Page 786 - Politics
Government to blame for Easter carnage: Rajapaksa
Opposition leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Sri Lankan government, saying it must be held accountable for the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 321 people.
UP records 60 pc voter turnout
Uttar Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of over 60 per cent in the 10 constituencies where polling took place in the third phase on Tuesday, election officials said. Prominent UP leaders in the fray in this phase are four members of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, besides senior party leader Azam Khan and actor-turned BJP candidate Jaya Prada. The overall voting percentage was 60.52 per cent, UP's Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwar Lu told reporters after polling closed at 6 pm. He said polling was held peacefully in the state. There were complaints of electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioning at some booths and they were promptly attended to, he had said earlier. The SP lodged a complaint over the alleged malfunctioning of EVMs with the Election Commission, terming it criminal negligence. A report from Sambhal said some EVMs developed snags in Chandausi and Asmoli assembly segments of the Aonla Lok Sabha seat. In Pilibhit, polling at a sensitive booth in .
64.66 per cent cast vote in third phase of LS polls; one killed in Bengal
A high voter turnout 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 64.66. 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. With Tuesday's polling, voting has been held in 302 Lok Sabha constituencies apart from Anantnag. In Gujarat, a turnout of 58.96 per cent was registered till 5 pm for the 26 seats. Key political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, party veteran L K Advani, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Ahmed Patel cast their votes at different places in
Home turf of Mehbooba Mufti saw 40 polling booths with zero votes
Home turf of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, the Bijbehara assembly segment under the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, reported highest concentration of polling stations where zero votes were cast. Among the 65 booths in Anantnag where zero votes were cast, 40 were located in Bijbehara, one of the six assembly constituencies where voting took place in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections Tuesday. People cast their votes in 714 polling stations in Anantnag. Bijbehara, the home constituency of PDP president Mufti, had 120 polling booths set up for a population of 93,289 people. A total of 1,893 electorate or 2 per cent exercised their franchise when the polling ended at 4 pm. The voting time for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat was reduced in view of security considerations. The Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, where voting took place in the first phase, saw 17 polling stations with zero while the Srinagar Parliamentary seat, which went to polls in the second phase, recorded ..
Is poll code separate for PM & CM? asks Naidu questioning EC
NCP president Sharad Pawar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu Tuesday hit out at the Election Commission, with the latter asking if the model code of conduct was separate for the prime minister on one hand and chief ministers on the other. Addressing a joint press meet here, Naidu, on queried about Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a roadshow ahead of casting his vote in Gujarat, said, "Is it for the first time (that the prime minister has violated the model code of conduct)? Everyday there is a violation (on Modi's part)." The PM is a registered voter in Gujarat, where all the 26 Lok Sabha seats went to the polls in a single phase Tuesday. Citing an example, Naidu said the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh were over (on April 11) and the top officials in his government were transferred, but the Intelligence Bureau continues to report to the PM "every day". Naidu said the EC had asked him "not to talk" (owing to the model .
Geelani's son questioned by NIA in terror funding case
Nayeem Geelani, the son of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, appeared before the National Investigation Agency for questioning in connection with a case related to funding of terror groups and separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said here. Nayeem Geelani, who had been evading questioning by the NIA for long, appeared on Monday and a detailed questioning took place on Tuesday. Geelani's questioning comes days after the NIA quizzed moderate Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq in connection with the same case. The NIA probe seeks to identify the chain of players behind the financing of terrorist activities, stone pelting on security forces, burning down of schools and damaging of government establishments. The case names Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), the front for the banned Lashker-e-Taiba, as an accused. It also names organisations such as the Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani ..
Voting for Cong in Delhi equivalent to voting for BJP: AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party said Tuesday that voting for the Congress in Delhi is equivalent to voting for the BJP as the role of the grand old party is nothing more than that of a "vote cutter" in the national capital. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai, in the first press conference after all seven party candidates in Delhi filed their nomination papers, said before the Congress and the BJP go asking for votes, they should justify why they went back on their promise of full statehood. "BJP, which has all seven MPs in Delhi, was confused till the last moment on who to field against our candidates who have immense popularity on the ground," Rai said. The seven AAP candidates were present with Rai and they asserted they would win all the seats in the national capital. Rai ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the Congress in Delhi. He urged people to vote for AAP which is fighting the election on the agenda of full statehood. "Voting for Congress in Delhi is equivalent to voting for BJP as ...
