Page 459 - Politics
On poll result eve, 'kingmakers' wait in the wings
Regional satraps, all astute politicians and mostly from southern states, are positioning themselves to play kingmakers if the Lok Sabha results do not throw up a definite mandate.
BJP will repeat its electoral success in Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh
Former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday claimed that BJP would repeat the electoral success in Chhattisgarh."People of Chhattisgarh have voted for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are preparing to repeat the electoral success of 2014," Singh told ANI."Within five months, people have become angry with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. They have not fulfilled their poll promises here. They have stopped the development works in the state," he said.In 2014, the BJP had swept the polls and won 10 seats out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state.Commenting on the exit polls which predicted a second term for Modi-led government, Singh said, "Nobody has any doubt about PM Modi in any part of the country. BJP is also performing well in the states where its presence was not perceived to be good."Commenting on Congress president Rahul Gandhi's tweet terming exits polls as fake, the former chief minister said: "Different agencies have carried out the exit polls. They just do not want .
Pawar in contact with BJD, TRS, others ahead of LS results
Efforts for Opposition unity have again intensified ahead of the Lok Sabha election results on Thursday as NCP chief Sharad Pawar is in touch with several parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), and the YSR Congress.
Art 370 greatest impediment in emotional integration of Kashmir with India: Madhav
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav Wednesday said Article 370 is the greatest "impediment" in the "emotional integration" of Kashmir with the rest of India. Underlining that the Kashmir issue should not be seen in isolation, he said, "Jammu and Ladakh have been sacrificial lambs in the process of handling the situation in Kashmir." Madhav, who is in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir, was speaking at the launch of a book titled 'J&K Invisible Faultlines' written by journalist Sandhya Jain. He said those who have pro-India sentiment in the Valley need to be protected. "In any such region with separatism and anti-nationalism, those who stand for India, there has to be positive bias for them... We cannot treat pro-India and pro-separatists equally. Secular neutrality does not work. One nationalist dying is one pro-India citizen less, we cannot afford it," he said. Referring to his interaction with Jammu and Kashmir's former governor Jagmohan, the BJP leader said, "Jagmohan told me that an ...
TMC asks workers to guard strongrooms fearing EVM manipulation
The Trinamool Congress leadership has asked its workers in West Bengal to guard strongrooms in their respective areas, fearing that the BJP might try to smuggle out EVMs, TMC leaders said on Wednesday. "We have asked our cadres to be on high alert and guard strongrooms in their respective areas... so that the BJP can't indulge in any sort of mischief," a senior TMC leader said. "We apprehend that the BJP might try to manipulate the EVMs. Therefore, our party supremo (and chief minister Mamata Banerjee) has ordered us to be high on alert," another TMC leader said. The Trinamool Congress, which has dubbed exit polls as "gossip", had said as per its internal reports from districts, the party was comfortably placed to win. The BJP's West Bengal leadership, however, has alleged this to be a ploy by the TMC to unleash violence if the results go against it. Unfazed by exit poll projections, the TMC also exuded confidence that it would play a major role in the formation of a ...
Doubting EVMs is disrespecting people's mandate: Shah
BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at the opposition parties for questioning the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and said that their attempts were "tarnishing" the image of India and its democracy.
Terrorists fire missiles at Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria
Seventeen missiles were fired at Russia's Khmeimim airbase on Wednesday by Al-Nusra terrorists, said Russia's Defence Ministry.The ministry added that all of the missiles were either intercepted or fell short, according to Russian media outlet RT.The attack comes in the wake of the Syrian Army facing a mass militant offensive in Idlib.A large-scale offensive has been launched against the Syrian military by the Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham terrorist group, previously known as the Al-Nusra Front.While nine missiles were intercepted by Khmeimim's air defence, eight others hit the ground before reaching the base. The attack originated from Idlib and was launched using multiple rocket launcher systems.The assault in Idlib included more than 500 terrorists, seven tanks, four APCs and 30 trucks with mounted machine guns and two explosive-laden vehicles, driven by suicide bombers. Another 200 gunmen attacked government forces from the other side, RT reported.However, the offensive failed as the ...
