Page 937 - Politics
Have knocked out BJP in first round of LS polls itself, claims SP chief Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed to have knocked out the BJP in the first round of Lok Sabha polls itself."We have knocked out BJP in the first round of polls itself. People are voting heavily in favour of the grand-alliance and we are expecting even larger support for the grand-alliance in the second phase," the SP chief said.Accusing BJP of spreading hatred in the society, the former Chief Minister said, "We want to stop the BJP because they spread hatred in the society. We are going to snatch the post from "Chowkidar" in this election."Akhilesh Yadav also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of snatching the rights of backward classes.The former Chief Minister also termed Yogi Adityanath as "Baba Chief Minister" of the state."Baba Chief Minister says we have improved the law-and-order situation through encounters," Akhilesh said while asserting that killing of Sumit Gujjar was wrong.The former Chief Minister further said
BJP, TMC cross swords over use of security forces in first
The BJP and the TMC Thursday engaged in a war of words with the two parties accussing each other of using state police and central forces to "manipulate" the voting process in Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat, which went to polls Thursday in the first phase. Polling was held in two north Bengal seats - Cooch Behar and Alipurduar - in the first phase and around 81 voter turnout was registered. "In the booths where state police was in charge of the security, voting didn't take place properly. There have been rampant malpractices. We feel that repoll should be ordered in those booths," BJP's Cooch Behar candidate Nishit Pramanik said. Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee alleged that the BJP has used the central forces to terrorise the voters. TMC leader and North Bengal Development Minister Rabindranath Ghosh claimed that EVMs malfunctioned in several booths and it could be part of a conspiracy to manipulate votes. "I have never seen such an election ever in ..
DR Congo army says several dozen Burundi rebels killed in east
DR Congo's army said Thursday that it had killed 36 Burundian rebels in a three-day operation in the eastern province of South Kivu, abutting Burundi. Three soldiers were killed and four were injured in the operation which targeted "positions of Burundian rebels of the National Forces of Liberation (FNL) and Republican Forces of Burundi (FOREBU)," said provincial army spokesman Captain Dieudonne Kasereka. Two senior rebel officers were killed and the FNL's chief, Aloys Nzabampema, was seriously hurt, he said. Troops overran rebel positions at Magunda, Ruminako and Mangwa in the Uvira region and seized "several weapons of various calibres, ammunition and much communication material," said Kasereka. FOREBU mainly comprises troops and police who deserted the Burundian security forces in the aftermath of an attempted coup against Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015. It has been renamed the Popular Forces of Burundi (FPB). The FNL is a predominantly Hutu rebel movement that has holed up in the ...
Going by 2014, BJP ahead in 6 of 8 western UP seats
Western Uttar Pradesh's eight Lok Sabha seats that went to the polls on Thursday in the first phase of the 2019 elections had been won convincingly by the BJP in 2014 with margins of over two lakh votes. It had got over 50 per cent votes in four seats and also benefited from lack of opposition unity.
Anti-quota Sapaks Party to contest LS polls in 10 states
The Sapaks Party, an anti- reservation political outfit, Thursday said it will contest Lok Sabha elections in more than 10 states and field candidates on 15 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. The party will contest on 15 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh, said Sapaks Party president Hiralal Trivedi while releasing the outfit's manifesto here. In its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, the Sapaks Party or the Samanya Picchda Evam Alpsankhyak Samaj, has promised to end caste-based reservation if elected. Trivedi said prominent parties of the country, including the BJP, Congress, BSP and SP, are dividing the country on caste lines and his party opposed this kind of politics. "Our party opposes discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, sex, language and region. So, we are getting support from all sections of the society," said the former IAS officer. Trivedi said his party is in the process of fielding candidates in more than 10 states of the country. He said ..
