Page 510 - Politics
Austrian Vice Chancellor resigns over video scandal
Austria's Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache resigned on Saturday after a video appeared to show him offering government contracts to a potential Russian investor in exchange for political support.
In Varanasi, myriad motivation for voting: Selfie with inked finger, say in country's future
As the country prepares for the last leg of polling, the excitement among the electorate in the temple town of Varanasi, which gave the country a prime minister last time it voted in the Lok Sabha election, is palpable, with people counting myriad reasons to go out and vote. "Feeling of being a responsible citizen who has a say in deciding the future of the country," is the reason why Rahul, a first year student and a first-time voter, is excited about participating in the electoral process. The Sunday voting in this high-profile constituency will be keenly watched not only in the country but also across the globe as it will decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns as a parliamentarian in the lower house. The young and the first-time voters are the most excited lot in the constituency, which in 2014 voted for Modi with a staggering 56.37 per cent vote share -- a 25.85 percentage point swing in favour of the BJP as compared to 2009 when the saffron party's Murali Manohar ...
Panaji bypoll: BJP complains to EC about Goa Cong presser
The Goa BJP filed a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that the opposition Congress held a press conference Saturday after campaigning for the Panaji bypoll, scheduled for May 19, ended Friday evening. The complaint to state Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, filed by BJP state general secretary Sadanand Tanavade, names Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar and others. It contended that Chodankar addressed a press conference on Saturday afternoon to make accusations of corruption against the BJP's Panaji bypoll candidate Siddharth Kunkolienkar. "The Congress was aware of the EC rules on campaigning but audaciously resorted to breaking rules. Any statement against a party candidate amounts to campaigning," said BJP leader and former minister Rajendra Arlekar who was part of the party delegation that met the CEO. North Goa Collector R Menaka said a report on the BJP complaint would be submitted to the CEO by Saturday evening.
Shadow of Vidyasagar bust vandalism on Kolkata North poll
An uneasy calm prevails in and around Vidyasagar College, that has been at the centre of a political tornado over violence and vandalism of Bengali polymath Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar's bust during BJP President Amit Shah's high-voltage road show in the area earlier this week.
Dissolve Karnataka assembly, suggests senior JD(S) leader
Fed up with the differences in the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition and the "Siddaramaiah for CM again' clamour, senior JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti Saturday suggested that the assembly be dissolved. His outburst prompted Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to request coalition leaders to refrain from making 'contradictory' and 'controversial' statements in public. Pointing out that efforts are being made to form a non-BJP government at the centre, the Chief Minister said such statements by coalition leaders may mar these efforts. "We are on the verge of formation of a new Government at the Centre. At this juncture, where all efforts are being made to form a non-BJP government at the centre, the contradictory statements by leaders of coalition partners #Congress-#JDS may mar such efforts," Kumaraswamy said in a tweet. "Hence my humble request to leaders of both parties is to restrain from making contradictory- controversial statements in public and to support the cause," he ..
EVMs can be manipulated, VVPAT slips should be used as ballot paper: Naidu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) was possible and thus demanded that VVPAT slips be used as ballot papers for "transparency" in the electoral process.
EU's Tusk leads pro-Europe march in Poland before key vote
Thousands are marching in the Polish capital to celebrate the nation's European Union membership ahead of key European Parliament elections. EU Council President Donald Tusk and Poland's opposition leaders are among those marching in Warsaw. The pro-EU rally aims to underline that Poles want to be an important member in the 28-nation bloc, even though the current rightwing government is highly critical of the EU and its institutions. Before the march, leaders from centre-left parties called on the Poles to vote in May 23-26 elections, saying they are crucial for Poland's standing in the EU. The elections are also seen as a test of support between the ruling party and the opposition, ahead of national parliament elections in the autumn.
MCC violation: EC issues notice to Cong candidate in Madhya Pradesh
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday issued a notice to Congress candidate from Khandwa parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh, Arun Subhas Chandra Yadav for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).EC directed the Congress leader to file an explanation on the matter within a day.The official statement of the Election Commission states, "In a complaint filed on May 3, BJP leader Neeraj accused Yadav of violating the MCC by distributing pamphlets/enrolment form for NYAY scheme.""On enquiry, it is found that the said forms/pamphlets had the election symbol of the Congress party and a photograph of Congress president Rahul Gandhi," added the statement."It is further decided that the Congress candidate Arun Subhas Chandra Yadav should give an explanation regarding the above matter within 24 hours before the Commission."In Khandwa, Congress candidate Yadav is contesting against sitting BJP MP from Nandkumar Singh Chouhan.Khandwa will go to polls on the last .
