Page 792 - Politics
Wayanad: NDA candidate files complaint to EC against Rahul for violating poll code
NDA candidate from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency Thushar Vellappally has filed a complaint against Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleging that the leader violated model code of conduct by carrying out "open campaign to garner votes in his favour even while the polling is going on" in Kerala."I have filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi stating that he has violated the code of conduct of this constituency (Wayanad). As you are aware that the election campaigning ended at 5 pm on April 21. But he has tweeted today morning stating that want NYAY for every Indian. But it is a clear cut violation of the code of conduct. That is why I have filed this complaint before the Election Commission. Appropriate action may be taken as soon as possible," said Sinil Kumar G, who is NDA media coordinator and Chief Election Agent of Vellappally, told ANI.In the letter to the Election Commission, Sinil wrote: "Rahul Gandhi who is a candidate in Wayanad is seen to be carrying out open campaign to ...
Gambhir holds roadshow in Delhi
Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday held a roadshow here ahead of filling his nomination papers as the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from East Delhi.Amid loud cheers, Gambhir waved to hundreds of people during the roadshow."I really want to contribute something to the country and whatever our Prime Minister has done in the last five years. I want to take that legacy forward. I will try to work as much as I can with an honest heart and clear intentions," Gambhir told ANI.On Monday, the BJP had announced that Gambhir would contest the ongoing Lok Sabha polls from East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. Gambhir is pitted against Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely and Atishi of AAP from the seat.A Padma Shri awardee, Gambhir joined the BJP on March 22 in the presence of Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Arun Jaitley.Delhi, which has seven Lok Sabha constituencies, will go to polls on May 12. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
If I want 'chowkidar', I'll go to Nepal, says Hardik
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday said that he would go to Nepal if he wanted to find a 'chowkidar' (watchman)."I will go to Nepal if I want to find a watchman. I want a Prime Minister who can strengthen the economy, youth, education and our jawans. I don't want a chowkidar, I want a Prime Minister," Patel told reporters after casting his vote here.Patel, who led the statewide agitation in 2015 demanding reservation benefits for the Patidar community, has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi, who he calls himself as a 'chowkidar'.Patel, who joined the Congress in March, was barred from contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls as the Gujarat High Court had rejected his plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the 2015 Mehsana riots case.In Gujarat, 371 candidates are in the fray for 26 Lok Sabha seats, while 45 candidates are in the fray for by-poll in four Assembly seats.Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Not any single party but NDA will form govt after LS polls, says Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that no single party will form the government after the Lok Sabha polls and instead, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will."In the Lok Sabha elections, there are three main alliances contesting this time. There is United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Congress, then there is Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of SP-BSP and RJD and the third is NDA led by BJP," Raut told ANI here."No single party will form the government after the Lok Sabha polls, instead the NDA led by BJP will form the government...Shiv Sena is also part of the NDA," he added.In Maharashtra, voting for the 14 Lok Sabha seats is underway in the third phase. BJP is contesting in the state in alliance with Shiv Sena, while they face a tough battle from Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP.Among the Lok Sabha constituencies going for polls are Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Madha, Sangli, Raigad, Pune, Baramati, ...
Vijender Singh to file nomination from South Delhi LS seat
Boxer Vijender Singh today will file his nomination from South Delhi seat as a Congress candidate."I'm happy that Congress has given me a responsibility to serve the people. As the son of a driver, I understand the plight of the poor. I'll reach out to people to understand their problems," Vijender told ANI."I can't see any Modi wave anywhere. People have identified the real face. Youth just want employment, they say 'jumlon se peth nahi bharega," he added.Singh has been pitted against BJP's sitting MP Ramesh Bidhuri and the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Raghav Chadha.Delhi goes to poll on May 12 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Counting of votes will begin on May 23.