Nearly 58 per cent polling in U'khand
Over 57 per cent of the electorate in Uttarakhand cast their vote Thursday to seal the fate of 52 candidates as polling was held in the first phase of the general elections to its five Lok Sabha seats. The turnout recorded at 5 pm across the five seats was 57.85 per cent, Chief Electoral Officer Soujanya said. Nainital Lok Sabha seat recorded the highest voter turnout at 66.39 per cent followed by Haridwar which recorded 66.24 per cent polling, she said. Tehri recorded 54.38 per cent, Pauri 49.89 and Almora 48.78 per cent, Soujanya said. In the Kumaon region, people of at least a dozen villages and four polling booths in Chamoli district of Pauri constituency reportedly boycotted the polls, complaining of lack of roads despite repeated complaints to the state government. The village adopted by Congress Rajya Sabha MP and the party's Almora candidate Pradeep Tamta also boycotted the elections. Though people had begun to queue up outside polling booths even before voting began at 7 am, .
EC issues show-cause notice to Mayawati, says she violated poll code
The Election Commission Thursday issued a show-cause notice to Mayawati over her speech in Deoband appealing to Muslims not to vote for a particular party, finding that the BSP chief had prima facie violated the model code of conduct. The chief electoral officer Sunday had sought a report from Saharanpur district administration on Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati's speech during the joint SP-BSP-RLD rally in Deoband. Chief Electoral Officer L Venkateshwarlu had received several complaints and he sought a report from the district administration on the issue. The commission, in its notice to Mayawati, said prima facie it is of the opinion that the BSP chief has violated provisions of the model code of conduct. It also asked Mayawati to explain her stand regarding her statement. The EC said she should give an explanation within 24 hours of receiving the notice otherwise it would take its decision without making any further reference to her. State BJP vice president J P S Rathore had ...
Parties claim good show in first phase polls in Odisha
With completion of polling for four Lok Sabha and 28 assembly constituencies of Odisha in the first phase, major political parties Thursday exuded confidence about having "performed well" in the elections. While thanking the voters of the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Berhampur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur, ruling BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik claimed his party candidates have "performed very well" in the polls held on Thursday. "I expect, the results to be better than the 2014 polls," BJD president Patnaik told reporters. BJP Odisha in-charge Arun Singh also made similar claims and said his party would win the elections in Odisha with two-third majority in the state assembly. OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said: "The Congress candidates will win 18 out of the 28 assembly seats where polling was held on Thursday. In 2014 elections, BJD had won all the four Lok Sabha seats - Berhampur, Nabarngpur, Kalahandi and Koraput. Of the 28 ...
India, Netherlands vow to strengthen ties
India and the Netherlands Thursday discussed ways to strengthen bilateral political and economic ties, including boosting cooperation at the United Nations and other international fora. The two countries held Foreign Office Consultations here, with the Indian side led by A Gitesh Sarma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and Johanna (Yoka) Brandt, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leading the Dutch delegation. "India and the Netherlands share a multi-faceted relationship. Both countries used this opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, commercial, scientific and cultural cooperation," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues, including cooperation at the United Nations and other international fora, it added. India welcomed the participation of the Netherlands as the partner country for the 25th edition of the CII-DST Tech .
May faces quit call after securing Brexit delay
British Prime Minister Theresa May faced down a call to resign on Thursday as she implored MPs to resolve the Brexit impasse at last after the EU granted a new six-month delay. May's 27 European Union counterparts pulled another all-nighter in Brussels before clinching a compromise timetable for Britain's departure, extending the deadline until October 31. Britain will be able to leave before then if its parliament finally manages to ratify the hotly-contested divorce deal May reached with the bloc and that has been behind all the political turmoil in London, with MPs unable to back it -- or any alternative they themselves have come up with. "The whole country is intensely frustrated that this process to leave the European Union has not still been completed," May told MPs in parliament. She said lawmakers should reflect during their forthcoming Easter break on the decisions that will have to be made swiftly upon their return. "Let us then resolve to find a way through this impasse," ..
