I am no know-all leader: Narendra Modi
New Delhi : Saying he was no know-all leader, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has disclosed that he relied a lot on "professionals...
Notice to Karunanidhi, Baalu on contempt to court plea
By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday issued notices to DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and union Surface Transport Minister T.R. Baalu, among others, for defying court orders against a state-wide shutdown Oct 1.
A bench of Justices B.N. Agarwal and P.P. Naolekar issued notices on a petition by the DMK's arch political rival AIADMK after being convinced that the actions of Karunanidhi and his officials amounted to a contempt of court in disobeying the court's Sep 30 order against the shutdown.
Odisha’s SC/ST MLAs plead with CM on reservation
Bhubaneswar : The Odisha assembly on Friday witnessed an unusual scene when opposition MLAs belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes fell at Chief...
Separate parameters for IISERs under National Ranking Framework: Smriti Irani
Kolkata : The National Ranking Framework (NRF) will have a separate set of parameters for the premier Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research...
High court orders retrial against Himachal CM
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh High Court Friday ordered the retrial in the criminal defamation case against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Hearing petitions of state...
Kolkata civic polls under way
Kolkata : Polling for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was under way on Saturday with over 18 percent of the electorate exercising their franchise in...
Lok Sabha Secretariat celebrates 81st anniversary
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Parliament Secretariat, set up in the British era, turned 82 Saturday and to mark the occasion Speaker Meira Kumar presented awards for meritorious service to officers and staff of the lower house of Indian parliament.
Meira Kumar and Lok Sabha secretary-general P.D.T. Achary addressed staff of the secretariat on the occasion.
"Meritorious awards for the year 2009 were given to officers and staff of the secretariat in various disciplines," an official statement said.
Delhi girls narrate tales of feeling unsafe to Sisodia
New Delhi: Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on Monday told about the problems women face on the streets of Delhi.
The students of...
Modi-Akhilesh hand in glove against Muslims: Owaisi
Gorakhpur, (IANS): AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were hand in glove...
Vijay Rupani to be new Gujarat Chief Minister
Ahmedabad : State BJP president Vijay Rupani is to be the new Gujarat Chief Minister, replacing Anandiben Patel who resigned earlier this week.
Nitin Patel,...
Left parties welcome to DMK fold: Karunanidhi
Chennai: DMK president M.Karunanidhi Thursday said the party would welcome the two communist parties to its fold.
Queried by reporters about inviting the two communist...
Indian PM says virus of communal violence should be checked in time
By NNN-Bernama,
New Delhi : Voicing concern over the "new danger" posed by the spread of fundamentalist and extremist ideas, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said the "virus" of communal violence should be checked in time.
"....we need to guard against the new danger posed by the spread of fundamentalist and extremist ideas. We have, of late, been witnessing the emergence of such pernicious tendencies and trends, and there are elements in our society who are actively pursing such programmes," Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted Singh as saying.
Bihar opposition leader gives up security
By IANS,
Patna : Bihar's opposition leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui has given up his security personnel and urged the government to deploy them to maintain law and order.
After quizzing alleged Al-Qaeda operatives, Gujarat ATS reopens case of 14 missing youths
By TwoCircles.net Staff reporter,
Delhi: Following inquiry of alleged Al-Qaeda operatives Abdul Rahman and Mohammed Asif in Delhi, Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat...
Mulayam now wants to concentrate on national politics
By IANS,
Lucknow : Keen to play a larger role in national politics after his election as MP, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Monday decided to concentrate his activities in Delhi.
Formally announcing his resignation from the membership of the state assembly, Mulayam Singh told mediapersons: "I will concentrate on the national parliament."
He has anointed his younger brother Shivpal Yadav to succeed him as leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
AIADMK, MDMK walk out of assembly
By IANS,
Chennai : AIADMK and MDMK legislators Tuesday walked out of the Tamil Nadu assembly protesting what they said was the government's inaction in bringing down yarn prices.
Moving calling attention motion on rising yarn prices, AIADMK legislators asked the government to take action on banning cotton exports and bringing down the yarn prices.
