Karnataka's ruling Congress-JD(S) is set to clinch four of the five seats&nbsp;that went to the polls last weekend.

The Congress has won 1 of the 3 Lok Sabha seats being contested, and leads in another. It has also won the two assembly seats&nbsp;being contested.&nbsp;

That left the BJP with just one win — in Shivamogga, where its state party chief B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra was ahead of former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of JD(S) by 36,351 votes.

Making inroads in the BJP-held Ballari Lok Saba constituency, Congress' V S Ugrappa was leading over BJP's J Shantha by 1,74,294 votes, officials said.

Shantha is the sister of B Sriramulu, who gave up the seat after being elected to the state assembly in the polls in May this year.

JD(S) candidate L Shivarame Gowda established an unassailable lead of 99,198 votes against the BJP's new face Dr Siddaramaiah, a former official, in the party bastion of Mandya in the Vokkaliga belt in the old Mysuru region.

Of the three Lok Sabha seats that went to the by-polls, BJP had held Shivamogga and Ballari and JD(S) Mandya.

In the Ramanagara assembly seat, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy established a huge lead of 71,613 votes over BJP's L Chandrashekar, who pulled out of the contest but officially still remains the party candidate.

Chandrashekhar joined the BJP ahead of the polls but returned to the Congress weeks later, leaving the saffron party red-faced. 
Facing a no-contest, it will be a walkover for Anitha Kumaraswamy.

In the Jamkhandi assembly segment in north Karnataka, Congress candidate Anand Nyamgouda was ahead of BJP's Srikant Kulkarni by a margin of 32,933 votes, riding on a sympathy wave following his father and sitting MLA Siddu Nyamagoudas death in a road accident.

The Ramanagara assembly seat was held by the JD(S) and Jamkhandi by the Congress.

The parliamentary by-elections were necessitated after BJP's Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and Sriramalu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of the JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May.

The by-election to the Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda. The Ramanagara seat fell vacant after

Kumaraswamy gave up the seat, preferring Chennapatna, the other constituency from where he had won.

The by-elections are being seen as a popularity test of the Congress-JD(S) coalition, cobbled together after the May assembly polls that threw up a fractured verdict.

The BJP and the Congress-JD(S) combine launched an all out offensive to break into each other's bastions to gain advantage before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Karnataka's ruling Congress-JD(S) is set to clinch four of the five seats that went to the polls last weekend. The Congress has won 1 of the 3 Lok Sabha seats being contested, and leads in another.

Karnataka's ruling Congress-JD(S) is set to clinch four of the five seats that went to the polls last weekend. The Congress has won 1 of the 3 Lok Sabha seats being contested, and leads in another. It has also won the two assembly seats being contested. That left the BJP with just one win — in Shivamogga, where its state party chief B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra was ahead of former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of JD(S) by 36,351 votes. Making inroads in the BJP-held Ballari Lok Saba constituency, Congress' V S Ugrappa was leading over BJP's J Shantha by 1,74,294 votes, officials said. Shantha is the sister of B Sriramulu, who gave up the seat after being elected to the state assembly in the polls in May this year. JD(S) candidate L Shivarame Gowda established an unassailable lead of 99,198 votes against the BJP's new face Dr Siddaramaiah, a former official, in the party bastion of Mandya in the Vokkaliga belt in the old Mysuru region. Of the three Lok Sabha seats that went to the by-polls, BJP had held Shivamogga and Ballari and JD(S) Mandya. In the Ramanagara assembly seat, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy established a huge lead of 71,613 votes over BJP's L Chandrashekar, who pulled out of the contest but officially still remains the party candidate. Chandrashekhar joined the BJP ahead of the polls but returned to the Congress weeks later, leaving the saffron party red-faced. Facing a no-contest, it will be a walkover for Anitha Kumaraswamy. In the Jamkhandi assembly segment in north Karnataka, Congress candidate Anand Nyamgouda was ahead of BJP's Srikant Kulkarni by a margin of 32,933 votes, riding on a sympathy wave following his father and sitting MLA Siddu Nyamagoudas death in a road accident. The Ramanagara assembly seat was held by the JD(S) and Jamkhandi by the Congress. The parliamentary by-elections were necessitated after BJP's Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga) and Sriramalu (Ballari), and C S Puttaraju of the JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May. The by-election to the Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda. The Ramanagara seat fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat, preferring Chennapatna, the other constituency from where he had won. The by-elections are being seen as a popularity test of the Congress-JD(S) coalition, cobbled together after the May assembly polls that threw up a fractured verdict. The BJP and the Congress-JD(S) combine launched an all out offensive to break into each other's bastions to gain advantage before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Karnataka bypolls: Congress-JD(S) combine win 4 out of 5 seats

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Rajpur assembly constituency, Devi Singh Patel, passed away after suffering a heart attack.

The BJP leader breathed his last today at 5 am in a Barwani hospital, three weeks ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

The four-time legislator was contesting against Congress leader Bala Bachchan from Rajpur assembly constituency.

Patel was elected three times as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Madhya Pradesh's Anjad assembly constituency.

He became the MLA for the first time in 1989.

The BJP leader will be cremated in his native place Bandrakachchh in Madhya Pradesh.&nbsp;

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Rajpur assembly constituency, Devi Singh Patel, passed away after suffering a heart attack. The BJP leader breathed his last today at 5 am in a Barwani hospital, three weeks ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Madhya Pradesh's Rajpur assembly constituency, Devi Singh Patel, passed away after suffering a heart attack. The BJP leader breathed his last today at 5 am in a Barwani hospital, three weeks ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. The four-time legislator was contesting against Congress leader Bala Bachchan from Rajpur assembly constituency. Patel was elected three times as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Madhya Pradesh's Anjad assembly constituency. He became the MLA for the first time in 1989. The BJP leader will be cremated in his native place Bandrakachchh in Madhya Pradesh.

BJP candidate Devi Singh Patel from Madhya Pradesh's Raipur passes away

Mizoram Assembly Speaker Hiphei would resign from the Congress and join the BJP Monday, a senior leader of the saffron party claimed Sunday.

Hiphei, a veteran leader, was elected to the Assembly from the Palak constituency.

"He (Hiphei) would first tender his resignation as the speaker and then from the primary membership of the Congress. He will then join our party," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said on the condition of anonymity.

He added that Hiphei had recently met the central leaders of the saffron party.

Mizoram, the only state in the north-east under Congress rule, will go to the polls on November 28.

Several senior Congress leaders recently left the party and joined the opposition Mizo National Front.

Mizoram Assembly Speaker Hiphei would resign from the Congress and join the BJP Monday, a senior leader of the saffron party claimed Sunday. Hiphei, a veteran leader, was elected to the Assembly from the Palak constituency.

Mizoram Assembly Speaker Hiphei would resign from the Congress and join the BJP Monday, a senior leader of the saffron party claimed Sunday. Hiphei, a veteran leader, was elected to the Assembly from the Palak constituency. "He (Hiphei) would first tender his resignation as the speaker and then from the primary membership of the Congress. He will then join our party," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said on the condition of anonymity. He added that Hiphei had recently met the central leaders of the saffron party. Mizoram, the only state in the north-east under Congress rule, will go to the polls on November 28. Several senior Congress leaders recently left the party and joined the opposition Mizo National Front.

BJP leader claims Mizoram speaker will quit Congress and join saffron party

The Uttar Pradesh BJP will soon be appointing about 100 women as 'teen talaq pramukhs' across the state to ensure rehabilitation of the victims and their children, a party leader said Sunday.

Nazia Alam, secretary of UP Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) minority wing, who will be the overall in-charge, said triple talaq pramukhs will be appointed for each of the 93 'organisational districts' and six regional units of the saffron party in the state.

"Educated women who have sound knowledge of Shariat and law and who can bring a social change in the lives of the victims of triple talaq will be appointed as pramukhs," Alam told PTI.

"Each of the 93 organisational districts and six regional units will have a triple talaq pramukh and some of the victims are already working with us to eradicate this social evil," she added.

Alam said the candidates will likely be finalised after Diwali followed by a survey in December to ascertain the total number of triple talaq victims in the state.

"We will carry out a survey, by the end of December, to know the exact number of victims of triple talaq in every district. Our work is likely to begin after Deepawali," she said. 
She further said that efforts will also be made to assist the integration of talaq victims with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in a bid to make them self-dependent.

The PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with the objective to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

"We will also seek information from the victims as to what do they actually need, be it education and health-related needs for their children or employment-related things for themselves," she said.&nbsp;

Nazia further said that the minority wing of the BJP will also launch awareness campaigns to dispel the wrong notions surrounding the holy Quran and Shariat.&nbsp;

The Uttar Pradesh BJP will soon be appointing about 100 women as 'teen talaq pramukhs' across the state to ensure rehabilitation of the victims and their children, a party leader said Sunday.

The Uttar Pradesh BJP will soon be appointing about 100 women as 'teen talaq pramukhs' across the state to ensure rehabilitation of the victims and their children, a party leader said Sunday. Nazia Alam, secretary of UP Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) minority wing, who will be the overall in-charge, said triple talaq pramukhs will be appointed for each of the 93 'organisational districts' and six regional units of the saffron party in the state. "Educated women who have sound knowledge of Shariat and law and who can bring a social change in the lives of the victims of triple talaq will be appointed as pramukhs," Alam told PTI. "Each of the 93 organisational districts and six regional units will have a triple talaq pramukh and some of the victims are already working with us to eradicate this social evil," she added. Alam said the candidates will likely be finalised after Diwali followed by a survey in December to ascertain the total number of triple talaq victims in the state. "We will carry out a survey, by the end of December, to know the exact number of victims of triple talaq in every district. Our work is likely to begin after Deepawali," she said. She further said that efforts will also be made to assist the integration of talaq victims with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in a bid to make them self-dependent. The PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with the objective to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood. "We will also seek information from the victims as to what do they actually need, be it education and health-related needs for their children or employment-related things for themselves," she said. Nazia further said that the minority wing of the BJP will also launch awareness campaigns to dispel the wrong notions surrounding the holy Quran and Shariat.

BJP to appoint 100 women as 'tripe talaq pramukhs' in UP

The heavy deployment of security and prohibitory orders ahead of the opening of Sabarimala temple has irked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has said that an "emergency-like" situation is being created in the holy site.

The party has further said that the excessive police deployment at Sabarimala temple is "undemocratic and against rule of law".

Speaking to ANI, General Secretary of BJP Kerala unit, K. Surendran said, "Why is the government doing this? This is an emergency like situation. This is undemocratic and against rule of law."

He further asked the logic behind deploying&nbsp;large number of police personnel in the area and imposing Section 144 in areas surrounding Sabarimala Temple. He also claimed that a peaceful atmosphere is already prevailing in the temple, thus negating the need for additional deployment of forces.

Surendran said that the Ayyappaa devotees will be protesting peacefully, like last month.

"What we (BJP) did last time, we will repeat this time also. The BJP won't allow anyone to destroy the sanctity of Sabarimala," he stated.

On being asked if the police would stop them from going towards the holy temple, Surendran said, "They (police) can't stop us, as we will go like a devotee, with irumudikettu (a bag for keeping the puja articles and other offerings made to the deities at Sabarimala) on our heads."

Taking a cue from the violence last month, the Kerala police has deployed over 1500 personnel in Pamba and Sannidhanam.

"Around 1500 police personnel have been deployed from Pamba to Sannidhanam," Inspector General Ashok Yadav said.

The police have issued the prohibitory orders at Pamba and Nilakkal, and other areas near the shrine and are maintaining vigil on vehicles going towards it.

The Sabarimala temple will open on Monday for devotees for two days. The BJP is also taking out a 'Sabarimala protection rath yatra' from Kasaragod to Sabarimala on November 8 aimed to save Sannidhanam's Sanctity.

The Pathanamthitta district administration has imposed Section 144 in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal, and Elavunkal till November 6.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibits any assembly of five or more people in an area where it has been imposed. Every member of such "unlawful assembly" can be booked for "engaging in rioting", the maximum punishment for which is three years.

As a precautionary measure and to avoid any untoward situation, the state security forces have also issued movement orders restricting devotees and media persons from travelling beyond a certain point. The route will be fully open for all on November 5.

The Sabarimala Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests in October over the apex court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the holy shrine.

More than 3000 protesters have been arrested so far for instigating the violence that broke out in the state, while around 529 cases have been registered across the state.

As per reports, the Kerala High Court has also directed the state government to report on police action after the violent protests erupted at Sabarimala in October.

The heavy deployment of security and prohibitory orders ahead of the opening of Sabarimala temple has irked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has said that an "emergency-like" situation is being created in the holy site.

The heavy deployment of security and prohibitory orders ahead of the opening of Sabarimala temple has irked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has said that an "emergency-like" situation is being created in the holy site. The party has further said that the excessive police deployment at Sabarimala temple is "undemocratic and against rule of law". Speaking to ANI, General Secretary of BJP Kerala unit, K. Surendran said, "Why is the government doing this? This is an emergency like situation. This is undemocratic and against rule of law." He further asked the logic behind deploying large number of police personnel in the area and imposing Section 144 in areas surrounding Sabarimala Temple. He also claimed that a peaceful atmosphere is already prevailing in the temple, thus negating the need for additional deployment of forces. Surendran said that the Ayyappaa devotees will be protesting peacefully, like last month. "What we (BJP) did last time, we will repeat this time also. The BJP won't allow anyone to destroy the sanctity of Sabarimala," he stated. On being asked if the police would stop them from going towards the holy temple, Surendran said, "They (police) can't stop us, as we will go like a devotee, with irumudikettu (a bag for keeping the puja articles and other offerings made to the deities at Sabarimala) on our heads." Taking a cue from the violence last month, the Kerala police has deployed over 1500 personnel in Pamba and Sannidhanam. "Around 1500 police personnel have been deployed from Pamba to Sannidhanam," Inspector General Ashok Yadav said. The police have issued the prohibitory orders at Pamba and Nilakkal, and other areas near the shrine and are maintaining vigil on vehicles going towards it. The Sabarimala temple will open on Monday for devotees for two days. The BJP is also taking out a 'Sabarimala protection rath yatra' from Kasaragod to Sabarimala on November 8 aimed to save Sannidhanam's Sanctity. The Pathanamthitta district administration has imposed Section 144 in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal, and Elavunkal till November 6. Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibits any assembly of five or more people in an area where it has been imposed. Every member of such "unlawful assembly" can be booked for "engaging in rioting", the maximum punishment for which is three years. As a precautionary measure and to avoid any untoward situation, the state security forces have also issued movement orders restricting devotees and media persons from travelling beyond a certain point. The route will be fully open for all on November 5. The Sabarimala Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests in October over the apex court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the holy shrine. More than 3000 protesters have been arrested so far for instigating the violence that broke out in the state, while around 529 cases have been registered across the state. As per reports, the Kerala High Court has also directed the state government to report on police action after the violent protests erupted at Sabarimala in October.

