Page 865 - Politics
Himachal CM demands ban on Rahul's poll campaigning
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday demanded ban on poll campaigning by Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleging that his repeated "chowkidar chor hai" jibe alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was violative of the model code of conduct.
Toppled Sudanese ex-President Bashir shifted to jail
Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved from the presidential residence to the Kobar maximum security prison in Khartoum, days after he was deposed in a military coup, the media reported on Wednesday.
NPP-CPI take on BJP in Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat
The political fate of 11 candidates, including Manipur's former top official, a popular film actor and a Left candidate supported by the constituent of the BJP-led ruling alliance, will be at stake when the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency goes to the polls in the second phase of polling on Thursday.
Another EC notice to Himachal BJP chief over Rahul remarks
Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti on Wednesday got another notice from the Election Commission over his "inflammatory remarks" against Congress President Rahul Gandhig.
Phase 2 polls in UP to decide fate of Raj Babbar, Hema Malini
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar and another actor-turned-politician Hema Malini are among the candidates whose fate will be decided in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state on Thursday. Polling will be held in Nagina (SC), Amroha, Bulandshahr (SC), Aligarh, Hathras (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura and Agra (SC). Fatehpur Sikri will see a triangular battle between Babbar, BJP's Rajkumar Chahar and BSP's Shreebhagwan Sharma, who is a two-time MLA from Debai assembly constituency of Bulandshahr. While in the temple-town constituency of Mathura, Bollywood "dream girl" of yesteryears, Hema Malini, is seeking re-election after winning the seat in the 2014 general elections. The other candidates in the fray are Kunwar Narendra Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Mahesh Pathak of the Congress. In Amroha, sitting BJP MP Kanwar Singh Tanwar will lock horns with Bahujan Samaj Party's Kunwar Danish Al, who recently joined the party after quitting as the general ...
Indonesia's Widodo set for 2nd term as president
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has won a second five-year term, preliminary election results showed Wednesday, in a victory for moderation over the nationalistic rhetoric of his rival, Prabowo Subianto. Vote counts from five independent survey groups showed Widodo with a clear lead over Subianto, a general during the era of the Suharto military dictatorship who warned Indonesia would fall apart without his strongman leadership. The so-called "quick counts" from reputable survey organisations that use a sample of polling stations have been reliable in past elections. With an average of 80 per cent of sample polling stations counted, the five survey organisations showed Widodo winning 54-56 per cent of the vote, a modest improvement on his 2014 showing. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, is an outpost of democracy in a Southeast Asian neighbourhood of authoritarian governments and is forecast to be among the world's biggest economies by 2030. A second term ...
Amid poll campaign, Rahul offers prayers at stream in Wayand where his father's ashes were immersed
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday offered prayers for his late father Rajiv Gandhi and other ancestors with the 'bali tharpanam' ritual on the banks of Papanasini stream, where the ashes of the former prime minister were immersed nearly three decades ago. Gandhi, who is on a whirlwind two-day tour of Kerala as part of Lok Sabha poll campaign and is contesting from Wayanad besides his family bastion Amethi, took time off his hectic schedule to pay obeisance at the famed Thirunelli temple near the stream here. Wearing a traditional dhoti and draping a 'kasavu' (silk) shawl, the 49-year-old leader prostrated before the sanctum sanctorum and offered 'kanikka' in the temple 'hundi'. After the rituals, he said that standing beside the Papanasini, where his father's ashes were immersed in 1991, "brought back fond memories of him & our time together". "This beautiful temple & its surroundings are an oasis of peace & serenity," he tweeted Known as the "Kashi of the South", ..
Lone Pondy LS seat goes to polls Thursday
All arrangements are in place for polling Thursday to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry and bypoll to the Thattanchavady Assembly segment, which saw intense campaigning by the main rivals, the ruling Congress and the AINRC. There are 18 contestants for the Lok Sabha poll and eight candidates for the Thattanchavady by-election. The main battle would be between the ruling Congress, which has put up former Speaker V Vaithilingam and the opposition AINRC's K Narayanasamy. R Radhakrishnan of AINRC had won the seat in 2014, defeating Congress nominee V Narayanasamy, who is the chief minister now. Bypoll to the Thattanchavady assembly segment is being held to fill the vacancy caused by disqualification of the opposition AINRC legislator Ashok Anand following conviction in a disproportionate assets case in October last year. The nearly one-month long campaign in the union territory saw leaders of various political parties, including from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, canvass ...
