Page 851 - Politics
Maneka Gandhi files nomination for Sultanpur LS constituency
Union Minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi Thursday filed her nomination papers for the Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat here. The Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development performed a 'puja' at her Shastri Nagar residence in the morning and then drove to the Collectorate in a procession to file her papers along with senior party leaders. Later addressing an election meeting at the Pt. Deendayal Upadhaya park in the Super Market area, Maneka exhorted the people to cast their votes in large numbers. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate ensured her support to the locals "fight" to rename Sultanpur as Kushbhavanpur. Widow of late Sanjay Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi said that she too had received immense love and warmth from Sultanpur just like her husband and son Varun Gandhi. The Union minister was elected from Pilibhit parliamentary constituency and her son from Sultanpur Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 general elections. They have swapped the constituencies this time.
Rape accused joins Congress, may contest Panaji seat
Former Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate, accused of raping a minor girl, on Thursday joined the Congress.
N Korea's Kim to meet Putin in Russia in late April: Kremlin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia in late April for his first meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Moscow said Thursday. "Following an invitation from Vladimir Putin... Kim Jong Un will visit Russia in the second half of April," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. The announcement comes after North Korea announced it had tested a new tactical weapon with a "powerful warhead", as denuclearisation talks with Washington appear to stall. The Kremlin did not provide details on the exact date or location of the meeting, but Russian, South Korean and Japanese media earlier reported it would be in Russia's Far East. Putin has long expressed his readiness to meet with Kim. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Thursday that Fiona Hill, an advisor to US President Donald Trump, had been in Moscow for talks with her Russian counterpart Yuri Ushakov. US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun was also in Moscow, the State Department said. A Pyongyang ...
Poonam Sinha files nomination from Lucknow, to contest against Rajnath Singh
Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha who had rebelled against the BJP leadership, Thursday filed her nomination papers for the Lucknow parliamentary seat from where Union Minister Rajnath Singh is seeking re-election. Accompanied by SP MP Dimple Yadav and Shatrughan Sinha, Poonam filed her papers at the Collectorate as the candidate for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the seat, which goes to polls on May 6. Clad in a green saree, the SP nominee, who had joined the party two days ago, arrived at the Collectorate in the afternoon after a road show. Thursday is the last date for filing of nominations for the seat. Her husband, Shatrughan Sinha, was present during the filing of the nomination as well as the road show, which was taken out from the party office. The road show up till the Collectorate passed through the main market of the state capital where Dimple Yadav was seen waving at the crowd carrying flags of the SP and the ...
52.02 pc voter turnout in TN till 3 PM
A little over half of Tamil Nadu's over 5.84 crore voters cast their votes in 38 Lok Sabha seats Thursday till 3 PM, even as the DMK charged the ruling AIADMK with planning to do "booth-capturing" later in the day. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo said no reports of booth capturing or any other untoward incident regarding law and order has been received so far. He said the voter turnout in 38 Lok Sabha segments stood at 52.02 per cent at 3 PM, while maintating that polling was peaceful. Karur recorded the highest voter turnout at 56.85 per cent while Chennai Central clocked the lowest at 45.65 per cent, according to the EC data. At 3 PM, the turnout was 55.97 per cent in the 18 Assembly segments where bypolls are being held along with the Lok Sabha elections. Sahoo said that while the polling would come to a close by 6 PM, those already in the queue would be allowed to cast their votes even after the deadline as officials would provide tokens for this ...
HIGHLIGHTS NORTH 5.15
These are the top stories from the northern region at 5.15 pm LUCKNOW ELX61 UP-PHASE-2-2NDLD-POLLING Lucknow: Over 50 per cent of the votes were cast by 3 pm Thursday in the eight constituencies which went to the polls in Uttar Pradesh in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections. MAINPURI (UP) ELN43 UP-ALLIANCE RALLY Mainpuri (UP): At loggerheads for decades, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati are scheduled to share the dais at a joint rally of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in the Samajwadi Party citadel of Mainpuri on Friday. LUCKNOW ELN23 UP-MAYAWATI BJP Lucknow: Back from an Election Commission ban for campaigning for 48 hours, BSP chief Mayawati Thursday lashed out at BJP and its leaders for levelling "unfounded" charges on opposition parties, including allegations that they were abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AZAMGARH ELX46 UP-AKHILESH NOMINATION Azamgarh (UP): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Thursday filed his nomination papers for the Azamgarh Lok ..
