Electionshttps://www.newindianexpress.comen-usThu, 28 Mar 2024 14:49:25 +0000Business worth Rs 10,000 crore to self-help groups in Odisha in next five yearshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/odisha-elections/2023/Mar/07/business-worth-rs-10000-crore-to-self-help-groups-in-odishain-next-five-years-2553956.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/odisha-elections/2023/Mar/07/business-worth-rs-10000-crore-to-self-help-groups-in-odishain-next-five-years-2553956.html#comments666a727f-f9da-453b-ab4e-bbb6e9439586Tue, 07 Mar 2023 03:53:00 +00002023-03-07T03:53:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Self help group,Mission ShaktiOdisha ElectionsBHUBANESWAR: The state government has set a target to provide business worth Rs 10,000 crore to self help groups (SHGs) and set up 500 Mission Shakti bazaars across the state in the next five years.

Announcing this at a media conference here on Monday, Minister of State for Mission Shakti, Basanti Hembram and secretary of the department Sujata Kartikeyan said that Mission Shakti has transformed the lives of more than 70 lakh women by organising them into more than six lakh SHGs and empowering them through income-generating activities. 

Stating that government has approved establishment of industrial parks for SHG entrepreneurs in each district, Kartikeyan said Rs 150 crore has been provided in the 2023-24 budget for the same. She said that to transform SHGs to small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, training programmes in key areas such as agricultural processing, beauty, digital and business management, fashion designing and cafe and food businesses are being conducted at block levels with a budgetary provision of Rs 70 crore.

Besides, revolving funds of Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh each has been provided for 30 district-level federations (DLFs) and 338 block-level federation of Mission Shakti. She said financial support has been provisioned for meeting fees and and fixed travelling allowances for the executive committee (EC) members of the gram panchayat level federations (GPLFs) and BLFs. A budgetary provision of Rs 266.57 crore has been made for all these facilities, she said.

Construction of Mission Shakti house in each gram panchayats and wards, Mission Shakti bhawans at blocks and districts across the state has been taken up to facilitate regular meetings and trainings of SHGs, she added.

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Soak in all things folkhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2023/Feb/11/soak-in-all-things-folk-2546315.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2023/Feb/11/soak-in-all-things-folk-2546315.html#comments24ff3468-04f1-4203-96b5-a4e5a02139edSat, 11 Feb 2023 02:14:00 +00002023-02-11T02:14:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Amarrass Society for Performing Arts,sustainable livelihoods,craftspeople,folk musiciansDelhi ElectionsMusic from the countryside is certainly not kindred to one that’s mainstream; the former has deeper character and captures the essence of hinterland. Delhi- and Wisconsin-based Amarrass Records and Amarrass Society for Performing Arts—a not-for-profit organisation that creates sustainable livelihoods for folk musicians and craftspeople—aims to bring to the forefront our country’s folk artists through their monthly initiative, Amarrass Nights. For their second edition of 2023, which is all set to take place at the Sunder Nursery later tonight, the team have an exceptional line-up of talent including Jumme Khan and Group from Alwar, Rajasthan; The Tapi Project led by Swati Minaxi from Gujarat; and Rehmat-e-Nusrat, a qawwali group from Uttarakhand.

On a mission

A multi-faceted independent record label, Amarrass Records is also an artist management company that produces and promotes music. The label works on putting emerging and lesser-known rural musicians in the spotlight by helping them create, revive, and sustain their music. Amarrass also helps keep alive the traditional art of instrument making. 

Amarrass was a product of “general frustration for music,” as shared by co-founder Ashutosh Sharma. Sharma mentions that he was utterly through with existing quotidian music, and yearned for something fresh and original. “There isn’t much in the classical and folk space,” shares producer-director Sharma, adding, “Everything is unknown because most of the time, the musicians are presented on a regional platter. It’s always ‘a musician from Rajasthan’ or ‘music from the hills of Himachal’. We started creating each musician’s identity.”

Initiated by the co-founders Sharma and producer-director Ankur Malhotra in Rajasthan in 2009, Amarrass Nights is a platform that works on getting music from the villages on urban stages. The idea is to help musicians create portfolios and amplify their sounds so that it reaches people who can take this music forward. “They were really down the food chain,” mentions Sharma, as he talks of the musicians the project collaborates with. With their first release in November 2010, Amarrass has released 11 albums till date that feature 11 dynamic artists from the nooks and crannies of the country.  

Front and centre

Apart from giving rural musicians a platform, Amarrass Nights also helps build their presence in people’s hearts. Jumme Khan and Group is one of the folk talents that will be showcased in tonight’s event. One fine day, when Amarrass was organising an event in Jaipur, Jumme Khan—who is part of the the Jogi family from Rajasthan’s Pinan Village—walked up to them and said, “Main bhi kalaakar hu [I am also an artist], and the rest is history. Known for improvisatory poetry, Jumme Khan epitomises the spirit of Mewar through his music. When asked about his performance, Jumme Khan replied: “Hamari sab taiyyari hoti hai. Hum toh public ko dekh kar gaate hain [All our preparations are done. We just look at the public and sing].”

Derived from Indian folk and contemporary elements, The Tapi Project will also be performing tonight. Speaking about their set, Yogendra Saniyawala (music, lyrics, and instruments) concluded, “Tonight’s performance is an invitation for the audience to dive deeper and question the nature of reality. It is centred on powerful vocals and woven intricately to create a sonic experience to ride the enquiry, in essence to shake the conventional and erase the boundaries.”

CHECK IT OUT 

WHAT: Amarrass Nights@Sunder Nursery 

WHEN: Today, 5pm onwards 

WHERE: Sunder Nursery Amphitheatre, Nizamuddin West

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Cooch Behar firing: EC's clean chit to CISF based on hypothetical reports, says CPM's Biman Bose https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/12/cooch-behar-firing-ecs-clean-chit-to-cisf-based-on-hypothetical-reports-says-cpms-biman-bose-2289159.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/12/cooch-behar-firing-ecs-clean-chit-to-cisf-based-on-hypothetical-reports-says-cpms-biman-bose-2289159.html#commentsc3b6a2d4-62f3-4462-9b43-984ddb83fca4Mon, 12 Apr 2021 18:47:00 +00002021-04-12T18:47:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Election Commission,CISF,CPM,West Bengal elections,Cooch Behar,ECI,West Bengal polls,Biman Bose,Sanjukta Morcha,Cooch Behar shootingWest Bengal ElectionsKOLKATA: Stressing that the Election Commission's integrity should never come into question, the Sanjukta Morcha - a three-party alliance of the Left, Congress and the ISF - on Monday sought to know what prompted the poll panel to support the CISF version of the Cooch Behar firing episode as no footage of the incident is yet available.

Four persons were killed and as many injured on Saturday in Sitalkuchi area of Cooch Behar when CISF personnel opened fire outside a polling booth, allegedly after coming under attack from locals who attempted to snatch their rifles, the police had said.

The Election Commission has given a clean chit to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans and said that they had to open fire in self-defence.

Veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose, who led a delegation that met with Chief Electoral Officer Ariz Aftab during the day, contended that the EC's decision was based on "hypothetical" reports presented by the district magistrate and the superintendent of police in Cooch Behar.

"Why is that nobody shot a video of the incident on a cell phone? Everyone, from the mediapersons to common people, is in possession of smartphones. The EC says the central forces were compelled to open fire. But the report of the DM and the SP is not clear," Bose said.

He also emphasised that the poll panel's integrity has always remained intact, and there should not be any scope to raise questions now".

Bose further said that the delegation, of which senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan was also a member, has urged the CEO to ensure that "no one gets to escape after making provocative speeches capable of triggering violence".

The EC should take action against BJP leader Dilip Ghosh who warned of more Sitalkuchi-like killings in Bengal in the next phase of assembly elections," he pointed out.

Ghosh had on Sunday courted a fresh controversy when he said more Cooch Behar-like killings may happen in the next phase of assembly elections if "naughty boys like the ones who died in Sitalkuchi" try to take the law into their hands.

The CPI(M) also claimed that the EC should have taken measures to stop campaigning in the neighbourhood of areas where polling was underway.

"There have been instances when the prime minister and the chief minister were seen addressing campaigns within 1-5 km radius of a constituency where polling was underway.

This can influence voters, this should immediately stop," he said.

Mannan, following his meeting with the CEO, said "people are losing faith in the poll panel".

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West Bengal polls: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urges TMC supporters to join Congresshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/04/west-bengal-pollsadhir-ranjan-chowdhury-urges-tmc-supporters-to-join-congress-2285799.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/04/west-bengal-pollsadhir-ranjan-chowdhury-urges-tmc-supporters-to-join-congress-2285799.html#comments13d80724-fce6-4cef-b621-27cdbb159f47Sun, 04 Apr 2021 23:41:00 +00002021-04-04T23:41:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Mamata Banerjee,Trinamool Congress,TMC,West Bengal elections,Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,West Bengal pollsWest Bengal ElectionsKAMARHATI (West Bengal): Claiming that Trinamool Congress' days are numbered, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday urged Mamata Banerjee's party supporters to join Congress or Sanjukta Morcha.

"Mamata Banerjee knows that her and TMC's days are about to end. So, she called Sonia Gandhi to save her before she gets finished. Therefore I would suggest TMC supporters to join Congress and Sanjutkato Morch", Chowdhury said.

"The TMC leader lost morally. So all the TMC activists are told to join the Congress or the Sanjukta Morcha now.

"The Trinamool Supremo is losing in Nandigram and she has understood that. She was sitting in the booth for 2 hours, from there she was calling the Governor and even writing letters to Sonia Gandhi," she added.

Both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP have undertaken power-packed rallies and mega roadshows ahead of the third phase. The Samyukt Morcha, the alliance of the Congress, Left Front and the Indian Secular Force (ISF) were found a little backfoot when it comes to fierce campaigning.

Polling for the first two phases of the West Bengal polls was held on March 27 and April 1 respectively. The next phase of polling will take place on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. 

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Jyotiraditya Scindia in BJP's star campaigners for West Bengal Phase 4 pollshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/02/jyotiraditya-scindia-in-bjps-star-campaigners-for-west-bengal-phase-4-polls-2284858.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Apr/02/jyotiraditya-scindia-in-bjps-star-campaigners-for-west-bengal-phase-4-polls-2284858.html#commentsaf517753-f633-449b-b55a-878882ddf789Fri, 02 Apr 2021 10:51:00 +00002021-04-02T11:09:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182BJP,Jyotiraditya Scindia,West Bengal BJP,West Bengal polls,West Bengal Assembly pollsWest Bengal ElectionsKOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has released its list of 30-star campaigners for the fourth phase of the assembly polls to be held on April 10 in West Bengal.

BJP has added the name MP Jyotiraditya Scindia to the list-making him a star campaigner for the polls along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several other union ministers.

Some of the others on the list include Nitin Gadkari, BJP candidate from Debra (West Midnapore) constituency Bharti Ghosh, Smriti Irani, Mithun Chakraborty, Manoj Tiwari, John Barla and Suvendu Adhikari.

The first two phases of polling saw a voter turn out of 79.9 and 80.43 per cent respectively.

The polling for 31 seats in the third phase will be held on April 6. Elections for 44 seats will be held in the fourth phase on April 10. Further, in the fifth phase on April 17, 45 seats will go to the polls.

The sixth phase is scheduled for April 22 when elections for 43 seats will be done. In the seventh phase on April 26, polling will be held for 36 seats. Finally, the eighth phase is scheduled for April 29 when 35 seats will go for polling. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. 

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Assam polls: AJP chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi casts vote in Tinsukiahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/assam-elections/2021/Mar/27/assam-polls-ajp-chief-lurinjyoti-gogoi-casts-vote-in-tinsukia-2282346.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/assam-elections/2021/Mar/27/assam-polls-ajp-chief-lurinjyoti-gogoi-casts-vote-in-tinsukia-2282346.html#comments0c6c5407-598c-4d27-8333-1fab32ed9e33Sat, 27 Mar 2021 12:01:00 +00002021-03-27T12:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Assam elections,Assam Jatiya Parishad,Assam Assembly polls,Lurinjyoti Gogoi,AJPAssam ElectionsTINSUKIA (Assam): President of newly-floated regional political party Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Sunday cast his vote at a polling centre in Tinsukia district during the first phase of Assam polls.

