Page 403 - Politics
Not a happy time for turncoats in UP
It was not a happy outing for turncoats in Uttar Pradesh this Lok Sabha polls with only Pravin Nishad and Danish Ali emerging winners after switching sides. Nishad, who had emerged victorious in Gorakhpur as the joint candidate of the SP-BSP in the by-election, switched sides and was fielded by the BJP from Sant Kabirnagar. Nishad won Sant Kabirnagar for the BJP, defeating Bheeshma Shankar of the BSP by a margin of 35,749 votes. Another turncoat who had a successful run in the Lok Sabha elections is Kunwar Danish Ali who won the Amroha seat as a BSP candidate. Just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Ali a senior JD(S) leader, had joined the BSP which fielded him from Amroha. Ali won his seat by a margin of 63,248 votes, defeating Kanwar Singh Tanwar of BJP. Luck, however, did not favour Savitri Bai Phule who resigned fron the BJP just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after accusing it of trying to divide society and ignoring rights of Dalits and backward castes. She joined the ..
Aligning with BJP hurt AIADMK, we must introspect: AIADMK leader
Aligning with the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections when there was an anti-BJP wave in Tamil Nadu cost the ruling AIADMK very badly, a party leader said on Friday, adding that the party must do some soul searching.
BJP first timers in Uttarakhand notch up big wins
The BJP which retained all five seats in Uttarakhand besides capturing the highest ever vote share of over 60 per cent by any party in the state also saw Lok Sabha poll debutants such as Tirath Singh Rawat and Ajay Bhatt win with the biggest margins. When theBJP fielded them for the Lok Sabhafrom Pauri and Nainital in place of sitting MPs and former chief ministers B C Khanduri and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari respectively, the decision was seenby many as a risky gamble. Being first timers joining the poll fray in place of party strongmen like Khanduri and Koshiyari, there was some scepticism about the winnability of their candidature. For many, the debutants being pitted against strong opponents was another matter of concern. Bhatt was taking on a veteran of many poll battles and former chief minister Harish Rawat in Nainital while Tirath was fighting it out with the son of his political mentor and sitting MP Khanduri. However, the results took many by surprise as the first timers emerged .
West Bengal Lok Sabha election results
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 22 seats, while the BJP secured 18 and the Congress got two seats in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.
BJP, NC get 3 seats each in J-K, Mehbooba's PDP routed
The BJP and the National Conference have won three Lok Sabha seats each in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving Mehbooba Mufti's PDP stunned as it could not open its account. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and Union minister Jitendra Singh were among the prominent faces to make it to the 17th Lok Sabha from the state which sends six MPs to the Lower House. The biggest electoral upset in the state was witnessed in Anantnag where former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti finished third. The seat has been won by NC candidate and former high court judge Hasnain Masoodi whose nearest rival was Ghulam Ahmad Mir of the Congress. Masoodi polled 40,180 votes, Mir 33,504 and Mufti got 30,524 votes, according to the Election Commission. In the Udhampur seat of Jammu region, BJP's Jitendra Singh won by 3.57 lakh votes defeating Congress' Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Jammu and Kashmir's last prince Karan Singh. It is the highest margin of victory for any successful candidate in J&K till
MIM's Jaleel first non-Congress Muslim MP from Maharashtra
AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel who won from Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat by 4,492 votes against Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire, will be Maharashtra's first non- Congress Muslim member of the Lower House. There have been 11 Muslims members of the Lok Sabha from Maharashtra but they were all from the Congress. Of them, Asghar Hussain and former chief minister A R Antulay had won the Lok Sabha poll twice, an election official said. Jaleel, the journalist-turned-politician, said, "I had focused my campaign on development but the Sena has always campaigned around religious sentiments." In 2014, Jaleel quit his job as a reporter in a national news channel and days later, contested and won the Assembly poll from Aurangabad central assembly segment. Mohd Mohibbul Haq won from Akola Lok Sabha seat in 1962 on Congress ticket. Two Muslims were elected from Akola seat to Lok Sabha in 1967 and 1971. This time, the NCP fielded Hidayat Patel from Akola seat against BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre but he ...
