Page 819 - Politics

High octane,vitriol-filled campaign for the 2nd phase LS polls

The vitriol-filled campaign for 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to the polls during the second phase in Karnataka on April 23, ended Sunday, with top leaders of the BJP and Congress-JD(S) alliance making a last-gasp effort to sway the voters in their favour. Though the campaign for second phase that covers northern districts was not as fierce compared to the first phase encompassing southern districts, the nationalism debate, corruption allegations, personal attacks, dynasty politics, Lingayat issue- the electoral potboiler had it all. The campaign for the second phase also gained momentum only after electioneering ended for the first phase, where polling was held on April 18. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi helmed the BJP's adrenaline-charged campaign in the state, the partys national President Amit Shah, several Union Ministers,including Nirmala Sitaraman, Smriti Irani and also state leaders, including B S Yeddyurappa are among those who campaigned extensively. For .

Campaign ends for 3rd phase polling in Odisha

Campaign ended on Sunday evening for Odisha's six Lok Sabha and 42 assembly seats where polling will be held in the third phase on April 23. Leaders of political parties like the BJP and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) undertook whirlwind tours of the constituencies, mostly situated in coastal and central Odisha. Polling in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seats and 42 assembly segments coming under these constituencies will be held on Tuesday under tight security. Spearheading the campaign for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah crisscrossed the poll-bound segments addressing a host of rallies. BJP leaders including Union Ministers Uma Bharti, Nitin Gadkari, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Piyush Goyal also hit the campaign trail in these seats. Apart from addressing rallies in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar on April 16, Modi had also led a massive roadshow in the state capital the same day to bolster the ...

South Sudan opposition seeks 6-month extension on peace deal

South Sudan's opposition is calling for a six-month extension to implement next steps in a fragile peace deal as a major deadline approaches next month to form a power-sharing government between the president and his longtime rival. Opposition deputy chairman Henry Odwar told The Associated Press on Saturday that the extension is needed because security arrangements are not yet adequate. South Sudan's government rejects the idea of an extension, further raising concerns among observers that the peace agreement signed in September could fall apart. The deal ended five years of civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and sent millions fleeing. There could be a "constitutional vacuum" if opposition leader Riek Machar does not return to South Sudan as scheduled to form the transitional government that is meant to culminate in elections, government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said. May 12 is the deadline for Machar to return and once again serve as President Salva Kiir's deputy, an ...

LS elections: Campaign ends for third phase polling in Maha

The high-voltage campaign for Maharashtra's 14 Lok Sabha seats which will go to polls in the third phase on April 23 ended at 5 pm on Sunday. Senior leaders from the BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress sought support of voters for their respective party candidates during their campaigns. The fate of as many as 249 candidates will be decided in the third phase of polling. The 14 seats going to polls in this phase are - Jalgaon, Raver (both in north Maharashtra), Jalna, Aurangabad (Marathwada), Raigad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg (Konkan), Pune, Baramati, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Hathkanangale (western Maharashtra) and Ahmednagar (south Maharashtra). Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for the BJP in Ahmednagar and Madha constituencies while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed public meetings in various seats in support of the party nominees. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party has a pre-poll pact with the BJP in the state, campaigned in various ...

Guj: Campaign ends, polling for all 26 LS seats on Apr 23

Campaigning for 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat ended at 5pm Sunday, with the last day of canvassing seeing Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Patan in the northern part of the state and BJP chief Amit Shah holding a roadshow in Gandhinagar. During campaigning, the two principal parties in the state- the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress exchanged acrimonious barbs, with leaders from both groups exuding confidence of a good showing. The BJP had swept all 26 seats in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Campaigning for four Assembly bypolls in Dhrangadhra, Manavadar, Unjha and Jamnagar (Rural) seats also ended Sunday along with that of the Lok Sabha elections. The Talala Assembly bypoll, which was to be held simultaneously on April 23, was, however, stayed by the Supreme Court. Among the star campaigners, PM Modi earlier held rallies in Amreli, Anand, Surendranagar, Himmatnagar and Junagadh, besides Patan on Sunday. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi ...

Bid adieu to 'missing MP', Irani asks Amethi voters, offers sugar at Rs 13 a kg as deal sweetener

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, pitted against Congress president Rahul Gandhi at his home turf here, Sunday appealed to voters to give farewell to their neither-seen-nor-heard, "missing MP". Addressing an election meeting in Dharai under Amethi assembly segment, Irani exhorted voters to bid adieu to their MP, saying give "bidai" (farewell) to the "namdar" and send a "kamal" (lotus- BJP poll symbol) to New Delhi from Amethi this time. Talking on development, Irani said despite Rahul Gandhi consistently "abusing" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling him a "chor" (thief), the prime minister has never discriminated against development of Amethi. The textiles minister also sought to sweeten her appeal with a promise to Amethi voters on behalf of the prime minister to get sugar at Rs 13 a kg on the BJP coming to power again in the Centre. Attacking Gandhi, Irani said, "The missing MP comes here once in five years when the nomination papers has to be filed. Had it not been ...

Campaign ends for LS elections/Assembly bypolls in Goa

Campaign ended on Sunday evening for elections to Goa's two Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to three Assembly seats to be held on April 23. Polling will be held in a single phase for North Goa and South Goa Lok Sabha constituencies and Shiroda, Mapusa and Mandrem Assembly seats. The by-elections in Shiroda and Mandrem were necessitated after their sitting Congress MLAs resigned and joined the ruling BJP. The Mapusa seat fell vacant following the death of its sitting BJP MLA Francis D'Souza. Total 12 candidates are in the fray for the two Lok Sabha constituencies while there are 18 nominees for the three Assembly seats. The campaigns of main rivals BJP and Congress were laced with allegations and counter allegations over various issues, including mining suspension and fall in tourism revenue in the coastal state. While the BJP brought in its top campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu and Maharashtra Chief ...

