Page 2252 - Politics

Raje, Gehlot, Pilot win

Rajasthan Chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday won the Jhalrapatan Assembly seat, defeating her Congress rival Manvendra Singh.

Muzaffar Hussain Baig appointed as PDP patron

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday said it has appointed senior leader and Lok Sabha member from Baramulla Muzaffar Hussain Baig as patron of the party. Baig's appointment as patron of the PDP was made on Monday following a marathon meeting held at the residence of party president Mehbooba Mufti. "On behalf of the workers, leaders and all the party functionaries we congratulate Jenab Muzzafar Hussain Beigh Sahab for his appointment as the patron of our party, a position held earlier by our beloved leader Jenab Mufti Mohammed Sayeed Sahab," the PDP wrote on its Twitter handle. The development comes amidst rebellion in the PDP as four former MLAs have quit while there were rumours of many more leaders deserting the party ahead of the fresh assembly elections, which have been necessitated due to dissolution of the lower house of the state legislature by Governor Satya pal Malik on November 21. Besides Imran Ansari and his uncle Abid Ansari, former finance minister Haseeb Drabu and ..

Congress makes inroads in central Chhattisgarh

With a lead on 58 seats in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly, the opposition Congress has made maximum gains in central part of the state, as per the latest trends. There are 67 seats in central Chhattisgarh, of which Congress is leading in 42 seats, a gain of 28 seats compared to the 2013 polls. The BJP is leading in 17 seats in the state, including 12 in that region, a gain of five seats compared to the 2013 polls. Also in this region, the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, the Gondvana Gantantra Party and the BSP were leading in seven seats, earlier with either the Congress or the BJP. In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 41 seats in central Chhattisgarh, while the Congress had bagged 24 and others two seats in the region. This time, the Congress also appeared to be making inroads in southern part of the state, where it was leading in four new seats besides retaining five that it won in 2013. The BJP seemed unlikely to retain any

OPCC hopes for relief for Odisha in Mahanadi issue

With Congress set to form the government in neigbouring Chhattisgarh, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Tuesday expressed confidence that there could be some relief for the state on the Mahanadi water dispute. Chhattisgarh has been accused of constructing projects on the upstream of Mahanadi river and blocking the flow of water down stream to Odisha. Congress has all along stood by Odisha in the water dispute. The matter is now pending in a tribunal as Chhattishgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh refused to stop the construction activities in Mahanadi river. "We are extremely happy that Congress has got the historic mandate in Chhattishgarh. The BJP and BJD had pushed Odisha towards drought and hardship. With Congress in power in Chhattishgarh, we can be hopeful of some relief for Odisha on the Mahanadi issue," OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said in a twitter post. Meanwhile, Congress supporters in Odisha were found to be upbeat over the Assembly election trends in the ...

TRS gets majority in Telangana

The ruling TRS secured a simple majority winning 60 seats and was ahead in 27 others as per the latest vote count in the Telangana assembly elections Tuesday. According to results and trends available as of 3 pm, the Congress won 13 seats and leading in seven while ally TDP bagged one seat and was leading in another. AIMIM, which supported TRS, won two and was ahead in four constituencies while the BJP and others were leading in four seats. Counting of votes polled in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly began at 8 AM Tuesday. TRS president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who led his party to the impressive performance in the polls, won his Gajwel seat by more than 51,000 votes over his nearest Congress rival V Pratap Reddy. His son and minister K T Rama Rao emerged triumphant from Sircilla segment, defeating nearest Congress rival K K Mahender Reddy by a margin of 88,000 votes. Chandrasekhar Rao's nephew and cabinet colleague T Harish ...

Telangana CM KCR wins from Gajwel constituency

Telangana caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday won from Gajwel constituency by over 50,000 votes, the Election Commission of India informed.Gajwel constituency is located in the Siddhipet District of the state. It is one of the most famous seats of the region as TRS president Rao was contesting from here.To take on Rao, the Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi had fielded Vanteru Pratap Reddy, while the BJP pitted Akula Vijaya against the TRS chief.According to the latest figures, the ruling TRS has already bagged two seats and is leading on 84 seats, way ahead of the magic mark of 60.The Congress and the BJP are leading on 21 and 2 seats, respectively. 119 Assembly seats are at stake in the state.The major players in the southern state are the TRS, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM), BJP and a grand alliance called 'Praja Kutami', that comprises of Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the Communist Party of India .

