<p>Cambridge Analytica (CA), which is in the midst of the Facebook data privacy storm, has come to the fore and responded to the hearing of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, saying that whistleblower Chris Wylie had "no direct knowledge of the company's work or practices since 2014."</p>

<p>"Chris Wylie was a part-time contractor who left Cambridge Analytica in July 2014 and has no direct knowledge of the company's work or practices since that date. He was at the company for less than a year, after which he was made the subject of restraining undertakings to prevent his misuse of the company's intellectual property while attempting to set up his own rival firm. He was not, as he claims, a founder of Cambridge Analytica," the firm, said in a statement.</p>

<p>"Wylie has misrepresented himself and the company to the committee, and previously to the news media. He admits himself that what he says is speculation," the statement added.</p>

<p>Wylie had previously claimed in front of a British parliamentary committee that the Indian National Congress had hired the company. However, the company has said that Wylie has "misrepresented himself and the company to the committee, and previously to the news media."</p>

<p>"He admits himself that what he says is speculation", the statement read.</p>

<p>Congress refuted that it had tried to sway elections with the help of Cambridge Analytica. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala referred to statements in the parts of the deposition before the House of Commons which talked about how an Indian businessman was paying Cambridge Analytica to defeat Congress.</p>

<p>The BJP and Congress had swapped allegations last week, each blaming the other for taking help from Cambridge Analytica to influence elections. Cambridge Analytica is accused of harvesting personal data of Facebook users to influence elections in several countries including the US presidential elections. The company, founded by Stephen K. Bannon and Robert Mercer, a wealthy Republican donor who has put at least US $15 million into it, offered tools that could identify the personalities of American voters and influence their behaviour.</p>

<p>The so-called psychographic modelling techniques, which were built in part with the data harvested from Facebook, underpinned the company's work for the then-Republican nominee and US President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016. On that note, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally decided to testify before US Congress after repeated calls to speak over data privacy.</p>

<p>This comes after immense pressure on Zuckerberg from lawmakers, the media and the public after the Facebook founder last week apologised for data breach and said the platform had made "mistakes". The sources believe Zuckerberg's willingness to testify will also put pressure on Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to do the same.</p>

<p><em>(With ANI inputs)</em></p>


'Wylie has misrepresented himself and the company to the committee, and previously to the news media. He admits himself that what he says is speculation,' the statement added

Cambridge Analytica (CA), which is in the midst of the Facebook data privacy storm, has come to the fore and responded to the hearing of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, saying that whistleblower Chris Wylie had "no direct knowledge of the company's work or practices since 2014." "Chris Wylie was a part-time contractor who left Cambridge Analytica in July 2014 and has no direct knowledge of the company's work or practices since that date. He was at the company for less than a year, after which he was made the subject of restraining undertakings to prevent his misuse of the company's intellectual property while attempting to set up his own rival firm. He was not, as he claims, a founder of Cambridge Analytica," the firm, said in a statement. "Wylie has misrepresented himself and the company to the committee, and previously to the news media. He admits himself that what he says is speculation," the statement added. Wylie had previously claimed in front of a British parliamentary committee that the Indian National Congress had hired the company. However, the company has said that Wylie has "misrepresented himself and the company to the committee, and previously to the news media." "He admits himself that what he says is speculation", the statement read. Congress refuted that it had tried to sway elections with the help of Cambridge Analytica. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala referred to statements in the parts of the deposition before the House of Commons which talked about how an Indian businessman was paying Cambridge Analytica to defeat Congress. The BJP and Congress had swapped allegations last week, each blaming the other for taking help from Cambridge Analytica to influence elections. Cambridge Analytica is accused of harvesting personal data of Facebook users to influence elections in several countries including the US presidential elections. The company, founded by Stephen K. Bannon and Robert Mercer, a wealthy Republican donor who has put at least US $15 million into it, offered tools that could identify the personalities of American voters and influence their behaviour. The so-called psychographic modelling techniques, which were built in part with the data harvested from Facebook, underpinned the company's work for the then-Republican nominee and US President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016. On that note, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally decided to testify before US Congress after repeated calls to speak over data privacy. This comes after immense pressure on Zuckerberg from lawmakers, the media and the public after the Facebook founder last week apologised for data breach and said the platform had made "mistakes". The sources believe Zuckerberg's willingness to testify will also put pressure on Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to do the same. (With ANI inputs)

Chris Wylie left in 2014, has no direct knowledge of company's practices: Cambridge Analytica

<p>Amid speculation over who is forming an alliance with whom in the in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections, JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda has told the Congress to come with ‘workable proposal’.</p>

<p>Concerned over the possible split in minority votes, progressive thinkers had urged H D Deve&nbspGowda to have an understanding with Congress. To which, he responded, “Let Congress come with a ‘workable proposal’ and I will look into it.”</p>

<p>Former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader Deve Gowda’s see-saw on the possibility of JD(S) having an understanding with the Congress raised many eyebrows&nbspon Tuesday. However, his son and former CM Kumaraswamy clarified that they are not ready to join hands with Congress.</p>

<p>Speaking at Mangaluru on January 22, Deve Gowda had said "I've burnt my fingers having supported the Congress. We'll go before the people with our policies and programmes and leave the final verdict to the electorate. I won't get into guessing our numbers. But my aim is to ensure that the party has at least one MLA from each district".</p>

<p>Even on Monday, Gowda had blasted Congress president Rahul Gandhi for questioning secular credentials of his party. While Deve Gowda is in favour of forming a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, Kumaraswamy is keen on&nbspthe BJP.</p>

<p>Kumaraswamy hopes to win 128 seats in the state. In the midst of all the confusion, seven the JD(S) rebellious legislators have joined hands with the Congress.</p>

<p>JD(S) has already made a&nbsppre-poll alliance with the BSP. But the Congress is yet to respond to Deve Gowda's overture. 

Concerned over possible split in minority votes, progressive thinkers had urged H D Devegowda Gowda to have an understanding with Congress. To which, he responded, “Let Congress come with a ‘workable proposal’ and I will look into it.”

Amid speculation over who is forming an alliance with whom in the in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections, JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda has told the Congress to come with ‘workable proposal’. Concerned over the possible split in minority votes, progressive thinkers had urged H D Deve&nbspGowda to have an understanding with Congress. To which, he responded, “Let Congress come with a ‘workable proposal’ and I will look into it.” Former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader Deve Gowda’s see-saw on the possibility of JD(S) having an understanding with the Congress raised many eyebrows&nbspon Tuesday. However, his son and former CM Kumaraswamy clarified that they are not ready to join hands with Congress. Speaking at Mangaluru on January 22, Deve Gowda had said "I've burnt my fingers having supported the Congress. We'll go before the people with our policies and programmes and leave the final verdict to the electorate. I won't get into guessing our numbers. But my aim is to ensure that the party has at least one MLA from each district". Even on Monday, Gowda had blasted Congress president Rahul Gandhi for questioning secular credentials of his party. While Deve Gowda is in favour of forming a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, Kumaraswamy is keen on&nbspthe BJP. Kumaraswamy hopes to win 128 seats in the state. In the midst of all the confusion, seven the JD(S) rebellious legislators have joined hands with the Congress. JD(S) has already made a&nbsppre-poll alliance with the BSP. But the Congress is yet to respond to Deve Gowda's overture.

Karnataka polls: Let Congress come with ‘workable proposal’, says Deve Gowda on alliance

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked the Congress to apologize to the nation for alleged data theft and trying to manipulate voters after Cambridge Analytics whistleblower Christopher Wylie identified the party as a client of the data firm.</p>

<p>The BJP cited a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower's deposition to claim that the controversial data firm had worked for the Congress and demanded an apology from its president Rahul Gandhi, saying he stood "exposed".</p>

<p>“Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower at the heart of the Facebook data breach scandal, has named the Congress as one of the clients of disgraced research firm Cambridge Analytica, accused of accessing user data illegally for political campaigns,” tweeted IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cambridge Analytica is in the dock for data theft and trying to manipulate voters using unlawful means. It has been established that Congress was a client of Cambridge Analytica. Congress Party needs to apologise to the nation for data theft and trying to manipulate voters.</p>
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/978642633919639552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Cambridge Analytica is at the centre of the Facebook data breach controversy where data of 50 million users in the US was compromised to benefit Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign in 2016.</p>


The BJP cited a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower's deposition to claim that the controversial data firm had worked for the Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked the Congress to apologize to the nation for alleged data theft and trying to manipulate voters after Cambridge Analytics whistleblower Christopher Wylie identified the party as a client of the data firm. The BJP cited a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower's deposition to claim that the controversial data firm had worked for the Congress and demanded an apology from its president Rahul Gandhi, saying he stood "exposed". “Christopher Wylie, the whistleblower at the heart of the Facebook data breach scandal, has named the Congress as one of the clients of disgraced research firm Cambridge Analytica, accused of accessing user data illegally for political campaigns,” tweeted IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday. Cambridge Analytica is in the dock for data theft and trying to manipulate voters using unlawful means. It has been established that Congress was a client of Cambridge Analytica. Congress Party needs to apologise to the nation for data theft and trying to manipulate voters. — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) March 27, 2018 × Cambridge Analytica is at the centre of the Facebook data breach controversy where data of 50 million users in the US was compromised to benefit Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign in 2016.

BJP says apologise after Cambridge Analytica whistleblower alleges Congress used firm's services

<p>Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie at a public hearing before the British Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee said India's Congress party was one of its clients.</p>

<p>"When you look at Facebook's biggest market, India is the top in terms of numbers of users. Obviously, that's a country which is rife with political discord and opportunities for destabilisation," said Labour MP Paul Farrelly, member of the parliamentary committee, during his questioning.</p>

<p>"I know that they have done all kinds of projects. I don't remember a national project but I know regionally. India's so big that one state can be as big as Britain," the 28-year-old said.</p>

<p>"I believe their client in India was the Congress," Wylie told the Parliamentary committee. "They do have offices there, they do have a staff there," he added.</p>

<p>The ruling BJP was quick to hit out at Congress after Wylie's deposition, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that Congress president "Rahul Gandhi has been exposed." "Congress lied to India," Ravi Shankar Prasad said. "Rahul Gandhi must apologise," he added.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rahul Gandhi needs to apologise to the nation for trying to subvert India’s election process using the Brahmastra of Cambridge Analytica. The nation demands an answer!</p>
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/978643143779209216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cambridge Analytica is in the dock for data theft and trying to manipulate voters using unlawful means. It has been established that Congress was a client of Cambridge Analytica. Congress Party needs to apologise to the nation for data theft and trying to manipulate voters.</p>
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/978642633919639552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cambridge Analytica whistle-blower Christopher Wylie has accepted before British Parliamentary committee that Cambridge Analytica worked for the Congress Party.This vindicates what we have been saying from day one. Rahul Gandhi has been trying to divert attention all these while</p>
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/978641923060543489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier during the deposition before the committee, Wylie who worked for Cambridge Analytica earlier, declared that there is "tangible proof" that a Canada-based firm AIQ built the Ripon software to utilise algorithms from the Facebook data during the 2016 presidential campaign.</p>

<p>Ripon helped campaign managers to access voter database, target specific voters, conduct canvassing, manage fundraising and carry out surveys.</p>

<p>''It is categorically untrue, categorically untrue, that Cambridge Analytica has never used Facebook data," Wylie said, adding,"Facebook data and the acquisition using Aleksandr Kogan's (Cambridge University researcher) app was the foundational data set of the company. That is how the algorithms were developed. They spent a million dollars at least on that acquisition project." Watch the video here:&nbsp;</p>

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Wylie has previously disclosed how users’ data from Facebook was used by Cambridge Analytica to help elect US President Donald Trump

