Page 14 - Politics

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies; here's a look at his career

Mukhtar Ansari straddled the worlds of crime and politics in Uttar Pradesh. The gangster-politician was booked in 65 criminal cases ranging from murder to extortion and was elected an MLA five times on the tickets of different political parties. Ansari, 63, died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in Banda on Thursday. Born into an influential family in 1963, Ansari entered the world of crime to establish himself and his gang in the government contract mafia that was then flourishing in the state. His tryst with crime began as early as 1978, when Ansari was just 15 years of age. He had his first brush with the law when he was booked for criminal intimidation at Saidpur Police Station of Ghazipur. Almost a decade later in 1986, by the time he had become a well-known face in the contract mafia circle, another case of murder was lodged against him at Muhammad Police Station of Ghazipur. Over the next decade, Ansari became a common face of crime with at least 14 more cases under serious .

LS polls: PM, 10 Union ministers, 5 CMs among BJP's star campaigners in Raj

The BJP has released its list of star campaigners for the Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan. The list of 40 names includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 10 Union ministers and the chief ministers of five states. The names of Jhalawar MLA and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and former MLAs Rajendra Rathore and Satish Poonia also feature in the list. The Union ministers who would be campaigning in the desert state include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Bhupendra Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Kailash Choudhary. The chief ministers of five states, including Rajasthan's Bhajanlal Sharma, will also campaign in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates. Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Mohan Yadav Madhya Pradesh), Bhupendra Patel (Gujarat) and Nayab Saini (Haryana) are the other chief ministers who would campaign for the saffron party in the desert state. Besides Raje, state BJP president C P Joshi, Rajya Sabha MPs Ghanshyam Tiwa

LS polls: Congress releases list of 14 candidates for UP, Telangana, MP

It also fielded Pratap Bhanu Sharma against former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Vidisha. Tarvar Singh Lodhi has been nominated from Damoh

Jolt for AAP in Punjab: MP Sushil Rinku, MLA Sheetal Angural switch to BJP

Sushil Kumar Rinku was AAP's sole Lok Sabha member and was already announced as the party's candidate from Jalandhar

ED seeks time from HC to reply to Kejriwal's plea in liquor policy case

The Enforcement Directorate says it got Delhi Chief Minister's petition just yesterday

PM speaks to BJP candidate Rekha Patra, lauds her as 'Shakti Swaroopa'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called up the BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidate from Basirhat, Rekha Patra, who had highlighted the plight of women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, and lauded her as "Shakti Swaroopa", party leaders said. Patra, who had raised voice against the alleged atrocities by local Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his cronies, was picked by the BJP as its candidate from Basirhat Lok Saha seat, under which the village falls. Modi spoke to her about her campaign preparations and the support for the BJP among voters and other issues, while she narrated the ordeal of Sandeshkhali women. He hailed him as "Shakti Swaroopa", they said. Shakti is a Hinduism term associated with goddesses like Durga and Kali. Basirhat, one of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, is currently represented by the TMC. Sheikh, who has been suspended by the TMC, and some of his associates have been arrested in connection with attack on ED officials and are in CB

All women deserve dignity, says Kangana replies to Cong leaders' comments

Every woman, irrespective of her background and profession, deserves dignity, actor Kangana Ranaut said on Tuesday as Congress leaders' comments on Mandi from where she is contesting the Lok Sabha elections snowballed into a massive political row. Ranaut, who makes her political debut as a BJP candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, said she was particularly pained by the derogatory comments on the constituency that is often referred to as Chhota Kashi the world over. The Congress has been in the crosshairs after demeaning remarks on Ranaut and Mandi were posted on the social media handles of its leaders Supriya Shrinate and H S Ahir. The party has always believed there is no place for such language in public discourse and the matter should end with Shrinate clearing the air, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told reporters at the AICC headquarters. "Whatever be the profession of a woman, be it teacher, actress, journalist, politician or sex worker, all of them deserve dignity. I'm

Telangana phone tapping case: Two police officers arrested; details here

A team of officers are accused of illegally tapping phone calls of political figures under the previous K Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS regime, last year

Ensure no shortage of free medicine: Kejriwal issues second order from jail

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said the jailed Chief Minister is worried about the people of Delhi and has asked its ministers to ensure they don't suffer

