British Prime Minister<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-government-gives-up-trying-to-stop-brexit-delay-bill-in-parliament-247721"> Boris Johnson</a> was on Thursday kicking off what is in effect an election campaign, casting an alliance of opposition parties trying to block a 'no-deal' Brexit as defeatists surrendering to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-government-gives-up-trying-to-stop-brexit-delay-bill-in-parliament-247721">European Union</a>.

As the United Kingdom spins towards an election, Brexit remains up in the air more than three years after Britons voted to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum. Options range from a turbulent 'no-deal' exit to abandoning the whole endeavour.

After wresting control of the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, an alliance of opposition parties and rebels expelled from Johnson's Conservative party voted to force him to seek a three-month delay to Brexit rather than leaving without a deal on October 31, the date now set in law.

Behind the sound and the fury of the Brexit crisis, an election now beckons for a polarised country.

The main choices on offer are Johnson's radical insistence on leaving the EU on October 31, come what may, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's hard-left socialist vision, coupled with a promise of a fresh referendum with an option to stay in the EU.

"Boris will argue that it is now time for the people to decide after parliament has failed them, so we can resolve this once and for all," a spokesman for the prime minister said.

"Jeremy Corbyn continues not only to block Brexit but is now also stopping the people from having their say by refusing a general election."

The opposition Labour Party cast Johnson's language - including calling Corbyn a "chicken" - as pathetic, said he was trying to act like US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, and compared him to a 3-year-old toddler having a tantrum.

An election adds a new twist to a Brexit crisis that has for three years overshadowed European Union affairs, eroded Britain's reputation as a stable pillar of the West and seen sterling twitch in tune to the probability of a 'no-deal' exit.

Asked if Brexit would happen on October 31, Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings told Reuters: "Trust the people."

Against the dollar, the pound fell 0.3 per cent to $1.2211, after jumping 1.4 per cent on Wednesday in the sense that the prospect of a 'no-deal' exit had receded. UBS Global Wealth Management said sterling could rally to $1.30 if Brexit was delayed until January 2020 and an election was held after October.&nbsp;

'Trust the people'

Johnson, the face of the 2016 Vote Leave campaign, has pushed for an election on October 15, two weeks before the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, though opposition parties are debating which date they would accept.

"We are saying, yeah, bring on a general election, of course," said John McDonnell, the Labour Party's second most powerful man.

"We will ensure that happens after we have got the legislation to protect against a 'no-deal' Brexit. But we will consult and do it on at the date on which we will think will have the maximum advantage against a 'no-deal'," he said.

While sterling rose on parliament's bid to block a no-deal exit, an election before Brexit would allow him, if he won, to repeal the blocking bill, which was passed by 329-300 and then 327-299 in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The law will pass the upper house, the Lords, by Friday evening.

Johnson's finance minister, Sajid Javid, opened up the possibility of a change to the October 15 date but said the government could strike a renegotiated Brexit deal with Brussels and get it through parliament before October 31.

But the EU, and Germany and France in particular, have repeatedly called on Britain to make specific proposals on how it wants to change the agreement struck by Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, in November.

Diplomats said an election campaign would halt any Brexit talks with the EU and expressed frustration with the turmoil of British politics at such an important juncture in European history.

"The UK side continues to produce chaos and it is very hard to predict anything," said one EU diplomat.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Thursday kicking off what is in effect an election campaign, casting an alliance of opposition parties trying to block a 'no-deal' Brexit as defeatists surrendering to the European Union.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on Thursday kicking off what is in effect an election campaign, casting an alliance of opposition parties trying to block a 'no-deal' Brexit as defeatists surrendering to the European Union. As the United Kingdom spins towards an election, Brexit remains up in the air more than three years after Britons voted to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum. Options range from a turbulent 'no-deal' exit to abandoning the whole endeavour. After wresting control of the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, an alliance of opposition parties and rebels expelled from Johnson's Conservative party voted to force him to seek a three-month delay to Brexit rather than leaving without a deal on October 31, the date now set in law. Behind the sound and the fury of the Brexit crisis, an election now beckons for a polarised country. The main choices on offer are Johnson's radical insistence on leaving the EU on October 31, come what may, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's hard-left socialist vision, coupled with a promise of a fresh referendum with an option to stay in the EU. "Boris will argue that it is now time for the people to decide after parliament has failed them, so we can resolve this once and for all," a spokesman for the prime minister said. "Jeremy Corbyn continues not only to block Brexit but is now also stopping the people from having their say by refusing a general election." The opposition Labour Party cast Johnson's language - including calling Corbyn a "chicken" - as pathetic, said he was trying to act like US President Donald Trump, and compared him to a 3-year-old toddler having a tantrum. An election adds a new twist to a Brexit crisis that has for three years overshadowed European Union affairs, eroded Britain's reputation as a stable pillar of the West and seen sterling twitch in tune to the probability of a 'no-deal' exit. Asked if Brexit would happen on October 31, Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings told Reuters: "Trust the people." Against the dollar, the pound fell 0.3 per cent to $1.2211, after jumping 1.4 per cent on Wednesday in the sense that the prospect of a 'no-deal' exit had receded. UBS Global Wealth Management said sterling could rally to $1.30 if Brexit was delayed until January 2020 and an election was held after October. 'Trust the people' Johnson, the face of the 2016 Vote Leave campaign, has pushed for an election on October 15, two weeks before the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, though opposition parties are debating which date they would accept. "We are saying, yeah, bring on a general election, of course," said John McDonnell, the Labour Party's second most powerful man. "We will ensure that happens after we have got the legislation to protect against a 'no-deal' Brexit. But we will consult and do it on at the date on which we will think will have the maximum advantage against a 'no-deal'," he said. While sterling rose on parliament's bid to block a no-deal exit, an election before Brexit would allow him, if he won, to repeal the blocking bill, which was passed by 329-300 and then 327-299 in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The law will pass the upper house, the Lords, by Friday evening. Johnson's finance minister, Sajid Javid, opened up the possibility of a change to the October 15 date but said the government could strike a renegotiated Brexit deal with Brussels and get it through parliament before October 31. But the EU, and Germany and France in particular, have repeatedly called on Britain to make specific proposals on how it wants to change the agreement struck by Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, in November. Diplomats said an election campaign would halt any Brexit talks with the EU and expressed frustration with the turmoil of British politics at such an important juncture in European history. "The UK side continues to produce chaos and it is very hard to predict anything," said one EU diplomat.