With Congress heading towards victory, Sidhu calls Rahul 'rising sun'

With the Congress leading in the Assembly election trends in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and almost neck to neck in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday called the party chief Rahul Gandhi the "new rising sun."Sidhu told ANI that with his party surging ahead in the BJP ruled states "history has been created." "Rahul is the new rising sun. With the support of the people, bad days will soon vanish and Rahul Gandhi will rise to power," said Sidhu, while speaking to ANI."Today history has been created. India's portrait and future is changing. The hands that will handle this change are very strong, Rahul Gandhi will lead the nation," added Sidhu.In Rajasthan, the Congress is leading on 101 seats and the BJP 72 seats at around 3 pm. In Chhattisgarh, trends suggested that the Congress was leading on 60 seats, while the BJP on 14 seats. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP was leading in 112 seats, while the Congress on 107 seats.

Big jolt to BJP, Congress leads in 12 Bastar seats

In a massive blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Chhattisgarh, where the Congress has taken a huge leap towards victory, the Opposition Party also gained lead on 12 seats in Bastar, out of which four were BJP strongholds.Bijapur, which earlier was won by the BJP, Vikram Mandavi of the Congress party is leading against BJP's Mahesh Gadga with a margin of 14069 votes.The Congress has also taken over BJP's Antagarh where its candidate Anoop Nag is leading against BJP's Vikram Usendi.Snatching away the reins from BJP, Congress' Rekhchand Jain is leading from Jagdalpur with a margin of more than 18000 votes against BJP's Santosh Bafna.Following suit, Narayanpur also slipped away from BJP's grasp with Congress candidate Chandan Kashyap leading with 6886 votes against BJP's Kedar Kashyap.The other seats in Bastar are Dantewara, Bhanupratappur, Chitrakot, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Konta and Bastar.However, after trailing for a brief period, Chief Minister Raman Singh, seeking a fourth ..

Semifinal shows BJP is nowhere in 2019, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while reacting to election trends, termed the assembly poll results as 'semi-final' ahead of the 2019 'final match'.In a series of tweets, she said it is the people who are always the "man of the match" in a democracy. She said, "Semifinal proves that BJP is nowhere in all the states. This is a real democratic indication of 2019 final match. Ultimately, people are always the 'man of the match' of democracy. My congrats to the winners," she said.Stating that people have voted against the BJP, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief asserted, "People voted against BJP. This is the people's verdict and victory of the people of this country. Victory of democracy and victory against injustice, atrocities, destruction of institutions, misuse of agencies, no work for poor people, farmers, youth, Dalits, SC, ST, OBC, minorities and general caste."The Chief Minister further said that the great institution of the country must strive to remain independent. .

Sri Lanka: President Sirisena fails to meet deadline to end political crisis

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirirsena's deadline to find a solution to the ongoing political crisis in the island nation has ended on Tuesday.Sirisena on December 4 took to Twitter saying, "The current political crisis will not drag on beyond seven days. I have always taken decisions in the best interest of the country and the people". However, as the deadline ends today, there seems no solution to the crisis anytime soon in the future.The political crisis in the island nation started in late October when Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of Prime Minister and replaced him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Subsequently, Rajapaksa was also ousted after No-Confidence motion was passed against him in Parliament twice.A Sri Lankan court had also passed an interim order against Rajapaksa which barred him from holding the Prime Minister office.Last week, Sirisena also claimed that Rajapaksa had tried to bribe politicians in order to show a majority in the ...

Rajya Sabha pays homage to Vajpayee, calls him epitome of 'politics of grace'

The Rajya Sabha (RS) on Tuesday paid homage to former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee and called him the epitome of 'politics of grace.' RS chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu read out the obituary, describing Vajpayee as the "epitome of politics of grace."The Winter Session of Parliament began on Tuesday.Remembering Vajpayee, who died on August 16 this year, for his remarkable contribution in shaping India's foreign policy, Naidu said, "As Minister of External Affairs during 1977-79 and later as Prime Minister during 1998-2004, Vajpayee ji contributed significantly towards imparting our diplomacy and foreign policy, a sense of purpose and dynamism and laying strong foundations for economic resurgence of our country.""Under his leadership, India's friendship enhanced with countries like China, the US, and Pakistan," Naidu said, adding "As Minister of External Affairs, Vajpayee ji visited China which resulted in breaking a new ground. During his stint as .

Brexit: France warns to prepare for 'no deal'

The Brexit accord that has stumbled in the British parliament is the "only deal possible" and Europe must prepare for London to crash out without an agreement, France warned Tuesday. France's minister for European affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, sounded the alarm bells in Brussels as Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May embarked on a lightning mini-tour of EU capitals to beg for support. "The withdrawal agreement is the only one possible," she said, echoing previous warnings from EU leaders Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, presidents of the European Commission and European Council. On Monday, May abandoned an attempt to push the divorce deal she brokered with EU leaders last month through a hostile House of Commons, triggering dismay in European capitals who fear more chaos ahead. "Our responsibility is to prepare for a 'no deal' because it's a hypothesis that is not unlikely," Loiseau said, suggesting Britain could leave the EU on March 29 without arrangements to keep trade ...