Replying to the motion, Textiles Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran said the yarn prices and cotton exports were decided by the central government.
"The Tamil Nadu government is taking steps to reduce the yarn prices," he said.
Modi releases commemorative 2014 FIFA World Cup postage stamps
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative postage stamps on the 2014 FIFA World Cup that gets underway in Brazil Thursday night.
Modi...
Congress conspired to create terror, alleges CPI-M
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Communist Party of India-Marxist Tuesday accused the Congress of conspiring to "create terror" in the Kannur district of Kerala on the polling day April 16.
"The goons who arrived to create terror were arrested by the police as they came out of the Congress office in Kannur, which has a history of engaging in such activities," CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the party here.
Thackeray targets PM, unsure whether Shiv Sena-BJP alliance will survive
Mumbai : Hitting out at BJP, its ally of 25 years barring a brief breakdown in late 2014, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray...
Surgical strikes should not be a political issue: Bihar CM
Patna : JD-U President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday targeted thed BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking credit of...
Mayawati dubs Congress-Samajwadi ties ‘opportunistic’
By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Friday called the new found friendship between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress over the India-US nuclear deal "an opportunistic alliance".
She told reporters here that Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was acting to protect his self-interest by shoring up the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while saying publicly that he was committed to national interest.
Vyapam: Delhi hospital to conduct college dean’s autopsy
New Delhi: The autopsy of the body of Arun Sharma, the dean of a Madhya Pradesh medical college who was found dead in a...
Poll panel rejects Bengal’s plea on transfer of officials
Kolkata:The Election Commission of India Tuesday dismissed the appeal of the West Bengal state government to reconsider the poll panel's directive regarding removal of...
Once Marxist voice, now speaker without a party
By IANS,
New Delhi : His was the stentorian voice that effectively projected the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) view in parliament - and outside - for four decades. On Wednesday, just two days before Somnath Chatterjee's 79th birthday that link snapped when one of India's most skilful parliamentarians and now speaker of the lower house of parliament was expelled from the party.
Assam government will work to tackle illegal immigration: Sonowal
New Delhi: The new BJP-led government in Assam will give top priority to finding a permanent solution to the problem of infiltration of illegal...
Kerala liquor policy pragmatic, practical: Congress
Thiruvananthapuram : Describing himself as the least autocratic, state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran who was criticised by his own party leaders for his adamant...
Bihar panchayat poll candidate’s husband murdered
By IANS,
Patna: The husband of a candidate contesting the ongoing Bihar panchayat polls was Monday killed by a group of unidentified men in Nalanda district, police said.
Curfew relaxed for two hours in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh
Ranchi : Curfew was relaxed for two hours on Tuesday in the communal violence-hit Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, police said.
The curfew was relaxed from...
2G case: Raja, Kanimozhi move bail application
New Delhi : Former central telecom minister A. Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and seven others, who are accused of money laundering in the 2G...
Pratibha Patil elected India’s first woman president
By IANS
New Delhi : India Saturday made history by choosing a woman as head of state for the first time as ruling coalition candidate Pratibha Patil won the presidential election as expected by a comfortable margin.
Immediately after the results were announced, she was congratulated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and declared that her win was "victory of principles" and a "victory of right thinking".
Modi took up fishermen issue with Sri Lanka: Sushma Swaraj
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up the problems of Indian fishermen with Sri Lanka during his visit to the island-country last...
Dimple, Khurshid, Hema Malini file nominations
Lucknow : Hema Malini, Salman Khurshid and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple were among the high-profile candidates who filed nomination papers for the...
Shah wants door-to-door campaign for winning Delhi polls
New Delhi : BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday asked party workers to "overcome laziness" and start a door-to-door poll campaign in the national capital...
Indians urged to vote in ‘informed, ethical manner’
New Delhi : The Election Commission Wednesday urged people to "exercise their right to vote" in the coming Lok Sabha election "in an informed...