British PM Boris Johnson kicks off election campaign as parliament blocks no-deal Brexit

In a first in the country, campaigning for nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal going to polls in the last phase came to an end at 10 pm on Thursday, 20 hours before the scheduled time, as per orders of the Election Commission.

Polling will be held in nine constituencies of south Bengal on Sunday where an electorate of 1,49,63,064 will decide the fate of 111 candidates, the EC said.

Seats in which elections will be held on Sunday are Kolkata North and Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar (SC) and Mathurapur (SC) seats.

In a first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission had Wednesday ordered campaigning in the nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday, instead of 6 pm on Friday, in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC in the city during Amit Shah's roadshow.

A total 710 companies of central forces are being deployed by the EC to cover almost all polling booths of the nine seats to ensure free and fair voting on Sunday, officials in the poll panel said.

The nine seats are spread across the three districts of Kolkata, South and North 24 Parganas. Eight seats, barring the Jadavpur seat, will see a four-cornered contest between the Trinamool Congress, the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front.

Jadavpur will witness a triangular fight as the Congress has not put up its candidate in the seat.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iew-the-final-showdown-in-west-bengal-219217/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The high-voltage campaign saw poll meetings by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/cctv-footage-of-vandalisation-of-ishwar-chandra-vidyasagars-statute-should-be-released-pm-modi-219213">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>, BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congres supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The prime minister held two poll meetings on the last day at Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas and Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas, while Banerjee held two road shows at Behala and Jadavpur areas of the city and two poll meetings at Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour.

Shah's roadshow in the city on Tuesday saw violence and destruction of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's bust in a college in north Kolkata named after him.

In the Dum Dum seat, the BJP has fielded Samik Bhattacharya against sitting TMC MP Saugata Ray. Left Front major CPI(M) has nominated Nepaldeb Bhattacharya, while the Congress announced the name of Saurav Saha.

In Barasat, TMC MP Kakoli Ghoshdastidar is contesting against BJP's Mrinal Kanti Debnath. The Congress has nominated Subrata Dutta and Left Front Constituent All India Forward Bloc Haripada Biswas.

Basirhat Lok Sabha seat will see TMC's celebrity candidate Nusrat Jahan Ruhi locking horns with BJP's Sayantan Basu. The Congress has nominated Quazi Abdur Rahim and the Left Front constituent CPI, Pallab Sengupta.

In Jayanagar(SC) seat TMC's Pratima Mondal will contest against Dr Ashok Kandary of BJP. The Congress has fielded Tapan Mondal and Left Front constituent RSP Subhas Naskar.

Choudhury Mohan Jatua is the TMC candidate from Mathurapur (SC) seat against BJP's Shyama Prasad Halder. The Congress has nominated Krittibas Sardar and the CPI(M) has fielded Dr Sarat Chandra Haldar for the seat.

In Diamond Harbour, sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of TMC supremo and considered the number two in the party, is seeking re-election from the seat. He will contest against BJP's Nilanjan Roy. The CPI(M) has nominated Fuad Halim and the Congress Soumya Aich Roy for the seat.

In the Jadavpur seat, TMC's celebrity candidate Mimi Chakraborty will contest against Anupam Hazra of the BJP. The CPI(M) has fielded senior leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.

Mala Roy is the TMC candidate from Kolkata South seat against BJP's Chandra Kumar Bose. The CPI(M) has nominated Nandini Mukherjee and the Congress has fielded Mita Chakraborty.

In Kolkata North, Sudip Bandyopadhyay will contest against Rahul Sinha, the BJP national secretary. The CPI(M) has fielded Kaninika Bose and the Congress, Syed Shahid Imam.

The polling personnel have left for the 17,042 booths in the nine seats, the officials said.

