Page 501 - Politics

Shiv Sena's Hindutva different from BJP's Hindutva: Aaditya Thackeray

Hindutva is one of the ideologies of Shiv Sena, but it is different from "BJP's Hindutva", argues Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray in a new book. The book, "The Young and the Restless", authored by student-activist Gurmehar Kaur, is a series of interviews of country's young politicians which include the likes of Omar Abdullah, Sachin Pilot, Aaditya Thackeray and Shehla Rashid. "...Usually, a party like Shiv Sena is taken to be right wing, so you have Hindutva, which of course is one of our ideologies. But it's not BJP's Hindutva; it's very different from that. "It is centrist but it's right wing centrist because we are pragmatic and we are talking of things like say nightlife, electric buses and plastic pollution. You know, we are talking of something completely different," said Thackeray. Yuva Sena chief Thackeray has been at the forefront of plastic ban narrative in Maharashtra and has also been pushing for 24x7 nightlife in Mumbai. Thackeray, whose party is in alliance with the ...

Captain Amarinder should resign if Cong gets wiped out in LS polls: Navjot Kaur

Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Sunday said that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh should resign if Congress gets wiped out from the state following the Lok Sabha elections.Justifying her statement, Navjot Kaur said that she had asked Amarinder Singh to start asking for performance report of MLAs and MPs in the state to bring them on track but the Chief Minister failed to do so.She further said that if Congress was wiped out of the state then this means that the voters were not happy with the work done by Captain Amarinder Singh led government in the state."He should resign. It has been two years. I have always asked the Chief Minister to start taking the performance report of MLAs and MPs as it will improve their perforce and will benefit the state. If people did not vote in our favour that this directly means that our performance is not upright and we fail to deliver. Otherwise, if we have worked hard then naturally we will get a clean sweep in the state," Navjot ...

Central forces should remain in WB till MCC in place: Sitharaman

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday asserted that central armed forces should remain stationed in West Bengal till the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place.Speaking at a press conference here Sitharaman lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led-TMC government in West Bengal and asked, "We fear after the polling gets over today, the TMC workers will continue with violence and bloodshed in the state?""We demand that the Election Commission should take cognizance of the violence done by the TMC workers in the state during the Lok Sabha polls," she added.Sithraman alleged, "TMC workers have attacked and stopped voters from exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls.""From now on till 6 pm today the Central police force should remain active in West Bengal," she added.The seats where polling is underway in West Bengal today include Kolkata North, Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar (SC) and Mathurapur (SC).Polling ..

President pays tribute to Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday paid homage to former Indian President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy here at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of his birth anniversary.The President along with other officers and staff of the Rashtrapati Bhavan paid floral tributes in front of a portrait of the former President, read a press release issued from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Reddy, a leading political personality from Andhra Pradesh, served as the sixth President of India, from 1977 to 1982. He began his political career with the Indian National Congress Party.Reddy, who was the youngest President to assume office, worked with three with Prime Ministers -- Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, and Indira Gandhi.

'Go back' slogan against BJP leader Babul Supriyo

Some locals raised "go back" slogans against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday when the singer-turned-politician was taking to the media after casting his vote at a booth in Jorasanko in the North Kolkata Lok Sabha constituency.

BJP mastered WhatsApp elections in India: Shashi Tharoor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mastered the art of influencing voters via social media platforms in Lok Sabha elections and WhatsApp has been their favourite medium simply because of its massive reach, Congress Party leader Shashi Tharoor has said.

Chandra Bose accuses Trinamool of attacking BJP polling agents

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Kolkata South Chandra Kumar Bose on Sunday accused the Trinamool Congress of attacking his party's polling agents in various parts of the constituency and urged the Election Commission to play a more proactive role.