Navjot Sidhu stops train to protest freight corridor plan
By IANS,
Amritsar : Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu Monday blocked the way to a train in this Punjab city to protest the non-inclusion of Amritsar in the railway freight corridor plan.
Sporting black flags and banners against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Sidhu, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Amritsar, and his supporters squatted on the railway track at the Amritsar station, delaying the departure of the Amritsar-Ambala train.
Thakre appointed Maharashtra Congress chief
By IANS,
New Delhi : With the Lok Sabha and assembly elections on mind, the Congress Sunday announced changes in the top brass of its Maharashtra unit, appointing Manikrao Thakre as state party chief and Gurudas Kamat as chairman of the party's state election campaign committee.
Thakre, earlier head of the party's Yavatmal district committee, has held the post of the state Youth Congress president, besides handling various portfolios in the state cabinet led by Sharad Pawar, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde.
भाजपा सांसद की ताकत के मारे एक ऑटोवाले की कहानी
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
बेतिया(बिहार) - बीजेपी की पूर्व राज्यसभा सांसद कुसुम राय की ताक़त का मारा एक लाचार शख्स अब ‘ज़िन्दा लाश’ में तब्दील...
Intellectuals advised not to go to Nandigram
By IANS,
Kolkata : The West Bengal Election Commission (WBEC) has refused to guarantee security to a team of city-based intellectuals under the banner of NGO Swajan who set out for Nandigram in East Midnapore district Saturday afternoon to monitor the situation during the panchayat polls scheduled Sunday.
Badal changes tune, says alliance with BJP `eternal’
By IANS
Chandigarh : After preaching 'coalition dharma' to his Akali Dal's ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday tried to mend fences with it. He said despite momentary ideological differences, the alliance is "eternal".
Badal made the statement while inaugurating a modern bus terminus, built at a cost of Rs.140 million and named after freedom struggle martyr Bhagat Singh, at Jalandhar city.
Government suffering from internal conflict: BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said the government was suffering from "internal conflict" and this was affecting its actions.
Indian team should have returned from Australia: Lalu
By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian cricket team should have been recalled from Australia after the controversy over racist abuse, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said Saturday, targeting his cabinet colleague, Agriculture Minister and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sharad Pawar.
"If I had been there I would have recalled each and every Indian player from Australia. This is a game in which the player should be able to play freely and not be subjected to abuse and humiliation," Lalu Prasad said, though he did not name Pawar.
Pulse prices have gone up, admits Paswan
New Delhi : Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday admitted that the prices of pulses have increased lately but attributed...
Money from Tamil relief fund may be diverted to LTTE, says Formar Tamil Nadu...
By NNN-PTI,
Chennai, India : Money from a relief fund set up by the Tamil Nadu state government to help Tamils suffering due to the conflict in Sri Lanka might be diverted to the banned LTTE, AIADMK leader Jayalalilthaa alleged.
"Since Chief Minister Karunanidhi himself is a sympathiser of LTTE, the people of Tamil Nadu state feel that the funds collected might reach the banned outfit," she said in a statement here.
Jayalalithaa also urged the people not to get carried away by the state government's move to set up the Sri Lankan Tamil Relief Fund.
Nitish Kumar: Soft-spoken engineer leads Bihar again
Patna : He graduated as an engineer but plunged into politics in the early 1970s. Sophisticated, soft-spoken and a teetotaller who detests tobacco,...
Modi promises to nurture Telangana, secure its future
Karimnagar/Nizamabad (Andhra Pradesh) : BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday said that he is ready to take the responsibility of nurturing Telangana and...
Polling begins amid tight security in Mizoram
Aizawl, Nov 28 (IANS) Amid tight security, polling began at 7 am for the 40-member Mizoram assembly election on Wednesday, officials said.
According to senior...
Masrat Alam’s detention under PSA quashed
Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday quashed the detention order of hardline separatist leader Masrat Alam under the stringent Public...
In the name of progressiveness: A Note on the recent Speak-Out movement in...
By Praveena Thaali for TwoCircles.net
In recent times, Dalit-Bahujan women have started a speak-out* campaign to reveal their experiences of sexual harassment, which until now it...