Rahul raises chowkidar slogan in MP; promises made-in-India
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday once again raised the slogan "chowkidar chor hai", and promised that if voted to power, his party would ensure that Rafale fighter jets are manufactured in India. Addressing campaign rallies at Sihora and Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, he continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to him as the chowkidar (watchman) who brought bad name to all other chowkidars. "This is a beautiful slogan. Chwokidar...," he said, speaking at Sihora in Jabalpur district. To which the people replied, "Chor hai (is a thief)." The Congress chief reiterated his allegation that for the benefit of industrialist Anil Ambani, Modi "gave Rs 30,000 crore" to the former's company. The price of the Rafale fighter jet increased from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,600 crore under the contract signed by the Modi government, and the contract to manufacture the jets was given to Ambani's firm instead of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), he further ...
Eight candidate file nominations in HP
Congress candidate from Shimla Col Dhani Ram Shandil was among the eight candidates who filed their nomination papers in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, an electoral officer said. Solan MLA Shandil, 78, filed his nomination from the Shimla Lok Sabha seat whereas Amit Nanda filed his papers as his covering candidate. Shandil was accompanied by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, AICC in-charge for HP Rajni Patil, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Himachal Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore. CPM's Daleep Singh Kaith and independent candidate Dev Raj Bhardwaj filed their nominations for the Mandi seat. Subhash Sharma of Himachal Jan Kranti Party, Prem Chand Vishwakarma of the Nav Bharat Ekta Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party's Kehar Singh and Swabhiman Party's Sawroop Singh Rana filed their nomination for the Kangra Lok Sabha seat. The process of filing of nomination papers in Himachal Pradesh started Monday and will continue till April 29. All the four Himachal Lok Sabha seats -- ...
NDA complains against Rahul for tweet campaign after expiry of
The BJP-led NDA Tuesday lodged a complaint against Congress candidate in Wayanad Lok Sabha seat Rahul Gandhi alleging he openly canvassed for votes through twitter even while polling was on in the hill constituency. In his complaint to the Returning Officer, Wayanad seat, Sinil Kumar G, Chief Election Agent of NDA candidate and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) leader Thushar Vellappally attached a "print out" of a tweet by Gandhi on his ambitious NYAY scheme. Kumar alleged that Gandhi canvassed for votes even after the time limit to openly campaign in the constituency ended at 5 pm on April 21. "Rahul Gandhi who is a candidate in Wayanad is seen to be carrying out open campaign to garner votes in his favour even while the polling is going on," Sinil Kumar said in his complaint. Contending that his actions have caused serious dent on the credibility of fair polling in Wayand constituency, the NDA sought "appropriate stern action against this candidate who is violating the .
LS poll: Tentative 73.06 per cent votes polled in Kerala
A provisional voter turnout of 73.06 per cent was recorded Tuesday in the elections to the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala which by and large was peaceful. An estimated 73.06 per cent of the 2.61 crore voters cast their franchise as of 6 pm when the polling time officially ended but this was likely to go up when the final figures are tabulated, official sources said. It was a do-or-die battle for both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and opposition Congress-headed UDF in most of the 20 Lok Sabha seats this time in the state, known for its decades-long bipolar politics. The BJP-led NDA posed a formidable challenge to the two traditional fronts in at least three constituencies -- Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur. A senior election official told PTI that since there were a large number of people standing in queues in some places, they would be allowed to vote. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who contested from Wayanad in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, his party
Cong fields Ranvir Sharma for Agra Noth assembly bypoll
The Congress on Tuesday named Ranvir Sharma as its candidate for the by-election to the Agra North assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The bypoll in Agra North was necessitated following the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Jagan Prasad Garg earlier this month. The Election Commission last week had announced the schedule for by-elections to Agra North and Darjeeling Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, respectively. The polling in both the seats will take place on May 19, while the counting of votes will done on May 23.
Cong moves EC against Modi 'road show' after voting, calls him 'uncaring offender'
The Congress on Tuesday moved the EC alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took out a "road show" after casting his vote as well as made political remarks in violation of the model code of conduct, and demanded that a campaign ban of 2-3 days be imposed on him for being an "uncaring offender". The opposition party also made a representation to the Election Commission (EC) over alleged model code of conduct violation by BJP chief Amit Shah and demanded a 72-hour campaign ban on him. The Congress delegation comprising Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Jairam Ramesh and K Raju told the EC that Shah "openly raised Balakot air strikes, Pulwama attack and armed forces" while seeking votes in Krishnanagar, West Bengal. The party strongly raised the issue of alleged violation of the model code of conduct by the Prime Minister. After casting his vote in Ahmedabad, Modi walked some distance from the polling booth and interacted briefly with mediapersons. "Prime Minister is occupying a high post. The .
