Page 2241 - Politics
Will return gift to Naidu, says KCR
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday said he would return the gift to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu by campaigning against him in his state.
Jaitley confident that new RBI governor will meet challenges on economic front
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the new RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das ahs the right credentials to hold the post and expressed confidence that he will be meet the challenges facing the nation.He asserted that the independence and autonomy of the RBI will be maintained, saying it is in the interest of the government.Das , a member of the 15th Finance Commission and former Economic Affairs Secretary, was appointed as RBI Governor, a day after Urjit Patel quit abruptly.Das, an IAS officer of Tamil Nadu, will have tenure of three years, according to a decision taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)."The vacancy arouse after Urjit Patel resigned and we accepted his resignation today," Jaitley said.Talking about Das, the finance minister said, "I think he has the right credentials, he has been extremely professional. He has worked under various governments, has excelled himself and I am sure in meeting the challenges before India's economy as a Governor of ...
We accept people's mandate with humility: PM Modi
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) likely to lose power in their strongholds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accepted the electoral outcome with humility and thanked the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for letting the BJP governments in these states serve them."We accept the people's mandate with humility. I thank the people of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for giving us the opportunity to serve these states. The BJP Governments in these states worked tirelessly for the welfare of the people," he tweeted.Furthermore, the Prime Minister congratulated arch rival Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao and the Mizo National Front (MNF) for their victories in the Assembly polls."Congratulations to the Congress for their victories. Congratulations to KCR Garu for the thumping win in Telangana and to the Mizo National Front (MNF) for their impressive victory in Mizoram," tweeted PM ModiLauding the efforts put in by ...
Congress knocks out BJP in Hindi heartland, TRS' gamble pays off in Telangana (Roundup)
In a severe jolt to the BJP in the Hindi heartland in the "semi finals" ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on Tuesday knocked the saffron party out of power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and was slightly ahead in Madhya Pradesh where the two parties were engaged in a see-saw battle throughout the day.
Highest and lowest victory margins in Telangana
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K. Chandrashekhar Rao's nephew T. Harish Rao won the Siddipet seat by over 1.18 lakh votes, the highest in the state. Another candidate of the same party scraped through in Ibrahimpatnam by a margin of just 376 votes.
BJP's poll performance predicts its farewell in 2019: NCP
The NCP on Tuesday attributed the BJP's performance in five state Assembly polls, particularly in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, to its "arrogance" and said it portended "farewell" of the NDA pivot in 2019 general elections. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the results showed that people do not believe in communal forces as they want peace and progress. Chief spokesperson of the NCP, Nawab Malik, ascribed the defeat to the "anti-people and anti-farmer" policies of the Narendra Modi government. "It is in face a 5-0 defeat of the BJP. The people have voted against the arrogance of leaders of the BJP," Malik said. He was referring to trends showing the Congress leading in BJP-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The BJP in Madhya Pradesh is locked in a neck-and-neck fight with the Congress. Malik said the crisis of unemployment and the government's moves like GST and demonetisation had a bearing on the polls outcome. "The way the BJP has tasted defeat in its own ...
Cong set to wrest Rajasthan, legislature party meets Wednesday to pick CM
The Congress Tuesday was set to wrest Rajasthan from the BJP after its candidates were declared elected on 97 seats and were leading on two others out of the 199 that went to the polls. As the Congress hovered around this 99-seat mark putting together the victories and the official trends Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje submitted her resignation to Governor Kalyan Singh. The ruling BJP bagged 73 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party won six, Bhartiya Tribal Party won two, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party three, the CPI(M) two and the Rashtriya Lok Dal one. Independents won 12 seats and were leading on one more as the focus in Rajasthan shifted on who would be the Congress choice for chief minister between two-time CM Ashok Gehlot and the party's state unit president Sachin Pilot. With three winners yet to be declared, the Congress vote share was 39.3 per cent, half percentage point ahead of the BJP. The newly elected Congress legislators will meet Wednesday morning to discuss this.The All India ..
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan wins
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has won from his traditional Budhni seat by a margin of 58,999 votes, defeating former Union minister and senior Congress leader Arun Yadav. Chouhan's BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in a neck and neck contest in the state in the Assembly polls. Chouhan had won the seat in 2013 with a margin of 84,805 votes. BJP has so far won 65 seats out of the total 230 while Congress has won 67. Three independent candidates have also won. As per the latest trends, the BJP is leading on 44 seats and the Congress on 47 seats. BSP is leading on 2 seats, SP on 1 and independent on 1 seat.
Venkaiah Naidu congratulates KCR over victory
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday congratulated TRS president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on his party winning the Telangana assembly polls. A release from the CMO said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah were also among a host of leaders who greeted Rao over the victory. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and DMK leader M K Stalin also congratulated Rao, the release said. Several leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly and YSRCP President Jaganmohan Reddy congratulated KCR on his party's emphatic win. TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu also greeted Rao. "My compliments to Chandrasekhar Rao," Naidu said in a statement. The Congress-TDP 'People's Front' received a drubbing in the Telangana assembly elections. Besides these two parties, the ...