Gogoi is contesting from two seats -- Duliajan and Naharkatia. The voting at both the assembly constituency is underway in the first phase of polls today.

The AJP and jailed activist Akhil Gogoi's Raijor Dal are contesting the polls in an alliance.

CLICK HERE FOR ASSAM, WEST BENGAL POLL UPDATES 

A total of 264 candidates are in the fray for 47 seats -- 42 seats from 11 districts of Upper Assam and northern Assam region and five seats from central Assam's Nagaon district.

Polling for the next two phases will be held on April 1 and April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. 

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BJP fields heavyweights as phase 1 campaign ends in West Bengalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Mar/26/bjp-fields-heavyweights-as-phase-1-campaign-ends-2281729.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Mar/26/bjp-fields-heavyweights-as-phase-1-campaign-ends-2281729.html#commentse92ec0f9-001a-48e1-9350-9466172c4c83Fri, 26 Mar 2021 08:14:00 +00002021-03-26T08:14:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182BJP,West Bengal elections,West Bengal BJP,West Bengal pollsWest Bengal ElectionsKOLKATA: The BJP on Thursday trained all guns at the ruling Trinamool Congress by deploying its heavy artillery before the campaign ends for the first phase of the West Bengal polls scheduled to begin from Saturday in Junglemahal and part of East Midnapore. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir addressed rallies, while actor Mithun Chakrabarty held four roadshows in south Bengal. 

Addressing a rally in Nandigram from where CM Mamata Banerjee is contesting against her former cabinet colleague Suvendu Adhikari, Adityanath said: “During the Left Front’s regime, 14 persons were killed here in the police firing 14 years ago. But the TMC supremo did nothing for the martyrs. After wresting power in Bengal, the BJP-led new government will prioritise two issues. One is building up ‘sonar Bangla’ and the other is putting all TMC goons behind bars.’’

Nandigram will go to the poll on April 1. Shah addressed two rallies in Namkhana in South 24 Parganas and Gopiballavpur in Jhargram, the hometown of BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh. “The CM is practising politics of vote bank in the state and depriving the poor living here. In this election, she will get a befitting reply from the Bengal electorates,’’ he said. 

Gambhir held a roadshow in Sonamukhi in the Bankura district. Chakraborty, who was in a white kurta with a long saffron scarf loosely wrapped around his neck, led the first roadshow in Saltora in Bankura, while the second one was in Keshiary in the Paschim Medinipur district. Amid chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Chakraborty stood on a MUV, decked with marigold, and greeted the enthused supporters. 

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TN assembly polls: DMK-ally CPI announces candidates for six seats https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/tamilnadu-elections/2021/Mar/14/tn-assembly-polls-dmk-ally-cpi-announces-candidates-for-sixseats-2276553.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/tamilnadu-elections/2021/Mar/14/tn-assembly-polls-dmk-ally-cpi-announces-candidates-for-sixseats-2276553.html#commentsfb1008d7-d761-434b-ac22-1a9d8b9531ccSun, 14 Mar 2021 18:13:00 +00002021-03-14T18:13:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182DMK,CPI,Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections,Tamil Nadu assembly polls,DMK allianceTamil Nadu ElectionsCHENNAI: The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Sunday announced its list of candidates for six seats it is contesting in alliance with the DMK for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election next month.

The CPI has fielded veteran leader Marimuthu for the Thiruthuraipoondi (Reserve) constituency.

Announcing the names of the candidates here, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said the party has nominated former MLA T Ramachandran, who is Krishnagiri district secretary, to seek re-election from the Thali constituency.

Former MLA P L Sundaram would contest from Bhavanisagar.

Ravi alias M Subramanian, who is Tiruppur district secretary of the party, would seek his electoral fortune from the Tiruppur north constituency while former MLAs M Arumugam and S Gunasekaran would contest from Vaalparai and Sivaganga constituencies, respectively.

Speaking to reporters, Mutharasan reiterated that the CPI agreed to contest from six seats as it was determined to ensure the victory of the DMK-combine.

It has become vital in this election to keep the communal BJP away from gaining foothold in Tamil Nadu, he said. To a question, he replied that the CPI would soon come out with its election manifesto.

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Power inevitable factor to find solutions to women's issues: IUML candidate Noorbina Rasheedhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/kerala-elections/2021/Mar/14/power-inevitable-factor-to-find-solutions-to-womens-issues-iuml-candidate-noorbinarasheed-2276539.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/kerala-elections/2021/Mar/14/power-inevitable-factor-to-find-solutions-to-womens-issues-iuml-candidate-noorbinarasheed-2276539.html#comments7782b45e-b4ac-4be0-b36f-a2e26159341bSun, 14 Mar 2021 17:33:00 +00002021-03-14T17:33:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182UDF,IUML,Kerala assembly polls,Kerala assembly elections,Noorbina RasheedKerala ElectionsTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When a Muslim girl insisted on continuing her higher studies decades ago, it amused her traditional family as education was largely considered secondary for the community women then.

She later sprang a surprise, taking up criminal law as her profession in the 1990s and continued to upset conventional clergy by actively engaging in politics, propagated as taboo for women by them.

Now, Noorbina Rasheed, the soft-spoken but strong leader of Indian Union Muslim League, is all set to break another glass ceiling by plunging into the electoral fray from Kozhikode South, becoming only the second woman to be fielded by the party in an assembly election.

"A Muslim woman becoming a criminal lawyer was a shock and surprise for many that time. I have been a practicing lawyer since the early 1990s," Rasheed told PTI in an interview.

If she emerges victorious in the April 6 election, her name will be scripted in history as the first IUML woman legislator of Kerala.

"In my experience, what I strongly feel is that power is an inevitable factor to find speedy and effective solutions to any issues especially those related to women," she said explaining the need to contest elections.

Amidst criticism against lack of women representation in the party's leadership as well as in the assembly, the IUML has picked this lawyer-turned politician as their candidate, bucking a 25-year long practice.

With this, the party, a key partner in the Congress-led United Democratic Front, aims to send out a strong message that it would not bow down to the pressure tactics of conservative clergy and religious groups who do not want women to come into positions of power.

The IUML had notfielded any woman in the assembly or parliament elections after Qamarunnisa Anwar, the Woman League leader who had contested from then Kozhikode II constituency in 1996, but lost to CPI(M)'s Elamaram Kareem by 8,766 votes.

However, Rasheed said she has always been hopeful that the IUML would surely give an opportunity to women.

"I am a person who likes to see everything in a positive manner. So, I am very happy and proud that IUML has given a seat to a woman this time. The party has actually respected the women community through this," she said.

The founding general secretary of the Indian Union Women's League (IUWL), the women's wing of the party, and its national general secretary for several years, Rasheed is also the state secretariat member of the IUML.

In her three decades of public life, she also served as a councillor of Kozhikode Corporation, a member of the Kerala Women's Commission and in the Literacy Mission.

The woman leader, who is in her late 50s, said she was able to intervene in public issues in various capacities throughout these years.

More women should foray into politics and be active in social issues, she said, adding education and political empowerment are the only solutions for the progress of Muslim women.

"If women want to succeed in their lives, they should learn the act of balancing also. I can proudly say that I have managed my family well, looked after my three children, taken care of my husband and carried forward my professional career as a lawyer along with politics," she said.

Both a criminal lawyer and a family counsel, she is very much active in her profession even amidst her political engagements.

A member of the Kozhikode Bar for the last 30 years, Rasheed said she was busy at her office even when her candidature was announced two days ago.

"I have been a practicing lawyer since early 1990s. My office is an all-women space...every person, right from juniors to clerk is a woman," she said.

The IUML leader said even if she wins the assembly polls, she would not leave her profession as it was her identity and politics is for service only.

Hailing from an aristocratic family in Thalassery in northern Kannur district, Rasheed's parents were progressive and stood with her always.

Though her conservative relatives were against sending girls to colleges for advanced studies, her parents allowed her to join the famed Providence College in Kozhikode district, a well-known Christian institution, she said.

They had also rejected the opposition within and outside the family for sending her to the trhen newly opened Government Law College in the same district when she wanted to pursue law degree.

She said her husband, C P M Abdul Rasheed, an IRS officer, was all support for her taking part in political discourses, which helped her become an active politician.

When asked what prompted her to join IUML as there were several other options before her, Rasheed said she was very particular to join a minority community-based party.

"If I want to do something for the minority communities and its women members, I have to be part of a minority party or outfit. Because, the correction should be made from within. We should have carved a space for ourselves within such a party. Thus, the IUWL was formed during 1990s," she added.

Optimistic about her victory in the April 6 polls, Rasheed said she would strive to improve the basic infrastructure and other amenities of the constituency and give more focus on the issues of women and children if she gets elected to the assembly.

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'Is Modi afraid of Mamata?': Hurt by CAA delay, Matuas weigh options before Bengal pollshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Jan/19/is-modi-afraid-of-mamata-hurt-by-caa-delay-matuas-weigh-optionsbefore-bengal-polls-2250978.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/west-bengal-elections/2021/Jan/19/is-modi-afraid-of-mamata-hurt-by-caa-delay-matuas-weigh-optionsbefore-bengal-polls-2250978.html#comments1bc8773c-d637-4389-841b-9a7e229e96fbTue, 19 Jan 2021 15:58:00 +00002021-01-30T19:18:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Amit Shah,Mamata Banerjee,Bengal Elections 2021,West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021,Matua community,Shantanu ThakurWest Bengal ElectionsKOLKATA: In December 2019, when India erupted in protests, a community in West Bengal celebrated the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. 

But, a little over a year after the contentious law was rushed through both the houses of Parliament, the government of India is yet to frame rules for its implementation.

The 1.8 crore-strong Matua community has a direct impact on almost 70 Assembly seats in Bengal. Once with the Trinamool, they shifted their allegiance to the BJP in 2019 banking on the promise of being granted citizenship finally.

This need of these migrant Dalits had helped the BJP win 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2019. Now, ahead of the all-important assembly elections, the saffron camp is making no mention of the CAA - at least not till date.

Permanent citizenship has been a long-standing demand of the Matuas, the second-largest Scheduled Caste group in the state, who continue to harbour fears that they will be thrown out of India unless the CAA is implemented. Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur publicly underlined last month that these Hindu refugees from the neighbouring country are waiting to hear when the CAA will come into force.

"People from the Matua community are waiting to know when the new act will be implemented by the Union Home minister (Amit Shah). I hope he will visit our area and address the issue in a public rally soon," he said.

Thakur had earlier written to Shah twice asking him to announce a deadline for the implementation. He warned there will be consequences otherwise.

READ| 'Is it our fault...': NRC fears rife in Muslim village on Bengal-Bangladesh border

Thakur's angst is palpable and can be seen among the common people in North 24 Parganas, where the majority of the Namasudra community reside. The Matuas can also be found scattered in districts such as Cooch Behar, Uttar Dinajpur, Malda and Nadia.

A shopkeeper from Bongaon, Pran Pallab Bagh, who migrated to this side of Bengal during Partition is awaiting his citizenship rights.

"We listened to what our elders said and voted for the BJP when they promised the implementation of CAA. It has been a year since the law was passed. We expected better from them. Is Narendra Modi afraid of Mamata? Isn't he the Prime Minister? Then why can't he implement the law? How long must we wait?" asked the irked shopkeeper who lives with his family four kilometres from the border.

In the run-up to the 2021 Bengal elections, the community has divided their loyalties between the Trinamool and BJP.

Their representative Shantanu Thakur is a descendent of Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua sect. The Thakur family has had a long series of political associations, starting with the Congress. 

Harichand's great-grandson Pramatha Ranjan Thakur became a member of the state Assembly on a Congress ticket in 1962. Later, his widow Binapani Devi took over as the head of the community.  

Ahead of polls, political stalwarts were known to form beelines outside the matriarch's house in a bid to influence voters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too launched his poll blitzkrieg in 2019 with a visit to Boro Maa's house in North 24 Parganas.

Binapani Devi's eldest son Kapil Krishna Thakur was the TMC MP from Bongaon in 2014, while her other son Manjul Krishna was a TMC MLA from Gaighata in 2011.

In 2015, after Kapil Krishna's sudden death, Manjul's son Subrata Thakur contested the Bongaon Lok Sabha bypoll on a BJP ticket. The TMC was quick to pit Kapil's widow Mamata Bala Thakur against him and that helped them retain the seat. But in 2019, Manjul's other son Shantanu became the first BJP MP from the seat.