Congress' BK Hariprasad refutes claims of being 'outsider', says his main rival is Modi, not Tejasvi
Refuting claims of being an "outsider" in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress leader and Bangalore South Lok Sabha candidate BK Hariprasad on Wednesday said that his main rival in the ongoing polls is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not debutant and his BJP opponent from the seat, Tejasvi Surya.In coalition with the JD(S), the Congress leader, speaking exclusively to ANI, said he hopes that his party's combined vote share and possible disgruntlement against Surya will take it past the halfway mark in the Bangalore South seat that has been BJP's bastion since 1991.On being asked whether he is "bali ka bakra" (sacrificial goat) in the BJP's bastion, the Congress leader said, "People who don't know Bangalore say that Bangalore South is a bastion of the BJP. Earlier, Mr Ananth Kumar was Urban Development Minister. He won only five seats in corporation elections. Devegowda ji had won 6 and we had won 56. So people who don't know Bangalore speak this way."Hariprasad refuted reports claiming that ..
Bangladesh High Commission observes Mujibnagar Day in Delhi
The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday observed the historic Mujibnagar Day, in a befitting manner.The day marks the formation of Bangladesh's first government in 1971, after leading a nine-month War of Liberation.High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali presided over a meeting that discussed the significance of the role played by the first government in leading the independence struggle against Pakistan and gathering International support for Bangladesh."The liberation war stands out as the most glorious chapter in the history of our independence struggle against Pakistan," said Muazzem Ali."This has been our pride and I feel proud to be associated with this unforgettable part of our history," he added.The High Commissioner paid tribute to the country's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and to four other leaders, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Capt. Mansur Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman.On this day in 1971, Bangabandu was named the first president of ...
Agra: Shoe industry in peril and impact will be reflected in the election, says industrialist
While Agra is famous for its world heritage sites like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri; the city's shoe industry is one of the largest leather clusters in the country. Even today, the unique shoes and other leather products from the city continue to allure both locals and tourists.However, according to small scale industrialists in the area, the leather and shoe manufacturing industries are facing grave threats post demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST).While emphasising that their dissatisfaction with the government will be reflected in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mashruf Qureshi, owner of a shoe factory, said that the state government is not paying any heed to their demands."Since the Yogi government has come in Uttar Pradesh, the slaughtering of the animals were banned and the price for raw materials became exorbitant. The GST and demonetisation along with this initiative hit the local traders and manufacturers adversely," he said.He further said that
EC's flying squad inspects Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy's chopper, luggage
A flying squad of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday searched the luggage and chopper of the Karnakata Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy here.The inspection was done by seven officials of the EC when Kumaraswamy's chopper landed in Anavatti village. The CM visited the village to take part in a public meeting.On Tuesday, the flying squad inspected the luggage of former Karnataka chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yeddyurappa at a helipad in Shivamogga.Similarly, a flying squad also inspected the luggage of Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik at a helipad in Rourkela.Karnataka will go to polls on April 18 and 23. The counting of voters will take place on May 23.
US North Korea envoy in Moscow amid reports of Kim-Putin talks
The US special envoy for North Korea was due in Moscow on Wednesday amid reports of a possible meeting in Russia next week between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. The State Department said Stephen Biegun would be in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday "to meet with Russian officials to discuss efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea." The visit came with Russian, South Korean and Japanese media reporting that Kim and Putin may soon have their first summit, in Russia's Far East. Quoting diplomatic sources, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported Wednesday that the meeting would take place in Vladivostok before the Russian leader heads to China for an April 26-27 summit. One of the sources warned that the plans could change, however, noting that Kim was an "impulsive person". South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted diplomats in Seoul this week saying a meeting was being prepared. On Wednesday, the agency reported that North Korea's flagship carrier Air Koryo
Rahul remembers Amethi only while filing poll papers: Irani
Union minister Smriti Irani, who is the BJP candidate against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday said the Congress chief remembers his constituency only once in five years when he has to file his nomination papers for elections. She also accused Gandhi of being insensitive towards the women from poor families in Amethi who have to relieve themselves in the open due to lack of toilets at their houses. "Rahul Gandhi who lives in palaces does not feel sad about the poor women from his constituency who have to go out in the open for defecation," Irani said while addressing a rally at Patan. Irani said senior Congress leaders would always praise "Rahul Shree" irrespective of the assembly or Lok Sabha elections. "He (Rahul) is such a person who shows up in his own Lok Sabha constituency only once in five years and that too because it is compulsory to file nomination papers from the head office (constituency," she said. Irani further said had filing the poll ..