Markets hold ground after new Brexit delay
The pound steadied Thursday and European stocks held firm after Britain and its EU partners agreed again to extend Brexit. European leaders and British Prime Minister Theresa May opted to delay Brexit for up to six months, saving the continent from a chaotic no-deal departure on Friday. "The high drama of a Brussels summit between the 28 EU leaders that ran late into the night failed to cause a commensurate move in the markets," noted XTB analyst David Cheetham. The deal struck in the early hours of Thursday allows Britain until October 31 to ratify the divorce it had initially set for March 29, but leaves the door open for Brexit anytime before then. Traders breathed a sigh of relief but observers noted the reprieve was only brief with the agreement merely kicking the can down the road. If Britain has not ratified the divorce by May 22, it must hold elections to the European Parliament from May 23 to 26 or crash out of the bloc on June 1 with no deal. "A second delay really has not ..
Iraqi troops destroy holdout IS media centre in north
Iraq's elite counter-terrorism force targeted Islamic State group holdouts Thursday in the northern region of Hamreen, including a media centre, more than a year after the country declared IS vanquished. Although they no longer hold territory, IS sleeper cells were believed to be hiding out in vast deserts and scraggy mountains like Hamreen, from where they have conducted deadly hit-and-run attacks against government posts. Iraqi military spokesman General Yahya Rasool said Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi had ordered the Counter-Terrorism Service "to conduct operations targeting Daesh (IS) remnants and their caves in the Hamreen Mountains." The operation was supported by both Iraqi aircraft and US-led coalition warplanes, he said in an online statement. CTS spokesman Sabah al-Naaman said the operation had lasted four days, with troops parachuting in and setting fire to 15 IS shelters. Among them was a centre used to produce IS's weekly propaganda magazine Al-Naba. "A special team is ..
Important that we elect candidate who can defend our special status in Parl: Baramulla voters
For many voters in the Lok Sabha polls for Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla constituency Thursday, this election was about choosing a candidate who can raise in Parliament the issues confronting the state, including the challenges to its special status. Several voters at polling booths across the constituency said it was very important, and hence one of the main points in drawing them to the polling stations, that they choose a candidate wisely and vote for the one who can do justice with the people of Kashmir. Mukhtar Ahmad, a voter in THE Handwara Assembly segment of the Baramulla Parliamentary constituency, said the Lok Sabha polls provided an opportunity to the people to send a representative of their choice to the Parliament which is a much bigger platform to highlight their issues. "We need someone who can raise his voice and thereby our voice there. Someone who can talk about the issues we in Kashmir confront and do justice with the people. The Parliament is a much bigger ...
Pakistan adds more questions to Pulwama dossier
Pakistan on Thursday said that it has handed over more questions to India on its dossier on Jaish-e-Mohammed's involvement in the dastardly Pulwama attack and claimed that New Delhi has not provided any "actionable evidence" on the terror attack. Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal during his media briefing said that the reply to previous questions was also not given by India so far. Pakistan has handed over further questions to the Indian High Commissioner on the Pulwama dossier, Faisal said. We await the Indian response to questions shared with them." The spokesperson claimed that India has so far not provided "any actionable intelligence" related to the terror attack in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14 in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. He claimed that Pakistan has "credible intelligence" that India could launch a "misadventure" against Pakistan this month. Pakistan will respond decisively if its resolve is tested by India, he said. India handed over the dossier to ..
EU countries approve launch of US trade talks
EU member states gave the green light on Thursday for Brussels to open trade talks with Washington, diplomatic sources said, ending months of stalemate due to opposition from France. The negotiating mandate was now set to be adopted without discussion by EU agriculture ministers on Monday in Brussels, a European diplomat told AFP. Envoys from the EU's 28 member states had struggled to agree on a mandate to open trans-Atlantic talks, with some fearing the revival of a trade war with President Donald Trump. Pursuing a limited trade deal is a central component of an EU-US truce negotiated in July that has come close to imploding after the US on Tuesday threatened $11 billion in fresh trade tariffs against Europe. Paris had blocked the mandate to lanch talks worried of domestic blowback just months ahead of European elections, set for May 22 to 26. To satisfy its demands, France's EU partners agreed to insist on guarantees on the environment during the talks from the US, which pulled out .