Almost two years after his victory, voices of discontent can be heard from every village in the bordering areas.

I had high hopes from Shantanu da, says 35-year-old homemaker Sumati.  

"They (the BJP) have been saying that they will implement the (CAA) law. But no one wants to say when. There is no timeline. It has been so long for us awaiting our rights," she said.

Shifting his support to the BJP in 2018 was not difficult for Debashish Roy as he had faith in Thakur. Now, Roy and the rest of his family aren't as sure and are weighing their options. 

Interestingly, while the community awaits 'citizenship rights', they have been given access to voter IDs as well as Aadhaar cards. Mamata Banerjee, who once shared a cordial relationship with Binapani Devi, announced 1.25 lakh land pattas in the last hour bid to win back their trust.

At a rally, she said, "All Matuas are citizens of this country. Let me say this as the Chief Minister of Bengal. You do not need any more certificates." Mamata went on to term the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) a means to deceive the community.

As the political slugfest heats up, Amit Shah is likely to visit Bongaon on January 30 in a bid to placate the disgruntled community leaders.

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Telangana Congress rebel steals Revuri Prakash’s thunderhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/15/telangana-congress-rebel-steals-revuri-prakashs-thunder-1898479.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/15/telangana-congress-rebel-steals-revuri-prakashs-thunder-1898479.html#commentsa4a25016-1ebf-4d20-956e-323b2977e910Thu, 15 Nov 2018 08:16:00 +00002021-01-21T10:03:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Telangana Congress,Telangana elections 2018,Telangana polls 2018,Naini Rajender Reddy,Revuri Prakash ReddyTelangana ElectionsWARANGAL: With Congress, rebel DCC president Naini Rajender Reddy filing his nomination as an independent candidate from Warangal West, Grand Alliance candidate and senior TDP leader Revuri Prakash Reddy finds himself in a pickle. As part of the seat-sharing agreement, the seat was allotted to TDP who planned to field Prakash Reddy from here. But Rajender Reddy was going to have none of it. He threw himself into the fray against his party’s decision.

Prakash Reddy is quite new to the constituency and he knows he doesn’t stand a chance without Congress’, especially Rajender Reddy’s, help. TDP does have booth-level activists but they do not hold a candle to Congress’ strong presence in the constituency. In fact, Rajender Reddy was so sure of getting the ticket that he had launched a campaign almost six months ago. When it was announced that the seat was being given to TDP, some of Rajender Reddy’s followers got so angry that they locked themselves up in the party office, and declared that they would come out only if the party changed its mind. From the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like they will support or campaign for a TDP candidate. In such a case, it will be difficult for Prakash Reddy to win against the incumbent MLA, TRS’ D Vinay Bhaskar.

On Wednesday, Prakash Reddy tried to extend the olive brand to Rajender Reddy by asking for his help. “I have Rajender Reddy for a long time and I know how disappointed he is. But what can we do? Us parties have come together to defeat TRS, so we have to cooperate with each other. Also, our leader Chandrababu Naidu will talk to Congress leadership about some sort of assurance to Rajender Reddy,” he said.

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Telangana elections: How will the Grand Alliance deal with friendly contests?https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/21/telangana-elections-how-will-the-grand-alliance-deal-with-friendly-contests-1901124.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/21/telangana-elections-how-will-the-grand-alliance-deal-with-friendly-contests-1901124.html#comments7b8b2d36-0ba0-4a33-828b-7c5f6501dbb7Wed, 21 Nov 2018 09:10:00 +00002020-09-09T10:26:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Grand Alliance,TJS,Telangana elections 2018,Telangna polls 2018Telangana ElectionsHYDERABAD: As TJS candidates have filed nominations in around 10 constituencies, against their allotted eight, and TDP and TJS candidates are pitted against each other in two segments, ‘friendly contests’ are expected to spoil the Grand Alliance’s chances of pulling off a win in the upcoming polls.
To avoid a division of votes between the parties, and give TRS an advantage, top leaders of all four parties were seen huddling up to come to an agreement.

“While Congress allotted us 8 seats, as part of the seat-sharing pact, there was clarity on only 6 seats. Therefore, we have filed nominations from 14 seats. We are ready to withdraw nominations from some seats, if Congress and TDP candidates withdraw from seats of our choice,” said TJS official representative Yogeshwar Reddy.

ALSO READ: Congress begins to pacify rebels to make 'Grand Alliance' successful

Even the Congress has not kept things simple — it was supposed to file nominations for 94 seats, however, its leaders went ahead and filed their papers from 100 constituencies. On the other hand, TDP has filed nominations in just 13, while it was given 14 seats.  

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Telangana Jana Samithi chief Kodandaram nothing but a curry leaf: TRS leader KTRhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/19/telangana-jana-samithi-chief-kodandaram-nothing-but-a-curry-leaf-trs-leader-ktr-1900119.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/telangana-elections/2018/Nov/19/telangana-jana-samithi-chief-kodandaram-nothing-but-a-curry-leaf-trs-leader-ktr-1900119.html#commentsfaf46ab7-826f-4a9d-aceb-f0328167ffafMon, 19 Nov 2018 08:35:00 +00002020-06-11T17:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182TRS,M Kodandaram,Telangana elections 2018,Telangana polls 2018,KTR Remarks,TJS chiefTelangana ElectionsHYDERABAD: TRS leader KT Rama Rao heckled Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) founder M Kodandaram comparing the latter with a curry leaf. “Kodandaram wanted 70 seats in the Grand Alliance. Later, he asked at least 30 seats. Now, the Congress even denied Jangaon ticket to him. Kodandaram readied a ratham and campaign material for Jangaon seat.

The Congress used Kodandaram as “koora lo karivepaku” and threw him away,” Rama Rao said after admitting Congress, BJP and MRPS activists from erstwhile Karimnagar district at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday. A prominent Congress leader from Vemulawada Y Manohar Reddy who failed to get Congress ticket too joined in the presence of KTR on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Telangana elections: Backward classes get lion’s share in Congress' final list

Rama Rao attacked Kodandaram by saying that the curry leaves are used in dishes and later they are thrown away. The IT Minister said that Grand Alliance seats were being finalised by AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati. Naidu would send notes and the Congress would act as per his directions. “Telangana people are politically aware and they reject notes and give votes to TRS,” Rama Rao said. He asked the voters not to hand over Telangana to outsiders like TDP, Congress and BJP.

Rama Rao said that the Grand Alliance took 70 days to share just 40 Assembly seats. “Those who failed to share seats could not deliver good governance,” he said. Congress symbol was like ‘Bhasmasura Hastham’ he said and cautioned the people not to believe the party, he cautioned the voters. Rama Rao said that while bouncers were guarding the Gandhi Bhavan, the Telangana Bhavan was abuzz with political activities.

On Bodige Sobha contesting on BJP ticket, Rama Rao said that she had no favourable situation in Choppadandi. If she continued in TRS, the party would have provided her better opportunities in future, Rao said. 

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Factionalism, poor coordination, AAP's freebies, reasons for Delhi defeat: BJPhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/14/factionalism-poor-coordination-aaps-freebies-reasons-for-delhi-defeat-bjp-2103503.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/14/factionalism-poor-coordination-aaps-freebies-reasons-for-delhi-defeat-bjp-2103503.html#commentsaf91d18a-d28c-47bb-b123-06ca030b93e1Fri, 14 Feb 2020 23:14:00 +00002020-02-14T23:14:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Delhi assembly elections,Delhi BJP,Delhi pollsDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Factionalism, gaps in coordination at the local level and inability to effectively counter AAP's narrative of freebies are among reasons identified by BJP leaders for the party's defeat in Delhi assembly polls.

The BJP has held introspection meetings to find causes for its defeat in the elections in which the ruling Aam Aadmi Party won a landslide for the second time in a row.

ALSO READ | Election Commission issues notice to Union Minister Anurag Thakur for 'goli maaro' comment

Leaders of BJP had claimed that before the polls that there was no infighting but the outcome has shown that the local unit "remained a divided house".

Though BJP's vote share increased, the party could win only five more seats compared to its 2015 tally when it had won three seats.

"The infighting at the ground level, mismanagement and party's failure to counter Aam Aadmi Party's planks of free electricity and free bus rides for women were among reasons why we failed miserably," a senior leader, who was part of the meetings said.

"The lack of coordination was such that three senior party leaders held public meetings for a candidate at the same spot and ground," another leader said.

Party's national general secretary Arun Singh, MP, and V Satish, national general secretary (organization) held a meeting of vistaraks to analyse the cause of defeat.

Another meeting of constituency in-charges and coordinators was convened by party general secretary Anil Jain. BJP Delhi president Manoj Tiwari and Siddharthan, general secretary (organisation) of Delhi unit were among those present.

A meeting of party candidates who lost the polls is also likely to be held.

ALSO READ | From Vijender Gupta to OP Sharma, meet the 8 BJP candidates who withstood the AAP sweep

With central leadership throwing its weight behind the candidates, there is a feeling that the local units failed to meet the expectations.

A candidate, who lost the polls, also talked about lack of effective coordination with the people sent by the leadership to bolster the poll effort.

Another candidate said that the party failed to counter the narrative of freebies by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"On the ground, we were zero in countering Kejriwal," he said.

While there is a feeling that slogans like 'goli maro' and `India vs Pak' may have hurt BJP's prospects, some leaders also feel that there was also polarisation in favour of BJP.

"Shaheen Bagh episode and speeches by leaders did help us. This is also explained by the increase in our vote share. But there was more consolidation of the minority vote," a leader said. 

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Country has changed, Congress needs new thinking: Jyotiraditya Scindia after Delhi embarrassmenthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/13/country-has-changed-congress-needs-new-thinking-jyotiraditya-scindia-after-delhi-embarrassment-2103011.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/13/country-has-changed-congress-needs-new-thinking-jyotiraditya-scindia-after-delhi-embarrassment-2103011.html#comments67d66f0a-3186-486d-a6dd-7d77651f2390Thu, 13 Feb 2020 23:35:00 +00002020-02-13T23:35:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Delhi Assembly Polls,Delhi Congress,Delhi polls,Jyotiraditya ScindiaDelhi ElectionsBHOPAL: Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has termed the party’s disastrous performance in the recently concluded Delhi Assembly polls as highly disappointing and underscored the urgent need for new thinking and new ideology in the grand old political party.

Scindia, the former union minister and ex-Lok Sabha member on Thursday termed Congress’s performance in the Delhi Assembly polls as “highly disappointing” and added there was an urgent need for new thinking, new ideology and new working approach in the party.

“The Delhi result is highly disappointing for us. We urgently need new thinking and work approach as the country has changed now,” Scindia told journalists in Madhya Pradesh.

Importantly, Scindia (who had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Madhya Pradesh) was among the Congress leaders, who had campaigned for the party in the recent Delhi Assembly polls, where the party drew blank, bagging less than five per cent votes. More than 60 Congress candidates, who contested for the 70-member strong Delhi Vidhan Sabha, even lost their deposits.

Just a day back, other young Congress leaders, including Sharmistha Mukherjee and Sandeep Dixit had targeted the state party leadership in Delhi over the disastrous performance of the party which ruled Delhi before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Sharmistha Mukherjee (the daughter of country’s former President Pranab Mukherjee) had particularly responded critically to a tweet by former union minister P Chidambaram in which the ex-home and finance minister had heaped praise on AAP for defeating the BJP.

“With due respect Sir, just want to know—has the Congress outsourced the task of defeating BJP to state parties” If not, then why are we gloating over AAP victory rather than being concerned about our drubbing? And if yes, then we (PCC) might as well close the shop,” Mukherjee had tweeted a day after the Delhi results on Wednesday.

Mukherjee had responded to Chidambaram’s tweet in which, the ex-union minister had written, “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarizing, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP. I salute the people of Delhi, who have set an example to other states that will hold their elections in 2012 and 2022.”

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Delhi election embarrassment: Sonia Gandhi accepts resignations of Subhash Chopra, PC Chackohttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/13/delhi-election-embarrassment-sonia-gandhi-accepts-resignations-of-subhash-chopra-pc-chacko-2102593.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/13/delhi-election-embarrassment-sonia-gandhi-accepts-resignations-of-subhash-chopra-pc-chacko-2102593.html#commentsbfb50595-b07f-44cc-9cbf-b091a5a42231Thu, 13 Feb 2020 00:49:00 +00002020-02-13T00:49:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Sonia gandhi,PC Chacko,Delhi Assembly Polls,Subhash Chopra,Delhi Congress,Delhi polls,AICC,Delhi election resultsDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: A day after the party's debacle in the assembly polls, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accepted the resignations of Delhi unit party chief Subhash Chopra and party's Delhi in-charge PC Chacko.

