Dehradun, It was a close contest in Uttarakhand with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 23 seats and the Congress close behind with 22 seats in trends available for 59 of the 70 assembly constituencies. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was third with six seats and the Samajwadi Party (SP) had yet to open its account. Smaller parties bagged the remaining nine seats. ...
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Dehradun, It was a close contest in Uttarakhand with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 23 seats and the Congress close behind with 22 seats in trends available for 59 of the 70 assembly constituencies. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was third with six seats and the Samajwadi Party (SP) had yet to open its account. Smaller parties bagged the remaining nine ...
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Majority of the exit polls conducted by various organisations and national news channels, shown at the end of polling at 5 PM on Saturday, have predicted more seats for the Congress compared to the SAD-BJP combine in the Punjab Assembly. The India TV-C Voter exit poll has predicted 62 to 68 seats for the Congress, 44 to 50 seats for SAD-BJP, 1-4 seats for the PPP, and 1-4 for the others. The Headlines Today exit poll has not ruled out a victory for the SAD-BJP, though it has given a clear edge to the Congress. This exit poll has predicted 58 to 62 seats for the Congress, and 50 to 54 seats for the SAD-BJP combine. It has given 2 to 4 seats to the PPP and the BSP, anywhere between 5 to 8 seats to the others. The News24-Today Chanakya exit poll has predicted 60 seats for the Congress and 52 seats for the SAD-BJP. It has predicted 5 seats for the others. According to the exit poll conducted by CSDS for IBN7, the SAD-BJP combine can return to power by winning anywhere between 51 to 63 seats. It has predicted 48 to 60 seats for the Congress, giving this party too a shot at power in Punjab. This exit poll has given 3 to 9 seats to the ...
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Shimla, In a bid to pacify rebels in its Himachal Pradesh unit, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday appointed a new president for the state. Satpal Singh Satti, a second-time MLA from Una, has been appointed the state president replacing Khimi Ram, a close confidant of chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. BJP president Nitin Gadkari cleared Satti's name and accepted Ram's resignation, a senior party leader said here. Ram, a two-time legislator from Banjar in Kullu district, was unanimously elected president in July 2009 after Jairam Thakur, who headed the state unit, was inducted into the state cabinet. In February 2010, Ram was retained as president. Satti, who is also a chief parliamentary secretary, has to resign from that post before assuming the new charge. BJP sources said a minor cabinet reshuffle is also on the cards this month. Party insiders said Gadkari had to step in following two party camps in the state, one led by Dhumal and the other by former Union minister Shanta Kumar having been at loggerheads for quite some time. Shanta loyalists, comprising two ministers and three MLAs, are upset over Dhumal's style of working. Gadkari last week deputed ...
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Margao, The BJP on Friday stressed that it hadn't fielded a weak candidate in Margao while also stating that it "subscribes to the universal principles of education" that primary education should be in the mother tongue as far as the medium of instruction issue is concerned. Refusing to reply to a query on whether the BJP would reverse the cabinet decision extending government grants to English medium primary schools, state BJP general secretary Wilfred Mesquita told reporters, "Unless and until we see the legality of the decision, we can't decide on that." He added that the party is awaiting the high court decision on the matter. "A decision which is wrong cannot be reversed, it automatically gets reversed," said Mesquita. Earlier, the party's legislature wing spokesperson Damodar 'Damu' Naik, urged people to end the "sade-sati that has gripped Goa in the nearly seven-and-half-year long Congress misrule" by voting BJP to power. Sade-sati is the much-feared astrological phase of Saturn's transit through the zodiac signs that signals bad omens for seven-and-half years. Naik made the remark while lashing out at Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik for stating that the ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Thursday that Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma's promise of increased quotas for Muslims in Uttar Pradesh was another manifestation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "deafening silence" on issues. Had the prime minister acted against Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who got into trouble with the Election Commission over a similar promise and had to apologise, nobody would have dared repeat it, BJP leader Balbir Punj said. "The silence of the prime minister is deafening and he should open his mouth about what he thinks. Had he acted on the Election Commission's letter against Khurshid, nobody would have dared to repeat it," he said. "One instance could be a coincidence but attacking the Election Commission again and again... then there has to be a method. Congress is in a desperate situation as their yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) has high stakes in UP and they are not getting any success," said Punj. He called the apology by Khurshid a half-hearted attempt just to get out of a sticky situation. "One minister after another taking on the Election Commission cannot happen without the approval of party president Sonia Gandhi," he ...
