Page 783 - Politics
Disqualify BJP candidate for 'cash, liquor' haul: Cong to EC
The Congress Tuesday approached the Election Commission asking it to take action against sitting BJP MP and Junagadh Lok Sabha candidate Rajesh Chudasama alleging that huge amounts of cash and several liquor bottles were found in the possession of his secretary. In a written complaint, the Congress' legal cell chairperson Yogesh Ravani demanded that Election Commission disqualify Chudasama. The Congress complaint alleged that Rs 30 lakh was found in the MP's secretary's possession along with huge quantity of liquor, and claimed the police, in its FIR on Monday, had showed only a small amount of cash and one or two liquor bottles in his possession. "It seems that under influence of the party-in-power of state of Gujarat, the police authority initially did not register any complain even though there was a serious offence disclosed before the authority," the opposition party said. "It seems that huge cash and liquor is allowed to be removed under the influence of the ...
NIA arrests Islamic State sympathizer from Delhi
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested Islamic State sympathizer Mohammad Faiz for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist attacks in Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh, the agency said.
Kerala turnout crosses 2014, all three fronts upbeat
Technical glitches notwithstanding, more than 75 per cent of Kerala's over 2 crore strong electorate had cast their votes in polling to the state's 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the third round on Tuesday.
BJP risks 4 seats in UP in face of SP-BSP challenge
Out of the 10 seats that went to the polls in Uttar Pradesh in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) runs the risk of losing four of its own seats and may not be able to wrest three from the Samajwadi Party (SP) if the voting patterns of 2014 are replicated this time.
Modi holds roadshow in Ranchi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a massive roadshow here on Tuesday evening to strengthen the BJP's prospects in the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand which is ruled by his party. Thousands of people, including BJP workers, stood beside both sides of the road in the 2.5 km stretch from the Birsa Munda Airport to Birsa Chowk here. Women, children and elderly people cheered Modi and showered petals as the prime minister stood in an open vehicle and waved at them. He got down at Birsa Chowk and offered floral tributes at the statue of tribal icon Birsa Munda. BJP supporters waved the national tricolour and party flags as Modi's motorcade slowly moved ahead. "I stood on a tool to have a clear look at Modi who looked very confident," said Lalita Kerketta, who owns an eatery along the route taken by the prime minister. A small girl, who came with her parents, said, "I too had a clear view of our prime minister." After the road show, Modi reached Raj Bhavan where he will stay ...
People have right to ask what was achieved in Balakot airstrikes: Ansari
Former vice president Hamid Ansari Tuesday said people have the right to ask about what was done and achieved in the Balakot airstrikes and the government should answer such questions. He said the Narendra Modi government has a mixed record and though it started on a high note, the fulfilment of the promises it made is some distance away. "Instead, it has been taken over by a rhetoric of a certain kind which to a man of my generation is less than desirable," he said in an interview to Tiranga TV. Asked by interviewer Karan Thapar that in light of the Balakot airstrikes and the downing of the F-16, if Indians have the right to question the military and the government or was it unpatriotic to do so, Ansari said, "Of course it is the right of any citizen body to question the performance particularly on matters that relate to foreign policy and defence." He said people have the right to ask "what did we do in Balakot, what did we achieve in Balakot, how has it finally played out". "There
Shah defends Pragya Thakur, hits out at Cong for coining 'Hindu terror' term
BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday said the party's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur was framed in false cases by those who had coined the term "Hindu terror" and indulged in vote bank politics. He defended her candidature and called it an "absolutely right decision". Thakur is in the eye of a storm for controversial statements that her "curse" led to former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare's death in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and that she was proud to have participated in the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Thakur is out on bail in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. "A Hindu can never be a terrorist. They have fabricated false cases to frame her. It was a conspiracy for vote bank politics," Shah said, while addressing a rally at Rajnagar in Chhatarpur district. Defending her candidature, Shah said, "The allegations against her are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case have evaded the law. It (fielding her) is absolutely a right
Delhi CEO writes to Delhi govt, seeks report about 'increase' in honorarium for imams
The Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi has sought a factual report from the revenue secretary over allegations that the Delhi Waqf Board increased honorarium for imams after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha election came into effect, officials said. "We have asked for a factual report from the Revenue Secretary. There has been a complaint and we have asked whether there has been such a measure undertaken by the Waqf Board during the Model Code of Conduct. A reply is awaited from them," an official said. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijedner Gupta said the Aam Aadmi Party chief had announced increasing the honorarium in January this year in the hope of getting political mileage. The Waqf Board chairman implemented the decision during the operation of Model Code of Conduct, Gupta alleged.