Sabarimala: BJP says heavy police deployment creating 'emergency-like' situation

The BJP Friday launched its "Booth Mahasampark" campaign with the slogan "har booth, BJP majboot" ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan due on December 7.

During the three-day campaign, party leaders and workers will establish door-to-door contact with the people, a party statement said.

As a part of the drive, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje met people in Jhalawar, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Bikaner and state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria in Udaipur, it added.

In Jaipur, BJP state election in-charge Prakash Javadekar spoke to people on the public welfare schemes of the Centre and the state in the Hawa Mahal Assembly area and urged the people to vote for the party.

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Satish Punia slammed the Congress for copying BJP for seeking online suggestion for its election manifesto.

The BJP Friday launched its "Booth Mahasampark" campaign with the slogan "har booth, BJP majboot" ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan due on December 7. During the three-day campaign, party leaders and workers will establish door-to-door contact with the people, a party statement said.

The BJP Friday launched its "Booth Mahasampark" campaign with the slogan "har booth, BJP majboot" ahead of the Assembly election in Rajasthan due on December 7. During the three-day campaign, party leaders and workers will establish door-to-door contact with the people, a party statement said. As a part of the drive, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje met people in Jhalawar, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Bikaner and state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria in Udaipur, it added. In Jaipur, BJP state election in-charge Prakash Javadekar spoke to people on the public welfare schemes of the Centre and the state in the Hawa Mahal Assembly area and urged the people to vote for the party. On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Satish Punia slammed the Congress for copying BJP for seeking online suggestion for its election manifesto.

Ahead of Rajasthan polls, BJP launches 'Booth Mahasampark' campaign

BJP Friday released its second list of 28 candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections.

Baddam Bal Reddy and Endala Lakshminarayana, MLAs in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly, are among the prominent in the list.

Bal Reddy, who had earlier represented Karwan in Hyderabad, would contest from Rajendranagar. The assembly segment mainly comprises areas on the periphery of Hyderabad.

Lakshminarayana would test his fortunes from Nizamabad Urban constituency, which he had represented earlier.

BJP, which is going it alone in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, has earlier released its first list of 38 nominees on October 20.

The latest list was finalised by the Central Election Committee of the BJP which met Thursday under the presidentship of party chief Amit Shah in Delhi.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders and members of the committee, a BJP release said.

The announcement of candidates triggered protests by supporters of aspirants who failed to get the party ticket.

While the party named G Yoganand, who is into construction business, as the nominee from Serilingampalli assembly segment in Hyderabad, the supporters of an aspirant for the ticket held protest at the BJP office here.

In Nizamabad, a group of people, stated to be the supporters of an aspirant, damaged furniture at the party office after their leader was denied the ticket. 
Shah had kicked off the party's campaign for the Telangana polls on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar lat month.

BJP had five MLAs in the recently dissolved state assembly.

BJP Friday released its second list of 28 candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections. Baddam Bal Reddy and Endala Lakshminarayana, MLAs in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly, are among the prominent in the list.

BJP Friday released its second list of 28 candidates for the coming Telangana assembly elections. Baddam Bal Reddy and Endala Lakshminarayana, MLAs in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly, are among the prominent in the list. Bal Reddy, who had earlier represented Karwan in Hyderabad, would contest from Rajendranagar. The assembly segment mainly comprises areas on the periphery of Hyderabad. Lakshminarayana would test his fortunes from Nizamabad Urban constituency, which he had represented earlier. BJP, which is going it alone in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, has earlier released its first list of 38 nominees on October 20. The latest list was finalised by the Central Election Committee of the BJP which met Thursday under the presidentship of party chief Amit Shah in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders and members of the committee, a BJP release said. The announcement of candidates triggered protests by supporters of aspirants who failed to get the party ticket. While the party named G Yoganand, who is into construction business, as the nominee from Serilingampalli assembly segment in Hyderabad, the supporters of an aspirant for the ticket held protest at the BJP office here. In Nizamabad, a group of people, stated to be the supporters of an aspirant, damaged furniture at the party office after their leader was denied the ticket. Shah had kicked off the party's campaign for the Telangana polls on September 15 at Mahabubnagar and addressed another rally at Karimnagar lat month. BJP had five MLAs in the recently dissolved state assembly.

BJP releases second list of candidates for Telangana polls

Protestors squatted on railway tracks, pelted stones at vehicles and burnt tyres on roads in some districts of Assam during a 12-hour state-wide bandh on Saturday, called to protest the gunning down of five men in Tinsukia district.

The police detained over 700 protesters in the bandh, the impact of which was partial across the state barring Bengali-dominated Barak valley and a few places in Brahmaputra valley where normal life was considerably affected.&nbsp;

There was no impact of the bandh in state capital Guwahati where all establishments and vehicles functioned normally.

"715 picketers detained across the state until now. We stand resolute on our promise of ensuring public order for the people of #Assam (sic)," the state police said on microblogging site Twitter.

Shops, business establishments, education institutions and private offices remained closed and most vehicles stayed off the roads in the Barak Valley districts of Cachar,

Karimganj and Hailakandi due to the bandh which was called by the All Assam Bangali Yuba Chatra Federation, All Assam Bengali Students Union and some other like-minded organisations to protest the killings of five Bengali-speaking men, including three of a family, by gunmen at Kheronibari village on Thursday.

The bandh in Barak Valley was supported by Opposition Congress. The ruling BJP extended support to it in Hailakandi as per its district president Subrata Nath. 
Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, who hit the streets in Silchar to impose the bandh, was picked up by the police, officials said, adding that the legislator was released later.

Demanding security for Bengali-speaking people, agitators squatted on the tracks at Lumding Rail Station in Hojai district to block the movements of Brahmaputra Express and other trains, officials said. The agitators were soon removed from the tracks. 
 
The bandh supporters burnt tyres on the roads at various places across the state, but were cleared by security personnel promptly, police said. 
At Samuguri and Amoni in Hojai, bandh picketers and supporters blocking the highway pelted stones at vehicles, damaging several buses and trucks.

There were reports of clashes between supporters of the bandh and those opposing it at Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district, but the situation was brought under control soon.

The bandh had minimal impact in Guwahati, where normal life continued as usual. Offices, commercial establishments, educational institutions and banks remained open. Buses and other modes of public transport plied on the roads like any other day.

The bandh sponsors exempted Tinsukia and Dibrugarh from their bandh call as the two districts had observed a similar strike yesterday from 5 am to protest against the killings.

On Friday, the Assam government in a written order had directed deputy commissioners to ensure normal functioning of all government establishments, smooth vehicular movement and opening of business establishments.

The order also directed all security agencies to be kept on high alert to prevent any breach of peace which may lead to law and order issues.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Protestors squatted on railway tracks, pelted stones at vehicles and burnt tyres on roads in some districts of Assam during a 12-hour state-wide bandh on Saturday, called to protest the gunning down of five men in Tinsukia district.

Protestors squatted on railway tracks, pelted stones at vehicles and burnt tyres on roads in some districts of Assam during a 12-hour state-wide bandh on Saturday, called to protest the gunning down of five men in Tinsukia district. The police detained over 700 protesters in the bandh, the impact of which was partial across the state barring Bengali-dominated Barak valley and a few places in Brahmaputra valley where normal life was considerably affected. There was no impact of the bandh in state capital Guwahati where all establishments and vehicles functioned normally. "715 picketers detained across the state until now. We stand resolute on our promise of ensuring public order for the people of #Assam (sic)," the state police said on microblogging site Twitter. Shops, business establishments, education institutions and private offices remained closed and most vehicles stayed off the roads in the Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi due to the bandh which was called by the All Assam Bangali Yuba Chatra Federation, All Assam Bengali Students Union and some other like-minded organisations to protest the killings of five Bengali-speaking men, including three of a family, by gunmen at Kheronibari village on Thursday. The bandh in Barak Valley was supported by Opposition Congress. The ruling BJP extended support to it in Hailakandi as per its district president Subrata Nath. Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, who hit the streets in Silchar to impose the bandh, was picked up by the police, officials said, adding that the legislator was released later. Demanding security for Bengali-speaking people, agitators squatted on the tracks at Lumding Rail Station in Hojai district to block the movements of Brahmaputra Express and other trains, officials said. The agitators were soon removed from the tracks. The bandh supporters burnt tyres on the roads at various places across the state, but were cleared by security personnel promptly, police said. At Samuguri and Amoni in Hojai, bandh picketers and supporters blocking the highway pelted stones at vehicles, damaging several buses and trucks. There were reports of clashes between supporters of the bandh and those opposing it at Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district, but the situation was brought under control soon. The bandh had minimal impact in Guwahati, where normal life continued as usual. Offices, commercial establishments, educational institutions and banks remained open. Buses and other modes of public transport plied on the roads like any other day. The bandh sponsors exempted Tinsukia and Dibrugarh from their bandh call as the two districts had observed a similar strike yesterday from 5 am to protest against the killings. On Friday, the Assam government in a written order had directed deputy commissioners to ensure normal functioning of all government establishments, smooth vehicular movement and opening of business establishments. The order also directed all security agencies to be kept on high alert to prevent any breach of peace which may lead to law and order issues.

12-hour bandh affects normal life in some districts of Assam, 700 protesters detained

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor Saturday alleged the trend of erecting statues and

Raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya were attempts to distract the masses from "failures" of the BJP government at the Centre.

He said the trend of erecting statues reminded him of the Roman empire when people where distracted from the oppression they faced through 'bread and circuses' (distribution of free food and staging of huge spectacles).&nbsp;

"The issues of Statue of Unity, Ram temple, Ram statue at Ayodhya are distractions. I would urge the public of India to move away from these distractions and focus on the realities and lives of the Indians," the Congress MP said.

"The reality is the Indian Aam Aadmi (common man) has been suffering for the last four and half years... This suits the agenda of the government that has failed to perform," he said.

Tharoor's comment comes in the backdrop of plans to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya.

Joining the chorus for the construction of Ram temple in the Uttar Pradesh pilgrim town of Ayodhya, Union minister Vijay Goel had Friday said it should be done at the earliest through any means -- constitutional, legislative, judicial or community dialogue.

The VHP and RSS have demanded an ordinance to acquire land for constructing the temple in Ayodhya.&nbsp;

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor Saturday alleged the trend of erecting statues and Raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya were attempts to distract the masses from "failures" of the BJP government at the Centre.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor Saturday alleged the trend of erecting statues and Raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya were attempts to distract the masses from "failures" of the BJP government at the Centre. He said the trend of erecting statues reminded him of the Roman empire when people where distracted from the oppression they faced through 'bread and circuses' (distribution of free food and staging of huge spectacles). "The issues of Statue of Unity, Ram temple, Ram statue at Ayodhya are distractions. I would urge the public of India to move away from these distractions and focus on the realities and lives of the Indians," the Congress MP said. "The reality is the Indian Aam Aadmi (common man) has been suffering for the last four and half years... This suits the agenda of the government that has failed to perform," he said. Tharoor's comment comes in the backdrop of plans to install a statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya. Joining the chorus for the construction of Ram temple in the Uttar Pradesh pilgrim town of Ayodhya, Union minister Vijay Goel had Friday said it should be done at the earliest through any means -- constitutional, legislative, judicial or community dialogue. The VHP and RSS have demanded an ordinance to acquire land for constructing the temple in Ayodhya.

Ram statue, temple attempts to distract masses from Centre's failures: Shashi Tharoor

BJP has fielded Syed Shahezadi, a young Muslim woman, as its candidate from Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad, to take on AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the December 7 state assembly election.

A novice in electoral politics, Shahezadi, who was a leader of ABVP, student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, hails from Adilabad in Telangana.

Shahezadi, who completed post-graduation in political science from Osmania University in Hyderabad, alleged there has been no improvement in the condition of common people in Chandrayangutta and other parts of old city of Hyderabad though All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been elected for the past two decades.

She said she can work for people's welfare by implementing central government schemes.

"I am asking what did he (Owaisi) do for you (people)? What change has come in your lives? What about your children's education and how many of them are employed? How many have become engineers and doctors," she told PTI.

A communal atmosphere prevailed in the old city of Hyderabad, AIMIM's stronghold, and there has been no change in the lives of common people, including ordinary Muslims, with AIMIM at the helm, she alleged.

Owaisi has been elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.

Dismissing allegations that BJP is a communal party, she said such a mindset has been established that the organisation was opposed to Muslims.

It is the BJP which made the late APJ Abdul Kalam President of India and BJP's Muslim leaders like Sikandar Bhakt, Najma Heptulla and M J Akbar held important positions, she said.

Budget has been increased for Maulana Azad Urdu University in Hyderabad and for madrassas in Uttar Pradesh under a BJP government, she claimed.