Sanjay Dutt signs on new role – Samajwadi Party general secretary
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sanjay Dutt, one of Bollywood's best-known stars, got a firm foothold in the world of politics Thursday when the Samajwadi Party anointed him general secretary even though he cannot contest elections.
"I am very happy that party leader Mulayam Singhji and other seniors chose me to become the party's national general secretary," Dutt, 49, who has starred in over 120 films, told reporters at a press conference here.
Youth’s bullet-riddled body found in Kashmir
Srinagar : The bullet-riddled body of a youth was found in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, police said.
The body of the...
IIM should motivate students to opt for politics: Kalam
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, must motivate its students to opt for politics as a career, says former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
"IIM, Ahmedabad, should ensure that many of its students take politics as their career. When I ask youth whether they want to become IAS officers, many raise their hands, whether they want to become engineers, many raise their hands, if they want to go to Mars, all of them raise their hands. If I ask someone whether they want to join politics, then no one is interested," Kalam said here in a speech Saturday evening.
Rahul Gandhi surprises many with Golden Temple visit
By IANS,
Amritsar : Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi surprised many people Monday by making an unscheduled visit to the Harmandar Sahib, the sacred shrine at the Golden Temple complex, in this Sikh holy city.
Rahul Gandhi, son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, arrived at the shrine just before 7 a.m.
Clad in a white kurta-payjama and wearing a saffron headscarf, Rahul Gandhi remained inside the sanctum sanctorum for nearly 25 minutes and sat down quietly behind the 'raagis' (religious hymn singers) to listen to hymns.
Soren scrambles for safe seat to fight assembly poll
By IANS,
Ranchi : Once bitten, twice shy and hoping to be third time lucky. Shibu Soren, who has become Jharkhand chief minister for the third time and had to forgo the chair last January when he lost the Tamar assembly by-poll, is determined to win this time and seems to have narrowed down the choice to two safe seats.
"I can fight from any of two seats, Jama and Jamtara," Soren told reporters in Bokaro Monday.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, who took over as chief minister on Dec 30, needs to become a member of the state assembly within six months.
No rift, Pratik campaigns for dad Raj Babbar
By Subhash K. Jha, IANS,
Mumbai : Belying rumours of a rift between them, budding actor Pratik Babbar this week took off for Ferozabad district of Uttar Pradesh to campaign for his father and Congress candidate Raj Babbar for a by-election Nov 7.
While Pratik was in Uttar Pradesh, his aunt Manya Patil confirmed Pratik's determined bid to stand by his father publicly for the first time. Pratik's mother was the critically acclaimed actress Smita Patil.
Jaswant Singh’s condition grave
New Delhi : Former union minister and expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh continued to be in coma Wednesday, with doctors describing his condition as...
Schedule for assembly elections in five states
By IANS,
New Delhi : The following is the polling schedule for assembly elections in five states:
Chhattisgarh: Nov 14 and 20.
Madhya Pradesh: Nov 25.
Delhi and Mizoram: Nov 29.
Rajasthan: Dec 4.
Counting in all five states will be held Dec 8.
Murder accused Himachal legislator to take oath
By IANS,
Shimla : A Himachal Pradesh Congress legislator, who has been booked for murder by Haryana Police, will take oath of office and secrecy here Thursday, officials said Tuesday.
Poll panel makes huge seizure of unaccounted cash in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
Lucknow: Seizure of about Rs.40 lakh from two places in poll bound Uttar Pradesh Friday took the recovery of unaccounted money in the state to Rs.27 crore in the past few days.
Leveraging Gadkari’s entreaty: Chance to undo Congress’s treachery
By NM Sampathkumar Iyangar,
Railway budget highlights
By IANS,
New Delhi : More highlights from Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's budget presented in the Lok Sabha Friday:
* No increase in fares.
Jharkhand political crises fuel air travel
By Nityanand Shukla, IANS,
Ranchi: It's no surprise to find a chartered plane shooting into the sky every time a political crisis hits Jharkhand - which is pretty often, given that the state has seen seven chief ministers in nine years and there is the likelihood of an eighth taking charge soon.
