Page 2371 - Politics
MP poll: 36% voting till 2 pm; 745 EVMs, VVPATs replaced after malfunctioning
Nearly 36 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 2 pm Wednesday in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections which were marred by complaints of faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at some places. Around 745 EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were replaced after complaints of technical snags, MP's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V L Kantha Rao said. He also said that around 36 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 2 pm. Following complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia demanded that the Election Commission make up for the time wasted in replacing faulty EVMs by extending the polling time in the booths concerned. "I want that the EC should compensate for the time lost in replacing the EVMs. It should extend voting time at places where EVMs failed to work," he told reporters after landing in Gwalior to cast his vote. "I have already spoken to Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat and MP Chief Electoral ...
DMK ups ante on Mekedatu project; convenes meet to chalk out plan
The DMK Wednesday called for a meeting of its alliance and friendly parties here Thursday to deliberate the Central Water Commission (CWC) allowing Karnataka to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river. A day after DMK president M K Stalin slammed the Centre for the nod, the main opposition party said the meeting would be held at its party headquarters Thursday where it is expected to chalk out a political strategy on the issue. The CWC has recently given its go-ahead to Karnataka for preparing a DPR for a proposed balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project at Mekedatu. Stalin had hit out at the AIADMK government as well for what he called the incumbent regime's "negligent" attitude that resulted in the Centre's permission to Karnataka. The leader of opposition in the Assembly had wanted the Tamil Nadu government to approach the Supreme Court to obtain stay for the Centre's permission and Karnataka's efforts for a ...
Two Koreas to begin joint railway survey this week
The two Koreas will begin a joint survey on reconnecting railways across their border this week, Seoul said Wednesday, the latest move in a rapid reconciliation drive between the two countries. Linking up the railway systems was one of the agreements made earlier this year between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South's President Moon Jae-in. The two countries -- technically still at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a ceasefire instead of a peace treaty -- have said they aim to hold a groundbreaking ceremony before the end of the year. The unification ministry said a South Korean train will depart from Seoul early Friday and cross the border on a 18-day joint mission to examine the North's rail system. It will be the first time since 2007 a train from the South will enter North Korea. The train will have 28 South Korean passengers on board -- mostly officials and experts -- as well as 55,000 litres of fuel and other unspecified materials. The project has faced ...
Rahul to be in Udaipur on Dec 1
Congress president Rahul Gandhi would be visiting Udaipur division in the state to address elections rallies on December 1. Gandhi is likely to visit Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. The AICC president visited Ajmer dargah and Pushkar and addressed rallies at Jaisalmer, Jalore and Jodhpur on Monday. The state is going to poll on December 7.
KCR bothered about his own family, says Sushma Swaraj
External Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday alleged that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was bothered about his own family and that he forgot the martyrs of Telangana.
Chronology of Kartarpur corridor
The following is the chronology of events leading up to the foundation laying for the corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims: 1522: The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was established by the first Sikh Guru where Guru Nanak Dev is said to have died. February 1999: The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was proposed by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he took a bus ride to Lahore during a peace initiative with Pakistan. 2000: Pakistan agrees to allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the shrine visa-free (and without passport) by constructing a bridge from the India side of the border to the shrine. August 2018: Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu attends Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's swearing-in ceremony. August 2018: Upon his return from Islamabad, Sidhu says that Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa informed him that the ..
MP polls: Kamal Nath wants faulty EVMs replaced
Congress state unit chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday requested the poll panel to quickly replace all faulty EVMs and VVPAT machines after 100 complaints were received within the first hour of polling in Madhya Pradesh.
V K Singh meets President, Chief Executive of Afghanistan in Geneva
Minister of State for External Affairs General Vijay Kumar Singh met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and the country's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah here on Wednesday on the sidelines of the two-day Geneva ministerial Conference on Afghanistan which began on November 27."Partnering in Afghanistan's efforts for peace & prosperity. MOS @Gen_VKSingh is representing India at the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan being held on 27-28 November. On the sidelines of the conference, MOS called on the President of Afghanistan," tweeted Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).He also announced Singh's meeting with Abdullah Abdullah. "Prioritising progress and commitment. MOS @Gen_VKSingh met with the @afgexecutive Dr. Abdullah on the sidelines of the #GVAAfghanistan2018. Both emphasised the importance of development & reform and the need for a constructive contribution to peace and security," he tweeted.Kumar also reinforced India's support for an ..
Kremlin still expecting Putin-Summit to go ahead
The Kremlin says it still expects a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to go ahead as planned. Trump, in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday, said he may cancel his planned sit-down with Putin in Argentina following Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval ships last weekend. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the meeting is on and that Russia has not received "any other information from our U.S. counterparts." The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine burst into the open on Sunday when Russian border guards fired on three Ukrainian vessels and seized the ships and the crew.
Mizoram polls: 49% voter turnout recorded till 1pm
A voter turnout of 49 per cent has been recorded till 1 pm in the Mizoram Assembly elections being held on Wednesday.Voting in the single-phase polls began at 7 am and is scheduled to end at 4 pm.As many as 209 candidates are contesting to bag a seat in the 40-member Legislative Assembly. The Congress party, which has been in power in Mizoram since 2008, is eyeing a third consecutive term in the state.In the previous election in 2013, Congress had fielded 40 candidates and won 34 seats, whereas Mizo National Front (MNF) secured only five seats after contesting on 31 seats. Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) had contested on eight seats but managed to bag only one.Both Congress and MNF are contesting all 40 constituencies this time, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting on 39 seats.Incumbent Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is contesting from two seats - Serchhip and Champhai South.In Serchhip, Thanhawla will be contesting against Zoram People's Movement's (ZPM) chief ...
