Page 389 - Politics
Trump's plan to fund border wall faces first legal test
A federal judge is expected to decide Friday whether to block the White House from spending billions of dollars to build a wall on the Mexican border with money secured under President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency. The judge is weighing two cases that challenged the maneuver to redirect mostly military-designated funding for wall construction. California and 19 other states, along with environmentalists, civil liberties groups and communities along the border, are seeking a temporary injunction to halt construction plans. At stake is billions of dollars that Trump wants for the wall, his signature campaign promise, heading into his campaign for a second term. He declared the emergency in February after losing a fight over fully paying for it that led to a 35-day government shutdown.
Trinamool trails in postal votes in 40 Bengal LS seats
Amid a saffron surge in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress may have managed to keep itself afloat in the overall tally by winning 22 of the state's 42 seats, but its calculations went haywire in the postal ballot section where it trailed behind its opponents in 40 constituencies.
Jagan Reddy to meet KCR on Saturday
YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is set to take oath as new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh next week, will call on Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao here on Saturday.
Singur farmers protest, demand industries on their land
A section of farmers in West Bengal's Singur, which had witnessed a violent anti-land acquisition stir over a decade back, staged a protest demonstration on Friday demanding industries be set up on their land which still lies barren.
EC likely to meet on Saturday to finalise list of winning LS candidates
With the last of the Lok Sabha election results pouring in Friday, the Election Commission is likely to meet on Saturday to finalise the list of winning candidates to be handed over to President Ram Nath Kovind, sources said. Polls were held in 542 of the 543 seats and the election in Vellore parliamentary seat was cancelled by the EC citing excessive use of money power. A fresh date for it is yet to be announced. Once the list is finalised, the three commissioners will seek an appointment with the president, the EC sources said. With the handing over of the list, the process to form the 17th Lok Sabha will be set in motion. The term of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 3. The Union Cabinet had on Friday recommended the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. The new House has to be constituted before June 3.
Fly on the wall: Likely candidates in next NaMo cabinet
The NDA's landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections has put the spotlight on the next big headline: the men and women who will be in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers.
Patnaik to be elected BJD legislature party chief on May 26
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to be elected as the leader of the BJD's legislature party at a meeting here on Sunday, party sources said. Patnaik, who led the party to a thumping victory for the fifth time in a row, will meet the newly-elected MPs and MLAs on Sunday, BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra said. The BJD president will meet the newly-elected MPs at Naveen Niwas in the morning, he said. Patnaik will meet the party MLAs at the party state headquarters in the afternoon, he added. He is likely to be elected as the leader of the BJD legislature party in the meeting of the newly-elected MLAs, party sources said. Though the party did not confirm the date for the swearing-in ceremony, sources said Patnaik along with some ministers will take oath on May 29 at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhavan. Such will be done in view of the cyclone Fani that killed 64 people and devasted the coastal region of the state.
As former PM faced defeat twice; LS defeat not a big issue: Deve Gowda
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Friday dismissed as "not a big issue", his drubbing at the Lok Sabha polls."As a former Prime Minister, I have been defeated twice. This is not a big issue," he told media persons here.The JD (S) leader who lost to BJP's G S Basavaraj from Tumakuru Lok Sabha seat by a 13,000 vote margin said his concern is to strengthen the base of his party."My concern is how to save a regional party. I will see that JDS strengthens its base. I will take the responsibility and proceed forward," said Gowda.The veteran politician further said that he won't blame anyone for his defeat."I am not going to blame anybody for the loss. How it happened is not to be discussed in media," he said.Asked about the future of the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka after the Lok Sabha polls, he said: "It is the responsibility of both the parties to give a stable government."Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Working President Dinesh Gundurao on Friday expressed confidence
Himachal to face by-elections in two Assembly seats
Two seats in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly will face by-election as two legislators have been elected to the Lok Sabha.
Time for 'token action' over, say Congress leaders after poll debacle
The Congress needs "meaningful and difficult decisions" to chart its future course in view of its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha elections with questions now being raised about leadership of party chief Rahul Gandhi and the strategy to take on the BJP juggernaut.
Iran, EU leaders also greet PM Modi on poll win
Leaders from Iran and the European Union joined a growing list of international heads who have extended their greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his thumping win at the 2019 Lok Sabha polls."President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani commended the victory of PM @narendramodi in #LokSabhaElections2019 and expressed confidence in further deepening the friendship between India and Iran," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.Before this, the Spokesman stated that the President of the European Union Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk "extended felicitations" to the Prime Minister."Compliments from European Union!@JunckerEU & @donaldtusk extended felicitations to PM @narendramodi on the renewed trust expressed in his government by Indian electorate and look forward to continuing the Strategic Partnership between #IndiaEuropeanUnion," Kumar tweeted.Wishes have been pouring in for the BJP ...
Jaitley may fly to London for treatment in June second week
Arun Jaitley, finance minister in the outgoing NDA government, may need to go to London for further treatment for an undisclosed illness and is now nearly ruled out for any official engagement in the next government, sources said.
NDA polls 53.25 per cent votes as Modi wave swamps Bihar
A monumental vote share of 53.25 per cent propelled the NDA, comprising the BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JD(U) and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswans LJP towards a stupendous victory in Bihar, where it ended up winning all but one of the 40 seats. This is the best performance for any political formation in the state in many decades. The BJP, which contested 17 seats, less than half of the total, garnered 23.58 per cent of the total votes polled in the state which helped it come up with its best ever strike rate of 100 per cent even though its tally fell by five compared with 22 of 2014 when it had fought 30 and its vote share this time was also lower than 29.40 per cent it had polled last time. The JD(U), for which BJP gave up five of its sitting seats, contested the same number as its alliance partner and ended up with a marginally lower vote share of 21.81 per cent, bagging 17 seats and losing one to the Congress. Kumars party had fought separately in 2014 and ...