Besides general election observers and expenditure observers, the poll panel has for the first time deployed a special police observer and a special observer.

In another first, VVPAT will be used in all the polling booths along with the EVMs, EC officials said.&nbsp;

In a first in the country, campaigning for nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal going to polls in the last phase came to an end at 10 pm on Thursday, 20 hours before the scheduled time, as per orders of the Election Commission.

In a first in the country, campaigning for nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal going to polls in the last phase came to an end at 10 pm on Thursday, 20 hours before the scheduled time, as per orders of the Election Commission. Polling will be held in nine constituencies of south Bengal on Sunday where an electorate of 1,49,63,064 will decide the fate of 111 candidates, the EC said. Seats in which elections will be held on Sunday are Kolkata North and Kolkata South, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar (SC) and Mathurapur (SC) seats. In a first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission had Wednesday ordered campaigning in the nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday, instead of 6 pm on Friday, in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC in the city during Amit Shah's roadshow. A total 710 companies of central forces are being deployed by the EC to cover almost all polling booths of the nine seats to ensure free and fair voting on Sunday, officials in the poll panel said. The nine seats are spread across the three districts of Kolkata, South and North 24 Parganas. Eight seats, barring the Jadavpur seat, will see a four-cornered contest between the Trinamool Congress, the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front. Jadavpur will witness a triangular fight as the Congress has not put up its candidate in the seat. × The high-voltage campaign saw poll meetings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Congress leader Sachin Pilot and West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congres supremo Mamata Banerjee. The prime minister held two poll meetings on the last day at Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas and Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas, while Banerjee held two road shows at Behala and Jadavpur areas of the city and two poll meetings at Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour. Shah's roadshow in the city on Tuesday saw violence and destruction of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's bust in a college in north Kolkata named after him. In the Dum Dum seat, the BJP has fielded Samik Bhattacharya against sitting TMC MP Saugata Ray. Left Front major CPI(M) has nominated Nepaldeb Bhattacharya, while the Congress announced the name of Saurav Saha. In Barasat, TMC MP Kakoli Ghoshdastidar is contesting against BJP's Mrinal Kanti Debnath. The Congress has nominated Subrata Dutta and Left Front Constituent All India Forward Bloc Haripada Biswas. Basirhat Lok Sabha seat will see TMC's celebrity candidate Nusrat Jahan Ruhi locking horns with BJP's Sayantan Basu. The Congress has nominated Quazi Abdur Rahim and the Left Front constituent CPI, Pallab Sengupta. In Jayanagar(SC) seat TMC's Pratima Mondal will contest against Dr Ashok Kandary of BJP. The Congress has fielded Tapan Mondal and Left Front constituent RSP Subhas Naskar. Choudhury Mohan Jatua is the TMC candidate from Mathurapur (SC) seat against BJP's Shyama Prasad Halder. The Congress has nominated Krittibas Sardar and the CPI(M) has fielded Dr Sarat Chandra Haldar for the seat. In Diamond Harbour, sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of TMC supremo and considered the number two in the party, is seeking re-election from the seat. He will contest against BJP's Nilanjan Roy. The CPI(M) has nominated Fuad Halim and the Congress Soumya Aich Roy for the seat. In the Jadavpur seat, TMC's celebrity candidate Mimi Chakraborty will contest against Anupam Hazra of the BJP. The CPI(M) has fielded senior leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya. Mala Roy is the TMC candidate from Kolkata South seat against BJP's Chandra Kumar Bose. The CPI(M) has nominated Nandini Mukherjee and the Congress has fielded Mita Chakraborty. In Kolkata North, Sudip Bandyopadhyay will contest against Rahul Sinha, the BJP national secretary. The CPI(M) has fielded Kaninika Bose and the Congress, Syed Shahid Imam. The polling personnel have left for the 17,042 booths in the nine seats, the officials said. Besides general election observers and expenditure observers, the poll panel has for the first time deployed a special police observer and a special observer. In another first, VVPAT will be used in all the polling booths along with the EVMs, EC officials said.

Campaigning ends for seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bengal

Congress launched it's election campaign slogan as 'Ab Hoga NYAY'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn a sharp rebuke from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealanders-begin-to-give-up-guns-after-mosque-attacks-204219">New Zealand</a> for using controversial video shot by the Christchurch mosque gunman as an election campaign prop.

Erdogan, campaigning for local elections this month, has presented the attack as part of an assault on Turkey and Islam more broadly and projected the video of the killings at his rallies over the weekend.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters protested on Monday that such politicisation of the massacre "imperils the future and safety of the New Zealand people and our people abroad, and it's totally unfair".

Peters announced on Tuesday that he would be travelling to Turkey this week at Istanbul's request to attend a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Three Turkish nationals were wounded in the rampage, that killed 50 worshippers at two mosques in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday.

The accused gunman, a self-avowed white supremacist from Australia, livestreamed video of much of the attack and spread a 72-page manifesto on social media claiming it was a strike against Muslim "invaders".

The manifesto references Turkey and the minarets of Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia, now a museum, that was once a church before becoming a mosque during the Ottoman empire. 
New Zealand authorities moved quickly to try and stop the spread of the shooter's video, warning that anyone sharing the footage faced prosecution, and Facebook removed the images from hundreds of thousands of its pages.