2-time Congress MP Shandil files papers from Shimla
Two-time MP and Congress leader Dhani Ram Shandil was among eight candidates who filed nomination papers on Tuesday for the four Lok Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh.
Maha RPI (A) leader joins Congress
The Maharashtra secretary of the RPI (A), Madhu Mohite, Tuesday joined the Congress along with his supporters. According to a statement, Mohite joined the party at its state headquarter here in the presence of Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan, Congress MP Hussain Dalwai and former Rajya Sabha member Bhalchandra Mungekar. The Republican Party of India (A) is led by Union minister Ramdas Athawale and is a constituent of the ruling NDA.
Estimated 60.42 polling percentage reported in 2nd phase of
An estimated 60.42 per centvoter turnout was reported tentatively in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Karnataka, for which polls were held in the second phase Tuesday, with the Congress-JD(S) allianceand BJP locked in a fierce contest. Shimoga,where state BJP chief and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is pittedagainst another former Chief Minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu, recorded the highest turnout of about 68.39 per cent, poll officials said. The lowest was reported in Raichur with 51.75 per cent, they said, giving the polling percentage till 5 PM, which is expected to go up further in the final tally. In Gulbarga, a key constituency where Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is pitted against Umesh Jadhav of BJP, 52.18 per cent voting has taken place so far. Uttara Kannada,where Union Minister Ananth KumarHegde is locking horns with Anand Asnotikar of JD(S) reported 65.58 per cent turnout,while Bijapur,where another union Minister .
Will contest from Varanasi if party wishes: Priyanka
Adding currency to the 'will she, won't she' speculation, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Tuesday she would abide by her party's decision on contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi. "I have said this repeatedly that I will do what the party asks me to do," the 47-year-old Priyanka Gandhi said, adding that people were feeling harassed and wanted a change. Last month, it was widely expected that Priyanka Gandhi may contest from Rae Bareli, though she had quipped "why not Varanasi", triggering the speculation. Varanasi will vote in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 19. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been saying that his sister will take a call on the Varanasi question and chose to keep the "suspense alive". But she reiterated Tuesday it would be the party chief's decision. On Monday, the SP-BSP alliance named a candidate for Varanasi in a move likely to heat up the battle in the key constituency, as the Congress had expected the
Dismal voter turnout in Mehbooba Mufti's hometown
A low voter turnout of just above two per cent was witnessed Tuesday in this assembly segment, the home of former chief minister and PDP candidate Mehbooba Mufti, in south Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, a militancy hotbed, where the election is being held in three phases due to security reasons. The authorities clubbed seven polling booths of the town inside a building housing the office of the Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Bijbehara 45 kms from the summer capital Srinagar. According to figures available on the Election Commission's Voter Turnout App, the final polling number for the Bijbehara Assembly segment was 2.04 per cent. Joined by her family, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti cast her vote at booth number 35 around 2:30 pm. At around 3 PM, with just an hour to go for the polling to close, only 31 votes (16 males and 15 females) were polled at the booth, out of the total 345 (161 males and 184 females), polling officials
'Tussle for power between Prez Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe proves costly for Lanka'
The political tussle between Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe caused a catastrophic security lapse, allowing a little-known radical Islamic group to carry out the country's worst terror attack on Easter Sunday, Lankan media and ministers have said. Sri Lankan media and some ministers have criticised the rift between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe after it emerged that authorities had prior intelligence from India and the US about the possible attacks by the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) jihadist group. Suspected NTJ suicide bombers triggered a series of powerful explosions at three Catholic churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, killing at least 321 people and wounding nearly 500 others. After the attacks shook the island nation, Sri Lankan Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and the Cabinet were not informed about the intelligence tipoff and the terror threat. Sri Lanka has been wracked by ...
Will scrap Article 370 as soon as BJP returns to power: UP Dy CM Maurya
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya Tuesday said Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, will be scrapped after the BJP returns to power at the Centre. "Once Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister again and Article 370 will be scrapped," Maurya told an election meeting in Jalalabad here. He said Modi, in his second term as the prime minister, would "wipe out terrorism". Taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he said that after the election "Akhilesh and Rahul will go back to Saifai and Italy respectively". On SP leader Azam Khan's son's "Anarkali" remark against BJP candidate Jaya Prada, Maurya said the Election Commission has taken note of it and action will be taken against him.