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie at a public hearing before the British Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee said India's Congress party was one of its clients. "When you look at Facebook's biggest market, India is the top in terms of numbers of users. Obviously, that's a country which is rife with political discord and opportunities for destabilisation," said Labour MP Paul Farrelly, member of the parliamentary committee, during his questioning. "I know that they have done all kinds of projects. I don't remember a national project but I know regionally. India's so big that one state can be as big as Britain," the 28-year-old said. "I believe their client in India was the Congress," Wylie told the Parliamentary committee. "They do have offices there, they do have a staff there," he added. The ruling BJP was quick to hit out at Congress after Wylie's deposition, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that Congress president "Rahul Gandhi has been exposed." "Congress lied to India," Ravi Shankar Prasad said. "Rahul Gandhi must apologise," he added. Rahul Gandhi needs to apologise to the nation for trying to subvert India’s election process using the Brahmastra of Cambridge Analytica. The nation demands an answer! — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) March 27, 2018 × Cambridge Analytica is in the dock for data theft and trying to manipulate voters using unlawful means. It has been established that Congress was a client of Cambridge Analytica. Congress Party needs to apologise to the nation for data theft and trying to manipulate voters. — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) March 27, 2018 × Cambridge Analytica whistle-blower Christopher Wylie has accepted before British Parliamentary committee that Cambridge Analytica worked for the Congress Party.This vindicates what we have been saying from day one. Rahul Gandhi has been trying to divert attention all these while — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) March 27, 2018 × Earlier during the deposition before the committee, Wylie who worked for Cambridge Analytica earlier, declared that there is "tangible proof" that a Canada-based firm AIQ built the Ripon software to utilise algorithms from the Facebook data during the 2016 presidential campaign. Ripon helped campaign managers to access voter database, target specific voters, conduct canvassing, manage fundraising and carry out surveys. ''It is categorically untrue, categorically untrue, that Cambridge Analytica has never used Facebook data," Wylie said, adding,"Facebook data and the acquisition using Aleksandr Kogan's (Cambridge University researcher) app was the foundational data set of the company. That is how the algorithms were developed. They spent a million dollars at least on that acquisition project." Watch the video here: ×

'I believe Cambridge Analytica's client in India was the Congress,' says whistleblower

<p>A draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against Chief Jusatice of India Dipak Misra has been&nbsp;circulated to parties by the Congress, sources said on Monday.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra has been circulated to parties by Congress: Sources <a href="https://t.co/QqJeMkXk1T">pic.twitter.com/QqJeMkXk1T</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/978623280159522816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>NCP leader DP Tripathi said a lot of Opposition parties had signed a draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India.</p>

<p>"A lot of opposition parties have signed a draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra. Many parties like NCP, Left parties and I think TMC and Congress also have signed it," DP Tripathi said.</p>

<p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan earlier in the day to discuss a possible impeachment motion against the CJI, ANI reported.<br />
<br />
The move comes more than two months after four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court went public&nbsp;with their allegations against the Supreme Court chief justice.</p>

<p>In January, in an unprecedented development, the top court's four next highest-ranking judges, Justices&nbsp;Kurian Joseph, Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan Lokur, had criticised the distribution of cases by&nbsp;the chief justice to judges and raised concerns about judicial appointments. They also said all top judges&nbsp;should be involved in setting the procedures used to hire and promote judges in all the country's courts.</p>

<p>The judges had said the issues involving its administration were serious enough to prompt them to go public.</p>

<p>"The four of us are convinced that unless this institution is preserved and it maintains its equanimity,&nbsp;democracy will not survive in this country," Justice Jasti Chelameswar told a news conference.</p>

<p>The judges did not give specific details of their concerns during the press conference, but said "it is an&nbsp;issue&nbsp;of assignment of a case".&nbsp;</p>

<p>The justices released a letter they had written to Misra in which they mentioned cases of "far-reaching&nbsp;consequences for the nation and the institution" that were selectively assigned by the chief justice without&nbsp;rational "basis for such assignment".</p>


The move comes more than two months after four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court went public with their allegations against the Supreme Court chief justice

A draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against Chief Jusatice of India Dipak Misra has been circulated to parties by the Congress, sources said on Monday. A draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra has been circulated to parties by Congress: Sources pic.twitter.com/QqJeMkXk1T — ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2018 × NCP leader DP Tripathi said a lot of Opposition parties had signed a draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India. "A lot of opposition parties have signed a draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra. Many parties like NCP, Left parties and I think TMC and Congress also have signed it," DP Tripathi said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan earlier in the day to discuss a possible impeachment motion against the CJI, ANI reported. The move comes more than two months after four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court went public with their allegations against the Supreme Court chief justice. In January, in an unprecedented development, the top court's four next highest-ranking judges, Justices Kurian Joseph, Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi and Madan Lokur, had criticised the distribution of cases by the chief justice to judges and raised concerns about judicial appointments. They also said all top judges should be involved in setting the procedures used to hire and promote judges in all the country's courts. The judges had said the issues involving its administration were serious enough to prompt them to go public. "The four of us are convinced that unless this institution is preserved and it maintains its equanimity, democracy will not survive in this country," Justice Jasti Chelameswar told a news conference. The judges did not give specific details of their concerns during the press conference, but said "it is an issue of assignment of a case". The justices released a letter they had written to Misra in which they mentioned cases of "far-reaching consequences for the nation and the institution" that were selectively assigned by the chief justice without rational "basis for such assignment".

Congress circulates draft proposal for impeachment motion against CJI: Report

<p><br />
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get 'a clear majority' in the southern state.</p>

<p>"BJP will get a clear majority in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. No divisive politics will work this time," the minister told ANI outside Parliament House.</p>

<p>Singh's comment comes after dates for Karnataka Assembly elections were announced by the Election Commission of India today and also&nbsp;in the wake of gaffes committed by party chief Amit Shah and IT cell head Amit Malviya giving the opposition ammo to launch a scathing attack.</p>

<p>While, Malviya revealed the date of Karnataka assembly poll on Twitter, 15 minutes before the official announcement came from the EC, Shah, in a slip of tongue said the government led by BS Yeddyurappa — the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Karnataka – was the most corrupt.</p>

<p>The elections for the 224 assembly seats will be held on May 12, and the results will be declared on May 15.</p>

<p>While the Congress party is trying to retain power in Karnataka, the BJP is pulling all stops to wrestle the southern state into its fold.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Singh's comment comes after dates for Karnataka Assembly elections were announced by the Election Commission of India today

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get 'a clear majority' in the southern state. "BJP will get a clear majority in the upcoming elections in Karnataka. No divisive politics will work this time," the minister told ANI outside Parliament House. Singh's comment comes after dates for Karnataka Assembly elections were announced by the Election Commission of India today and also in the wake of gaffes committed by party chief Amit Shah and IT cell head Amit Malviya giving the opposition ammo to launch a scathing attack. While, Malviya revealed the date of Karnataka assembly poll on Twitter, 15 minutes before the official announcement came from the EC, Shah, in a slip of tongue said the government led by BS Yeddyurappa — the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Karnataka – was the most corrupt. The elections for the 224 assembly seats will be held on May 12, and the results will be declared on May 15. While the Congress party is trying to retain power in Karnataka, the BJP is pulling all stops to wrestle the southern state into its fold.

BJP will get clear majority in Karnataka polls: Rajnath Singh

<p>There is state of political upheaval these days in the nation. Narendra Modi is standing tall and firm and he has sent ripples of insecurity among all political parties. Leaders are worried about their future. There is state of panic among parties opposed to BJP and everybody is willing to go to any extent to secure his political future.</p>

<p>Sworn enemies are coming close and burying the hatchet deep. Just now, eternal die-hard enemies the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands for Gorakhpur & Phulpur by-elections.</p>

<p>Ideologies and official party lines have gone for a toss. Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are exploring each other for a possible tie-up. More bizarre is the fact that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Uddhav Thackeray when she visited Mumbai recently. This is ground-breaking as both parties have ideologies which are diametrically opposite to each other, literally.</p>

<p>Regional satraps have their own ambitions. Everybody is trying to become the anti-Modi crusader.</p>

<p>But it is very much visible that in all this jugglery Congress is going to be the biggest loser in days to come. It was so very well manifested in the recent Phulpur & Gorakhpur bypolls. In Phulpur and Gorakhpur during general elections in 2014, Congress begged a six per cent and four per cent votes. Forty five months down the line, in the recent bypolls, when there was a mass shifting of votes from the BJP's share, Congress's vote share further plummeted to an unbelievable two and & 2.6 per cent respectively.</p>

<p>So even if we consider a case where voters get alienated from BJP, they don't see Congress as an option.</p>

<p>The game of politics is simple. You need to keep some compelling reason alive for voters to vote for you. This compelling reason is of two types - either you generate a feeling among voters on macro-level i.e. on the broad national level, or you should have the grip on the votes due to regional reasons.</p>

<p>Take the case of BJP. BJP commands vote on both the accounts. People believe that BJP is a strong organisation with strong central leadership and thus it succeeds. Moreover, since BJP has strong regional presence and leadership (like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Paradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh) and in most part of India BJP connects with voters well on regional issues/sentiments, it commands votes on this aspect too.</p>

<p>Regional parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will keep floating for the time to come as they somehow or other will keep a connection on the ground with their understanding of the regional issues and their strong cadre at the grassroot level.</p>

<p>Congress fails miserably on both the accounts. They at this point in time, are far from being a national alternative under the almost non-existence central leadership. Over the years, weak leadership at the top has also resulted in steep depletion of its cadre across the nation. Barring Punjab, Rajasthan and to an extent Karnataka, Congress has completely lost base on the ground. The loss has gone to an extent and to a point that it is now more or less irreversible.</p>

<p>In this scenario, a united front under the leadership of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi) is highly improbable. Regional parties know the political acumen and patronage of Rahul Gandhi and simply shy away from any association with them. Taking a cue from the SP-Congress tie-up last year in UP assembly poll, regional parties now realise that any association with Congress will only weaken their regional selling points among voters. The crux is that regional parties may be interested to shake hand with anybody, but Congress.</p>

<p>So the way politics is going on these days and the way regional parties are trying to keep themselves afloat amid the Modi wave, it is likely that Congress will be left alone in the race and votes will get polarised towards BJP and regional parties in days to come.</p>

<p>It is high time that Congress leadership smells the coffee before it gets too late. By answering the questions of gatherings in Singapore and Malaysia, the Congress president will not garner support back home. He needs to make his party relevant for those who really matter i.e. Indian voters.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Even if voters get alienated from BJP, they don't see Congress as an option.