Shaktisinh Gohil, who is in-charge of Bihar, has been given the interim charge of Delhi, according to an official party release.

The Congress could not win any seat for the second time in a row in Delhi in assembly elections the results of which were declared on Tuesday. It was also the party's worst electoral performance in Delhi assembly polls and its vote share was the lowest.

The Congress fielded candidates on 66 seats, of which it forfeited their deposits on 63.

The party had given four seats to the RJD and all candidates of its ally also lost their deposits.

Chopra had offered to resign on Tuesday soon after the results taking the moral responsibility for the party's performance. He was made the party chief in October last.

Chacko, who has been in-charge of Delhi for over five years, had also sent his resignation.

The Congress was in power in the national capital for 15 successive years before the advent of Aam Aadmi Party.

In the results announced on Tuesday, AAP secured 62 of 70 seats while the BJP was restricted to eight. 

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Delhi polls: Eight of nine women candidates fielded by AAP emerge victorioushttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-polls-eight-of-nine-women-candidates-fielded-by-aap-emerge-victorious-2102078.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-polls-eight-of-nine-women-candidates-fielded-by-aap-emerge-victorious-2102078.html#commentsc3ecfd79-9e45-4ddb-91a5-4a52e5967adaTue, 11 Feb 2020 20:47:00 +00002020-02-12T13:51:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Delhi assembly,Delhi Assembly Polls,Delhi polls,Atishi,Preeti Tomar,women MLAs,Delhi election results,Pramila Tokas,Raj Kumari DhillonDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Eight of the nine women candidates fielded by the AAP in the Delhi assembly polls won, helping the party register a thumping election victory on Tuesday.

The three prominent parties -- the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress -- had fielded a total of 24 women candidates, with the Congress accounting for a maximum of 10 of them.

The AAP had fielded nine women candidates, while the BJP had given tickets to five women.

AAP's Atishi, who had unsuccessfully contested last year's Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency, was fielded from Kalkaji in place of sitting MLA Avtar Singh Kalka.

She won the seat by a margin of over 11,300 votes.

After the first few rounds of counting of votes, Atishi was trailing BJP's Dharambir Singh, but later emerged victorious.

Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra's daughter Shivani was also in the fray from Kalkaji.

With 4.64 per cent of the total votes polled, she finished third and had to forfeit her security deposit.

ALSO READ | 31 women elected to Delhi Assembly since 1993

Dhanwati Chandela, who quit the Congress to join the AAP ahead of the polls, won the Rajouri Garden seat, defeating BJP's Ramesh Khanna by a margin of 22,972 votes.

She was also one of the richest candidates in the fray.

Chandela had unsuccessfully contested the Rajouri Garden bypolls in 2017 and lost to Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

She is the wife of former Congress MLA Dayanand Chandela.

Rajkumari Dhillon, another former Congress leader who joined the AAP ahead of the polls, won the Hari Nagar seat, defeating BJP's Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by a margin of over 20,000 votes.

AAP's Bandana Kumari retained the Shalimar Bagh seat by defeating another woman candidate, BJP's Rekha Gupta, by a margin of over 3,400 votes.

In 2015, she had won the seat by a margin of over 10,900 votes.

Preeti Tomar of the AAP defeated BJP's Tilak Ram Gupta by a margin of over 10,700 votes to win the Tri Nagar seat.

Her husband, Jitender Tomar, had won the seat in 2015 by a margin of 22,311 votes.

In January, the Delhi High Court set aside the 2015 election of Jitender Tomar for allegedly giving a false declaration regarding his educational qualification in his nomination papers.

Following this, the AAP decided to field Preeti Tomar from the constituency.

Bhavna Gaur of the AAP is poised to win the Palam seat by defeating BJP's Vijay Pandit.

She is leading by a margin of over 32,000 votes.

In 2015, Gaur had won the seat by a margin of over 30,800 votes.

AAP's Pramila Tokas won the RK Puram seat, defeating BJP's Anil Kumar Sharma by a margin of over 10,000 votes.

She had won the seat in 2015 by a margin of over 19,000 votes.

Rakhi Birla of the AAP retained the reserved Mangolpuri seat with a margin of over 30,000 votes by defeating BJP's Karam Singh Karma.

She bettered her 2015 poll performance, when she had won the seat by a margin of over 22,600 votes.

Alka Lamba, who was the AAP MLA from Chandni Chowk but later quit the party to rejoin the Congress, faced a crushing defeat from the seat where she polled only five per cent of the votes.

AAP's Parlad Singh Sawhney won the Chandni Chowk seat by defeating BJP's Suman Kumar Gupta.

AAP's Sarita Singh lost to BJP's Jitender Mahajan by a margin of 13,241 votes from Rohtas Nagar.

Congress's campaign committee head Kirti Azad's wife Poonam finished the poll race in the fourth position from the Sangam Vihar constituency.

She bagged a meagre 2.23 per cent of the total votes polled.

AAP's Dinesh Mohaniya retained the seat by securing over 75 per cent of the votes polled.

The election, largely seen as a battle between the AAP and the BJP, was held on Saturday, sealing the fate of 672 candidates -- 593 men and 79 women.

In the 2015 polls, 66 women were in the fray with the AAP, BJP and Congress accounting for 19 of them.

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We respect mandate, best wishes to Kejriwal: Prakash Javadekarhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/we-respect-mandate-best-wishes-to-kejriwal-prakash-javadekar-2102143.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/we-respect-mandate-best-wishes-to-kejriwal-prakash-javadekar-2102143.html#commentscda40d68-3384-47bf-859b-50a56d5274b1Tue, 11 Feb 2020 23:54:00 +00002020-02-11T23:54:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Arvind Kejriwal,Prakash Javadekar,Delhi polls,Delhi election resultsDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said that the BJP respects the mandate given by people in the Delhi Assembly elections and extended best wishes to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"We respect the mandate given by people of Delhi in the Assembly election and give best wishes to Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. Being in Opposition, BJP will keep raising the issues faced by people," Javadekar said.

ALSO READ | 'I love you, Delhi': Kejriwal soaks in capital win, swearing-in on Feb 14

Stating that BJP's vote share and seats have increased in comparison with last Delhi Assembly elections, Javadekar said that the party will analyse the results.

According to the final figures released by the Election Commission, the AAP won in 62 of the 70 seats with a total vote share of 53.57 per cent.

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Delhi voted for development: Tejashwi Yadav on AAP victoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-voted-for-development-tejashwi-yadav-on-aap-victory-2102126.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-voted-for-development-tejashwi-yadav-on-aap-victory-2102126.html#comments34752414-7bc3-4d4f-9cd1-9b682e763aa9Tue, 11 Feb 2020 23:01:00 +00002020-02-11T23:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Arvind Kejriwal,Delhi Assembly Polls,Delhi polls,Tejashwi Yadav,Delhi election resultsDelhi ElectionsPATNA: Delhi has given another chance to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to continue working on development, and a strong message to all those who practice the politics of hatred, said RJD leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday.

"I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal. The mandate given by the people of Delhi has shown that they have voted for the works of development," Yadav told reporters.

ALSO READ | Delhi mandate shows Indians socially kind and politically wise: Akhilesh Yadav

He also said that political leaders should chalk out a plan to solve issues like unemployment, education, health, inflation, and economic slowdown.

On Brijesh Thakur getting life imprisonment in Muzaffarpur shelter home case, the RJD leader said: "We welcome the justice."

A Delhi court on Tuesday awarded life term to Thakur in connection with the sexual assault of over 40 girls at a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

The Delhi court had reserved its order on the quantum of sentence for the 19 in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case on February 4.

ALSO READ | 'I love you, Delhi': Kejriwal soaks in capital win, swearing-in on Feb 14

Thakur, who is a former legislator and owner of the NGO called Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, had managed the place where the incident took place.

The court had, on January 20, convicted Thakur along with 18 others in the matter.

The Supreme Court had transferred the case from Bihar to a Delhi court and ordered the judge to complete it within six months, following which the trial court framed charges against 20 accused in the case.

The incident had come to light in the year 2018 after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) filed an affidavit detailing horrifying sexual abuse cases at the shelter homes. 

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Delhi mandate shows Indians socially kind and politically wise: Akhilesh Yadavhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-mandate-shows-indians-socially-kind-and-politically-wise-akhilesh-yadav-2102087.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-mandate-shows-indians-socially-kind-and-politically-wise-akhilesh-yadav-2102087.html#comments36482886-ce3a-4eec-9e71-8328d6a033adTue, 11 Feb 2020 21:46:00 +00002020-02-11T21:46:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Arvind Kejriwal,Samajwadi Party,Akhilesh Yadav,Delhi assembly elections,Delhi polls,Delhi election resultsDelhi ElectionsLUCKNOW: Congratulating Aam Admi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on the thumping majority his party registered to form government in Delhi again, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav dubbed the results as a good sign for "politics of peace and development" in the country.

The Samajwadi Party chief tweeted on Tuesday saying that the results of Delhi had left a clear and ample indication that majority of Indians were socially kind and politically wise even today.

ALSO READ | Delhi mandate reaction against communal appeasement: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

“The Delhi election results are a reflection of the fact that people of India are socially kind and politically wise even today and they are against those who drag personal beliefs like religion into political arena to make their political flowers bloom,” wrote the SP chief. “These results are good indications for country’s peace and development,” he added.

Earlier, while interacting with media persons in New Delhi, Akhilesh said that the Delhi results would send a strong message across the country. People of India would now choose those who would work for farmers, poor, youth, development and well being of all. He said the politics of hatred, in which the BJP had been indulging for a long time, would be rejected by the people.

The SP chief had launched a broadside on the saffron party after Delhi exit polls on Saturday. He had claimed that people of Delhi had rejected the BJP completely. On Saturday, Akhilesh had tweeted that the exit poll figures showed that BJP’s politics of hatred was rejected by the people of Delhi and tomorrow the whole nation would follow the suit.

ALSO READ | We respect mandate: Manoj Tiwari accepts defeat

However, BSP chief Mayawati remained incommunicado on Delhi poll result day. At the same time, the party witnessed its worst show in the 2020 Delhi elections as it failed to open the account in the national capital where it had contested on all 70 seats. With over 20 lakh Dalits and 12 reserved seats, Delhi BSP was banking heavily on the Dalit votes.

The BSP had contested its first assembly polls of Delhi in 1993, with candidates on 55 seats and bagged 1.88% votes. In 1998, it fielded 40 candidates and garnered 5.76% votes. This increased in 2003 when the party won 8.96% votes. After the BSP won 206 seats in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, it won two seats in the 2008 assembly polls, bagging 14.05% of votes. In 2013, the Mayawati-led party got 5.35% with 69 candidates in the fray. This fell further to 1.30% in 2015.

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Victory of politics of work and development, says Kejriwal's daughter on Delhi mandatehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/victory-of-politics-of-work-and-development-says-kejriwals-daughter-on-delhi-mandate-2102079.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/victory-of-politics-of-work-and-development-says-kejriwals-daughter-on-delhi-mandate-2102079.html#comments7ceefee1-3218-4d64-ba3c-1260898d0791Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:55:00 +00002020-02-11T20:55:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Arvind Kejriwal,Delhi polls,Delhi assembly election,Harshita Kejriwal,Delhi Assembly resultsDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Commenting on Aam Aadmi Party's landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's daughter Harshita on Tuesday said it was a victory of politics of work and development. The politics of "religion and allegations" had been defeated, she said.

"Politics should be done on the basis of work and development. It is better to avoid politics based on religion and allegations. It is a victory of all. The opposition parties have got an apt answer," Harshita Kejriwal told ANI.

ALSO READ | 'I love you, Delhi': Kejriwal soaks in capital win, swearing-in on Feb 14

Sharing her whole experience of Delhi elections, she said: "There was a positivity among people for AAP's work. People were refusing a negative approach of opposition parties. They were telling us that there was no need to come to ask for votes as they will support us."

She further said the family will soon plan for grand celebrations.

"We will plan how to celebrate it. For now, we are enjoying the moment, we are very happy."