But at weekend campaign events, Erdogan projected the video and repeatedly referenced the attack, which he portrayed as a sign of rising Islamophobia that the West has ignored.

"This is not an isolated event, it is something more organised," he said during a campaign event on Monday in Canakkale in western Turkey.

"They are testing us with the message they are sending us from New Zealand, 16,500 km (10,250 miles) from here." Erdogan did not project the video at the Monday event.

Peters said he had complained directly to visiting Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

"We made it very clear that we oppose terrorism in whatever shape and form it might be and that we are for a free and open society," Peters said he told the Turkish officials.

"We had a long dialogue on the need for any other country, or Turkey for that matter, to ensure that our country, New Zealand, was not misrepresented," he told a press conference.

"We did not start or bring about this disaster and they clearly understood that," he said. 
Speaking Tuesday of the upcoming OIC meeting in Istanbul, Peters said: "This important event will allow New Zealand to join with our partners in standing against terrorism and speaking up for values such as understanding and religious tolerance."

"We are very clear that the terrorist attack in Christchurch, committed by a person who is not a New Zealander, is utterly contrary to our core beliefs," he said.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn a sharp rebuke from New Zealand for using controversial video shot by the Christchurch mosque gunman as an election campaign prop.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn a sharp rebuke from New Zealand for using controversial video shot by the Christchurch mosque gunman as an election campaign prop. Erdogan, campaigning for local elections this month, has presented the attack as part of an assault on Turkey and Islam more broadly and projected the video of the killings at his rallies over the weekend. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters protested on Monday that such politicisation of the massacre "imperils the future and safety of the New Zealand people and our people abroad, and it's totally unfair". Peters announced on Tuesday that he would be travelling to Turkey this week at Istanbul's request to attend a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Three Turkish nationals were wounded in the rampage, that killed 50 worshippers at two mosques in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday. The accused gunman, a self-avowed white supremacist from Australia, livestreamed video of much of the attack and spread a 72-page manifesto on social media claiming it was a strike against Muslim "invaders". The manifesto references Turkey and the minarets of Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia, now a museum, that was once a church before becoming a mosque during the Ottoman empire. New Zealand authorities moved quickly to try and stop the spread of the shooter's video, warning that anyone sharing the footage faced prosecution, and Facebook removed the images from hundreds of thousands of its pages. But at weekend campaign events, Erdogan projected the video and repeatedly referenced the attack, which he portrayed as a sign of rising Islamophobia that the West has ignored. "This is not an isolated event, it is something more organised," he said during a campaign event on Monday in Canakkale in western Turkey. "They are testing us with the message they are sending us from New Zealand, 16,500 km (10,250 miles) from here." Erdogan did not project the video at the Monday event. Peters said he had complained directly to visiting Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "We made it very clear that we oppose terrorism in whatever shape and form it might be and that we are for a free and open society," Peters said he told the Turkish officials. "We had a long dialogue on the need for any other country, or Turkey for that matter, to ensure that our country, New Zealand, was not misrepresented," he told a press conference. "We did not start or bring about this disaster and they clearly understood that," he said. Speaking Tuesday of the upcoming OIC meeting in Istanbul, Peters said: "This important event will allow New Zealand to join with our partners in standing against terrorism and speaking up for values such as understanding and religious tolerance." "We are very clear that the terrorist attack in Christchurch, committed by a person who is not a New Zealander, is utterly contrary to our core beliefs," he said.

Erdogan uses mosque shooter video in campaign, New Zealand says 'totally unfair'

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje along with Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Prakash Javadekar on Monday flagged off the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the state elections.

"From today onwards the election campaign has finally begun in the state of Rajasthan. It has now initiated legally and formally for the coming general assembly polls. BJP is connected with the people from grass root level. The people of Rajasthan have always favoured development. I am fully assured that BJP will come to power again in the state," Raje told media here.

Raje further stated that the BJP will also bag the Tonk legislative constituency, from where Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief Sachin Pilot is contesting.

The assembly elections will take place in a single phase for all 200 seats on December 7. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje along with Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Prakash Javadekar on Monday flagged off the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the state elections.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje along with Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Prakash Javadekar on Monday flagged off the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the state elections. "From today onwards the election campaign has finally begun in the state of Rajasthan. It has now initiated legally and formally for the coming general assembly polls. BJP is connected with the people from grass root level. The people of Rajasthan have always favoured development. I am fully assured that BJP will come to power again in the state," Raje told media here. Raje further stated that the BJP will also bag the Tonk legislative constituency, from where Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) chief Sachin Pilot is contesting. The assembly elections will take place in a single phase for all 200 seats on December 7. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Rajasthan: CM Raje flags off BJP's election campaign

Dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday disapproved of the aggressive tone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches during the Karnataka assembly elections campaign, which concluded today, and sought to offer some 'advice'.

In a series of tweets, Sinha who has often contradicted his party's official stand -- tagged Modi and said becoming the prime minister does not make anyone the wisest.