Having studied in government schools and colleges, Shahezadi said, she understands poverty, public issues and the issues concerning Muslim women.

She thanked BJP's leadership for making her the candidate though she does not have money power.

"If there is any party which encourages youth, it is BJP. It is BJP which encourages Muslims also. Because, I am the example," she said.

BJP's Telangana unit president K Laxman said Shahezadi can expose the "misdeeds of AIMIM and how they are exploiting poor Muslims."

Shahezadi hailed Modi government's decision on triple talaq issue and she wants to work for empowerment of the Muslim women, he said.

Laxman said she was keen on contesting from Chandrayangutta which the party considered and decided to field her from the segment.

BJP has fielded Syed Shahezadi, a young Muslim woman, as its candidate from Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad, to take on AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the December 7 state assembly election.

BJP has fielded Syed Shahezadi, a young Muslim woman, as its candidate from Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad, to take on AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the December 7 state assembly election. A novice in electoral politics, Shahezadi, who was a leader of ABVP, student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, hails from Adilabad in Telangana. Shahezadi, who completed post-graduation in political science from Osmania University in Hyderabad, alleged there has been no improvement in the condition of common people in Chandrayangutta and other parts of old city of Hyderabad though All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been elected for the past two decades. She said she can work for people's welfare by implementing central government schemes. "I am asking what did he (Owaisi) do for you (people)? What change has come in your lives? What about your children's education and how many of them are employed? How many have become engineers and doctors," she told PTI. A communal atmosphere prevailed in the old city of Hyderabad, AIMIM's stronghold, and there has been no change in the lives of common people, including ordinary Muslims, with AIMIM at the helm, she alleged. Owaisi has been elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. Dismissing allegations that BJP is a communal party, she said such a mindset has been established that the organisation was opposed to Muslims. It is the BJP which made the late APJ Abdul Kalam President of India and BJP's Muslim leaders like Sikandar Bhakt, Najma Heptulla and M J Akbar held important positions, she said. Budget has been increased for Maulana Azad Urdu University in Hyderabad and for madrassas in Uttar Pradesh under a BJP government, she claimed. Having studied in government schools and colleges, Shahezadi said, she understands poverty, public issues and the issues concerning Muslim women. She thanked BJP's leadership for making her the candidate though she does not have money power. "If there is any party which encourages youth, it is BJP. It is BJP which encourages Muslims also. Because, I am the example," she said. BJP's Telangana unit president K Laxman said Shahezadi can expose the "misdeeds of AIMIM and how they are exploiting poor Muslims." Shahezadi hailed Modi government's decision on triple talaq issue and she wants to work for empowerment of the Muslim women, he said. Laxman said she was keen on contesting from Chandrayangutta which the party considered and decided to field her from the segment.

Telangana polls: BJP fields Muslim woman candidate against Akbaruddin Owaisi

About 35 per cent voting was recorded Saturday during the first half of polling for the by-polls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies in Karnataka.

While the Lok Sabha constituencies of Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya have recorded 30.20, 35.72, 26.80 per cent voting, respectively, till 1 pm, the assembly segments of Ramanagara and Jamkhandi reported 39.81 and 43.50 per cent respectively.

Voting began at 7 am will go on till six in the evening.

A total of 54,54,275 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in about 6,450 polling stations.

There are 31 candidates in the fray in the five constituencies, though the contest is mainly between the Congress-JD(S) combine and the BJP. 
Counting of votes will be held on November 6.

Though the turnout was low during the initial few hours after polling began, it improved as the day progressed, officials said.

Barring reports about delay in voting due to technical issues at a couple of places, polling in all the five constituencies have been by and large peaceful so far, the officials said.

The by-elections are being seen as a litmus test for the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition as its outcome is expected to have a bearing on the state's political scenario.

The Congress and the JD(S), who came together in a post-poll alliance after the assembly elections in May threw up a hung House, have decided to face the polls unitedly against the BJP, which they perceive as their common rival.

While the Congress has fielded its candidates in Jamkhandi and Ballari, JD(S) is contesting in Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Mandya under an electoral understanding.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray is Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anita Kumaraswamy, who is expected to have a smooth sail as she is facing virtually no-contest in Ramanagara after BJP nominee L Chandrashekhar withdrew from the contest and rejoined the Congress, in a jolt days before the polls.

The BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission about the development in Ramanagara and requested it to "annul" the elections immediately.

In Jamkhandi, Congress candidate Anand Nyamagowda, son of former MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, is pitted against Srikant Kulkarni of the BJP.

State BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa's son BY Raghavendra is testing his fortunes in Shivamogga against another former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of the JD(S).

Yeddyurappa and his family members were among the early birds to cast their vote at Shikaripura in the constituency.

In Ballari, senior BJP leader Sriramulu's sister J Shantha is contesting against V S Ugrappa of the Congress, considered an outsider.

In the Vokkaliga belt of Mandya, JD(S)'s Shivarame Gowda, is pitted against a fresh face in Dr Siddaramaiah, a retired commercial tax officer from the BJP.

The by-elections have been necessitated after Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga), Sriramalu (Ballari) and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May this year.

Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring to retain Chennapatna, the other constituency from where won.&nbsp;

About 35 per cent voting was recorded Saturday during the first half of polling for the by-polls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies in Karnataka.

About 35 per cent voting was recorded Saturday during the first half of polling for the by-polls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies in Karnataka. While the Lok Sabha constituencies of Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya have recorded 30.20, 35.72, 26.80 per cent voting, respectively, till 1 pm, the assembly segments of Ramanagara and Jamkhandi reported 39.81 and 43.50 per cent respectively. Voting began at 7 am will go on till six in the evening. A total of 54,54,275 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in about 6,450 polling stations. There are 31 candidates in the fray in the five constituencies, though the contest is mainly between the Congress-JD(S) combine and the BJP. Counting of votes will be held on November 6. Though the turnout was low during the initial few hours after polling began, it improved as the day progressed, officials said. Barring reports about delay in voting due to technical issues at a couple of places, polling in all the five constituencies have been by and large peaceful so far, the officials said. The by-elections are being seen as a litmus test for the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition as its outcome is expected to have a bearing on the state's political scenario. The Congress and the JD(S), who came together in a post-poll alliance after the assembly elections in May threw up a hung House, have decided to face the polls unitedly against the BJP, which they perceive as their common rival. While the Congress has fielded its candidates in Jamkhandi and Ballari, JD(S) is contesting in Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Mandya under an electoral understanding. Among the prominent candidates in the fray is Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anita Kumaraswamy, who is expected to have a smooth sail as she is facing virtually no-contest in Ramanagara after BJP nominee L Chandrashekhar withdrew from the contest and rejoined the Congress, in a jolt days before the polls. The BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission about the development in Ramanagara and requested it to "annul" the elections immediately. In Jamkhandi, Congress candidate Anand Nyamagowda, son of former MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, is pitted against Srikant Kulkarni of the BJP. State BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa's son BY Raghavendra is testing his fortunes in Shivamogga against another former chief minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu Bangarappa of the JD(S). Yeddyurappa and his family members were among the early birds to cast their vote at Shikaripura in the constituency. In Ballari, senior BJP leader Sriramulu's sister J Shantha is contesting against V S Ugrappa of the Congress, considered an outsider. In the Vokkaliga belt of Mandya, JD(S)'s Shivarame Gowda, is pitted against a fresh face in Dr Siddaramaiah, a retired commercial tax officer from the BJP. The by-elections have been necessitated after Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga), Sriramalu (Ballari) and C S Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) resigned as MPs on their election to the assembly in May this year. Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress MLA Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant after Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring to retain Chennapatna, the other constituency from where won.

About 35% polling reported till 1pm in Karnataka by-polls

The BJP has alleged that the BJD government has neglected the farm sector forcing many farmers to commit suicide in Odisha.

The government is not supporting farmers by providing easy finance and for that reason they take loans from private money lenders at very high rate of interest, BJP state unit chief Basant Panda told reporters here Friday.

"Many farmers who faced crop failure were unable to repay loans and faced huge debt burden forcing them to commit suicide," the BJP leader said.

The government has also "failed" to make available inputs like nutrients, seeds and irrigation facilities to the farmers, he said adding that the farmers are also denied the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Centre for their produces.

Showing a list of farmers who allegedly committed suicide, he urged the state government to grant compensation to the kin of the deceased peasants at the earliest.

He also demanded interest-free loan to farmers saying similar facility was being extended to the peasants in several BJP ruled states.

He also alleged that illegal practices were being adopted by the millers during paddy procurement and the state government remained a silent spectator.

"The state is actually being ruled by a coterie on the third floor (chief ministers office in the secretariat) and the millers are influencing officials to exploit the farmers," the BJP leader alleged.

Panda also alleged that the state government had declared drought in some pockets of nine districts without undertaking field visits.

Dismissing Panda's allegations, BJD leader Arun Sahoo said Odisha had bagged the national 'Krishi Karman Award' four times and the packages given to farmers in the state were much better than other states.&nbsp;

The BJP has alleged that the BJD government has neglected the farm sector forcing many farmers to commit suicide in Odisha. The government is not supporting farmers by providing easy finance and for that reason they take loans from private money lenders at very high rate of interest, BJP state unit chief Basant Panda told reporters here Friday.

The BJP has alleged that the BJD government has neglected the farm sector forcing many farmers to commit suicide in Odisha. The government is not supporting farmers by providing easy finance and for that reason they take loans from private money lenders at very high rate of interest, BJP state unit chief Basant Panda told reporters here Friday. "Many farmers who faced crop failure were unable to repay loans and faced huge debt burden forcing them to commit suicide," the BJP leader said. The government has also "failed" to make available inputs like nutrients, seeds and irrigation facilities to the farmers, he said adding that the farmers are also denied the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Centre for their produces. Showing a list of farmers who allegedly committed suicide, he urged the state government to grant compensation to the kin of the deceased peasants at the earliest. He also demanded interest-free loan to farmers saying similar facility was being extended to the peasants in several BJP ruled states. He also alleged that illegal practices were being adopted by the millers during paddy procurement and the state government remained a silent spectator. "The state is actually being ruled by a coterie on the third floor (chief ministers office in the secretariat) and the millers are influencing officials to exploit the farmers," the BJP leader alleged. Panda also alleged that the state government had declared drought in some pockets of nine districts without undertaking field visits. Dismissing Panda's allegations, BJD leader Arun Sahoo said Odisha had bagged the national 'Krishi Karman Award' four times and the packages given to farmers in the state were much better than other states.

BJP blames Odisha government for suicide of farmers

For many years now political parties’ manifestos have been an exercise in preparing a ‘good document’ than identifying the real problems confronting the Indian polity. &nbsp;Come election time, manifesto committees formed by parties start doing the ritual of meeting various stakeholders, vested interest groups, and the general public. 
 
These meetings are supposed to give the politicians a concrete idea of the concerns of various sections of people, be it farmers, students, women or the business community. Besides these meeting, in any case, politicians are supposed to be aware of the ground reality that people are concerned with.&nbsp;

However, a quick analysis of previous manifestos of the BJP and the Congress shows that political manifestos often don’t address the most critical issues facing the country. &nbsp;

And even when they do talk about deep-rooted problems like poverty, caste-based discrimination and the terrible state of small and landless farmers, for instance, it is done in a very perfunctory manner.&nbsp;

Therefore, it can be argued that political manifestos are in an inverted sense a good test of what parties actually consider to be significant issues. More often what is in the manifesto is not likely to become a poll issue. For instance, take the example of economic inequality itself. &nbsp;Oxfam’s latest report on inequality has ranked India at the bottom of an index containing &nbsp;157 countries.

The index was based on a new database of indicators that tracked performance on social spending, tax and labour rights. &nbsp;Moreover, every year we are told of the shocking levels to which inequality has risen in India over the last seventy years. &nbsp;Last year, Oxfam had revealed that of the total wealth created in India in 2016 the richest 1 per cent in India gobbled up 73 per cent of it. This basically means that 99 per cent of people of India received only 27 per cent of the total wealth generated. &nbsp;

It is election season again with four states going to elections in the next four months. The General elections too are less than eight months away. But what are the issues that are hogging the rallies that have held so far in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh? Besides the usual claims to waive off farm loans, provide employment, set up industries, and giving reservation to communities, our politicians are once again shying away from even acknowledging the monumental inequality in India. &nbsp;

Economic inequality coupled with entrenched social inequality is one of the root causes of poverty, therefore, when politicians make claims about eradicating poverty, providing free housing and other freebies, they are only obfuscating the actual issue that needs to be solved. If they were actually serious about raising the income levels and standard of living, every third person in India wouldn’t have to live on less than Rs 140 a day. &nbsp;

No wonder then that India also performs terribly on its efforts to reduce inequality. India ranks 147th out of 157 countries on its commitment to reducing inequality. &nbsp;According to calculations done by Oxfam, if India were to adopt meaningful policies to reduce inequality by just 33 per cent ‘more than 170 million people would no longer be poor’.&nbsp;

But going by the prevailing priorities of political parties as seen in their rallies, it is clear that no party is in fact committed to deal with rising inequality. We have Rahul Gandhi repackaging himself and his party in a religious hue, Mamata Banerjee is announcing doles for Durga Puja, and the BJP is diverting the attention of people from issues like unemployment and jobless growth by propping up agendas like Ram Mandir, and illegal Bangladeshis.&nbsp;

If India is to really progress, its common people must force political parties to talk about the elephant in the room- inequality. Because, if left unaddressed, it will lead to nationwide instability and strife. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For many years now political parties’ manifestos have been an exercise in preparing a ‘good document’ than identifying the real problems confronting the Indian polity.