BJP fields Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans from North West Delhi
Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans will be contesting from North West Delhi constituency on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, the party announced on Tuesday. Hans has replaced MP Udit Raj.On Monday, Udit Raj took to micro-blogging site Twitter to express his disappointment over not receiving the party ticket and said, "Amit Shah ji, I have been trying to talk to you many times. I have sent an SMS to you. I also tried to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Manoj Tiwari is saying that I will get a ticket. I tried to speak to Nirmala Sitharaman as well. I have requested Arun Jaitley."Notably, in 2014, Raj had defeated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Rakhi Birla by over one lakh votes in North West Delhi."I merged my party, my supporters are restless about my ticket. My name has not been announced from North West Delhi. My supporters have asked me to wait till 4 pm today," he further tweeted."At the end, I expect the BJP that they will not cheat dalits," he had said in another ...
Central forces working for BJP: Mamata Banerjee
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Tuesday alleged that the central forces were working for the BJP by asking voters in Maldaha Dakshin and Balurghat constituencies, where polling is underway, to cast their votes for the saffron party. Pointing out that the central forces do not have the right to ask voters to vote for BJP candidates, Banerjee said the Election Commission has been apprised of it. "I have got information that the central forces are sitting inside booths in Englishbazar in Maldaha Dakshin and asking voters to vote for the BJP. They do not have the right to do such thing. We have informed the Election Commission about our reservations regarding this," she said. "Why are they (central forces) doing it? The police cannot enter a polling booth," she added. She said that the central forces could come to a state during the elections but they should work with the assistance of the state force and then leave. Criticising the BJP for allegedly using the ...
Damascus opens airspace to Qatar Airways
Syria's government has agreed to allow planes from regional aviation giant Qatar Airways to fly over the country after eight years of conflict kept its planes at bay. "Transport Minister Ali Hammoud has agreed to allow Qatar Airways to cross Syrian airspace, based on a request from the Qatari civil aviation authority," the ministry said late Monday in a statement. Most airlines stopped flying over Syria after war broke out in 2011, instead taking longer routes to circumvent the war zone. But the conflict has largely wound down in recent years, after major regime advances against rebels and jihadists with Russian military backing since 2015. "The agreement came on the principle of reciprocity, as SyrianAir crosses Qatari airspace and never stopped flying to Doha throughout the war," it said. The use of Syrian airspace would see "increased revenues in hard currency for the benefit of the Syrian state", it added. Qatar, a small Gulf state that has traditionally supported the Syrian ...
Kerala registers 22.24% voting in 4 hours (11 a.m.)
Technical glitches notwithstanding, nearly a quarter of the over 2 crore voters in Kerala cast their votes in the first four hours of polling on Tuesday. The state is polling for all of its 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in a single phase.
Will contest from Varanasi if party wished: Priyanka
Amid speculation that she might contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Tuesday she would abide by the party decision in this regard. Varanasi will vote in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 19. "I have said this repeatedly that I will do what the party asks me to do," Priyanka Gandhi said, adding that people were feeling harassed and wanted a change. She is on a tour of Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi, respectively. On the second day of her visit, she will hold meetings with party leaders at Gauriganj in Amethi. Congress made Priyanka Gandhi the general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh in January, hoping for a change in its fortunes in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. On Monday, she hit out at BJP's Amethi candidate Smriti Irani for insulting the people of the constituency by distributing shoes among them.
LS polls: 46 pc polling till 1 pm in Goa
Around 46 per cent polling was recorded till 1 pm during elections for two Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to three Assembly seats in Goa. Following complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs at some polling booths, the faulty machines were replaced, an election official said. Till 1 pm, there was 46.26 per cent voting in North Goa Lok Sabha seat and 43.97 per cent in South Goa, as per official figures. Besides, in the by-elections underway in three Assembly seats, Mandrem so far recorded 45.95 per cent voter turnout, Shiroda-45.86 per cent and Mapusa -47.19 per cent. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his wife were among the early voters. State Governor Mridula Sinha and her husband also cast their votes in the morning at a polling booth in Dona Paula area near Panaji. Congress candidate from North Goa Girish Chodankar and BJP nominee Shripad Naik also exercised their franchise earlier in the day. In South Goa, Congress candidate Francis Sardinha, BJP nominee Narendra .
New IRA claims killing N. Ireland journalist's murder
The New IRA paramilitary group claimed responsibility for the murder of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry and apologized to her family and friends, the media reported on Tuesday.
