rule of law shall prevail and all administrative systems shall work with utmost fairness and firmness," she said. In a release, Bedi said her routine programmes of hearing of public grievances, visitors' hour, field visits and other official engagements on her part in Raj Nivas would wait till the completion of the election process. "This was to ensure sanctity of electoral process and to comply with model code .
Trump ready to meet North Korean leader Kim again: White House
US President Donald Trump is ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again for denuclearisation talks, the White House said, underlining that his decision to walk out of the Hanoi summit sent a signal to other countries as well that he is not desperate for a deal unless it is in America's interest. US National Security Advisor John Bolton told ABC News that Trump's walk out from his meeting with Kim was "friendly" and it is not a reflection that the talks broke down. I don't really think it broke down. I think the president did exactly the right thing, he said, referring to the failed summit between the two leaders in Hanoi in Vietnam on February 26 and 27. Trump and Kim's Vietnam meeting ended abruptly without a deal on North Korean denuclearisation in return for sanctions relief. On Friday, Trump told reporters his relationship with Kim was a very good one and said he would be surprised in a negative way if he did anything that was not per our understanding. Trump and Kim ...
TMC convenes its election committee meeting on Tuesday
The Trinamool Congress leadership has convened a meeting of its election committee on March 12 to decide on its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state. "We have convened a meeting of the election committee on March 12 at the party supremo Mamata Banerjee's residence. We will decide on our party candidate list and also the manifesto," said a senior TMC leader. Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will begin on April 11 and polling would be held over seven phases through May 19, followed by counting of votes for all seats on May 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. The TMC presently represent 32 Lok Sabha seats in the state and has set a target of winning all the 42 seats. The party is locked in a bitter political battle with the BJP, which had made steady inroads in the state and has set the target of winning 23 Lok Sabha seats. Besides the BJP, the TMC will also face the CPI(M) and the Congress, which will be fighting the polls in a ...
Maharashtra leaders urge maximum participation by voters
Maharashtra's political leaders on Sunday exhorted voters to come out in large numbers to vote in the Lok Sabha elections scheduled next month in the state.
Modi not a man of peace: Pervez Musharraf
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said there should be peace between India and his country but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not a man for peace.
Manipur Lok Sabha polls on April 11, 18
Lok Sabha elections for the two seats of Manipur will he be held in two phases - April 11 and 18, state Chief Electoral Officer P K Singh said Sunday. Outer Manipur constituency will go for polls on April 11 and Inner Manipur seat will witness votes on April 18. In a statement, the CEO said the model code of conduct has come into effect with the announcement of poll dates by the Election Commission in New Delhi.
US making significant progress in trade deal with China says White House
The US has made significant progress in its trade deal negotiations with China, the White House has said, refuting reports that the talks are not making headway and Chinese President Xi Jinping has cancelled his scheduled trip to Mar-a-Lago later this month for finalising the agreement. China and the US have been locked in a bruising trade war since last year, imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on more than USD 360 billion in two-way trade. Top trade officials from the two sides have met thrice in an attempt to reach an agreement to end the trade war "I think we're making great progress. Look, as the president said, across the board, the deal has to be good for the US and for our workers and our farmers and our manufacturers. It's got to be good. It's got to be fair and reciprocal, and it has to be enforceable. That's an important point, White House Chief Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told Fox news. "We made great headway when the Chinese were here two weeks ago. In the past week, we've ...
Civil Aviation Security head Rakesh Asthana, NIA chief Y C Modi get top pay scale
Civil Aviation Security chief Rakesh Asthana, who hogged the headlines due to his bitter fight with former CBI chief Alok Verma, is among three IPS officers who have been given the top pay scale, according to a Personnel Ministry order. Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, along with the head of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Y C Modi were given the top pay scale of Rs 2.25 lakh, it said. S S Deswal, Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), has also been given the apex pay scale. All the three officials are 1984-batch IPS officers.
Meghalaya parties welcome single-phase Lok Sabha elections
Political parties in Meghalaya, here on Sunday, welcomed the announcement of single-phase election to the two Lok Sabha seats - Shillong and Tura - on April 11, and said they expect a free and fair poll.
EC to take call on increasing VVPAT-EVM count after stat institute submits report
Amid demands by parties to increase the number of polling stations where VVPAT slips are matched with EVM results, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Sunday said the poll panel will take a final call on the issue after the Indian Statistical Institute submits a report on it. As of now, voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines are used in all polling stations but results of EVMs and VVPATs are matched in one polling station per constituency. VVPAT or paper trail machine is a device which dispenses a slip with the symbol of the party for which a person has voted for. The slip appears on a small window for seven seconds and then drops in a box. The voter cannot take it home. There have been demands to increase the number of polling stations where EVM and VVPAT results are matched to dispel fears about electronic voting machines being 'hacked' to favour a particular political party. Parties parties have demanded that 10 to 30 per cent paper trail slips per constituency .