There is state of political upheaval these days in the nation. Narendra Modi is standing tall and firm and he has sent ripples of insecurity among all political parties. Leaders are worried about their future. There is state of panic among parties opposed to BJP and everybody is willing to go to any extent to secure his political future. Sworn enemies are coming close and burying the hatchet deep. Just now, eternal die-hard enemies the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands for Gorakhpur & Phulpur by-elections. Ideologies and official party lines have gone for a toss. Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are exploring each other for a possible tie-up. More bizarre is the fact that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Uddhav Thackeray when she visited Mumbai recently. This is ground-breaking as both parties have ideologies which are diametrically opposite to each other, literally. Regional satraps have their own ambitions. Everybody is trying to become the anti-Modi crusader. But it is very much visible that in all this jugglery Congress is going to be the biggest loser in days to come. It was so very well manifested in the recent Phulpur & Gorakhpur bypolls. In Phulpur and Gorakhpur during general elections in 2014, Congress begged a six per cent and four per cent votes. Forty five months down the line, in the recent bypolls, when there was a mass shifting of votes from the BJP's share, Congress's vote share further plummeted to an unbelievable two and & 2.6 per cent respectively. So even if we consider a case where voters get alienated from BJP, they don't see Congress as an option. The game of politics is simple. You need to keep some compelling reason alive for voters to vote for you. This compelling reason is of two types - either you generate a feeling among voters on macro-level i.e. on the broad national level, or you should have the grip on the votes due to regional reasons. Take the case of BJP. BJP commands vote on both the accounts. People believe that BJP is a strong organisation with strong central leadership and thus it succeeds. Moreover, since BJP has strong regional presence and leadership (like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Paradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh) and in most part of India BJP connects with voters well on regional issues/sentiments, it commands votes on this aspect too. Regional parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will keep floating for the time to come as they somehow or other will keep a connection on the ground with their understanding of the regional issues and their strong cadre at the grassroot level. Congress fails miserably on both the accounts. They at this point in time, are far from being a national alternative under the almost non-existence central leadership. Over the years, weak leadership at the top has also resulted in steep depletion of its cadre across the nation. Barring Punjab, Rajasthan and to an extent Karnataka, Congress has completely lost base on the ground. The loss has gone to an extent and to a point that it is now more or less irreversible. In this scenario, a united front under the leadership of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi) is highly improbable. Regional parties know the political acumen and patronage of Rahul Gandhi and simply shy away from any association with them. Taking a cue from the SP-Congress tie-up last year in UP assembly poll, regional parties now realise that any association with Congress will only weaken their regional selling points among voters. The crux is that regional parties may be interested to shake hand with anybody, but Congress. So the way politics is going on these days and the way regional parties are trying to keep themselves afloat amid the Modi wave, it is likely that Congress will be left alone in the race and votes will get polarised towards BJP and regional parties in days to come. It is high time that Congress leadership smells the coffee before it gets too late. By answering the questions of gatherings in Singapore and Malaysia, the Congress president will not garner support back home. He needs to make his party relevant for those who really matter i.e. Indian voters. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: In current anti-Modi rhetoric by regional parties, Congress tends to be the biggest loser

<p>The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as "technologically illiterate".</p>

<p>"Congress President Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said.</p>

<p>Patra went on to add, "He (Rahul Gandhi) does not know that data analysis is not equivalent to spying or snooping. This new age is the age of information technology, which Rahul Ji will not understand".</p>

<p>"Through the NaMo app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi communicates with the ground level party workers. It is a smart app and like all smart apps, it will be called smart only if it facilitates two-way communication with ease," he added.</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misusing his app NaMo to build a personal database with data on millions of Indians.</p>

<p>"Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt. If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it. This data belongs to India, not Modi"</p>

<p>Earlier on Sunday, he tweeted, "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies."</p>

<p>Rahul made the statement after media report quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company.</p>

<p>However, Government sources on Sunday clarified that the app does not ask for a blanket access to the users' personal data.</p>

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya also hit back at the former and accused him of sharing users' data from his party's official App with Singapore firm.</p>

<p>Taking to his Twitter handle, Malviya on Monday shared a picture of the disclaimer of the site and targeted the Congress party for being upfront to accept that they will share the data with a third party.</p>

<p>"Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," Malviya Tweeted.</p>

<p>"Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet !," he added.&nbsp</p>


The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as 'technologically illiterate'

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday refuted the charges made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi regarding the NaMo app and described the latter as "technologically illiterate". "Congress President Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said. Patra went on to add, "He (Rahul Gandhi) does not know that data analysis is not equivalent to spying or snooping. This new age is the age of information technology, which Rahul Ji will not understand". "Through the NaMo app, Prime Minister Narendra Modi communicates with the ground level party workers. It is a smart app and like all smart apps, it will be called smart only if it facilitates two-way communication with ease," he added. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misusing his app NaMo to build a personal database with data on millions of Indians. "Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt. If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it. This data belongs to India, not Modi" Earlier on Sunday, he tweeted, "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies." Rahul made the statement after media report quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company. However, Government sources on Sunday clarified that the app does not ask for a blanket access to the users' personal data. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell head Amit Malviya also hit back at the former and accused him of sharing users' data from his party's official App with Singapore firm. Taking to his Twitter handle, Malviya on Monday shared a picture of the disclaimer of the site and targeted the Congress party for being upfront to accept that they will share the data with a third party. "Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," Malviya Tweeted. "Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet !," he added.

Rahul Gandhi is technologically illiterate: BJP

<p>Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee&nbsp;met with the&nbsp;Nationalist&nbsp;Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She is in Delhi on a four-day&nbsp;visit to the national capital.</p>

<p>Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019.</p>

<p>Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav</p>

<p>Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two seats&nbsp;had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.</p>

<p>Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health.&nbsp;It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with the Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and is also expected to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow. She is in Delhi on a four-day visit to the national capital. Mamata's visit is being seen as part of an attempt to cobble together opposition support against the BJP for the upcoming national elections polls in 2019. Also read: Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav Mamata's meet with the opposition leaders' closely follows the dinner gathering hosted by Sonia earlier this month. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had met one-to-one with Pawar after the dinner, leading to the NCP saying the meet indicated Rahul was serious about forging a broad alliance. A broad alliance against the BJP has been the talk of the season, especially now with it having been proved to work after the UP Lok Sabha bypolls which the BSP sat out, thus allowing the SP to win the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats. The two seats had been vacated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. Both the SP's Akhilesh and the BSP's Mayawati have since said that their "understanding" will continue, although Mayawati has added that their bypoll tie-up will not continue. Mamata has so far said her meeting with Sonia will be a "personal visit", and that she has been concerned about Gandhi's health. It is not yet known whether she will also meet with Rahul.

Mamata in Delhi, meets Sharad Pawar, will also meet Sonia Gandhi

<p>All MPs of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will resign immediately if Parliament is adjourned sine die without an announcement over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh, a party leader said on Monday.&nbsp</p>

<p>This decision was taken at a meeting that YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had with the party MPs to discuss the future course of action.&nbsp</p>

<p>YSR Congress Party president Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSR Congress was ready to work with any party supporting the demand for the Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh and told the MPs that all decisions beginning with the announcement of the resignations to tabling the no-confidence motion had been taken with a clear conscience.</p>

<p>According to the reports, it had been decided that the party MPs would quit on April 5 or April 6 after the House had been adjourned sine die.&nbsp</p>

<p>"But there is a distinct possibility that the House may be adjourned sine die even before the end of the month. We will quit after that and our party president, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has given us clear instructions to that effect," said a party leader.</p>

<p>The party has also urged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs to resign over the issue, saying this would put pressure on the Centre.</p>


This decision was taken at a meeting that YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had with the party MPs to discuss the future course of action

All MPs of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will resign immediately if Parliament is adjourned sine die without an announcement over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh, a party leader said on Monday. This decision was taken at a meeting that YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had with the party MPs to discuss the future course of action. YSR Congress Party president Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSR Congress was ready to work with any party supporting the demand for the Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh and told the MPs that all decisions beginning with the announcement of the resignations to tabling the no-confidence motion had been taken with a clear conscience. According to the reports, it had been decided that the party MPs would quit on April 5 or April 6 after the House had been adjourned sine die. "But there is a distinct possibility that the House may be adjourned sine die even before the end of the month. We will quit after that and our party president, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has given us clear instructions to that effect," said a party leader. The party has also urged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs to resign over the issue, saying this would put pressure on the Centre.

Special status for Andhra: YSR Congress MPs to quit on last day of session

<p>Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019.&nbsp</p>

<p>He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP.</p>

<p>Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019.&nbsp</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur <a href="https://t.co/1xyxj4NfKr">pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr</a></p>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977999062522892288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Earlier this month, former&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sonia-gandhi-dinner-for-opposition-not-for-politics-but-friendship-says-congress-35700" target="_blank">Congress President Sonia Gandhi</a>&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties.&nbsp</p>

<p>Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav.</p>

<p>The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.</p>


The JD(U) leader said the country was in danger and that the current government should be ousted in 2019

Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav has hinted on forming a big alliance for the upcoming elections in 2019. He said that the opposition was working towards uniting against the BJP. Referring to the BJP led NDA government he said that the country was in danger and that the current government should be out of power in 2019. Opposition parties in country are uniting & we are working towards it. Country is in danger & present govt should be out of power in 2019. Our effort for coming elections in 2019 is that a big alliance should be formed by uniting the opposition parties: Sharad Yadav in Kanpur pic.twitter.com/1xyxj4NfKr — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 25, 2018 × Earlier this month, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi&nbspalso hosted a dinner for leader of the major opposition parties. Those who were present on the occasion included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party's Satish Mishra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and National Conference's Omar Abdullah including&nbspSharad Yadav. The dinner was seen as an attempt to set the tone for opposition unity in the run-up to the next general elections.

Opposition parties are uniting: Sharad Yadav

<p>The Congress today pulled down its official app from the Google Play Store, after it was accused of sharing the application's users' details with a Singapore firm.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress deletes its official mobile phone application from Google's Play Store after reports that the data from the app was being routed to servers in Singapore. <a href="https://t.co/dVYdikXEJS">pic.twitter.com/dVYdikXEJS</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/978161790398947328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 March 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p>"Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," the BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya had tweeted earlier in the day. There was also a tweet from French security researcher Baptiste Robert aka Elliot Anderson.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did <a href="https://twitter.com/INCIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@INCIndia</a> removed their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/android?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#android</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/app?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#app</a> from the PlayStore just before my tweet?</p>
&mdash Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) <a href="https://twitter.com/fs0c131y/status/978156465092485120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 March 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p>It was Anderson who had set the ball rolling on the data leakage charges. Rahul Gandhi's allegation yesterday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NaMo app was sharing users' details with private US companies was based on charges made by Anderson. Those charges have since come back to trouble the Congress.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Modi’s NaMo App secretly records audio, video, contacts of your friends & family and even tracks your location via GPS.<br />
<br />
He’s the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians.<br />
<br />
Now he wants data on our children. 13 lakh NCC cadets are being forced to download the APP.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeleteNaMoApp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DeleteNaMoApp</a></p>
&mdash Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/978139678154084352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 March 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt.<br />
<br />
If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it.<br />
<br />
This data belongs to India, not Modi.</p>
&mdash Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/978179573987848192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 March 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">INC membership website no longer available. Message you will get “We are incorporating minor changes to the website. Please visit us again in a while to access the INC membership process...” What is the Congress party trying to hide? <a href="https://t.co/siVExc6T68">https://t.co/siVExc6T68</a></p>
&mdash Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) <a href="https://twitter.com/malviyamit/status/978164964786622465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 March 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p>"Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet!," Malviya had added. The BJP IT cell head further alleged that if the "Congress party says that they will share data with like-minded people, then chances are that it could be people like Maoists, stone pelters, Chinese embassy and Cambridge Analytica." Further targeting United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chief Sonia Gandhi, Malviya accused the Congress party of following 'all power no accountability' dictum. "When Congress says they will share your data with like-minded groups, the implications are grave. From Maoists, stone pelters, Bharat Ke Tukde Gang, Chinese embassy to globally 'renowned' orgs like Cambridge Analytica, the field is extensive and wide open," he said in the tweet. "Inspired by Sonia Gandhi's 'all power no accountability' dictum, Congress will take all your data, even share it worldwide with orgs like Cambridge Analytica but will not take responsibility for it! Their own policy says so" he added. A furore erupted yesterday after Rahul accused Prime Minister Modi of leaking details of users to US firms through the NaMo app. "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies," Rahul tweeted. Rahul made the statement referring to a media report that quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company. (With inputs from ANI)</p>