Sudan's military rulers arrest ousted president's brothers
Sudan's new military rulers arrested ousted President Omar al-Bashir's two brothers for corruption, part of a broad sweep against officials and supporters of the former government, the country's official news agency reported Thursday. SUNA quoted the spokesman of the military council, Gen. Shams Eddin Kabashi, as saying that Abdullah and Abbas al-Bashir were taken into custody, without providing more details or saying when it happened. The Sudanese military ousted Omar al-Bashir last week, after four months of street protests against his 30-year rule marred by conflict, civil war and corruption. Al-Bashir is also wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for atrocities committee in the western region of Darfur. The military council, which took over after al-Bashir's ouster, said the former president was transferred on Tuesday to Koper Prison in the capital, Khartoum, a facility notorious for holding political prisoners under al-Bashir. The ...
'Just Married' couple reaches polling booth to vote in JK's Udhampur
A newly-married couple, not yet off their bridal wear, reached a polling booth of Udhampur parliamentary constituency here Thursday to cast their vote, underlining the importance of exercising one's franchise. The couple reached the polling booth in a flower-decked sedan with groom Sourav Sharma sporting a headgear and a cream 'achkan' over red churidars with his bride Manisha, attired in a red 'salwar-kameez' and donning gold jewellery. Accompanied by friends and family members, the couple stepped into the booth hand-in-hand, surprising many standing in the queue and exercised their franchise. They instantly became a hit at the polling booth with dozens of people and visiting journalists clicking their pictures. "It was my moral duty. So we made it a point to cast our votes before starting a new phase of life," Manisha told reporters here. She said even though she just got married, she did not want to waste her vote. Groom Sourav too requested people to vote. "I request all ...
EC bans Madhya Pradesh Cong's 'chowkidar chor hai' campaign
The Election Commission (EC) Thursday banned the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee's audio and video poll campaign which uses the phrase 'chowkidar chor hai' following objections from the BJP. The Congress said it would request the EC to review its decision, as the campaign did not name any person. As per an EC spokesperson, state's Joint Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Kaul's order said that the campaign, titled 'chowkidar chor hai', was being banned as the EC's media certification and scrutiny committee decided to revoke the permission granted to it on April 5. The BJP had complained to the poll authorities that the campaign used objectionable language against 'chowkidar', which referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been using the phrase 'chowkidar chor hai' (the watchman is thief) to target Modi over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. Modi, earlier, had termed himself as nation's 'chowkidar' or watchman. The BJP's complaint also ...
LS Polls: Shatrughan Sinha campaigns for wife Poonam, praises SP-BSP-RLD alliance
Rebel BJP leader and Congress candidate from Patna Sahib constituency, Shatrughan Sinha, campaigned for his wife Poonam Sinha, who filed her nomination from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday.Poonam Sinha, who is contesting as Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate, is pitted against BJP MP and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the constituency.Accompanied by his wife and SP leader Dimple Yadav during a road show, Shatrughan Sinha praised BSP-SP-RLD alliance in the state."I have never seen such a powerful and huge gathering. This has been possible only through the blessings of Mulayam Singh Yadav, co-operation of BSP's Mayawati and hard work of RLD's Ajit Singh," he said.While praising SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Sinha said, "Grand alliance has the power of youth with it and the example is Akhilesh Yadav, who is a youth icon not only in Uttar Pradesh but also throughout the country."The Congress leader said, "I am here not only for SP and BSP but also for my wife, Poonam Sinha...The ..
Criminal complaint filed in Delhi court against Rahul Gandhi
A criminal complaint has been filed in a Delhi against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory statements against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The complaint has been registered in Patiala House Court by Joginder Tuli, an advocate practising in the Supreme Court of India.The complainant has sought the direction from the police to charge Rahul Gandhi under sedition case.The complainant said in October 2016, Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of political exploitation of sacrifices of soldiers in remarks that came in the wake of cross-LoC surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK.Recently Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Maharashtra has , asked how come all "thieves" have Modi as the common surname as he attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of corruption."But tell me one thing...Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi...how come they all have Modi as a common name. How come all the thieves have Modi as the common name?" .
LS polls: MHA takes action against Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is taking action against Bangladeshi actor Ghazi Abdul Noor for his overstay in the country in contravention of visa validity, according to sources.Noor, who attended a political rally in Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, has been asked to leave India, sources said.Noor's visa had expired, said sources adding that appropriate action is also being taken on his overstay in contravention of visa validity.This comes after the BJP on Wednesday approached the Election Commission, alleging campaign undertaken by Noor for Trinamool Congress candidate Sougata Roy in Dum Dum seat.The incident comes after another Bangladeshi national, actor Ferdous Ahmed, campaigned for the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state. Subsequently, the government blacklisted Ahmed, cancelled his business visa and asked him to leave India.The seven-phase Lok Sabha election is currently being held in India. The result will be announced on May 23.
