Page 816 - Politics
Uddhav asks Opposition to declare PM candidate
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Sunday challenged the Opposition to announce their Prime Ministerial nominee. Addressing a rally at Satara in western Maharashtra, Thackeray also took a dig at the sitting NCP MP Udayanraje Bhosale who is in the fray against Sena's Narendra Patil. "Before challenging the BJP-Sena alliance, the Opposition should decide their candidate for the post of prime minister," the Sena chief said. He said the Satara MP is known for his least attendance in Parliament. "People of Satara should decide whether they want a candidate who would speak in Lok Sabha or the current one known for speaking nothing<" Thackeray said. In Maharashtra, which sends 48 number of MPs to Lok Sabha, the main poll battle lies between the saffron combine of the Sena-BJP and the alliance of the Congress and the NCP.
Campaign ends for third phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bengal
High-octane campaigning by political parties, including roadshows and speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on April 23, concluded on Sunday. The constituencies which go to polls on Tuesday are Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur and Murshidabad. All the five seats will see a four-cornered contest between the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front. An electorate of 8,023,852 will decide the fate of 61 candidates in these parliamentary constituencies. The TMC has fielded sitting MP Arpita Ghosh against BJP's Sukanta Majumdar in Balurghat. The CPI(M) has nominated no candidate, while the Congress has named Sadik Sarkar. In Malda North, the TMC has named former Congress MP Mausam Noor against BJP's Khagen Murmu, the Congress has nominated Isha Khan Chowdhury and the CPI(M) Biswanath Ghosh. Malda South will see the ruling .
Rahul Gandhi known as 'Raul Vinci' in Britain, Italy: Adityanath
Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused Congress president Rahul Gandhi of fooling the country with his "fake name" and said he is known as 'Raul Vinci' in Britain and Italy. The accusation follows a complaint filed by Independent candidate Dhruv Lal in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, from where Gandhi is fighting his fourth election, about alleged discrepancies in the Congress leader's election affidavit, including about non-disclosure of a company registered in the UK in the name of 'Raul Vinci'. The Congress party's Amethi unit chief Yogendra Misra had said the objections will be countered legally on Monday. No central leader or spokesperson has reacted to the allegations. Addressing a poll meeting in Ghatampur of Kanpur Dehat, Adityanath said, "The 'naamdar' of Congress you know as Rahul Gandhi... In reality, he is not Rahul Gandhi. The country has been fooled with this name. His name is Raul Vinci. I am astonished that the Congress is committing this sin of fooling .
Jobs, farm distress main poll issues, not national security though it is important: Chidambaram
The Congress Sunday said national security is an important issue but the issues dominating the narrative in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections were unemployment and farm distress. Unveiling a report on national security by a task force headed by Lieutenant General (retd) D S Hooda, the Congress said it would be "completely wrong" to say that national security was dominating the poll narrative, though it is an important issue. The Congress unveiled the report in the presence of senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh and said that its approach towards national security is "not ad hoc and not impulsive". "As far as the election narrative is concerned, the number one issue remains unemployment. The number two issue is farm distress and the number three issue is security of various sections of the people, women, Dalits, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, forest dwellers, journalists, academicians and NGOs," Chidambaram told reporters. When asked whether this report, which ...
New Istanbul mayor rallies supporters for 'new beginning'
Istanbul's new mayor rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters on Sunday to celebrate a "new beginning" urging people to unite after he won a highly contested race against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party. Ekrem Imamoglu, 49, of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), narrowly edged out his rival to capture Istanbul mayor's office in a stinging setback to Erdogan's ruling AKP after a decade and a half in power. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is still seeking a rerun of the March 31 Istanbul ballot, but electoral authorities last week handed Imamoglu his mandate after he won a slim 13,000-vote lead over AKP's Binali Yildirim. Waving Turkish flags and portraits of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, thousands of Imamoglu supporters packed the vast Maltepe shoreside area on the Asian side of Istanbul for the rally. Imamoglu, a soft-spoken former district mayor who struck a conciliatory tone throughout the heated race, has vowed to serve all ...
BJP fields Shankar Lalwani from Indore in place of Sumitra Mahajan, Hardeep Puri from Amritsar
The BJP on Sunday announced its seven more candidates for the Lok Sabha election, nominating Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri from Amritsar and renominating its four sitting MPs from Delhi. The party has nominated Shankar Lalwani as its candidate from Indore in place of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Lalwani is Chairman of Indore Development Authority. The party has fielded its four sitting MPs from Delhi -- Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk, Manoj Tiwari from North-east Delhi, Pravesh Verma from West Delhi and Ramesh Bidhuri from South Delhi.