Sir. Today, the election campaign will come to an end. Regardless of Dhan Shakti (power of wealth)...Ultimately Jan Shakti (power of the people) prevails, the actor-turned-politician tweeted in his trademark style.

In Sinha's tweets, his disenchantments over not being invited as a star campaigner for the BJP in the state elections were amply clear.&nbsp

Even though I am uninvited, like in other states, from Bihar to UP to Gujarat as a star campaigner, for reasons best known to all of us, I shall humbly suggest as an old friend, well-wisher and supporter of the party...Let's not cross limits. Let's not get personal. Issues should be conveyed in most beautiful way, keeping decorum. Maryada and Garima of honourable PM must be kept intact,' tweeted the Patna Sahib MP, tagging both Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah.

Why do we come with odd and ridiculous definitions.. Like PPP for INC (Pondicherry, Punjab and Pariwar)?, he tweeted, strongly disapproving the barbs hurled by the prime minister at the Congress during his election rallies.

During an election rally on May 5, Prime Minister Modi had mounted a scathing attack on the Congress over corruption, and asserted it will remain "Punjab, Puducherry, Parivar" Congress after its defeat in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

The state goes to polls on May 12 and counting of votes will take place on May 15.

Results will be announced on 15th. Anything can happen. Being PM does not make anyone the wisest in the country ?. For being PM requires no qualification ?.. Only majority...While for becoming Shankaracharya one requires great wisdom, experience and statesmanship," Sinha tweeted.&nbsp 
?What happens if your definition changes after results and your PPP becomes of the People by the People and for the People, or for that matter turns into Popular People's Party?, he said, again tagging Modi. 
?Let the people of Karnataka decide and let the best persons win," he signed off.&nbsp

In a series of tweets, Sinha who has often contradicted his party's official stand -- tagged Modi and said becoming the prime minister does not make anyone the wisest.

Dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday disapproved of the aggressive tone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches during the Karnataka assembly elections campaign, which concluded today, and sought to offer some 'advice'. In a series of tweets, Sinha who has often contradicted his party's official stand -- tagged Modi and said becoming the prime minister does not make anyone the wisest. Sir. Today, the election campaign will come to an end. Regardless of Dhan Shakti (power of wealth)...Ultimately Jan Shakti (power of the people) prevails, the actor-turned-politician tweeted in his trademark style. In Sinha's tweets, his disenchantments over not being invited as a star campaigner for the BJP in the state elections were amply clear. Even though I am uninvited, like in other states, from Bihar to UP to Gujarat as a star campaigner, for reasons best known to all of us, I shall humbly suggest as an old friend, well-wisher and supporter of the party...Let's not cross limits. Let's not get personal. Issues should be conveyed in most beautiful way, keeping decorum. Maryada and Garima of honourable PM must be kept intact,' tweeted the Patna Sahib MP, tagging both Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah. Why do we come with odd and ridiculous definitions.. Like PPP for INC (Pondicherry, Punjab and Pariwar)?, he tweeted, strongly disapproving the barbs hurled by the prime minister at the Congress during his election rallies. During an election rally on May 5, Prime Minister Modi had mounted a scathing attack on the Congress over corruption, and asserted it will remain "Punjab, Puducherry, Parivar" Congress after its defeat in the Karnataka Assembly polls. The state goes to polls on May 12 and counting of votes will take place on May 15. Results will be announced on 15th. Anything can happen. Being PM does not make anyone the wisest in the country ?. For being PM requires no qualification ?.. Only majority...While for becoming Shankaracharya one requires great wisdom, experience and statesmanship," Sinha tweeted. ?What happens if your definition changes after results and your PPP becomes of the People by the People and for the People, or for that matter turns into Popular People's Party?, he said, again tagging Modi. ?Let the people of Karnataka decide and let the best persons win," he signed off.

Karnataka polls: Shatrughan Sinha not happy with aggressive tone of PM's speeches

French former president Nicolas Sarkozy was told after two days in custody on Wednesday that he is being formally treated as a suspect as magistrates investigate claims his 2007 election campaign got funding from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The move made Sarkozy - who ruled from 2007 to 2012 and is still an influential behind-the-scenes player on the political right - the target of an inquiry into alleged cash handovers and wire transfers between Tripoli and Paris in the months before he won power.

It marked a dramatic acceleration in an inquiry that had largely faded in the news since it was opened five years ago, shortly after the 63-year-old left office.

Sarkozy has now been released from police custody but put under judicial supervision.

In French legal jargon, he was officially &quot;placed under investigation&quot; - a step judicial investigators can take if they have serious grounds for suspecting an offence. Being placed under investigation often but not always leads to trial.

The investigation will now focus on suspected offences that include passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealing the misuse of Libyan public funds, an official at the judiciary said on condition of anonymity, the standard way of communicating on such matters in France.

It is the second major investigation for Sarkozy, who also faced charges of illicit campaign spending overruns during his failed re-election bid in 2012.

The latest case concerns accusations by a Franco-Lebanese businessman, Ziad Takieddine, who says he helped funnel 5 million euros ($6 million) from Gaddafi&#39;s intelligence chief to Sarkozy&#39;s campaign chief ahead of the 2007 election.

