Page 428 - Politics
Pak PM congratulates Modi, says looking forward to working with him for peace
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his "electoral victory" and said he looked forward to working with the Indian leader for peace. progress and prosperity in South Asia.With BJP-led NDA poised to secure a comfortable majority in Lok Sabha, Khan tweeted, "I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia."Joining a string of other world leaders, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan made a congratulatory phone call to Modi.Ahead of the polls, Khan had said that there might be a better chance of peace talks with India if PM Modi wins the elections.He reportedly said that if the next Indian government were to be led by the Congress party, it might be too scared to seek a settlement with Pakistan over Kashmir, fearing a backlash from the right wing.Tensions between India and Pakistan had soared after
Celebrity status can win first election, second won on work: BJP's Kirron Kher
Bharatiya Janata Party's Kirron Kher, who is all set for victory from Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, took a swipe at opposition leaders posing questions on her celebrity status."They (Opposition) can say that the first election was won by a celebrity but the second victory comes due to the work done by a candidate," the actor-turned-politician told media.Kher is leading against Congress heavyweight Pawan Kumar Bansal with a margin of over 39,000 votes.Commenting on her party's stellar performance, Kher said, "I would like to thank the senior leadership, Modiji and Amit Shahji who brought this lead on 304 seats."She also thanked the people who voted for her and bestowed faith in the BJP."A big thanks to the party workers and the booth level workers who stood long hours in the sun for making this a success," she said.The Bharatiya Janata Party has already won 49 seats while it is leading on 253 seats in the parliamentary elections, comfortably crossing the half-way mark by itself. The ...
Alphons Kannanthanam fails to make it to Lok Sabha
Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam Thursday failed in his maiden bid to enter the lower house of Parliament from Kerala, even as the BJP-led NDA made asweep in the Lok Sabha elections. The Minister of State for Tourism was defeated by Congress-led UDF candidate Hibi Eden, who is also a sitting MLA, in Ernakulam constituency. Eden won by a margin of over 1.6 lakh votes against his nearest rival P Rajeev of CPI(M). A bureaucrat-turned-politician, Kannanthanam could finish only in the third position with around 1.37 lakh votes, way behind Eden and Rajeev who garnered over 4.91 lakhand 3.22 lakh votes respectively. Kannanthanam is a member of the Rajya Sabha. A 1979 batch IAS officer, he had quit his high-profilecareer and plunged into electoral politics by successfully contesting from Kanjirappally in Kottayam district as a left independent candidate. Though he was offered a second chance by the Left in the next assembly polls, Kannanthanam, in a surprise move, turned down
Congress wins 5 seats in Kerala
Opposition Congress won five Lok Sabha seats and was leading in ten others in Kerala Thursday. Congress candidates, Ramya Haridas, Dean Kuriakose, V K Sreekantan, Hibi Eden, T N Prathapan have won, Election Commission sources told PTI. Ramya won from the reserved constituency of Alathur with a margin of over 1.58 lakh votes against her nearest rival and two-time sitting CPI(M) MP P K Biju. Kuriakose wrested the Idukki seat from the CPI(M) backed independent candidate Joice George with a margin of 1.71 lakh votes. Sreekantan, who proved to be a dark horse and never featured in any exit poll or survey, defeated two-time CPI(M) MP M B Rajesh by a lead of over 11,000 votes. Eden romped home in Ernakulam defeating P Rajeev of CPIM by over 1.60 lakh votes while Prathapan triumphed over Rajaji Mathew Thomas of CPI in Thrissur by over 93,000 votes. Counting of Votes polled in the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state is underway with the Congress headed for a sweep.
Harsimrat wins from Bathinda seat
Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal Thursday won from the Bathinda seat, defeating her nearest rival Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of the Congress. Badal, a two-time MP from Bathinda, defeated Warring by a margin of 21,772 votes in the high-stakes poll. Aam Aadmi Party's Baljinder Kaur and Punjabi Ekta Party's Sukhpal Singh Khaira were also in the fray in Bathinda. Badal's victory margin saw a slight improvement this year from 19,395 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Pawar's grand-nephew loses from Maval Lok Sabha seat
Parth Pawar, grand-nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, suffered a humiliating defeat in his maiden electoral foray from Maval parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra. Parth is the son of former state deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. He was defeated by the Shiv Sena's Shrirang Barne by 2,15,757 votes. Parth polled 5,03,375 votes while Barne, sitting MP, polled 7,18,950 votes.
Modi magic sweeps India as BJP hurtles toward 300 mark, Opposition left in dust
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led his Bharatiya Janata Party towards a super-sized victory for a second term in office, as his message of nationalism, security, Hindu pride and a New India was wholeheartedly embraced by voters across large swathes of the country. With the elections establishing the 68-year-old Modi as the most popular leader in decades, the partial vote count released by the Election Commission showed that BJP will not only surpass its 2014 performance but also cross 300 seats on its own. Until 7.30 p.m., the BJP had won 42 seats and was leading in 260 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in seven phases in April and May. It demolished the combined opposition with the Congress Party stuck at 11 confirmed victories and a lead in 40 seats, according to the partial results. Modi easily won his seat in Varanasi with a margin of over 4.3 lakh votes while party president Amit Shah took Gandhinagar in their home state of Gujarat by over 5.5 lakh ...
Twitter recorded around 400 mn tweets in 2019 LS polls
Twitter India on Thursday said conversations around the 2019 Lok Sabha elections grew 300 per cent from 2014 to reach 396 million tweets between January 1 and May 23.
