Page 578 - Politics
SP complaints against polling official in Azamgarh
The Samajwadi Party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against a polling official who reportedly cast votes on behalf of senior citizens in Mehnagar Assembly segment in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
LS candidates put under house arrest in MP's Bhind
Candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Sandhya Rai, Devashish Jararia and Babulal Jamore, respectively, in the Bhind parliamentary constituency of Madhya Pradesh were put under a day-long house arrest on Sunday as a preventive measure during polling for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
BJP to scrap Article 370 if voted back to power: Shah
BJP president Amit Shah Sunday said the Article 370 that gives special powers to Kashmir will be scrapped if Narendra Modi is elected as prime minister again. Targeting the Congress on the issue of national security, he said the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government did nothing when Pakistan beheaded five Indian soldiers but under Modi rule air strikes were carried out in Balakot. Addressing a rally at Chogan Maidan in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, Shah pointed out that Congress leader Sam Pitroda said instead of air strikes, "we should talk to militants". "If Pakistan will fire a bullet, we will reply with shell," the BJP chief said. He addressed two rallies in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday. Shah was campaigning in support of Kangra BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor and Hamirpur sitting MP Anurag Thakur. Citing former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's comment that there should be another prime minister for the state, Shah said, "All this indicated their mindset but if ...
Pawan Kalyan assesses JSP poll prospects
Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief and actor Pawan Kalyan on Sunday held a meeting with the party leaders to review the party's prospects in Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections held last month.
55% votes cast in Tripura West re-poll till 2 pm
Over 55 per cent voting was reported at 168 polling stations till 2 p.m. during re-poll on Sunday in the Tripura West parliamentary constituency, election officials said.
42.47% polling recorded in MP (2nd Lead) (2 p.m.)
Madhya Pradesh on Sunday recorded 42.47 per cent polling for eight of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies till 2 p.m., an official said.
Voter turnout in Delhi remains low at 44.90 pc till 3 pm
The national capital territory of Delhi, where seven Lok Sabha seats are at stake, logged just 44.90 per cent polling till 3 pm.According to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Voter Turnout App, the voting percentage at 3 pm remained low with only 44.90 per cent voters having cast their votes.The initial enthusiasm among voters of the national capital slightly dwindled with the increasing temperature and blazing sun, while leaders cutting across party lines appealed to the voters to exercise their right to franchise.The voter turnout in Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency at 3 pm was 44.90 per cent, in North East Delhi it is 47.36 per cent, in East Delhi 46.70 per cent, in New Delhi 42.86 per cent.Similarly, for North West Delhi and West Delhi, the voter turnout at 3 pm was 45.51 per cent and 44.33 per cent respectively.The lowest turnout was recorded in South Delhi parliamentary constituency with 42.51 per cent voters having their democratic franchise.It is expected that ..
Merkel's preferred successor says won't seek post before 2021
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's preferred successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said Sunday that she would not seek the top job before Merkel's term ends in 2021. The woman usually dubbed "AKK" took over from Merkel as head of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) last December, while the chancellor said she wants to serve out her 2017-2021 term. "The chancellor and the government were elected for an entire legislative term and the citizens rightly expect them to take seriously the commitment that came with the election," said Kramp-Karrenbauer. "So I can rule out the possibility that I will work deliberately to seek a change earlier," she told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Rather, the CDU should work on a new policy platform and nominate its chancellor-candidate in the late autumn of 2020, she said. German media have been speculating for months over whether Germany's veteran leader Merkel may leave earlier as head of her left-right coalition government. Under one ...
India, Vietnam to strengthen co-op in defence and security, atomic energy
India and Vietnam agreed to further strengthen cooperation in defence and security, peaceful uses of atomic energy and outer space, oil and gas and renewable energy as Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Sunday concluded his four-day visit to the Southeast Asian country. During his visit, Vice President Naidu held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairperson of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. "Vice President's talks with his Vietnamese interlocutors were extensive and productive and covered whole range of bilateral and multilateral cooperation," said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. Both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in defence and security, peaceful uses of atomic energy and outer space, oil and gas, renewable energy, agriculture and innovation-based sectors, it said. Vietnam is an important trade partner of India and their bilateral trade stood at nearly USD 14 billion last ..
West Bengal poll percentage highest at 63.09 till 3 pm
Highest polling percentage was recorded in West Bengal till 3 pm in the sixth phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. The poll percentage recorded in the state till 3 pm by the Election commission of India (ECI) was 63.09.Voting takes place today on eight parliamentary constituencies in the state -- Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur. Apart from this, the re-polling is being conducted at booth number 116 in Barrackpore parliamentary constituency and booth number 110 in Arambag Lok Sabha seat in the state.As per the ECI, the overall voting in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls in all seven states till 3 pm was 46.52 per cent. Jharkhand has recorded 54.09 per cent voting till 3 pm.Earlier today, the BJP accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of attacking BJP candidate from Ghatal, Bharati Ghosh's convoy and obstructing her entry into a polling booth in Keshpur.West Bengal unit BJP chief Dilip Ghosh alleged that TMC goons had been ..
Modi presents his report card to people
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that when he got a chance to serve the people, he ensured welfare schemes but the opposition ensured their own welfare.
Amid violence Bengal registers over 55% polling (3rd Lead) (1 p.m.)