Sarkozy himself has not commented publicly since he first answered a police summons for questioning on Tuesday. He has in the past dismissed the allegations as &quot;grotesque&quot; and described them as a &quot;manipulation&quot;. The source in the judiciary said he had denied any wrongdoing during questioning.

The inquiry began in 2013, after investigative website Mediapart published Takieddine&#39;s allegations.

In an interview with Lebanon&#39;s L&#39;Orient du Jour newspaper published on Tuesday, Takieddine said he acted as an intermediary between France and Libya during the time that Sarkozy served as interior minister, before his election bid.

Five months after Sarkozy was elected president, Gaddafi visited him in Paris, on his first state visit to a Western capital in decades. The eccentric Libyan leader pitched a Bedouin-style tent near the Elysee Palace.

Later, Sarkozy became one of the chief advocates of the NATO-led campaign against Gaddafi that resulted in the dictator&#39;s overthrow and killing by rebels in 2011.

Sarkozy, once branded a &quot;bling-bling&quot; president because of a penchant for flashy behaviour, has been dogged for years by political scandals, but none has led to a conviction.

He is not the first French president to be questioned by police after leaving office.

After leaving office, his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was convicted in 2011 of misusing public funds to maintain political friends in phantom jobs - making him the first French head of state to be convicted of a crime since Nazi collaborator Marshall Philippe Petain in 1945.

Sarkozy has now been released from police custody but put under judicial supervision.

French former president Nicolas Sarkozy was told after two days in custody on Wednesday that he is being formally treated as a suspect as magistrates investigate claims his 2007 election campaign got funding from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The move made Sarkozy - who ruled from 2007 to 2012 and is still an influential behind-the-scenes player on the political right - the target of an inquiry into alleged cash handovers and wire transfers between Tripoli and Paris in the months before he won power. It marked a dramatic acceleration in an inquiry that had largely faded in the news since it was opened five years ago, shortly after the 63-year-old left office. Sarkozy has now been released from police custody but put under judicial supervision. In French legal jargon, he was officially "placed under investigation" - a step judicial investigators can take if they have serious grounds for suspecting an offence. Being placed under investigation often but not always leads to trial. The investigation will now focus on suspected offences that include passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealing the misuse of Libyan public funds, an official at the judiciary said on condition of anonymity, the standard way of communicating on such matters in France. It is the second major investigation for Sarkozy, who also faced charges of illicit campaign spending overruns during his failed re-election bid in 2012. The latest case concerns accusations by a Franco-Lebanese businessman, Ziad Takieddine, who says he helped funnel 5 million euros ($6 million) from Gaddafi's intelligence chief to Sarkozy's campaign chief ahead of the 2007 election. Sarkozy himself has not commented publicly since he first answered a police summons for questioning on Tuesday. He has in the past dismissed the allegations as "grotesque" and described them as a "manipulation". The source in the judiciary said he had denied any wrongdoing during questioning. The inquiry began in 2013, after investigative website Mediapart published Takieddine's allegations. In an interview with Lebanon's L'Orient du Jour newspaper published on Tuesday, Takieddine said he acted as an intermediary between France and Libya during the time that Sarkozy served as interior minister, before his election bid. Five months after Sarkozy was elected president, Gaddafi visited him in Paris, on his first state visit to a Western capital in decades. The eccentric Libyan leader pitched a Bedouin-style tent near the Elysee Palace. Later, Sarkozy became one of the chief advocates of the NATO-led campaign against Gaddafi that resulted in the dictator's overthrow and killing by rebels in 2011. Sarkozy, once branded a "bling-bling" president because of a penchant for flashy behaviour, has been dogged for years by political scandals, but none has led to a conviction. He is not the first French president to be questioned by police after leaving office. After leaving office, his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was convicted in 2011 of misusing public funds to maintain political friends in phantom jobs - making him the first French head of state to be convicted of a crime since Nazi collaborator Marshall Philippe Petain in 1945.

France's Sarkozy told he is suspected of taking Gaddafi election money

Taking motivation from Gujarat Elections results, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be on tour for three days in Karnataka, ahead of assembly elections in the state.

During the visit, the newly elected party president of All India Congress Committee Rahul Gandhi will be continuing his temple run in the state after Gujarat.

The Gandhi scion will tour the state between February 10 and 12.&nbsp;

He will be visiting Sringeri Sharada Math on February 11 and Sri Krishna Math of Udupi February 12.&nbsp;Gandhi will also be conducting road shows and interact with farmers and coffee growers in Chikmagalur district in the evening.

Meanwhile, former chief minister of Karnataka and Congress leader&nbsp;Gundu Rao said that Rahul Gandhi is going to be a &quot;very key&quot; campaigner for the Congress in the state, news agency PTI reported.

Congress leader Anil Shastri said that Gandhi&#39;s visit to temples is just a matter of faith and not intended to create a vote bank.&nbsp;

Sensing religious wave in the country Congres has also adopted campaign with a touch of religion, as Rahul Gandhi has seen visiting Temples during the Gujarat elections as well.

