Page 398 - Politics
Dalai Lama, Tibetan government in exile congratulate Modi
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on the "sweeping victory" in the Lok Sabha elections. "I pray you will be successful in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of India," he wrote in a letter. The result of the 17th Lok Sabha election has set Modi on the course to become the first prime minister after Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to win a second consecutive five-year term with a full majority. "India is one of the great ancient civilizations, a distinctive and fundamental feature of which has been ahimsa and karuna non-violent conduct motivated by compassion," the Dalai Lama said. "We Tibetans have tremendous respect for India as the source of our spiritual culture. The traditions of Nalanda University brought to Tibet in the eighth century have had a powerful impact on our development," he added. "Last month marked the 60th anniversary of
UK's ruling party welcomes May's resignation, sets out leadership plan
Britain's ruling Conservative party on Friday said it was "saddened by Theresa May's announcement to resign as the party leader on June 7, but understands why such a step was required. In a joint statement by the Tory party headquarters and the vice-chairs of the influential 1922 Committee of the party's backbench MPs, the Conservatives laid out the process for choosing a new party leader who would go on to succeed May as Britain's Prime Minister. It said that May's successor as party leader and prime minister was expected to be in place by parliament's summer recess which is set for July 20. We are saddened by her decision but understand it, and thank her for her years of service to our Party and our nation, not just as Prime Minister but over many decades before that, notes the joint statement by Tory chair Brandon Lewis and 1922 Committee vice-chairs Cheryl Gillan MP and Charles Walker. After the Prime Minister has resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party, we will begin the ...
Cong 'stalwarts' bite dust in Haryana; party fortunes take a beating
A former chief minister and a one-time Union minister were among the Congress candidates who bit the dust in Haryana, where the ruling BJP won all 10 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress had fielded 'party stalwarts' like former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Union minister Kumari Selja and others on more than half of the 10 Lok Sabha seats to boost the party's fortunes. But for the grand old party, it seems the nightmare of 1999 elections returned when Congress had faced a rout and the BJP, which was then in alliance with Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), had swept the polls. Expectations were high from Hooda who had during early days of his political career defeated former deputy prime minister Devi Lal from Rohtak constituency. Hooda was hand picked by the Congress high command in 2005 and named as chief minister when the party won 67 out of 90 assembly seats that year in Haryana. He contested the Lok Sabha polls this time after a gap of 14 years. Hooda represented Rohtak in ..
Dialogue will not resume unless US changes position: N Korea
Blaming the United States for the collapse of the second US-North Korea summit, Pyongyang on Friday said that the dialogue between the two countries will not resume unless Washington comes up with a "new method of calculation.""Unless the United States puts aside the current method of calculation and comes forward with a new method of calculation, the North Korea-US dialogue will never be resumed and by extension, the prospect for resolving the nuclear issue will be much gloomy," North Korea's state news agency quoted the country's spokesperson as saying.The North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson also said that the United States is attempting to shift the blame regarding the reigning impasse onto the reclusive state, according to Yonhap News Agency."We hereby make it clear once again that the United States would not be able to move us even an inch with the device it is now weighing in its mind, and the further its mistrust and hostile acts towards the DPRK grow, the fiercer our ...
Tibetan President Sangay greets Modi
Central Tibetan Administration President Lobsang Sangay on Friday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
Haryana: After losing to mother in Assembly elections, Dushyant Chautala lost to son in LS polls
After suffering defeat at the hands of BJP's Prem Lata from Hisar's Uchana Kalan in 2014 Assembly polls in Haryana, former INLD leader Dushyant Chautala was this time trounced by her son Brijendra Singh in Hisar Lok Sabha seat. Dushyant Chautala, sitting MP of Hisar, was fielded by the JJP-AAP alliance. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, three great grandsons of Devi Lal were in the fray albeit not from the same party, after the Chautala clan split last year following a bitter family feud. With Devi Lal's son Om Prakash Chautala being in jail in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, his son Ajay Chautala (father of Dushyant Chautala) had broken away from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and formed Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which later formed an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state. The political rivalry between the Brijendra Singh's family and Chautalas is not new in Hisar. Both families having a long political history and strong hold in the state. While ...
