Page 1777 - Politics

Jind bypolls: Digvijay Chautala of JJP leading

The candidate of the month-old Jannayak Janata Party, Digvijay Singh Chautala, was leading over his nearest BJP rival Krishan Middha, as per early trends available for the high-stakes Jind bypoll in Haryana. As per early trends available after counting of votes at the end of third of the total 13 rounds, Chautala was leading over Middha by margin of nearly 1,900 votes. Congress' senior leader and bypoll candidate Randeep Singh Surjewala was at third spot.The available trends did not bring good news for main opposition INLD, which held the seat, as the party candidate was trailing. Counting of votes for the bypoll began here Thursday amid tight security arrangements. The counting began at 8 am and results are expected to be out by afternoon, officials here said. Twenty-one candidates, including two women, had contested the bypoll, which were held on January 28. A healthy voter turnout of 75.77 per cent was reported in the by-election to the Jind assembly constituency, dubbed as a ...

Digvijay Chautala manages early lead in Jind assembly bypoll

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) candidate Digvijay Singh Chautala is leading over other candidates after the first two rounds of counting on Thursday for the Jind assembly seat in Haryana.

PM Modi, Shah to visit Andhra Pradesh in February

After Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now eyeing Andhra Pradesh for its next high voltage campaign to oust Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government in the upcoming state assembly polls.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh in February. Both the leaders are scheduled to address at five public meetings in the state - Prime Minister Modi will address two meetings, while Shah will tour the state thrice in a span of one month, said BJP Andhra Pradesh president Kanna Lakshmi Narayana on Wednesday.As per the schedule, Prime Minister Modi will fly to Guntur on February 10 and Visakhapatnam on February 16. Notably, Prime Minister Modi was scheduled to address a meeting at Budampadu, near Guntur, on January 6, but it was postponed due to various reasons.It is believed that the Prime Minister will be going to respond to the allegations mounted by the TDP against the BJP during the rallies.On the other hand, the BJP president will

Patience of Hindus should not be tested: Giriraj Singh

Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh feels the patience of Hindus should not be tested and said those opposed to the construction of the Ram Temple by citing intolerance against minorities should go to Pakistan and check the kind of democracy they have. Singh claimed that the Ram Mandir issue would have been resolved long back had Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel been the first prime minister of the country as Jawaharlal Nehru "deliberately" kept the issue alive in order to serve vote bank politics. The minister known for his pro-Hindu chants, said construction of Ram temple is not a political issue for the BJP but a "agenda of all Hindus living in the country". Hitting at "pseudo seculars" for their protest against the BJP-led government at the Centre, Singh said those shouting about intolerance in the country are actually a "Gang of Intolerance" who are trying to malign the country. "It is just because we are tolerant, other communities take advantage of it. How can in a country ...

Budget Session: Congress issues three-line whip to its MPs in Rajya Sabha

The Congress party has issued a three-line whip to all its MPs in the Rajya Sabha, asking them to remain present in the House today and tomorrow and "support the party stand".The Budget Session of Parliament will commence today and the interim Budget will be presented tomorrow.The session will commence with the customary address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.The session, which will continue till February 13, will have 10 sittings.This will be the last session of the Lok Sabha before the general elections.

Mexican president declares 'drug war' over

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared the country's war on drugs over Wednesday, saying his government would no longer prioritise using the army to capture cartel kingpins. However, critics questioned the announcement, pointing out that the leftist president has not taken the army off the streets as he pledged during his campaign, and is proposing the creation of a national guard that opponents say would permanently militarise the country. Mexico has deployed its army since 2006 to fight its powerful drug cartels. But the strategy has been widely criticised. Although it has led to the capture of a string of high-profile kingpins, it has also been accompanied by a tidal wave of violence, as the fragmented cartels wage war on each other and the army. Asked in his daily press briefing if his government had taken down any kingpins since he took office in December, Lopez Obrador said that was no longer the strategy. "There's no war. There is officially no more war. We want

Ramgarh election: Cong candidate in lead

The Congress candidate for the Ramgarh assembly election in Rajasthan is leading with a margin of over 5,000 votes, officials said Thursday. In five out of the total 20 rounds of counting for the polls, Congress's Zubair secured 24,107 votes while BJP's Sukhwant Singh has got 18,616 votes, they said. BSP's Jagat singh is trailing at third position. There will be a total of 20 rounds. Ballot papers will be counted first followed by counting of votes polled on electronic voting machines, the officials said. As many as 20 candidates contested the Ramgarh election on January 28. The election to the assembly seat could not be held along with other constituencies due to the death of the BSP candidate ahead of December 7 Rajasthan elections.