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The BJP today announced its second list of six candidates, including two former Congressmen, for the March 3 Goa Assembly polls. Nilesh Cabral, the sole minority candidate figured in the list, has been given ticket from Curchorem constituency while his former colleague in Congress Ganesh Gaonkar will contest from Sanvordem seat. Besides the duo, Subhash Faldesai will contest from Sanguem seat, Kiran Kandolkar from Thivim and Manohar Shirodkar from Bicholim. The saffron party has fielded old war horse Rupesh Mahatme against Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in Margao constituency. Out of the 40 seats on block, BJP is contesting on 31 seats, while its pre-poll alliance partner Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) is fielding candidates on eight seats. Both the parties have reached an understanding to support Independent candidate Nirmala Sawant in Cumbharjua constituency. BJP had announced its first list of 22 candidates and is yet to finalise names of candidates for the three Catholic-dominated constituencies of Navelim, Velim ...
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Coimbatore, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah has attacked political factions, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for exploiting the country's vast religious and cultural diversity to win votes. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar here, Abdullah criticised leaders for using religion to mobilise and channelise the emotions of the people. "When I (in reference to any political leader) want to win an election, I will say Allah (God) is in danger, not saying that Farooq Abdullah (in reference to any political leader) is in danger…So, I say Allah is in danger, and I am here on behalf of Allah. (A) Hindu (leader) will get up and say, I will bring a Ram temple. Build it, who stops you? Go and build it. But, don''t fool the people, that we are all saviours," Abdullah said. Leaders must also refrain from dividing India on religious or cultural grounds merely to consolidate their votebanks, said Abdullah. "When will that time come when we no longer divide India on religion, on language (and) on culture. God has given us a nation, which is multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and our hearts beats with the same beat for India. It is ...
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Varanasi, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday said he wasn't running for the prime minister's post and his job was to stay connected with people. "Rahul Gandhi's obsession is not to be PM. Rahul Gandhi's obsession is to work for the people," the Congress general secretary told reporters on the last day of campaigning for the first of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh polls due to begin Wednesday. Without naming him, the Gandhi scion hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L.K. Advani saying some senior politicians were obsessed with prime ministership. He, however, said Advani was committing the "crime" of promising something to people that he won't be able to deliver. "He (Advani) is not listening to the people. He is trying to tell people that he will do something that he won't. But I don't do that," Gandhi said. He accused the BJP leader of scuttling the Lokpal bill in parliament. "Giving constitutional status to the Lokpal was India's idea," Gandhi said, alleging that the BJP opposed it thinking that this was Congress's ...
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New Delhi, The Supreme Court judgment setting the government a three-month deadline to sanction the prosecution of public servants for corruption was a slap in the government's face, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday. Party general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for protecting the tainted and questioned the government's stand on the prosecution of Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum scam. “Today's verdict of Supreme Court is a serious indictment of the functioning of the government of Manmohan Singh,” Prasad said. His colleague Balbir Punj echoed him. "BJP welcomes Supreme Court's judgment. This judgment is a slap in the face of Dr. Manmohan Singh government," Punj told reporters. “We must not forget the application seeking sanction of prime minister against then telecom minister A. Raja was kept pending for 16 months,” added Prasad, noting that t the prime minister kept defending Raja in parliament and outside as well. The BJP leader also asked what the government's position was on action against Chidambaram. “Dr Manmohan Singh, the BJP would like to ask you in the light of the ...