The Congress had made the same charge against PM Modi's NaMo app yesterday

The Congress today pulled down its official app from the Google Play Store, after it was accused of sharing the application's users' details with a Singapore firm. Congress deletes its official mobile phone application from Google's Play Store after reports that the data from the app was being routed to servers in Singapore. pic.twitter.com/dVYdikXEJS — ANI (@ANI) 26 March 2018 "Hi! My name is Rahul Gandhi. I am the President of India's oldest political party. When you sign up for our official App, I give all your data to my friends in Singapore," the BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya had tweeted earlier in the day. There was also a tweet from French security researcher Baptiste Robert aka Elliot Anderson. Did @INCIndia removed their #android #app from the PlayStore just before my tweet? &mdash Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) 26 March 2018 It was Anderson who had set the ball rolling on the data leakage charges. Rahul Gandhi's allegation yesterday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NaMo app was sharing users' details with private US companies was based on charges made by Anderson. Those charges have since come back to trouble the Congress. Modi’s NaMo App secretly records audio, video, contacts of your friends & family and even tracks your location via GPS. He’s the Big Boss who likes to spy on Indians. Now he wants data on our children. 13 lakh NCC cadets are being forced to download the APP.#DeleteNaMoApp &mdash Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 26 March 2018 Modi misusing PM position to build personal database with data on millions of Indians via the NaMo App promoted by Govt. If as PM he wants to use tech to communicate with India, no problem. But use the official PMO APP for it. This data belongs to India, not Modi. &mdash Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 26 March 2018 INC membership website no longer available. Message you will get “We are incorporating minor changes to the website. Please visit us again in a while to access the INC membership process...” What is the Congress party trying to hide? https://t.co/siVExc6T68 &mdash Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) 26 March 2018 "Full marks to @INCIndia for stating upfront that they'll give your data to **practically anyone** - undisclosed vendors, unknown volunteers, even 'groups with similar causes'. In the theft of all forms, Congress has never been discreet!," Malviya had added. The BJP IT cell head further alleged that if the "Congress party says that they will share data with like-minded people, then chances are that it could be people like Maoists, stone pelters, Chinese embassy and Cambridge Analytica." Further targeting United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chief Sonia Gandhi, Malviya accused the Congress party of following 'all power no accountability' dictum. "When Congress says they will share your data with like-minded groups, the implications are grave. From Maoists, stone pelters, Bharat Ke Tukde Gang, Chinese embassy to globally 'renowned' orgs like Cambridge Analytica, the field is extensive and wide open," he said in the tweet. "Inspired by Sonia Gandhi's 'all power no accountability' dictum, Congress will take all your data, even share it worldwide with orgs like Cambridge Analytica but will not take responsibility for it! Their own policy says so" he added. A furore erupted yesterday after Rahul accused Prime Minister Modi of leaking details of users to US firms through the NaMo app. "Hi! My name is Narendra Modi. I am India's Prime Minister. When you sign up for my official App, I give all your data to my friends in American companies," Rahul tweeted. Rahul made the statement referring to a media report that quoted a French security researcher claiming that the Narendra Modi app sends all the device info and personal data including email IDs, photos, gender and names of the users without consent to a third-party domain belonging to an American company. (With inputs from ANI)

After BJP accuses it of leaking user details, Congress pulls down official app

<p>After a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/user-details-on-namo-app-sold-to-private-companies-french-security-researcher-36994"> French security researcher</a> accused PM Modi of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies, the government has given clarification dismissing the allegations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A statement released by the government stated that the &quot;Narendra Modi App is a unique App, which unlike most Apps, gives access to users in &lsquo;guest mode&rsquo; without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example, a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery.&quot;</p>

<p>The statement further read: &quot;Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth, he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started.&quot;</p>

<p>Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a &quot;one of its kind&quot;&nbsp;app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard &lsquo;one-way&rsquo; flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties possess. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, the statement mentioned.</p>

<p>About the allegations against the BJP leader, the statement said, &quot;The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services.&nbsp;Analytics and processing of the user data are done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language,&quot;&nbsp;the statement said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;It also enables a unique, personalized experience according to a person&rsquo;s interests. For example, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu&#39; it added.</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies.&nbsp;</p>


Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies

After a French security researcher accused PM Modi of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies, the government has given clarification dismissing the allegations. A statement released by the government stated that the "Narendra Modi App is a unique App, which unlike most Apps, gives access to users in ‘guest mode’ without even any permission or data. The permissions required are all contextual and cause-specific. For example, a selfie campaign requires access to the camera and/or photo gallery." The statement further read: "Contact access is required to connect with friends or fellow party workers on the New India connect module. If a person has entered his email address and date of birth, he receives a personalised birthday greeting from the PM. Each function asks for the specific permission when access is required. The app does not ask for blanket permissions when the app is started." Narendra Modi App provides a platform for millions of his fans and party cadre to connect directly with the Prime Minister. It is a "one of its kind" app which enables unprecedented engagement and interactivity. It is way different from the standard ‘one-way’ flow apps belonging to political leaders and parties possess. It has numerous features which comprise the best of features from social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc, the statement mentioned. About the allegations against the BJP leader, the statement said, "The data exposed by the French Twitter user is the data entered by the user on his own device. This is not a security breach. The person does not have access to any data apart from his own data." "Data is being used for analytics using third-party service, similar to Google Analytics. The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services. Analytics and processing of the user data are done for offering users the most contextual content. This ensures that a user gets the best possible experience by show content in his/her own language," the statement said. 'It also enables a unique, personalized experience according to a person’s interests. For example, a person who looks up content related to agriculture will get agriculture-related content prominently. A person from Tamil Nadu will get notifications in Tamil and get an update when the PM is in Tamil Nadu' it added. Congress president Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accusing the BJP leader of passing on the data of people who sign up for his official NaMo app to American companies.

The data in no way is stored or used by the third party services: Government on NaMo app

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the biggest gainer from the latest round of the biennial <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-bags-11-rajya-sabha-seats-crushes-sp-bsp-bonhomie-in-up-36889">Rajya Sabha polls on Friday</a> and is likely to come within striking distance of being able to pass bills with the help of its allies and parties friendly to it.</p>

<p>BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP.</p>

<p>BJP&#39;s winning spree in state Assembly polls has resulted in a steady rise in its numbers in the House, whose members are elected by assemblies, while the loss of power of the Congress in many states has led to a fall in its numerical strength.</p>

<p>In the elections held to 58 seats, the BJP won 29, the Congress nine, Trinamool four, TRS and BJD three each, JD-U, TDP and RJD two each and Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, NCP and YSR Congress one each.</p>

<p>Voting for Rajya Sabha seats took place across six states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls.The Rajya Sabha has the strength of 245 members of which 233 are representatives of the states and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President.</p>

<p>The number of vacancies in 2018 included - Uttar Pradesh: 10, Maharashtra: 6, Bihar: 6, West Bengal: 5, Madhya Pradesh: 5, Gujarat: 4, Karnataka: 4, Andhra Pradesh: 3, Telangana: 3, Rajasthan: 3, Odisha: 3, Jharkhand: 2, Chhattisgarh: 1, Haryana: 1, Himachal Pradesh: 1, Uttarakhand: 1, Kerala: 1</p>

<p>In the poll for 58 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained its 9 seats but remains short of the halfway mark of 123 in the Upper House.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In August last year, the BJP overtook the Congress to become the single-largest party in the Upper House. Currently, BJP is the largest party in RS with 58 MPs -- four more than the Congress - is expected to better its tally as it rules 11 of the 16 states. Its allies contribute 17 MPs to the BJP-led NDA. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has six seats; Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal have three seats each; People&#39;s Democratic Party has two; Sikkim Democratic Front, Republican Party (A) and Bodoland People&#39;s Front have one MP each.</p>

<p>A calculation of tallies show that the BJP&#39;s strength in the 245-member House will go from the existing 58 to 69 and that of the Congress will fall from 54 to 50 when the new MPs take oath next week.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
However, a majority in the Council of States will continue to elude the BJP-led NDA.&nbsp;It recently suffered a setback when the Telugu Desam Party, its ally of four years, decided to break ties. The TDP has six members in the House.</p>

<p>BJP and its allies hold an upper hand in UP state with 324 members in the legislative assembly and won 9 seats this year. However, the election this year will not benefit BJP much this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>UP is the main focus in the Rajya Sabha: it contributes 31 of the upper house&rsquo;s 245 seats, of which ten will have elections in 2018 and another ten in 2020. With a supermajority in the UP state assembly, the BJP is likely to win seven new seats from UP in each round (it already has three Rajya Sabha MPs in UP).</p>

<p>The government&rsquo;s minority status in the Rajya Sabha has slowed and even halted important elements of its legislative agenda. An upper house majority would greatly strengthen its ability to pass bills including Article 35A - empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state&#39;s legislature to define &ldquo;permanent residents&rdquo; of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.</p>

<p>The BJP has not reached the stage of having two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. Even if it were to improve its numbers in the Rajya Sabha by 2020, it would still need to get requisite numbers in the next Lok Sabha elections and also convince its allies.</p>

<p>By 2020, the NDA would see a major improvement in the Rajya Sabha. If it continues its winning streak in the future assembly elections in Karnataka and Gujarat. If there is no change in the predictions, then the BJP by 2020 could end up with 81 seats alone. Its allies would contribute 31 seats thus taking the NDA&#39;s tally to 111. The Congress is likely to have just 28 seats in the Rajya Sabha. The UPA&#39;s tally would be at 56. The rest of the parties would have a tally of 78.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The NDA will be waiting for its turn in 2020 when nearly 73 Elders&rsquo; term comes to an end, but a lot would also be dependent then on the 2019 General election which Modi will be eying emphatically.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the biggest gainer from the latest round of the biennial Rajya Sabha polls on Friday and is likely to come within striking distance of being able to pass bills with the help of its allies and parties friendly to it. BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP. BJP's winning spree in state Assembly polls has resulted in a steady rise in its numbers in the House, whose members are elected by assemblies, while the loss of power of the Congress in many states has led to a fall in its numerical strength. In the elections held to 58 seats, the BJP won 29, the Congress nine, Trinamool four, TRS and BJD three each, JD-U, TDP and RJD two each and Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, NCP and YSR Congress one each. Voting for Rajya Sabha seats took place across six states: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls.The Rajya Sabha has the strength of 245 members of which 233 are representatives of the states and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President. The number of vacancies in 2018 included - Uttar Pradesh: 10, Maharashtra: 6, Bihar: 6, West Bengal: 5, Madhya Pradesh: 5, Gujarat: 4, Karnataka: 4, Andhra Pradesh: 3, Telangana: 3, Rajasthan: 3, Odisha: 3, Jharkhand: 2, Chhattisgarh: 1, Haryana: 1, Himachal Pradesh: 1, Uttarakhand: 1, Kerala: 1 In the poll for 58 Rajya Sabha seats on Friday, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained its 9 seats but remains short of the halfway mark of 123 in the Upper House. In August last year, the BJP overtook the Congress to become the single-largest party in the Upper House. Currently, BJP is the largest party in RS with 58 MPs -- four more than the Congress - is expected to better its tally as it rules 11 of the 16 states. Its allies contribute 17 MPs to the BJP-led NDA. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has six seats; Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal have three seats each; People's Democratic Party has two; Sikkim Democratic Front, Republican Party (A) and Bodoland People's Front have one MP each. A calculation of tallies show that the BJP's strength in the 245-member House will go from the existing 58 to 69 and that of the Congress will fall from 54 to 50 when the new MPs take oath next week. However, a majority in the Council of States will continue to elude the BJP-led NDA. It recently suffered a setback when the Telugu Desam Party, its ally of four years, decided to break ties. The TDP has six members in the House. BJP and its allies hold an upper hand in UP state with 324 members in the legislative assembly and won 9 seats this year. However, the election this year will not benefit BJP much this year. UP is the main focus in the Rajya Sabha: it contributes 31 of the upper house’s 245 seats, of which ten will have elections in 2018 and another ten in 2020. With a supermajority in the UP state assembly, the BJP is likely to win seven new seats from UP in each round (it already has three Rajya Sabha MPs in UP). The government’s minority status in the Rajya Sabha has slowed and even halted important elements of its legislative agenda. An upper house majority would greatly strengthen its ability to pass bills including Article 35A - empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents. The BJP has not reached the stage of having two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. Even if it were to improve its numbers in the Rajya Sabha by 2020, it would still need to get requisite numbers in the next Lok Sabha elections and also convince its allies. By 2020, the NDA would see a major improvement in the Rajya Sabha. If it continues its winning streak in the future assembly elections in Karnataka and Gujarat. If there is no change in the predictions, then the BJP by 2020 could end up with 81 seats alone. Its allies would contribute 31 seats thus taking the NDA's tally to 111. The Congress is likely to have just 28 seats in the Rajya Sabha. The UPA's tally would be at 56. The rest of the parties would have a tally of 78. The NDA will be waiting for its turn in 2020 when nearly 73 Elders’ term comes to an end, but a lot would also be dependent then on the 2019 General election which Modi will be eying emphatically.

