Page 68 - Politics

K'taka polls: Denied ticket to contest, BJP MLA M P Kumaraswamy quits party

Mudigere BJP MLA M P Kumaraswamy on Thursday announced his resignation from the party, after he was denied ticket to contest the Karnataka Assembly polls, and blamed national General Secretary C T Ravi for not getting nominated. The three-time MLA said he will also be submitting his resignation as legislator to the Assembly Speaker soon. In the BJP's second list of 23 candidates announced last night, Deepak Doddaiah was named as candidate from Mudigere. Kumaraswamy hit out at BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi for not getting the ticket, and said he will decide on his next move after discussing with his supporters and people of his constituency. The MLA cited personal rivalry between him and Ravi as the reason for him missing the ticket. Speculations are rife that the leader from SC community may join JD(S) or contest as an independent. "I have sent in my resignation to the party office and will hand over (resignation as MLA) to the Speaker soon. I will discuss with my suppor

Despite political crisis, he attended programme: PM Modi on Ashok Gehlot

Prime Minister said, "I thank Gehlotji that despite facing the political crisis he took out time to attend this railway programme. Gehlot ji you have two laddus in your hand"

Nitish meets Cong, AAP in attempt for Oppn unity for 2024; BJP hits back

Anurag Thakur took a swipe at the opposition parties over their efforts to forge unity to take on the BJP in the 2024 elections and said these parties were coming together for 'Maha thug Bandhan'

K'taka polls: BJP announces 2nd list of 23, denies ticket to 7 sitting MLAs

The BJP on Wednesday announced its second list of 23 candidates for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, denying tickets to seven sitting MLAs, including Madal Virupakshappa who was recently arrested on corruption charges. The party released its first list of 189 candidates on Tuesday. The latest list does not include Hubli-Dharwad Central segment, from where former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar wants to contest. It also does not include candidate for the Shivamogga city segment, where sitting MLA and former minister K S Eshwarappa has announced his retirement from electoral politics. Shettar has been asked by the party's top brass to make way for youngsters, but he has asserted that he wants to contest one last time. The list includes four Scheduled Caste, one Scheduled Tribe and two women candidates. Channagiri MLA Virupakshappa, who was recently arrested by Lokayukta police on corruption charges, was among the incumbent MLAs who were not included in the list. Shiv Kumar ha

AAP's challenges and contradictions as it gets a national party tag

Education and health aside, AAP will now have to address issues on which it has not voiced an opinion so far

'All anti-national forces wanting to halt country's progress against AAP'

All "anti-national forces" that want to halt the country's progress are against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said here on Tuesday. Describing the AAP's newly-acquired status of a national party in a short span of 10 years as a "miraculous and incredible" achievement, Kejriwal said it brings with it a huge responsibility as well. He urged people to join the AAP in order to make India the number one country in the world. "All anti-national forces that want to stop the progress of the country are against the AAP, but the almighty is with us," the Delhi chief minister said in an address at the party headquarters here. He said the AAP's ideology is based on three pillars -- die-hard honesty, patriotism and humanity -- adding that the aim of the party is to make India the number one country in the world. "It is time to remember the AAP's ideology. There are three pillars of the AAP's ideology -- kattar imandari (die-hard honesty), kattar patriotism an

As Pilot sits on fast, Gehlot releases video of 2030 vision for Rajasthan

As senior Congress Sachin Pilot began his daylong fast against his own party-led government in Rajasthan on Tuesday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot released a video portraying his vision to take the state to the top by 2030. "I have decided that I have to make Rajasthan the top state by 2030. To realise this dream, the last four budgets and this year's 'Bachat, Rahat and Badhat' budget, I have made schemes no other state has," the chief minister was heard saying in the video. Despite a warning issued to him by the Congress, Pilot, a former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, began his daylong fast at the Shaheed Smarak here on Tuesday, demanding action in cases of alleged corruption related to the previous BJP government in the state led by Vasundhara Raje. In his video, Gehlot was heard speaking about various schemes of his government, including the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme, subsidised LPG cylinders and accident insurance of Rs 10 lakh among others. The chief minister said

BJP's first list of candidates for polls expected today: Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basaaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the first list of BJP's candidates for the May 10 Assembly polls, can be expected to be released today. Party leaders have been holding a series of meetings in New Delhi for the last two days to finalise the list. State BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has indicated that the first list may contain the names of 170-180 candidates. "The list can be expected today," Bommai told reporters in New Delhi. According to party sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his return to the national capital from a visit to Arunachal Pradesh is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Chief Minister and other senior leaders to finalise the list, following which it will be released. Senior BJP leaders, including from Karnataka had held a daylong deliberation on Monday to finalise candidates for the state assembly polls, incorporating in their discussions the suggestions made at the recent BJP Central Election Committee ...