For many years now political parties’ manifestos have been an exercise in preparing a ‘good document’ than identifying the real problems confronting the Indian polity. Come election time, manifesto committees formed by parties start doing the ritual of meeting various stakeholders, vested interest groups, and the general public. These meetings are supposed to give the politicians a concrete idea of the concerns of various sections of people, be it farmers, students, women or the business community. Besides these meeting, in any case, politicians are supposed to be aware of the ground reality that people are concerned with. However, a quick analysis of previous manifestos of the BJP and the Congress shows that political manifestos often don’t address the most critical issues facing the country. And even when they do talk about deep-rooted problems like poverty, caste-based discrimination and the terrible state of small and landless farmers, for instance, it is done in a very perfunctory manner. Therefore, it can be argued that political manifestos are in an inverted sense a good test of what parties actually consider to be significant issues. More often what is in the manifesto is not likely to become a poll issue. For instance, take the example of economic inequality itself. Oxfam’s latest report on inequality has ranked India at the bottom of an index containing 157 countries. The index was based on a new database of indicators that tracked performance on social spending, tax and labour rights. Moreover, every year we are told of the shocking levels to which inequality has risen in India over the last seventy years. Last year, Oxfam had revealed that of the total wealth created in India in 2016 the richest 1 per cent in India gobbled up 73 per cent of it. This basically means that 99 per cent of people of India received only 27 per cent of the total wealth generated. It is election season again with four states going to elections in the next four months. The General elections too are less than eight months away. But what are the issues that are hogging the rallies that have held so far in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh? Besides the usual claims to waive off farm loans, provide employment, set up industries, and giving reservation to communities, our politicians are once again shying away from even acknowledging the monumental inequality in India. Economic inequality coupled with entrenched social inequality is one of the root causes of poverty, therefore, when politicians make claims about eradicating poverty, providing free housing and other freebies, they are only obfuscating the actual issue that needs to be solved. If they were actually serious about raising the income levels and standard of living, every third person in India wouldn’t have to live on less than Rs 140 a day. No wonder then that India also performs terribly on its efforts to reduce inequality. India ranks 147th out of 157 countries on its commitment to reducing inequality. According to calculations done by Oxfam, if India were to adopt meaningful policies to reduce inequality by just 33 per cent ‘more than 170 million people would no longer be poor’. But going by the prevailing priorities of political parties as seen in their rallies, it is clear that no party is in fact committed to deal with rising inequality. We have Rahul Gandhi repackaging himself and his party in a religious hue, Mamata Banerjee is announcing doles for Durga Puja, and the BJP is diverting the attention of people from issues like unemployment and jobless growth by propping up agendas like Ram Mandir, and illegal Bangladeshis. If India is to really progress, its common people must force political parties to talk about the elephant in the room- inequality. Because, if left unaddressed, it will lead to nationwide instability and strife. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Economic and social inequality not a priority for political parties 

After curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar following BJP leader and his brother killing by militants on Thursday, the army was called on to maintain law and order in town, officials said.

State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said.

The officials also mentioned that they were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.

An order for imposition of the curfew was issued by Kishtwar District Magistrate A S Rana late in the night.

Tension mounted in the town as residents staged protests and manhandled policemen, including senior officials, prompting the authorities to clamp prohibitory orders under CRPC Section 144 and thus army was called to handle the situation.

After curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar following BJP leader and his brother killing by militants on Thursday, the army was called on to maintain law and order in town, officials said.

After curfew was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar following BJP leader and his brother killing by militants on Thursday, the army was called on to maintain law and order in town, officials said. State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said. The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said. The officials also mentioned that they were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead. An order for imposition of the curfew was issued by Kishtwar District Magistrate A S Rana late in the night. Tension mounted in the town as residents staged protests and manhandled policemen, including senior officials, prompting the authorities to clamp prohibitory orders under CRPC Section 144 and thus army was called to handle the situation.

Army called out to maintain peace after BJP leader Anil Parihar shot dead in J&K

The RSS raised the pitch for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. In a &nbsp;veiled threat, senior RSS functionary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that a 1992-like movement can also take place.

It was the movement in the 1990s and LK Advani's Rath Yatra which subsequently led to pulling down of the Babri Masjid by the mob. Bhaiyyaji Joshi made these statements after a three-day brainstorming session. 
&nbsp; 
Joshi in the press conference also said that the RSS expected a sweet Diwali surprise but was disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court which pushed the nearing to 2019.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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Avashyakta padi to karenge: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS when asked 'Jis tarah se 1992 mein aandolan kiya gaya tha us tarike se aadnolan kiya jaagea iss mudde par?' <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamMandir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamMandir</a> <a href="https://t.co/x0YkEC7VIQ">pic.twitter.com/x0YkEC7VIQ</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1058263921193189377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The RSS says that Hindu sentiments must be respected. Joshi also said that the court must take sentiments of the majority community into account. 
&nbsp; 
The temple issue is currently in the Supreme Court. The courts have shown no hurry to expedite the matter whereas the BJP and the RSS want the temple to be built as soon as possible.

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Ram sab ke hriday mein rehte hain par wo prakat hote hain mandiron ke dwara. Hum chahte hain ki mandir bane. Kaam mein kuch baadhaein awashya hain aur hum apeksha kar rahe hain ki nyalalya Hindu bhavnaon ko samajh ke nirnay dega: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS <a href="https://t.co/LU37D4pILi">pic.twitter.com/LU37D4pILi</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1058258454475825153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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What is new is that the Ram temple issue by 2004 had become redundant. It was not an issue in 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP and the RSS have now revived the issue as it feels that the 2019 elections will be fought on Hindu consolidation rather than over good governance plank.&nbsp;

Though the RSS also added that they are hopeful of a favourable order from the Supreme Court, the interesting part is that the apex court is treating that issue as a land dispute issue.

The RSS raised the pitch for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. In a veiled threat, senior RSS functionary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that a 1992-like movement can also take place.

The RSS raised the pitch for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. In a veiled threat, senior RSS functionary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that a 1992-like movement can also take place. It was the movement in the 1990s and LK Advani's Rath Yatra which subsequently led to pulling down of the Babri Masjid by the mob. Bhaiyyaji Joshi made these statements after a three-day brainstorming session. Joshi in the press conference also said that the RSS expected a sweet Diwali surprise but was disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court which pushed the nearing to 2019. Avashyakta padi to karenge: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS when asked 'Jis tarah se 1992 mein aandolan kiya gaya tha us tarike se aadnolan kiya jaagea iss mudde par?' #RamMandir pic.twitter.com/x0YkEC7VIQ — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018 × The RSS says that Hindu sentiments must be respected. Joshi also said that the court must take sentiments of the majority community into account. The temple issue is currently in the Supreme Court. The courts have shown no hurry to expedite the matter whereas the BJP and the RSS want the temple to be built as soon as possible. Ram sab ke hriday mein rehte hain par wo prakat hote hain mandiron ke dwara. Hum chahte hain ki mandir bane. Kaam mein kuch baadhaein awashya hain aur hum apeksha kar rahe hain ki nyalalya Hindu bhavnaon ko samajh ke nirnay dega: Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS pic.twitter.com/LU37D4pILi — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2018 × What is new is that the Ram temple issue by 2004 had become redundant. It was not an issue in 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP and the RSS have now revived the issue as it feels that the 2019 elections will be fought on Hindu consolidation rather than over good governance plank. Though the RSS also added that they are hopeful of a favourable order from the Supreme Court, the interesting part is that the apex court is treating that issue as a land dispute issue.

RSS' Bhaiyyaji Joshi hints at second Ram temple campaign

RSS declaration on Ram temple was akin to a carefully crafted ballroom dance metamorphosing into a break dance.&nbsp;

RSS and BJP for years had maintained that temple was a matter of faith but would patiently wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue challenging the legitimacy of the land.&nbsp;

This is the third time BJP has taken political stands which stands in opposition to a judicial verdict for electoral ends.

First BJP gave legitimacy to Jallikattu protest by ensuring an enabling legislation which overturned the court’s verdict.&nbsp;

The second time BJP openly went against the Sabarimala verdict. This is the third time when RSS has openly criticised the Supreme Court. 
&nbsp; 
The press conference not only announced the intention of the possibility of a political mobilisation akin to 1992 but also reaffirmed that commitment to Palanpur Session.&nbsp;

It was also a veiled threat of patience running thin and even Supreme Court’s view can be subservient to majority sentiments. 
&nbsp; 
This brings us to the question as to why Ram Temple has become a burning political issue? What has happened in last 2 years that BJP and RSS have increasingly turned to Ram Temple as an issue to mobilise its core voters? Is it because BJP stumped everyone on the shamshan and kabristan issue?

The answer to this question this lies to the realisation that BJP as a party only remains appealing to its core voters till it remains committed to the idea of cultural nationalism and the majoritarian idea of India. 
&nbsp; 
BJP in 1989 adopted Ram Temple as a party issue at Palanpur Session. So, technically it is not a U-turn. It only finishes the ambiguity of patience and long wait. The statement makes it clear that RSS expects the verdict in a certain way and would want the courts to take note of it.

So what happens to glasnost and perestroika which was announced with great fanfare after Mohan Bhagwat’s three-day seminar? Is it a reminder to the government that private member bills be moved and ordinance option should be explored? 
&nbsp; 
In my opinion, it all boils down to keeping the expectation of the people high on the issue - Hindu getting victimised by elitist institutions like courts. The idea is to keep the pot boiling. BJP understands that good governance and ‘Grand Alliance’ as a bad idea will not be enough to pull the Modi chariot in 2019. 
&nbsp; 
They would require much more than that. Rafale has dented the image of the government and GST’s impact is very much visible on the economy. The talk on the Ram Temple is not an act of desperation. It is based on the realisation that unless and until the politics does not remain centred around cultural nationalism as opposed to multi-culturalism BJP will not be able to stand a chance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

The Palampur Session in 1989 specifically mentioned that the disputed site must be handed over to Hindus either through mutual dialogue or an enabling legislation. It shows that BJP remains committed to the Palanpur resolution. The deviation took place during Vajpayee's tenure when BJP had to deep freeze Ayodhya issue because of an unwieldy coalition.

Today, BJP does not depend on alliance for running the government. The only issue it faces is that if ever they fall short of a majority in future, they could be looking at a very bleak future as the choice would get limited to a few regional parties. They will have very few options. 
 
The decision of 1992 run is also a challenge to parties which commit themselves to a multicultural secular politics. Ayodhya is many things to many people today. For some, it is only about votes. For some, it is about faith. For some, it is about Muslim domination. For some, it is about Ram’s birth. For some, it is a matter of academics. For some, it is about Hindu victimisation by foreign taught babalogs. But foremost, today it should be about the civility of exchange. It is missing on both sides even after the demolition.

Today Ayodhya is at the cusp of deciding the destiny of our country. When Ataturk converted Hagia Sophia into a museum, the world knew where Turkey would be heading. It became a modern secular nation. A temple in Ayodhya will not make India a theocracy, but if the temple is made through coercion then it would definitely mutate us from the idea as we were conceived as nation in 1947 by our founding fathers. It will be far removed from Gandhi’s Ram Rajya. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

RSS declaration on Ram temple was akin to a carefully crafted ballroom dance metamorphosing into a break dance. RSS and BJP for years had maintained that temple was a matter of faith but would patiently wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue challenging the legitimacy of the land.

RSS declaration on Ram temple was akin to a carefully crafted ballroom dance metamorphosing into a break dance. RSS and BJP for years had maintained that temple was a matter of faith but would patiently wait for the verdict of the Supreme Court on the issue challenging the legitimacy of the land. This is the third time BJP has taken political stands which stands in opposition to a judicial verdict for electoral ends. First BJP gave legitimacy to Jallikattu protest by ensuring an enabling legislation which overturned the court’s verdict. The second time BJP openly went against the Sabarimala verdict. This is the third time when RSS has openly criticised the Supreme Court. The press conference not only announced the intention of the possibility of a political mobilisation akin to 1992 but also reaffirmed that commitment to Palanpur Session. It was also a veiled threat of patience running thin and even Supreme Court’s view can be subservient to majority sentiments. This brings us to the question as to why Ram Temple has become a burning political issue? What has happened in last 2 years that BJP and RSS have increasingly turned to Ram Temple as an issue to mobilise its core voters? Is it because BJP stumped everyone on the shamshan and kabristan issue? The answer to this question this lies to the realisation that BJP as a party only remains appealing to its core voters till it remains committed to the idea of cultural nationalism and the majoritarian idea of India. BJP in 1989 adopted Ram Temple as a party issue at Palanpur Session. So, technically it is not a U-turn. It only finishes the ambiguity of patience and long wait. The statement makes it clear that RSS expects the verdict in a certain way and would want the courts to take note of it. So what happens to glasnost and perestroika which was announced with great fanfare after Mohan Bhagwat’s three-day seminar? Is it a reminder to the government that private member bills be moved and ordinance option should be explored? In my opinion, it all boils down to keeping the expectation of the people high on the issue - Hindu getting victimised by elitist institutions like courts. The idea is to keep the pot boiling. BJP understands that good governance and ‘Grand Alliance’ as a bad idea will not be enough to pull the Modi chariot in 2019. They would require much more than that. Rafale has dented the image of the government and GST’s impact is very much visible on the economy. The talk on the Ram Temple is not an act of desperation. It is based on the realisation that unless and until the politics does not remain centred around cultural nationalism as opposed to multi-culturalism BJP will not be able to stand a chance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The Palampur Session in 1989 specifically mentioned that the disputed site must be handed over to Hindus either through mutual dialogue or an enabling legislation. It shows that BJP remains committed to the Palanpur resolution. The deviation took place during Vajpayee's tenure when BJP had to deep freeze Ayodhya issue because of an unwieldy coalition. Today, BJP does not depend on alliance for running the government. The only issue it faces is that if ever they fall short of a majority in future, they could be looking at a very bleak future as the choice would get limited to a few regional parties. They will have very few options. The decision of 1992 run is also a challenge to parties which commit themselves to a multicultural secular politics. Ayodhya is many things to many people today. For some, it is only about votes. For some, it is about faith. For some, it is about Muslim domination. For some, it is about Ram’s birth. For some, it is a matter of academics. For some, it is about Hindu victimisation by foreign taught babalogs. But foremost, today it should be about the civility of exchange. It is missing on both sides even after the demolition. Today Ayodhya is at the cusp of deciding the destiny of our country. When Ataturk converted Hagia Sophia into a museum, the world knew where Turkey would be heading. It became a modern secular nation. A temple in Ayodhya will not make India a theocracy, but if the temple is made through coercion then it would definitely mutate us from the idea as we were conceived as nation in 1947 by our founding fathers. It will be far removed from Gandhi’s Ram Rajya. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Ayodhya 2.0: RSS and BJP go back to basics

The BJP Thursday released its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, fielding Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan from the Budhni seat.