ALSO READ | Delhi results reaction against communal appeasement: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Meanwhile, Kejriwal's son Pulkit said: "Wishes are pouring in from family and friends. We are all excited. We will celebrate soon. I would say spontaneous plans are more enjoyable."

By 6.30 pm, AAP had won 43 seats and was leading on 19 seats. The counting of votes for 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly began amid tight security at 8 am today. Delhi went to polls in a single-phase on February 8. 

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Delhi results: AAP candidate defeats Kapil Mishra by 11,133 voteshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-results-aap-candidate-defeats-kapil-mishra-by-11133-votes-2102077.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-results-aap-candidate-defeats-kapil-mishra-by-11133-votes-2102077.html#comments99bb605d-81b5-4ff7-b4e0-b8d672570df0Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:31:00 +00002020-02-11T20:31:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Delhi BJP,Delhi Assembly Polls,Delhi polls,Kapil Mishra,Delhi election results,Model Town,Akhilesh TripathiDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: AAP candidate Akhilesh Tripathi has won from Model Town assembly constituency with a margin of 11,133 votes.

He contested polls against BJP candidate Kapil Mishra, who had fought 2015 elections on AAP ticket.

"This is the victory of development and people of Delhi. It is a reply to people who wanted to divide the country and disturb communal harmony. It is the victory of Arvind Kejriwal's dream of a beautiful Delhi," Tripathi told ANI.

Earlier, the Election Commission had imposed a 48-hour campaigning ban following his controversial tweets. Twitter had taken down one of his controversial tweets following directions of the EC and an FIR was lodged against him under section 125 of the Representation of the People Act dealing with creating enmity among classes.

ALSO READ | We respect mandate: Manoj Tiwari accepts defeat

Election results have been declared on 40 seats in which AAP bagged 37 and BJP won three. Congress failed to secure a win on any of the assembly seats.

The Election Commission had placed a temporary ban on Kapil Mishra from campaigning for Delhi assembly elections for violating the Model Code of Conduct over his tweet where he termed the ensuing Assembly elections in the national capital as a contest between India and Pakistan. 

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Delhi results reaction against communal appeasement: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-results-reaction-against-communal-appeasement-kerala-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-2102075.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-results-reaction-against-communal-appeasement-kerala-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-2102075.html#comments1514bedc-2e81-4ad8-8871-ccc70b0d7956Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:21:00 +00002020-02-11T20:21:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182BJP,Pinarayi Vijayan,Delhi assembly elections,Delhi polls,Kerala Chief Minister,Delhi election resultsDelhi ElectionsTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the Delhi assembly election result should be seen as a reaction against the communal appeasement.

Speaking to reporters, he said, "This election result should be seen as a reaction against the communal appeasement followed by the central government led by BJP and their anti-people policies."

"This election result will give strength to democratic, secular forces that are protesting to protect Constitution and secularism," he further said.

Vijayan said that Congress should learn a lesson from this election result.

"Kejriwal government worked for the development of the state, this is a result of that. Congress should learn the lesson from this election result," he said.

"The victory of AAP will give strength to the fight against the policies of BJP-led government," he added.

The counting of votes for 70 seats of the Delhi Assembly began amid tight security at 8 am today. Delhi went to polls in a single-phase on February 8. 

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BJP should've drawn a blank, CAA, NRC helped: Sheila Dikshit's sonhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/bjp-shouldve-drawn-a-blank-caa-nrc-helped-sheila-dikshits-son-2102065.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/bjp-shouldve-drawn-a-blank-caa-nrc-helped-sheila-dikshits-son-2102065.html#comments0ae514a4-dcaa-457b-b074-462eae3ea2d1Tue, 11 Feb 2020 19:54:00 +00002020-02-11T19:54:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Congress,Citizenship Act,CAA,NRC,Delhi BJP,Delhi Assembly Polls,Delhi Congress,Delhi polls,Delhi election results,Sandeep DikshitDelhi ElectionsBHOPAL: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Tuesday said that the Congress performance in the assembly elections was 'not surprising' and BJP managed to get few seats in the assembly elections in Delhi due to the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Speaking to ANI, the son of late Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Sandeep said, "There was no problem of development in Delhi as the work has been done earlier. People only wanted a few relaxations so that they can save money. The BJP should have not won even a single seat. But they got few seats with CAA and NRC issue."

ALSO READ | We respect mandate: Manoj Tiwari accepts defeat

"Congress' performance is not surprising...We were nowhere there. We tried to showcase the work done by Sheila ji but it was done really late because unfortunately Subhash Chopra ji was given the responsibility really late," he said.

Without taking names, Dikshit said, "Few big leaders of Congress have degraded the work done by Sheila Dikshit and also take credit for the work done by her in the past."

"There is nothing wrong with having groups. Every organisation have groups. But the problem occurs when they start keeping themselves above the party," he added.

The Congress leader said, "Sheila Dikshit's legacy was Delhi's legacy. Congress never accepted it in the past seven years then how will others think so."

ALSO READ | PM Modi congratulates Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi win

"If the Congress thinks this is a victory over communal forces then they are wrong. Our big leaders comment anything without understanding anything. The AAP is 'B team' of the BJP," alleged Dikshit.

AAP has retained power in the national capital with a comfortable lead on 62 seats out of the total 70, as per the Election Commission website. Its main contender BJP was far behind at 8 while the Congress is looking to draw a blank, repeating its 2015 debacle.

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Delhi gears up for counting; AAP confident, BJP says exit polls will fall flathttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-gears-up-for-counting-aap-confident-bjp-says-exit-polls-will-fall-flat-2101631.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/11/delhi-gears-up-for-counting-aap-confident-bjp-says-exit-polls-will-fall-flat-2101631.html#commentsdd125709-0226-4891-86bd-a1cede93bdc1Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:01:00 +00002020-02-11T00:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182aap,Arvind Kejriwal,Shaheen Bagh,Delhi assembly elections,Delhi BJP,Delhi Congress,Delhi pollsDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Counting of votes polled in the high-stakes Delhi Assembly elections is set to take place on Tuesday, with exit polls predicting a big win for the ruling AAP even as BJP leaders maintained that the surveys will fall flat.

Strong rooms spread across the city storing the EVMs are being heavily guarded, with a "three-layer security ring", Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh told PTI.

"We are all geared up for the counting tomorrow and elaborate security arrangements have been put in place. The exercise will be carried out as per the laid-down procedures of the Election Commission," he said.

ALSO READ | Tight security in place ahead of counting on Tuesday

The inner-most security layer, near the strong rooms, is that of the paramilitary, followed by armed policemen and then police personnel forming the outermost layer, he added.

Tight security arrangements have also been put in place at various centres across the national capital.

The curiosity among people to know the outcome of the elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly has heightened post-exit polls, that has forecast a big win for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

BJP leaders have, however, maintained that the exit poll results that predicted its defeat in the Delhi polls will "fail" as the surveys did not take into account the votes polled in the evening.

The election, largely seen as a battle between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which went aggressive during the high-octane campaign was held on Saturday, sealing the fate of 672 candidates -- 593 men and 79 women.

Nearly 24 hours after the polling ended in Delhi, the Election Commission on Sunday announced that the final voter turnout was 62.59 per cent, five per cent less than 2015, and asserted that it followed the laid down process to compile data, after the AAP questioned the "delay".

The Delhi CEO said the counting will begin at 8 am sharp and will be held in multiple rounds.

"The postal ballots will be counted first till 8.30 am and then the votes cast through EVMs will be counted," he said.

"The CUs (controls units) of the EVMs will be transported tomorrow morning to the counting centres before the beginning of the exercise. The centres are spread across 21 locations, spanning the 70 constituencies. Each centre will have several counting halls, equal to the number of constituencies falling in that district," Singh said.

ALSO READ | Low voter turnout worries BJP biggies

Each EVM consists of a ballot unit (BU), a controls units (CU) and a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT.) From every assembly constituency, five VVPATs will be randomly selected and they will be counted, he said.

The counting centres are located across the 11 districts, including at CWG Sports Complex in East Delhi, NSIT Dwarka in West Delhi, Meerabai Institute of Technology and G B Pant Institute of Technology in Southeast Delhi, Sir CV Raman ITI, Dheerpur in Central Delhi, and Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana in North Delhi.

There will be 33 counting observers, officials said.

There were 13,780 polling booths where every vote was accounted for by the presiding officers which is a time-consuming exercise, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena said at a press conference on Sunday.

Critical and vulnerable polling locations, numbered 545 and spanned 3,843 booths.

In view of the ongoing anti-CAA protest in Shaheen Bagh, the Delhi CEO's Office had put all five polling stations in the area under the "critical" category.

Security personnel kept guard at strong rooms storing electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The Delhi chief electoral officer, a day ahead of the polls, had said all EVMs were tested and they were "foolproof and non-tamperable".

Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP sought to retain power on the development plank, against the BJP that ran an aggressive campaign centred around the issues of anti-CAA protests and nationalism.

Most exit polls also predicted that the Congress is unlikely to open its account even this time in Delhi, which it ruled from 1998 to 2013.

Looking to capture power after 22 years, the BJP had mounted one of the most aggressive campaigns in the Delhi Assembly polls, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah leading the saffron charge on its planks of Hindutva and nationalism, and its strident opposition to Shaheen Bagh protests.

The issue often dominated the political discourse during the campaign, with many BJP leaders targeting the AAP, and the Congress, accusing them of "misleading people" holding anti-CAA protests in Delhi.

A section of voters on Saturday claimed that the prolonged street agitation demanding revocation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was "not an issue in the beginning of the campaign" but "political parties had slowly turned it into one".

ALSO READ | Arvind Kejriwal asks AAP volunteers not to burst crackers during victory celebrations to prevent pollution

Ballimaran constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 71.6 per cent among all the 70 assembly seats in the national capital, while Delhi Cantonment brought up the rear in polling percentage, according to data shared by officials on Sunday.

Okhla constituency recorded 58.84 per cent. Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar fall in Okhla assembly constituency, where hectic polling had taken place till late afternoon. Shaheen Bagh has been the epicentre of anti-CAA protests in Delhi, running into over 50 days now.

Over 1.47 crore people were eligible to vote in the Delhi polls, including 2,32,815 in the age group of 18-19.

The turnout in the 2015 Assembly polls stood at 67.47 per cent.

The AAP had routed rival parties bagging 67 seats and the BJP was reduced to mere three seats, while the Congress had drawn a blank.

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Do you have faith in any institution of India, Parvesh Verma asks Arvind Kejriwalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/10/do-you-have-faith-in-any-institution-of-india-parvesh-verma-asks-arvind-kejriwal-2101251.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/10/do-you-have-faith-in-any-institution-of-india-parvesh-verma-asks-arvind-kejriwal-2101251.html#comments2a5c9d91-1d98-4bd6-b19c-0efacf3a9b6aMon, 10 Feb 2020 00:28:00 +00002020-02-10T00:28:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Arvind Kejriwal,Election Commission,Delhi assembly elections,Delhi polls,Parvesh Verma,ECIDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly questioning the integrity of the Election Commission of India for "delaying the announcement of Delhi's final poll percentage", BJP lawmaker Parvesh Verma on Sunday demanded to know if Kejriwal and his party had any faith in any institution of India.

Taking a jibe at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Verma took to Twitter and wrote: "Doubt armed forces, doubt Parliament, doubt Prime Minister, doubt judiciary, doubt CBI, doubt Lieutenant Governor and now Election Commission...Is there any institution in India you have faith in?"

READ HERE | 62.59% voter turnout in Delhi: Election Commission declares final figures after delay

Earlier in the day, CM Arvind Kejriwal's had tweeted: "Absolutely shocking. What is EC doing? Why are they not releasing poll turnout figures, several hours after polling?"

However, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ranbir Singh, late on Sunday, announced that voter turnout in Delhi Assembly elections was 62.59 per cent.

"The voter turnout in Delhi was 62.59 per cent. It is about 2 per cent more than the last year's Lok Sabha elections. It is, however, less than the turnout in the last Assembly polls held in 2015," the CEO said at a press conference here.

ALSO READ | Absolutely shocking: Kejriwal questions EC's delay to release final voter turnout 

The Delhi CEO added that the highest voter turnout was recorded in Ballimaran Assembly constituency at 71.6 per cent while the lowest voter turnout was recorded in Delhi Cantonment at 45.4 per cent."As Delhi elections concluded on Saturday evening, the exit polls predicted that AAP will win a two-thirds majority with some giving it a three-fourth majority in the 70-member Assembly. The opinion polls projected a dismal show by the Congress. 