BJP's gherao programme: Prohibitory orders clamped near J'khand Secretariat

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were clamped around the Jharkhand Secretariat on Tuesday in view of BJP's gherao programme, officials said. BJP leaders and workers assembled near the secretariat shouting slogans against the Hemant Soren government and denounced the move as an "attempt to suppress the voice of the people". The saffron party undertook the gherao programme to protest "deteriorating law and order, prevailing corruption and high rate of unemployment" in the state. "Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were imposed in the area from the Project Building campus to Dhurwa Square. The orders were promulgated at 8 am and will continue till late evening. If need be, the prohibitory orders will be further extended," Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rahul Sinha told PTI. He said four or more people will not be allowed to assemble in the area. "We have identified 20 locations where barricades have been set up. Sufficient numbers of police, fire brigade and Rapid .

Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot sits on daylong fast demanding action against graft

Despite a warning issued to him by the Congress, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot sat on a daylong fast at the Shaheed Smarak here on Tuesday, demanding action in cases of alleged corruption related to the previous BJP government in the state led by Vasundhara Raje. Pilot reached the Shaheed Smarak, where his supporters were waiting for him. The former Union minister offered floral tributes to social reformer Jyotirao Phule on the occasion of his birth anniversary and sat on the fast. Before reaching the Shaheed Smarak, the Congress leader went to 22 godown circle from his residence and offered tributes to Phule at his statue.

Calculations that cost Trinamool Congress its national party status

Despite Trinamool Congress contesting from Goa and Tripura, neither a single party candidate from any of these two states got elected nor it secured the required percentage of the votes polled

BJP is democratic party, not a dictatorship like Congress: Bommai

Bommai said that this is the reason BJP is thinking well and talking in detail before releasing the first list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly Elections

'Atonement for past deeds' of Sangh Parivar: Kerala CM on PM's church visit

"Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were seen visiting all the churches in Kerala. So there is no harm here. There is no harm in taking a different position," he added

Shinde-led Sena denies connection with plea staking claim on UBT's property

"All the movable and immovable assets of shiv sena along with the frontal organisations and aligning organisations be transferred to the new party president as per the order of ECI," it stated

RS chairman should be impartial, not always praising govt: Cong on Dhankhar

The Congress on Monday hit back at Jagdeep Dhankhar over his remarks that people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, saying the Rajya Sabha chairman should be impartial and not always praise the government. Speaking at a World Homeopathy Day function here, Dhankhar said as India lays the foundation for the centenary of its independence in 2047, every attempt that seeks to attack the country's dignity should be blunted. He said people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, in an apparent reference to a row over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks made during a recent visit to the United Kingdom. Responding to Vice President Dhankhar's tweet advising that people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi, "First you give this advice to those who started this practice in 2015. Then give

No Shiv Sena worker involved in Babri Masjid demolition: Maha BJP minister

Maharashtra minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Chandrakant Patil on Monday said not a single worker of the Shiv Sena was near the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya when it was brought down by the Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini on December 6, 1992. Patil, minister of higher and technical education in the Eknath Shinde government and a former Maharashtra BJP chief, made the comment while speaking to a regional news channel. Incidentally, Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray has often been quoted as saying that he was proud if any of his Sainiks took part in the demolition of the disputed structure. "I was placed there by the Bajrang Dal for three-four months to facilitate kar sevaks arriving in Ayodhya. People participating were either from Bajrang Dal, VHP or Durga Vahini. Former Bihar state deputy CM (and senior BJP leader) Sushil Kumar Modi, legislator Harendra Kumar and I were given the task to manage the kar sevaks and ensure their safe passage," Patil claimed. "We three were

Cong says Pilot's fast against graft amounts to 'anti-party' activity

With Sachin Pilot firm on holding a fast to press his party-led government in Rajasthan for action against graft, the Congress Monday night issued a stern warning to him and said any such action on his part would amount to anti-party activity. Sources close to Pilot said he would go ahead with his daylong fast on Tuesday to press for action against corruption during the previous BJP government in Rajasthan. Taking strong objection to the proposed dharna by Pilot, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of the state Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said any such protest against its government clearly amounts to anti-party activity and goes against the party's interest. Pilot on Sunday alleged that the Ashok Gehlot-led government failed to investigate cases of alleged corruption during the BJP rule in Rajasthan and announced his plan to hold a day-long fast on April 11 to press for action. The move by Pilot to open a new front against Gehlot amid the factional fighting is seen as an .

After losing national party status, TMC likely to challenge EC decision

After losing the national party status, the Trinamool Congress is exploring legal options to challenge the decision of the Election Commission, a party source said on Monday. The EC withdrew the national party status of the TMC, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) earlier on Monday. The party is exploring legal options to challenge this decision by EC, a TMC source said. The Mamata Banerjee-led party did not issue any official reaction. The opposition BJP mocked the TMC following the development. "TMC lost the national party status & will be recognised as a regional party. Didi's aspiration to grow TMC find no place as people know TMC runs a most corrupt, full of appeasement & terror govt. Govt's fall is also certain as people of WB will not tolerate this govt for long," BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said in a tweet. In an order issued on Monday, the EC said that NCP and TMC will be recognised as state parties in Nagaland and ...

Congress up in arms as user fee introduced to register complaints in Kerala

Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said this move is a first of its kind in the state and "is a cruel one too"

Rahul to take his first trip to Wayanad tomorrow after LS disqualification

He is on bail, which was extended by the Sessions Court in Gujarat. The court will hear his appeal against conviction in the case on April 13