The list was released by the party's secretary election committee and Union minister J P Nadda Friday.

The party also announced candidates for 28 assembly seats in Telangana and 24 in Mizoram.

According to sources, about 27 sitting MLAs have been dropped in Madhya Pradesh.

The list was finalised at the BJP's central election committee meeting Thursday night that was chaired by party president Amit Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others.

The BJP Thursday released its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, fielding Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan from the Budhni seat. The list was released by the party's secretary election committee and Union minister J P Nadda Friday.

The BJP Thursday released its first list of 177 candidates for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, fielding Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan from the Budhni seat. The list was released by the party's secretary election committee and Union minister J P Nadda Friday. The party also announced candidates for 28 assembly seats in Telangana and 24 in Mizoram. According to sources, about 27 sitting MLAs have been dropped in Madhya Pradesh. The list was finalised at the BJP's central election committee meeting Thursday night that was chaired by party president Amit Shah and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others.

BJP releases first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls

A senior BJP leader of Jammu and Kashmir and his brother were shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar district Thursday night, officials said.

State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said.

They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.

Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) Sanjeev Verma said that police are investigating the matter.

BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul condemned the attack. This is the first attack on any political leader in the Jammu region in past several years.

A senior BJP leader of Jammu and Kashmir and his brother were shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar district Thursday night, officials said. State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said.

A senior BJP leader of Jammu and Kashmir and his brother were shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar district Thursday night, officials said. State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said. The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said. They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said. Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) Sanjeev Verma said that police are investigating the matter. BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul condemned the attack. This is the first attack on any political leader in the Jammu region in past several years.

Jammu and Kashmir: Senior BJP leader, brother shot dead in Kishtwar

BJP MP Rakesh Sinha&nbsp;on Thursday said he will bring a private member’s bill seeking construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and asked whether opposition leaders including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will support it.&nbsp;

In a series of tweets, Sinha, a Rajya Sabha MP, asked if leaders such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who kept on asking the BJP and RSS about the construction of temple, will support his bill.

“Will Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Lalu Prasad Yadav support private member bill on Ayodhya? They frequently ask the date (of Ram temple construction) from RSS and BJP, now onus is on them to answer,” he tweeted.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Will write Preface (introduction)of my private member bill on Ram temple in Ayodhya.request तारीख़ पूछने वालों को 2send me feedback.if <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/laluprasadrjd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@laluprasadrjd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/yadavakhilesh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yadavakhilesh</a> Mayawati ji <a href="https://twitter.com/ncbn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ncbn</a> ask me to visit their residences I would go to know their valuable opinion.
— Prof Rakesh Sinha (@RakeshSinha01) <a href="https://twitter.com/RakeshSinha01/status/1057936381757014017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Singh said he is asking a clear-cut question as now is the time to separate truth from lies. He said the Ram temple issue is not a priority for the Supreme Court and questioned how many days the apex court took to give verdict on Article 377, Jallikattu and Sabarimala.

“But Ram temple is a top priority of Hindu society,” he said. Singh’s remarks came days after the apex court postponed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case to first week of January next year when an appropriate bench will decide the schedule of hearing.

Following the court’s order, the chorus for an ordinance on construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya had grown among saffron outfits including the VHP and the RSS. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said that the government should acquire the land and hand it over for the construction of Ram temple.&nbsp;

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that Hindus cannot wait eternally for a court judgement on the Ayodhya land dispute case and asked the government to bring in a law for building a Ram temple.

BJP MP Rakesh Sinha on Thursday said he will bring a private member’s bill seeking construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and asked whether opposition leaders including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will support it.

BJP MP Rakesh Sinha on Thursday said he will bring a private member’s bill seeking construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and asked whether opposition leaders including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will support it. In a series of tweets, Sinha, a Rajya Sabha MP, asked if leaders such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who kept on asking the BJP and RSS about the construction of temple, will support his bill. “Will Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Lalu Prasad Yadav support private member bill on Ayodhya? They frequently ask the date (of Ram temple construction) from RSS and BJP, now onus is on them to answer,” he tweeted. Will write Preface (introduction)of my private member bill on Ram temple in Ayodhya.request तारीख़ पूछने वालों को 2send me feedback.if @RahulGandhi @laluprasadrjd @yadavakhilesh Mayawati ji @ncbn ask me to visit their residences I would go to know their valuable opinion. — Prof Rakesh Sinha (@RakeshSinha01) November 1, 2018 × Singh said he is asking a clear-cut question as now is the time to separate truth from lies. He said the Ram temple issue is not a priority for the Supreme Court and questioned how many days the apex court took to give verdict on Article 377, Jallikattu and Sabarimala. “But Ram temple is a top priority of Hindu society,” he said. Singh’s remarks came days after the apex court postponed the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case to first week of January next year when an appropriate bench will decide the schedule of hearing. Following the court’s order, the chorus for an ordinance on construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya had grown among saffron outfits including the VHP and the RSS. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said that the government should acquire the land and hand it over for the construction of Ram temple. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that Hindus cannot wait eternally for a court judgement on the Ayodhya land dispute case and asked the government to bring in a law for building a Ram temple.

BJP MP Rakesh Sinha says he will bring private member’s bill for Ram temple

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat against deletion of names of "lakhs" of voters in the national capital allegedly "at the instance of the BJP".

He sought an appointment from Rawat to discuss the matter.

"It has come to our notice that names of lakhs of voters in Delhi have been deleted after last assembly elections. Most names...Have been deleted with mala fide intention. Procedure prescribed under law for deletion of names has not been followed," he wrote in the letter.&nbsp;

A "cursory look" on the deleted names showed that "most of them" were AAP or Congress voters, Kejriwal claimed, alleging it might have been done by some officers "at the instance of BJP" to prevent them from voting.

"It appears to be a huge scam. Its implications on democracy are grave. Elections in Delhi would be a farce if conducted through these voters lists," he wrote.

Kejriwal demanded a time-bound and transparent enquiry by the Election Commission and also adding back of the deleted names.

Recently, AAP in-charge for the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Raghav Chadha had alleged that around one lakh names were deleted from voters' list in the constituency in the past six months to one year.

Kejriwal said that an enquiry conducted by him revealed that in nine cases, names were deleted in July 2018, after a door-to-door survey by booth-level officer(BLO) who could not locate addresses of the voters.

After the enquiry, the officers got Form 6 filled for enrolling five of the persons in the voters list and assured that remaining persons will also be included in the list.

"If the BLO could not locate the houses during the door-to-door survey in July 2018, how could he locate houses so easily after enquiry was ordered?," he questioned.

The Delhi Chief Minister also said it was noticed that most names were deleted after the previous Assembly elections in Delhi.&nbsp;

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat against deletion of names of "lakhs" of voters in the national capital allegedly "at the instance of the BJP".

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat against deletion of names of "lakhs" of voters in the national capital allegedly "at the instance of the BJP". He sought an appointment from Rawat to discuss the matter. "It has come to our notice that names of lakhs of voters in Delhi have been deleted after last assembly elections. Most names...Have been deleted with mala fide intention. Procedure prescribed under law for deletion of names has not been followed," he wrote in the letter. A "cursory look" on the deleted names showed that "most of them" were AAP or Congress voters, Kejriwal claimed, alleging it might have been done by some officers "at the instance of BJP" to prevent them from voting. "It appears to be a huge scam. Its implications on democracy are grave. Elections in Delhi would be a farce if conducted through these voters lists," he wrote. Kejriwal demanded a time-bound and transparent enquiry by the Election Commission and also adding back of the deleted names. Recently, AAP in-charge for the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat, Raghav Chadha had alleged that around one lakh names were deleted from voters' list in the constituency in the past six months to one year. Kejriwal said that an enquiry conducted by him revealed that in nine cases, names were deleted in July 2018, after a door-to-door survey by booth-level officer(BLO) who could not locate addresses of the voters. After the enquiry, the officers got Form 6 filled for enrolling five of the persons in the voters list and assured that remaining persons will also be included in the list. "If the BLO could not locate the houses during the door-to-door survey in July 2018, how could he locate houses so easily after enquiry was ordered?," he questioned. The Delhi Chief Minister also said it was noticed that most names were deleted after the previous Assembly elections in Delhi.

Names of lakhs of voters struck off electoral rolls at 'behest of BJP': Kejriwal to CEC

The semifinals for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are well and truly on. Five states are going to elect their new Vidhan Sabhas in next month or so, and three of these states belong to the critical Hindi heartland. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are crucial heartland states that enabled BJP's stellar performance in 2014. According to the Cvoter opinion poll, Congress seems to be in the poll position in all 3 states. In Rajasthan, Congress leads by a strong margin whereas in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the fight is close. In fact, the election in the latter two might well be decided quite late in the day, dependent upon factors such as campaign strategy, ticket allocation and infighting among others.

Highly critical will be the choice of chief ministerial candidates as leadership question is a point of concern for Congress. Particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the respective BJP Chief Ministers viz Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh continue to be very popular. In fact, the major anti-incumbency sentiment seems to be against the incumbent MLAs who have not managed their constituencies well. Perhaps denial of tickets to such non-performing MLAs might help the BJP to blunt the anti-incumbency sentiment, especially considering the less than 1 per cent vote share trail in opinion poll vis a vis Congress.&nbsp;

In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, there is a dead heat between Congress and BJP. This is not the case in Rajasthan, the incumbent Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is less popular than the main challenger from Congress Sachin Pilot. In MP, Jyotiraditya Scindia of Congress is less popular than Shivraj Singh Chauhan and in Chattisgarh, the main challenger to chief minister Raman Singh is Ajit Jogi who does not even belong to the Congress. That leaves Rajasthan as the only state where Congress has a leadership rating advantage.&nbsp;

<img alt="Table 1" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f2e65833-5dfb-4106-aa25-045212c57d01" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Table-1%20Final.jpg" />

Over and above that, Cvoter survey also dwelled upon the question of a bipolar contest to check the infighting sentiment. That is, when the candidates' field is narrowed down to two main challengers in the fray, there is always a churning among the party supporters who favour one party candidate over the other. In Madhya Pradesh, if the choice between Scindia and Chauhan was presented, Chauhan proved to more popular than Scindia. What is important to underline here is the fact that almost 50 per cent supporters of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are not staying loyal to party line for the candidature of Jyotiraditya Scindia in bipolar setup against Shivraj Singh Chauhan.

Almost 25 per cent of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh supporters shift allegiance to BJP CM Candidate and the rest are assuming a neutral position. This clearly opens up the internal fault-lines of Congress leadership in Madhya Pradesh.&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="Table 2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a602dcd4-4f77-4a5d-b061-bde21cae24a2" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Table2.jpg" />

In Chhattisgarh, a direct contest between Raman Singh and Ajit Jogi may precipitate 1/3rd of Congress supporters to shift support to BJP chief minister candidate and another 1/3rd may move to Jogi's camp, the rest are assuming a position of neutrality. This argues rather poorly for a party which is leading over BJP by less than a point at the moment. Jogi becomes a choice by default for many anti-BJP voters just because Congress is unable to give a name for the chief minister post. If the Congress leadership is well defined, it will not take much of a time for the anti-BJP voters getting polarized in a clear-cut manner. 
 
<img alt="Table 3" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4efd1661-e4e2-4945-9f78-52efab452a77" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Table%203.jpg" />

The state of Rajasthan is in complete contrast to MP and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, a bipolar contest of Sachin Pilot and Vasundhara Raje is clearly producing results in favour of Congress candidate. Almost two-third supporters of other Congress candidates, like Ashok Gehlot and CP Joshi, are continuing to support the candidature of Sachin Pilot in a bipolar rating. Unlike other states, the young voters and first-time voters of Rajasthan are rallying for a clean image of the rather young Sachin Pilot. His face is clearly instrumental in swinging the undecided young voters, who otherwise get neutralized by the corruption-tagged image of old Congress leadership in the state.&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="Table 4" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fa9d3d44-451e-4755-98ef-1c484d525d41" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Table4.jpg" />

Clearly, Congress is facing infighting and factionalism in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh while it comes across as a much-united house in Rajasthan. This point becomes salient in the light of less than 1 per cent projected vote share lead according to the Cvoter opinion poll in the states of MP and Chhattisgarh.