LS polls: Over 53 lakh voters to seal fate of 45 candidates in HP Sunday
Five MLAs, including a state minister, are among the 45 candidates trying to make it to Parliament from Himachal Pradesh where polling will be held Sunday, the last phase of voting in the 2019 elections. Among the 45 candidates is Congress nominee from Mandi, Aashray Sharma, whose father had to sacrifice his berth in the state's BJP government. There are 53,30,154 registered voters for the four constituencies -- Shimla (SC), Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra -- in the state. A direct contest is expected between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which had won all four seats in 2014. The BJP has fielded the state's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kishan Kapoor in Kangra after dropping sitting MP Shanta Kumar. Kangra's Congress MLA Pawan Kajal is contesting against him. In Hamirpur, three-time MP and former BCCI president Anurag Thakur is in the fray on a BJP ticket. He faces Sri Naina Devi's Congress MLA Ram Lal Thakur. BJP's Pachhad MLA Suresh Kashyap is contesting against .
EC gets Tripura HC notice over details about West Tripura LS seat
The Tripura High Court has served a notice to the Election Commission asking it to furnish details about West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency by May 21 in response to a petition seeking countermanding of elections in the seat. The petition was filed by sitting CPI(M) MP and candidate of the constituency, Shankar Prasad Dutta on May 15. Alleging large scale violence by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party during polling on April 11, Dutta had sought directions from the court to hold fresh polling for the seat. The MP's counsel Tapas Dutta Majumder said the petition was heard by the court of Justice Arindam Lodh on Friday and it issued the notice to the EC, state chief electoral officer and returning officer of the seat, asking them to furnish their detailed reply, considering the urgency of the matter. Dutta had approached the Supreme Court, which had turned down the case for urgent hearing and asked him to take up the matter with the high court. The Congress too has backed the demand by ..
Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui will soon return to Beijing
China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui, who is said to have played a signficant role in dousing of tensions during the Doklam standoff and subsequently, will be returning to Beijing after he was promoted to the level of a vice-minister.According to sources, the Chinese envoy has been widely appreciated for his expertise in India and its foreign policy and his rapport with the political leaders of the country.Zhaohui played a key role in back-channel talks in piping down by his government on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and was also stationed in New Delhi during the Doklam crisis in 2017, sources said.Zhaou has a good understanding of South Asia and has been a very strong advocate of people to people ties between India and China, sources added.He was also present in Wuhan where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met to conduct their hours-long informal ...
Economic crisis in Venezuela worse than in Zimbabwe, Soviet Union: Economists
From once being the richest country in Latin America -- owing to its large oil reserves -- to the ongoing humanitarian crisis unseen in the country's modern history, Venezuela's fall through the years is the single largest economic collapse outside of war in the past 45 years, economists have said.According to an article written by Anatoly Kurmanaev in the New York Times, the crumbling of Venezuela's economy has even outpaced Zimbabwe's collapse under Robert Mugabe, the fall of the Soviet Union, and Cuba's disastrous unraveling in the 1990s."It's really hard to think of a human tragedy of this scale outside civil war," said Kenneth Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard University and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "This will be a touchstone of disastrous policies for decades to come."Economists say that unlike some other examples of economic devastation like in Libya earlier this decade or Lebanon in the 1970s, it is not the armed conflict that ...
AAP approaches Delhi CEO over strong room security issue
A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday met Delhi Chief Electoral Officer to complain about the security of the strong room where EVM machines have been kept after the elections on South Delhi Lok Sabha seat on May 12."We have informed the CEO about the security of the strong room where EVM machines have been kept after elections in South Delhi. We have told him how people are visiting that place and how Presiding Officer of Lok Sabha election are being called back and being asked to fill documents again and new documents are being made," AAP leader Raghav Chadha told ANI here."Is all this being done to tamper the EVMs? After getting nervous about all this, I have come to meet CEO today to know what all this is happening. The CEO has said that the matter will be looked into and they will take answers from all officials involved in this," he added.Chadha is contesting against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress' Vijender Singh from South Delhi seat.The result will be ...
Modi govt only renamed electricity scheme for rural area: RPN Singh
Congress candidate from Kushinagar RPN Singh has alleged that the BJP-led NDA government only renamed UPA's rural electrification scheme and did not spend a single penny for the project in the district. The former Union minister alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to deliver on the promises made by him in 2014. "A big factor here is unemployment. The prime minister doesn't touch upon this which is extremely sad and dangerous. This is a young country. In last 45 years unemployment rate has never been so high," Singh told PTI in an interview. "All electricity connections in Kushinagar have been given under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana. I got Rs 232 crore sanctioned for the project here. The name has definitely been changed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (Gram Jyoti) Yojana but not single penny came to this district under the current government," he said. Kushinagar is one of the few districts where it is a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress. In this ..