Tale of two crossovers

Many ethical, competent corporate leaders aspire to join public life today. However, the transition to politics is far from easy

An uncommon man behind bars: Fallout of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest

The arrest and the trial of Kejriwal will have a profound impact on his governments in Delhi and Punjab as well as on the party itself

Congress replaces candidate in Jaipur LS seat, fields Pratap Khachariyawas

The Congress on Sunday replaced its candidate for the Jaipur Lok Sabha seat, fielding former Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas after a section of party leaders objected to Sunil Sharma's nomination. Sharma's candidate sparked controversy over his alleged association with the 'Jaipur Dialogue', which is critical of the Congress on social media. Sharma, however, asserted that he has had no association with the organisation and has been invited by it occasionally to present the Congress' view. Sources said local opposition led to the change. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal stated that the party has fielded Murari Lal Meena as its candidate in the Dausa Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan. It also fielded Pratibha Suresh Dhanorkar from the Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra.

I will not contest 2024 Lok Sabha elections, says union minister VK Singh

The former Army General further explained his rationale, emphasising his desire to redirect his energy and time towards new avenues of serving the nation

CBI includes Darshan Hiranandani as 'accused' in FIR against Moitra

This comes after conducting searches at Moitra's residence in Kolkata in connection with the cash-for-query case on Saturday

Media should be objective, not power broker: Vice President Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said media should not be a power broker and it serves its cause best by being objective and not getting involved in politics. He also termed the debate over the Citizenship Amendment Act "orchestrated" and urged the media to play its role in such a situation. The law does not deprive any Indian citizen of his or her citizenship rights but an impression is being generated differently, Dhankhar said. "It is unfortunate that some failed to recognise the historical context and soothing impact from human rights perspectives to persecuted minorities in the neighbourhood," he said referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, rules for which were notified recently. He said the media serves its cause best by being objective and not getting involved in politics. "We know the ground reality. I will not reflect more on it," Dhankhar said. He also said that the media should not be a "power broker". "Media has to only do its job. The fourth pillar of

Delhi excise policy scam: After arrest, Kejriwal approaches lower court

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 following his plea for relief against coercive action by the ED in the Delhi High Court was denied

Arvind Kejriwal arrest: Here are the routes to avoid amid AAP protests

With protests planned by AAP workers at the BJP headquarters, the traffic police advised commuters to avoid Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg which has been closed for traffic movement

Arvind Kejriwal arrested: Can a chief minister run office from behind bars?

Delhi liquor policy case: Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal is the first serving chief minister to be arrested. The AAP leader insists on running office from behind bars, but what does the law say?

Electoral bonds: Future Gaming donates Rs 540 cr to TMC, Rs 509 cr to DMK

Future Gaming, the DMK's biggest donor and the top purchaser of electoral bonds, donated funds to the BJP and the Trinamool Congress as well among other parties through the now-scrapped bearer instruments, data submitted by SBI to the Election Commission showed on Thursday. The company, owned by 'Lottery King' Santiago Martin, donated at least Rs 285 crore till October 2022 to the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party of West Bengal. The BJP also got at least Rs 100 crore from Future Gaming, while the YSR Congress got over Rs 150 crore, as per a preliminary analysis of the data. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha was also among the beneficiaries. As per an earlier disclosure by the DMK, it received Rs 509 crore from Future Gaming. The data was made public following a Supreme Court order.

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress announces new list of candidates

The Congress on Thursday announced five more candidates from Rajasthan, including AICC secretary Kuldeep Indora from Ganganagar and former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya's wife Urmila Jain from Jhalwar-Baran seat, for the Lok Sabha elections. The party has left the Sikar parliamentary seat for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). All five Congress candidates are fresh faces and will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time. Apart from Indora and Urmila Jain, the other candidates include Congress leader and chairman of a private university Sunil Sharma from Jaipur city, Sangeeta Beniwal from Pali and Umeda Ram Beniwal from Barmer. Umeda Ram Beniwal had earlier contested the assembly election on a Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) ticket and had recently joined the Congress. Sangeeta Beniwal was the chairperson of the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The party on March 12 announced the names of 10 candidates from Rajasthan while the BJP has ..