Page 718 - Politics
PM says 40 of Mamata's MLAs in touch, Trinamool hits back (2nd Lead)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that 40 MLAs of West Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) were in "touch" with him and would desert Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whose party hit back by filing a "horse trading" complaint with the Election Commission against him.
Will make all efforts to resolve issues of Pashtuns: Pak Army
The Pakistani Army on Monday said it would make all efforts to resolve the issues faced by Pashtuns in the tribal areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa province, but would not tolerate allow them to engage in violence. Director General of Pakistan Army's media wing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor also said that "the time was up" for those who are playing in the hands of the enemies. "Time was up for them (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement) who are playing in the hands of enemies," he said. Without giving the details about the action against the PTM, he said "there would not be any law and order situation while dealing with the group as no unlawful path will be adopted." He said all lawful demands of the PTM related to clearing the mines from the area and removal of unnecessary check posts have already been met. "We created 48 teams and 45 per cent of these areas were cleared (of mines). About 101 casualties of the Pakistan Army also occurred in those areas while ...
West Bengal records highest polling of 76.44 pc in fourth phase, J-K 10.5 pc
The polling percentage in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections was the highest in West Bengal - around 76.44 per cent till 5 pm, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) here on Monday evening.Eight seats of the state went to the polls in the fourth phase. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the polling percentage for these seats was 83.38 per cent.Jammu and Kashmir recorded the lowest turnout with just 10.5 per cent votes polled till 5 pm. Polling for Anantnag seat is scheduled to be held in three phases. On Monday, Kulgam district went to polls.In 2014, the polling percentage for Kulgam alone was 36.34 per cent, according to Election Commission of India.Talking to media persons, Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha along with other senior officials said that in Odisha, where six Lok Sabha seats went to polls in the fourth phase along with 42 Assembly constituencies, 68 per cent votes were polled till 6 pm.In 2014, the polling percentage in Odisha stood at 73.75 per cent.In ...
Russia will meddle in upcoming US election: Pompeo
Underlining that Russia posed a threat to the US elections, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said that Moscow would interfere in the upcoming presidential election too."Of course the Russians continue to present a threat to US elections. It goes without saying they were a threat to our elections in 1974, they interfered in our elections in the '80s," The Hill quoted Pompeo as saying."We should expect in 2050 the Russians will still be at it," Pompeo said.His remarks came days after US Justice Department released Special Counsellor Robert Mueller's report on whether Russia meddled in the 2016 elections.He alleged the Obama administration of "not doing much" about Russia's interference, adding that Trump administration has been working to prevent such actions in the future.
Congress will fill 22 lakh government vacancies: Maken
Former Union Minister and Congress' New Delhi seat candidate Ajay Maken on Monday promised that if his party comes to power after the general elections, then it will fill the 22 lakh vacant government posts in an year.
UPA's silence on 26/11 attack still hurts: Gambhir
Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, who is contesting as the BJP candidate from east Delhi, on Monday took a swipe at the previous Congress-led UPA government over its silence after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack saying it still hurts him.
BJP requests EC to censure AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and party candidate Atishi for berating it
The BJP Monday filed complaints with authorities against the AAP, seeking "censure" of party chief Arvind Kejriwal and East Delhi candidate Atishi for allegedly making "derogatory" statements and for distributing pamphlets asking voters to take money from the BJP and the Congress but vote for the ruling party in Delhi. With campaign for Lok Sabha elections gaining momentum in Delhi, both the BJP and the AAP have been lodging complaints against one another with the Election Commission and courts over alleged violations of the model code of conduct. In a complaint filed by BJP leaders including Union minister Vijay Goel, the party demanded the Election Commission to censure Kejriwal and Atishi for indulging in "constant abuse of the Opposition" and using language which is not only "derogatory, unparliamentary and defamatory" but in "gross violation" of the model code of conduct and electoral laws. In the complaint, Goel and other BJP leaders cited alleged statements of Kejriwal and ...
Former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur claims AAP's support
Hours after the Samajwadi Party (SP) named him as its new candidate from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav on Monday claimed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also extended its support to him to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi."The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also supported me," he told ANI.AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a tweet, hailed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's decision to field Yadav from Varanasi.Earlier in the day, former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led SP announced to replace its existing candidate Shalini Yadav with Tej Bahadur, who was dismissed from the Border Security Force (BSF) in 2017 for his video depicting the poor quality of food served to soldiers."Brave soldier Tej Bahadur has got the SP ticket from Varanasi," the party announced on its official Twitter handle.Tej Bahadur was already in the fray as an independent candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency.Yadav said: "I appeal to the people to ...
Congress did nothing for reservation: Paswan
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said Congress should not speak about caste reservation as it did not do anything for it.
Sidhu criticises Modi for running away from promises
Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday launched into a tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying if he became the Prime Minister again then India would be destroyed.
Banihal car bomb attack: Case solved, PhD scholar among 6 arrested
The Jammu and Kashmir police Monday said it has arrested a PhD scholar along with five other terrorists for launching an abortive suicide car bomb attack on a CRPF convoy along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway last month. The terror attack was jointly hatched by terror outfits JeM and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) under the command of Pakistan-based terrorist Munna Bihari, Jammu Inspector General of Police M K Sinha told reporters here. The arrested persons include a PhD scholar who is an active member of Jamiat-e-Talaba, the student wing of banned Jammat-e-Islami (JeI), he said. His interrogation revealed that the group was engaged in radicalising youths in a big way for "jehad" (hoily war), said Sinha. He said the National Investigation Agency is taking over the case tomorrow for further investigation.