Over 15,000 votes cast through postal ballots in Delhi
Over 15,000 votes were cast through postal ballots in the national capital for the Lok Sabha polls including 131 in the NOTA category. According to data shared by the Delhi Chief Electoral Office, a total of 15, 235 votes were cast through postal ballots. The maximum postal ballots - 4,514 votes - were counted in West Delhi followed by North East Delhi at 3,429 votes. West Delhi received the maximum number of None of The Above (NOTA) votes through postal ballots at 54. North West Delhi received the least number of postal ballots at 1,120 including 11 NOTA votes. While East Delhi and New Delhi received 1,507 and 1,485 postal ballots, Chandni Chowk and South Delhi received 1,469 and 1,711 postal ballots respectively. According to the Election Commission's norms, the facility of postal ballot, where a voter casts his or her vote using Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Papers (ETPB) rather than physically visiting polling booths, is available for service voters which include ...
Day after BJP's victory, Farooq Abdullah bats for better ties with Pakistan
A day after BJP registered landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections, National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah on Friday stressed on the need for bettering relations with Pakistan."We have to live peacefully with our neighbouring country. We cannot live with them in enmity. After 70 years, our people do not have clean water to drink. They don't have electricity and good hospitals," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told reporters."If we live peacefully, we don't need weapons to fight against them. We should think about making our nation prosperous. For this, we have to come to a solution with Pakistan. It is in their interest as well if they want their nation to come out of poverty," Abdullah said.He further urged Pakistan to put an end to terrorism and said, "Today, they (Pakistan) have to take a loan from IMF. Where have they reached now? You will never become developed while you keep fighting. They should stop spreading terrorism."In Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah's ..
IT department opened bank lockers of Kamal Nath's PA in New Delhi
The Income Tax (I-T) Department has opened some bank lockers of Rajendra Kumar Miglani, the personal assistant of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, sources have said."Miglani's some bank lockers were opened on Thursday," sources said on Friday.Miglani's lockers were seized and his premises were searched by the Income Tax Department on April 7.I-T officials had on April 7 carried out raids at the residence of Kamal Nath's private secretary, Praveen Kakkar, in Indore and former advisor R K Miglani in Delhi, on charges of alleged tax evasion.I-T officials had also conducted searches at 50 locations including Indore, Bhopal, Goa, and Delhi.Chief Minister Nath had claimed that the I-T raids in the premises of his associates were carried out at the behest of ruling BJP with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls.The I-T Department, however, had claimed that raids were not political in nature.
Over 1.5 lakh voters opt for NOTA in Punjab
More than 1.54 lakh voters exercised NOTA (None of the Above) option in Punjab where Congress registered an impressive victory by winning eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the general election. As many as 1,54,423 voters (1.12 per cent of total votes polled) pressed the NOTA option, as per election office data. Among 13 Lok Sabha seats, it was Faridkot constituency where maximum number of voters rejected the candidates. A total of 19,246 voters in Faridkot went for NOTA, as per EC data available. In Anandpur Sahib, 17,135 voters opted for NOTA option, while in Ferozepur the figure was 14,891. On almost all the constituencies in Punjab, NOTA occupied the fifth spot, as per data available. A total of 13,323 voters opted for NOTA in Bathinda, followed by 13,045 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 12,868 in Hoshiarpur, 12,324 in Jalandhar, 11,110 in Patiala, 10,538 in Ludhiana, 9,560 in Gurdaspur, 8,763 in Amritsar, 6,490 in Sangrur and 5,130 in Khadoor Sahib. Interestingly, the percentage of NOTA votes
Can't blame EVMs, polarisation favoured BJP: AAP
After getting a massive jolt from the BJP and being decimated to zero in the national capital, Aam Aadmi Party's top leadership held an introspection meeting with party convener and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and concluded that EVMs can't be blamed as there was an undercurrent in favour of the BJP.In the meeting, sources told ANI, the party's top brass decided that voting machines can't be a reason for the defeat, as polarisation of votes favoured the BJP.Apart from Arvind Kejriwal, other top leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were present in the meeting held on Thursday evening.AAP candidates from Delhi - Atishi, Raghav Chadha and Pankaj Gupta - were also a part of the huddle.Sources in the party told ANI that the leadership also decided that no one can be held responsible for the drubbing owing to the public mood strongly favouring the BJP.AAP, which is running the government in Delhi, slipped down to the third ...
A strong and stable government to bring in more foreign investment: ASSOCHAM
Mr Goenka expressed confidence that having laid the building blocks of several flagship programmes like Start-Up India, Smart Cities and Make in India, we are assured of Government's decisive traction to these schemes. A strong and stable government would bring in more foreign investment even as the domestic firms are witnessing renewed confidence. We are in for a virtuous cycle where consumption and investment drive each other. With inflation expected to stay benign, and growth set to move higher with the help of lower interest rates, we would soon be in a sweet spot, thanks to a decisive leadership".