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Confident Congress rejects exit polls, says Feb results will 'startle everyone' https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/09/confident-congress-rejects-exit-poll-results-says-feb-results-will-startle-everyone-2101203.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/delhi-elections/2020/Feb/09/confident-congress-rejects-exit-poll-results-says-feb-results-will-startle-everyone-2101203.html#comments08a5ca3b-0c50-440f-b7c9-9b430d9e9a78Sun, 09 Feb 2020 21:16:00 +00002020-02-09T21:17:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Delhi Congress,Delhi polls,Delhi exit polls,Mukesh SharmaDelhi ElectionsNEW DELHI: A day after voting in Delhi Assembly elections, the Congress on Sunday rubbished the exit poll results, most of which predicted little or no change in the party's fortunes from 2015 polls, saying the result on February 11 will "surprise everyone".

Almost all exit polls predicted little change in the fortunes of the Congress, which had ruled the city between 1998 and 2013 but drew a blank in the 2015 polls.

"Let others celebrate the exit poll results. I am confident that the results on February 11 will startle everyone," chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress Mukesh Sharma said.

ALSO READ | Congress' performance in Delhi elections will be better than Haryana: Lovely

The party's Delhi unit president Subhash Chopra told reporters that all his party candidates contested with full strength.

"There are at least 20 candidates of the Congress who were involved in keen triangular contests. We reject the exit poll results."

Congress contested the Delhi Assembly polls in alliance with the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD). It fielded candidates on 66 seats leaving four for the RJD.

ALSO READ | Exit polls will 'fail', we will form next government in Delhi, say BJP leaders

"We fielded the best candidates on all seats, campaigned sincerely and are positive of good performance," said Sharma who himself contested from Vikaspuri seat.

If Congress sources are to be believed, the party hopes to win some seats provided the minorities voters chose it over the AAP.

"There are nearly 10 seats that Congress has a good chance of winning. However, it will depend on how the minorities voters cast their votes," they said.

The final voter turnout in the Delhi polls was 62.59 per cent, down from 67.47 per cent in 2015 assembly election, with exit polls predicting an easy win for AAP, which sought to retain power on development plank, against the BJP that ran an aggressive campaign centred around the issues of anti-CAA protests and nationalism.

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NCP-backed Independent MLA extends support to Shiv Sena https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/28/ncp-backed-independent-mla-extends-support-to-shiv-sena-2053860.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/28/ncp-backed-independent-mla-extends-support-to-shiv-sena-2053860.html#commentscd802039-6ed9-400d-bc3a-5392cb30905dMon, 28 Oct 2019 15:30:00 +00002019-10-28T15:30:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Shiv Sena,Maharashtra politics,Independent MLA,Maharashtra polls,Maharashtra Assembly election,Maharashtra Independent MLAs,Shankarrao GadakhMaharashtra ElectionsMUMBAI: Shankarrao Gadakh, an NCP-backed Independent MLA in Maharashtra, on Monday offered support to the Shiv Sena, which is pushing for an equal share in power with ally BJP in the next government.

The MLA from Nevasa in Ahmednagar district made the announcement after meeting Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence here. Gadakh's father Yashwantrao was a former NCP leader.

ALSO READ | BJP may go ahead with government formation if impasse continues

"I represent a rural area where problems are more complicated. If I have to solve people's issues, it is better to stay with the party which is going to form the government. Hence, I visited Mumbai today and extended support to the Sena," he said.

The Sena, which won 56 seats in the October 21 Assembly polls, claimed its tally now stood at 61 with the support of five more MLAs.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena, with 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member House, are busy wooing the 13 Independent MLAs in the state to give themselves an upper hand during discussions for formation of the next government.

ALSO READ | Tug of war between Shiv Sena, BJP to win over Independent MLAs

In a related development, two Independent MLAs - Ravi Rana (Badnera in Amravati district) and Kishor Jorgewar (Chandrapur) - have declared support to the BJP.

The Sena has demanded a written assurance from the BJP for implementing "equal formula for sharing of power", which could possibly include equal division of the chief ministerial tenure.

Speaking to a news channel on Monday, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "We will see how they do not share the post of Chief Minister. Both the parties agreed on 50:50 power-sharing formula. There is no need to explain it in detail.

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Won't support Shiv Sena to keep BJP out, Maharashtra Congress confirmshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/25/wont-support-shiv-sena-to-keep-bjp-out-maharashtra-congress-confirms-2052920.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/25/wont-support-shiv-sena-to-keep-bjp-out-maharashtra-congress-confirms-2052920.html#commentse3d41f6c-464b-4370-b18f-fba3ad9bd8acFri, 25 Oct 2019 13:20:00 +00002019-10-25T13:20:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Shiv Sena,Maharashtra politics,Balasaheb Thorat,Maharashtra Congress,Maharashtra Assembly Elections,Maharashtra Assembly pollsMaharashtra ElectionsMUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat on Friday ruled out joining hands with the Shiv Sena to keep the BJP out of power in the state, and said his party's mandate was to play the role of responsible opposition.

The Congress didn't have a "strategy or proposal" to prop up a Shiv Sena-led government, Thorat said, adding that ten Independents were in touch with him and they wanted to be part of the Opposition and not back the BJP-Sena.

The Congress won 44 seats in the polls for the 288- member Assembly, results of which were announced on Thursday.

ALSO READ | Congress improves tally in Haryana, Maharashtra despite rebellion in ranks

As it became clear that the BJP would not be able to form a government on its own, some Congress leaders including former chief minister Ashok Chavan had said the Congress should explore "all options" to keep the BJP out of power.

"The question of us offering support to the Sena doesn't arise. If the Sena approaches us, we will seek advice from our central leadership and its decision will be final," Thorat said at a press conference here.

When asked what the Congress' stand would be in case the Sena came up with such a proposal, he said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party would have to "come out of the BJP's influence".

About the support of independent MLAs to the Congress and if this would lead the Congress to claim the post of Leader of Opposition, Thorat said going by precedents, the numbers garnered this way are not considered while deciding which party gets the LoP post.

The NCP, which fought the October 21 polls in alliance with the Congress, has won 54 seats.

Thorat said the Congress would rebuild itself in the next five years, with a strategy to strengthen itself in "har gaon, har mohalla" (every village, every locality), with focus on urban areas.

"We expected more (seats) and had worked hard towards it. However, the mandate is welcome. It is for us to be a responsible and strong opposition party," he said.

He went on to add that the mandate was against the ruling BJP-Sena as well as the vote percentage against them was higher, though it did not reflect in numbers.

ALSO READ | Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut takes a dig at BJP, posts cartoon on Twitter

Thorat lashed out at a section of electronic media which he claimed ran a campaign against Congress leaders such as Ashok Chavan, Amit Deshmukh and he himself, repeatedly declaring that they would lose the polls.

"We won our seats with margins of 50,000 to one lakh. Still these channels claimed we were set to lose, causing us and our party workers a lot of pain for two days," he said, adding that legal action was being considered against such channels.

Thorat said ally NCP did well in western Maharashtra which gave a boost to the Sharad Pawar-led's party's tally.

On the new equation between the BJP and Sena in the second term of their alliance government and the possibility of a renewed power struggle between the saffron allies, Thorat said, "Everybody knows how the BJP treated the Sena. It is for the Sena to decide what to do."

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93 per cent of newly elected Haryana MLAs are crorepatis, JJP members wealthiesthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/25/93-per-cent-of-newly-elected-haryana-mlas-are-crorepatis-jjp-members-wealthiest-2052892.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/25/93-per-cent-of-newly-elected-haryana-mlas-are-crorepatis-jjp-members-wealthiest-2052892.html#comments03f30897-4f80-4cc1-a75e-e8c5dae44869Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:47:00 +00002019-10-25T12:30:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182ADR,Haryana Assembly polls,Haryana polls,Haryana MLAsHaryana ElectionsNEW DELHI: Eighty-four of the 90 newly elected Haryana MLAs are crorepatis, according to an analysis by poll watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

In the outgoing assembly, 75 of the 90 MLAs possessed assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, which means the number of crorepati legislators has increased by 10 per cent, the ADR report said.

The average of assets per sitting MLA in Haryana is Rs 18.29 crore, while it was Rs 12.97 crore in 2014, it said.

According to the ADR analysis, 37 of the 40 BJP MLAs and 29 of the 31 Congress legislators are crorepatis. The 10 MLAs of the Jannayak Janata Party of Dushyant Chautala are the wealthiest with their average assets being worth Rs 25.26 crore.

Fifty-seven MLAs are aged between 41 and 50 years, 62 legislators posses a bachelor's degree or above.

Twelve of the 90 MLAs are facing criminal cases.

The number of such legislators in the outgoing assembly was nine, according to the report.

Of those facing criminal cases, four are from the Congress, two from the BJP and one from the JJP, it said.

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Independent MLA Gopal Kanda supports BJP in Haryana, triggers row over his pasthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/25/independent-mla-gopal-kanda-supports-bjp-in-haryana-triggers-row-over-his-past-2052883.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/25/independent-mla-gopal-kanda-supports-bjp-in-haryana-triggers-row-over-his-past-2052883.html#commentsbb0bfde2-1092-4604-86b1-4e68e24e5122Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:12:00 +00002019-10-25T11:55:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Haryana BJP,Haryana politics,Haryana Lokhit Party,Gopal KandaHaryana ElectionsCHANDIGARH: With six MLAs short of the number needed to form the next government, the BJP Friday was promised "unconditional support" by Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, a controversial politician accused in a case of abetment to suicide.

Kanda told reporters that he and all independent candidates have "decided" to extend unconditional support to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In Delhi, six MLAs met the party's working president J P Nadda.

ALSO READ | Uma Bharti urges BJP not to seek support of Kanda

The apparent BJP move to accept Kanda's support was slammed by the opposition Congress and BJP leader Uma Bharti, who recalled the row in which the politician was involved when as a minister in Haryana's Congress government in 2012.

In a tweet, the former Union minister cautioned her party that this could hurt the clean image enjoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the BJP of doublespeak.

"I think you should look at the statements made by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at the time when Gopal Kanda was a minister in the government in Haryana, when we forced him to resign after registration of a case and also removed him from ministership,” he told reporters in Delhi.

The BJP has emerged as the largest party with 40 seats in a hung assembly, beating the Congress which won 31 seats. Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party has 10 MLAs and Indian National Lok Dal one.

The BJP is mainly counting on the support of Kanda, the lone MLA from his party, and seven independents to cross the majority mark in the 90-member House.

"My family is connected with the RSS since 1926. My father was connected with the BJP," said the Sirsa MLA, who was booked in 2012 for allegedly abetting the suicide of an air hostess employed with his aviation company.

ALSO READ | Five Independent Haryana MLAs meet JP Nadda, offer support to BJP 

Kanda was then Haryana's home minister in the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government. "There is only one false case of 306 (Indian Penal Code section related to abetment to suicide) against me," he said.

"It is easy to make accusations," he said, trashing reports that he faced other cases as well. Geetika Sharma, once employed with Kanda's then MDLR airlines, was found dead at her Ashok Vihar home in northwest Delhi on August 5, 2012.

In her August 4 suicide note, she said she was ending her life due to "harassment" by Kanda and one of his employees. Kanda denied the charge. He was booked by the Delhi police in the case, in which he is currently out on bail.

Kanda, who held home, urban bodies, industry and commerce portfolios in the Hooda government, had tendered his resignation when the row erupted.

Then in the opposition in Haryana, the BJP had held protests against Kanda, demanding his arrest.

Kanda, who was earlier associated with the Indian National Lok Dal, fought as an independent and won the 2009 assembly polls after being denied a party ticket. Later, he extended support to the Congress when it fell short of majority that year and was made a minister.

Kanda's rise is well known in his hometown Sirsa, where he began as a shoe shop owner. He later joined the realty business and then dabbled with the aviation sector.

Asked what made him and independent candidates extend support to the BJP, Kanda said, "We felt that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the country is progressing well and even the state government has delivered and provided a clean and transparent regime. So all independents talked yesterday and felt that the development work should continue, and therefore we decided to extend unconditional support to the BJP," he said.

Kanda said he and some other independents have talked to senior BJP leaders as well.