Unknown Shalini Yadav to challenge Modi in Varanasi
The Samajwadi Party has fielded Shalini Yadav as the joint candidate of the SP-BSP alliance in Varanasi to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.
Giriraj Singh demands ban on use of green flags
Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Tuesday said the Election Commission should ban the use of green flags, often associated with political and religious bodies associated with Muslims, alleging that they spread hate and create a perception of being used in Pakistan. Known for his hardline Hindutva views that have often triggered controversies, Singh said his fight from this parliamentary constituency is against a "gang" working for "breaking up" India, and asserted that he represents the agenda of cultural nationalism and development. In an interview to PTI, the saffron party leader asserted the BJP-led NDA would improve its 2014 tally of 31 seats in Bihar (which has total 40 Lok Sabha seats) and it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself who is the alliance candidate on every seat and all contesting leaders "are his symbols". Singh is locked in a triangular contest with RJD's Tanveer Hasan and young CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar. He had won with a margin of over 1.4 lakh ...
I want to do justice in next five years: Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the BJP government had done injustice in the last five years but he wants to reverse the trend by doing justice in the next five. Addressing an election rally in Beneshwar Dham in the tribal dominated constituency of Dungarpur, Gandhi also promised a surgical strike on poverty and give government jobs to 22 lakh people in the next one year if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress president offered prayers at the Shiva temple in Beneshwar Dham, where an annual tribal fair is held. PM Modi did the most injustice to tribals in the past five years. He did not fulfillpromises and ran a government for 15-20 rich people, Gandhi alleged. The BJP has done injustice in five years. Now, I want to do justice in the next five years, he told the gathering. According to the Congress president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to deposit Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts, provide two crore jobs every year and a better
Sabarimala: Will it, won't it impact Kerala polls
As electorate in Kerala queue up to cast their vote on Tuesday, the big question on everyone's mind is whether and how will the Sabarimala temple controversy impact their decision.
Japan drops 'maximum pressure' on North Korea from diplomatic book
Japan on Tuesday dropped the push to apply "maximum pressure" on North Korea from its official foreign policy, an apparent softening of Tokyo's position as major powers engage with Pyongyang. In last year's "Diplomatic Bluebook", published when tensions on the Korean peninsula were soaring, Japan said it was coordinating efforts with its allies to "maximise pressure on North Korea by all available means." But this language was dropped from this year's edition, drawn up after diplomats had "taken comprehensively into account the latest developments surrounding North Korea", according to chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga. "There have been major developments in the situation surrounding North Korea in light of events such as the US-North Korea summits in June last year and February," Suga told reporters. Abe, seen as a foreign policy hawk, has also softened his rhetoric towards North Korea, frequently offering to meet leader Kim Jong Un to negotiate the decades-old issue of ...
Akhilesh alleges EVM malfunctioning across India
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday alleged that EVMs were "malfunctioning or voting for the BJP" across the country and termed it a "criminal negligence". "EVMs across India malfunctioning or voting for the BJP. DMs say poll officials untrained to operate EVMs. 350+ being replaced. This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crs. "Should we believe DMs @ECISVEEP, or is something far more sinister afoot?" Yadav said in a tweet tagging the Election Commission. Talking to reporters after casting his vote in Saifai (Etawah), Yadav said the EC should take cognisance of reports of malfunctioning of EVMs in Rampur and Badaun also. "I have come to know that a state minister is trying to influence polling in Badaun, where his daughter is contesting. Officers are saying that EVMs are not running for lack of proper training of officials. Is this the digital India being promised by the government?" he posed. On Mainpuri seat, he said, "netaji (Mulayam ...
India must keep buying oil from Iran: CPI-M
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Tuesday urged the government to keep buying oil from Iran despite US threats to impose sanctions on any country which does so.
35% voting in Bengal's 5 LS seats (3rd Lead)(11 a.m.)
Amid a few stray incidents of violence, intimidation and EVM failure, close to 35 per cent electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in phase three of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Tuesday.