Page 1366 - Politics
Venezuela military members in contact with opposition: Bolton
US President Donald Trump's national security advisor said Sunday that members of Venezuela's military have been in conversation with National Assembly members about how they might move to support the opposition. National Security Advisor John Bolton stopped short of predicting the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro but said momentum is on the side of Juan Guaido, the National Assembly leader who proclaimed himself acting president. "There are countless conversations going on between members of the National Assembly and members of the military in Venezuela, talking about what might come, how they might move to support the opposition," Bolton said in an interview on ABC's "This Week." His comments came a day after thousands rallied in Caracas against the Maduro government amid a massive blackout that has left the capital and much of the country without power for four days. Maduro supporters also rallied behind the embattled leftist president, who blamed "imperialism" for the country's .
Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on May 12
Elections to the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held on May 12, the sixth stage of the seven-phase poll exercise which is set to commence on April 11, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Sunday. Polling will be held in seven stages on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, the EC said and added that votes would be counted on May 23. The seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi were won by the BJP in the last general assembly polls. According to the final electoral roll published on January 18 by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), there are over 1.36 crore voters in Delhi. After the EC announcement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Ultimately back to 'We the people' -- the real power of our democracy. Time to throw out the most dictatorial and anti-federal govt in the history of India. Time to seek answers on demonetisation, jobs, destruction of traders and destroying brotherhood amongst different communities." The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ..
Assembly polls in J-K not to be held along with LS polls: EC
Assembly elections will not be held in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha elections due to security reasons, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Sunday, triggering criticism from the National Conference and People's Democratic Party. The state has been under Governor's rule after the alliance between the BJP and People's Democratic Party fell apart in June last year. Arora said considering constraint of availability of central forces, other logistics and recent incidents of violence, the EC has decided to hold only Lok Sabha polls in J-K. However, the EC's decision was criticised by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, saying assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not being held on time for the first time since 1996. In a series of tweets, he also wondered what happened to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assurance to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as well as to an all party meeting recently that all forces would be made available for simultaneous polls in the ...
Goa: Polls for 2 Lok Sabha, 3 Assembly seats on Apr 23
Lok Sabha elections and bypolls for three Assembly seats in Goa will be held on April 23, as per the announcement Sunday by the Election Commission of India. The state has two Parliamentary constituencies- North Goa and South Goa, both of which are currently held by the ruling BJP. The bypolls to Shiroda and Mandrem were necessitated after its Congress MLAs resigned from the Legislative Assembly and party and joined the BJP. The Mapusa bypoll was needed due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Francis D'Souza. Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik represents North Goa while Narendra Sawaikar is South Goa MP. BJP Goa general secretary Sadanand Shet Tanawade said the party would soon form its election committee to finalise candidates for the polls. Congress state unit chief Girish Chodankar said his party would announce names of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in the next "five to ten days". Candidates for the three bypolls would be chosen after deliberations at the state-level,
Article 370 discussion only after Sec 35A verdict: RSS leader
The government should keep its view on Section 35A firmly in court so that a discussion can be taken up on Article 370 after a verdict on the former, RSS general secretary Bhaiyaji Joshi said on Sunday. Article 35A, which was incorporated in the Constitution through a 1954 Presidential Order, accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and bars people from outside the state from acquiring any immovable property in the state. The Section also empowers the J-K Assembly to define "permanent residents" to bestow special rights and privileges to them. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35A. Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir and limits Parliament's power to make laws concerning the state. To a query on Article 370, Joshi said, "It is expected that the government of the day will keep its viewpoint firmly. After a decision on this (Section 35A) case ..
Lok Sabha polls in 7 phases from April 11; counting on May 23: EC
Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23, the Election Commission announced Sunday, kick-starting the countdown for a mega electoral battle where the BJP will pitch for a re-election of the Modi government amid the Opposition's efforts for a united fight to unseat it. The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote, the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said at a packed press conference here. Assembly elections will also be held in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the CEC said. However, elections for Jammu and Kashmir assembly will not to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls, the EC said citing security reasons. The state has been under Governor's rule after the ruling .
