Page 452 - Politics
Delhi: BJP leads in all seven seats, Cong second in two constituencies
The BJP is leading the trends in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, with the Congress trailing in five constituencies and the AAP in two seats, poll officials said. Debutant Gautam Gambhir, Union minister Harsh Vardhan and sitting lawmaker Manoj Tiwari of the Bharatiya Janata Party were among early gainers. Congress veteran Sheila Dikshit was on second spot behind Tiwari, by a margin of 29,797 votes in North East Delhi while former MP J P Agarwal, pitted against Vardhan in Chandni Chowk constituency, was trailing by 8,764 votes. Agarwal has alleged that strongrooms were opened in "absence" of his counting agents. Sitting BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma was leading against his Congress rival Mahabal Mishra by 37,387 votes in the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, they said. BJP candidates were also leading in New Delhi, South Delhi and North West Delhi parliamentary constituencies. Cricketer-turned-BJP leader Gambhir was leading in East Delhi against Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely by a ...
2019 results will be better than 2014: Harshvardhan
Union Minister Harshvardhan on Thursday said that BJP will perform better in 2019 Lok Sabha elections in comparison to 2014 polls."I have repeatedly said that 2019 results will be better than 2014. Now as you are seeing trends, I am leading. You have also seen exit polls. People are appreciating that Narendra Modi-government served people honestly," Harshvardhan told ANI.The Union Minister is seeking re-election from Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency in Delhi where he is leading by a margin of over 14,000 votes.He is pitted against Congress heavyweight and former union minister Jai Prakash Agarwal from Chandhi Chowk.When asked to comment on Congress president Rahul Gandhi trailing in Amethi, Harshvardhan said, "In 1977, I had campaigned in Rae Bareli and Amethi. I have seen people defeating Late Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. That's why I am not surprised if I get to see the same result in Rae Bareli and Amethi in this election there."The Union Minister said that Congress' ...
LS polls: Congress leads in Punjab in early trends
Congress is leading on eight Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, while Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal each on two each. Aam Aadmi Party was leading on one Lok Sabha seat in the state, as the trends of the vote counting came in on Thursday.In all, 13 Lok Sabha constituencies are at stake in the state.The BJP has contested the Lok Sabha election in alliance with the SAD in the state.SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal is contesting from Firozepur seat, while his wife and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal is fighting the polls from Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency.As per the latest trends, both the candidates are leading in their respective seats.Other political heavyweights contesting elections include state AAP chief Bhagwant Mann (Sangrur), former Union Minister Manish Tewari (Anandpur Sahib), Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who is fighting from Amritsar seat, which was lost by his colleague Arun Jaitley in the last poll.Actor Sunny Deol is fighting elections from ...
Trends show YSRCP is sweeping Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls
Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party is sweeping Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, according to official trends.While YSRCP is leading on 134 Assembly seats in the 175-member House, the ruling Telugu Desam Party of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is ahead on 26 seats, the trends three hours after counting of votes began at 8 am, showed.Jana Sena party of actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan is leading on one seat. The state went to polls on April 11.In the 2014 Assembly elections, TDP formed the government with 102 seats while YSRCP bagged 67 seats.
NDA takes big lead in Bihar, Giriraj Singh ahead (2nd Lead)
Bihar's ruling NDA is taking a massive lead in the state. Union Minister Giriraj Singh who is ahead with over 75,400 votes against his rival Kanhaiya Kumar from the Begusarai seat, trends showed on Thursday.
DMK-led alliance leads in 36 seats in TN
The DMK led alliance has established initial leads in 36 of the 38 Lok Sabha seats that went for polls in Tamil Nadu, bucking the national trend that favours the BJP led alliance, as per the Election Commission of India.
Rahul Gandhi leads by over 1 lakh votes in Wayanad (2nd Lead)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi was leading by over one lakh votes from Wayanad in Kerala at the end of the counting of 22.56 per cent of the total votes.