Another Congress leader Digvijay Singh is also on &quot;Narmada Parikrama,&quot; visiting all temples along the banks of the river.

The tour starts from February 10 to February 12 of this year

Taking motivation from Gujarat Elections results, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be on tour for three days in Karnataka, ahead of assembly elections in the state. During the visit, the newly elected party president of All India Congress Committee Rahul Gandhi will be continuing his temple run in the state after Gujarat. The Gandhi scion will tour the state between February 10 and 12. He will be visiting Sringeri Sharada Math on February 11 and Sri Krishna Math of Udupi February 12. Gandhi will also be conducting road shows and interact with farmers and coffee growers in Chikmagalur district in the evening. Meanwhile, former chief minister of Karnataka and Congress leader Gundu Rao said that Rahul Gandhi is going to be a "very key" campaigner for the Congress in the state, news agency PTI reported. Congress leader Anil Shastri said that Gandhi's visit to temples is just a matter of faith and not intended to create a vote bank. Sensing religious wave in the country Congres has also adopted campaign with a touch of religion, as Rahul Gandhi has seen visiting Temples during the Gujarat elections as well. Another Congress leader Digvijay Singh is also on "Narmada Parikrama," visiting all temples along the banks of the river.

Rahul Gandhi to continue 'temple run' in Karnataka ahead of polls

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump in his Wednesday meeting told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that he will erect a border wall if elected but there were ambiguities over who would pay for it. 
 
&quot;We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders,&quot; Trump said at the presidential residence after meeting Pena Nieto. 
 
&quot;We didn&rsquo;t discuss who pays for the wall,&quot; Trump said. 
 
However, Pena Nieto soon took to Twitter, where he stated, &quot;At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.&quot; 
 
Trump&rsquo;s opponent, Democratic Hillary Clinton argued that Trump &quot;lied&quot; about whether he defended the core of his campaign when it counted. 
 
&quot;Trump just failed his first foreign test,&quot; Clinton tweeted. &quot;Diplomacy isn&rsquo;t as easy as it looks.&quot; 
 
Trump had launched his campaign last year saying Mexico was sending &quot;rapists&quot; and other criminals across the border. 
 
Pena Nieto had then compared Trump to with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini. 
 
On Wednesday, however, Pena Nieto was diplomatic. 
 
&quot;Even though we may not agree on everything, I trust that together we&rsquo;ll be able to find better prosperity and security,&quot; he stated. 
 
&quot;Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made. But I&rsquo;m sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare,&quot; Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. 
 
Trump has on many occasion in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the United States. Hardline immigration policies form the focus of his campaign. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump, with his immigration-based election campaign, has in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the US

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump in his Wednesday meeting told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that he will erect a border wall if elected but there were ambiguities over who would pay for it. "We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders," Trump said at the presidential residence after meeting Pena Nieto. "We didn’t discuss who pays for the wall," Trump said. However, Pena Nieto soon took to Twitter, where he stated, "At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall." Trump’s opponent, Democratic Hillary Clinton argued that Trump "lied" about whether he defended the core of his campaign when it counted. "Trump just failed his first foreign test," Clinton tweeted. "Diplomacy isn’t as easy as it looks." Trump had launched his campaign last year saying Mexico was sending "rapists" and other criminals across the border. Pena Nieto had then compared Trump to with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini. On Wednesday, however, Pena Nieto was diplomatic. "Even though we may not agree on everything, I trust that together we’ll be able to find better prosperity and security," he stated. "Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made. But I’m sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare," Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. Trump has on many occasion in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the United States. Hardline immigration policies form the focus of his campaign. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Mexico contradicts Trump on paying for border wall

Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a show of party unity on Tuesday, saying she was the best candidate to fix the country&#39;s problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election. 
 
With Clinton nodding in agreement beside him, Sanders put their bitter primary campaign behind them and said Clinton would take up the fight to ease economic inequality, make college more affordable and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans. 
 
&quot;This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face, and there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that,&quot; he told a raucous crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that included plenty of vocal Sanders supporters. 
 
&quot;I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States,&quot; the U.S. senator from Vermont said. 
 
His endorsement, coming five weeks after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, brought the most prominent holdout in the party&#39;s liberal wing into Clinton&#39;s camp. Sanders threw his support to Clinton less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she is expected to be formally nominated. 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t help but reflect on how much more enjoyable this election will be now that we are on the same side,&quot; Clinton said of Sanders. &quot;Thank you Bernie for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice.&quot; 
 
In a statement, the Trump campaign said Sanders was now officially part of the rigged system he had criticized during the long primary battle with Clinton. 
 
&quot;Bernie&#39;s endorsement becomes Exhibit A in our rigged system - the Democrat Party is disenfranchising its voters to benefit the select and privileged few,&quot; said Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump. 
 
Clinton hopes the joint appearance will help her win over Sanders supporters, some of whom carried Sanders signs into the rally and frequently drowned out her backers. In recent Reuters/Ipsos polling, only about 40 percent of Sanders backers said they would back Clinton, and the crowd at Tuesday&#39;s rally made it clear she still had work to do. 
 