The overwhelming popularity of PM Narendra Modi has been the key electoral weapon for BJP in the past 3-4 years. Election after election in last four years has shown that there is a distinct surge of 3-4 per cent vote share that gets imparted by PM Narendra Modi in closing stages of the campaign. In MP and Chhattisgarh, such a vote surge can easily topple the Congress lead. In the case of Rajasthan, the projected lead of Congress seems to be clear of any potential late surge by BJP. The masses flocking to PM's rallies in Rajasthan may listen to him and vote for him in Lok Sabha elections but for Vidhan Sabha polls the mood seems to be made up.&nbsp;

Finally, Congress is making a mistake by not announcing official candidates in the three states. For examples, in MP an official announcement in favour of Scindia may polarize young voters in favour of Congress, the same may happen in Rajasthan and an official affirmation of Sachin Pilot could produce an electoral dividend thus confirming the Congress victory that is increasingly likely. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress may announce an official candidate such as TS Singh Dev or Bhupesh Baghel to blunt the edge of Ajit Jogi. In fact, currently, Jogi is being favoured only because of non-announcement of a Congress candidate.&nbsp;

Therefore, Congress has all to gain by the announcement of official Chief Ministerial candidates. It may gain that crucial edge over the BJP in MP and Chhattisgarh and further solidify its robust lead in Rajasthan. In case this does not happen then a late BJP surge induced by PM Modi's campaign may end up being crucial, however, it is tough to estimate its impact quantitatively as of now.&nbsp;

There is a huge rating deficit that Congress faces when the national Leadership ratings are compared. The gap in approval ratings of NaMo and RaGa is a big electoral liability at the moment for the Congress at large. The only way it can counter that liability is by projecting the much popular young faces at the state level against the state BJP leadership. If done properly, then faces of Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Bhupesh Baghel can do the needful to counter the mega rallies of Narendra Modi in concluding weeks of the campaign. If they continue the blunder in positioning this round as contest of national leaderships, then we all know what kind of punch Mr Modi is capable of delivering.&nbsp;

I don't think Congress wants to take the battle in that direction. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the <a href="http://zeenews.india.com/blogs/will-congress-blunder-again-by-making-assembly-elections-a-raga-vs-namo-battle-2151613.html">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The semifinals for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are well and truly on. Five states are going to elect their new Vidhan Sabhas in next month or so, and three of these states belong to the critical Hindi heartland.

The semifinals for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are well and truly on. Five states are going to elect their new Vidhan Sabhas in next month or so, and three of these states belong to the critical Hindi heartland. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are crucial heartland states that enabled BJP's stellar performance in 2014. According to the Cvoter opinion poll, Congress seems to be in the poll position in all 3 states. In Rajasthan, Congress leads by a strong margin whereas in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the fight is close. In fact, the election in the latter two might well be decided quite late in the day, dependent upon factors such as campaign strategy, ticket allocation and infighting among others. Highly critical will be the choice of chief ministerial candidates as leadership question is a point of concern for Congress. Particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the respective BJP Chief Ministers viz Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh continue to be very popular. In fact, the major anti-incumbency sentiment seems to be against the incumbent MLAs who have not managed their constituencies well. Perhaps denial of tickets to such non-performing MLAs might help the BJP to blunt the anti-incumbency sentiment, especially considering the less than 1 per cent vote share trail in opinion poll vis a vis Congress. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, there is a dead heat between Congress and BJP. This is not the case in Rajasthan, the incumbent Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is less popular than the main challenger from Congress Sachin Pilot. In MP, Jyotiraditya Scindia of Congress is less popular than Shivraj Singh Chauhan and in Chattisgarh, the main challenger to chief minister Raman Singh is Ajit Jogi who does not even belong to the Congress. That leaves Rajasthan as the only state where Congress has a leadership rating advantage. Over and above that, Cvoter survey also dwelled upon the question of a bipolar contest to check the infighting sentiment. That is, when the candidates' field is narrowed down to two main challengers in the fray, there is always a churning among the party supporters who favour one party candidate over the other. In Madhya Pradesh, if the choice between Scindia and Chauhan was presented, Chauhan proved to more popular than Scindia. What is important to underline here is the fact that almost 50 per cent supporters of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are not staying loyal to party line for the candidature of Jyotiraditya Scindia in bipolar setup against Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Almost 25 per cent of Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh supporters shift allegiance to BJP CM Candidate and the rest are assuming a neutral position. This clearly opens up the internal fault-lines of Congress leadership in Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, a direct contest between Raman Singh and Ajit Jogi may precipitate 1/3rd of Congress supporters to shift support to BJP chief minister candidate and another 1/3rd may move to Jogi's camp, the rest are assuming a position of neutrality. This argues rather poorly for a party which is leading over BJP by less than a point at the moment. Jogi becomes a choice by default for many anti-BJP voters just because Congress is unable to give a name for the chief minister post. If the Congress leadership is well defined, it will not take much of a time for the anti-BJP voters getting polarized in a clear-cut manner. The state of Rajasthan is in complete contrast to MP and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, a bipolar contest of Sachin Pilot and Vasundhara Raje is clearly producing results in favour of Congress candidate. Almost two-third supporters of other Congress candidates, like Ashok Gehlot and CP Joshi, are continuing to support the candidature of Sachin Pilot in a bipolar rating. Unlike other states, the young voters and first-time voters of Rajasthan are rallying for a clean image of the rather young Sachin Pilot. His face is clearly instrumental in swinging the undecided young voters, who otherwise get neutralized by the corruption-tagged image of old Congress leadership in the state. Clearly, Congress is facing infighting and factionalism in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh while it comes across as a much-united house in Rajasthan. This point becomes salient in the light of less than 1 per cent projected vote share lead according to the Cvoter opinion poll in the states of MP and Chhattisgarh. The overwhelming popularity of PM Narendra Modi has been the key electoral weapon for BJP in the past 3-4 years. Election after election in last four years has shown that there is a distinct surge of 3-4 per cent vote share that gets imparted by PM Narendra Modi in closing stages of the campaign. In MP and Chhattisgarh, such a vote surge can easily topple the Congress lead. In the case of Rajasthan, the projected lead of Congress seems to be clear of any potential late surge by BJP. The masses flocking to PM's rallies in Rajasthan may listen to him and vote for him in Lok Sabha elections but for Vidhan Sabha polls the mood seems to be made up. Finally, Congress is making a mistake by not announcing official candidates in the three states. For examples, in MP an official announcement in favour of Scindia may polarize young voters in favour of Congress, the same may happen in Rajasthan and an official affirmation of Sachin Pilot could produce an electoral dividend thus confirming the Congress victory that is increasingly likely. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress may announce an official candidate such as TS Singh Dev or Bhupesh Baghel to blunt the edge of Ajit Jogi. In fact, currently, Jogi is being favoured only because of non-announcement of a Congress candidate. Therefore, Congress has all to gain by the announcement of official Chief Ministerial candidates. It may gain that crucial edge over the BJP in MP and Chhattisgarh and further solidify its robust lead in Rajasthan. In case this does not happen then a late BJP surge induced by PM Modi's campaign may end up being crucial, however, it is tough to estimate its impact quantitatively as of now. There is a huge rating deficit that Congress faces when the national Leadership ratings are compared. The gap in approval ratings of NaMo and RaGa is a big electoral liability at the moment for the Congress at large. The only way it can counter that liability is by projecting the much popular young faces at the state level against the state BJP leadership. If done properly, then faces of Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Bhupesh Baghel can do the needful to counter the mega rallies of Narendra Modi in concluding weeks of the campaign. If they continue the blunder in positioning this round as contest of national leaderships, then we all know what kind of punch Mr Modi is capable of delivering. I don't think Congress wants to take the battle in that direction. (This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Will Congress blunder again by making Assembly elections a Rahul vs Modi battle?

Asserting that he does not need the BJP's "certificate" to visit temples, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he understands the Hindu religion better than the saffron party does and he is a "nationalist leader" who respects every religion.

"I am not a 'Hinduwadi' leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of every religion, every caste, every language and every class," he said.

A day after the BJP's barb that Gandhi was "exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism" with his temple visits in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and in other states earlier, the Congress leader retorted, "Are the country's temples the sole property of the BJP and the RSS? Have only Modi and Shah got the contract to visit temples?" Interacting with select journalists here, Gandhi said the BJP remains silent whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP president Amit Shah visit a temple wearing clothes as per that temple's tradition.

"But when Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and I wear clothes as per the temple's tradition, it is said that we are exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism," he said.

Gandhi had started his two-day tour of Madhya Pradesh on Monday after offering prayers at Ujjain's famous Mahakaleshwar temple.

Hours after Gandhi's temple visit, BJP spokesman Sambit Patra had alleged, "...Rahul Gandhi is exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism continuously. To mislead the Hindus, he is sporting a "janeu" (sacred thread) over the shirt.

We demand that 'janeudhari' Rahul Gandhi clarify to which 'gotra' (clan) does he belong to.

" Talking to journalists here, Gandhi said, "If I feel like going to a temple and offering prayers to God then I will definitely visit it.

I don't need a certificate from the BJP. I understand Hindu religion better than the BJP does." Replying to a question, he said he visits mosques, gurudwaras, churches and other places of worship as he respects every religion.

Describing Hinduism and Hindutva as two different concepts, he said, "Hinduism is a liberal and progressive concept that teaches love and respect for others, while there are hatred, insecurity and anger in the foundation of the BJP's idea of Hindutva."

"The BJP has ownership of Hindutva. But no one can claim sole ownership of Hinduism because it is a great concept. No one group can have a monopoly over it...

We are a party which believes not in Hindutva, but in Hinduism," he said.

"When I visited temples during the Gujarat elections, the BJP went mad thinking how did I go there, although I had been to temples earlier. I had also visited Ayodhya," he said.

On a question regarding efforts to bring the issue of Ram temple into focus ahead of the upcoming polls, he said, "The Modi government has failed to fulfil the promises of ending corruption, bringing good days, providing jobs to youths and right prices to the farmers for their produce."

"This government can see only one way to save itself. But it will not be able to save itself," he said.

Asserting that he does not need the BJP's "certificate" to visit temples, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he understands the Hindu religion better than the saffron party does and he is a "nationalist leader" who respects every religion.

Asserting that he does not need the BJP's "certificate" to visit temples, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday he understands the Hindu religion better than the saffron party does and he is a "nationalist leader" who respects every religion. "I am not a 'Hinduwadi' leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of every religion, every caste, every language and every class," he said. A day after the BJP's barb that Gandhi was "exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism" with his temple visits in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and in other states earlier, the Congress leader retorted, "Are the country's temples the sole property of the BJP and the RSS? Have only Modi and Shah got the contract to visit temples?" Interacting with select journalists here, Gandhi said the BJP remains silent whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP president Amit Shah visit a temple wearing clothes as per that temple's tradition. "But when Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and I wear clothes as per the temple's tradition, it is said that we are exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism," he said. Gandhi had started his two-day tour of Madhya Pradesh on Monday after offering prayers at Ujjain's famous Mahakaleshwar temple. Hours after Gandhi's temple visit, BJP spokesman Sambit Patra had alleged, "...Rahul Gandhi is exhibiting fancy dress Hinduism continuously. To mislead the Hindus, he is sporting a "janeu" (sacred thread) over the shirt. We demand that 'janeudhari' Rahul Gandhi clarify to which 'gotra' (clan) does he belong to. " Talking to journalists here, Gandhi said, "If I feel like going to a temple and offering prayers to God then I will definitely visit it. I don't need a certificate from the BJP. I understand Hindu religion better than the BJP does." Replying to a question, he said he visits mosques, gurudwaras, churches and other places of worship as he respects every religion. Describing Hinduism and Hindutva as two different concepts, he said, "Hinduism is a liberal and progressive concept that teaches love and respect for others, while there are hatred, insecurity and anger in the foundation of the BJP's idea of Hindutva." "The BJP has ownership of Hindutva. But no one can claim sole ownership of Hinduism because it is a great concept. No one group can have a monopoly over it... We are a party which believes not in Hindutva, but in Hinduism," he said. "When I visited temples during the Gujarat elections, the BJP went mad thinking how did I go there, although I had been to temples earlier. I had also visited Ayodhya," he said. On a question regarding efforts to bring the issue of Ram temple into focus ahead of the upcoming polls, he said, "The Modi government has failed to fulfil the promises of ending corruption, bringing good days, providing jobs to youths and right prices to the farmers for their produce." "This government can see only one way to save itself. But it will not be able to save itself," he said.

Don't need BJP's certificate to visit temples, says Rahul Gandhi

BJP workers Tuesday began a dawn-to-dusk hunger strike in front of Kerala DGP's office here, intensifying its agitation against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's crackdown on Sabarimala protesters.&nbsp;

BJP cadres also took out marches to offices of the Superintendents of Police in all district headquarters to condemn the government for arresting the agitators.

Addressing party workers here, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai alleged the ruling CPI(M) was on the road to "liquidation" and the party's graph was coming down.

Former Union minister and party's lone MLA in the state assembly, O Rajagopal, was also present.

Veteran Marxist leader M M Lawrence's grandson was among the protesters.&nbsp;

Over 3,500 people have so far been arrested and 529 cases registered in connection with the protests and demonstrations against the implementation of the Supreme court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

BJP national president Amit Shah, who was in Kerala on October 27 had extended full support to the devotees protesting the entry of women of all ages into the shrine.&nbsp;

The saffron party had announced that it would be taking out a 'Rath Yatra' from Kasaragod to Pathnamthitta, where the Sabarimala temple is located, from November 8 to 13 to "save the customs and traditions" of the hill shrine.

The temple had witnessed high drama after around a dozen women in the 10-50 age group were prevented by protesting devotees from entering it after the temple doors were opened for monthly pujas between October 17 and 22.

The Lord Ayyappa temple's three month-long pilgrim season is commencing from November 17 and the state government has reiterated that all devotees would be allowed to offer prayers at the shrine.

The temple will also open for a day on November 5 for a special pooja.&nbsp;

BJP workers Tuesday began a dawn-to-dusk hunger strike in front of Kerala DGP's office here, intensifying its agitation against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's crackdown on Sabarimala protesters.

