Page 483 - Politics
Exit polls are wrong most of the times: Gehlot
Questioning the reliability of exit polls that have forecast a near clean sweep by the BJP in Rajasthan, chief minister Ashok Gehlot Monday said that the pollsters' projections were wrong most of the times in the past. He said the Congress' performance in the elections will be good and that the party's candidates on all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state were confident. Most exit polls Sunday forecast another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some of them projecting that BJP-led NDA will get more than 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha. In Rajasthan, the pollsters' forecast said that the Congress was likely to win only five seats as the remaining are expected to be bagged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Performance (of Congress) will be good. Exit polls have proved totally wrong several times," Gehlot told reporters here. "Exit polls were in favour of the then Atal Bihari Vajpyee government in 2004 and an atmosphere was created ...
Rajasthan's Phalodi now betting big on government change in MP
With exit polls predicting a clear majority for the NDA, bookies in Rajasthan's betting town, Phalodi, are now betting big on change of government in Madhya Pradesh.
Naidu meets Mamata in Kolkata to discuss post-poll strategy
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee met here on Monday to discussed the prospects of the post-poll alliance of the opposition parties against the BJP, sources said.
Raman Singh visits Rameswaram temple
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh offered prayers at the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy temple here Monday. Singh wa accompanied by his family members. Speaking to reporters, he slammed opposition parties for questioning the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pilgrim centres of Kedarnath and Badrinath after the end of the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. There was nothing wrong in Modi offering prayers at the temples there for the well being of the country, he said adding the prime minister had been visiting Kedarnath for the past 40 years. Singh asserted the BJP-led NDA would come back to power at the Centre with more than 300 seats and would sweep all 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh.
Guj: 2 Pak nationals held, boat seized in Sir Creek area
Two Pakistani nationals were apprehended on Monday by the Border Security Force (BSF) and their boat seized from the Sir Creek area in Gujarat's Kutch district, an official said. He said a probe has begun in the vicinity to find out more details about the two Pakistani nationals, he added. In an incident that happened earlier this month, a group of fishermen from the neighbouring country had managed to flee when confronted by BSF personnel in the Sir Creek area. Their boat was, however, seized by the border guarding force at the time. Sir Creek is a tidal estuary (partially enclosed coastal body) that separates Gujarat from the Pakistani province of Sindh.
Opposition dismisses exit polls predictions
With exit polls predicting a comfortable victory for the BJP-led NDA, opposition parties on Monday rejected the projections calling it "erroneous" and an attempt to create a fake "Modi wave".The leaders asserted that Exit Polls will prove wrong and results would be contrary to what they claim, raising doubts on the accuracy and reliability of Exit Polls.However BJP and allies welcomed the projections and mocked the rivals stating that they were "daydreaming" of the election results.DMK president MK Stalin, whose party has been projected to do well in the Lok Sabha elections as well as the 22 Assembly by elections in Tamil Nadu, said that his party was not bothered about the Exit Poll results and did not accept them. He is waiting for the "actual verdict" on May 23, the day when the results will be announced."We don't accept exit polls. People's verdict will be known in three days. We are waiting and we are not bothered about exit poll results be it positive or negative," said ...
BJP all set for D-day celebration as exit polls show 'Modi Sarkar 2.0'
New Delhi [India], May 20 (ANI): After over a month-long gruelling campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a celebratory mood, as the majority of exit polls are showing 'Modi Sarkar 2.0' and that too with a massive mandate.The BJP has a tradition of making arrangements for media on the result day. It provides a separate cabin to every news channel. The tent work is going on in the BJP headquarters with more than 30 cabins to be built inside there.BJP is expecting more than 300 seats, thus BJP led NDA forming government at the Centre again.If the exit polls turn out to be a reality, then this will be the first time in the history of BJP when it gets a consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha elections.The exit polls on television channels have projected BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to retain power at the Centre with most of the pollsters giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi a clear majority again in the 543-member Lok Sabha.The CNN News 18-IPSOS exit poll has given ...