Counting for Rajasthan's Ramgarh assembly seat begins

Counting for Rajasthan's Ramgarh assembly constituency began in Alwar on Thursday, a poll officer said.

Russia offers to mediate in Venezuelan crisis

Russia has offered to mediate in talks between the embattled President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and opposition leader Juan Guaido to find a way out of the political impasse gripping the South American country."We sincerely want to create conditions for establishing dialogue between the government and the opposition. We are talking about this with our Venezuelan partners, China, Latin American countries and Europeans," Xinhua quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Wednesday.This comes after Maduro showed his readiness to negotiate with the Guaido-led opposition with the assistance of international mediators in an interview with Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti."We call on the opposition of Venezuela to take a constructive approach, abandon ultimatums and act independently," the Russian Foreign Minister added, welcoming Maduro's openness to negotiations.Guaido proclaimed himself as the President of Venezuela on January 23 amid cheering protesters who had ..

Counting of votes underway for Ramgarh polls in Rajasthan

Counting of votes for the Ramgarh assembly election in Rajasthan began Thursday amid tight security arrangements. There will be a total of 20 rounds. Ballot papers will be counted first followed by counting of votes polled on electronic voting machines, officials said. "Counting has commenced in Ramgarh," Chief Electoral Officer Anand Kumar said. As many as 20 candidates contested the Ramgarh election on January 28. The election to the assembly seat which could not be held along with other constituencies due to the death of BSP candidate ahead of December 7 Rajasthan elections. The seat, which was won by the BJP in the 2013 state elections, witnessed a triangular contest this time and ruling Congress, opposition BJP and BSP have exuded confidence of winning the seat. "The Congress is going to win the seat. People gave mandate to the party in the December 7 elections and the Ramgarh seat too will be won by us," Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot said. BJP state president Madan ..

Maduro rejects calls for fresh elections

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has dismissed calls for new presidential elections amid fresh protests against his leadership.

Jind bypoll: Counting of votes begins

Counting of votes for the high-stake Jind bypoll in Haryana began here Thursday amid tight security arrangements. The counting began at 8 am and results are expected to be out by afternoon, officials here said. Twenty-one candidates, including two women, had contested the bypoll, which were held on January 28. A healthy voter turnout of 75.77 per cent was reported in the by-election to the Jind assembly constituency, dubbed as a prestige battle for the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ahead of the parliamentary and assembly polls. The bypoll is also important for the newly-floated Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which was formed after a split in the main opposition INLD. The by-election was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chan Middha, whose son Krishan Middha recently joined the BJP and contested as the saffron party's candidate for the bypoll.Hari Chand Middha had represented Jind twice. The Congress fielded its senior leader and sitting .

Counting begins for Haryana's Jind assembly seat

Counting of votes began on Thursday for the Jind assembly seat in Haryana.

Democratic White House hopeful Warren offers law barring first use of nukes

Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed legislation Wednesday that would bar the US government from using nuclear weapons first in a conflict. Warren, together with House legislator Adam Smith, submitted the No First Use Act to codify what they said most Americans support, that the United States should never initiate a nuclear conflict. "Our current nuclear strategy is not just outdated -- it is dangerous, Warren and Smith said in a statement. "By making clear that deterrence is the sole purpose of our arsenal, this bill would reduce the chances of a nuclear miscalculation and help us maintain our moral and diplomatic leadership in the world." In the divided Congress, passing the law, which would be seen by conservatives as tying the US military's hands on battle strategy, would be difficult. And President Trump would likely veto it. Trump has showed a determination to maintain US military advantage over its rivals, including in the nuclear sphere. Last year,