He claimed that some top Congress leaders also approached them, "but we decided to support the BJP".

A senior Haryana BJP leader said four of the winners -- Balraj Kundu from Meham, Nayan Pal Rawat from Prithla, Sombir Sangwan from Dadri and Randhir Gollen from Pundri -- fought as Independents when they did not get BJP tickets.

Besides, two other independents Rakesh Daulatabad, Dharampal Gonder are said to have BJP leanings.

Ranjit Singh Chautala, a Congress rebel, has already announced his support to the BJP.

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Amit Shah indicates BJP will form next govt in Haryanahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/24/amit-shah-indicates-bjp-will-form-next-govt-in-haryana-2052434.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/24/amit-shah-indicates-bjp-will-form-next-govt-in-haryana-2052434.html#commentsa5faac03-92bb-4e5a-a28e-58415d4f8f5fThu, 24 Oct 2019 12:47:00 +00002019-10-24T12:47:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182BJP,Amit Shah,Haryana BJP,Haryana politics,Haryana polls,Haryana Assembly electionsHaryana ElectionsNEW DELHI: BJP president Amit Shah indicated on Thursday that his party will stake claim to form the next government in Haryana after the assembly election results threw up a hung verdict.

The BJP was either winning or leading in 40 seats in the elections to the 90-member state assembly, according to the latest election commission figures, falling short of the majority mark of 46.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ASSEMBLY ELECTION STORIES

"The (Manohar Lal) Khattar government in Haryana has made every effort for people's welfare under the central leadership of (Narendra) Modi. I thank people for making the BJP the single-largest party and giving it another opportunity to serve them," Shah said in a tweet.

He congratulated Chief Minister Khattar and state party chief Subhash Barala.

Shah also thanked voters in Maharashtra for "reposing their faith" in BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state.

Results showed that the saffron alliance was set to get majority, even though its overall numbers appeared to be falling short of their 2014 tally.

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Seven ministers, Assembly Speaker, state BJP chief trailing in Haryanahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/24/seven-ministers-assembly-speaker-state-bjp-chief-trailing-in-haryana-2052315.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/24/seven-ministers-assembly-speaker-state-bjp-chief-trailing-in-haryana-2052315.html#comments87b05075-23e7-4332-823a-b98df8d63b49Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:32:00 +00002019-10-24T06:32:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Haryana BJP,Kanwar Pal,Haryana Assembly polls,Haryana polls,Haryana Assembly elections,Haryana ministersHaryana ElectionsCHANDIGARH: Seven Haryana ministers, including Ram Bilas Sharma and Capt Abhimanyu, and State BJP chief Subhash Barala were trailing, as per early Election Commission trends.

Haryana Assembly Speaker Kanwar Pal, a BJP legislator from Jagadhri, was also trailing in his constituency behind Congress' Akram Khan by a margin of 5,889 votes.

Sharma, a five-time legislator, was trailing by a slim margin of 329 votes against Congress' Rao Dan Singh. Abhimanyu, sitting MLA from Narnaund, was trailing by a margin of 9,956 behind JJP's Ram Kumar Gautam.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ASSEMBLY ELECTION STORIES 

State BJP chief Barala was trailing by a margin of 10,383 behind Jannayak Janta Party's Devender Singh Babli from Tohana seat.

Among other ministers who were behind included Kavita Jain trailing behind Surender Panwar of the Congress by a margin of 5,761 votes from Sonipat segment while another minister Manish Grover was behind Congress' B B Batra from Rohtak by a margin of 3,061 votes.

From Radaur, Minister Karan Dev Kamboj was behind Bishan Lal of Congress by a margin of 1,394 votes while another minister Krishan Lal Panwar was behind Congress' Balbir Singh from Israna reserved seat by a margin of 7020 votes.

However, senior Minister and five-time legislator, Anil Vij was leading in his Ambala Cantt seat by a margin of 3,569 votes over Independent candidate Chitra Sarwra.

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JJP will hold key to forming government in Haryana: Prateek Somhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/23/jjp-will-hold-key-to-forming-government-in-haryana-prateek-som-2051926.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/haryana-elections/2019/Oct/23/jjp-will-hold-key-to-forming-government-in-haryana-prateek-som-2051926.html#comments3614b4c1-1062-4faf-8f5e-884ada77ee8aWed, 23 Oct 2019 13:06:00 +00002019-10-23T13:06:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182JJP,Dushyant Chautala,Jannayak Janata Party,Haryana Elections,Haryana polls,Haryana Assembly elections,Prateek SomHaryana ElectionsNEW DELHI: Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) will hold the key to forming the new government in Haryana, said its spokesperson Prateek Som here on Wednesday.

"My party has always claimed that we will hold the key to forming the government in Haryana. This time, Haryana has gone for silent voting. People were not very vocal about their choices," Som said.

"The surveys which have been conducted by various agencies are primarily based on the 2019 Lok Sabha election perception. They have not taken into consideration the actual report from the ground," said Som.

"I am claiming today again that tomorrow there will be an astonishing result. JJP will play a significant part in the formation of the Haryana government," he said.

JJP, a breakaway group of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is led by Dushyant Chautala, former MP and grandson of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

Haryana went to the Assembly poll on October 21. The results will be announced on October 24. (ANI)

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Maharashtra polls: Career of prominent politicians at stake in multi-cornered contesthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/20/maharashtra-polls-career-of-prominent-politicians-at-stake-in-multi-cornered-contest-2050436.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/20/maharashtra-polls-career-of-prominent-politicians-at-stake-in-multi-cornered-contest-2050436.html#comments58bda58e-d5fd-4445-bc2a-fea8d7485ccbSun, 20 Oct 2019 11:31:00 +00002019-10-20T11:34:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182BJP,Devendra Fadnavis,Uddhav Thackeray,Sharad Pawar,Maharashtra Assembly Elections,maharashtra electionsMaharashtra ElectionsMUMBAI: Despite the absence of a mighty opposition, Assembly elections in Maharashtra is unlikely to be a cakewalk for the ruling alliance. In fact of the matter that the dissidents, battle for supremacy within the saffron combination and political careers of many leaders which are at stake, have made the election more interesting.

Vidarbha had been a bastion of BJP which helped it to come to power in the state in 2014. It is no longer so this time around. The party had won 44 out of 62 and Congress had got only 10 last time. Sensing the anti-incumbency, the BJP shunned its nine sitting MLAs and gave only 12 seats to the Sena.

However, as dissidents are a big challenge at least in six seats while on the other five the party doesn’t appear week. During Lok Sabha Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA had derailed Congress. But, that factor is not working in Assembly election as the OBC (Kunbi) class’ worries about Maratha quota might prevent BJP from achieving its goal of bettering its tally in the region.

Another region from where the BJP has great hopes is North Maharashtra. BJP had put forth a goal of winning all the 45 seats of the region for the grand alliance. However, given the challenge posed by dissidents, tactical alliances forged by NCP and MNS and the battle for supremacy within the saffron alliance is unlikely to let the dream come true.

The open spat between BJP’s Girish Mahajan and Shiv Sena’ Gulabrao Patil in Jalgaon have become challenges for BJP veteran Eknath Khadse. Problems within the alliance in Dhule and Nashik have also all made the contests tough.  The election is also not easy for NCP Chhagan Bhujbal and his son Pankaj.

In Marathwada, Congress has some hope in Nanded and Latur. Realizing that his political career is at stake, former state Congress chief Ashok Chavan concentrated all his strength on Nanded, while, in Latur, two sons of former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh are contesting polls where BJP apparently has made some mistakes in finalizing candidates.

However, despite three years of consecutive drought, the opposition couldn’t effectively raise the issue. On the contrary, derogatory remarks by NCP leader Dhananjay Munde against his cousin Pankaja and his rival BJP contestant from Parli, are feared to tilt the election in the favor of ruling combine from the region that sends 46 MLAs to the Assembly.

The real tussle in Western Maharashtra, that elects 58 MLAs, is between the BJP and the NCP. In Konkan and Mumbai, which elect 75 MLAs, Shiv Sena and the BJP are the prime adversaries of each other. Again, the BJP has not left any seat to Shiv Sena from Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Navi Mumbai. Resentment over this is likely to hurt the BJP in Kolhapur. The BJP had won all 8 seats in Pune last time. Repeating the performance would be a challenge this time. 

In Satara, the stronghold of NCP, Lok Sabha bypolls are being conducted along with the Assembly elections. In PM Modi’s words, the BJP now even has the “Family of Shivaji” with it here. Yet, whether the party would be able to help the members from the royal family get elected to the Houses still bears a big question mark.

In Konkan, BJP inducted former CM Narayan Rane, whose political career is at stake. This has hurt the Sena. It has led to straight Shiv Sena-BJP contests at least in three constituencies. In Mumbai and Thane, dissidents from both the parties are causing a headache for the saffron allies. In Palghar, again, Hitendra Thakur’s clout over the region is at stake due to Shiv Sena’s advent.

Interesting poll fights 

MUMBAI-MMR

1. WORLI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's son and Yuva Sena president Aditya is making an electoral debut, the first time by any member of Thackeray clan.

2. ANUSHAKTI NAGAR: NCP Mumbai president and chief spokesperson Nawab Malik is trying his luck having lost the last polls

3. MUMBRA-KALVA: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's aide Dr Jitendra Ahwad is facing Shiv Sena candidate Dipali Sayyad, a Marathi actress.

4. AIROLI: Veteran politician Ganesh Naik, who recently joined the BJP after leaving NCP, had to switch over to this constituency held by his son Sandeep, after the BJP decided not to disturb Belapur MLA Manda Mhatre, who had joined the BJP quitting NCP in 2014.

5. VASAI and NALASOPARA: The twin seats of Vasai and Nalasopara will see Shiv Sena challenging the Thakur family. While in Vasai, Hitendra Thakur, the founder of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, is pitted against Shiv Sena's Vijay Patil,  in the neighbouring seat of Nalasopara,  Thakur's son Kshitij Thakur is facing encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma.

6. MIRA-BHAYENDER: It could be anybody’s game here. State Congress working president Muzaffar Hussain is contesting against sitting MLA Hemendra Mehta but former BJP mayor Geeta Jain has entered as a rebel.

KONKAN

7. SAWANTWADI: Minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar of Shiv Sena is facing problems as his Sena colleague Rajan Teli has filed papers as an Independent.

8. KANKAVLI:  Former chief minister Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh Rane,  the Congress MLA who joined BJP, is facing Sena rebel Satish Samant. The Thackerays and Ranes of Konkan share an uneasy relationship.

WESTERN MAHARASHTRA 

9. KOTHRUD: State BJP president and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil is contesting. But,  Congress and NCP has supported MNS candidate Kishor Shinde

10. BARAMATI: NCP founder-president Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit, a former deputy chief minister, is seeking reelection from the family seat. He is pitted against BJP's Gopichand Padalkar.

11. KARAD SOUTH: Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is seeking reelection and is pitted against Udaysinh Patil Undlakar, who is son of his political rival Vilaskaka Undalkar.

12. SOLAPUR SOUTH CENTRAL: Former chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s daughter Pranati is seeking reelection against CPI (M) veteran Narasayya Adam.

13. KARJAT-JMAKHED: NCP president Sharad Pawar’s grand nephew Rohit Pawar is making debut and taking on sitting BJP MLA Prof Ram Shinde.

14. SANGAMNER: Former minister and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat is seeking relection from his family seat.

15. SHIRDI: BJP’s Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil is seeking relection. He triggered the spate of defections from Congress-NCP camp. He resigned as leader of opposition in Assembly and left Congress to join the ruling side.

NORTH MAHARASHTRA 

16. YEOLA and NANDGAON: Veteran NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal is seeking reelection from Yeola, while his son Pankaj from Nandgaon. Bhujbal is a senior OBC leader and founder of Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Parishad.

17. JAMNER: BJP’s Girish Mahajan, the water resources minister and key troubleshooter of Devendra Fadnavis is contesting the polls

18. MUKTAINAGAR: Rohini Khadse,  daughter of BJP veteran Eknath Khadse has been given ticket. The Sr. Khadse,  who has been representing the seat since 1991,  has been denied ticket.

19. KALVAN: CPI (M) leader Jiva Pandu Gavit,  who is one of the seniormost sitting MLA,  is facing a big challenge in this tribal belt.