Chamling congratulates PM Modi for NDA's astounding victory in
The outgoing Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling Friday greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading the NDA to an astounding victory in the general elections. "Hon'ble Shri @narendramodi Ji, I extend my heartiest congratulations to you for the spectacular victory. May you continue to guide our great nation towards higher glory," Chamling tweeted hours after his party, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), lost the assembly elections. The SDF lost the assembly elections to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and Chamling's 24-and-half-year rule came to an end on Thursday night. On May 21, Chamling had attended the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the NDA leaders, little knowing that his castle will be turned upside down two days later. Chamling's SDF has lost assembly polls to the SKM by a narrow margin of two seats.
Victory is also a great responsibility, says Agatha Sangma after LS Poll win
National People's Party (NPP) leader Agatha Sangma, who defeated Congress leader Mukul Sangma from Tura parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, said she considers the win as "a great responsibility."Talking to ANI, Agatha said, "This is not just a victory but a huge responsibility and I take this responsibility extremely seriously.""Also, my responsibility is not just for the people of Garo Hills or Meghalaya but for the entire North East and I take this opportunity to convey my intent that I would represent the North East on the various issues that need to be addressed. I will make sure that those issues reach the central government," she said.Agatha, the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma who retained the Tura seat said the fight with Mukul Sangma was a fair one."We had an opposition candidate who has also been a chief minister of the state and a senior political leader, and therefore it has been quite a fight, a neck to neck fight but a fair one," ...
Akhilesh sacks party panelists
In an unexpected development, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has sacked its panel of leaders who act as its spokespersons on television channels.
Six Muslim MPs win from Uttar Pradesh
In 2014, Uttar Pradesh did not have a single Muslim MP from the state but the scenario has changed this time and the state is sending six Muslims to the Lok Sabha.
Polarisation, NRC, transfer of Left votes - help BJP breach
Riding on communal polarisation, NRC, infighting within TMC and transfer of Left votes, the BJP in West Bengal breached the impregnable fortress of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee by winning 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and grabbing a vote share of 40.5 percent. Up from two seats and 17 percent vote share it had in 2014, the BJP not only pulled through an unprecedented victory in the bordering state of Bengal, where it was once considered as a marginal force, but also took a lead in around 130 assembly segements of the state in terms of vote share. The state is scheduled to go for Legislative assembly polls in two years time in 2021. Bengal witnessed a saffron surge on Thursday as the BJP inflicted a deadly blow to ruling Trinamool Congress by winning 18 of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The ruling TMC won 22 seats down from 34 in 2014. BJP's national general secretary and Bengal minder, Kailash Vijayvargiya, said it was vote against Banerjee's .
Farmers played key part in Kavitha's defeat in Nizamabad?
The large number of farmers who jumped into the poll fray,demanding constitution of a turmeric board and remunerative price for their produce seem to have played a key role in the defeat of TRS leader K Kavitha in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha election. This Telangana constituency hit the national headlines after 177 farmers filed nomination papers as independents, taking the total number of candidates in the segment to 185. The farmers said they want trigger a debate on their demands. The farmers together obtained about 90,000 votes and TRS leaders argued that Kavitha would have won, had all those votes gone to her. BJP nominee D Aravind pulled off a surprise win, defeating Kavitha, daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, by 70,875 votes. Some of the farmers, who contested as Independents, said the voters preferred Aravind as he promised to constitute the turmeric board. Kavitha did not get them the turmeric board as promised, they alleged. "Aravind said he will get ..
'Razakari' has begun, says Sena's Khaire on MIM's Aurangabad
The Shiv Sena's sitting MP Chandrakant Khaire, who lost to AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel from Aurangabad in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, made a controversial statement Friday by terming it as the start of "razakari" in the region. The term originates from the Razakars, the private militia of the Hyderabad Nizamate, who were infamous in the area for their brutal putting down of rebellion against the ruling dispensation of the time. Speaking to a regional news channel in Mumbai outside the residence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Khaire said, "Razakari has already begun in Aurangabad (with Jaleel's victory). Some of my people were attacked. It is only going to get worse." Khaire later met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Khaire, a four time MP from Aurangabad since 1999, lost to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen's Jaleel by a slender margin of 4,492 votes. Jaleel secured 3,89,042 votes while Khaire got 3,84,550 votes. Khaire also expressed disappointment on
Piyush Goyal may become next Finance Minister, Prasad may get Telecom
As the election results paved the way for the formation of a new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several names have started doing the rounds for getting plum Cabinet portfolios.