The frequency of chartered planes flying out of the state, carrying politicians, almost always multiplies in times of political instability. In most cases, the chartered planes used by politicians are hired by spending lakhs of rupees of public money, said an official.
Northeastern states on high alert for I-Day
Agartala/Guwahati/Imphal: A massive security alert has been sounded across northeast India and vigil along the international borders tightened ahead of the 69th Independence Day...
It’s getting tougher for Shekhawat, Patil dismisses charges
By IANS
New Delhi : The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Friday seemed to be losing hope of giving a tough fight to ruling alliance nominee Pratibha Patil in the presidential poll even as she dismissed the charges against her as attempts to malign her.
No mention of rustication of students in JNU panel report
New Delhi : The high-level inquiry committee set by JNU to probe the controversial event of February 9 has not recommended rustication of five...
Left to submit nuke deal note Friday
By IANS
New Delhi : The Left parties are to submit a detailed note regarding their objections on the India-US nuclear deal to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left committee Friday.
A meeting of four Left parties, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), finalised the note here Thursday. The government is expected to respond to their note by Monday.
Understand values of Indian polity, Speaker tells bureaucrats
By IANS,
New Delhi: Civil servants should understand the philosophy, values and principles of India's democratic polity, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Monday said.
Third Front’s only agenda is to save Congress: Modi
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Taking a dig at the efforts by some political parties to set up a Third Front, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra...
IUML MP raises issue of NRI voting in Parliament; wants amendment bill in monsoon...
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: P V Abdul Wahab, Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala raised the issue of voting rights for NRIs in the upper house of the Parliament on Wednesday demanding that the long pending issue be addressed immediately.
Representation of Peoples Act 1951 did not prescribe voting rights to a person who is a way from his constituency for more than six months. Because of this provision, the NRIs who had migrated for the purpose of employment, work education etc. to foreign countries and were not available in their home constituencies for more than six months at a stretch could not be nominated as a voter in the voters list.
SP, Congress tell their nominees to pull out from alliance seats
Lucknow, (IANS): Facing trouble from their candidates who are now refusing to withdraw from the polls, the Congress and the SP on Tuesday cracked...
The race for Delhi has begun, but winner is anyone’s guess
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Although marred by Maoist violence, the first phase of the Indian elections can be said to have got off to a reasonably satisfactory start.
In the context of the vastness of the exercise - an electorate of 714 million voting in 180,000 polling stations for 1,715 candidates in five phases for a month - the stray attacks carried out by the Maoist desperadoes are not expected to have much of a demoralising impact outside the affected areas despite the tragic loss of lives.
Three breakaway parties merge with AGP, Mahanta back in fold
By IANS,
Golaghat (Assam) : Assam's main opposition party the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Tuesday received a shot in the arm with the merger of three breakaway regional parties and with founder president and two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta coming back into its fold.
AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary announced the merger of the three parties with AGP - the Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive) led by Mahanta, the Trinamool Gana Parishad and the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad - at a public rally in Golaghat in eastern Assam.
‘Nervous’ Dikshit warns tardy contractors of blacklisting
By IANS,
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who has admitted to being nervous over the preparedness for the Commonwealth Games, Monday said contractors responsible for delay in games projects will be blacklisted.
"The government will not listen to any excuses for delay in projects completion and contractors responsible for delays would be blacklisted apart from other contractual action against them," the chief minister said, a day after expressing her anxiety over the delay in completion of projects.
BJP leader arrested for illegally trying to exchange old notes
Kolkata : A BJP leader was arrested along with six alleged coal mafia for allegedly trying to exchange old currency notes here on Tuesday,...
India offers affordable excellence through educational diplomacy: Irani
New Delhi : India has embarked on the path of educational diplomacy in order to provide foreign students who come here "affordable excellence", union...
BSP’s first list for Chhattisgarh polls has no Muslims
By IANS,
Raipur : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Monday became the first party to announce candidates for the Chhattisgarh assembly polls, slated for November, but its first list of 50 names does not have a single Muslim.