Bride and Groom casts their vote at Himachal Pradesh's Manali

In a classic example of nation first, a bride and groom delayed their wedding rituals and opted to cast their vote first here on Sunday.Fully clad in traditional attires the couple arrived at the polling booth and exercised their franchise to elect a representative for Manali parliamentary constituency.Setting an example, the families of the bride and groom also accompanied the couple."We wanted to exercise our right to vote to choose the best possible government. The rituals can take place a few hours later too, but this chance will come only after five years, so we mutually took the decision to vote first," the groom told reporters here.Earlier, 103-year-old Shyam Saran Negi voted for the 32nd time today in HP as the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha polls is underway in seven states and one Union Territory.59 seats are up for grabs in the seventh and the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

36 pc polling in UP till 1 pm; SP-BJP clash

Over 36 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said. In Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term, the voter turnout was 36.80 per cent. "Till 1.00 pm, the turnout (across 13 seats) was 36.44 per cent," a state election office spokesperson said. Violence erupted in Chandauli Lok Sabha constituency, from where state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey is seeking re-election, when supporters of the saffron party and the Samajwadi Party clashed. "The incident was reported from Parahupur Sikatiya village in Chandauli. A police team rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control," Additional Chief Electoral Officer B D R Tiwari said. Two election officials deputed at different polling booths ion Gorakhpur and Bansgaon constituencies died of sudden illness, officials said. Rajaram, 56, was a polling officer of booth number 381 at Prathmik Vidhyalay Madhopur in Pipraich area

SP-BSP poised for big win in Purvanchal: Rajbhar

Estranged BJP ally, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) President Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday said that the SP-BSP alliance was poised for a big win in the final phase of voting taking place in Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh).

Congress' Ajay Rai slams PM Modi for not doing enough for Varanasi

Congress candidate for Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, Ajai Rai on Sunday slammed his rival Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that he has not done enough for the temple town after coming to power in 2014."The condition of this area is in front of you. No major developmental work has taken place from the past few years. Modi ji has only paid lip service to people development. PM Modi did not get successful in providing jobs to the youth or implementing a Gujarat model here," he said while speaking to ANI."The work is being carried out in Varanasi on a temporary basis, nothing is permanent," Rai added.In his concluding statement, Rai exuded confidence and said that people will vote for Congress as they are not satisfied with the performance of the incumbent government.It is worth noticing that this is the second time that the Congress decided to field Rai against the Prime Minister for Varanasi seat.PM Modi defeated Rai by bagging record number of votes. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind ...

Sidhu probably wants to replace me as CM: Captain Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu wants to replace him as the head of the state government. The sharp comment comes after the cricketer-turned-politician made many veiled attacks against Singh.The tension between the two Congressmen had also come out in the open on a few occasions in the past."He (Sidhu) is ambitious. Everyone has his/her own ambition. I know him since childhood. I have no difference of opinion with him. But he probably wants to become the chief minister and replace me, that is his business. But the timing, a day before the elections is wrong. The impact will be on party or on leaders contesting, not on me," Amarinder Singh told ANI when asked to respond on Congress leader and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's recent indirect attacks on him.The Chief Minister said that the Congress will surely take an action against Sidhu for his alleged remarks as the party does not believe in indiscipline."It is ...

Bengal: Diamond Harbour BJP candidate's car vandalised

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Diamond Harbour candidate Nilanjan Roy's car was vandalized on Sunday as the constituency witnessed the final phase of Lok Sabha polls.

BJP wants central forces in Bengal till MCC ends

The BJP Sunday urged the Election Commission to order the presence of central armed police forces in West Bengal till the Model Code of Conduct period ends, as it expressed concern that the state's ruling TMC may target a section of voters after polling is over. BJP leader and Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that elections in six of the nine seats, which have undergone elections on Sunday, were marred by violence. Citing media reports and other feedback, she said BJP candidates have been attacked and accused Trinamool Congress (TMC)workers of not letting voters, who are opposed to the Mamata Banerjee-led party, enter polling booths. "The EC should take cognisance of it. Since Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been openly talking about revenge, TMC workers have been beating up people and we are afraid that they will start targeting voters after the polls are over. The central armed police forces should be there till the end of the Model Code of Conduct," she said. The