7-phase LS polls in WB speaks a lot about law and order situation: Oppn
The state opposition parties on Sunday welcomed the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal and said it reflects the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state. However, the ruling Trinamool Congress said 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. 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 seven-phase election reflects the law and order situation in the state... how people were stopped from exercising their democratic rights," CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim said, referring to the violence that took place during the panchayat polls in the state last year. "We hope that the polling will be held in a free and fair manner and the EC will be impartial, proactive and responsive," Salim said. The ...
JMM to contest polls in Odisha in alliance with Congress
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Sunday announced it will contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha in alliance with the Congress. JMM supremo Sibu Soren's daughter Anjani will contest from Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency, the party's Central Working President Hemant Soren said. The candidature of Anjani, Hemant Soren's sister, has been finalised from Mayurbhanj. Anjani, who lives along with her in-laws at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, would be contesting for the first time, the former Jharkhand chief minister told reporters. About the Assembly election, Soren said the JMM will field candidates in some seats of Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts, for which discussion is in progress with the Congress. The seat sharing arrangement with the Congress will be finalised within four days, he said. Assembly polls in Odisha will be held along with Lok Sabha elections in four phases from April 11.
Kumaraswamy hopes for level-playing field during polls
Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Sunday expressed the hope that the Election Commission would allow a "level-playing field" for all parties in the Lok Sabha elections.
Peeved Trinamool questions seven-phase polling in Bengal
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Sunday expressed its dissatisfaction over the Election Commission announcing seven-phase polling in the state, saying the staggered elections would put pressure on the people.
Assembly polls deferred as Centre mishandled J&K situation: Congress
The Jammu Kashmir unit of the Congress Sunday alleged that assembly elections in the state were deferred due to the Centre's "mishandling" of the situation. The Election Commission Sunday announced that Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir will not be held along with general elections. "The Centre's tall claims regarding the situation in the state stand exposed. The Centre has itself certified that the situation is out of control and not conducive for holding simultaneous polls, Pradesh Congress Committee president G A Mir said in a statement. Mir said it was a golden chance for the Centre to hold assembly elections to give an elected government to the people, as all political parties favoured simultaneously elections in the state. But, the Centre has once again failed to hold assembly elections citing volatile situation as the reason which is indicative of utter failure of the Centre to respect the urges and aspirations of the people, he said. The PCC president recalled that during ..
Election for 5 vacancies in TL Legislative council on Tuesday
The election to fill five vacancies in the Telangana Legislative Council,which generated political heat after four opposition MLAs announced their decision to move to the ruling TRS, would be held on Tuesday. TRS has fielded four of its own candidates (Home Minister Mohd Mehmood Ali, Seri Subhash Reddy, Satyavati Rathod and Yegge Mallesam), leaving one seat to its ally AIMIM. The nominee of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party is Mirza Riyaz ul Hasan Effendi. The main opposition Congress has nominated one candidate, Gudur Narayana Reddy. The TRS and its ally MIM appears set to win the five seats as four opposition MLAs recently announced their decision to join the TRS. The strength of TRS in the 120-member House is 88. An independent MLA and an AIFB legislator had ealier declared their support to TRS. The strength of the TRS thus rose to 90. The AIMIM has seven MLAs. The main opposition Congress (with 19 MLAs) suffered a major setback as three of its MLAs (Rega Kantha Rao, Atram
80 parliamentary constituencies in UP to vote in seven phases
Elections for Uttar Pradesh's 80 parliamentary seats will be held in seven phases, beginning with the first phase on April 11, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora announced in New Delhi on Sunday.
No simultaneous state, LS polls in J-K is Modi's surrender to Pak, militants: Omar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "surrendered" before Pakistan, militants and separatists, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said on Sunday, soon after the Election Commission's no to simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The EC announced the schedule for Lok Sabha polls to be held in seven phases across the country, including in J-K (five phases), but cited security grounds for not holding the assembly polls simultaneously. In Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, polling will be held in three phases due to security reasons. "In light of the failure to conduct assembly elections on time in J&K I'm retweeting my tweets from a few days ago. PM Modi has surrendered to Pakistan, to the militants & to the hurriyat. Well done Modi Sahib. 56 inch chest failed. #slowclap, Omar, the NC vice-president, wrote on Twitter. The first phase will be held on April 11, second on April 18, third on April 23 and fourth on April 29, fifth on May 6, sixth on May 12 and ...