Four BNP lawmakers take oath at last moment
Bangladesh politics on Monday took a dramatic turn with four lawmakers-elect of the Opposition BNP taking oath on the last day of the 90-day constitutional deadline after jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia's party overnight changed its decision to stay away from parliament over alleged irregularities in the December 30 elections. The four lawmakers-elect of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party went to parliament late afternoon on the last day of the constitutional deadline and said they were taking oath as directed by the party's fugitive acting chief and Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman. Six BNP nominees including the party's secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were elected to 300-seat parliament. One of them took the oath last week, defying the party's decision to be dubbed by compatriots as "betrayer". Alamgir later at a press briefing confirmed the party's decision of allowing the four lawmakers to join parliament but did not explain what barred him from taking the oath. This is ...
BJP urges EC to deploy central forces in all polling booths in West Bengal
The BJP Monday approached the Election Commission complaining that TMC workers have "hijacked democracy" in West Bengal and creating ruckus during voting, and again demanded deployment of central forces in all polling booths in the state. Following reports of a clash between the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP workers outside a booth in Asansol's Barabani, and vandalism of the vehicle of Union Minister and sitting MP Babul Supriyo, a BJP delegation met top officials of the poll panel here. The delegation included Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vijay Goel, and the party's media in-charge Anil Baluni. After meeting the poll panel officials, Naqvi told reporters, "The ruling Trinamool Congress workers have hijacked democracy in the state and are indulging in violence. They are being supported by the local machinery and we demand deployment of central forces in all polling booths in the state." Later in a press conference, BJP's national spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said ...
Andhra CM urges EC to act against Modi over Bengal claims
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday demanded that the Election Commission take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his claim that 40 lawmakers of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress were in touch with him.
PM Modi's comment on Trinamool MLAs sets off storm in Bengal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sparked off a major row in West Bengal with his warning to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that her MLAs will abandon her after the results of the Lok Sabha polls come out and 40 of them were already in touch with him.
Eight nominations filed for Panaji assembly bypoll
As many as eight candidates have filed their nomination papers for the upcoming Panaji assembly by-election, which was necessitated following the death of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar in March this year. Monday (April 29) was the last day for filing of nomination papers for the May 19 contest. Prominent candidates include former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar (BJP), former minister Atanasio Monserratte (Congress) and Subhash Velingkar (Goa Suraksha Manch). Apart from nominees of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Hindustan Janata Party, three Independent candidates have also filed their nominations.
50 file nominations for Karna assembly bypolls
A total of 50 candidates have filed nominations for the May 19 byelections to two assembly constituencies in Karnataka, election officials said Monday. As many as 27 candidates have entered the fray in Chincholi while 23 in Kundgol but the main contest will be between the nominees of Congress, which held the seats, and the BJP. Candidates from Congress and BJP filed their papers Monday, the last day for nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will take place Tuesday while May 2 is the last date for the withdrawal. The by-poll results will be declared on May 23 along with Lok Sabha results. By-poll to Chincholi has been necessitated by the resignation of sitting member Umesh Jadhav who quit Congress and joined BJP to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls from Gulbarga, while Kundgol seat fell vacant following the death of Minister C S Shivalli. BJP has fielded S I Chikkanagowdar and Avinash Jadhav from Kundgol and Chincholi assembly seats respectively. The Congress candidates ...
HP: Cong MLA from Kangra among 16 to submit poll papers on last day of nomination filing
Congress MLA from Kangra Pawan Kajal was among the 16 candidates to submit their papers for the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh on the last day of nomination filing. Polling in the four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh will be held on May 19, the last of the seven-phase general elections. Kajal filed his nomination as Congress candidate for Kangra parliamentary seat in presence of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, the party's Himachal Pradesh unit chief Kuldeep Rathore and state in-charge Rajni Patil. A total of 55 candidates have filed their nominations for four Lok Sabha seats -- Shimla (SC), Hamirpur, Kangra and Mandi. Of them, 8 candidates are in the fray in Shimla, 21 in Mandi, 12 in Kangra and 14 in Hamirpur. The nomination papers will be scrutinised Tuesday and the last of withdrawal of papers is May 2.
NDA will win Lok Sabha election: Kharlukhi
National People's Party (NPP) Meghalaya state president W R Kharlukhi Monday claimed that the BJP-led NDA will return to power after the Lok Sabha election. He also claimed that the NPP will retain the Tura Lok Sabha seat and the ruling coalition will win the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency. "The NDA will storm to power after the results are declared. We are hopeful to win both the seats (in the state). "After May 23, the Congress will realise that their dreams of coming back to power in Meghalaya is going to be a distant dream," he said. The NPP state president denied allegations that the NPP is disguising its relationship with the BJP at the Centre. "We never disguise our relationship with the BJP. We are working together for the common goal but our ideologies are different," he said. He also reminded that the NPP has also made its point clear on its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill during a meeting of all regional parties of the NE held in Guwahati.
Rahul targets Modi over jobs, Rafale
As 13 Rajasthan constituencies voted Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in other parts of the state, attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over jobs and corruption in the Rafale military jet deal. ' "An inquiry in the Rafale deal is going to happen. Two names will emerge. One, Anil Ambani and the other, Narendra Modi, he claimed at an election rally in Kotputai area of Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha constituency. He also addressed meetings in Churu and Dholpur where elections will be held in the next phase on May 6. The first round of polling in Rajasthan was held Monday, when votes were cast for 13 of the state's 25 seats. The Modi-led government has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the deal for the French aircraft. Industrialist Ambani has also dismissed charges that his Reliance Group was favoured in any way. At the rallies, Rahul Gandhi said the party's proposed minimum income guarantee scheme will boost the economy. "I am not here to lie. Our Nyay scheme will ..