BJD returns to power in Odisha for fifth straight term
BJD Friday scripted history with a landslide victory to form the government for a record fifth term in a row bagging 112 of the 146 assembly seats despite the Modi wave in the country. The BJD, which had grabbed the lion's share of 117 of the 147 assembly seats in the 2014 assembly polls, remained largely untouched by the Modi magic that swept across the country though its tally saw a marginal slide. The BJP, however, has made substantial gains in Odisha this time with its nominees clinching 23 seats so far, while the Congress has bagged just nine. The CPI(M) and an Independent have bagged one seat each. The saffron party is now poised to emerge as the main opposition in the state. However, unlike in most other states where the BJP and its allies look like they are in firm command, the party will be a feeble opposition in Odisha. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who steered his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to another emphatic win in the assembly polls held simultaneously with the
Pb: Cong candidates fared poorly on assembly seats held by ministers, MLAs
Congress candidates on five Lok Sabha seats in Punjab "fared poorly" in some of the assembly segments represented by ministers including Manpreet Singh Badal, Aruna Chaudhary and some MLAs. Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress romped home to an impressive victory by winning eight while the SAD-BJP combine and the Aam Aadmi Party had to contend with four and one seat respectively. The Congress candidates had to bite the dust on Sangrur, Gurdaspur, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seats which include assembly segments represented by ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Aruna Chaudhary and some MLAs. Ahead of polls, the chief minister had issued a diktat to his ministers and legislators asking them to "perform or perish". Amarinder Singh had announced that ministers would be dropped from the cabinet and legislators would not be given tickets in next assembly polls if they failed to ensure victory of party candidates in their assembly constituencies in the general ..
Modi's vision is Rashtra Dharma: Pragya Thakur
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who has won the Bhopal parliamentary seat on a BJP ticket, on Friday termed the massive mandate to her party in the Lok Sabha elections as "a victory of Rashtra dharma", which she said was a vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJD's move to field women candidates in LS pays off
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's historic move to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha has brought rich dividends for the party.
Most turncoats fail to win in 2019 Lok Sabha polls
Political leaders often switch parties before major polls in a bid to remain on the winning side, but that strategy does not appear to have worked in this Lok Sabha election as most turncoats failed to make it to Parliament, Election Commission data showed Friday. Over 75 candidates had switched sides before the election, hoping to push their chance to become Members of Parliament, but at least 47 of them lost. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who joined Congress in April, lost by over 2.84 lakh votes to BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad from the Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar. Former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, who contested on RJD ticket from Madhepura, lost to Dinesh Chandra Yadav of his former party by over 3 lakh votes. Tariq Anwar, who switched from Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party to Congress, lost by over 57,000 votes from Katihar. Cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad lost Dhanbad, Jharkhand, by over 4.8 lakh votes. He had joined the Congress after quitting the ...
Noida: Mahesh Sharma's victory margin goes up, NOTA voters double
BJP leader Mahesh Sharma's victory margin in the Lok Sabha election from Gautam Buddh Nagar went up by over 57,000 votes from 2014, while NOTA voters almost doubled in the constituency, official poll data showed. He won 8,30,812 votes, up from 5,99,702 in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, even as total votes cast this time stood at 13,92,952, up from 11,99,262 five years ago, according to data by the Election Commission. Sharma defeated his nearest rival, BSP's Satveer Nagar by a margin of 3,37,391 votes. Nagar's candidature was also backed by the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. He got 4,93,421 votes. In 2014, Sharma's nearest rival was SP's Narendra Bhati, who had got 3,19,490 votes and their vote margin stood at 2,80,212, the data showed. Sharma had garnered a vote share of 50 per cent among 24 candidates in 2014, while his vote share increased to 59.64 per cent this time among 13 candidates, according to the EC data. At least 8,371 votes were cast under 'none of the above' ...