Congratulatory messages continue to pour in for PM Modi
Congratulatory messages from leaders across the world continued to pour in for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who assured them that he will continue to work towards global peace and prosperity.As BJP-led NDA secured a thumping majority in Lok Sabha, State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi sent a congratulatory letter to the Prime Minister.Leaders from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, the UK, France, Canada, Israel, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Indonesia, Nigeria, Malta, Madagascar, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ghana and Nicaragua, among others, have greeted Modi.The Prime Minister conveyed to his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison over the telephone that India attaches great significance to further strengthening bilateral ties.Modi highlighted that India and Australia are both strong and vibrant democracies, and with the expanding economic engagement, increasing high-level interactions and strong ...
Azam Khan threatens to quit if all sections have not voted for him
Newly elected Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur Mohd Azam Khan said on Friday that if he has not got votes from all sections of the society, he will resign from the Lok Sabha within eight days.
Amethi Congress President quits
Yogendra Misra, the district President of the Congress in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, has sent his resignation to party President Rahul Gandhi, owning moral responsibility for Gandhi's defeat.
China welcomes Modi, Imran Khan exchange of greetings
China on Friday welcomed the exchange of greetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan following the ruling BJP's sweeping victory in India's general elections, expressing hope that the two nations would continue to show goodwill and resolve their differences through dialogue. Khan Thursday congratulated Modi on his electoral triumph and expressed desire to work with him for peace and prosperity in the region. Modi responded by saying "I warmly express my gratitude for your good wishes. I have always given primacy to peace and development in our region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told the media that China has noted the interaction between the two leaders. "We welcome that," he said. "Both the countries are important countries in South Asia. Peace and harmony between both sides will serve the fundamental interests of both countries and common aspiration of the international community," he said. "The two sides can continue to ...
Lotus blooms in North East, anti-Citizenship Bill sentiments a distant memory
When protests on the citizenship bill erupted in North East India earlier this year many believed it had spoiled the BJP's chances in the region for the Lok Sabha polls. Yet, the saffron party and its allies walked away with 18 of the 25 seats up for grabs in the northeastern states, successfully weathering the storm of unrest that rocked most parts of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The Congress, the grand old part of India, was restricted to just four seats, while its allies bagged two. One constituency was won by an Independent candidate. When protest broke out against the Centre's plan to bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, (CAB) -- dubbed to be against the interest of the indigenous people of the region -- many political commentators believed that it would mar the BJP's chances in the general elections in the North East. The bill had proposed to give citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis from Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and
Mixed results for Yadav clan in UP
The results of the Lok Sabha polls were a mixed bag for the Yadav clan as except Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh other members of the family failed to re-enter the lower house of Parliament this time. While Akhilesh won with a comfortable margin of 2,59,874 votes by defeating Bhojpuri star and BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, his father Mulayam Singh Yadav won the Mainpuri seat by a margin of 94,389 votes defeating BJP's Prem Singh Shakya. The SP suffered a setback in Kannauj, Badaun and Firozabad, where Akhilesh's wife Dimple and cousins Dharmendra and Akshay lost to the BJP. While Dimple lost by 12,853 votes to BJP's Subrat Pathak in Kannauj, Dharmendra lost to BJP's Sanghmitra Maurya by 18,454 votes in Badaun and Akshay lost to BJP's Chandra Sen Jadon by 28,781 votes in Firozabad. In Firozabad, Akhilesh's estranged uncle and founder of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia, Shivpal Yadav was relegated to the third spot, securing over 91,000 ...
King, PM of Bhutan, Australian premier congratulate Modi on election win
The king, and prime minister of Bhutan, and the Australian premier telephoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him on returning to power in the Lok Sabha elections. Sealing its phenomenal electoral victory, the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crossed the 300 mark and was leading in one seat as counting for votes for 542 Lok Sabha seats neared its end on Friday. Congratulations have been pouring in from India and the world over as Modi secured a second term in a resounding fashion. King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck called Modi on Thursday to congratulate him on his victory in the 17th Lok Sabha elections. The king also conveyed his good wishes for the progress and prosperity of the people of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Friday. Modi thanked the king and conveyed that New Delhi accords highest importance to its unique and special friendship with Bhutan. He reiterated that the ..
Bhutanese King and PM congratulate Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was called by his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to congratulate him on winning the Lok Sabha elections.