Bypolls to 18 Assembly seats in TN on April 18
By-elections to 18 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu would be held on April 18 along with the Lok Sabha polls, Chief Electoral Officer, Satyabrata Sahoo said Sunday. Briefing reporters here, the top State election official said bypolls were not scheduled for Tiruparankundram, Ottapidaram, Aravakurichi constituencies, which are also vacant, in view of Election Petitions pending in the Madras High Court. Bypolls would be held in the 18 constituencies of Poonamallee, Perambur, Tiruporur, Sholinghur, Gudiyatham, Ambur, Hosur, Pappireddipapatti, Harur, Nilakkottai, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Manamadurai, Andipatti, Periyakulam, Sattur, Paramakudi and Vilathikulam, Sahoo said. Adequate EVMs, and VVPAT are in place for holding the bypolls and Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, he said. Top district officials were being instructed to ensure strict compliance with the model code of conduct. The Lok Sabha and bypolls will be held on April 18 in Tamil Nadu, he noted. On March 19, the filing .
Seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal
West Bengal will have a staggered seven-phase polling for its 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
Government has brought sustainable changes: Piyush Goyal
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal Sunday underlined some key "achievements" of the Central government at an event at the IIT Bombay here, on a day the Election Commission announced the schedule for Lok Sabha polls. Speaking at an event titled 'IIT ke Mann ki Baat', which was part of ruling BJP's 'Bharat ke Mann ki Baat' campaign, Goyal said the government has brought sustainable changes instead of temporary adjustments. "If you want to ask me what is the single biggest achievement of the government, it's changing the 'chalta hai' mindset," he said. Careful not to use any symbol of the BJP at the event, as the model code of conduct has kicked in, Goyal said the government took the fruits of progress to under-developed parts of the country. "From a fragile economy, we have become perhaps the fastest growing economy in the world," he said. The minister also claimed the country has taken major strides in food security and rural electrification. "Today, the nation produces more ..
SAD-BJP delegation meets Pb governor
A joint SAD-BJP delegation Sunday met Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore here, accusing the SIT of implicating SAD leaders in false cases linked to the 2015 police firing incidents in Faridkot. The delegation comprised Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab BJP president Shwait Malik among others. The delegation submitted a memorandum to Badnore and urged him to "safeguard the democracy and democratic institutions by directing the Congress government in Punjab to put an end to the politically motivated and vendetta-driven probes and ensure no elected member is implicated in false cases", said SAD in a statement. According to SAD's statement, Badal told the governor that "the Congress government was politicising the unfortunate incidents of firing which occurred in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan (in 2015)." He said the SIT constituted last year "initiated a witch hunt against Akali leaders and started conspiring to implicate them in false cases". He told the governor that .
How can situation in J&K be conducive for general elections and not assembly polls, asks Yechury
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday questioned how can be the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir "good enough" to hold general elections and not assembly polls. The Election Commission Sunday announced that Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir will not be held along with general elections. "It is perplexing how the security situation in J&K is good enough to conduct Lok Sabha elections but not for assembly elections which are also due. Is there a diabolical motive?" Yechury tweeted. He also said that the secular, democratic India was confident that the EC will conduct "free, fair and safe elections" in the country. "With announcement of General Elections, the Model code of conduct comes into force. It will end the unfair use of govt resources by Modi govt. Secular, democratic India is confident that EC will conduct free, fair & safe elections to ensure a smooth transition to the next govt," he wrote on Twitter. Raising concerns over election funding, ...
Lok Sabha polls: Madhya Pradesh to vote in four phases
Polls for 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh will be held in four phases during April 29--May 19 period, state chief electoral officer (CEO) announced here Sunday. The Election Commission Sunday announced in Delhi that Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases in the country, beginning April 11. Lok Sabha elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh in four phases on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, CEO V L Kanta Rao told a press conference. Six seats---Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara--will go to polls during the first phase on April 29, the CEO said. The seven seats that would go to polls in the second phase on May 6 are: Tikamgarh, Damoh, Satna, Hoshangabad, Betul, Khajuraho and Rewa. A total of eight seats, namely Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Bhopal, Sagar, Vidisha and Rajgarh will go to polls in the third phase on May 12, he said. Remaining eight seats that will go to polls in the final phase on May 19 are: Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, ...
Another Congress MLA defects to TRS
In yet another blow to opposition Congress in Telangana, its legislator B. Haripriya announced that she will be joining the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Respect wisdom of EC, simultaneous polls not possible in J-K: CEO
Amid criticism by political parties over the ECI's decision not to hold state polls with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shalinder Kumar Sunday said "we must respect the wisdom of the election commission" as simultaneous polls were not possible due to the prevailing security situation in the state. He said the incident like February 14 Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy has put the administration on alert and all necessary measures have been taken to ensure free and fair elections across the state including the border areas facing frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. "We must respect the wisdom of the EC for whatever decision has been taken. It is decided, now so why and what may not be serving any purpose... Let us take it in a stride that single election has been announced and now let us conduct single election in a most free and fair manner," Kumar told reporters here this evening. Asked if security atmosphere was the ...
7-phase WB polls: TMC claims Centre misled EC; Oppn welcomes prolonged schedule
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) Sunday took exception to the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and alleged the central government had "misled" the Election Commission about the law and order situation in the state. The opposition parties of the state, however, welcomed the seven-phase polls saying it reflects the "deteriorating" law and order situation under TMC rule. Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal will begin on April 11 and polling would be held over seven phases through May 19, followed by counting of votes for all seats on May 23, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. "The central government has intentionally misled the Election Commission with wrong inputs about the law and order situation in the state," senior TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim told reporters. Such a prolonged polling process will put a lot of pressure on the people because of the month of Ramzan and the summer in April and May, he said. "We have full faith in the Election ...