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Lucknow, Congress general secretary Rashid Alvi declared here Monday that Rahul Gandhi’s rise to the prime minister’s chair in 2014 was a forgone conclusion. He was reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad’s sarcastic remark, daring Rahul to become prime minister as that would expose his capabilities. “We are glad that realisation has finally dawned on the BJP that the Congress is all set to again return to power in 2014, and Rahul will become prime minister,” Alvi said at a press conference here. Taking a dig at the party, he went on to add: “I would like to assure the BJP that its position will remain secure in the opposition benches of parliament.” He also predicted Congress victories in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur. ...
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New Delhi/Kolkata, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and other Parliamentarians on Monday offered floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to celebrate the 115th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter. The brief ceremony was observed in the Central hall of the Parliament, media reports said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani and Congress leader Girija Vyas were present at the event. Netaji is considered to be one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement. West Bengal on Monday celebrated Netaji's 115th birthday anniversary by paying rich tribute to the leader through a number of cultural programmes orgainised in city and other parts of state. Hosts of leaders cutting across the party line paid homage to Netaji by garlanding his statue at Red road in central Kolkata. Forwad Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh was first to lay the floral wreath on Netaji's statue which was followed by other leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamanta Banerjee. Besides, various schools of Kolkata organized cultural programmes to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji. Administration of the different districts also observed the day. ...
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New Delhi, Targeting the strained relations of the Congress party with its chief ally the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley has said that the UPA Government was searching for a new ally. "Congress is not sure about its alliance of West Bengal (TMC), so they have decided to use the assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh to find a new alliance partner. The central government is playing mean politics it is not sure about its alliance with one partner then they begin the search of another partner," Jaitley told the media here. The alliance of the TMC and the Congress had run into trouble on several issues like the passage of bill for the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the domestic retail market and the Lokpal Bill. Strains were visible during the parliamentary debate on the anti-graft Lokpal Bill , when TMC did a volte-face and opposed certain provisions in the government-draft of the legislation. Despite several attempts by the government, the TMC has so far refused to budge from its stand on the issue, leaving the Congress party unhappy. The TMC and Congress have voiced their differences on several platforms in the recent past on ...
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Lucknow, Coming down heavily on Rahul Gandhi's statement that the BJP sold Lord Ram to achieve power, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad today asked the Congress general secretary to mind his language. Mr Gandhi during his campaign for UP elections in Gorakhpur yesterday, attacked BJP, saying, "The BJP earlier sold Ram to grab power." The BJP took serious exception on the statement and said "the Congress' 'yuvraj' should mind his language otherwise he will have to face the consequences." In a press conference here, Mr Prasad, who is also a BJP general secretary, said it was the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre which did not accepted the existence of Lord Ram over the Ram Setu controversy. "Lord Ram is in the heart of every Hindu and such statements would not be tolerated," he said. Meanwhile, trader leader and former Samajwadi Party MP Banwari Lal Kanchal and UP Congress executive member Harishchan Joshi today joined BJP. Kanchal was the Rajya Sabha member on SP ticket in the state in 2006 but later he joined the BSP in 2008 after resigning from the Rajya Sabha. ...
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New Delhi, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for terming the raids conducted at former Uttar Pradesh Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha''s premises as politically motivated, and said that the former is a master of disinformation. "In fact, BJP is a master of disinformation. Investigations under the directions of the High Court were already on and Mr. Babu Singh Kushwaha and all the other fellows were under investigation," said Digvijay Singh. "And it is wrong to say that they did not know about it; they were fully aware of it. In fact, we were also fully aware of it," he added. The BJP had earlier stated that the raids conducted by the CBI at Kushwaha''s premises were motivated. "The BJP is not a shield for corrupt people. But the CBI raids seem motivated. Why did the CBI take so long for carrying out searches?" BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said. Babu Singh Kushwaha, a prominent OBC leader from Uttar Pradesh, was sacked from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) following which he joined hands with the BJP. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on Wednesday raided Kushwaha''s residence for ...
