Page 727 - Politics
Priyanka not to fight Modi as Congress's 'To be or not to be' politics continues (Column: Political Calculus)
"To be or not to be". The opening phrase of Hamlets soliloquy in Shakespeares play is a prime example of literary dialectics, where the prince finds himself oscillating between two choices, to exist or not. The situation for the Congress, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra isnt much different.
Glitch in EVM delays polling in two booths of Kannauj
Voting was delayed for over two hours at two polling booths of Kannauj parliamentary constituency due to an alleged glitch in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).Booth number 35 and 435 of Chhibramau area in Kannauj witnessed long queues of people waiting at the polling station, awaiting the start of the polling process.Voters in the queue alleged that the not a single vote could be casted at the booth since the morning."It hasn't been working since the polling started at 7 am. Not even one vote has been cast here. Voting has not started because of a glitch in EVM," one of the voters waiting in queue claimed.Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA Arvind Kumar Singh also wrote a letter to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) highlighting EVM malfunctions at several booths including two booths of Kannauj parliamentary constituency.Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav is contesting from Kannauj parliamentary seat.In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Dimple managed to win despite 'Modi wave' but ...
Polling begins on slow pace in UP
An estimated 9.59 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling in 13 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections Monday. Seats where polling is underway are Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh (SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur. Polling in this phase is specially important for the ruling BJP as it is aiming for a clean sweep by winning all 13 seats, including Kannauj which was the only seat the Samajwadi Party had managed to win in 2014. Kannauj was won by Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav. On four of these seats - Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Mishrikh and Etawah- the BJP opted for new faces while former Union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi (Kanpur) and Uma Bharti (Jhansi) are also not in the fray this time. The SP-BSP alliance has fielded six BSP candidates and seven SP candidates. While the BSP is contesting from Shahjahanpur (SC), Misrikh (SC), Farrukhabad, .
Britain's FM urges caution over Huawei role in 5G network
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has urged caution over the role of China's Huawei in the UK, saying the government should think carefully before opening its doors to the technology giant to develop next-generation 5G mobile networks. His comments come after Prime Minister Theresa May conditionally allowed China's Huawei to build the UK 5G network, according to media reports last week. The company faces pushback in some Western markets over fears Beijing could spy on communications and gain access to critical infrastructure. "We are right to have a degree of caution about the role of large Chinese companies because of the degree of control the Chinese state is able to exercise over them in the way that would not be possible if they were large Western companies," Hunt told Monday's Daily Telegraph newspaper. "That doesn't mean to say that their role is automatically malign, but there are things like the 2017 law which requires all Chinese companies, whatever their ownership, to ...
Spain's PSOE to form 'pro-European' government
The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) leader and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would form a "pro-European" government in the wake of his ruling party's victory in Sunday's general election.
10.94 per cent polling recorded in J'khand in first two hours
An estimated 10.94 per cent of the 45.26 lakh electorate cast their votes in the first two hours of polling on Monday in three Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand, in the first phase of elections in the state. Voters queued up before booths in Lohardaga (ST), Palamu (SC) and Chatra constituencies since early morning, as polling began at 7 am, an election official said. A large number of the women electorate were seen in urban areas of Palamu and Mandar in Lohardaga constituency, they said. The election officials said all preparations have been made to ensure fear and free polling till 4 pm. There are a total of 6,072 polling stations for the three seats, where 25,727 polling personnel have been deputed. Police said there was no untoward incident reported so far from any part of the three constituencies. A total of 45,26,693 voters will decide the fate of 59 candidates, including two women. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Sudarshan Bhagat is among the prominent
LS polls: CM Kamal Nath among first to cast vote in MP
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was among the early ones to cast his vote on Monday for the Lok Sabha polls in the state's Chhindwara seat, where his son Nakul Nath is the Congress' candidate. The chief minister along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law arrived at a polling booth in Shikapur area to exercise their franchise. Power supply tripped briefly when the chief minister and his family members were inside the polling booth, election micro-observer Narendra Singh Sisodia told PTI. Polling began in the morning in six Lok Sabha seats of the state and by-election to Chhindwara Assembly constituency, where the chief minister is in the fray. The Lok Sabha constituencies of Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara are going to polls in the first phase of general elections in the central state. A poll official said Nath would not be able to exercise his democratic right in the Chhindwara Assembly bypoll as he is a registered voter from Saunsar ..
Adityanath, Akhilesh urge people to vote
As voting began across 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday urged the people to cast their ballots.
Sakshi Maharaj, Salman Khurshid cast their votes
BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj, who is re-contesting from Unnao parliamentary constituency on Monday exercised his right and said that when the results will be announced the opposition will again blame the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Commander at Guantanamo Bay relieved of duty
US Navy Rear Adm. John Ring, the commander at Joint Task Force - Guantanamo, has been relieved of duty "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command", the Department of Defence said.