BJP makes gains in Rajya Sabha elections 2018

<p>BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn&#39;t want the House to function: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Assam</a> <a href="https://t.co/53cdw39Iiv">pic.twitter.com/53cdw39Iiv</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977466802648338433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said &#39;&#39;I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I challenge the opposition to bring the No-Confidence Motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Assam</a> <a href="https://t.co/HR4I92beAp">pic.twitter.com/HR4I92beAp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977466799276068865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&#39;&#39;We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn&#39;t want the House to function,&#39;&#39; Shah said in the rally.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accusing the opposition party of levelling baseless allegations against the BJP, he questioned the contribution of Rahul Gandhi towards the development of Assam.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;BJP wants to ensure Assam&#39;s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had passed baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam&#39;s development in last 10 years?&#39;&#39; Amit Shah said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah added that the party would win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats of the northeast&nbsp;in the upcoming parliamentary elections. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress on Friday gave a notice for&nbsp;moving a no-confidence motion against the NDA government and wanted it to be taken up in Lok Sabha on March 27.<br />
<br />
According to Congress sources, the party submitted the notice in the office of the Lok Sabha Secretary General.<br />
<br />
The party has also issued a three-line whip to all its members in Lok Sabha to ensure their presence on Tuesday when the House meets again.<br />
<br />
The motion will be moved by Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is reaching out to other opposition parties to garner support for the motion, they said.</p>


Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said ''I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.''

BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament. We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn't want the House to function: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati, #Assam pic.twitter.com/53cdw39Iiv — ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2018 × Addressing a public rally in Guwahati, he said ''I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.'' Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues. I challenge the opposition to bring the No-Confidence Motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us: BJP President Amit Shah in Guwahati #Assam pic.twitter.com/HR4I92beAp — ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2018 × ''We are ready to debate on all issues but it is the opposition which doesn't want the House to function,'' Shah said in the rally. Accusing the opposition party of levelling baseless allegations against the BJP, he questioned the contribution of Rahul Gandhi towards the development of Assam. ''BJP wants to ensure Assam's progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had passed baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam's development in last 10 years?'' Amit Shah said. Shah added that the party would win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats of the northeast in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Congress on Friday gave a notice for moving a no-confidence motion against the NDA government and wanted it to be taken up in Lok Sabha on March 27. According to Congress sources, the party submitted the notice in the office of the Lok Sabha Secretary General. The party has also issued a three-line whip to all its members in Lok Sabha to ensure their presence on Tuesday when the House meets again. The motion will be moved by Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who is reaching out to other opposition parties to garner support for the motion, they said.

Amit Shah dares opposition to bring no-confidence motion

<p>Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday expressed confidence of winning 21 seats out of 25 parliamentary constituencies from the North East in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.</p>

<p>&quot;In the upcoming elections of 2019, the BJP will win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats (of North East),&quot; Amit Shah said while addressing a rally in Guwahati.</p>

<p>BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-makes-gains-in-rajya-sabha-elections-2018-36925">Rajya Sabha</a> biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP.</p>

<p>Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP wants to ensure Assam`s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had put baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam&#39;s development in last 10 years?&quot; Shah asked.</p>

<p>BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament.&quot;I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, days after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/tdps-decision-to-quit-nda-unfortunate-unilateral-amit-shah-writes-to-cm-naidu-36911">Chandrababu Naidu</a>&#39;s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah has written an open letter to the state chief minister, saying his party&#39;s decision to break alliance is unfortunate and unilateral.</p>

<p>Shah, in the letter, explained BJP&#39;s position and has blamed TDP of quitting NDA due to political considerations.</p>

<p>&ldquo;(TDP) decision is both unfortunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision; I am afraid, will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns,&quot; Shah wrote.</p>


Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday expressed confidence of winning 21 seats out of 25 parliamentary constituencies from the North East in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. "In the upcoming elections of 2019, the BJP will win more than 21 seats out of the 25 seats (of North East)," Amit Shah said while addressing a rally in Guwahati. BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP. Shah even attacked the Congress party and raised a question on the initiatives taken by them for the development of the Assam. "The BJP wants to ensure Assam`s progress through development. Congress leaders including their party president had visited North East for rallies and had put baseless allegations on us. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, what did he do for Assam's development in last 10 years?" Shah asked. BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday challenged the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion in the parliament."I challenge the opposition to bring the no-confidence motion. The BJP govt is all prepared to face the Motion, we have the absolute majority with us.'' Accusing the opposition of stalling the house, Shah said that the ruling party was ready to discuss all issues. Meanwhile, days after Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah has written an open letter to the state chief minister, saying his party's decision to break alliance is unfortunate and unilateral. Shah, in the letter, explained BJP's position and has blamed TDP of quitting NDA due to political considerations. “(TDP) decision is both unfortunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision; I am afraid, will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns," Shah wrote.

BJP will win majority of North East seats in 2019 elections: Amit Shah

<p>The Congress on Friday said it would fight the office-of-profit case involving 20 AAP MLAs in the Election Commission of India (ECI) again, after the Delhi High Court set aside their disqualification and asked the poll panel to hear the matter afresh.</p>

<p>The party also said that the AAP MLAs should resign on &quot;moral ground&quot; and seek re-election, as had been done by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi who resigned from the Lok Sabha following a similar controversy.</p>

<p>&quot;We will fight it out in the EC again as these 20 MLAs have enjoyed perks. High Court&nbsp;has not disputed or denied this. The High Court&nbsp;has just asked Election Commission of India (ECI) to look at it again in the light of natural justice!&quot; Congress&#39;s Delhi unit president Ajay Maken tweeted.</p>

<p>He claimed that the AAP government itself had admitted before the Election Commission&nbsp;that a huge amount was spent on office, furniture, transportation and perks for these MLAs who worked as parliamentary secretaries.</p>

<p>The high court termed the EC&#39;s recommendation on disqualification as &quot;vitiated&quot;, and noted that there was violation of natural justice and no oral hearing was given to the MLAs before disqualifying them as legislators of the Delhi Assembly.</p>

<p>&quot;We respect today&#39;s judgement of the high court, but we would like to raise some important questions,&quot; Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev told reporters.</p>

<p>&quot;Both the BJP and the AAP are now in the same boat. The rules of natural justice have been upheld, but just like the AAP has made an absolute mockery of the laws, the BJP is flouting every rule in Manipur,&quot; she alleged.</p>

<p>Recalling Gandhi&#39;s resignation following the office of profit controversy and her contesting again and winning, Dev said the BJP and the AAP were guilty of not upholding constitutional laws.<br />
&quot;We demand that the 12 MLAs BJP in Manipur resign immediately, as well as the 20 MLAs AAP in Delhi,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>She alleged that 12 MLAs, including 8 from BJP, 3 from NPF and an independent MLA were appointed as parliamentary secretaries after the last assembly election. After a Supreme Court order in July 2017, any person having held such position must be disqualified.</p>

<p>&quot;However, all the 12 MLAs are continuing in complete violation of the law,&quot; she alleged.</p>

<p>Dev alleged that the BJP was the &quot;master of defections and not elections&quot;, as it had consistently and repeatedly flouted the constitutional provisions while forming governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP had committed daylight robbery of majority mandate in Goa, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Political muscle, coercion and money moved swiftly by the BJP to further its agenda of usurping power,&quot; she alleged.&nbsp;</p>


The party also said that the AAP MLAs should resign on "moral ground" and seek re-election, as had been done by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi who resigned from the Lok Sabha following a similar controversy

The Congress on Friday said it would fight the office-of-profit case involving 20 AAP MLAs in the Election Commission of India (ECI) again, after the Delhi High Court set aside their disqualification and asked the poll panel to hear the matter afresh. The party also said that the AAP MLAs should resign on "moral ground" and seek re-election, as had been done by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi who resigned from the Lok Sabha following a similar controversy. "We will fight it out in the EC again as these 20 MLAs have enjoyed perks. High Court has not disputed or denied this. The High Court has just asked Election Commission of India (ECI) to look at it again in the light of natural justice!" Congress's Delhi unit president Ajay Maken tweeted. He claimed that the AAP government itself had admitted before the Election Commission that a huge amount was spent on office, furniture, transportation and perks for these MLAs who worked as parliamentary secretaries. The high court termed the EC's recommendation on disqualification as "vitiated", and noted that there was violation of natural justice and no oral hearing was given to the MLAs before disqualifying them as legislators of the Delhi Assembly. "We respect today's judgement of the high court, but we would like to raise some important questions," Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev told reporters. "Both the BJP and the AAP are now in the same boat. The rules of natural justice have been upheld, but just like the AAP has made an absolute mockery of the laws, the BJP is flouting every rule in Manipur," she alleged. Recalling Gandhi's resignation following the office of profit controversy and her contesting again and winning, Dev said the BJP and the AAP were guilty of not upholding constitutional laws. "We demand that the 12 MLAs BJP in Manipur resign immediately, as well as the 20 MLAs AAP in Delhi," she said. She alleged that 12 MLAs, including 8 from BJP, 3 from NPF and an independent MLA were appointed as parliamentary secretaries after the last assembly election. After a Supreme Court order in July 2017, any person having held such position must be disqualified. "However, all the 12 MLAs are continuing in complete violation of the law," she alleged. Dev alleged that the BJP was the "master of defections and not elections", as it had consistently and repeatedly flouted the constitutional provisions while forming governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. "The BJP had committed daylight robbery of majority mandate in Goa, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Political muscle, coercion and money moved swiftly by the BJP to further its agenda of usurping power," she alleged.

Congress to pursue AAP MLAs' office-of-profit case with Election Commission again

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday accused the opposition of spreading lies against his government due to its increasing &quot;frustration&quot; over electoral losses, and asked BJP MPs to use technology effectively to take the truth to the masses.</p>

<p>At the BJP Parliamentary Party meet, Modi and party chief Amit Shah asked their MPs to observe Social Justice Day on Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar&#39;s birth anniversary, Swachh Bharat Divas and other events between April 14 and May 5, party leaders Prakash Javadekar and Anil Baluni told reporters in Delhi.</p>

<p>&quot;Modi told the MPs that the party is in power so that we can take the country to new heights, and asked them to work on the ground,&quot; Javadekar said.</p>

<p>The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration.</p>

<p>Shah in his speech blamed the opposition for the impasse in Parliament and asked the MPs to hold pressers in the next three days in their parliamentary constituencies to highlight the matter, Baluni said.</p>

<p>With the party gearing up for Lok Sabha polls next year, Shah asked MPs to work to strengthen booth-level organisation in their constituencies, asserting that the organisation&#39;s work at the booth level, along with BJP&#39;s ideology and Modi&#39;s leadership, has been a key reason for its success.</p>

<p>Baluni said that the party will celebrate the period between April 14 and May 5 as &quot;Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan&quot;, and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gave a presentation on it.</p>

<p>April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar, will be celebrated as Social Justice Day.</p>

<p>It will be followed by Swachh Bharat Diwas on April 18, Ujjawala Diwas on April 20, Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24 and Swasth Bharat Diwas on April 30.</p>

<p>Kisan Kalyan Diwas will be observed on May 2 and Aajevika Kuashal Diwas on May 5.</p>

<p>Baluni said that Jitendra Singh gave a presentation to the MPs on developing the 115 most backward districts in the country.</p>

<p>Singh said that the prime minister will visit the best performing district.</p>

<p>This was the first BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at its new headquarters at the Deendayal Upadhyay Marg here.</p>


The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday accused the opposition of spreading lies against his government due to its increasing "frustration" over electoral losses, and asked BJP MPs to use technology effectively to take the truth to the masses. At the BJP Parliamentary Party meet, Modi and party chief Amit Shah asked their MPs to observe Social Justice Day on Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Swachh Bharat Divas and other events between April 14 and May 5, party leaders Prakash Javadekar and Anil Baluni told reporters in Delhi. "Modi told the MPs that the party is in power so that we can take the country to new heights, and asked them to work on the ground," Javadekar said. The prime minister told the MPs to use technology to present facts and reach out to people as the opposition was spreading lies against the government out of frustration. Shah in his speech blamed the opposition for the impasse in Parliament and asked the MPs to hold pressers in the next three days in their parliamentary constituencies to highlight the matter, Baluni said. With the party gearing up for Lok Sabha polls next year, Shah asked MPs to work to strengthen booth-level organisation in their constituencies, asserting that the organisation's work at the booth level, along with BJP's ideology and Modi's leadership, has been a key reason for its success. Baluni said that the party will celebrate the period between April 14 and May 5 as "Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan", and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar gave a presentation on it. April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar, will be celebrated as Social Justice Day. It will be followed by Swachh Bharat Diwas on April 18, Ujjawala Diwas on April 20, Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24 and Swasth Bharat Diwas on April 30. Kisan Kalyan Diwas will be observed on May 2 and Aajevika Kuashal Diwas on May 5. Baluni said that Jitendra Singh gave a presentation to the MPs on developing the 115 most backward districts in the country. Singh said that the prime minister will visit the best performing district. This was the first BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at its new headquarters at the Deendayal Upadhyay Marg here.