Rahul's response on Rafale: High on political justification, low on regret
Congress President Rahul Gandhi's affidavit in the Supreme Court about his comment on the Rafale deal appears more like the stand of his party on the deal; and less in expression of apology, with just one mention of regret.
EC initiates steps to take down trailers of Mamata biopic from internet sites
The Election Commission is learnt to have initiated steps to take down trailers of a biopic on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from at least three websites. After the chief electoral officer of West Bengal submitted a report on the biopic, titled 'Baghini' (tigress), the EC has initiated steps to ensure that the trailers are brought down. Though the producer has claimed that it is slated for release on May 3, an EC official said so far the Central Board for Film Certification has not issued it a certification. The BJP had approached the poll panel seeking a ban on the release of the movie till the election process is over. The last of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha election will be held on May 19 and counting will be done on May 23. The official cited the Commission's April 10 order banning the release of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi till the elections are over, for initiating action on the Mamata Banerjee biopic. In its order staying the release of the Modi ...
Bhupinder Hooda, Digivijay Chautala among those who filed nominations in Haryana
Over 160 candidates filed their nominations for the 10 seats in Haryana on Tuesday. The number of candidates who have filed their nominations has increased to 305 from all the Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, Haryana Joint Chief Electoral Officer Inder Jeet said in an official statement. The nomination process for all the 10 seats in Haryana, where polling will be held in the sixth phase on May 12, started on April 16 and ended Tuesday. Prominent among those who filed their nominations on the last day of filing papers included former chief minister and Congress candidate from Sonipat, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and Jannayak Janata Party's Digvijay Singh Chautala. Congress' Shruti Choudhary, who is a former MP, filed her nomination papers from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh constituency, former Haryana Assembly speaker and Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma filed his nomination from Karnal while Arjun Chautala, son of INLD leader Abhay Chautala, filed his papers from Kurukshetra. Among other ...
BJP dumps Sampla; he terms it 'cow slaughter'
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday chose to dump Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla for the Hoshiarpur (SC) Lok Sabha seat in Punjab, Sampla reacted strongly calling the party's decision a "cow slaughter".
Man hacked to death outside booth during polling in WB
A 55-year-old daily wage labourer, claimed to be a Congress activist, was hacked to death outside a polling booth in Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat, a senior official at the Election Commission said. The Congress alleged that it was the handiwork of the Trinamool Congress but the ruling party denied the charge. Three other persons were also injured in the incident, sources in the CEO's office said in Kolkata. Police sources here said Tiyarul Sheikh went to vote at the booth under Bhagwangola police station limits when a group of men attacked him with sharp weapons following an altercation. "One Tiyarul Sheikh met with sharp cut injuries when two groups clashed with bamboo and pelted stones at each other outside a booth at Bhagwangola in Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency. He was later declared dead," state CEO Ariz Aftab said in Kolkata. His daughter Hira Bibi lodged an FIR naming six persons for the killing, the CEO said. Though the political affiliation of the accused was .
LS polls:Ker records 76.82% polling;79.77% turnout in Wayanad
A total of 76.82 per cent of 2.61 crore voters Tuesday exercised their franchise to elect 20 Lok Sabha members from Kerala, where the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF fought tooth and nail to garner maximum seats. Official sources said the election was by and large peaceful. According to the provisional figures released by the Election Commission, 76.82 per cent electors turned up in 24,970 polling stations across the state and all the constituencies crossed 70 per cent voting by 9 pm. EC sources told PTI that the final tally was yet to be ready as polling data from around 1500 booths are to be received. The high range constituency Wayanad, which came into national prominence after Congress chief's Rahul Gandhi's candidature, registered a record polling of 79.77 per cent against the 73.25 per cent registered in the 2014 elections The BJP-NDA lodged a complaint against Gandhi alleging he openly canvassed for votes through twitter even while polling was on in the hill ..