Rahul Gandhi will be our new Prime Minister, says Stalin
DMK president MK Stalin on Wednesday said that BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would be overthrown after the counting of Lok Sabha poll votes and Congress president Rahul Gandhi would become the new Prime Minister."This 'Iftar' is unique from the previous one. Because what we said is going to come true tomorrow, and the Central and state governments would go," said Stalin, while attending an 'Iftar' party here."The exit poll is not the real one. It is manufactured at someone's order. Rahul Gandhi would be our Prime minister if we get the numbers in our favour. We never change our mind. I said in the beginning. I would say it tomorrow as well. There is a possibility of going to Delhi at any time," he said.A majority of exits polls have predicted a second term for BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.Stalin was the first person in the UPA camp who proposed the name of Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate.DMK has stitched a formidable alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha
Italian hostage freed, says Syrian rebel group
Rome, May 22 (IANS/AKI) Kidnappers have "recently" released Italian national Alessandro Sandrini, the hardline militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which largely controls the embattled northwest Syrian province of Idlib, said on Wednesday.
Congress Seva Dal workers guard EVM strong rooms in Amethi, Rae Bareli
In the high-profile Lok Sabha seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi respectively, the party workers have been guarding the strong rooms since May 6, the day when the voting ended.
BJP demands immediate polls to zilla parishad chairman posts
BJP in Telangana Wednesday urged the State Election Commission to issue the notification for elections to Zilla Parishad Chairman and other posts immediately after counting of votes in the rural local body polls on May 27. The three-phased rural local body polls concluded on May 14. The notification for election of ZP Chairman and other posts, including mandal parishad chairman, should be issued immediately after counting of votes as any delay would lead to horse-trading involving the newly-elected Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTCs) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTCs) members, the party said. The ZPTCs would elect the ZP Chairman. State BJP president K Laxman and other leaders met the State Election Commissioner V Nagi Reddy and submitted a memorandum of their demands. The party expressed concern over reports that the election of ZP Chairman would be held after July 5 as the incumbent ZPTCs and MPTCs have their tenure till then.
HDK hopes his govt will continue for 4 more years with Cong
Amid strains in ties with Congress, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday expressed hope his government would complete its five-year term with the support and blessings of the coalition partner and others. In a message on the eve of completion of one year in office, he also expressed happiness over launching various welfare programmes, including the pro-farmer measures such as the crop loan waiver. "I thank the people of the state, my cabinet colleagues, my father, guide and former PM H D Deve Gowda, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal (AICC general secretary), Siddaramaiah (CLP leader), all public representatives and officials. "May this government continue with your blessings and support for the next four years," the JDS leader said in the message. Kumaraswamy said the crop loan waiver had benefited 15.5 lakh farmers and was being implemented with "utmost transparency". In the present fiscal, all eligible farmers would benefit from the scheme,
Pawar in touch with BJD, TRS, others ahead of LS results
Efforts for Opposition unity have again gained strength ahead of the Lok Sabha election results as NCP chief Sharad Yadav is in touch with several parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), and the YSR Congress.
Austria's Kurz names new ministers after scandal
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz appointed new cabinet ministers on Wednesday to replace those from the far right who have left their posts in the wake of the so-called "Ibiza-gate" affair. The centre-right chancellor -- who has called for snap elections in September following the collapse of his coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) -- named four of his allies to the interior, defence, transport and social affairs ministries. Kurz also appointed his finance minister, Hartwig Loeger, as his new vice-chancellor. The new ministers were immediately sworn in by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. "The goal of the president and of course also my goal as chancellor is to do everything in this phase to ensure stability in Austria," Kurz told reporters before his first meeting with the new cabinet. The ruling coalition between the FPOe and Kurz's People's Party (OeVP) started to collapse on Saturday when vice-chancellor and FPOe chief Heinz-Christian Strache resigned ...