BJP workers Tuesday began a dawn-to-dusk hunger strike in front of Kerala DGP's office here, intensifying its agitation against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's crackdown on Sabarimala protesters. BJP cadres also took out marches to offices of the Superintendents of Police in all district headquarters to condemn the government for arresting the agitators. Addressing party workers here, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai alleged the ruling CPI(M) was on the road to "liquidation" and the party's graph was coming down. Former Union minister and party's lone MLA in the state assembly, O Rajagopal, was also present. Veteran Marxist leader M M Lawrence's grandson was among the protesters. Over 3,500 people have so far been arrested and 529 cases registered in connection with the protests and demonstrations against the implementation of the Supreme court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple. BJP national president Amit Shah, who was in Kerala on October 27 had extended full support to the devotees protesting the entry of women of all ages into the shrine. The saffron party had announced that it would be taking out a 'Rath Yatra' from Kasaragod to Pathnamthitta, where the Sabarimala temple is located, from November 8 to 13 to "save the customs and traditions" of the hill shrine. The temple had witnessed high drama after around a dozen women in the 10-50 age group were prevented by protesting devotees from entering it after the temple doors were opened for monthly pujas between October 17 and 22. The Lord Ayyappa temple's three month-long pilgrim season is commencing from November 17 and the state government has reiterated that all devotees would be allowed to offer prayers at the shrine. The temple will also open for a day on November 5 for a special pooja.

BJP begins dawn-to-dusk hunger strike over arrest of Sabarimala protesters

The BJP in Kerala Sunday announced a 'Rath Yatra' to save the customs and traditions of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, intensifying the agitation against the entry of all women into the shrine, a day after its Chief Amit Shah extended the party's support to devotees.

The yatra under the auspices of NDA would begin on November 8 from Kasargod and culminate at Pathanamthitta on November 13, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai told reporters here.

He said, "The party has decided to continue protests against the arrest of Ayyappa devotees who participated in the agitation over Sabarimala issue."

Shah had Saturday extended party's full support to the agitation of Ayyappa devotees across the state while addressing a function in Kannur.

BJP workers would observe a one-day fast in front of the DGP office in Thiruvananthapuram&nbsp;on October 30.

Attacking the CPI-M led LDF government over its decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the hill temple without considering the sentiments of devotees, Pillai said, "it has become a war between believers and atheists."

Meanwhile, a group of prominent personalities including former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair and former Travancore Devaswom Board President and KPCC member G Raman Nair joined the BJP in the presence of Amit Shah here Saturday night.

They were given party membership card, BJP said in its facebook post.

Former State DGP T P Senkumar held a meeting with Shah, it said.

Besides, Pandalam Royal family members Sasikumar Varma and Narayana Varma met the BJP Chief and held discussions, it added.

The Ayyappa temple had witnessed high drama with around a dozen women in 10-50 age group being prevented from entering the temple by protesting devotees after the doors were opened for all women between October 17-22, following the apex court judgement.

The BJP in Kerala Sunday announced a 'Rath Yatra' to save the customs and traditions of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, intensifying the agitation against the entry of all women into the shrine, a day after its Chief Amit Shah extended the party's support to devotees.

The BJP in Kerala Sunday announced a 'Rath Yatra' to save the customs and traditions of Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, intensifying the agitation against the entry of all women into the shrine, a day after its Chief Amit Shah extended the party's support to devotees. The yatra under the auspices of NDA would begin on November 8 from Kasargod and culminate at Pathanamthitta on November 13, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai told reporters here. He said, "The party has decided to continue protests against the arrest of Ayyappa devotees who participated in the agitation over Sabarimala issue." Shah had Saturday extended party's full support to the agitation of Ayyappa devotees across the state while addressing a function in Kannur. BJP workers would observe a one-day fast in front of the DGP office in Thiruvananthapuram on October 30. Attacking the CPI-M led LDF government over its decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the hill temple without considering the sentiments of devotees, Pillai said, "it has become a war between believers and atheists." Meanwhile, a group of prominent personalities including former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair and former Travancore Devaswom Board President and KPCC member G Raman Nair joined the BJP in the presence of Amit Shah here Saturday night. They were given party membership card, BJP said in its facebook post. Former State DGP T P Senkumar held a meeting with Shah, it said. Besides, Pandalam Royal family members Sasikumar Varma and Narayana Varma met the BJP Chief and held discussions, it added. The Ayyappa temple had witnessed high drama with around a dozen women in 10-50 age group being prevented from entering the temple by protesting devotees after the doors were opened for all women between October 17-22, following the apex court judgement.

BJP to undertake 'Rath Yatra' to save Sabarimala temple

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the BJP for predicting that the JD(S)-Congress government would fall and warned it against indulging in 'Operation Lotus' again, saying the saffron party was already in a state of "coma" due to its past deeds.

Siddaramaiah is the head of the Congress-JD(S) coalition co-ordination committee.

'Operation Lotus' is a reference to the BJP allegedly luring several opposition MLAs to defect to ensure stability of its then-government headed by B S Yeddyurappa in 2008.

"Yeddyurappa (now state BJP chief) has once again made a statement that the government would fall. Already due to several rounds of operations, the lotus (BJP symbol) in Karnataka is in coma. Now once again don't try your hands into the wrong adventure of Operation Lotus," he said in a tweet.

The Congress leader asserted that the BJP would remain as an opposition party in the state.

Siddaramaiah's tweet came in response to repeated comments by Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders expressing doubts about the continuance of the coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy ever since it came to power in May this year after the elections threw up a hung assembly.

'Operation Lotus' refers to the BJP's strategy during Yeddyurappa's previous tenure as the chief minister when it made several MLAs of other parties to resign and contest the elections on the party's ticket and win to strengthen its numbers in the assembly.

Congress and JD(S) have accused the BJP of attempting to destabilise the coalition government by trying to poach their MLAs, a charge denied by the saffron party.&nbsp;

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the BJP for predicting that the JD(S)-Congress government would fall and warned it against indulging in 'Operation Lotus' again, saying the saffron party was already in a state of "coma" due to its past deeds.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the BJP for predicting that the JD(S)-Congress government would fall and warned it against indulging in 'Operation Lotus' again, saying the saffron party was already in a state of "coma" due to its past deeds. Siddaramaiah is the head of the Congress-JD(S) coalition co-ordination committee. 'Operation Lotus' is a reference to the BJP allegedly luring several opposition MLAs to defect to ensure stability of its then-government headed by B S Yeddyurappa in 2008. "Yeddyurappa (now state BJP chief) has once again made a statement that the government would fall. Already due to several rounds of operations, the lotus (BJP symbol) in Karnataka is in coma. Now once again don't try your hands into the wrong adventure of Operation Lotus," he said in a tweet. The Congress leader asserted that the BJP would remain as an opposition party in the state. Siddaramaiah's tweet came in response to repeated comments by Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders expressing doubts about the continuance of the coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy ever since it came to power in May this year after the elections threw up a hung assembly. 'Operation Lotus' refers to the BJP's strategy during Yeddyurappa's previous tenure as the chief minister when it made several MLAs of other parties to resign and contest the elections on the party's ticket and win to strengthen its numbers in the assembly. Congress and JD(S) have accused the BJP of attempting to destabilise the coalition government by trying to poach their MLAs, a charge denied by the saffron party.

Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah warns BJP against Operation Lotus 2.0

Clearing the air over his meeting with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rjd-seeks-to-fish-in-troubled-waters-as-nda-works-out-seat-sharing-formula-in-bihar-173738">Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav</a>, Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha said that the meeting was a "coincidence".

Kushwaha on Friday held closed-door talks with Tejashwi at the circuit house in Arwal hours after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah met with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Delhi and announced that the BJP and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) would contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections on an equal number of seats in Bihar.

Shah also said that a respectable share of seats would be given to other allies in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Kushwaha and Tejashwi`s meeting triggered speculation about the former's possible exit from the ruling NDA.

However, Kushwaha said, "Nothing is final on seat sharing. Amit Shah ji also said that we will finalise it in a few days. Meeting with Tejashwi Yadav was just a coincidence."

Reacting on the same, Tejashwi confirmed that the meeting took place but refrained from divulging details."Meeting took place. But it`s not compulsory to reveal what did we talk. Everything cannot happen in just one day."

"I had a scheduled event in Arwal and met him (Upendra Kushwaha) at the circuit house. Meetings are always positive. What conversation happened with whom, everything will be revealed in due time," he added.

Earlier, Shah informed that the RLSP chief and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan would continue to remain with the BJP.

Clearing the air over his meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha said that the meeting was a "coincidence".

Clearing the air over his meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha said that the meeting was a "coincidence". Kushwaha on Friday held closed-door talks with Tejashwi at the circuit house in Arwal hours after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah met with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Delhi and announced that the BJP and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) would contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections on an equal number of seats in Bihar. Shah also said that a respectable share of seats would be given to other allies in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kushwaha and Tejashwi`s meeting triggered speculation about the former's possible exit from the ruling NDA. However, Kushwaha said, "Nothing is final on seat sharing. Amit Shah ji also said that we will finalise it in a few days. Meeting with Tejashwi Yadav was just a coincidence." Reacting on the same, Tejashwi confirmed that the meeting took place but refrained from divulging details."Meeting took place. But it`s not compulsory to reveal what did we talk. Everything cannot happen in just one day." "I had a scheduled event in Arwal and met him (Upendra Kushwaha) at the circuit house. Meetings are always positive. What conversation happened with whom, everything will be revealed in due time," he added. Earlier, Shah informed that the RLSP chief and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan would continue to remain with the BJP.

Meeting with Tejashwi a coincidence: Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha

BJP leader Sambit Patra raised the National Herald case Saturday to target Congress president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that his family has "looted the country for decades".

Patra, who is a party spokesperson, held a press conference on the roadside in front of a commercial building in MP Nagar area here, claiming that the land had been allotted to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) "helmed by the Gandhi family at a throw-away price" for printing the National Herald newspaper.

The Congress has dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in the matter. The party's Madhya Pradesh unit said Saturday it is going to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against Patra for holding a press conference without permission on a public property.

Asked why the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, which is in power for 15 years, did not get the property vacated if it was illegally acquired, Patra claimed that the Bhopal Development Authority has issued eviction notices and the matter is before court.

"The commercial building behind me is a monument of corruption as it was acquired by Associated Journals Limited helmed by the Gandhi family at a throw-away price to print the National Herald.

"Rahul was accused number two in the case related to land grab on the pretext of printing National Herald in various parts of the country," he alleged.

"The Gandhi family has looted the country for decades and this commercial building on a public land allotted to AJL for printing a newspaper speaks of it (the alleged loot)," he alleged.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has filed a private complaint in a Delhi court, accusing the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying Rs 50 lakh through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd (which runs National Herald) owed to the Congress party.

All the accused in the case, who are on bail, have denied the allegations. The case is going on before a metropolitan magistrate in Delhi.

Asked about Rahul Gandhi's "chowkidar chor hai" remark accusing the prime minister of corruption in the Rafale deal, Patra said that if Gandhi has evidence, he should approach court.

Rahul Gandhi had reiterated his allegations of irregularities in Rafale fighter jet deal, which the government has denied, during his recent tours in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

When the press conference was about to end, an unidentified man arrived and asked journalists why they were asking "attacking questions".

There was a heated exchange between the reporters and the man before the police took him away.

Later, Patra visited the building, saying he was going to find out whether National Herald was printed there.

State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said the party is going to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against Patra for holding a press conference without permission, that too on a public property (a road).

"We are also going to file a police complaint," Gupta said.&nbsp;

BJP leader Sambit Patra raised the National Herald case Saturday to target Congress president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that his family has "looted the country for decades".

BJP leader Sambit Patra raised the National Herald case Saturday to target Congress president Rahul Gandhi, alleging that his family has "looted the country for decades". Patra, who is a party spokesperson, held a press conference on the roadside in front of a commercial building in MP Nagar area here, claiming that the land had been allotted to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) "helmed by the Gandhi family at a throw-away price" for printing the National Herald newspaper. The Congress has dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in the matter. The party's Madhya Pradesh unit said Saturday it is going to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against Patra for holding a press conference without permission on a public property. Asked why the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, which is in power for 15 years, did not get the property vacated if it was illegally acquired, Patra claimed that the Bhopal Development Authority has issued eviction notices and the matter is before court. "The commercial building behind me is a monument of corruption as it was acquired by Associated Journals Limited helmed by the Gandhi family at a throw-away price to print the National Herald. "Rahul was accused number two in the case related to land grab on the pretext of printing National Herald in various parts of the country," he alleged. "The Gandhi family has looted the country for decades and this commercial building on a public land allotted to AJL for printing a newspaper speaks of it (the alleged loot)," he alleged. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has filed a private complaint in a Delhi court, accusing the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying Rs 50 lakh through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd (which runs National Herald) owed to the Congress party. All the accused in the case, who are on bail, have denied the allegations. The case is going on before a metropolitan magistrate in Delhi. Asked about Rahul Gandhi's "chowkidar chor hai" remark accusing the prime minister of corruption in the Rafale deal, Patra said that if Gandhi has evidence, he should approach court. Rahul Gandhi had reiterated his allegations of irregularities in Rafale fighter jet deal, which the government has denied, during his recent tours in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. When the press conference was about to end, an unidentified man arrived and asked journalists why they were asking "attacking questions". There was a heated exchange between the reporters and the man before the police took him away. Later, Patra visited the building, saying he was going to find out whether National Herald was printed there. State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said the party is going to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against Patra for holding a press conference without permission, that too on a public property (a road). "We are also going to file a police complaint," Gupta said.

BJP targets Rahul Gandhi over National Herald issue; says family has 'looted country for decades'

A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said he will soon visit the island nation to raise the issue of the Indian fishermen and will also suggest a solution for resolving the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils.

The BJP leader took to Twitter to inform that he received a call from Sri Lanka's premier Mahinda Rajapaksha, whom he congratulated for being elevated as country's prime minister. The former Sri Lankan president had travelled to India last month on an invitation by the BJP Member of Parliament.

"I was happy to receive a call from Prime Minister Rajapaksha. I congratulated him and said I will come to Colombo soon and raise remaining issues of Sri Lankan Tamils and suggest solutions after consulting Sri Lankan Tamils. I also will raise the Indian fishermen issue with him," Swamy wrote on Twitter.