BSP state president Dauram Ratnakar told reporters that the second list of candidates would be announced by July-end once the party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati clears the list of probables sent by the state unit last month.
NDA government has failed to act against corrupt: Congress
New Delhi : The Congress on Tuesday attacked the NDA government and accused it of failure to take action against those allegedly involved in...
Sajjan wants more documents from CBI in 1984 riots case
By INAS,
New Delhi: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar Wednesday countered the refusal of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to hand over to him more documents related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases against him and claimed he was within his right to seek these.
Appearing before Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta, Kumar's counsel I.U. Khan cited legal provisions and said that the accused can seek documents from the investigating agency at any stage of the case.
Counsel for the CBI said the investigating agency has already filed all documents that it wanted to.
Voters list mess in poll-bound Karnataka
By IANS
Bangalore : A family with 90 voters and a town with 30,000 voters in a population of 36,500! These are just some of the glitches in the voters list in poll-bound Karnataka.
R. Bhattacharya, deputy election commissioner at the Election Commission of India has been in Bangalore for the last three days having talks with state election officials on steps to ensure proper voters list ahead of polls to the 224-member assembly expected in April/May.
Consensus-building over n-deal on: Pranab
By IANS
New Delhi : Ahead of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left meeting Friday, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said the government was engaged in building a consensus with its partners on the stalled India-US nuclear deal.
"We are engaged in building a consensus with the UPA partners (on the nuclear deal). All the partners in the UPA government will be consulted," Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate the new building housing the Foreign Service Institute.
Over 40 percent voting in Baramulla, 55 in Ladakh
By IANS,
Baramulla : Hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic voters came out in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla constituency Wednesday to exercise their franchise despite a boycott call by separatists and threats from militant groups.
According to rough estimates, some 421,000 voters of over one million electorate cast their votes by 5 p.m. in Baramulla, once a hotbed of militancy and a stronghold of pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani.
The state's cold desert region Ladakh saw a turnout of over 55 when the polling closed.
Relax poll code to save Vidarbha farmers, says NGO
Nagpur : A leading NGO Tuesday urged the Election Commission (EC) to relax the model code of conduct in Vidarbha region, to enable the...
Swamy’s plea to make Chidambaram accused in 2G deferred
By IANS,
New Delhi : A special CBI court Tuesday deferred its hearing on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's plea to make Home Minister P. Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G case.
Sixth round of Kashmir polling ends — 63 percent vote
By IANS,
Srinagar/Jammu : The sixth and penultimate round of balloting to pick a new assembly in Jammu and Kashmir ended peacefully Wednesday with about 63 percent of the electorate turning out to vote despite winter chill and threats from separatist groups.
The authorities said the 10-hour exercise went off without trouble in Anantnag and Kulgam districts in the Kashmir Valley and in the districts of Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar in Jammu region. Stray protests against the elections were reported in both regions, however.
Received stepmotherly treatment from successive governments: Shastri’s family
By Brajendra Nath Singh
New Delhi: Demanding that the files on the mysterious death of Lal Bahadur Shastri be de-classifed on the lines of those...
Emergency-like situation, says AAP government
New Delhi: Delhi's AAP government on Tuesday accused Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung of unleashing an "Emergency-like situation" after its Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar...
Goa BJP leader appoints son in his office
Panaji : Goa's Deputy Speaker Anant Shet has appointed his son Amaresh Shet as his office staff, a RTI query has revealed.
The Bharatiya Janata...
India to expand anti-terrorism cooperation with Brunei: Ansari
Bandar Seri Begawan : India is keen to expand its cooperation with Brunei in combating global terrorism, Vice President Hamid Ansari said on Wednesday,...
Ashok Gehlot wins trust vote in Rajasthan
By IANS,
Jaipur : The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan won a vote of confidence in the state assembly Saturday.
The Congress, falling short of the clear majority, had won 96 of the 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan and Governor S.K. Singh had asked the government to prove its majority in the house in a month's time.