LS results: BJP in pole position 65 assembly segments, Cong in five, AAP in none
The BJP, which swept the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, stood first in 65 out of the 70 assembly segments, while the ruling AAP failed to manage that even in one segment. The Congress came out on top in five seats dominated by minorities, poll data shows. The Congress secured the number two spot in 45 seats, while the AAP came second in 25 seats. The saffron party bagged the top position in all the assembly segments of Northwest Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, West Delhi parliamentary constituencies. The figures assume significance as Delhi will elect a new 70-member assembly early next year. The BJP secured 56.56 per cent of the total votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections, while the Congress and the AAP bagged 22.5 per cent and 18.1 per cent votes respectively. The election results augur well for the Congress which had been pushed to the third spot in every major election since the 2013 Assembly polls. The party could not even open its account in the 2015 Delhi assembly polls. The ...
PM Modi receives official winning certificate from Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday received his official certificate of election from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.Prime Minister Modi received the certificate from his party colleagues.Prime Minister Modi posted about it on twitter: "Party colleagues from Kashi gave me the official certificate of election from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency! Feel happy to be representing one of the oldest and most vibrant centres of Indian culture."Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the hero of BJP's victory, was in fray from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency and won it by a huge margin of 4,79,505 votes. During the election campaign, he did road show in Varanasi and also participated in Ganga Aarti.Five legislators of Varanasi district, two MLCs and District President of BJP Varanasi met the Prime Minister to deliver a certificate of his victory. The Prime Minister also reviewed the work that was stopped due to the Model Code of Conduct in Varanasi.After his euphoric win in the 2019 elections, .
NOTA third most viable option in 13 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar
In one-third of the 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar, NOTA emerged as the third most preferred alternative for voters, and the 'None Of The Above' option accounted for two per cent of the total number of valid votes, according to Election Commission data. Notably, the trend of people opting for NOTA in droves was seen in three of the states reserved seats, where the total number of such constituencies is six. The trend was also reflected in Araria and Katihar, both of which have a sizeable number of muslim voters and which were lost by sitting MPs from the minority community to a BJP candidate or an NDA nominee with a sangh background. The reserved seat of Gopalganj saw the highest number of voters (51,660) who opted for NOTA. The seat went to Ajay Kumar Suman of JD(U) who defeated RJDs Surendra Ram by a massive margin of 2.86 lakh votes. The constituency with the second highest number of NOTA votes (45699) was Pashchim Champaran. It was retained by sitting BJP MP ...
President Trump and PM Modi to meet at G-20 Summit in June
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday agreed to meet at the G-20 Summit in Japan next month as both the leaders pledged to further strengthen the US-India strategic partnership and build on the achievements of the last two years. Trump telephoned Modi to congratulate him on the historic electoral victory in the Lok Sabha polls, the White House said. Prime Minister Modi on Thursday led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landmark victory for a second five-year term in office, winning 302 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. "The leaders look forward to seeing one another at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, where the US, India, and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting to pursue their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," the White House said. The G-20 Summit meeting is slated for June 28 and 29. China is flexing its muscles in the South China Sea (SCS) which serves as a passage for annual trade worth USD 3.5 trillion. The US and China are locked in a tussle for
DMK to be third largest party in LS; TMC, YSR fourth
The DMK will be the third largest party in the new Lok Sabha, while the Trinamool Congress and the YSR Congress will be fourth in terms of strength in the lower house of Parliament. As many as 397 MPs were elected from national parties, think-tank PRS Legislative said. "Of these 303 MPs were from the BJP, 52 from the Congress, and 22 from the TMC. Among the state parties DMK (23) and YSRCP (22) won the most seats," it said. The nearly nine-year-old YSR Congress party swept Andhra Pradesh by bagging 22 out of 25 seats in the state. The BJP won 303 seats while its nearest rival, Congress bagged 52 seats in the Lok Sabha results. In the last general election, the J Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK was the third largest while the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC was the fourth largest party.
Sudan general vows to back Saudi against Iran 'threats'
A top Sudanese general vowed to back regional ally Saudi Arabia against "all threats and attacks" from Iran during talks with the kingdom's crown prince, Sudan's military council said Friday. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy chief of Sudan's transitional military council, met with Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported earlier in the day. "Sudan is standing with the kingdom against all threats and attacks from Iran and Huthi militias," Dagalo, widely known as Himeidti, told the crown prince during their meeting, the council said in a statement. A Saudi-led military coalition, which includes Sudan, backs an internationally recognised government against the Iran-aligned Huthi rebel group in Yemen's conflict. Himeidti also said the military council would continue deploying Sudanese troops to Yemen as part of the coalition. It was Dagalo's first international trip since Sudan's army generals took power after they backed protesters in ousting ...
Pentagon chief to meet with Chinese counterpart in Singapore: US official
Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart next week at a regional security conference in Singapore, a Pentagon official said Friday. Shanahan sets off Tuesday on a tour of Asia that will take him to Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, the Pentagon said in a statement. In Singapore, he will give a speech on the US defence strategy for the Indo-Pacific region at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is held each year in the Southeast Asian city-state. The International Institute of Strategic Studies, the conference organiser, announced on its website that Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was taking part. "We are doing a pull-aside with the Chinese counterpart in Singapore," the Pentagon official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The new US defence strategy identifies Russia and China as the two top potential adversaries of the United States. Reproaching Beijing for militarising the South China Sea, the United States has been ...