Naidu meets Akhilesh, will call on Mayawati next
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu Saturday met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here and was set to call on Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati later, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre. He reached the state capital after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav. Naidu was scheduled to meet both BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP sources said. The Telugu Desam Party chief has already held several rounds of discussions with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. His TDP had been a part of the NDA and had quit the alliance a few months ago. Opposition parties are pitching for a joint anti-BJP front to steer the next government.
Naidu in Lucknow to meet Mayawati, Akhilesh
TDP chief arrived here Saturday evening to meet leaders of the Samajwadi Party the Bahujan Samaj Party, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre. He reached the state capital after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav. Naidu was scheduled to meet BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP sources said. Her will meet the BSP president at her home on Mall Avenue, sources added. The Telugu Desam Party chief has already held several rounds of discussions with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. His TDP had been a part of the NDA and had quit the alliance a few months ago. Opposition parties are pitching for a joint anti-BJP front to steer the next government.
I will be assassinated like Indira Gandhi, BJP after my life: Kejriwal
Alleging that the BJP was after his life, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal Saturday claimed that he will be assassinated like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by his personal security officer. "The BJP would get me murdered by my own PSO (Personal Security Officer) one day like Indira Gandhi. My own security officers report to BJP," Kejriwal told a news channel in Punjab. "The BJP is after my life, they will murder me one day," he added. Kejriwal was in Punjab to campaign for his party which is contesting on all seats in the state. Earlier this month, he was slapped by a man during a roadshow in Delhi's Moti Nagar area on Saturday. The Delhi Police had claimed that the culprit was a disgruntled AAP worker but the party blamed the BJP for the attack. "I will be murdered and police would say it was a disgruntled party worker. What does it mean, if a Congress worker is angry with Captain saab (Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh) can he hit him, if a ...
Cong demands inquiry into issues raised by Lavasa, accuses Modi Govt of pressuring EC
Demanding a probe into charges made by Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the Congress on Saturday alleged that eroding institutional integrity has been the hallmark of Modi government and asked whether the poll panel has become Election Omission and a puppet in the PM's hands. Lavasa is learnt to have written to the Chief Election Commissioner that he will be recusing from EC meetings as his dissent was not being recorded on clearances given by the poll panel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged poll code violations. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked whether the EC will save itself more embarrassment by recording Lavasa's dissent notes, as he accused PM Modi of "muzzling" democratic institutions. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said there must be a credible investigation into the issues raised by Lavasa, alleging that the sanctity of the electoral process and the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India is in jeopardy. There must be a .
Stage set for high stakes bypoll to 4 constituencies in TN
Polling for the high stakes by-election to four constituencies in Tamil Nadu will get underway on Sunday. While the by-polls to 18 seats were held along with Lok Sabha polls on April 18 in the state, four other assembly segments -- Sulur, Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram (SC) and Thiruparankundram go for polls on May 19. The Sulur seat fell vacant in March following the death of AIADMK MLA R Kanakaraj who died following cardiac arrest. Ottapidaram(SC) constituency is represented by disqualified AIADMK MLA Sundararaj while Thirupparankundram legislator A K Bose also belonging to AIADMK died last year. Aravakurichi is represented by Senthil Balaji, a disqualified AIADMK legislator who has joined DMK. According to Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, a total of 137 candidates are in fray in the assembly constituencies wit Aravakurichi leading with 63 MLA aspirants. A total of 15,939 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order. The outcome of the by-polls to a .
AIADMK luring voters in 4 Assembly constituencies ahead of bypolls: DMK
A delegation of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders on Saturday approached Tamil Nadu's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sathyabrata Sahoo alleging that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is distributing money to voters at the four Assembly constituencies where by-elections will be held on Sunday.Bypolls are scheduled to be held in Aravakuruchi, Sulur, Thiruparankundram, and Ottapidaram assembly constituencies."AIADMK ministers still camp in the election constituency even after campaigning has ended. They are indulging in money distribution to voters. AIADMK is transporting money through vehicles. We have collected the details and gave proof to Tamil Nadu CEO. We have demanded that more security be deployed in the by-election constituencies," DMK Rajya Sabha MP RS Barathy told media here after meeting Sahoo along with senior advocates of the party.Meanwhile, the Election Commission has ordered re-polling in 13 booths in Tamil Nadu during the seventh and last phase .