Page 916 - Politics
Naidu accuses EC of bias, complains on trasfers, EVMs; EC rebuts
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora here and submitted a memorandum alleging that a large number of EVMs malfunctioned during polling in the state on Thursday and inadequate security led to incidents of violence. Accusing the Election Commission of bias, he claimed that police and administration officers were removed arbitrarily, creating policy paralyses in the administration. He also demanded that the EC return to the ballot paper system to "preserve the sanctity of the electoral process" as there was a "possibility of tampering" with EVMs. "The manner in which the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body,... miserably failed to live up to the spirit of the constitutional duty, is not only disturbing but also dangerous to the future of democracy in the country," the TDP chief said. Naidu alleged that the Election Commission transferred the state chief electoral officer, Srikakulam district magistrate, .
BJP writes to Maha CEO over expenses for MNS chief's rallies
The BJP in Maharashtra Saturday wrote to state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking to know which Lok Sabha candidate would incur the cost of MNS president Raj Thackeray's ongoing political rallies. In a letter addressed to the CEO Ashwani Kumar, senior BJP minister Vinod Tawde, on behalf of the Lok Sabha election committee of the party, said Thackeray has been holding political rallies across the state, despite the MNS not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. "The commission should clarify for whom the rallies are being conducted and which candidate will bear the expenses for his rallies," Tawde said in the letter. He stated Thackeray's rallies are aimed at defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and making Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar's candidates win the elections. "It can be clearly seen that the rallies are being held for candidates of the Congress-NCP. However, no candidate is showing the expenses done for Raj Thackeray's rallies in ...
Himachal may see 80% plus voter turnout: Official
Himachal Pradesh could record 80 per cent plus voter turnout in the four parliamentary seats, an election official said here on Saturday.
Opposition running 'rent a cause' campaign: Jaitley
Accusing the Opposition of running a 'rent a cause' campaign against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said with no leader, no grand alliance and no real issue, there weren't many takers for its "failed campaign".
Not possible to accommodate all ticket aspirants: Amarinder
Brushing aside resentment among party leaders over denial of tickets, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday said with only 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, it was impossible to accommodate all 177 aspirants. He said the decision to allot tickets was taken by the Congress high command based on candidates' winnability. "Tickets were allotted to balance youth with experience," Singh told mediapersons after welcoming former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Chandan Garewal into the Congress. Asked about reports of some disgruntled Congress leaders preparing to form a separate Congress Taksali, the chief minister said it was not possible to accommodate all ticket aspirants. He said he hoped better sense would prevail among these leaders and they would work for the success of the Congress. Responding to a question about denial of ticket to senior Congress leader and sitting Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Singh pointed out that he had unsuccessfully contested on party tickets thrice
HIGHLIGHTS 6.15 PM
These are the top stories from the northern region at 6.15 pm BADAUN ELN32 UP-RALLY-LD MAYAWATI Badaun (UP): Giving her own twist to a recent remark by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP chief Mayawati Saturday said her party wanted both Ali and Bajrang Bali -- particularly Bajrang Bali as the deity is "linked with my own Dalit caste". AMRITSAR DEL2 PB-JALLIANWALA-LD RAHUL Amritsar: Congress president Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial on Saturday to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and said the cost of freedom must never be forgotten. AMRITSAR DEL3 PB-JALLIANWALA-BRITISH ENVOY Amritsar: British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, who laid a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial here on Saturday to mark the centenary of the massacre, said Britain deeply regretted the incident that took place on this day a hundred years ago. SHIMLA DES4 HP-DALITS-CREMATION Shimla: A Dalit family was reportedly compelled to ...
83.12 per cent polling recorded in lone Nagaland LS seat
An overall 83.12 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Nagaland for the lone Lok Sabha constituency, on April 11, a senior election official said on Saturday. For the 26-Aonglenden bye-poll, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections, around 84.35 per cent voters cast their ballots, Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Abhijit Sinha said. Interacting with media persons here, the CEO said altogether 10,02,670 electorate out of 12,06,287 general voters exercised their franchise for the Lok Sabha polls in the state. The voter turnout in this election is 5.13 per cent lesser compared to the 88.25 per cent figure in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he said. Sinha added that 5,07,404 were male voters and 4,95,266 female. Four candidates Congress's K L Chishi, PDA consensus candidate and NDPP's Tokheho Yepthomi, NPP's Hayithung Tungoe and Independent M M Thromwa Konyak were in fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland. The bye-poll to the 26-Aonglenden assembly ...