Mamata's house, neighbourhood wear deserted look
With more security personnel than party workers, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's house and the street leading to her residence in South Kolkata's Kalighat wore a deserted look on Thursday with counting trends for the Lok Sabha polls showing a big increase in the BJP's numbers and a consequent decrease in the ruling party's tally of seats.
Britons vote in European Parliament elections
Voters in Britain cast their ballots on Thursday for the European Parliament elections, as the political deadlock over the UK's withdrawal from the bloc continues.
Chandrababu Naidu quits as AP CM after TDP's loss in Assembly
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday resigned from his post following the TDP's loss in the Assembly elections. He submitted his resignation to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ESL Narasimhan who accepted it, a Raj Bhavan press communique said here. "Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh submitted his resignation to the Governor. "The Hon'ble Governor while accepting the resignation with effect from the afternoon today, requested Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu to continue in office till the formation of a new government," it said.
Naveen Patnaik: Canny politician whose soft exterior masks
An author, a connoisseur of art, a canny politician whose calm visage masks the ruthlessness he is capable of while dealing with rivals and mutinous partymen--traits hard to find in one man. That's Naveen Patnaik, once a reluctant inheritor of the legacy of his legendary father and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik. Patnaik Jr. took over the mantle of his father as a novice upon his death in 1997. A little over two decades down the line, the once reluctant politician is all set to resume the reins of power for the 5th consecutive term, having led the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to yet another emphatic victory. Already the longest-serving chief minister of Odisha, having assumed office in the year 2000, Patnaik has weathered many a controversy--from chit fund scams to mining scandals-- but remained the foremost leader of the regional outfit he heads. Patnaik's image of a "clean and honest" politician is widely regarded as the reason why he was able to to withstand a ...
Workers' decision is my decision: Vikhe Patil
Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil Thursday said the BJP and Shiv Sena played a big role in his son Sujay's likely victory from Ahmednagar on a BJP ticket, but did not reveal if he himself would join the saffron party. Sujay Vikhe Patil had joined the BJP after the Congress ally NCP refused to cede the Ahmednagar seat for him. "The BJP and Shiv Sena played a big role in Sujay's victory....It is a victory of efforts taken by workers...The decision of workers is my decision," Vikhe Patil told a news channel when asked whether he himself would join the BJP now. Sujay joining the BJP came as embarrassment for the Congress as his father was Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly. According to the trends made available by the Election Commission, Sujay was leading from the Western Maharashtra seat against NCP's Sangram Jagtap by 2,65,386 votes.
After Modi, BJP leaders in Rajasthan remove 'chowkidar' prefix on Twitter
Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the 'chowkidar' prefix from his Twitter handle on Thursday, BJP leaders in Rajasthan replicated the move. Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, Union ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Arjun Ram Meghwal, state MPs Om Birla and Diya Kumari removed the prefix from their profile pages on Twitter. The prefix was maintained on profiles of BJP state president Madan Lal Saini, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other leaders till late Thursday evening. "Now, the time has come to take the Chowkidar Spirit to the next level. Keep this spirit alive at every moment and continue working for India's progress," the prime minister had tweeted after removing the chowkidar prefix.
BJP storms back to power with overwhelming majority
Riding on muscular nationalism and a strident anti-Congress plank spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP on Thursday got an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, crossing on its own the 300 mark while storming back to power for the second consecutive term.The BJP-led NDA was close to touching the 350 mark like in the previous elections in 2014. The half-way mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha is 272.Putting up a spectacular show in the new eastern regions, like West Bengal and Odisha, the BJP improved on its 2014 performance by winning 42 seats and was leading in 260 seats till late evening while the Congress has bagged two seats and was ahead in only 48 others.The BJP, which had won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections also helped the NDA coalition to notch 343 seats overall. This will be the first time when a non-Congress party has managed to secure a majority on its own for the second consecutive term after Indira Gandhi had won in 1971. Earlier her father ...
Odisha CM congratulates PM Modi for BJP's spectacular win
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and congratulated him for the spectacular victory of BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections.According to Patnaik's office, PM Modi too congratulated the Odisha CM for Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) phenomenal victory in the state assembly elections.BJD won 114 out of a total of 146 seats in Odisha.Modi had earlier taken to Twitter to congratulate the Odisha CM.Modi tweeted in regional language Odia to convey his best wishes to Chief Minister Patnaik, saying, "Congratulations to Naveen Babu for yet another victory in Odisha. Wishing him the very best for the next term..."BJP has won 20 seats in the Assembly election in the state making it the second largest party.In the Lok Sabha elections too, BJD is leading on 12 seats in the state while the BJP is leading on nine out of a total of 21 seats.
Badal couple wins Bathinda, Ferozepur seats in Punjab
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and her husband and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Thursday won their respective parliamentary seats in Punjab.
Kejriwal congratulates Modi, seeks to work together for Delhi
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and said that he looks forward to work together with him for the city's people.
Modi only 3rd Indian PM to return after completing full term
Narendra Modi has achieved the distinction of becoming only the third Indian Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh to return to office after completing a full term with the results of the 2019 general election being announced on Thursday.
Modi receives grand welcome at BJP headquarters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a grand welcome on Thursday evening at the BJP headquarters as he led the party to a stupendous victory in the Lok Sabha polls. BJP chief Amit Shah greeted Modi on his arrival at the party office following which hundreds of BJP workers showered rose petals on the two leaders. Modi waved to the crowd, acknowledging the warm welcome accorded to him. He also flashed victory sign evoking huge cheers from the crowd. Members of BJP Parliamentary Board including a number of union ministers were present on the occasion.