&quot;I am absolutely certain I will not vote for Hillary Clinton,&quot; said Gale Bailey, a Sanders supporter and an unemployed graphic designer from Rochester, New Hampshire, who attended the rally in a Sanders T-shirt. 
 
&quot;She&#39;s a crook, and I&#39;m not going to vote for a crook,&quot; Bailey said, adding that she would write in Sanders&#39; name on the November ballot. 
 
Sanders victories on platform 
The appearance in Portsmouth concluded weeks of negotiations between the two camps as Sanders pressed for concessions from Clinton on his liberal policy agenda. 
 
It came after Clinton last week adopted elements of Sanders&#39; plans for free in-state college tuition and expanded affordable healthcare coverage. Sanders also successfully pushed to include an array of liberal policy positions in the Democratic platform, which a committee approved on Saturday. 
 
Sanders did not win all of his policy fights, most notably failing to win support for blocking a vote in Congress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. 
 
But he told the rally in Portsmouth that &quot;our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratically controlled Senate, a Democratically controlled House and a Hillary Clinton presidency &ndash; and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen.&quot; 
 
Top Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of the party&#39;s liberal wing, have already announced their support for Clinton, leaving Sanders at risk of being left behind in the Democratic battle against Trump. 
 
&quot;I think all signs point to the fact that we&#39;re going to have a very united party going into Philadelphia,&quot; Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said on CNN earlier on Tuesday, &quot;and when you compare it to the Republicans, we&#39;re going to be miles ahead of them.&quot; 
 
Trump has struggled to unify the Republican Party after alienating many establishment figures with his stances on immigration, Muslims and women. A number of prominent Republicans are skipping the party&#39;s convention in Cleveland next week. 
 
In another sign of the Democrats&#39; growing unity, two prominent liberal groups that had backed Sanders, the Communications Workers of America labor union and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, announced their support for Clinton on Monday.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Says she is the best candidate to fix the country's problems and beat Donald Trump

Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a show of party unity on Tuesday, saying she was the best candidate to fix the country's problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election. With Clinton nodding in agreement beside him, Sanders put their bitter primary campaign behind them and said Clinton would take up the fight to ease economic inequality, make college more affordable and expand healthcare coverage for all Americans. "This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face, and there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that," he told a raucous crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that included plenty of vocal Sanders supporters. "I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States," the U.S. senator from Vermont said. His endorsement, coming five weeks after Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, brought the most prominent holdout in the party's liberal wing into Clinton's camp. Sanders threw his support to Clinton less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she is expected to be formally nominated. "I can't help but reflect on how much more enjoyable this election will be now that we are on the same side," Clinton said of Sanders. "Thank you Bernie for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice." In a statement, the Trump campaign said Sanders was now officially part of the rigged system he had criticized during the long primary battle with Clinton. "Bernie's endorsement becomes Exhibit A in our rigged system - the Democrat Party is disenfranchising its voters to benefit the select and privileged few," said Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser to Trump. Clinton hopes the joint appearance will help her win over Sanders supporters, some of whom carried Sanders signs into the rally and frequently drowned out her backers. In recent Reuters/Ipsos polling, only about 40 percent of Sanders backers said they would back Clinton, and the crowd at Tuesday's rally made it clear she still had work to do. "I am absolutely certain I will not vote for Hillary Clinton," said Gale Bailey, a Sanders supporter and an unemployed graphic designer from Rochester, New Hampshire, who attended the rally in a Sanders T-shirt. "She's a crook, and I'm not going to vote for a crook," Bailey said, adding that she would write in Sanders' name on the November ballot. Sanders victories on platform The appearance in Portsmouth concluded weeks of negotiations between the two camps as Sanders pressed for concessions from Clinton on his liberal policy agenda. It came after Clinton last week adopted elements of Sanders' plans for free in-state college tuition and expanded affordable healthcare coverage. Sanders also successfully pushed to include an array of liberal policy positions in the Democratic platform, which a committee approved on Saturday. Sanders did not win all of his policy fights, most notably failing to win support for blocking a vote in Congress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. But he told the rally in Portsmouth that "our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratically controlled Senate, a Democratically controlled House and a Hillary Clinton presidency – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen." Top Democrats, including President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a favorite of the party's liberal wing, have already announced their support for Clinton, leaving Sanders at risk of being left behind in the Democratic battle against Trump. "I think all signs point to the fact that we're going to have a very united party going into Philadelphia," Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said on CNN earlier on Tuesday, "and when you compare it to the Republicans, we're going to be miles ahead of them." Trump has struggled to unify the Republican Party after alienating many establishment figures with his stances on immigration, Muslims and women. A number of prominent Republicans are skipping the party's convention in Cleveland next week. In another sign of the Democrats' growing unity, two prominent liberal groups that had backed Sanders, the Communications Workers of America labor union and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, announced their support for Clinton on Monday. (Reuters)

Sanders endorses Clinton in show of party unity

election-campaign

Election Campaign, News on Election Campaign, stories on Election Campaign, articles on Election Campaign, Election Campaign stories at Wion, Election Campaign news, Election Campaign latest news