Le Monde report on Anil Ambani's French firm: Cong sharpens attack; MoD, Reliance reject media report
Stepping up its attack on the BJP-led government, the Congress on Saturday accused Anil Ambani's Reliance for getting special benefit from the French government in the form of the tax settlement days after the deal for the Rafale fighter jets was signed.Ministry of Defence and Reliance group were quick to issue rebuttals on the allegations saying connections drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale matter is "inaccurate, tendentious and a mischievous attempt to disinform."Responding to the Congress allegation, the Defence Ministry said: "We have seen reports drawing conjectural connection between tax exemption to a private company and procurement of Rafale fighter jets by Government of India. Neither the period of the tax concession nor the subject matter of the concession relate even remotely to the Rafale procurement concluded during the tenure of the present Government. Any connections drawn between the tax issue and the Rafale matter is totally inaccurate, tendentious and is a ..
I can contest from anywhere but don't want division of votes: Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said she can contest from any part of the country but chose not to do so as does not want division of votes, adding that stronghold of regional parties in states is a must."I could have fought from several places. People asked me why I'm not contesting as our TMC has got national party recognition. I can contest from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. If I'm winning I can contest from anywhere but I do not want division of votes," she said while addressing a public gathering at Siliguri in West Bengal."I want regional parties to go ahead. Lalu Yadav in Bihar, Mayawati and Akhilesh in Uttar Pradesh and AAP in Delhi. I have helped everyone and brought everyone together," she stressed.Underlying the need for the Opposition to defeat the BJP government, Mamata said: "We contest on 9 seats in Assam, 1 in Andaman, 2 to 4 in Odisha. We will contest from Jharkhand on three to four sets but Bengal is our main focus and loyalty. We will ...
Parrikar's son Utpal slams former Goa RSS chief
In his first political comment amid talk of a political debut, late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's elder son Utpal Parrikar, on Saturday slammed former RSS state chief Subhash Velingkar for questioning his political credentials and critising his father for the sake of publicity.
UK museum launches Jallianwala Bagh exhibition
A museum in the UK has launched an exhibition on Jallianwala Bagh in collaboration with the Partition Museum in Amritsar to mark the centenary of the British colonial era massacre. Jallianwala Bagh 1919: Punjab Under Siege' opened at Manchester Museum in time for Saturday's 100th anniversary of the tragedy that affected thousands. The exhibition is conceived as a lived experience creation, based on work with descendants and communities to collect stories related to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919. Revisiting the event, its causes and aftermath, the nuanced exhibition explores what we remember, how we remember it, and what we have forgotten, in India and the UK, Manchester Museum said in a statement. Protestors had gathered to challenge British rule before they were set upon by Colonel Reginald Dyer and his troops. Confined within an enclosed barren ground called Jallianwala Bagh in the Indian city of Amritsar, hundreds of Indians were killed and thousands injured. This
F-16 or JF-17, what brought down MiG Bison?
Tackling the question as to which aircraft -- the US supplied F-16 or the Chinese origin JF-17 -- brought down the IAF's MiG-21 Bison piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, Pakistani daily the Dawn said on Saturday that the answer hardly mattered as either of the aircraft was equally capable of downing the Soviet-era MiG.