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Raipur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar has said he was confident of his party''s thumping victory in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. "When the common man analyses the governance of the past 30 years then he understands that one decade of BJP rule were good and the rest of the years were like a nightmare. So I am extremely confident this time that we will emerge and are going to take a big leap forward," Javadekar told the media here. BJP had earlier declared the first and second lists of candidates for UP assembly polls comprising 143 seats and 81 seats respectively. The stakes are high in Uttar Pradesh, which will elect a 403-member legislative assembly, since the result in the state is expected to broadly indicate the trends for the national elections due in 2014. Voting in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 4 and finishing on February 28. The results of the election would be declared on March 4. Javadekar also took the opportunity to question the stability of the Congress party led Central Government and its allies amid reports of breakdown in the alliance. "The Congress and Trinamool Congress ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Wednesday blamed the Congress- led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for making the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raid the residence and other properties of former Uttar Pradesh Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha. The CBI on Wednesday raided the residence and other property of former Uttar Pradesh Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha and several other officials in connection with the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. The raids followed a day after Kushwaha, a former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “We demand strong action against people who have cases of corruption against their name," said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. He said that the key opposition party of India is not a ‘platform’ to shield the corrupt people. Naqvi blamed that Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party had struck a deal over raiding the residence of Babu Singh Kushwaha. “There is a deal between BSP and Congress over the issue. Rahul Gandhi and Digvijaya Singh are the dealers of the deal who are protecting the corrupt central government. “We are not ...
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New Delhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for obstructing important legislations that the government was bringing to fight corruption and to address grievances of the people. Addressing Congress MPs at Parliament House, the Congress president said the BJP had not reconciled to its defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha election and then the 2009 elections and thus was creating all possible obstacles in the passage of important legislations. Briefing journalists on the address, union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said a canard was being spread that the government and the party were not on the same side on several issues. ...
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Chandigarh, February 5 (Doaba News Service) The Punjab BJP today decided in favour of a youthful leadership to take the party into the next Assembly elections in two years’ time by “electing” party general secretary Ashwani Sharma as its president. The new president, whose election was said to be “unopposed” by central observer Ram Lal Kovind, who said that all 43 delegates had seconded his candidature, set out to emulate BJP president Nitin Gadkari and said his actions would speak louder than words. Ashwani Sharma, who preferred not to speak about contentious issues only reminding mediapersons that he may be new to them but was 21 years old in the BJP, was quite frank with his party cadres. In this speech after being elected to the top post, Sharma said, “I admit there have been shortcomings in the working of the party in the past three years”. He said the party would have to reach out to the people in the next two years to win their confidence. The new state president also made it known that he did not like politics revolving around photo opportunities. “I would rather like to live in the hearts of party men”, he said while advising legislators and ...
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Jalandhar, February 4 (DNS)- Ashwani Sharma is likely to be the new president of the state unit of the BJP. Party insiders said after holding consultations with senior leaders, the party high command had asked the state unit to elect Ashwani as the president. Other candidate in the race for the post of the president was Kamal Sharma. He is also general secretary of the state unit. At present, the party is headed by Prof Rajinder Bhandari. The BJP president, Nitin Gadkari, held a meeting with members of the state core committee of the party in New Delhi last night. Gadkari also held a one-to-one meeting with all members of the committee. Sources said except one senior leader, all other leaders supported Ashwani. Among those who met Gadkari were Prof Rajinder Bhandari, Manoranjan Kalia, Balramji Das Tandon, Madan Mohan Mittal, Navjot Singh Sidhu and other senior leaders. The main supporters of Ashwani were Kalia, Mittal and Sidhu. Harjit Singh Grewal and Avinash Rai Khanna also supported his candidature . Sources said earlier also, the party had reached on a consensus to elect Ashwani as president last week. However, his election had to be postponed as some senior leaders had ...
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