PM Modi taught me what not to do: Rahul
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi taught him "what not to do" and he also "learnt a lot" from the massive defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi also said the prime minister got a massive mandate but refused to listen to "heartbeat of the country". Addressing a press conference here after the Congress' resurgence in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he said, "I was speaking to my mother yesterday and I was telling her that the absolute best thing for me was the 2014 election. I've learnt a lot from that election." The most important thing that he learnt from the 2014 polls was humility, said the 48-year-old Congress chief. "This is a great country and the most important thing in this country is what the people feel," he said. As a politician one has to listen to what the people feel and also connect with what they feel, Gandhi said. "Frankly, Mr Narendra Modi taught me the lesson -- what not to do," ...
Cong makes big gains in Assembly polls in Hindi heartland; TRS and MNF win
A resurgent Congress Tuesday made significant gains in the Assembly elections, dealing a body blow to the BJP in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and was locked in a cliffhanger in Madhya Pradesh. The reverses for the BJP in the Hindi heartland threw wide open the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which until a few months ago appeared to be in the grip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The Assembly polls held for five states also saw the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) recording a landslide win for a second consecutive term and the Mizo National Front (MNF) scripting a spectacular victory dislodging the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast to return to power after 10 years. Buoyed by the Congress' good showing in the polls that was dubbed as a semi-final for the 2019 general elections, party president Rahul Gandhi said the outcome is a "clear message" to the Modi government that people are not happy with it and time has come for a change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a massive ...
C'garh polls: Congress on way to massive victory
The opposition Congress is headed for a massive victory in Chhattisgarh, bagging 34 seats and leading in 34 constituencies in the 90-member Assembly in the state. As per the latest trends, the BJP clinched only seven seats and was leading in nine others. While the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) of former chief minister Ajit Jogi was ahead in four seats, its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) clinched one seat and was leading in another constituency. In an embarrassment to the ruling party, two of its sitting ministers lost and six were trailing. Minister Mahesh Gagda lost to Congress' Vikram Mandavi from Bijapur seat by a margin of 21,584 votes and minister Kedar Kashyap lost to Congress' Chandan Kashyap from Narayanpur by 2,647 votes. However, BJP minister Ajay Chandrakar managed to retain his Kurud seat by defeating an independent candidate Neelam Chandrakar by 12,317 votes. Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo defeated BJP's Anurag Singhdeo by a margin of 39,624 votes. He had also ...
UK can revoke or postpone Brexit, says Dublin as it prepares for 'no deal'
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Britain could avoid prospective disruption to trade across the EU by revoking or extending its notice to quit the bloc, as Dublin on Tuesday began enacting its contingency plan for a 'no-deal' Brexit.
State results won't affect 2019 Lok Sabha polls: Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that the results of the state Assembly elections where the BJP lost three major states were unlikely to have a bearing on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which would be fought on "Central governments performance".
Shah congratulates KCR for emphatic victory in Telangana
BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday congratulated Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for his party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)'s victory in the state.
No one should attempt to steal mandate in 3 states: Chidambaram
Congress leader P Chidambaram said Tuesday the Congress would form governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and no one should attempt to steal their mandate. In a series of tweets, the former Union minister said the whole nation congratulates and thanks the voters of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for saving the Constitution and the constitutional values of India. "The Congress will form the government in three states. No one -- not the BJP, not the Governors -- should attempt to steal the election in any of the three states. The BJP must accept its defeat," he said. Chidambaram said the lesson for all is: do not underestimate the hardworking, never-say-die Congress workers. "They fought an unequal battle against BJP's money and state power and they triumphed." Chidambaram asked the BJP whether it would "change its ways". "Regrettably, there is no evidence of that so far, but we shall wait and watch," he said.
May tours Europe, meets EU leaders to secure last-ditch concessions in Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday embarked on a whistle-stop tour of Europe in a desperate bid to rescue her Brexit deal, trying to convince the EU leaders to offer some concessions so that she could persuade Britain's MPs to support it. A day after she postponed a crucial parliamentary vote scheduled for Tuesday over the Withdrawal Agreement struck with the European Union (EU), May went to The Hague to hold talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and then Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seeking "further assurances" over the controversial Northern Ireland border plan. "The EU is always in a position where it negotiates at the last possible moment," said House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom in reference to the talks. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who will hold talks with May in Brussels, said the EU would not "renegotiate" the deal but there was room for "further clarifications". "The deal that we have achieved is the best ...
Consortium of regional parties may emerge soon, says KCR
Coining a new 'BJP-mukt and Congress-mukt India' slogan, Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K. Chandrashekhar Rao said on Tuesday a new national party as a consortium of regional parties may emerge "very soon".
Assembly election results give clear message to Modi: Rahul
Observing that the Assembly election results in five states were a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said opposition parties would unitedly fight and defeat the BJP in 2019 elections with the central themes being unemployment, agrarian distress and corruption.
Congress doesn't have the capacity to stop Modi: Owaisi
: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi Tuesday said there is a need for all non-Congress and non-BJP parties to come together and hoped TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao will take the victory in Telangana forward by bringing all such parties on a common platform to defeat the saffron party. The Hyderabad MP said he has his 'grave doubts' about the Congress' capacity to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "To defeat BJP it is still a task for all of us. Congress is not the alternative for this country. If BJP has to be defeated and Narendra Modi stopped from becoming Prime Minister in 2019, then non-Congress and non-BJP leaders have to come forward. They (Congress) don't have the capacity," Owaisi told reporters here. He said he had been saying for over a month that TRS would form a government in Telangana. "People of Telangana solely backed TRS and they know they have a leader who has delivered...this verdict is for KCR to take forward," he ...