MARATHWADA

20. PARLI: Its a battle to control late BJP leader Gopinath Munde’s legacy. His daughter Pankaja, who is a minister, is facing his nephew Dhananjay,  who is leader of opposition in Council.

21. LATUR CITY and LATUR RURAL: Former chief minister and Congressman Vilasrao Deshmukh’s sons Amit and Dhiraj are contesting the Latur City and Latur Rural seats, respectively.

22. BHOKAR: Former Maharashtra chief minister and ex state Congress president Ashok Chavan is contesting the elections.

23. TULJALUR: NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s relative Padmasinh Patil’s son Ranajagjitsinh, who switched over to BJP, is trying his luck.

24. NILANGA: Former chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar’s son Ashok has locked horns with his grandson Sambaji, who is son of Ashok’s late brother.

VIDARBHA 

25. NAGPUR SOUTH WEST: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, is seeking reelection. He faces Congress candidate Dr Ashish Deshmukh, who had resigned from BJP. Dr Deshmukh is son of former state Congress chief Ranjit Deshmukh.

26. KATOL: Veteran NCP leader and  former minister Anil Deshmukh is seeking relection.

27. BALLARPUR: State finance, planning and forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, a BJP veteran and former state president is seeking reelection.

28. BRAHMAPURI: Leader of opposition in outgoing Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar is contesting.

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WATCH | Sharad Pawar braves heavy rain to address Satara rally https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/19/watch--sharad-pawar-braves-heavy-rain-to-address-satara-rally--2049978.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/19/watch--sharad-pawar-braves-heavy-rain-to-address-satara-rally--2049978.html#comments76ef2c6e-57c1-4c11-bc47-54342b5fa469Sat, 19 Oct 2019 06:51:00 +00002019-10-19T07:39:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182NCP,Sharad Pawar,Maharashtra Assembly Elections,maharashtra elections,Maharashtra pollsMaharashtra ElectionsSATARA (Maharashtra): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar addressed a public rally in Satara amidst heavy rains on Friday. The veteran continued to address a large crowd even during the heavy rainfall.

Terming rain as a blessing from God, he said that NCP will do a miracle in Satara district.

"I picked the wrong candidate during the Lok Sabha elections. I openly accept it. But I am happy that people of Satara are waiting for October 21 to rectify that mistake," he said.

With Maharashtra assembly polls inching closer key politicians and star campaigners of all political parties are extensively campaigning throughout the state and leaving no stone unturned to woo voters.

Such is the enthusiasm amongst politicians that even rain is failing to stop them from campaigning.

NCP is contesting election in alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra where 288 seats are at stake.

The state will go to polls on October 21 and the counting of votes will take place on October 24.

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Jharkhand voters offered 40 per cent discount on pollution certificatehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/elections-2019/2019/Oct/17/jharkhand-voters-offered-40-per-cent-discount-on-pollution-certificate-2049080.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/elections-2019/2019/Oct/17/jharkhand-voters-offered-40-per-cent-discount-on-pollution-certificate-2049080.html#comments62b87e14-7da9-456e-8595-f2ac7d2561eeThu, 17 Oct 2019 13:59:00 +00002019-10-17T14:01:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Jharkhand polls,Jharkhand Assembly electionElections 2019RANCHI: Petrol pump owners in Jharkhand on Thursday agreed to provide 40 per cent discount to people who vote in the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

This follows a meeting here in the state capital between district administration officials and petrol pump owners.

"In the meeting, the petrol pump owners agreed not to take the service tax charges on the pollution certificate from voters.

This way the voters who will show the ink mark will get benefit of 40 per cent on making of the pollution certificate for vehicles" said a statement from the Ranchi district administration.

The petrol pump owners also agreed to put up banners advertising voting awareness in their petrol pumps. The district administration will organise voter registration camps at petrol pumps.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) team arrived Ranchi on Thursday afternoon and met with members of different political parties.

The team will meet state election commission officials, the Director-General of Police (DGP), the Chief Secretary, and also hold meetings with the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of all the 24 districts of the state on Friday.

The ECI is likely to announce the date of the assembly polls around the Diwali festival period.

The term of the current assembly is ending on January 5, 2020.

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Unhappy over seat-sharing pact, Shiv Sena leader quits party along with 300 supporters in Punehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/17/unhappy-over-seat-sharing-pact-shiv-sena-leader-quits-party-along-with-300-supporters-in-pune-2049069.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/17/unhappy-over-seat-sharing-pact-shiv-sena-leader-quits-party-along-with-300-supporters-in-pune-2049069.html#commentsd31d9161-8b38-48d1-b2b2-a0c8b854cc00Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:23:00 +00002019-10-17T13:23:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Maharashtra polls,Maharashtra Assembly election,Vishal DhanawadeMaharashtra ElectionsPUNE: Unhappy over the seat-sharing formula with BJP in the upcoming Maharashtra polls, Shiv Sena leader Vishal Dhanawade along with about 300 supporters quit the party on Wednesday.

Dhanawade was unhappy over Shiv Sena not being allocated Kasba Peth Assembly constituency. He is now in the election fray as an independent candidate from the seat.

Speaking to ANI on Thursday, he alleged that the BJP was exerting pressure on the party leadership for his resignation.

"BJP was exerting pressure on our party chief to get my resignation as we are getting widespread public support here. Since I do not want our party chief to face any problem, we decided to resign," he said.

Expressing unhappiness over the seat not getting allocated to Shiv Sena, he said Kasba Peth should have been given to Sena as the party's founder Bala Saheb Thackeray was born in the area.

He claimed to have the support of the party's Pune unit in the elections.

Earlier, Dhanawade claimed that Shiv Sena was not given "equal and respectful seats" in the alliance.

Shiv Sena has not been given any of the eight seats in the Pune city region.

Elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to take place on October 21. Counting of votes will be held on October 24.

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No campaign by Priyanka Gandhi in Maharashtra, Haryana so farhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/2019/Oct/17/no-campaign-by-priyanka-gandhi-in-maharashtra-haryana-so-far-2049050.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/2019/Oct/17/no-campaign-by-priyanka-gandhi-in-maharashtra-haryana-so-far-2049050.html#commentse4a10e7c-98d5-47df-905a-3f0233e692b3Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:02:00 +00002019-10-17T12:04:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Priyanka Gandhi,maharashtra elections,Haryana ElectionsElectionsNEW DELHI: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a star campaigner of the party, has not canvassed in Maharashtra and Haryana campaign with only three days left for the campaign to end in the two states.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is party general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, was among the list of party's star campaigners for the two states.

According to sources, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja also made a request to Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Haryana but it seems her request was not accepted.

ALSO READ: Eye on Congress revival in UP, Priyanka Gandhi on a house hunt in Lucknow

Party leaders including Deepender Hooda and Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat had said that she would take part in the assembly election campaign.

Party sources said Priyanka was at present focusing only on Uttar Pradesh where the party has appointed a new state chief and has reorganised the state unit. She has held meetings with the newly-appointed office-bearers and will take part in a three-day training workshop.

Priyanka Gandhi had campaigned for the party outside Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections. Her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi is leading the party's campaign and has so far held six rallies in Maharashtra and Haryana.

ALSO READ | People have started to question BJP's silence on issues like unemployment: Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja

Party workers feel that if Priyana Gandhi Vadra had taken part in the campaign, it would have made a difference to the party's election effort.

Compared to Congress, the election campaign of BJP appears to be sharp and sustained with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a series of rallies.

ALSO READ | Congress practises vote bank politics, can't take stand on nationalism: Amit Shah

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also addressed rallies.

The campaigning in the two states will end on October 19 and polling will take place on October 21.

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Maharashtra polls: BJP determined to humble Prithviraj Chavan in Karad-Southhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/17/maharashtra-polls-bjp-determined-to-humble-prithviraj-chavan-in-karad-south-2048980.htmlhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/maharashtra-elections/2019/Oct/17/maharashtra-polls-bjp-determined-to-humble-prithviraj-chavan-in-karad-south-2048980.html#comments369b68e7-7373-42ad-8bba-83396ad70b65Thu, 17 Oct 2019 08:06:00 +00002019-10-17T08:06:00.000ZPRAMEELA K/api/author/1847182Prithviraj Chavan,Maharashtra BJP,Maharashtra Congress,Maharashtra polls,Maharashtra elections,Maharashtra assembly electionsMaharashtra ElectionsSATARA (Maharashtra): The BJP is trying to breach the Congress' citadel Karad (South) in the next week's Maharashtra polls, by highlighting development works of the government and claiming that sitting MLA and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan did nothing for the constituency in last five years.

While the BJP seems determined to give a tough fight to Chavan this time, the entry of an Independent candidate, who father won multiple times from the seat as a Congress nominee, has made it appear like a three-corner contest.

The Karad (South) segment, located in Satara district of western Maharashtra where sugarcane cultivation is the main occupation of people in rural areas, has been a bastion of the grand old party since 1960s.

While 73-year-old Chavan, a former Union minister, is confident of retaining the seat with a comfortable win, the BJP is pinning its hopes on Atul Bhosale (36), the president of Pandharpur's Vitthal Rakhumai Temple Committee, who contested the 2014 polls from the seat but stood third.

Besides, Udaysinh Undalkar-Patil, son of Vilasrao Undalkar-Patil, who was seven-time MLA from the seat till he was denied ticket by the Congress in 2014 to pave way for Chavan, is contesting an Independent.

After Vilasrao Patil, an old Congress hand, was denied the party ticket, he contested the 2014 polls against Chavan as an Independent, but failed to win.

During the 2014 elections, Chavan polled 76,831 votes, Vilasrao Undalkar-Patil received 60,413 votes while Bhosale bagged 58,621 votes.

Bhosale, who has been unfazed by his defeat in 2014, has been active in the constituency and receiving support from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in carrying out development works in the area.

"I have been working hard in the constituency since five years... last time the situation was different. I was contesting against the then chief minister (Chavan), but this time I am contesting against an inefficient MLA," he said.

He said Chavan should give an account of the work done by him in the constituency in last five years and what schemes he brought for locals.

"He needs to tell the people what work he has done in last five years and not what happened in the constituency in the last 50 years... he has been disconnected with the constituency in the last five years," he said.

However, Chavan, who has a clean image, refuted claims that he was disconnected from the constituency, saying in the last five years, he was very much among the people as he was not holding any key position.

"I have got several developmental works done, like four-lane road network, police housing colony, infrastructure development in rural areas by getting Rs 1,800 crore pumped in," he said.

The senior Congress leader claimed people in rural parts of the constituency were "happy with his work".

He also ruled out the possibility of a triangular contest, saying it was "straight fight between him and BJP".

"Had it been Vilasrao (Undalkar-Patil), it would have made some impact, but since his son is contesting, there is no room for any triangular fight. He will not even be able to save his deposit. The fight is between me and the BJP," Chavan said.

He accepted that the BJP will give him a "good fight" as the saffron party has been frequently targeting him.

"Chief Minister Fadnavis, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and other BJP leaders have been targeting me. For them, I am like 'the last man standing'. They want to target some tall leaders like me and they have been successful in keeping me busy here in the constituency," he said.

Anand Paranjpe, a senior journalist from Karad, said though there is a possibility of some division of Congress votes since Patil is contesting as an Independent and Bhosale "lacks mass base", Chavan has better prospects as the opposition party has a good cadre in the constituency.

Chavan brought investments worth crores to Karad tehsil during his peak time, he said.

"He was instrumental in bringing up the Borehole Geophysics Research Laboratory (BGRL) at Karad to understand the earthquake mechanism in the Koyna region.

He was also instrumental in the construction Kolhapur-type weirs which benefitted people immensely," he said "The key plus point for Chavan is his modesty and cultured outlook," he added.

Nevertheless, it would not be an easy sailing for Chavan as recently Anandrao Patil, considered as the Congress leader's 'Man Friday' switched over to the BJP, he said.

"But looking at his clean image, modesty and the tag of being a former chief minister, Chavan will win the Karad (South), but with a slender margin," Paranjpe predicted.

He said Bhosale, who owns sugar factories, educational institutes, co-operative banks and private industries in the area, has also done a lot of work in the last five years in the area, and he will give a "tough fight" to Chavan.

The constituency, having around three lakh voters, has semi-urban and rural pockets, with agriculture, specially sugarcane cultivation, as the main occupation of people.

Polling for all 288 Assembly seats in the state will be held on October 21 and counting of votes will take place on October 24.

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