Haryana votes on May 12; Punjab, Himachal, Chandigarh on May 19
Voting for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will be held on May 12, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
Cong turncoat Chavda gets Tourism and Fisheries ministries
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Sunday allocated portfolios to new inductees in his cabinet, including Congress turncoat Jawahar Chavda who will head Tourism and Fisheries departments. On Saturday (March 9), Rupani expanded his cabinet by inducting three members including Chavda who quit the Congress on March 8 to join the BJP, the latest such exercise since July 2018. At that time, veteran leader Kunvarji Bavaliya was made a minister on the same day of him quitting the Congress. While Chavda was given a cabinet berth, BJP MLAs Yogesh Patel and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, a former Congressman, took oath as ministers of state. Chavda is a four-time MLA from Manavadar constituency and a prominent leader of OBC Ahir community. Patel represents Manjalpur constituency in Vadodara district and Jadeja Jamnagar West seat. Jadeja had crossed over to BJP ahead of 2017 Assembly elections. The Chief Minister has allocated Tourism and Fisheries department to Chavda, stated an official .
Pb CM welcomes ECI advisory against displaying photos of defence personnel by political parties
Welcoming the election commission's move to call upon all parties to advise their candidates and leaders to desist from displaying photographs of defence personnel in advertisements, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh sought an end to "politicisation of the armed forces for political gains." "Earning brownie points through politicisation of forces is as wrong as using photographs of defence personnel to take political mileage," he said in a statement issued here on Sunday. The Election Commission had on Saturday asked political parties to "desist from displaying photographs of defence personnel" against the backdrop of a picture showing a hoarding with images of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as well as leaders of a party. In a fresh instruction issued to all political parties, the EC had referred to its December 2013 letter in which it had "called upon all political parties to advise their candidates and leaders to desist from displaying photographs of ...
DMK calls meet to fine tune poll strategy on Mar 11
Days after formalising seat sharing with allies for the Lok Sabha elections, DMK has convened a meeting of its senior office-bearers on Monday to fine tune its strategy for the polls. Deliberations on bypolls to the 21 Assembly constituencies and the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 18 would be the agenda for the meeting, the party said. The meeting, to be held at the party head quarters 'Anna Arivalayam,' here would see the participation of district secretaries, MLAs, and MPs, a party release here said. Coming days after DMK chief M K Stalin's State wide tour covering gram panchayats and a recent public rally at Virudhunagar, the meeting on March 11 is expected to fine tune the poll work and the party's propaganda drive to reach out to the electorate. DMK president M K Stalin, meanwhile, held interviews of candidates seeking party tickets for the Parliamentary elections on Sunday here. Party Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, (her tenure ends on July 24, 2019) eyeing ...
Decision time: Brexit deal returns to parliament
British MPs will on Tuesday vote again on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, making the historic decision whether to back her plan or risk a chaotic exit from the EU in less than three weeks time. Two months ago, the House of Commons rejected the withdrawal agreement by a huge majority, and sent May back to renegotiate. But European Union leaders have rejected her demands as impossible, and without a breakthrough in the next 24 hours, some MPs have warned another defeat is "inevitable". Unless it negotiates a delay, Britain would then be on course to leave the EU after 46 years of membership with no plan on March 29, causing huge disruption on both sides. British and European officials have continued their talks this weekend, and May is ready to make a last-minute visit to Brussels if needed. In the absence of visible progress, she has sought to remind MPs of the stakes involved in rejecting her divorce agreement. "Back it and the UK will leave the European Union. Reject it and
Cong welcomes declaration of Lok Sabha election schedule
The Congress welcomed the declaration of the Lok Sabha election schedule and said the victory will be of the truth. Soon after the declaration of the polls by the Election Commission, the Congress put out a two-minute video entitled 'aarambh hai prachand' (the beginning of something massive), showing party chief Rahul Gandhi meeting the people across the country. It said the party was ready for the battle and also claimed the victory of the truth for the UPA in 2019. "The bugle is blown and now it is the turn of the public. There is adequate preparation for fighting the lies. We will defeat the 'liars' in this government, we are prepared and victory will be ours," the Congress posted in Hindi on its Twitter handle. The party used the hashtag "JeetHogiSachKi" with its tweet. The Election Commission announced the poll schedule for Lok Sabha elections that will be held in seven phases starting April 11 to May 19, and the results will be out on May 23.