Exit polls have gone wrong in the past: Anand Sharma
Congress on Monday rejected the results of exit polls expressing confidence that its performance will be much better than the projections.Senior party leader Anand Sharma said, "Last many exit polls of 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 have been found to be inaccurate. A country which has about 60 crore voters out of which one takes around 24,000 voters and decides who wins is unscientific. We should wait for May 23 for the results. Exit polls are a mere source of entertainment."Congress maintains that it is occupied in reaching out to allies. The party maintains that before the exact results are out nothing can be said.The exit polls have predicted BJP-led NDA coming to power again, while Congress is way behind the magic figure.Other Congress sources have expressed the hope that that there will be a hung parliament and exit polls cannot be believed in entirety.The seven-phased polling ended on May 19 for the constitution of the 17th Lok Sabha. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.
Envoys of 3 countries present credentials to President Kovind
Envoys of three countries, including those of Venezuela and Panama, on Monday presented their credentials to President Ram Nath Kovind in a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Venezuela Ambassador Coromoto Godoy Calderon, Panama's Muhamad Talha Hajee Hajee and High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea Paulias Korni presented their credentials to the president, a spokesperson of the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Palaniswami among NDA leaders from TN to attend dinner meet
Leaders of the NDA in Tamil Nadu, including Chief Minister K Palaniswami, will attend the dinner meeting of alliance partners in New Delhi on Tuesday, the BJP state unit said here Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are expected to be present at the meet. State BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan said the meeting was being organised to "thank" NDA constituents for their hard work during the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, as well as to discuss "future schemes." Referring to the exit polls that suggested NDA would retain power following the seven-phase polling to 542 Lok Sabha seats, she said it was certain that the ruling coalition is going to form the next government. Exit polls telecast by almost all major new channels have forecast that the BJP-led NDA will cross the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. "NDA leaders had worked very hard (during the polls).Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of NDA leaders to ...
BJP not winning single seat in Kerala as voters are educated, and not 'Andh Bhakt': Udit Raj
Congress leader Udit Raj on Monday said the BJP has not been able to win a single Lok Sabha seat in Kerala since the voters in the state are educated and not 'Andh Bhakt' (blind supporters).Taking a swipe at the BJP, Raj tweeted in Hindi saying, "So far, the BJP has not won even a single seat in Kerala. Do you know why? Because people there are educated and not blind supporters."Raj's remark comes after the exit polls of the Lok Sabha election were announced on Sunday.According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll result, the Congress-led UDF is way ahead of others in Kerala. The exit poll results have predicted that while the UDF is expected to win 15-16 of 20 Lok Sabha seats, the CPI-M led LDF is expected to get only 3-5 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.As per the exit polls conducted by several agencies, the BJP is predicted to be leading in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, where Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is in the fray.Raj, a former BJP MP from North West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, ...
Pak agencies radicalising Kashmiri youths through social media: Army commander
Failing to engineer infiltration of militants from across the LoC, Pakistani agencies have resorted to social media to radicalise Kashmiri youths, with 40 of them joining militancy since January, an Army commander said Monday. "Pakistan has been continuing with its efforts to show this (terrorism) as an indigenous movement. Today, they feel absolutely starved because of the very effective counter-infiltration grid of the Indian Army," General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh said. Local recruitment still remains a matter of concern, but youths are realising that "we do not want to become fodder for Pakistani agencies", he said. "Successful infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) is virtually becoming very difficult," Singh said while replying to a question on recruitment by militant outfits in Kashmir. "Therefore, for them (Pakistan) to continue with this militancy, they want that the local content should be increased," he ...