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I was happy to receive call from Prime Minister Rajapaksha. I congratulated him and said I will come to Colombo soon&amp;raise remaining issues of Sri Lankan Tamils and suggest solutions after consulting Sri Lankan Tamils. I also will raise the Indian fishermen issue with him.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) <a href="https://twitter.com/Swamy39/status/1056014657968840704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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On Friday, Sri Lankan President Maithripla Sirisena sacked country's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with his (Sirisena) predecessor Rajapaksa after the collapse of the governing coalition between Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United National Party (UNP), New York Times reported.

Underlining the risk of chaos in&nbsp;Sri&nbsp;Lanka, where the government had been under pressure over a misfiring economy, Media and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Twitter that the appointment of Rajapaksa as prime minister was a violation of the constitution, which was amended in 2015 to curtail the executive powers of the president.

DMK leader TRB Rajaa expressed gratification&nbsp;and wrote on Twitter: "CLEARLY this huge turnaround in #SriLanka has happened with the FULL "Aseervadham" of #Delhi."

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CLEARLY this huge turnaround in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SriLanka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SriLanka</a> has happened with the FULL "Aseervadham" of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>
— T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/TRBRajaa/status/1055851120684281857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Eelam People's Democratic Party Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda also expressed his support to the new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.&nbsp;

A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said he will soon visit the island nation to raise the issue of the Indian fishermen and will also suggest a solution for resolving the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils.

A day after Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said he will soon visit the island nation to raise the issue of the Indian fishermen and will also suggest a solution for resolving the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils. The BJP leader took to Twitter to inform that he received a call from Sri Lanka's premier Mahinda Rajapaksha, whom he congratulated for being elevated as country's prime minister. The former Sri Lankan president had travelled to India last month on an invitation by the BJP Member of Parliament. "I was happy to receive a call from Prime Minister Rajapaksha. I congratulated him and said I will come to Colombo soon and raise remaining issues of Sri Lankan Tamils and suggest solutions after consulting Sri Lankan Tamils. I also will raise the Indian fishermen issue with him," Swamy wrote on Twitter. I was happy to receive call from Prime Minister Rajapaksha. I congratulated him and said I will come to Colombo soon&raise remaining issues of Sri Lankan Tamils and suggest solutions after consulting Sri Lankan Tamils. I also will raise the Indian fishermen issue with him. — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) October 27, 2018 × On Friday, Sri Lankan President Maithripla Sirisena sacked country's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with his (Sirisena) predecessor Rajapaksa after the collapse of the governing coalition between Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United National Party (UNP), New York Times reported. Underlining the risk of chaos in Sri Lanka, where the government had been under pressure over a misfiring economy, Media and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on Twitter that the appointment of Rajapaksa as prime minister was a violation of the constitution, which was amended in 2015 to curtail the executive powers of the president. DMK leader TRB Rajaa expressed gratification and wrote on Twitter: "CLEARLY this huge turnaround in #SriLanka has happened with the FULL "Aseervadham" of #Delhi." CLEARLY this huge turnaround in #SriLanka has happened with the FULL "Aseervadham" of #Delhi — T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) October 26, 2018 × Eelam People's Democratic Party Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda also expressed his support to the new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Received a call from PM Rajapaksa, congratulated him; will visit Colombo soon: Subramanian Swamy

The opposition RJD in Bihar on Friday sought to fish in troubled waters, scoffing at the BJP for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-bjp-jdu-to-contest-equal-number-of-seats-in-bihar-173681">agreeing to treat the JD(U) as its equal in terms of seat-sharing</a> while "neglecting trusted allies" like Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha in order to woo an "undependable" Nitish Kumar.

RJD heir-apparent Tejashwi Yadav made the statement hours after BJP national president Amit Shah, in a press conference in New Delhi, said that his party and the JD(U) will be assigned "an equal number" of seats and the remaining two allies will be "duly represented".

"The BJP had won 22 out of 40 seats in Bihar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Its willingness to treat Kumar as an equal partner, whose JD(U) had won only two seats and lost its deposit in most, shows the desperation on part of Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the leader of the opposition in the state assembly told reporters here.

"Moreover, the meeting between Shah and Kumar gives the impression that the BJP has made up its mind to go with the JD(U) chief, who is undependable having cheated both them (BJP) and us (RJD), and given a short shrift to Paswan and Kushwaha, who have been firmly with the NDA," the former deputy Bihar Chief Minister said.

About his meeting with Kushwaha&nbsp;who heads the RLSP earlier in the day at Arwal district, Yadav said, "People are free to draw their own conclusions. I can only say that the meeting was not pre-planned. It was a coincidence that he and I were at the Circuit House at the same time and hence it was natural for us to exchange pleasantries."

Pressed further, he said, "It is probably the first time that I have met Kushwaha in person. As far as prospects of his joining our Mahagathbandhan is concerned, we had invited him to do so long ago and the invitation stands. It is for him to accept it or ignore it."

Speculations have been rife, for quite some time that Kushwaha might gravitate towards the Grand Alliance which at present comprises the RJD, the Congress and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha.

The speculations have gained ground since RJD national vice president and state unit chief Shivanand Tiwary and Ram Chandra Purve respectively turned up at a "human chain" organised by the RLSP and got photographed holding Kushwaha's hands even as leaders of the BJP and the JD(U) remained conspicuous by their absence.

A couple of months ago Kushwaha, despite having repeatedly said that he will remain with the NDA, said that he looked forward to preparing a "kheer" -- cooked with the help of rice grown traditionally by members of his caste and milk, produced by Yadavs -- which was seen as an indication of his willingness to form an alliance with the RJD.

Yadav, on his part, has been claiming that Kushwaha will leave the NDA and join the Grand Alliance following in the footsteps of Manjhi, who had quit the BJP-led coalition in February this year.

Like Manjhi, Kushwaha is a former JD(U) leader, who had formed his own party after falling out with Nitish Kumar and joined the NDA while the Bihar Chief Minister was out of the BJP-led coalition.

Kumar's return to the NDA last year was understood to have caused a lot of consternation among the likes of Kushwaha and Manjhi.

The opposition RJD in Bihar on Friday sought to fish in troubled waters, scoffing at the BJP for agreeing to treat the JD(U) as its equal in terms of seat-sharing while "neglecting trusted allies" like Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha in order to woo an "undependable" Nitish Kumar.

The opposition RJD in Bihar on Friday sought to fish in troubled waters, scoffing at the BJP for agreeing to treat the JD(U) as its equal in terms of seat-sharing while "neglecting trusted allies" like Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha in order to woo an "undependable" Nitish Kumar. RJD heir-apparent Tejashwi Yadav made the statement hours after BJP national president Amit Shah, in a press conference in New Delhi, said that his party and the JD(U) will be assigned "an equal number" of seats and the remaining two allies will be "duly represented". "The BJP had won 22 out of 40 seats in Bihar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Its willingness to treat Kumar as an equal partner, whose JD(U) had won only two seats and lost its deposit in most, shows the desperation on part of Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the leader of the opposition in the state assembly told reporters here. "Moreover, the meeting between Shah and Kumar gives the impression that the BJP has made up its mind to go with the JD(U) chief, who is undependable having cheated both them (BJP) and us (RJD), and given a short shrift to Paswan and Kushwaha, who have been firmly with the NDA," the former deputy Bihar Chief Minister said. About his meeting with Kushwaha who heads the RLSP earlier in the day at Arwal district, Yadav said, "People are free to draw their own conclusions. I can only say that the meeting was not pre-planned. It was a coincidence that he and I were at the Circuit House at the same time and hence it was natural for us to exchange pleasantries." Pressed further, he said, "It is probably the first time that I have met Kushwaha in person. As far as prospects of his joining our Mahagathbandhan is concerned, we had invited him to do so long ago and the invitation stands. It is for him to accept it or ignore it." Speculations have been rife, for quite some time that Kushwaha might gravitate towards the Grand Alliance which at present comprises the RJD, the Congress and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha. The speculations have gained ground since RJD national vice president and state unit chief Shivanand Tiwary and Ram Chandra Purve respectively turned up at a "human chain" organised by the RLSP and got photographed holding Kushwaha's hands even as leaders of the BJP and the JD(U) remained conspicuous by their absence. A couple of months ago Kushwaha, despite having repeatedly said that he will remain with the NDA, said that he looked forward to preparing a "kheer" -- cooked with the help of rice grown traditionally by members of his caste and milk, produced by Yadavs -- which was seen as an indication of his willingness to form an alliance with the RJD. Yadav, on his part, has been claiming that Kushwaha will leave the NDA and join the Grand Alliance following in the footsteps of Manjhi, who had quit the BJP-led coalition in February this year. Like Manjhi, Kushwaha is a former JD(U) leader, who had formed his own party after falling out with Nitish Kumar and joined the NDA while the Bihar Chief Minister was out of the BJP-led coalition. Kumar's return to the NDA last year was understood to have caused a lot of consternation among the likes of Kushwaha and Manjhi.

BJP-JD(U) seat sharing: RJD scoffs at saffron party for 'neglecting trusted allies' in Bihar

The government on Saturday submitted the details regarding the decision-making process in the controversial <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/anil-ambanis-reliance-defence-tells-congress-to-behave-responsibly-while-talking-about-rafale-deal-160846">Rafale deal</a> to the Supreme Court.

The submission of the details of the deal with France to the apex court has come in the wake of severe attacks by the opposition on the Rafale deal.

Gandhi and his Congress party have been attacking the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favouritism.&nbsp;

The Congress has been claiming that the Modi government has renegotiated the contract to benefit crony capitalists and reduced India's prestige globally.

He had said earlier that the UPA government had agreed to buy 126 Rafales at around Rs 526 crore a piece. "But after becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi ji goes to France along with Anil Ambani and purchased each Rafale jets at Rs 1,600 crore per piece".

He also attacked the government claiming that the prime minister had snatched the contract away from the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence.

The government, on the&nbsp;other hand, said that the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/indian-defence-minister-hits-out-at-opposition-on-rafale-deal-173408">BJP-led NDA government has brought greater transparency</a> in defence deals.&nbsp;Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also claims that the government had no role in Dassault choosing the offset partner.&nbsp;

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Central government has submitted before Supreme Court the details of decision making process in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rafale?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rafale</a> deal with France with Court Secretary General, in sealed cover. <a href="https://t.co/XxkUYbO7Em">pic.twitter.com/XxkUYbO7Em</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1056078554604154880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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(With inputs from agencies)

The government on Saturday submitted the details regarding the decision-making process in the controversial Rafale deal to the Supreme Court. The submission of the details of the deal with France to the apex court has come in the wake of severe attacks by the opposition on the Rafale deal.

The government on Saturday submitted the details regarding the decision-making process in the controversial Rafale deal to the Supreme Court. The submission of the details of the deal with France to the apex court has come in the wake of severe attacks by the opposition on the Rafale deal. Gandhi and his Congress party have been attacking the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favouritism. The Congress has been claiming that the Modi government has renegotiated the contract to benefit crony capitalists and reduced India's prestige globally. He had said earlier that the UPA government had agreed to buy 126 Rafales at around Rs 526 crore a piece. "But after becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi ji goes to France along with Anil Ambani and purchased each Rafale jets at Rs 1,600 crore per piece". He also attacked the government claiming that the prime minister had snatched the contract away from the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence. The government, on the other hand, said that the BJP-led NDA government has brought greater transparency in defence deals. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also claims that the government had no role in Dassault choosing the offset partner. Central government has submitted before Supreme Court the details of decision making process in the #Rafale deal with France with Court Secretary General, in sealed cover. pic.twitter.com/XxkUYbO7Em — ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2018 × (With inputs from agencies)

Government submits details of decision making in Rafale deal to Supreme Court

Nearly a month after quitting the Nationalist Congress Party, Tariq Anwar Saturday joined the Congress after meeting its chief Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, sources said.

Anwar along with his supporters met Gandhi at his Tughlaq Lane residence and was welcomed into the party fold, the sources said.

The former MP from Katihar Lok Sabha constituency would make a formal announcement of his joining the Congress party later in the day, they said.

Anwar announced he was quitting the NCP and was also giving up his Lok Sabha membership on September 28 after Sharad Pawar's "defence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale fighter jet deal. Pawar was quoted in the media as having given a clean chit to Modi on the deal.

Pawar, however, had clarified he was misquoted in the reports and he had given no such clean chit to Modi.

A former president of Congress's Bihar unit, Anwar formed the NCP in the 1990s along with Pawar and the late P A Sangma, opposing Sonia Gandhi taking over as AICC president on grounds of her foreign origin.

The party thereafter allied with the Congress at the national level and also in Maharashtra.

Nearly a month after quitting the Nationalist Congress Party, Tariq Anwar Saturday joined the Congress after meeting its chief Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, sources said.

Nearly a month after quitting the Nationalist Congress Party, Tariq Anwar Saturday joined the Congress after meeting its chief Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, sources said. Anwar along with his supporters met Gandhi at his Tughlaq Lane residence and was welcomed into the party fold, the sources said. The former MP from Katihar Lok Sabha constituency would make a formal announcement of his joining the Congress party later in the day, they said. Anwar announced he was quitting the NCP and was also giving up his Lok Sabha membership on September 28 after Sharad Pawar's "defence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Rafale fighter jet deal. Pawar was quoted in the media as having given a clean chit to Modi on the deal. Pawar, however, had clarified he was misquoted in the reports and he had given no such clean chit to Modi. A former president of Congress's Bihar unit, Anwar formed the NCP in the 1990s along with Pawar and the late P A Sangma, opposing Sonia Gandhi taking over as AICC president on grounds of her foreign origin. The party thereafter allied with the Congress at the national level and also in Maharashtra.

Former NCP leader Tariq Anwar joins Congress

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