'Evidence in Concord Management meddling case has been altered and disseminated'

The evidence in the case against Russian company Concord Management, which is accused to have interfered in the 2016 presidential elections, has been "altered and disseminated" after it was given to the firm's defence team during discovery, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office said on Wednesday.Discovery is the process through which the prosecution and the defence share evidence with each other in a case.The US Justice Department had said last year that it had indicted 13 Russian nationals and three entities, one of which were Concord Management and Consulting LLC, for alleged meddling in the 2016 elections, Sputnik reported.Russia has dismissed all such charges.Concord's legal team has attempted to appeal the charges several times, however, all their motions have thus far been dismissed.In a court filing on Wednesday, Mueller said that the US' national security interests would be jeopardised if Concord is allowed to share the sensitive evidence in the criminal case with ...

Canada cuts diplomatic staff in Havana by half after 14th person falls ill

The Canadian government has reduced the number of its diplomatic staff in Havana by half after yet another person mysteriously fell ill since the last confirmed case in November, Global Affairs Canada said in a press release."In addition to revised security measures already initiated by the Canadian government, we have decided to reduce by up to half the number of Canadian staff posted to Havana" read the release.The government note explains that the recent case of its sick staffer brings the total number of affected Canadian employees, spouses and dependents to 14.The Canadian government is investigating potential causes of the unusual health symptoms these individuals have experienced. However, no cause has been identified so far. The employees of the Canadian embassy are not the only ones who have been showing these symptoms.In 2017, the US authorities said that some of the diplomats working at the US embassy in Cuba had been affected by a mysterious audio device and displayed ...

YSRCP launches phase-2 of campaign against Chandrababu Naidu

The YSR Congress Party has launched phase-2 of Ninnu Nammam Babu (NNB) (We Don't Trust You Babu), a campaign against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.YSRCP informed that during the "Praja Sankalpa Yatra", over 2 crore people interacted with party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and expressed how they felt betrayed by Chandrababu Naidu and his government."With the completion of Praja Sankalpa Yatra, the people of Andhra Pradesh have decided to manifest their 'No Confidence in Chandrababu Naidu' through a united resolution, emerging in consensus from each of their villages."The YSRCP in an official note said that prior to the 2014 elections, Naidu had made nearly 600 "tall claims," most of which have not been fulfilled till date, it said. "This is the reason for people's mistrust in Chandrababu Naidu and his government. Through Ninnu Nammam Babu (We Don't Trust You Babu)." Ninnu Nammam Babu is a platform for the public to register their frustrations with Chandrababu Naidu and .

We don't expect much from budget: Nara Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh said the state doesn't expect much from the Interim budget, adding that whatever the central government will announce is nothing but "election gimmick.""We are very clear and we don't expect much from the central government in this budget as they have not delivered in the last four years. What they will do would be predominately a part of their election gimmick," he said. Lokesh the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Minister for Information Technology, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development on Wednesday met Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar at Krishi Bhavan here.He requested the wages to the state as part of the employment plan and the immediate release of the material dues.Lokesh said that the central government should pay Rs 700 crores in the form of salaries for the state government.He alleged that the central government has not released the salary arrears since November 15 and Rs 500 crore in the form of wages will ..

Britain, EU divided on Irish border issue

British Prime Minister Theresa May and the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, have held their first face-to-face talks to discuss Brexit.

Venezuela protests a 'fight for freedom': Trump

President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated strong US support for Venezuela's opposition and said protesters demanding the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro were fighting for freedom. "Large protests all across Venezuela today against Maduro. The fight for freedom has begun!" Trump tweeted. Trump said that earlier he had spoken by phone with self-declared acting president Juan Guaido, who has been recognized by Washington, to reinforce "strong United States support for Venezuela's fight to regain its democracy." Washington has thrown its full backing behind Guaido's claim to lead Venezuela, but hard-left leader Maduro, who still controls the military and police, says Guaido is part of a US-led coup plot. The country's pro-government top court has barred Guaido, who is calling for large anti-Maduro street protests this week, from leaving the country. On Wednesday, people took to the streets in the capital Caracas and various other cities, banging pots, blowing whistles and horns, ..