Mizoram: Lal Thanhawla casts vote in Zarkawat
Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Wednesday cast his vote at Zarkawat polling station.While speaking to reporters outside the polling booth, Thanhawla expressed confidence of Congress retaining power in the state. He said, "I will come with a full majority".On Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has never won a single seat in the state, Thanhawla claimed that BJP this year also will not be able to open its account in the state.Thanhawla is seeking a third consecutive term in the office. This year, he is contesting from two seats, Serchhip and Champhai South.The Congress party and Mizo National Front (MNF) are contesting on all 40 seats, while BJP has fielded its candidates in 39 seats.In 2013, Congress won 34 seats in the 40-member Mizoram Legislative Assembly while MNF secured only five seats after contesting 31 seats. The Mizoram People Conference had contested in eight seats but managed to bag one only.The result will be announced on December 11 along with four other states ...
Like yours, no one knows my ancestors too: PM to voters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit back at the Congress party for their remark on his father.Addressing an election rally in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, Prime Minister Modi said, "I have lived my life, just like you people live it. Just like yours, no one knows about my ancestors too."The remark came three days after the state's Congress leader Vilasrao Muttemwar launched a personal attack on the prime minister saying that while everyone knows Congress president Rahul Gandhi's ancestors, no one is aware of Prime Minister Modi's father."Everyone knows five generations of the Gandhi family, but this Narendra, no one knows his father, let alone his grandfather and he is asking for a record of our work," Muttemwar had said.His comments sparked a controversy with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) approaching the Election Commission to lodge a complaint against him.Prime Minister, at his rally in the poll-bound state, said, "We are asking you to vote for us not because we ...
Renowned Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain enthralls Nepalese audience
Renowned Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain performed in front of a big crowd at India House, Indian Embassy here. The two-hour-long performance by Hussain along with three members of his team on Tuesday was attended by around 1,500 people including chief justice, Parliament Speaker, Foreign Minister of Nepal and other senior leaders of political parties. Hussain was accompanied by Anantha Krishnan on Mridangam, Sabir Khan on Sarangi and Navin Sharma on Dholak. Ambassador of India Manjeev Singh Puri on the occasion introduce the musical team led by Hussain to the distinguished guests. He mesmerized the audience with his energetic, contemporary and classical portrayal of tabla playing. The concert with Hussain took place in Nepal after a gap of 17 years to mark 70 years of India-Nepal diplomatic relations and to cherish shared musical heritage of both the countries, said a release by Embassy of India today. Zakir Hussain had performed in Nepal way back in 1997 with flutist Hariprasad ...
India not to attend Saarc Summit in Pakistan
India won't attend the proposed Saarc Summit in Pakistan and there will be no dialogue with Islamabad until it stops sponsoring terrorism, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced on Wednesday.
Talks, terror can't go together: Sushma
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday ruled out any dialogue with Pakistan unless it stopped sponsoring terrorism, saying talks and terror cannot go together.
26% voting registered in MP in 5 hours (Third Lead)
Twenty six per cent polling was recorded in the first five hours in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday in the elections to choose a new assembly.
Madhya Pradesh polls: Many EVMs malfunctioning, claims Cong
The Congress Wednesday claimed that some EVMs malfunctioned during the ongoing Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and demanded that polling be extended. Polling is underway to elect the 230-member Assembly, where the ruling BJP and opposition Congress are fighting for supremacy. It is being held between 8 am and 5 pm in 227 seats and between 7 am to 3 pm in three Naxal-affected segments. "There have been several complaints that EVMs at many places malfunctioned. We have have written to the Election Commission and demanded that voting time in these polling booths should be extended to compensate for the delay," Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said. Responding to the demand, CEC O P Rawat said in Delhi that there are provisions for the extension of time and local officers (in Madhya Pradesh) can take the call on the matter. The battle of ballots in Madhya Pradesh is just months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls slated in the first half of 2019. As many as 2,899 candidates, ...
Factbox: What to watch for at G20 summit in Argentina
(Reuters) - Global leaders will gather in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires this week for the Group of 20 summit, a meeting of the world's largest economies responsible for 85 percent of global economic output and two-thirds of the world's population.
In KCR's home turf Gajewal, it's development vs 'unreachable' CM
With poll campaign at its peak in Telangana, voters in caretaker chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's home turf Gajwel seem to be divided between the talks of development by the ruling party and Opposition's allegations of an "unreachable" head of the government. KCR, as Rao is popularly known as, is seeking re-election from Gajwel in Siddipet district, after winning in 2014 with a margin of nearly 20,000 votes. While KCR's supporters go at length to talk about his government's development agenda, many others in the constituency allege they are not able to reach him when in need. "Development is clearly visible. We have got better roads, regular power supply and more importantly tap water in each house. A lot has been done under the KCR rule. The only minus point is our leader is inaccessible to people," said a guava seller in Pragnapur. He said there is a feeling that the chief minister does not spend "enough time" in his constituency and villagers have to communicate through his ...
MP polls: 27 pc electorate cast vote till 1 pm
Around 27 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Wednesday during elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly while two polling officials died on duty, officials said. There were also complaints of technical snags in the electronic voting machines at some places following which 70 EVMs were replaced at various polling booths, MP's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V L Kantha Rao said. Two polling officials died due to health issues while performing their duties in Indore and Guna districts, another election official said. The families of these employees would be given an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each, he said. According to a public relations officer of the Election Commission, around 27 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 1 pm. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Budhni seat, and his wife Sadhana Singh cast their votes at his native village Jait, which is part of his Assembly constituency. Earlier, Chouhan ...