Let BJP dream about winning, Bengal is with Mamata: TMC
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its claims of winning 30 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, saying it would remain a dream for them."The BJP is also saying they will win 50 out of 42 seats. They don't even know how many seats are there (in West Bengal). Let them dream. The people of Bengal are with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC. On May 23, we will see where these people hide," TMC spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O' Brien told ANI.On April 14, the BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had claimed that the party could win 30 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats here, after seeing the "current situation" in the state. "We were expecting earlier that we would get 23 seats in West Bengal. But after seeing the current situation here, it can be possible that the BJP may end up winning 30 seats," Vijayvargiya had said.Three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal - Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Jalpaiguri will ...
Seek a 'forever' relation with Wayanad, says Rahul
Reaching out to the people in Kerala's Wayanad, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday assured that them he will be with them forever.
Turkey's Erdogan meets Iran minister over Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Iran's foreign minister, who arrived in Ankara to brief him on his meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey supports Syrian opposition rebels and Iran backs Assad in Syria's long war, but the two sides have been expanding contacts amid international efforts to end the fighting. Kazakhstan will host a fresh round of Syria talks on April 25-26 in its capital, recently renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan. "I had a long interview with Bashar al-Assad. I will be giving details of these discussions to Mr. Erdogan," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in translated comments. Ankara broke ties with Damascus in 2011 after the start of the Syrian war, and Erdogan has in the past described Assad as an "assassin". But Erdogan acknowledged in February that low-level contacts have been taking place and his rhetoric has also softened in tone in recent months. "In Syria, from the start, on the ground, we .
Three LS seats in WB to go polls in the second phase
Three Lok Sabha constituencies in north Bengal - Jalpaiguri (SC), Darjeeling and Raiganj will go to the polls in the second phase of elections on Thursday. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the BJP are the main contenders in the three seats which will see a four-cornered contest between the two parties, the Congress and the Left Front. The constituencies saw high profile campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, state Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi who raised a plethora of issues ranging from corruption to communalism, NRC to chitfund scams and development to security. TMC has fielded Bijoy Chandra Barman against BJP's Jayanta Kumar Roy in Jalpaiguri constituency, where Moni Kumar Darnal of Congress and Bhagirath Chandra Roy of CPI(M) are also in the fray. In Darjeeling the TMC nominated Amar Singh Rai who will fight against Raju Bisht of BJP, Sankar Malakar of Congress and ...
5 LS seats go to polls in Bihar in phase 2
The second phase of elections in Bihar on Thursday will witness polling in five Lok Sabha seats which are critically important for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). The Janata Dal (United) is contesting all the five seats, including Purnea which it had won in 2014 contesting separately from the BJP-led NDA. The BJP had contested all the five seats in the last general elections and lost all of these. Fates of 68 candidates will be decided by 86.01 lakh voters across Bhagalpur, Banka, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea Lok Sabha constituencies. Purnea MP Santosh Kumar Kushwaha of the JD(U) is in a straight fight with Uday Singh of the Congress who had won the seat on BJP ticket in 2004 and 2009 but quit the saffron party in protest that it is giving "too many" seats to the JD(U). Uday Singh is the younger brother of Nand Kishore Singh, a bureaucrat who is currently Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission. Their mother Madhuri Singh had won the seat twice in the 1980s as a ..
Over 29.81 lakh voters to decide fate of 24 candidates in Srinagar, Udhampur tomorrow
Over 29.81 lakh voters will decide the fate of 24 candidates, including former J-K chief minister Farooq Abdullah and Union minister Jitendra Singh, contesting the Srinagar and Udhampur seats, which go to polls in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. Authorities have deployed over 80 companies for election duty in the twin constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The twin constituencies have 2,981,083 registered electors, they said. Twelve candidates each are in fray for both Srinagar and Udhampur parliamentary constituencies, the officials said. To ensure smooth conduct of elections, 4,426 polling stations have been set up in the twin constituencies. Abdullah is pitched against Aga Moshin of the PDP, Irfan Ansari of the People's Conference and Khalid Jehangir of the BJP. An official said that only 46 rallies were conducted in Srinagar district, a city of over 12 lakh residents, during the campaign period. The polling on Thursday will be keenly watched ...