47 per cent voter turnout till 1 PM in bypolls

Around 47 percent of the electorate had cast their votes in the by-polls to four Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu on Sunday till 1 PM, a senior official said. The ruling AIADMK charged its rival DMK with luring voters with promise of money in Aravakurichi, even as the Election Commission said any such complaints will be looked into. According to available statistics for the voter turnout at 1 PM, the four constituencies-- Sulur, Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram (SC) and Thirupparankundram, had recorded a total voting percentage of 47.86 per cent, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo told reporters here. Aravakurichi topped the list with a turnout of 52.68 per cent, he said. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader and Transport Minister M R Vijayabaskar alleged that the opposition DMK was luring voters by promising money. When asked about this, Sahoo said no such formal complaint has been received so far and promised to look into it if a plaint was made. Any issues relating to .

Sudan's military council resumes talks with protesters

Sudan's ruling military council is meeting with protesters on the country's political transition after talks were halted for three days while roads were cleared outside the main sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. The deputy head of the military council, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, meanwhile said late Saturday that security forces have arrested those behind an attack on the protesters last week that killed at least five people, including an army officer. The two sides have held several rounds of talks since the military overthrew President Omar al-Bashir last month, ending his 30-year reign after four months of mass protests and sit-ins, which are still underway. The two sides remain divided on what role the military should have in the transition to civilian rule.

Violence mar polls in West Bengal, BJP and CPI accuse TMC of creating ruckus

With voting underway for the Seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections, large scale violence is being reported from different parliamentary constituencies of the state.West Bengal, witnessed clashes on Sunday too with Trinamool and BJP blaming each other for violence.While vehicles of few leaders were vandalised in poll-related violence, BJP has also accused TMC of beating its office-bearers.BJP MP candidate from Jadavpur, Anupam Hazra told ANI that the Mandal president of his party was beaten by 'goons' of TMC."TMC goons have beaten up a BJP Mandal president, a driver and attacked a car. We also rescued our three polling agents. TMC goons were going to carry out rigging at 52 booths. People are eager to vote for BJP but they are not allowing people to vote", he said.Earlier while visiting polling booth number 150/137 in Jadavpur, he had also objected to women covering their faces while voting and said, "Women TMC workers with covered faces are casting proxy votes, it is difficult to ..

Babul Supriyo slams TMC for complaint over coverage of Modi's Kedarnath visit

Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday hits out at Trinamool Congress for its complaint against the wide-scale media coverage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kedarnath saying, 'TMC should not behave like a crying baby.'The TMC moved Election Commission on Sunday alleging the visit of Modi to Kedarnath was a violation of the model code of conduct.Speaking to media in North Kolkata, Suprio said, "TV channels should decide what they want to cover. If cricketer Sachin Tendulkar goes to vote and then decide to drive by himself to Pune then media will definitely cover it...It depends on the importance of a particular person on how much media covers him. TMC should not behave like a crying baby."On being asked about violence in the state during the Lok Sabha polls, the Union minister said, "Violence is inherited by TMC through CPI (M) and from there it has spread in the state.""TMC has lost its credibility and if it alleges that BJP is doing violence then people will not believe ..

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar meets N Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar met Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday in a bid to step up efforts to form a non-BJP regime in the post-poll scenario.On being asked about the purpose of the meeting, Pawar did not disclose much apart from saying that it was a meeting to assess the 'elections in their respective states.'"We just met and assessed the elections in our respective states. We are waiting for counting day to take further steps," said Pawar.In view of the impending results, non-BJP party leaders have been meeting each other to discuss the post-poll scenarios.On May 18, Naidu undertook a hectic round of discussions with opposition leader including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati in Lucknow.Naidu is on a mission of rallying opposition parties in a bid to keep the BJP out of power, in case its numbers fall short of ..

BJP asks Delhi Police to withdraw security for Kejriwal

Following Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegation that his own security detail could assassinate him as in the case of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Delhi unit of the BJP has written to the Delhi Police demanding withdrawal of the Kejriwal's security cover.