A BJP worker was killed in West Bengal's Jhargram while Trinamool supporters sustained bullet injuries in West Midnapore during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polling on Sunday that was marred by a number of violent incidents and bids to intimidate voters.
Attack on BJP candidate by TMC in West Bengal act of frustration: Javadekar
The BJP Sunday termed the attack on its candidate Bharati Ghosh in West Bengal an "act of frustration" by the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state and claimed that the days of the Mamata Banerjee government are numbered. The party also demanded that the Election Commission take suo motu cognisance of matter. Ghosh was allegedly attacked twice by locals on Sunday when the former IPS officer tried to visit polling stations in Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency, where she is the BJP candidate, when polling was underway there. One of her security guards was injured in stone pelting while Ghosh herself suffered minor injuries when a group of women allegedly attacked her when she tried to take a BJP agent inside a polling booth at Keshpur area in the morning. Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said, "Stones were pelted on her car and she was also injured. Instead of taking action against the goons, Ghosh's movements have been restricted and her car, which was vandalised, has been .
BJP, RSS activists entering WB sporting uniform of central
Iterating that the BJP government was using the central forces to influence voters in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said she feared that BJP and RSS activists have entered the state, sporting the uniform of the forces, to conduct polling. "I do not disrespect the central forces. But they are being instructed to influence the voters. On the pretext of deploying central forces in West Bengal, the BJP is forcefully pushing BJP and RSS activists here. "I doubt that some RSS activists in (central forces') uniform are being pushed into West Bengal," Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Basanti area of South 24 Parganas district here. Banerjee also said that a Trinamool Congress worker was injured in the firing by the central forces officers in- charge of the security of BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh in Ghatal constituency. "Today, there was a firing by the central forces inside a booth. I have heard that one of my brothers, belonging to the minority
111-year-old oldest voter of Delhi casts his vote
Oldest voter of the national capital, 111-year-old Bachan Singh, exercised his franchise on Sunday as all the seven seats in Delhi polled in the sixth round of national polls."I have cast my vote to the party which inclined towards development and work," wheelchair-bound Singh told ANI at a booth in Sant Garh.Bachan Singh, a native of Lalpura in Punjab, lives as well as preaches the motto "even a single vote should be wasted".On Saturday, Election Commission officers went to Singh's house to invite him to vote and gifted him a mug and bouquet as a token of respect. He was also provided with pick and drop facility by the poll body.Senior citizens and first-time voters stole the show with their enthusiasm as they arrived at different polling stations across the six states and capital of Delhi to cast their votes."I am voting for the country. I want to see India on the first position," said 88-year-old Sardar Charan Singh at a booth in Madhu ...
Rouhani slams 'unprecedented' US pressure on Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has slammed the "unprecedented" US pressure on Tehran and urged unity among the country's political factions to overcome conditions which he said may be harder than those during the 1980s.
'EC couldn't take adequate punitive steps in Bengal'
Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the Election Commission (EC) has not been successful in taking adequate punitive steps in West Bengal to ensure free and fair polls.
India wants permanent PM, not contractual one: Naqvi
Union minister Muktar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the country wants a permanent and decisive prime minister, instead of a contractual one. Hitting out at the opposition alliance for having "too many" contenders for the PM's post, Naqvi said the country "does not want a contractual prime minister, where you have someone as prime minister for six months and somebody else for the next six months." Asserting that the people want a strong and decisive government, he told a press conference here, "The country does not want a 'juggad' or 'jod tod ki sarkar' (stop-gap arrangement leading to the formation of an unstable government)." The people, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs said, will vote for the developmental work done in the last five years. Mocking the opposition alliance for fighting a battle of survival, Naqvi added, "Most of the opposition parties will lose their recognition after elections. They are all fighting a battle for survival.
Netanyahu says needs more time to form new Israel government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he would ask President Reuven Rivlin for more time to form a new coalition government, citing recent holidays and the Gaza flare-up. Netanyahu's Likud won 35 seats in the April 9 general election, with most party chiefs represented in the 120-seat parliament recommending that he forms the next governing coalition. On April 17 Rivlin formally tasked him with the mission, which by law needs to be completed within 28 days -- although a 14-day extension is automatically granted upon request. "As in past instances of forming a government, I intend on asking an extension from the president," Netanyahu said in the opening remarks of the weekly cabinet meeting. "Such an extension is not only acceptable but also required due to scheduling problems," he said citing a busy holiday season, including Passover and Israeli Independence Day, as well as the Gaza flare-up. On May 4, militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired hundreds of rockets .
It is clear BJP govt is going: Priyanka after casting vote
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Sunday said it is "very clear" that the BJP will face defeat in Lok Sabha polls as people are "angry and distressed" and they will convey their sentiments through voting. Interacting with reporters after exercising her franchise, the senior party leader said it was "very clear that the BJP government is going". "There is anger among people, and they are under distress. Modiji, instead of talking about real issues, has been talking about random things. And, now, they will express their anger against this government through voting," the Congress general secretary said. She said this will be witnessed especially in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka again hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said, "He doesnt reply to any of the issues that our party raised, and just talks about random things." Congress campaigns on real issues and the prime minister has "not even responded to the challenge thrown by our party president (Rahul Gandhi) to debate on real ..