BJP ahead in 4 seats in Telangana
In a jolt to Telangana's ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) which was hoping a clean sweep, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in four of the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
Assam minister Pallab Lochan Das leading from Tezpur
Sitting MP and Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi, son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, was trailing from Kaliabor Lok Sabha seat, while state labour minister Pallab Lochan Das is taking the lead from Tezpur constituency, according to initial EC trends. Of the 14 seats in the state, the BJP had conceded three seats to its allies - two to the AGP and one to the Bodoland People's Front (BPF). In Kaliabor, BJP's Moni Madhab Mahanta was leading by 9995 votes against his Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi. Gogoi had bagged the seat in 2014 by 93874 votes. In Tezpur, state minister and BJP nominee Pallab Lochan Das is ahead of MGVK Bhanu of the Congress by 3657 votes. The constituency has a sizeable Gorkha population. In Mangaldoi, Silchar and Nowgong too, the BJP is currently taking the lead. Dilip Saikia of the BJP is leading by 4408 votes over his Congress rival Bhubaneswar Kalita from Mangaldoi, while Rupak Sharma of the saffron party is ahead of Pradyut Bordoloi of the ...
US warns Turkey of facing 'very negative' consequences over S-400 deal
The United States on Wednesday warned that Turkey will have to face "very real and very negative consequences" if Ankara finalises the purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defence systems.In a statement, the State Department said, "We have said that the S-400 defence system, the acquisition of that would have serious consequences for the US and NATO's defence relationship with Turkey.""We're clearly willing to engage with them and have continued to engage regarding our concerns on this acquisition, but there will be very real and very negative consequences if that happens," it added.Turkey has repeatedly rejected US ultimatums for cancelling S-400 shipments and the purchase of American Patriot batteries instead. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned to the US ultimatum on Wednesday by calling it unacceptable, Sputnik reports.In December 2017, Moscow and Ankara signed a loan agreement for the delivery of S-400 air defence systems to Turkey. Since then, the ...
Its heavyweights trailing, Chhindwara only good news for Congress in MP
Congress candidates father and son Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath are leading the race in both the Assembly bypoll as well as the Lok Sabha election respectively for the Chhindwara constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
NDA candidates ahead in 35 LS seats in Bihar
The NDA in Bihar is leading in 35 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, while grand alliance partner RJD is ahead in two seats, as per initial trends of the Election Commission. NDA constituents JD(U) and BJP are leading in 15 seats each followed by the LJP in 5 seats. Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad are among the NDA candidates who are leading. Prominent among those who are trailing are Sharad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata dal, Union Minister Ram Kripal Yadav, former Lok Sabha speaker Meera Kumar of the Congress, RLSP's Upendra Kushwaha and former chief minister Jitan Kumar Manjhi. The RJD is leading in Jehanabad and Pataliputra seats. BJP candidate Giriraj Singh is leading against CPI's Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai constituency by 50,743 votes. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is leading over his Congress rival Shatrughan Sinha by 12,734 votes. JD(U)'s Dinesh Chandra Yadav is leading over his In Gaya(SC), JD(U)'s Vijay Kumar is leading over Sharad Yadav of ..
Union AYUSH Minister leads in North Goa by 11,587 votes
Union Minister of State for AYUSH and sitting BJP MP is leading against his nearest rival state Congress President Girish Chodankar by 11,587 votes from North Goa at the end of the first round of counting, election officials said.
Bengal: Trinamool ahead in 21 LS seats, BJP 11 (2nd Lead)
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress is leading in 21 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the BJP is ahead in 11 and Congress in two constituencies after two hours of counting on Thursday.
UN envoy for Western Sahara quits over health reasons
The UN envoy for Western Sahara, Horst Koehler, has resigned from his post due to health reasons, nearly two years after he took up the peacemaking mission, the United Nations said Wednesday. Koehler, a former German president, was appointed in August 2017 to lead UN efforts to end the decades-old conflict between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front. The 76-year-old envoy relayed the news to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a phone call on Wednesday, a UN statement said. Guterres "deeply regretted the resignation but said he fully understood the decision and extended his best wishes to the personal envoy," it added. In a statement, Morocco's foreign ministry said "the kingdom of Morocco notes with regret" Koehler's resignation, while crediting him "for the efforts he has made since his nomination." The Polisario meanwhile said it was "deeply saddened" by the news, and thanked the outgoing envoy for "his dynamic efforts to revive the UN peace process." His departure
WB: BJP would have won over 30 seats if TMC had not resorted to violence, says Roopa Ganguly
BJP leader Roopa Ganguly on Thursday said that BJP would have won more seats in West Bengal had Trinamool Congress (TMC) not resorted to violence and pressurise the masses in all the seven phases of elections in the state."People are tired of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. Had the elections been held in a fair manner BJP would have won more than 30 seats here that is what Banerjee was afraid of, hence the violence in all seven phases," Ganguly told ANI here.She asserted that BJP was afraid for the security of people in those constituencies where BJP performed exceptionally but could not secure a win because of TMC's goons."This is an election and there is no second winner here. We are afraid for the people from the places where BJP would not win despite performing well. I am afraid there could be a new surge of violence (by TMC) in those areas, it would be great for the safety of the people of the state if BJP takes a late lead in majority seats," she said.Ganguly sounded confident ..