China warns against 'bullying' of its citizens

China's foreign minister warned Tuesday against the "bullying" of any Chinese citizen, amid a diplomatic fracas over the arrest of a Huawei executive on a US warrant in Canada. Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications behemoth Huawei, was on December 1 arrested in Vancouver on US fraud charges related to sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran, infuriating China. "The safety and security of Chinese compatriots are our priority, China will never sit idly by and ignore any bullying that violates the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech in Beijing, without directly referring to the Huawei case. "We will fully safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens and return fairness and justice to the world," he said at the opening of a diplomatic symposium. The detention has raised tensions following a truce in the US-China trade war, with Beijing summoning both the Canadian and US ambassadors over the ...

Will get 'full majority' in MP: Kamal Nath

Congress leader Kamal Nath on Tuesday said his party will form a government in Madhya Pradesh with a "full majority" in the 230-member Assembly.

Wikipedia calls Pilot Rajasthan's 14th CM

Even as votes polled in Assembly elections were still being counted in Rajasthan, the Wikipedia page on Tuesday projected state Congress leader Sachin Pilot as the new Chief Minister.

KCR re-elected from Gajwel, keeps record intact

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K. Chandrashekhar Rao's track record of never losing an election since 1985 remained intact as he was re-elected from the Gajwel Assembly constituency with a huge margin.

Cong wins 3, leading in 99

Congress won three seats and leading on 99 seats while BJP won four seats and leading on 66 seats in Rajasthan assembly polls. BSP is leading on 6, CPM 2, independents 12, and other party candidates on 7, according to the election commission's website. Congress candidates Madan Prajapapat (Pachpadra), Johri Lal (Rajgarh-Laxmangarh) and Zahida (Kaman) won while BJP's Santosh Bawri (Anupgarh), Kaluram (Dug), Samaram (Pindwara), Jagsiram (Reodar) won.

TRS to form government in Telangana with huge majority

The TRS looked set to form its second successive government in Telangana with a thumping majority after taking an unassailable lead in 86 seats, according to the latest vote count Tuesday, a ringing endorsement of party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's populist policies. Soon after the vote count began at 8 a.m., it became clear that Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi party will sweep back to power with almost three-fourths majority. Rao had dissolved the Assembly in September, eight months ahead of schedule, in a political gamble that paid off handsomely, as the party is expected to improve on its previous strength of 63 in the 119-seat Assembly. However, TRS strength had risen to 82 after defections from TDP and Congress before the elections. "The people reposed faith in the leadership of our chief minister and they did not believe in the disinformation campaign of the opposition," said T Harish Rao, a minister in the outgoing government and a nephew of Rao. The first two confirmed results .

Results of assembly polls indicate people fed up with rhetoric: AAP

India will be "BJP Mukt" in the year 2019, the Aam Aadmi Party claimed Tuesday, as assembly election trends indicated that the saffron party was trailing in two of the three states it ruled. The Bharatiya Janata Party was behind its main rival Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh; it was locked in a close contest with the opposition party in Madhya Pradesh, according to latest trends. Lok Sabha elections are due next year and the assembly polls were billed as a semi-final before the general elections. "2019 will be BJP Mukt Bharat (BJP-free India)," senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told PTI. "The results of assembly polls indicate that people are fed up with jumla (rhetoric)." Singh said the BJP should seek votes for the work it has done and not in the name of building Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The AAP leader said farmers, youths, traders and women are "not happy" with BJP's policies due to which the party seems loosing ground in the states it ruled. On AAP's ...

Cong loss in Ahmednagar civic polls a blow to Thorat and Vikhe

Defeat of the Congress in the Ahmednagar municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra is perceived as a major blow to party stalwarts Balasaheb Thorat, a CWC member, and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. The ruling Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party in the municipal corporation by winning 24 out of 68 seats, followed by NCP and BJP which won 18 and 14 seats, respectively, in the results declared Monday. The Congress won only five seats (a loss of six seats compared to 2013), BSP four, independents two while one seat went to SP. The Congress' performance is seen as a blow to Thorat and Vikhe Patil who, according to party insiders, are contenders for the post of chief minister, if the Congress forms government in Maharashtra in 2019. According to sources, the failure of senior leaders to deliver has upset the Central leadership. "Results of the recently conducted Dhule and Ahmednagar civic body polls have seen a crushing defeat for