Harsh Vardhan, Manoj Tiwari offer prayers at temples before campaign
BJP candidates Harsh Vardhan and Manoj Tiwari offered prayers at temples before beginning campaign for the Lok Sabha election on Tuesday. Delhi BJP president Tiwari, who is seeking re-election from North-east Delhi, offered prayers at Marghat Wale Baba Ji Temple. "There is 'Modi wave' in the entire country and we are going to get more seats than the 2014 elections. The Delhi unit is going to help in making Narendra Modi the prime minister again by winning all the seven seats here," Tiwari said. He is pitted against Congress veteran and president of Delhi unit of the party Sheila Dikshit and AAP's Dilip Pandey. Union minister and sitting MP Vardhan visited Gauri Shankar Mandir, Digambar Jain temple, Hanuman Mandir and Sheeshganj Gurudwara before beginning campaign in his Chandni Chowk constituency. Addressing a gathering, Vardhan said the confidence of people in the leadership of Modi has grown immensely and this is the reason voters are turning up in large numbers across the ...
65.61 per cent cast vote in third phase of LS polls; one killed in Bengal
A high voter turnout, including over 80 per cent in Assam, was recorded in the third and largest phase of Lok Sabha elections Tuesday covering 116 constituencies amid complaints of EVM malfunctioning in many states and killing of a man outside a booth in West Bengal. Election Commission officials in Delhi put the voting percentage at 65.61 at 8 pm. Final figures are likely to change as queues of voters were seen at several centres even after the scheduled time for voting ended. Polling was also held in Anantnag seat in Jammu and Kashmir which saw a turnout of 13.61 per cent. Elections for this seat are being conducted in three phases. The driver of a vehicle carrying ITBP troops back from their poll duty in Kokarnag area of south Kashmir was killed as it overturned after a mob hurled stones at it, officials said. With Tuesday's polling, voting has been held in 302 Lok Sabha constituencies apart from Anantnag. In Gujarat, a turnout of 63.67 per cent was registered for the 26 seats. Key
Modi attacks Mamata, Trinamool for using Bangladeshi actors
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took potshots at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for roping in actors from neighbouring Bangladesh to campaign for her Trinamool Congress in the 2019 polls.
Sedition law: People like Rahul should not get to contest,
Slamming Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his party's poll promise to scrap sedition law, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday said such persons should not be allowed to contest elections. Addressing a public rally in Kalyan near here for party candidate Shrikant Shinde, Thackeray said the Opposition was interested only in ousting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a Hindutva organisation. "The previous government was only known for corruption. This government is only known for development... The manifestos of both the parties (Congress and BJP) should be examined," he said. Thackeray noted while Modi warned Pakistan that India's nuclear weapons are not kept for Diwali, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the neighbouring nation's arsenal was not for Eid either. "And Rahul Gandhi says he will not abolish Article 370..I want to tell Congress and NCP leaders that this country is yours as well," he said. He added that Congress and NCP leaders ..
Denied renomination, MoS Sampla says BJP committed 'cow slaughter'
Reacting angrily to the denial of re-nomination on the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla Tuesday said the BJP has committed "cow slaughter". The BJP Thursday picked up its Phagwara MLA Som Prakash for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, denying ticket to Sampla from there. The Union minister gave vent to his anger in a series of tweets, hitting out at his party. "Feel very sad, the BJP has done cow slaughter," the senior BJP leader tweeted in Hindi. In another tweet, the Dalit leader sought to present his clean credentials and asked his party what was his fault and why he was denied re-nomination. "You should have pointed out any fault. What is my fault?" he tweeted. "There is no corruption charge against me. No one can raise a finger at my conduct," he said. He also highlighted the development work he undertook during his tenure as an MP. "I got an airport in my region, got many new trains started, got roads built," tweeted Sampla. "If this is the fault, I ...
Bimal Verma again moves military court challenging appointment of Karambir Singh as Navy Chief
Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on Tuesday once again moved a military tribunal challenging appointment of Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next chief of naval staff after the defence ministry did not respond to his statutory complaint, official sources said. Verma, commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) on April 8, but withdrew his petition the next day after the tribunal told him to first explore "internal remedies". Verma, the senior most naval commander, is contesting appointment of his junior Vice Admiral Singh to the top post. In his fresh petition, Verma said he had filed a statutory complaint with the defence ministry, challenging appointment of Vice Admiral Singh as the next navy chief, and asked it to respond within 10 days. He said he was approaching the AFT as the ministry is yet to reply to his petition. Vice Admiral Verma is in Delhi to attend the naval commanders' conference which was inaugurated by defence minister .