CPM alleges Modi govt misused public funds in Rafale deal so that 'crony gets massive tax breaks'
The CPI(M) on Saturday alleged that the Modi government misused public funds to pay an "exorbitant" price for Rafale fighter jets to benefit "crony businessman" Anil Ambani through offset deal and French tax benefit. The party was reacting to a report in French newspaper Le Monde claiming that france waived tax for the French subsidiary of Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications in 2015, months after India's announcement of buying 36 Rafale jets. "So, our public money is used by Modi govt to pay exorbitantly more for far fewer Rafale fighters than required, to benefit a crony businessman through the defence deal and French tax benefit. No wonder BJP introduced secret Electoral Bonds for party funding, legalising corruption," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. "The whole nexus is now coming out into the open. PMO was directly involved in Rafale scam bypassing our Air Force, and NSA was illegally negotiating in Paris. As former French President said, Modi asked for Anil Ambani
Sudan's new ruler under pressure for swift handover to civilian rule
Sudan's second new military leader in as many days accepted the resignation of the feared intelligence chief on Saturday as he faced calls at home and abroad for a swift handover to civilian rule. Career soldier General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan took the helm of Sudan's transitional military council on Friday when his short-lived predecessor General Awad Ibn Ouf -- a close aide of ousted president Omar al-Bashir -- quit in the face of persistent protests. Burhan now has the tough task of persuading the tens of thousands of protesters who remain on the streets that he is not just another general from the Bashir regime but is genuinely committed to civilian-led reform. The new leader accepted the resignation on Saturday of the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service, Salih Ghosh, the military council announced. Ghosh had overseen a sweeping crackdown led by NISS agents against protesters taking part in four months of mass demonstrations that led to the toppling of Bashir in .
Lok Sabha polls:In Dindori tribal seat, Left hopes for revival
Dindori (ST) constituency in Maharashtra is being keenly watched for its tribal profile, where the BJP is fighting the battle to retain the seat by fielding an NCP turncoat against CPI (M) leader Jeeva Pandu Gavit for the April 29 Lok Sabha elections. The tribal-dominated Dindori taluka is part of Nashik district in north Maharashtra. In two general elections held in 2009 and 2014, Dindori constituency, which was formed after delimitation in 2008, elected BJP's Harishchandra Chavan on both the occasions. However, this time, Chavan was not renominated by the BJP which has instead given a ticket to Bharti Pawar, a former leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Pawar is squaring off against Gavit, a seven-time MLA, and Dhanraj Mahale of the NCP. In the 2009 contest, Jeeva Pandu Gavit polled 1,05,352 votes aginst Chavan whose winning tally stood at 2,81,254 votes. In 2014 polls, Pawar was the first runner-up from the constituency who polled 1,95,165 votes. The CPI ...
Modi lookalike fights elections, gets notice for his 'one vote, one note' slogan
A Narendra Modi lookalike who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections has been served notice for violating the poll code over what he calls is his slogan "one vote, one note". Abhinandhan Pathak filed his nomination papers from Lucknow on Friday as an Independent candidate and said he would also contest Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After filing nomination, he told the media that his slogan was "one note, one vote". In a notice served to Pathak Friday evening, District Magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma said that the slogan appeared to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and amounts to "luring electorate for votes". "Pathak has been given 24 hours time to reply to the notice after receiving it. In absence of the reply, FIR under relevant sections will be lodged against him," the DM, also the returning officer, said. After challenging Home Minister Rajanth Singh, sitting MP and BJP candidate, who is yet to file his nomination from .
Tripura doctors call off 2-day stir as HC intervenes
Doctors and other staff members of Tripura government hospitals, on strike since beating up of a surgeon on Thursday, called off the protest on Saturday following intervention of the high court and the state government.
Bengal BJP chief flaunts weapons during Ram Navami
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Dilip Ghosh on Saturday, donning a saffron headgear, participated in a Ram Navami celebration in West Medinipur district's Kharagpur and flaunted traditional weapons.
Both Ali, Bajrangbali belong to us: Mayawati hits back at Yogi's remark
Taking a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday said that the both 'Ali' and 'Bajrangbali' belonged to her party.Mayawati's comments come days after Adityanath had said that if the Congress, SP and BSP have faith in 'Ali' then "we have faith in Bajrangbali".While addressing a joint rally comprising SP-BSP-RLD alliance here, Mayawati said, "Ali and Bajrangbali both belong to us. I also want Bajrangbali because he has been associated with Dalit caste. This was not found out by me. This was done by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister himself."On April 7, Mayawati had said in a public rally in Deoband that she called upon Muslims to vote for SP-BSP alliance, and not for the Congress party."I appeal to Muslims that the Congress is not capable of defeating the BJP. Only the alliance parties are capable of doing it. Congress does not want the alliance to win. I appeal to Muslims that vote for the alliance only. Do not vote for the Congress," she ..
Campaign for 2nd phase gains momentum in Odisha
After voting in the first phase of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the campaigning for the second phase has gained momentum in Odisha with political parties holding rallies and road shows.