Former MP Madani meets JK Governor
Former Rajya Sabha MP Mahmood A Madani Sunday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik here and shared his views on the prevailing situation in the state, an official spokesperson said. Madani, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, met Malik at the Raj Bhavan and also discussed varied issues of public importance with him, the spokesperson said. He said the governor urged Madani to continue his sustained endeavours for promoting public welfare.
Hatkanangale: Shetti relies on crowd-funding for LS campaign
While distribution of money by candidates to woo voters ahead of elections might not be uncommon, in the sugar-rich Hatkanangale constituency in Maharashtra, sitting MP and farmer leader Raju Shetti collects cash from voters to fund his poll campaign. Shetti says under the unique 'One Note, One Vote' campaign, he asks voters, who are predominantly farmers, to give him their vote and also any one currency note of the denomination of their choice to help him represent them in the Parliament. According to Shetti's aide, all the funds collected under the campaign are accounted for and its details are submitted to the Election Commission (EC). Shetti, who had won his maiden assembly election in 2004 and then went on to win the Lok Sabha polls from Hatkanangale seat in 2009 and 2014, is contesting his third general election from the same constituency in Kolhapur district as a candidate of Swabhimani Paksha. He is a part of the 'maha aghadi' (grand alliance) of the Congress ...
Naidu finding fault with central institutions shows 'fear' of
The YSR Congressparty Sunday said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu finding fault with EC and other institutions was an indicator of his "fear of losing" the elections and his dream of paving way for his son to take over the reins has been "shattered." In a release, Senior YSRC leader Ambati Rambabu accused Naidu of "talking ill" of all the institutions including the Election Commission (EC) and other agencies, finding fault with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and criticising YSRC Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and at every given opportunity. "His (Naidu's) recent remarks on our party President are ridiculous and show that he has already lost battle and had given up," he said. All this reflects his "utter disappointment and the impending defeat" in the (April 11) elections as his dream of making his son (Nara Lokesh) as Chief Minister has been "shattered" with people decisively voting in favour of YSRCP, he added. Alleging that Naidu had "usurped" the ...
Bengal Special Poll Observer stirs political storm
Special Poll Observer Ajay Nayak's comments, comparing the current election scenario in West Bengal to that of Bihar over 10 to 15 years ago, has kicked up a political storm in the state with an angry Trinamool Congress seeking his recall and an elated opposition going hammer and tongs at the state's ruling party.
King restores citizenship of 551 Bahrainis: official
King Hamad has ordered that the citizenship of 551 Bahrainis be restored, after their nationality had been revoked by courts, the official Bahrain News Agency said Sunday. The king, who can revoke court decisions, requested that the competent authorities take into account "the nature of crimes committed". Human rights groups estimate that 990 mainly Shiite people have had their citizenship revoked since 2012 protests against the government.
Campaign ends for five LS seats in Bihar
Campaign ended on Sunday for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar Madhepura, Supaul, Araria, Jhanjharpur and Khagaria all of which go to polls in the third phase of general elections on April 23. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi held rallies at Araria and Supaul respectively, barely 50 kilometres apart, on the penultimate day of campaigning on Saturday. In Madhepura, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a rally about a fortnight ago. The BJPs ally JD(U), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has fielded state minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav from the seat named after the district, which also happens to be the birth place of Mandal Commission architect B P Mandal. Yadav is engaged in a three-cornered contest with Pappu Yadav, who won the seat for RJD five years ago but later got expelled by the party and Sharad Yadav who was the runner-up for the JD-U last time but is contesting on the RJD symbol this time. The seat has become a prestige issue
Akhilesh carrying elephant's shit on his head: UP education minister
In a controversial remark, Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Anupama Jaiswal Sunday equated BSP supremo Mayawati's party with the "shit" of her poll symbol elephant, saying SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is carrying it on his head due to his "misdeeds". "Akhilesh used to say his 'Kam bolta hai' (work speaks), but the BJP youths say it's not your 'kaam', (but) your 'karnama' (misdeeds) that speaks. Had your work spoken, you did not have to carry elephant's shit with you," Jaiswal is purportedly heard saying in a video gone viral here. "What was the need to carry elephant's shit on your head?" she is heard asking. The video with Jaiswal's controversial remark has gone viral on various social media platforms here. Anupama Jaiswal, who the basic education minister in the Adityanath government had been campaigning in Gonda for the BJP candidate Kirtivardhan Singh.
Bengal is such a statethat people are pleading for Central forces in lieu of votes: Babul Supriyo
For the first time in the history of West Bengal, people are asking for central forces in lieu of votes, BJP candidate from Asansol, Babul Supriyo, said coming down hard on the Trinamool Congress, alleging that it was perpetuating violence. Supriyo seemed to agree with IAS officer Ajay V Nayak's statement comparing the situation in the state to that in Bihar around 10 to 15 years ago. "We have to ensure that 100 per cent booths have central forces. This is probably the first time in history that we have seen people actually agitating about central forces. They are saying give us central forces, and take our votes," Supriyo told PTI in an interview. A 1984-batch IAS officer, Nayak, a Bihar cadre officer was recently sent to the state to oversee the last five phases of polling. He had told reporters, "The condition in West Bengal is quite similar to what it was in Bihar around 10 to 15 years ago. During that time in Bihar, total deployment of central forces at the booths was required. ..