Better implementation of reforms by next govt needed to ensure job creation: Jalan
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has taken a number of reforms but more needs to be done by the next government on the implementation front to ensure job creation, said former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan. The government, Jalan said, should also take up administrative reforms that are complicated but essential for the implementation of government policies. "By and large, in terms of economic reforms, number of steps have been taken (by the Modi government). "...everybody agrees that job creation is relatively low. The question is why, it could be partly because of slow implementation of economic reforms," he has told PTI. While the votes would be counted on May 23, most exit polls predicted a return of the Modi government with some of them giving the BJP-led ruling NDA well above 300 seats out of the 542 on which polls were held. Over 8,000 candidates were in the fray. On asked what economic reforms need to be taken by the next government, Jalan said the next government ...
If Sidhu can't work with Amarinder, he should resign: Pb min
Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot Monday asked Navjot Singh Sidhu to resign from the state cabinet if he cannot work with Amarinder Singh, a day after the chief minister accused the cricketer-turned-politician of "damaging" the Congress just before polls. As the tension between Amarinder Singh and his cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu continues to simmer, more ministers have come out in support of the chief minister. Amarinder Singh had Sunday lashed out at the Punjab tourism and cultural affairs minister for his comments against him and the Congress leadership in the state claiming that Sidhu was perhaps "ambitious" and "wants to be the chief minister". Following State Health Minister Brahm Mohindra backing the chief minister, Forest Minister Dharamsot told reporters here Monday that Sidhu's recent remarks were "against party discipline" and one that could "harm the party". "Sidhu's remarks came at a time when entire Congress was unitedly fighting to ensure that the party wins .
Oppn doubts exit poll projections of an NDA win; BJP says result will be in consonance with predictions
Opposition parties Monday doubted the exit poll projections that the BJP-led NDA will retain power at the Centre, calling it "speculation" and "fraud" and contrary to ground reality but the ruling party asserted that the final result will be in consonance with the predictions. Exit polls Sunday forecast another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some of them projecting that the NDA will get more than 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha. As the exit polls triggered a debate whether it could be right or wrong, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said they are not the "final decision" but indicate that the BJP will once again come to power, riding on the development work done by the NDA government. "Exit polls are not the final decision, but are indications. But, by and large, what comes out in the exit polls also reflects in the results," Gadkari told reporters in Nagpur. Counting of votes in the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will be taken up on May .
After VP Naidu, Gadkari questions accuracy of exit polls
A day after Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu mocked the exit polls, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said the exit polls are not the "final decision" but indicate that the BJP will once again come to power.
Pragya apologises for poll remarks, adopts silence
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Bhopal parliamentary seat, apologised on Monday for her statements during the poll campaign. She has also adopted silence.
Imran Khan blames opposition parties for Pakistan's economic woes
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has hit out at the opposition parties which gathered in Islamabad for an Iftar-dinner, holding them responsible for the country's record foreign debt and economic woes. In a show of unity, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz met the chairman of Pakistan People Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto at an Iftar-dinner hosted by him here on Sunday. It was for the first time that Maryam came face-to-face with Bilawal whose slain mother Benazir Bhutto was a strong rival of now jailed ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif but later the two joined hands against military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The Iftar-dinner was also attended by other opposition leaders, including Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai among others. "These people [opposition leaders] have gathered under the guise of safeguarding democracy. In fact, they are reason for the country's present crises," Khan ...
Left set to play waiting game, to take call on joining opposition front post May 23
With the exit polls predicting a debacle for the Left Front in the Lok Sabha election, the leaders of various Left parties are set to play a waiting game as regards joining the UPA or being part of a non-Congress federal front. A majority of the exit polls have predicted 14-16 seats for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, 4-6 seats for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and one seat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In West Bengal, a state ruled by the Left Front for 34 years, a majority of the exit polls have given no seats to it, which could mean the worst ever performance of the front in the state. "It is very clear that an opposition front and its strategy can only be formed after the election results on May 23. One thing is clear that a secular, alternative government will be formed at the Centre. Who will make it and how will it be created will be decided after the results," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters here. Meanwhile, Communist
Congress, JD-S call for end to verbal sparring in Karnataka
Ahead of the results for Karnataka's 28 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday, the warring Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) ruling allies in the state on Monday called for a 'ceasefire' amid acrimonious remarks against each other by leaders of both parties.