Oppn parties seek fresh polls in West Tripura LS seat

The political turmoil in Tripura shows no sign of abating with opposition parties demanding fresh polls in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, claiming that the April 11 election in the state was "heavily rigged" by the ruling BJP. Denying the charge, the saffron party said the allegations were "baseless and politically motivated". Around 77.6 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first phase of election in West Tripura. Seeking a "thorough scrutiny" of CCTV footages collected from 1,679 polling booths of the parliamentary seat, both the Congress and the CPI(M) said Sunday they would want their party representatives to be present at the election office during the process. Gautam Das, the state secretary of the CPI(M), told reporters that his party has submitted a memorandum to the returning officer of Tripura West, Sandeep Mahatme, on Saturday, demanding a re-poll in the seat. He claimed that elections were rigged in 846 out of the 1,679 booths in the ...

Had warned Pakistan of consequences if IAF pilot not returned, says Modi

He also took a jibe at NCP leader Sharad Pawar

Will contest from Varanasi if party president asks me, says Priyanka Gandhi

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that she will contest the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the party president Rahul Gandhi asks her to do so.Speaking to media here on Sunday, Priyanka while replying to whether she will be contesting from Varanasi, said, "If the Congress president asks me to contest, I will be happy to contest."Earlier Priyanka Gandhi met the family members of Pulwama terror attack martyr VV Vasant Kumar in Makkamkunnu.The Congress leader interacted with the family members of Kumar for quite some time who lost his life in Pulwama terror attack on February 24, in which 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives after a suicide bomber of Pak-based terror outfit JeM rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their convoy in south Kashmir.Before meeting the martyr's family, Gandhi also expressed her condolences for the victims of serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, which took place earlier in the day. "People were celebrating a day of happiness,

India's Foreign Secretary in China, set to raise Azhar's ban

India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale arrived here on Sunday to hold talks with China's State Councillor and the country's top diplomat, Wang Yi, in which the vexed issue of blacklisting Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar at the UN panel is likely to figure.

Supaul LS seat in Bihar expected to witness a three-cornered contest

Supaul (Bihar) [India], Apr 21 April (ANI): One of the key political constituencies in Bihar, Supaul is expected to witness a three-cornered fight this time around. Congress' Ranjeet Ranjan, sitting MP from Supaul, is pitted against Dinesh Chandra Yadav, former MP and contesting as an Independent, while Dileshwar Kamat is in the fray on JDU ticket.Yadav seems to be also garnering the support of RJD cadres, who are irked over the fact that Ranjan's husband Pappu Yadav is contesting against RJD's Sharad Yadav in the neighbouring Madhepura Lok Sabha seat. Pappu Yadav is contesting on the ticket of his own political outfit -- Jan Adhikar Party (JAP).Talking to ANI, Dinesh Chandra Yadav said: "It is very crucial for Supaul district that a deserving candidate wins and works for the area's development. Ranjeet Ranjan has won two times from here. People loved her and believed in her words but in return, she did nothing for the constituency.""Her husband Pappu Yadav is contesting against grand

RJD contemplates action against Tej Pratap Yadav

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar is contemplating disciplinary action against party chief Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav for raising a banner of revolt and "anti-party activities", said party leaders on Sunday.

Ex-IAS takes on former IPS in battle for Bhubaneswar

It's a fight between a former IAS official and an ex-IPS officer in the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha.

Will contest from Varanasi if Rahul asks: Priyanka

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday said she will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi if asked by her brother and party President Rahul Gandhi.

Modi says he is winning but no fun minus Gujarat's 26 seats

Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Sunday asserted that the country had made up its mind to bring him back to power but said the victory will have little meaning if Gujarat did not repeat the 26-out-of-26 performance of 2014.

TMC faces Left legacy, BJP's ascent in Balurghat

With a long pending railway project, lack of development, scarce job opportunities and rampant infiltration and smuggling in the region, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has its task cut out in retaining the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency in the face of formidable challenge from the BJP and the traditionally strong Left outfit, RSP.

New mayor calls Istanbul rally for 'new beginning'

Istanbul's new mayor on Sunday called for a rally 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 on Wednesday handed Imamoglu his mandate after he won a slim 13,000-vote lead over AKP's Binali Yildirim. Imamoglu supporters were expected to pack 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 citizens of the 16-million strong city, regardless of their political inclinations. "We are united now. The ..

People have faith that Modi can tolerate attacks against himself but cannot let nation down: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday that people of the country have faith that he can tolerate attacks against himself and risk his political future but cannot let the nation down. Addressing a poll rally here, Modi said making new India was the responsibility of first-time voters. "The country has faith that Modi can tolerate attacks on himself and can risk his political future but cannot let the country down," he said. In a sharp attack against the Congress, the prime minister said "injustice" was meted out to the country's resources under Congress' rule. He claimed that the Congress has three realities 'naamdaar parivar' (dynastic family), corruption and plenty of false promises. "Do you want a stronger India or helpless India? Do you want a Congress govt that makes country weak or BJP that makes country strong?" Modi said. "Tiny nations which gained independence during the time when India got independence went ahead in development but our country lagged behind," he said. He ..

Congress upbeat on both Goa LS seats, 3 assembly bypolls

The Congress party is confident of winning the April 23 elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the three assembly bypolls with a 5-0 scoreline, state Congress president Girish Chodankar said on Sunday.