YSRC would secure a "landslide victory": Jaganmohan Reddy
Looking upbeat after a high percentage of voting was recorded in the general elections in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy Thursday exuded confidence that his party would secure a "landslide victory" on May 23. "People of AP voted overwhelmingly to rid the state of the demonic rule of Chandrababu Naidu. With the blessings of God and the people, I think it will be a landslide for YSRC. This is going to be people's victory," Jagan remarked at a press conference here. The Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly said the Chief Minister should hang his head in shame for the "conspiracies" he hatched in the elections. "Over 80 per cent of 3.93 crore voters exercised their franchise. It's a high percentage of voting and might even go up to 85 per cent. People are satisfied after seeing the VVPAT slips. When all this went on so well, how could anyone even comment anything negative, except for the fact that they are losing?," Jagan asked, ...
Baramulla votes peacefully but turnout is just 35%, lower than 2014
Over 35.01 per cent of the 13.12 lakh electorate cast their votes Thursday in the election for the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir as the polling concluded peacefully, barring a minor clash between supporters of two candidates, officials said. The voter turnout for the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency was 35.01 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Shaliendra Kumar told reporters here. The turnout this year has seen a decline compared to 2014 when 39.6 per cent of the electorate had exercised their franchise. A senior election official said the polling concluded peacefully with only one incident of a clash between supporters of the National Conference and People's Conference reported from Inderkote area of Bandipora district. He said the situation was brought under control by the security forces and polling resumed within minutes of the incident. The Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency is spread over 15 assembly segments in three districts of north ...
Bridegroom casts vote in Bijnor before joining his 'Baarat'
A bridegroom, donned in his wedding dress, cast his vote here in the first phase of polling on Thursday. The man became the point of attraction as he came to vote before joining his 'Baarat' procession.The first phase of polling witnessed many inspiring moments, depicting people's craze for participating in the polling.A man carried his elderly father to the election booth in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.Elderly women in West Bengal also remained undeterred by their old age and came to cast their votes.The administration in Saharanpur arranged horse-carriages, palanquins, and wheelchairs for the convenience of differently-abled voters.The voters were picked up from their homes and dropped back after they cast their vote.Saharanpur Divisional Commissioner C P Tripathi told reporters: "There are 2,929 Divyang voters in our division. We took this initiative so that they could exercise their voting rights freely"The election to the Lok Sabha is being held in seven phases, ...
Sudan army topples veteran leader Bashir, protestors vow more demos
Sudan's army ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir Thursday, but protestors against his iron-fisted rule swiftly rejected a "coup" by the military and vowed to keep up their demonstrations. In a sombre televised address, Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced "the toppling of the regime" and said Bashir had been detained in "a secure place", bringing an end to his three-decade rule. A transitional military council will replace the president for two years, he said, adding that the country's borders and airspace would be shut until further notice. But in a warning to protestors, he also imposed a night-time curfew from 10:00pm (2000 GMT) to 4:00 am (0200 GMT). Bashir, who swept to power in a 1989 coup, was one of Africa's longest-serving presidents. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes. But organisers of the protests, which first erupted in December, rejected the army's move and vowed to keep up their campaign until the whole regime ...
No code violation in appointment of two Dy CMs in Goa: CEO
The election authorities in Goa Thursday ruled that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not violate the model code of conduct by appointing two deputy chief ministers in the state. The Goa Congress had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Sawant had violated the code of conduct by appointing deputy chief ministers. Talking to reporters, Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal said the appointment, which was done by the order of Governor Mridula Sinha, was legitimate as it was within her Constitutional powers. "The order was an exercise of constitutional powers by the governor. The governor is well within her constitutional powers. We have given a report to the Election Commission (EC) that no further action needs to be taken in the matter and they have accepted our report," he said. "The government formation process is out of the purview of the model code of conduct and it is guided by the Constitution of India. The code is with regards to any new appointments within ...