Taiwan reports voyage of 2 US warships through Taiwan Strait
Taiwan's defense ministry says two U.S. warships have sailed through the Taiwan Strait, in a move likely to spark protests from Beijing. The ministry said the ships made the passage on Sunday, sailing from south to north through the waterway that divides the self-governing island from mainland China. Beijing frequently objects to such voyages based on its claim to Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. In a statement Monday, the ministry said U.S. ships were free to sail through the Taiwan Strait as part of their "strategic Indo-Pacific tasks." China last week complained to France after a French warship entered Chinese territorial waters while traversing the Taiwan Strait, and blamed British naval activity in the South China Sea for a downturn in bilateral relations.
US Attorney General warns to skip Mueller hearing
US Attorney General William Barr has warned Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee that he won't show up to this week's highly anticipated hearing if they stick to the format the chairman has proposed for the questioning, the media reported.
Voting begins for 13 LS seats in UP fourth phase
As the election juggernaut entered the Bundelkhand and central region of Uttar Pradesh, the politically sensitive state on Monday saw Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Mishrikh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Hamirpur vote in the fourth phase.
Adityanath urges people to vote in LS polls
As voting began across 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Chief MInister Yogi Adityanatah on Monday urged the people to cast their ballots for a prosperous and powerful India.
Macron and Merkel try to resurrect Serbia-Kosovo talks at Balkan summit
European leaders will try to bring bitter foes Serbia and Kosovo back to the negotiating table at a regional summit in Berlin on Monday, hoping to reboot a dialogue over one of the Balkans' thorniest disputes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are hosting the neighbours, whose relationship has taken a turn for the worse in recent months, alongside other Western Balkans leaders and EU members Croatia and Slovenia. The gathering will centre on the "stability of the region, with a particular focus on finding a way to relaunch the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo," the French presidency said in a briefing ahead of the summit. The Macron-Merkel initiative comes after EU-led talks between Serbia and Kosovo ground to a halt last year. The nub of the dispute is Belgrade's denial of the independence of Kosovo, a former province that broke away in a bloody 1998-99 war. The Brussels-led dialogue collapsed several months after talk of possible border changes ..
Voting begins for phase II polls in J&K's Anantnag
Voting began on Monday for the second phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha seat amid high security.
Polling on 13 parliamentary seats begin in Rajasthan
Polling for 13 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan started at 7 am on Monday.
RJD's candidate from Jahanabad an 'RSS agent': Tej Pratap Yadav
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap Yadav, who has floated a new outfit called 'Lalu Rabri Morcha', on Sunday alleged that the RJD's candidate from Jahanabad is an "agent of the RSS."Tej Pratap and his brother Tejashwi Yadav were seen to be at loggerheads over the choice of candidate for Jahanabad seat. Tej Pratap wanted his close aide Chandra Prakash to contest from Jahanabad as RJD candidate while Tejashwi rejected his suggestion and declared that Surendra Yadav as the party candidate from Jahanabad.Addressing an election rally here in support of Chandra Prakash, Tej Pratap said: "RJD's candidate from Jahanabad is a 'darban' (guard) of Lalu. Due to my father's imprisonment, wrong people were given ticket in the RJD. The ticket was given to a person who is a sycophant."Tej Pratap further alleged that RJD's candidate is an arms dealer. "He is a man of dirty thinking and an agent of RSS," he said.Earlier, Tej Pratap Yadav had said that he would contest as an ..
Sukh Ram attempts to bury differences with arch rival Virbhadra Singh
Amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, political rivals former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra and former Union minister Sukh Ram have been making attempts to resolve their differences.The reuniting of these two leaders, which took place on Thursday, is said to have strengthened the Congress party in the state against its strongest opponent BJP.On April 25, Sukh Ram and Virbhadra were seen sharing a stage when Congress leader and former union minister's grandson Aashray Sharma had filed nomination papers for Mandi Lok Sabha seat.The former chief minister said that he would never forgive Sukh Ram for what he has done to him but his blessings are with Aashray.Even Sukh Ram apologised to Virbhadra on the day of Aashray's nomination but the former chief minister did not respond to it. "I asked him (Virbhadra) for forgiveness for any mistakes that I might have committed in the past," Sukh Ram had said."Sukh Ram had made the biggest mistake by forming a different party and I can ..
Voting in 72 Lok Sabha seats in 9 states begins in fourth phase
Voting began Monday for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls in 72 parliamentary constituencies spread across nine states. About 12.79 crore people are eligible for voting in the fourth of the seven-phase elections. The Election Commission has set up 1.40 lakh polling booths/stations and has made elaborate security arrangements. Polling will be held in 17 seats in Maharashtra, 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand and a part of the Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. The stakes are high for the ruling BJP and its allies as it had swept 56 of these seats in 2014, leaving just two for the Congress and the rest for other opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress (six seats) and the Biju Janata Dal (six). The fate of 961 candidates, including Union ministers Giriraj Singh, Subhash Bhamre, S S Ahluwalia and Babul Supriyo of the BJP and former Union ministers Salman Khurshid and ..