ECI warns Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi over 'Modi ki Sena' comment
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday warned Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi over his 'Modi ki Sena' comment, asking him to desist from using references to security forces for political propaganda and to be careful in future."Whereas, the District Election Officer, Rampur had issued a show cause notice ... to Sh Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of Minority Affairs, Govt. of India, for violation of certain provisions of Model Code of Conduct by making references to the Defence Forces during a public meeting held on 03.04.2019 in Rampur," the ECI order referring to Naqvi said."The Commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made in the aforesaid letter dated 08 April 2019, of Sh Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, wherein he has inter-alia accepted using words "Modi ki Sena"," it added.The ECI stated in its order that "the Commission has again seen the video recording of Naqvi's speech and is convinced that the statement made by him are not in line with the spirit of .
BJP, BSP trade fake voting charges in Amroha
The BJP and the BSP on Thursday traded allegations that some people wearing 'burqa (veil) were indulging in fake voting in each others favour in the Amroha Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
This is an election for change, says Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday that the ongoing Lok Sabha polls were an "election for change".
Cong ditched me, but my family stands by me: Sujay Vikhe Patil
Sujay Vikhe Patil, the son of senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who is contesting the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate, says although Congress did not stand by him, his family was supporting him in his first electoral battle. In an interview to PTI, Sujay slammed the NCP for making the election a personal issue, which prompted him to join the BJP. He said he had worked hard in the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency for three years and deserved to "become an MP". Sujay joined the saffron party last month. His decision came after the Sharad Pawar-led NCP's refusal to leave aside the Ahmedanagar Lok Sabha seat. A neurosurgeon by profession, Sujay said his decision to join the BJP was not an easy one. "I have been speaking against the BJP-led government during my public engagements in three years. But the transition was smooth thanks to the NCP, whose leadership indulged in politics of revenge and gave a personal angle to its denial of ticket to ...
EC warns Naqvi over 'Modiji ki sena' remark
The Election Commission on Thursday warned Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi against "using references to the defence forces for political propaganda" in future after his "Modiji ki sena" (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Army) comment was found violative of the model code of conduct (MCC).
Congress linked Hindus with terror, harassed me: Pragya
BJP candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur on Thursday accused the Congress of being anti-Hindu and said the party harassed a woman by linking Hindus with terrorism.
Poll in Bhopal a fight against Cong's 'conspiracy' to defame Hindu religion: BJP
The BJP Thursday said it will contest Lok Sabha election in Bhopal, where it has fielded Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, as a fight against the Congress' "conspiracy" to defame Hindu religion by linking it to terrorism. Its spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao claimed that the conspiracy has been "exposed", claiming that Thakur has been discharged in some cases. He also mentioned the arrest of Hindutva activist Swami Aseemanand and his recent acquittal to attack the opposition party. Thakur has been discharged of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act but is still facing other serious charges in the case. Aseemanand was recently acquitted in the Samjhauta Express blast case. "We are contesting this election in Bhopal as a fight against the Congress conspiracy to insult Hindu religion by linking it to terrorism. Digvijay Singh was the face of this conspiracy," Rao told reporters. Singh is the Congress candidate from the seat. Dubbing Thakur as an ...
LS polls: 60 pc polling till 3 pm in Chhattisgarh
Nearly 60 per cent polling was recorded till 3 pm in Chhattisgarh's three Lok Sabha seats on Thursday as people stood in long queues and braved the scorching heat to cast their votes, an official said. Voting in the second phase of polling in the state began at 7 am in Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund Lok Sabha seats, all having Naxal presence, amid tight security, the official at the state election office said. "Around 59.72 per cent voting has been recorded till 3 pm," he said, adding that long queues of voters were seen at several polling booths in the three constituencies. Voting ended in four Assembly segments - Antagarh, Keshkal, Bhanupratappur and Kanker - in the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency and Manpur-Mohla Assembly segment of Rajnandgaon parliamentary seat at 3 pm as per the schedule, he said. In rest of the four Assembly segments - Sihawa, Sanjari- Balod, Daundilohara and Gunderdehi - of Kanker Lok Sabha seat andseven Assembly segments of the Rajnandgaon ...