Eleven of the independent lawmakers had announced their support to the government. Gehlot has given ministerial berth to four of these legislators.
Why the opinion piece in Indian Express on Fatwas must be critiqued
By Umair Azmi for Twocircles.net
An opinion piece in the Indian Expresspublished on April 22 asks Indian Muslims to flout the fatwa of...
HC notice to police on bail plea of murdered BSP leader’s son
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the police while hearing a bail plea of realtor Nitesh Bhardwaj, serving...
Temple not on people’s agenda in Ayodhya
By IANS,
Ayodhya : The Ram temple was clearly not on the agenda of those who voted in this Hindu pilgrim town in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections.
BJP leaders upset over fielding of Tarun Vijay, Jethmalani
By IANS,
New Delhi : Discontent in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Rajya Sabha nominations has surfaced with some senior party leaders expressing reservations over nominations of Ram Jethmalani from Rajasthan and Tarun Vijay from Uttarakhand.
"There is obvious unhappiness in the party about the Rajya Sabha nominations because there are very well qualified aspirants who were waiting in line," a BJP leader said.
Prohibition Bihar: Cheers for toddy
By Amulya Ganguli
It is sad to see a promising politician stumble and be in danger of falling flat on his face. Till the...
There was no pressure, say converted Hindu families
Thiruvananthapuram : As Kerala Police began a probe into reports of 35 people in two districts converting to Hinduism, two families Monday said they...
Who is providing the funds for helicopter, CPI-M asks Mamata
Krishnanagar (West Bengal) : Targeting Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, the CPI-M Sunday asked her to spell out the source of funds which has enabled...
Poll panel awaits report on Modi’s controversial speech
By IANS
Surat : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seems to have courted trouble by justifying the staged police killing of an innocent Muslim youth even as the Election Commission Wednesday indicated it would wait for an official report before deciding on any action against him.
"I have not yet received a report from the Surat collector on the speech by Narendra Modi," Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy said in reply to reporters' queries.
Pre-poll survey shows BJP-led alliance losing in Bihar
New Delhi: The RJD, Janata Dal-U and Congress alliance in Bihar is expected to win 116 to 132 seats out of the total 243...
Development bank, security highlights of Modi’s BRICS participation: Sushma
New Delhi : Establishing a new development bank and security discussions were the highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation at the BRICS summit,...
Campaigning ends for second phase of polls in Jharkhand
By IANS,
Ranchi : Campaigning for the second phase of polls to the Jharkhand assembly, scheduled for Dec 2, came to an end Monday.
The campaigning ended at 3 p.m.
In the second phase, 14 of the total 81 assembly constituencies go to the polls. The state is holding a five-phased election that ends Dec 18 and the counting of votes will take place Dec 23.
The first phase of polls took place Nov 25 for 26 seats.
In the second phase, the electoral fate of 239 candidates will be decided by 3,096,854 voters.
Vishwaranjan called back as Chhattisgarh police chief
By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh's Director General of Police Vishwaranjan, who was forced to go on leave in April by the poll panel, has been called back Wednesday by the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government hours after the election code of conduct restrictions were lifted.
‘Ghar wapsi, nun gang rape affected Goa panchayat polls result’
Panaji : Ghar wapsi (homecoming), slander against Mother Teresa, attacks on minority institutions and the gang rape of a nun in West Bengal, could...
Uproar in Kashmir assembly over Pakistan resolution
By IANS,
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir assembly witnessed an uproar Saturday over calls to denounce Pakistan parliament's support to Afzal Guru.
Nitish Kumar condemns NDTV ban by central government
Patna : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday condemned the central government's decision to ban NDTV India for a day and said that...
Election of 38 Madhya Pradesh legislators challenged
By IANS,
Bhopal : The election of 38 legislators, including former ministers and chairpersons of state-run corporations, in the November 2008 assembly polls has been challenged in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, data compiled from court records show.
Manipulation in the counting of votes polled, both through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and postal ballots, is the major charge against the legislators, apart from their being accused to corrupt practices, booth capturing and terrorising voters.