TRS leads in 11, BJP in 2 in LS polls in Telangana
:Telangana Rashtra Samithi candidates were leading in 11 segments and BJP in two while AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi was ahead in Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat as per the initial counting trends, according to official sources. BJP candidate B Sanjay was leading by 22,260 votes against his nearest rival and sitting TRS MP B Vinod Kumar, who was deputy floor leader of the TRS in Lok Sabha, in Karimnagar after the second round. Soyam Bapurao, also of BJP from Adilabad, was leading by 7,138 votes after the first round over his TRS rival Godam Nagesh, official sources said. Owaisi was leading in Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, from where he is seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive time. Polls were held for 17 Lok Sabha seats on April 11. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TRS had bagged 11 seats and the Congress two. BJP, YSRCP, TDP and AIMIM shared one each.
Sikkim Assembly trends: SKM leads in 3 seats, SDF in one
The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) is leading in three Assembly seats, while the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is leading in one constituency, as per initial trends, officials said Thursday. SDF supremo and Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling is leading by 390 votes over his nearest rival Kharka Bahadur Rai of SKM from Poklok Kamrang assembly seat. Chamling is also contesting from Namchi Singhithang assembly seat. Lobzang Bhutia of SKM is leading by 321 votes against his nearest SDF rival Tashi Thendup Bhutia in Barfung Assembly seat. SKM candiate Lok Nath Sharma is leading by 978 votes against his nearest SDF rival Laxuman Sharma in the the Gyalshing-barnyak seat. In the Khamdong-singtam Assembly seat SKM candidate Mani Kumar Sharma is leading by 606 votes against his nearest SDF rival Garjaman Gurung. Sikkim has 32 Assembly seats.
Shattered Philippine city a tool for jihadist recruitment
Two years after the Philippine city of Marawi was overrun by jihadists it remains in ruins, with experts warning that stalled reconstruction efforts are bolstering the appeal of extremist groups in the volatile region. The May 23, 2017 invasion by gunmen waving the black flag of the Islamic State group sparked a five-month battle that shattered swathes of the southern city. Demolition of blast-pocked buildings has finally begun, but after several false starts the government does not expect rebuilding to be finished before the end of 2021. The delays have left about 100,000 residents in squalid relocation camps or sharing homes with relatives, feeding simmering anger among the displaced and providing a recruiting tool for extremists. "The narratives (to join IS) used to be about the Middle East and the plight of Muslims around the world," said Mouhammad Sharief, who co-founded a support group for Marawi's youth. "Now it's closer to our hearts because the narrative is Marawi," said ...
BJP surges ahead in Rajasthan
The BJP-led NDA is leading in all 25 seats of Rajasthan in the initial rounds of counting, according to the Election Commission. The BJP contested 24 seats while its alliance partner Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) contested one seat of Nagaur. As trends poured in showing a sweep for the party, large number of BJP workers thronged the party headquarters here. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot is trailing behind BJP candidate Gajendra Singh Shekhawat with a margin of 36569 votes in Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat. The margin in the initial trends was highest in Bhilwara, where BJP candidate Subhas Chand Baheria is leading by 118896 votes and the lowest margin is in Bharatpur, where BJP is leading with a margin of 2496 votes. BJP's Arjun Ram Meghwal (Bikaner), Rajyavardhan Rathore (Jaipur rural), PP Chaudhary (Pali) are leading with the margin of 51159, 56429 and 97772 votes respectively. BJP state president Madan Lal Saini exuded confidence that the NDA will win all ...