MQM Chief Altaf Hussain says ISI could be behind Colombo terror blasts
Exiled Pakistani politician and founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has claimed that Pakistan's military and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) may have a hand in the multiple blasts which shook Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday."Hussain appealed to the UN Secretary-General and all democratic countries that they should never ignore the possibility of the involvement of Pakistani military and ISI in this horrific Colombo terror blasts at the Churches and hotels as almost every single incident of terrorism globally had its foundation originating from Pakistan," an MQM press release stated.He severely condemned the eight blasts, which killed at least 207 people and left around 450 wounded in Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikade, and Batticaloa on April 21."In his message of strong condemnation, he said that each and every worker of MQM stands in solidarity and is severely saddened on the loss of precious lives," the release quoted Hussain as saying."This ...
BJP criticises BJD over misgovernance, corruption
The BJP on Sunday slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in Odisha claiming that the state was a victim of "misgovernance, inefficiency and corruption" during its 19-year rule. "Development in health care, education, irrigation and infrastructure development have come to a halt, while middleman have made a quick buck during the BJD rule," BJP national general secretary and Odisha in-charge Arun Singh said. Singh was campaigning in Balasore, which will go to polls on April 29. "There is a clear swing in favour of the BJP in the state as the people are unhappy with the BJD government. Indications of a wave for the BJP could be clearly seen during the first two phases of voting," he claimed. Accusing the state government of worsening the condition of farmers, the BJP leader said the backbone of peasants has been weakened as the farm sector is in a "mess". Pointing out that Odisha is witnessing a wave of change this time in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and .
Modi cites Sri Lanka blasts, says vote BJP to end terror
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, condemning the terror attacks on Sri Lanka on the holy occasion of Easter, asked people to vote for his BJP to eradicate terror.
With fate of many in Mulayam's clan in poll balance, third-phase campaign ends in UP
The campaign for the third phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh which will decide the electoral fate of SP stalwarts Mulayam Singh Yadav and Azam Khan, besides that of BJP candidate and film actor Jaya Prada, among others, ended Sunday evening. The polling for the third phase is to be held on April 23 for ten Lok Sabha seats in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has a huge stake in this phase in Uttar Pradesh with the party having won seven out of the ten seats in the region in 2014, leaving three for the Samajwadi Party, but facing a tough challenge from SP-BSP-RLD combine here. The campaigning for the phase witnessed a new low with SP leader Azam Khan making an "indecent" remark, targeting his opponent Jaya Prada in Rampur by allegedly speculating on the colour of her underwear and attracting the saffron party wrath, besides that of the National Commission for Women. Khan who also faced a 72-hour ban by the Election Commission of India on his campaigning after making the
Form special cell to probe 'rise in terror activity'
: Senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatraya Sunday alleged the NIA searches in the city showed there was a "rise in terror activities' and demanded that the TRS government form a special cell to probe it. He was referring to the searches by the National Investigation Agency searches at three places here and Wardha of Maharashtra on Saturday in connection with an ISIS module case and detention of four suspects for questioning. The former Union Minister and Secunderabad MP claimed the NIA probe revealed that 'Hyderabad is a safe haven for Islamic terrorist activities.' "Now the recent NIA probe has revealed that Islamic terrorist activities have increased in Hyderabad and a large number of youths are recruited from there," he told reporters here. He demanded that the special cell under the supervision of a Director General or Inspector General-level rank officer take up probe into such activities. Dattatraya also demanded that the state government keep a watch in and around ...
West Bengal: Mukul Roy writes to CEO over campaigning by Bangladeshi actors for TMC
BJP leader Mukul Roy on Sunday wrote to Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, over campaigning by Bangladeshi actors for Trinamool Congress in the state."Campaigning by Bangladeshi actors, namely Ferdous Ahmed and Ghazi Abdul Noor, is unprecedented, unheard and a grave threat to the sovereignty of India and integrity of India's elections," Roy stated in the subject of the letter."No foreign hand can be allowed to meddle in India's electoral process. TMC ought to be de-recognised as a political party with immediate effect," Roy said.Earlier in the day, Roy claimed that the ruling TMC is planning to invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to campaign for the party in West Bengal."I have information that TMC has invited Imran Khan as ex- Pakistan player to come and campaign for TMC in Bengal," Roy said."I have written a letter to EC Delhi to cancel the registration of TMC," he added.Bangladeshi actors--Ghazi Ahmed Noor and Ferdous Ahmed participated in election rallies of the Chief .