Changing VVPAT count protocol not practical: EC to 22 opposition parties
The Election Commission Wednesday rejected the demand of 22 political parties to count paper trail machine slips before the counting of votes polled in electronic voting machines (EVMs), saying it has not been found "feasible". A day after a delegation met the EC, it issued a statement, saying after two rounds of in-depth discussions Wednesday and Thursday,"it has neither been found possible nor feasible to accede to this demand" in the overall context and especially in view of a Supreme Court judgment of April 8 which had directed the poll panel that the random selection of VVPATs will be subject to the process of slip verification as per the EVM guideline in force. The guideline broadly states that the slip count should be held at the end of counting of votes polled in EVMs. Ahead of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha election, opposition parties Wednesday slammed the EC for rejecting their demand to tweak the counting of voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips, with the ..
Kushwaha to be held responsible if any violence breaks out: ADG Kundan Krishan
Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha would be held responsible if any violence breaks out in the state after his statement that there would be bloodshed if EVMs were tampered, said Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Kundan Krishan here on Wednesday."If any violence takes place in the state because of the statement Upendra Kushwaha made yesterday, then he will be held responsible for it," said Krishan, ADG, Headquarters, in a statement.Rashtriya Loktantrik Samata Party (RLSP) president Kushwaha had told media persons that if there were any tampering in the counting of votes, then the people might take up arms and "we will not be responsible for the consequences."Krishnan also said the statement of Kushwaha and the act of brandishing a rifle during a press meet by the independent candidate from Buxar Ramchandra Singh Yadav today are in the cognisance of the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is still in force.It is worth mentioning that the .
Break-in attempt reported at IAF's Rafale project office in France
An attempt was allegedly made to break into an office of the Indian Air Force (IAF) officers handling the Rafale fighter project in France, reports reaching here said on Wednesday.
BJP questioned EVMs first: Siddaramiah
As the debate over EVMs hotted up, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah Wednesday said it was BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao who has authored a book questioning about electronic voting machines 10 years ago and party veteran L K Advani had written the preface of it. In a tweet in Kannada, Siddaramaiah wrote, "BJP was the first to raise doubts about the EVMs. The spokesperson of that party had even written a book. Supporting the doubt, L K Advani had written the preface of the book. What's the reason behind BJP's change in stand in the last 10 years?" The book 'Democracy at risk due to EVMs' was written by Rao, a psephologist-turned politician, after 2009 elections. A poster Siddaramaiah tweeted says, "Concerns about EVMs are legitimate when raised by BJP!" His tweet came in the backdrop of six posers by BJP national president Amit Shah to theopposition parties led by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for raising doubts about the sanctity of ..
Buoyed by exit poll projections, Delhi BJP leaders order ladoos, motichoor cakes to celebrate win
Buoyed by exit polls predicting a sweeping victory for the BJP in Delhi, the party's unit here has already ordered delicacies like 'motichoor cakes' and 'kamal barfis', a day before counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls on Thursday. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, asserting the party's victory on all seven Lok sabha seats in the national capital, said 350-kg of fine quality "ladoos" have been ordered for celebrations at the central office on DDU Marg and the Delhi unit's office on Pant Marg. The party has also placed orders for a 7-kg special 'motichoor cake' and nine similar cakes, each weighing between 4-5 kgs, at the Bengali Pastry shop, the Delhi BJP's social media team's co-convener Neelkant Bakshi said. The cakes will be cut at the BJP's central office, Bakshi said. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has ordered a 50-kg lotus shaped 'kamal barfi'. The price per kg is Rs 2,000. The Congress, which hopes for a "good show" in the polls, maintained a cautious note, .
Pak PM Khan chairs National Security Committee meeting
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday chaired a meeting of the high-powered National Security Committee and discussed the "geo-strategic environment" and the "recent developments" in the region, a day before the outcome of the general elections in India is known. The meeting was attended by senior federal ministers, the three services chiefs, including Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, media reports said. "The forum discussed geo-strategic environment with special reference to recent developments in the region," The Express Tribune quoted an official statement as saying. The meeting reiterated that Pakistan will continue all its efforts towards regional peace and stability. It discussed and fully supported ongoing efforts towards a sustainable and lasting resolution of Pakistan's economic woes. On the internal security, the committee reviewed the progress of the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism and extremism, sources told newspaper. The participants ...