Page 439 - Politics
YSRCP is set to rout Naidu's TDP, form govt in Andhra Pradesh
YSR Congress party, led by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, is headed for a landslide win in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls and is set to form government in the state, ousting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP.According to Election Commission trends, YSRCP is on course to win 149 of the 175 Assembly seats, pushing TDP to distant second on just 25 seats.The party is also leading on 24 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state while TDP is ahead on one constituency.Jaganmohan Reddy will take oath as the Chief Minister on May 30, senior YSRCP leader Ummareddy Venkateswarlu said.Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party is ahead on one seat, the trends showed.In the 2014 Assembly elections, TDP formed the government with 102 seats while YSRCP had bagged 67 seats.The counting of votes in 542 Lok Sabha constituencies began at 8 am today amidst tight security, capping a two-month long election process.As per the EC trends, BJP is leading in 300 parliamentary constituencies and looks
Sikkim: SKM wins 5 Assembly seats, leads in 4; lone LS seat
Opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won five out of 32 Assembly constituencies in Sikkim, while it is leading on four other seats, according to Election Commission trends.The SKM is leading in the Sikkim Lok Sabha seat.The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has been in power in the Himalayan state for 25 years is leading in four Assembly seats, trends showed.In 2014 Assembly elections, SDF won 23 seats in the 32-member Assembly, while SKM settled with nine seats.Both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held in Sikkim on April 11.Sikkim Lok Sabha seat, a traditional SDF stronghold, is currently held by sitting MP Prem Das Rai since 2009.Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has been in power since 1994. He is the country's longest serving chief minister of a state.The counting of votes in 542 Lok Sabha constituencies began at 8 am today amidst tight security, capping a two-month long election process which witnessed high-octane campaigning and charges of EVM tampering ...
Accept people's decision, but people had their doubts about EVMs: Sharad Pawar
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that he accepts people's decision but added that "this is also a fact that people had their doubts about EVMs"."I accept people's decision but this is also a fact that people had their doubts about EVMs. Congress had performed really well in Rajiv Gandhi's time but nobody doubted elections then. Same when Atal Bihari Vajpayee won," he told the media here.As per the latest trends, the ruling BJP is storming back to power with a comfortable majority on its own for the second consecutive time and is set to cross the 300-mark along with its allies in the Lok Sabha.The BJP, whose campaign was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on muscular nationalism and a strident anti-Congress plank, was leading in 292 seats, 20 seats more than the halfway mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Its allies Shiv Sena (20), JD-U (16) and Lok Janshakti Party (6) were also doing well in Maharashtra and Bihar.
Joshua D'Souza wins Mapusa Assembly by-election
BJP's Joshua D'Souza on Thursday won Mapusa by-election in Goa and retained the seat his father Francis D'Souza held for the last 20 years.Joshua got 10,440 votes while Congress' Sudhir received 9,560 votes.The by-election in Mapusa was held after sitting MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza died earlier this year.
Accept people's mandate with humility: Ashok Gehlot
As the BJP heads for a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday said the people's mandate has to be accepted. "We accept the people's mandate with humility. The Congress has always worked to build a strong democracy. I thank the people of the state and Congress workers for a peaceful participation in polling," Gehlot said. The chief minister said the party workers worked hard to take policies, principles and programmes of the Congress under the leadership of party president Rahul Gandhi to people but they need not get disheartened. Gehlot said the country was supreme for the Congress, whereas for the BJP coming into power was more important. The Congress president fought the elections on issues of public welfare and development but Narendra Modi flouted the Election Commission's model code of conduct and polarised the elections in the name of religion, caste and army's valour, Gehlot said. He said Modi did not answer questions on the ...
MP: Cong leader suffers heart attack at counting centre, dies
A local Congress leader died of cardiac arrest at a counting center at Sehore in Madhya Pradesh Thursday. Ratan Singh Thakur, district Congress chief, suffered a heart attack around 10 am as counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls was underway. He was taken to the district hospital but could not be saved, a Congress leader said. Chief Minister Kamal Nath condoled the death, saying that Thakur was an "energetic, hard-working and friendly person". Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also paid tributes to Thakur.
British government postpones Brexit vote: official
The British government on Thursday postponed a crucial Brexit vote scheduled for the week starting June 3, following an outcry from hardline Brexiteers over concessions made by Prime Minister Theresa May. "We will update the house on the publication and introduction of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on our return from the Whitsun recess," government official Mark Spencer told MPs.
Senior German diplomat in Tehran for nuclear deal talks
A senior German diplomat is in Tehran to press Iran to continue to respect the landmark nuclear deal, despite the unilateral withdrawal of the US and increasing pressure from Washington. The Foreign Ministry says Political Director Jens Ploetner is meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday. The visit comes amid mounting tensions in the region. It also follows Iran's declaration earlier this month that the remaining signatories to the deal Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia have two months to develop a plan to shield Iran from American sanctions. The ministry says there's a "window for diplomacy to persuade Iran to continue its full compliance" with the deal and warns "there's a real risk of escalation including due to misunderstandings or an incident.