Frustrated Opposition spreading lies against government: Modi

<p>An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.</p>

<p>A day before the election, Singh&nbsp;met with the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath.</p>

<p>Singh said that he voted to the BJP on &quot; antaratma ki awaaz&quot;. He said, &quot;My inside asked me to vote for the BJP&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have voted for BJP, I don&#39;t know about the rest: Anil Singh, BSP MLA <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RajyaSabhaElections?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RajyaSabhaElections</a> <a href="https://t.co/28R7njmfnP">pic.twitter.com/28R7njmfnP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977047651286908928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Anil Singh is the BSP MLA from Purwa in Unnao, UP.</p>

<p>Reports also said that another MLA, Nitin Agarwal, from the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator from Hardoi, also voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.&nbsp;</p>

<p>His father Naresh Agarwal had already joined the BJP earlier this month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-leader-naresh-agrawal-joins-bjp-mocks-jaya-bachchan-35532" target="_blank">SP leader Naresh Agrawal joins BJP, mocks Jaya Bachchan</a></p>


An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday

An MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Anil Singh went against his party to vote for the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. A day before the election, Singh met with the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Singh said that he voted to the BJP on " antaratma ki awaaz". He said, "My inside asked me to vote for the BJP". I have voted for BJP, I don't know about the rest: Anil Singh, BSP MLA #RajyaSabhaElections pic.twitter.com/28R7njmfnP — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 23, 2018 × Anil Singh is the BSP MLA from Purwa in Unnao, UP. Reports also said that another MLA, Nitin Agarwal, from the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator from Hardoi, also voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates. His father Naresh Agarwal had already joined the BJP earlier this month. Also read: SP leader Naresh Agrawal joins BJP, mocks Jaya Bachchan

Rajya Sabha polls: Setback to Mayawati, BSP MLA votes for BJP

<p>Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was rushed back to Delhi from Shimla on Friday morning owing to ill-health.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Last night I received a call saying that she was not well. We were asked to send ambulance with a doctor to accompany her to Chandigarh. Her blood pressure was high, condition was stable: Dr Ramesh Chandra, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla on Sonia Gandhi&#39;s health condition <a href="https://t.co/BL8oCeQPdS">pic.twitter.com/BL8oCeQPdS</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/977092984473899010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Sonia was first taken to Chandigarh from Shimla after she refused to get examined at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.</p>

<p>The former Congress President was later brought to Delhi from Chandigarh on a special aircraft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra.</p>

<p>They arrived in the city on Wednesday and stayed at a five-star luxury hotel, Wildflower Hall, near Charabra.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was rushed back to Delhi from Shimla on Friday morning owing to ill-health. Last night I received a call saying that she was not well. We were asked to send ambulance with a doctor to accompany her to Chandigarh. Her blood pressure was high, condition was stable: Dr Ramesh Chandra, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla on Sonia Gandhi's health condition pic.twitter.com/BL8oCeQPdS — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2018 × Sonia was first taken to Chandigarh from Shimla after she refused to get examined at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla. The former Congress President was later brought to Delhi from Chandigarh on a special aircraft. Sonia Gandhi was on a private visit to Shimla along with her daughter Priyanka Vadra. They arrived in the city on Wednesday and stayed at a five-star luxury hotel, Wildflower Hall, near Charabra.

Sonia Gandhi rushed to Delhi from Shimla due to ill-health

<p>The polls to the Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, were held on Friday.</p>

<p>For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected.</p>

<p>The results of the anticipated&nbsp;election to 25 seats of the Rajya Sabha have started pouring in from across the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The counting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The polling began on Friday morning.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, after initially being put on hold, the counting has also started in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. It was put on hold in UP after SP-BSP filed a complaint against the two MLAs who cross-voted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Counting began only after the Election Commission gave its clearance after some parties raised objections over <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cross-voting-reported-in-rajya-sabha-elections-36867">cross-voting</a>. Though the ruling BJP is confident of shoring up its numbers in the Rajya Sabha, two seats - in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka - have emerged as prestige battles for the party.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>BJP has won the prestige fight in Uttar Pradesh by winning 9 Rajya Sabha seats out of 10.</li>
	<li>The Trinamool Congress won four seats in West Bengal. All four TMC candidates - sitting Rajya Sabha member Nadimul Haque and first-time nominees Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santanu Sen - emerged victorious.</li>
	<li>Congress&#39;s Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>MP Veerendra Kumar, the state president of the Janata Dal (U)&#39;s Sharad Yadav faction, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala.</li>
	<li>Candidates of Telangana&#39;s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - B Prakash, J Santosh Kumar and AB Lingaiah Yadav - bagged all three Rajya Sabha seats.</li>
	<li>TDP leader CM Ramesh was unanimously elected to the Rajya Sabha in Andhra Pradesh.</li>
	<li>Dr L Hanumanthaiah, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar from Congress and the BJP&#39;s Rajeev Chandrashekar bagged the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka.</li>
	<li>BJP&#39;s Saroj Pandey won the Rajya Sabha election from Chhattisgarh by beating Congress&#39;s Lekhram Sahu.</li>
	<li>Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan has bagged 38 votes to win another Rajya Sabha term.</li>
</ul>


The voting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana

The polls to the Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, were held on Friday. For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected. The results of the anticipated election to 25 seats of the Rajya Sabha have started pouring in from across the country. The counting for Rajya Sabha elections for 25 seats is currently underway across six states - Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The polling began on Friday morning. Meanwhile, after initially being put on hold, the counting has also started in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. It was put on hold in UP after SP-BSP filed a complaint against the two MLAs who cross-voted. Counting began only after the Election Commission gave its clearance after some parties raised objections over cross-voting. Though the ruling BJP is confident of shoring up its numbers in the Rajya Sabha, two seats - in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka - have emerged as prestige battles for the party. BJP has won the prestige fight in Uttar Pradesh by winning 9 Rajya Sabha seats out of 10. The Trinamool Congress won four seats in West Bengal. All four TMC candidates - sitting Rajya Sabha member Nadimul Haque and first-time nominees Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santanu Sen - emerged victorious. Congress's Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the Rajya Sabha election from West Bengal. MP Veerendra Kumar, the state president of the Janata Dal (U)'s Sharad Yadav faction, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Kerala. Candidates of Telangana's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) - B Prakash, J Santosh Kumar and AB Lingaiah Yadav - bagged all three Rajya Sabha seats. TDP leader CM Ramesh was unanimously elected to the Rajya Sabha in Andhra Pradesh. Dr L Hanumanthaiah, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar from Congress and the BJP's Rajeev Chandrashekar bagged the Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka. BJP's Saroj Pandey won the Rajya Sabha election from Chhattisgarh by beating Congress's Lekhram Sahu. Samajwadi Party candidate Jaya Bachchan has bagged 38 votes to win another Rajya Sabha term.

Highlights from the 2018 Rajya Sabha election

<p>The polls to Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, will be held on Friday.</p>

<p>For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected.</p>

<p>Voting for the remaining 25 seats will be held in six states. They are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana.</p>

<p>The Rajya Sabha vacancies next month include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress Party.</p>

<p>Three nominated members - actress Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and social worker Anu Aga -- will retire in April.</p>

<p>The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls. They include Anil Baluni, the national head of the BJP`s media wing, from Uttarakhand and Saroj Pandey, BJP general secretary, from Chhattisgarh.</p>

<p>Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has filed nomination papers as the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest from Uttar Pradesh and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar.</p>

<p>The BJP has also fielded Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot from Madhya Pradesh for another Rajya Sabha term.Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala will contest from Gujarat.</p>

<p>In Congress, Naranbhai Rathwa and Amee Yajnik will contest from Gujarat and Dhiraj Prasad will contest from Jharkhand.Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Lekhram Sahu will contest from Bihar and Chhattisgarh respectively, while Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, Porika Bairam Naik and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are contesting from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal, respectively.</p>

<p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier said the Trinamool Congress would back Singhvi.Mahendra Prasad Singh and Bashistha Narain Singh are the Janata Dal (United) candidates for the polls.</p>

<p>Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening.&nbsp;</p>


Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening

The polls to Rajya Sabha, which will have 58 vacancies in April, will be held on Friday. For the 58 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states have been unanimously elected. Voting for the remaining 25 seats will be held in six states. They are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana. The Rajya Sabha vacancies next month include 17 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and 12 from the Congress Party. Three nominated members - actress Rekha, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, and social worker Anu Aga -- will retire in April. The BJP has filed 18 candidates for the biennial polls. They include Anil Baluni, the national head of the BJP`s media wing, from Uttarakhand and Saroj Pandey, BJP general secretary, from Chhattisgarh. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has filed nomination papers as the BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will contest from Uttar Pradesh and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar. The BJP has also fielded Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot from Madhya Pradesh for another Rajya Sabha term.Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala will contest from Gujarat. In Congress, Naranbhai Rathwa and Amee Yajnik will contest from Gujarat and Dhiraj Prasad will contest from Jharkhand.Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Lekhram Sahu will contest from Bihar and Chhattisgarh respectively, while Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, Porika Bairam Naik and Abhishek Manu Singhvi are contesting from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal, respectively. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier said the Trinamool Congress would back Singhvi.Mahendra Prasad Singh and Bashistha Narain Singh are the Janata Dal (United) candidates for the polls. Counting of votes will begin from 5 pm onwards on Friday. Results are expected to will be announced the same evening.