Mentally challenged man beaten to death in Bihar
Patna : A mentally challenged man was beaten to death by a mob in Bihar's Purnea district on Sunday after he stabbed to death...
Thane BJP corporator goes missing
By IANS,
Thane : Days before the election of the mayor here, a Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) corporator has gone missing with her family, police said Saturday.
Why Muslims vote for the BJP
By Irfan Engineer,
The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) had carried out a survey during the Maharashtra Legislative Assemble elections held in 1995. The survey then showed that about 10% Muslims were going to vote for the BJP. Muslim voters then were angry with Congress for allowing demolition of the Babri Masjid under their watch. The Muslim votes shifted away from the Congress to the regional parties like the SP in UP and Lalu Prasad in Bihar. However, a small section was willing to vote even for BJP in absence of any other alternative to Congress. A Muslim voter from Western Maharashtra represented the mood of Muslims in the 1995 elections in these words “jis party ne Babri Masjid girte dekhi, ham usse girte dekhna chahte hain.” (we want to see that party falling, which saw the Babri Masjid being demolished under its watch). Personal security mattered more than the Babri Masjid to an ordinary Muslim. The demolition of Babri Masjid was followed by heinous communal riots in many towns. The Muslims who voted for the BJP did so more out of anger against the Congress rather than endorsing the BJP. In local body elections however, a tiny section of Muslims did vote for a good BJP-Shiv Sena candidate in local bodies. However, politically, Muslims shunned BJP understandably.
I will be chief minister if people so desire: Gopinath Munde
By Shyam Pandharipande, IANS
Nagpur : Reiterating that he wants to shift to the national political scene, rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary and Maharashtra strongman Gopinath Munde says he has not shed his chief ministerial ambitions.
"I am going to contest the next Lok Sabha elections and, may be, join the central cabinet if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comes to power. But I can always come back to Maharashtra and be chief minister if the people so desire," Munde, who recently created a storm by resigning from all party posts, told IANS.
Police refuse FIR against minister; Jammu doctor to move court
Jammu : A doctor who tried to file an FIR for harassment against Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Lal Singh said on Friday that...
It’s not a festive season for the BJP
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The traditional gaiety associated with Holi is unlikely to have lifted the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) spirits because of the election-eve rupture with its coalition partner in Orissa, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
It isn't only the end of a decade-old relationship which hurt the BJP. After all, the party has never been averse to ending an alliance if it feels it can gain from the split or if the partnership has become politically meaningless.
Krishnam Raju not included in BJP’s second list for Andhra
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Telugu film actor and former union minister U.V. Krishnam Raju did not figure in the second list of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates for the Lok Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh, adding to the speculations that he was planning to join the ruling Congress.
BJP state president Bandaru Dattatreya Tuesday released the second list of candidates for the next month's elections.
Advani reiterates demand to bring back black money
By IANS,
Chennai: Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani Thursday reiterated his demand for bringing back black money stashed away abroad and accused the central government of doing nothing about it.
Prithviraj Chavan gets reprieve – for now
New Delhi/Mumbai: The fate of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is now likely to be decided only after June 28 when state leaders will...
BJP rejects CBI inquiry into Vyapam scam
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday rejected the demand for a CBI probe into the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh and...
Left faces tough battle but will win in Bengal, says Karat
By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal's ruling Left Front faces a tough battle in the Lok Sabha polls but will still win a majority of the state's 42 states, Marxist leader Prakash Karat said Tuesday.
"My party's assessment is that we'll have a tough battle in this election," the general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said at an interaction at the Kolkata Press Club.
"One reason is the alliance between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress," he said.
Haryana ministers assure toll fee exemption in Gurgaon
Gurgaon : Haryana cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh and Minister of State Vikram Thekedar Sunday assured the local populace here of exemption from toll...
Jahangirpuri demolition drive aftermath: Local vendors live in terror, afraid to restart work
The pain and helplessness of the street vendors is hard to miss in the violence-hit C-block of New Delhi's Jahangirpuri area. Many who lost...