Opposition should learn lessons from debacle: Raja
Communist Party of India (CPI) national Secretary D Raja on Thursday said that Opposition parties must draw a lesson from the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections as they could not provid3e a credible alternative to the BJP. ."There are many lessons to draw from as people's mandate goes in favour of the BJP. Opposition parties, particularly secular democratic parties, could not provide a credible, viable alternative by uniting and accommodating each other in every state," D Raja said.He also blamed Rahul Gandhi for the weak performance of Left and Communist parties in Kerala and said he should have not contested in Wayanad."I do not want to blame any individual or individual party. For this, we have called a meeting of the national executive. In the context of Kerala, we have already made our stand clear that Mr Rahul Gandhi should not have gone to Waynad. It sent a wrong message to those fighting against Left. Rahul's decision was shortsighted and it could not serve any purpose.Citing .
World leaders hail PM Modi's resounding victory in LS polls
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday extended best wishes for his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for his dynamic leadership as the BJP-led NDA is heading towards a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha elections."The election results are another confirmation of your leadership and the way you lead the world's greatest democracy. Together we will continue to strengthen the great friendship between us and India and Israel and lead it to new heights," Netanyahu tweeted.Apart from Netanyahu, Sri Lanka's former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also took to twitter saying, "Heartfelt best wishes and congratulations @narendramodi for a second term in office. We wish you and the people of India the very best under your dynamic leadership, as you continue your journey in taking India forward.""We hope both our nations will build on the existing strong bilateral relationship that we share and work together to further strengthen it for mutual benefit under your leadership," he added
Congress flunks the crucial election test in MP
With an improved performance over the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has tossed up quite a few questions about the Congress strategy and its execution in Madhya Pradesh.
Karnataka: BJP leads in 24, Congress 2, JD-S 1 (5th lead)
Putting up its best-ever performance in south India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in 24 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, where vote count was underway on Thursday.
Modi congratulates YSRC chief Jagan for AP polls win
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on the "remarkable" win in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls. "Congratulations on the remarkable win in Andhra Pradesh. Best wishes to you for a successful tenure," Modi said. The YSR Congress on Thursday appeared on course for a overwhelming victory in Andhra Pradesh with its candidates leading in 150 seats, dealing a knockout blow to the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party.
China rebukes US over warship sail-by in Taiwan Strait
China said Thursday it had lodged a protest with Washington after two US warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions between the two powers. The US Navy said the USS Preble, a destroyer, and USNS Walter S Diehl, a supply ship, conducted a routine transit "in accordance with international law" on Wednesday. "The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the navy said. "The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows." US warships periodically conduct "freedom of navigation" exercises in the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, triggering angry responses from Beijing every time. Beijing views any ships passing through the strait as essentially breaching its sovereignty, while the US and many other nations view the route as international waters open to all. "We have lodged solemn representations with the US," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu
Congress frittered away Assembly poll gains in MP
With an improved performance over 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has tossed up quite a few questions about the Congress' strategy and its execution in Madhya Pradesh.
Meghwal, Patel heading for hat-trick from Bikaner & Jalore, Vasundhara's son close to 4th term
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and sitting BJP MP Devji Patel Thursday seemed close to registering their hat-tricks on Bikaner and Jalore Lok Sabha seats respectively by defeating Congress candidates, counting trends reveal. At the latest count, Meghwal was leading on Bikaner seat by over 2.60 lakh votes against his cousin and former IPS officer Madan Gopal Meghwal. The seat has been a BJP stronghold, won by veteran actor Dharmendra in 2004 and by Meghwal in 2009 and 2014. Jalore too is billed as BJP's bastion, won by B Susheela in 2004 and by sitting MP Devi Ji Patel in 2009 and 2014. Patel is leading in Jalore by over 2.55 lakh votes against his rival Congress candidate Ratan Dewasi. Apart from the two BJP leaders, 17 BJP sitting MPs, including four ministers seemed close to retaining their seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections, held in two phases in the state on April 29 and May 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet colleagues Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from Jaipur rural,
Delhi: Congress heavyweights Dikshit, Maken face defeat as BJP looks to sweep all 7 seats
The Bhartiya Janta Party is leading in all the seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi, pushing Congress heavyweights like Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken towards defeat.As per the Election Commission website, all BJP candidates have comfortable leads in all the seven seats ensuring victory for the party.In North East Delhi, the sitting MP and chief of Delhi BJP unit, Manoj Tiwari, is leading by over 2.5 lakh votes against the three-time former chief minister Sheila Dikshit. Earlier today, Tiwari told ANI that his party will come back to power with more than 350 seats.Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir of BJP is leading by over 2 lakh votes in East Delhi, leaving behind Arvinder Singh Lovely of Congress and Atishi of AAP. The poll campaign in East Delhi was marred with controversies with the Atishi accusing Gambhir of distributing defamatory pamphlets against her.In a similar surge for the ruling party, Ramesh Bidhuri of BJP is ahead with a margin of over 1.7 lakh against ...
Rahul Gandhi trailing in Amethi, leading in Wayanad
Congress President Rahul Gandhi was trailing in his party's traditional bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh as his chief rival, Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani has taken a slight edge of over 5,700 votes after trailing earlier.
BJP all set to bust MGB's caste code myth in Uttar Pradesh
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the way to bust caste code of the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) in Uttar Pradesh as it maintains lead in most of the constituencies, demolishing the poll arithmetic myth of the Bahajuan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP).
BJP nearly sweeps Karnataka, leads in 24 seats
The BJP is heading towards a landslide in Karnataka as it leads in 24 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, according to data on the Election Commission's website.