Rajya Sabha polls: Electoral battle for 25 seats today

<p>The Congress accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of withdrawing cases of heinous crimes such as rioting in Muzaffarnagar on religious lines.</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/muzaffarnagar-riots-up-government-to-withdraw-131-cases-opposition-criticises-move-36711" target="_blank">Muzaffarnagar riots: UP government to withdraw 131 cases</a></p>

<p>Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of &quot;divide and rule&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Can cases be withdrawn because I am a Muslim, I am a Sikh, I am a Buddhist, I am a Jain, I am a Hindu, I am a Parsi? Can cases be withdrawn based on which religion do you belong to?&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>&quot;Can cases under heinous offences, can cases of promoting enmity on communal ground, can cases of denigrating each others&#39; religion and consequent riots be withdrawn as political cases is an important question that CM needs to answer,&quot; he alleged.</p>

<p>BJP leaders met CM Adityanath on February 5, 2018 and demanded withdrawal of 179 of the 503 cases.</p>

<p>Surjewala said that if Adityanath wanted to review all the cases of riots based on truth, then why only 179 out of 503.</p>

<p>&quot;Why are you selectively picking up only those which are being stated or represented by BJP workers and leaders,&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>Surjewala asked if Adityanath was &quot;scared&quot; that after the Supreme Court ordered fast-tracking all criminal cases against political leaders.</p>

<p>&quot;Are they scared that if the cases are put in fast track court, then it will be adversarial for BJP leaders, MLAs and MPs and that is why a quick and hurried decision is being taken, although the CM has only moved and a final call is yet to be taken,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The Congress leader urged Adityanath to learn from the defeat in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, saying he is no longer a BJP leader, but a defender and protector of the Constitution and the law.</p>

<p>&quot;We want to remind him that he has taken oath of India&#39;s Constitution that he will protect and uphold the Constitution and the law. Will he do so, is a question that he must answer,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Divide and rule is the policy being followed by the BJP for they have emulated the British for far too long. Divide and rule and somehow come to power - divide on the basis of religion and retain or attain power, divide on the basis of caste and attain power and make everyone fight with each other,&quot; Surjewala said.</p>

<p>He claimed that in western Uttar Pradesh, there have been no riots since 1857 and even during the partition of the country.</p>

<p>There were no riots in this area as Hindus, Muslim, Sikhs, Buddhists and others all stood together in unison to remain in the Indian Union, he said.</p>

<p>They did not want to go with Pakistan, they did not subscribe to the theory of a religion-based country and they rejected it in toto, he said.</p>

<p>Surjewala said it was only in September 2013, that there were riots for the first time in this area after over 100 years in which 62 people died and 503 cases were registered.&nbsp;</p>


Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of 'divide and rule'

The Congress accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of withdrawing cases of heinous crimes such as rioting in Muzaffarnagar on religious lines. Also read: Muzaffarnagar riots: UP government to withdraw 131 cases Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged that Adityanath was emulating the British by ruling through the policy of "divide and rule". "Can cases be withdrawn because I am a Muslim, I am a Sikh, I am a Buddhist, I am a Jain, I am a Hindu, I am a Parsi? Can cases be withdrawn based on which religion do you belong to?" he asked. "Can cases under heinous offences, can cases of promoting enmity on communal ground, can cases of denigrating each others' religion and consequent riots be withdrawn as political cases is an important question that CM needs to answer," he alleged. BJP leaders met CM Adityanath on February 5, 2018 and demanded withdrawal of 179 of the 503 cases. Surjewala said that if Adityanath wanted to review all the cases of riots based on truth, then why only 179 out of 503. "Why are you selectively picking up only those which are being stated or represented by BJP workers and leaders," he asked. Surjewala asked if Adityanath was "scared" that after the Supreme Court ordered fast-tracking all criminal cases against political leaders. "Are they scared that if the cases are put in fast track court, then it will be adversarial for BJP leaders, MLAs and MPs and that is why a quick and hurried decision is being taken, although the CM has only moved and a final call is yet to be taken," he said. The Congress leader urged Adityanath to learn from the defeat in the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, saying he is no longer a BJP leader, but a defender and protector of the Constitution and the law. "We want to remind him that he has taken oath of India's Constitution that he will protect and uphold the Constitution and the law. Will he do so, is a question that he must answer," he said. "Divide and rule is the policy being followed by the BJP for they have emulated the British for far too long. Divide and rule and somehow come to power - divide on the basis of religion and retain or attain power, divide on the basis of caste and attain power and make everyone fight with each other," Surjewala said. He claimed that in western Uttar Pradesh, there have been no riots since 1857 and even during the partition of the country. There were no riots in this area as Hindus, Muslim, Sikhs, Buddhists and others all stood together in unison to remain in the Indian Union, he said. They did not want to go with Pakistan, they did not subscribe to the theory of a religion-based country and they rejected it in toto, he said. Surjewala said it was only in September 2013, that there were riots for the first time in this area after over 100 years in which 62 people died and 503 cases were registered.

Yogi withdrawing Muzaffarnagar riots cases on basis of religion: Congress

<p>As polling for Rajya Sabha continued on Friday afternoon, speculations on which lawmaker voted for which party started floating around with open declaration of few leaders of cross-voting many assumed, that Bharatiya Janata Party may end up with big gains, thanks to the cross-voting.</p>

<p>Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UttarPradesh</a> Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission.</p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/977176394940764161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Election Commission had not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers, reports ANI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Counting will begin only after EC gives clearance. In a complaint to Election Commission, BSP and SP have expressed fear of rigging during the polling and also alleged that Ballot paper was torn by BJP leader.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BSP MLA Anil Singh indicated that he had cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls, saying &quot;I am with Maharaj-ji&quot;, referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I have voted for BJP, I don&#39;t know about the rest,&rdquo; proclaimed Singh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>OP Rajbha, a minister in Yogi Adityanath&#39;s UP Cabinet, also confirmed the floating allegations of cross-voting. According to him, Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and Singh were present in BJP&#39;s meeting with it&#39;s allies on Thursday.</p>

<p>Reports of cross-voting also emerged from Karnataka Rajya Sabha polls.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Two senior Congress leaders cross-voted in the first ballot paper. Returning officer allowed them to vote again in fresh ballot paper. Illegal voting is going on, requested EC Observer to counter mandate the process,&rdquo; said Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reports of Congress MLA Naresh Saini voting for a rival party has also emerged, though he thoroughly denied all allegations.</p>

<p>Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Chaudhary, on the other hand, claimed that BJP MLAs are annoyed with their own high command.</p>

<p>After the Election Commission of India or ECI received a complaint by the All India Congress Committee over Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prakash Ram, who cross- voted, the Commission said &quot;further view will be taken after receiving Returning Officer&#39;s report&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


The Election Commission has not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers

As polling for Rajya Sabha continued on Friday afternoon, speculations on which lawmaker voted for which party started floating around with open declaration of few leaders of cross-voting many assumed, that Bharatiya Janata Party may end up with big gains, thanks to the cross-voting. Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission. #UttarPradesh Counting of votes for Rajya Sabha elections begins after clearance from the Election Commission. — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 23, 2018 × Earlier, Election Commission had not given permission to begin the counting of votes for Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh due to some objections in ballot papers, reports ANI. Counting will begin only after EC gives clearance. In a complaint to Election Commission, BSP and SP have expressed fear of rigging during the polling and also alleged that Ballot paper was torn by BJP leader. BSP MLA Anil Singh indicated that he had cross-voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha polls, saying "I am with Maharaj-ji", referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “I have voted for BJP, I don't know about the rest,” proclaimed Singh. OP Rajbha, a minister in Yogi Adityanath's UP Cabinet, also confirmed the floating allegations of cross-voting. According to him, Nishad Party MLA Vijay Mishra and Singh were present in BJP's meeting with it's allies on Thursday. Reports of cross-voting also emerged from Karnataka Rajya Sabha polls. “Two senior Congress leaders cross-voted in the first ballot paper. Returning officer allowed them to vote again in fresh ballot paper. Illegal voting is going on, requested EC Observer to counter mandate the process,” said Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy. Reports of Congress MLA Naresh Saini voting for a rival party has also emerged, though he thoroughly denied all allegations. Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Chaudhary, on the other hand, claimed that BJP MLAs are annoyed with their own high command. After the Election Commission of India or ECI received a complaint by the All India Congress Committee over Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prakash Ram, who cross- voted, the Commission said "further view will be taken after receiving Returning Officer's report".

Cross-voting reported in Rajya Sabha elections

<p>There is state of political upheaval these days in the nation. Narendra Modi is standing tall and firm and he has sent ripples of insecurity among all political parties. Leaders are worried about their future. There is state of panic among parties opposed to BJP and everybody is willing to go to any extent to secure his political future.</p>

<p>Sworn enemies are coming close and burying the hatchet deep. Just now, eternal die-hard enemies the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party joined hands for Gorakhpur &amp; Phulpur by-elections.</p>

<p>Ideologies and official party lines have gone for a toss. Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar are exploring each other for a possible tie-up. More bizarre is the fact that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called on Uddhav Thackeray when she visited Mumbai recently. This is ground-breaking as both parties have ideologies which are diametrically opposite to each other, literally.</p>

<p>Regional satraps have their own ambitions. Everybody is trying to become the anti-Modi crusader.</p>

<p>But it is very much visible that in all this jugglery Congress is going to be the biggest loser in days to come. It was so very well manifested in the recent Phulpur &amp; Gorakhpur bypolls. In Phulpur and Gorakhpur during general elections in 2014, Congress begged a six per cent and four per cent votes. Forty five months down the line, in the recent bypolls, when there was a mass shifting of votes from the BJP&#39;s share, Congress&#39;s vote share further plummeted to an unbelievable two and &amp; 2.6 per cent respectively.</p>

<p>So even if we consider a case where voters get alienated from BJP, they don&#39;t see Congress as an option.</p>

<p>The game of politics is simple. You need to keep some compelling reason alive for voters to vote for you. This compelling reason is of two types - either you generate a feeling among voters on macro-level i.e. on the broad national level, or you should have the grip on the votes due to regional reasons.</p>

<p>Take the case of BJP. BJP commands vote on both the accounts. People believe that BJP is a strong organisation with strong central leadership and thus it succeeds. Moreover, since BJP has strong regional presence and leadership (like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Paradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh) and in most part of India BJP connects with voters well on regional issues/sentiments, it commands votes on this aspect too.</p>

<p>Regional parties like Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Telugu Desam Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal will keep floating for the time to come as they somehow or other will keep a connection on the ground with their understanding of the regional issues and their strong cadre at the grassroot level.</p>

<p>Congress fails miserably on both the accounts. They at this point in time, are far from being a national alternative under the almost non-existence central leadership. Over the years, weak leadership at the top has also resulted in steep depletion of its cadre across the nation. Barring Punjab, Rajasthan and to an extent Karnataka, Congress has completely lost base on the ground. The loss has gone to an extent and to a point that it is now more or less irreversible.</p>

<p>In this scenario, a united front under the leadership of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi) is highly improbable. Regional parties know the political acumen and patronage of Rahul Gandhi and simply shy away from any association with them. Taking a cue from the SP-Congress tie-up last year in UP assembly poll, regional parties now realise that any association with Congress will only weaken their regional selling points among voters. The crux is that regional parties may be interested to shake hand with anybody, but Congress.</p>

<p>So the way politics is going on these days and the way regional parties are trying to keep themselves afloat amid the Modi wave, it is likely that Congress will be left alone in the race and votes will get polarised towards BJP and regional parties in days to come.</p>

<p>It is high time that Congress leadership smells the coffee before it gets too late. By answering the questions of gatherings in Singapore and Malaysia, the Congress president will not garner support back home. He needs to make his party relevant for those who really matter i.e. Indian voters.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of &#39;&#39;inventing story&#39;&#39; on Congress and &#39;&#39;data theft&#39;&#39; to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the &nbsp;ISIS in Iraq&#39;s Mosul.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking to his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi tweeted &#39;&#39;Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress &amp; Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved.&#39;&#39;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying.<br />
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Solution: Invent story on Congress &amp; Data Theft.<br />
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Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar.<br />
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Problem solved.</p>
&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/976680979199819776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company&#39;s service to win elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Responding to Rahul Gandhi&#39;s charges, BJP&#39;s &nbsp;Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday accused the Congress of maintaining conspicuous silence on their ties with Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CambridgeAnalytica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CambridgeAnalytica</a> &amp; they have had meetings also: Ravi Shankar Prasad at press briefing in Delhi.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976720885238390784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He said Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;Rahul Gandhi&#39;s entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica and they have had meetings also,&#39;&#39; Prasad said without producing any proof to buttress his claims.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of illegally harvesting Facebook users&#39; details to influence elections in several countries, and wondered if the party would now depend on &quot;data theft&quot; to woo voters.</p>

<p>The Congress, however, denied the charge and instead, accused the ruling party of using the services of the controversial firm. The BJP also rejected the allegation.</p>


The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica and wondered if the party would now depend on "data theft" to woo voters.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of ''inventing story'' on Congress and ''data theft'' to divert attention from the 39 Indians who were slaughtered by the ISIS in Iraq's Mosul. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi tweeted ''Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress & Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved.'' Problem: 39 Indians dead; Govt on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress & Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 22, 2018 × Since the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica came to light both Congress and BJP have been accusing each other of using the data mining service company's service to win elections. Responding to Rahul Gandhi's charges, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press briefing in New Delhi on Thursday accused the Congress of maintaining conspicuous silence on their ties with Cambridge Analytica. Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of #CambridgeAnalytica & they have had meetings also: Ravi Shankar Prasad at press briefing in Delhi. — ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2018 × He said Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica. ''Rahul Gandhi's entire social media campaign has been managed with the help of Cambridge Analytica and they have had meetings also,'' Prasad said without producing any proof to buttress his claims. The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of hiring the services of Cambridge Analytica, a data mining firm accused of illegally harvesting Facebook users' details to influence elections in several countries, and wondered if the party would now depend on "data theft" to woo voters. The Congress, however, denied the charge and instead, accused the ruling party of using the services of the controversial firm. The BJP also rejected the allegation.

Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of 'inventing story' to divert attention from 39 Indians slaughtered in Iraq

<p>Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, &nbsp;Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday.</p>

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<p>Refusing all the accusations, Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica. It is a fake agenda and white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: Randeep Surjewala, Congress <a href="https://t.co/rVb1LzkxpK">pic.twitter.com/rVb1LzkxpK</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976405864633589760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Calling&nbsp;Ravi Shankar Prasad&#39;s earlier accusations a &#39;&#39;fake agenda&#39;&#39;, Surjewala also added that &quot;white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad&quot;.</p>

<p>He also alleged that Rajnath Singh uses Cambridge Analytica in 2009 elections.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cambridge Analytica&#39;s linked website shows that in 2010 its services were used by BJP-JD(U). Firm&#39;s Indian partner Ovlene Business Intelligence (OBI) is being run by BJP ally&#39;s MP&#39;s son. OBI company&#39;s services were used by Rajnath Singh in 2009: Randeep Surjewala, Congress <a href="https://t.co/MU0ms3I61r">pic.twitter.com/MU0ms3I61r</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976409531633762304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Randeep Surjewala further said in the conference that &quot;BJP&#39;s factory of fake news has produced one more fake product today. It appears fake statements, fake press conferences &amp; fake agendas have become everyday character of BJP and its &#39;Lawless&#39; Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad&quot;.</p>

<p>BJP and Congress have got involved in a fight as they accused each other of using UK-based data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica.</p>

<p>Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad also accused Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also said that the Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rsprasad</a></p>
&mdash; RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRSP/status/976365846737178624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).</p>

<p>The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.</p>


Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday

Amid allegations of Congress using services of Cambridge Analytica for 2019 elections, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala held a press conference to clarify the allegations on Wednesday. × Refusing all the accusations, Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica. It is a fake agenda and white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad: Randeep Surjewala, Congress pic.twitter.com/rVb1LzkxpK — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Calling Ravi Shankar Prasad's earlier accusations a ''fake agenda'', Surjewala also added that "white lie being dished out by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad". He also alleged that Rajnath Singh uses Cambridge Analytica in 2009 elections. Cambridge Analytica's linked website shows that in 2010 its services were used by BJP-JD(U). Firm's Indian partner Ovlene Business Intelligence (OBI) is being run by BJP ally's MP's son. OBI company's services were used by Rajnath Singh in 2009: Randeep Surjewala, Congress pic.twitter.com/MU0ms3I61r — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Randeep Surjewala further said in the conference that "BJP's factory of fake news has produced one more fake product today. It appears fake statements, fake press conferences & fake agendas have become everyday character of BJP and its 'Lawless' Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad". BJP and Congress have got involved in a fight as they accused each other of using UK-based data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad also accused Congress Party of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. He also said that the Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost its president Rahul Gandhi's profile. He asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. There were news reports about use of bots to artificially increase the social media following of Rahul Gandhi in recent time: @rsprasad — RSPrasad Office (@OfficeOfRSP) March 21, 2018 × Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica: Congress

<p>Aam Aadmi Party members met with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday over the ongoing sealing drive issue in the capital city. A Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee was set up to find a solution to the sealing drive issue.</p>

<p>&quot;Representatives of all 3 parties along with Council of Ministers met SC Monitoring Committee. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue,&quot; Kejriwal tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reps of all 3 parties alongwid Council of Min met SC Monitoring comm. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue. <a href="https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0">https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0</a></p>
&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/976375172533047296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive.</p>

<p>A Supreme Court-appointed committee ordered various municipal corporations in the national capital region to carry out sealing drives. Hundreds of commercial established have borne the brunt of the drive that began in December last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The sealing drive has been carried out to keep a check on the violators who did not pay &#39;conversion charges&#39; or violated Delhi Master Plan.&nbsp;</p>


After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive

Aam Aadmi Party members met with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday over the ongoing sealing drive issue in the capital city. A Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee was set up to find a solution to the sealing drive issue. "Representatives of all 3 parties along with Council of Ministers met SC Monitoring Committee. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue," Kejriwal tweeted. Reps of all 3 parties alongwid Council of Min met SC Monitoring comm. Urged them to stop sealing till SC judgement on this issue. https://t.co/znMZ2TeAh0 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 21, 2018 × After a meeting last week, the AAP and the Congress had agreed to hold an all-party meeting along with the Monitoring Committee to find a solution to the sealing drive. A Supreme Court-appointed committee ordered various municipal corporations in the national capital region to carry out sealing drives. Hundreds of commercial established have borne the brunt of the drive that began in December last year. The sealing drive has been carried out to keep a check on the violators who did not pay 'conversion charges' or violated Delhi Master Plan.

Delhi sealing drive: AAP, Congress, BJP leaders meet Supreme Court-appointed committee

<p>Refuting previous reports of Raj Babbar resigning from the post of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief he said, &quot;I don&#39;t know from where this rumour is doing the rounds&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I don&#39;t know from where this rumour is doing the rounds. In any case all of us in Congress are party workers,posts and positions are symbolic: Raj Babbar,Congress on reports of his resignation as UP state president <a href="https://t.co/AgouYdLHpk">pic.twitter.com/AgouYdLHpk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/976456319082356737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier in the day, there were reports that Raj Babbar has resigned after the Congress&rsquo; worst performance in recent Lok Sabha bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur</p>

<p>The two seats hold importance in state politics and the bypolls there were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath resigned from his Gorakhpur seat to form BJP government in the state, and Phulpur representative Keshav Prasad Maurya stepped down to take the post of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Monday, Goa Congress President Shantaram Naik resigned from his post.</p>

<p>Sources said there were four front-runners for the key post, but the party was likely to project a Brahmin face to counter BJP&rsquo;s moves to consolidate non-Yadav OBC and non-Jatav dalit vote bank.</p>


Refuting previous reports of Raj Babbar resigning from the post of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief he said, 'I don't know from where this rumour is doing the rounds'

Refuting previous reports of Raj Babbar resigning from the post of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief he said, "I don't know from where this rumour is doing the rounds". I don't know from where this rumour is doing the rounds. In any case all of us in Congress are party workers,posts and positions are symbolic: Raj Babbar,Congress on reports of his resignation as UP state president pic.twitter.com/AgouYdLHpk — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 21, 2018 × Earlier in the day, there were reports that Raj Babbar has resigned after the Congress’ worst performance in recent Lok Sabha bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur The two seats hold importance in state politics and the bypolls there were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath resigned from his Gorakhpur seat to form BJP government in the state, and Phulpur representative Keshav Prasad Maurya stepped down to take the post of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister. On Monday, Goa Congress President Shantaram Naik resigned from his post. Sources said there were four front-runners for the key post, but the party was likely to project a Brahmin face to counter BJP’s moves to consolidate non-Yadav OBC and non-Jatav dalit vote bank.

UP Congress chief Raj Babbar clears resignation rumours

<p>The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Sambit Patra said &quot;BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites &amp; 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&amp;we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP <a href="https://t.co/vqU5HYdQv9">pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/976437284877885441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users.</p>

<p>Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm&#39;s services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi&#39;s profile.</p>

<p>He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company&#39;s role in his social media outreach.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations.</p>

<p>Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, &quot;Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,&quot;.</p>

<p>Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday (March 18).</p>

<p>The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.</p>


The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday

The official spokesperson of Bhartiya Janata Party, Sambit Patra addressed the allegations of BJP colluding with a data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2014 elections on Wednesday. Sambit Patra said "BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same and we have seen the named company has downed its website after the allegations that it was carrying the name of BJP". BJP has nothing to hide. Let me say that as far as 2014 BJP campaign is concerned 1,000 websites & 10,000 individuals had sought credit for the same&we have seen the named company has downed its website after allegation that it was carrying the name of BJP: Sambit Patra, BJP pic.twitter.com/vqU5HYdQv9 — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2018 × Amid the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach row, BJP and Congress have accused each other of using services of Cambridge Analytica to illegally mining private data of Facebook users. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Congress Party in a press conference, of having ties with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica whiles alleging that Congress is planning to use the firm's services for the next Lok Sabha elections and to boost Rahul Gandhi's profile. He further asked Rahul Gandhi to explain the company's role in his social media outreach. Meanwhile, Congress has denied all allegations. Refusing accusations, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said, "Indian National Congress or the Congress President has never used or never hired the services of a company called Cambridge Analytica,". Cambridge Analytica has been accused of harvesting private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday (March 18). The reports have mentioned that the firm has worked for Indian clients as well.

Cambridge Analytica-Facebook row: BJP has nothing to hide says Sambit Patra

<p>After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and&nbsp;Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to &quot;Arvind Sorry Kejriwal&quot;.</p>

<p>The party also said that Kejriwal will also have to apologise to the people of Delhi and country for &quot;deceiving&quot; them.</p>

<p>Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjwala said, &quot;There is a sorry Chief Minister in the country. He should change his name to Arvind Sorry Kejriwal. This is just the beginning of his trail of saying sorry, and not the end. He also has to apologise to the people of Delhi and the country, whom he has deceived&quot;.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had on Monday written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal expressing regret for &#39;&#39;unverified allegations&quot; made against them.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-writes-to-nitin-gadkari-regretting-unverified-allegations-36355" target="_blank">Arvind Kejriwal writes to Nitin Gadkari regretting &#39;unverified allegations&#39; </a></p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-nitin-gadkari-kejriwal-apologises-to-senior-congress-leader-kapil-sibal-36370" target="_blank">After Nitin Gadkari, Kejriwal apologises to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal</a></p>

<p>After the AAP chief&nbsp;tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-kejriwal-apology-to-majithia-bhagwant-mann-resigns-as-aap-president-in-punjab-35998" target="_blank">Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia</a>&nbsp;which resulted in the resignation&nbsp;of prominent AAP leader&nbsp;Bhagwant Mann.</p>

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After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to 'Arvind Sorry Kejriwal'

After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to "Arvind Sorry Kejriwal". The party also said that Kejriwal will also have to apologise to the people of Delhi and country for "deceiving" them. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjwala said, "There is a sorry Chief Minister in the country. He should change his name to Arvind Sorry Kejriwal. This is just the beginning of his trail of saying sorry, and not the end. He also has to apologise to the people of Delhi and the country, whom he has deceived". Kejriwal had on Monday written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal expressing regret for ''unverified allegations" made against them. Also read: Arvind Kejriwal writes to Nitin Gadkari regretting 'unverified allegations' Also read: After Nitin Gadkari, Kejriwal apologises to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal After the AAP chief tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn. Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia which resulted in the resignation of prominent AAP leader Bhagwant Mann.

Change name to Arvind 'Sorry' Kejriwal: Congress

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