Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stated that he is pretty sure of another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh, in middle of his statement, got caught in a poetic frenzy and said, "Chowkidar is not a chor, he is pure and another term for him is sure".&nbsp;

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed his Twitter handle to '<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-changes-name-on-twitter-to-chowkidar-narendra-modi-amit-shah-piyush-goyal-follow-suit-203811">Chowkidar' Narendra Modi</a>. Scores of BJP bigwigs, including party president Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, followed suit.&nbsp;

"Your Chowkidar is standing firm &amp; serving the nation," Modi had tweeted on.&nbsp;

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Union Minister &amp; BJP leader Rajnath Singh at a public rally in Delhi: Chowkidar chorr nahi, Chowkidar pure hai. Chowkidar ka dobara PM banana sure hai, desh ki samasyaon ka woh hi cure hai. <a href="https://t.co/5hcvCV6M96">pic.twitter.com/5hcvCV6M96</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1110433156560310274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"But, I am not alone," he said. "Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar."&nbsp;

"Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he added.&nbsp;

The Prime Minister had first referred to himself as the chowkidar (watchman) of the nation in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. "Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga (I will not be corrupt, I will not let others be corrupt)," he had said then. &nbsp;

On March 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his supporters to take the 'main bhai chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils.

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Your Chowkidar is standing firm &amp; serving the nation. 
 
But, I am not alone. 
 
Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. 
 
Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. 
 
Today, every Indian is saying-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MainBhiChowkidar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MainBhiChowkidar</a>
— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1106759555315314689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Your Chowkidar is standing firm and serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he wrote on Twitter.

He also posted a three-minute long video to drive home his message.

PM Modi has often described himself as a "chowkidar" by the opposition.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor hai" (watchman is the thief) jibe at the Prime Minister to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale fighter jet deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stated that he is pretty sure of another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh, in middle of his statement, got caught in a poetic frenzy and said, "Chowkidar is not a chor, he is pure and another term for him is sure".

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stated that he is pretty sure of another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh, in middle of his statement, got caught in a poetic frenzy and said, "Chowkidar is not a chor, he is pure and another term for him is sure". Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed his Twitter handle to 'Chowkidar' Narendra Modi. Scores of BJP bigwigs, including party president Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, followed suit. "Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation," Modi had tweeted on. Union Minister & BJP leader Rajnath Singh at a public rally in Delhi: Chowkidar chorr nahi, Chowkidar pure hai. Chowkidar ka dobara PM banana sure hai, desh ki samasyaon ka woh hi cure hai. pic.twitter.com/5hcvCV6M96 — ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2019 × "But, I am not alone," he said. "Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar." "Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he added. The Prime Minister had first referred to himself as the chowkidar (watchman) of the nation in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. "Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga (I will not be corrupt, I will not let others be corrupt)," he had said then. On March 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his supporters to take the 'main bhai chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils. Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar — Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 16, 2019 × "Your Chowkidar is standing firm and serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he wrote on Twitter. He also posted a three-minute long video to drive home his message. PM Modi has often described himself as a "chowkidar" by the opposition. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly hurling the "chowkidar chor hai" (watchman is the thief) jibe at the Prime Minister to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale fighter jet deal, a charge the BJP-led government has rejected.

Chowkidar is pure, another term for him is sure: Rajnath Singh goes poetic on Modi

The Congress has released its list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Odisha. According to reports, the party has fielded Biren Senapati, Ramesh Purohit, Shyamghan Pradhan and Shambhunath Panigrahi from Rourkela, Patnagarh, G Udaygiri and Hinjili, respectively.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lok-sabha-polls-congress-releases-sixth-list-of-candidates-204430">The Congress, last week, released its 6th list of candidates</a> for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections - seven from Maharashtra and two from Kerala, for the Lok Sabha election.&nbsp;

With this, the party has released names of 146 candidates for the election starting on April 11.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-polls-bjp-announces-list-of-100-candidates-for-odisha-assembly-polls-204777">Bharatiya Janata Party also released a list of 100 candidates</a> for assembly polls in Odisha last week.&nbsp;

Damodar Rout, Kusum Tete, Prakash Behera, and K Narayan Rao, who recently joined BJP after quitting BJD, have been given tickets to contest polls in the state. Rout has been fielded from Balikuda-Ersama assembly constituency, Prakash Behera from Salepur, Kusum Tete from Sundergarh and K Narayan Rao from Paralakhemundi, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

In the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP had won 10 out of 147 seats in Odisha.&nbsp;

Odisha will go to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will be voting simultaneously for the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Congress has released its list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Odisha. According to reports, the party has fielded Biren Senapati, Ramesh Purohit, Shyamghan Pradhan and Shambhunath Panigrahi from Rourkela, Patnagarh, G Udaygiri and Hinjili, respectively.

The Congress has released its list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls in Odisha. According to reports, the party has fielded Biren Senapati, Ramesh Purohit, Shyamghan Pradhan and Shambhunath Panigrahi from Rourkela, Patnagarh, G Udaygiri and Hinjili, respectively. The Congress, last week, released its 6th list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections - seven from Maharashtra and two from Kerala, for the Lok Sabha election. With this, the party has released names of 146 candidates for the election starting on April 11. The Bharatiya Janata Party also released a list of 100 candidates for assembly polls in Odisha last week. Damodar Rout, Kusum Tete, Prakash Behera, and K Narayan Rao, who recently joined BJP after quitting BJD, have been given tickets to contest polls in the state. Rout has been fielded from Balikuda-Ersama assembly constituency, Prakash Behera from Salepur, Kusum Tete from Sundergarh and K Narayan Rao from Paralakhemundi, news agency ANI reported. In the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP had won 10 out of 147 seats in Odisha. Odisha will go to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will be voting simultaneously for the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha. (With inputs from agencies)

Congress releases list of candidates for Odisha assembly polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday&nbsp;released its list of star campaigners for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.&nbsp;

According to reports, BJP's star campaigners include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah along with union ministers like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj.&nbsp;

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BJP has released list of star campaigners for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LokSabhaElections2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LokSabhaElections2019</a> for UP. PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti feature on the list. Names of LK Advani &amp; Murli Manohar Joshi missing from the list 40 star campaigners
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1110374857169166338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Interestingly, the party has kept out some of the tallest party leaders and political bigwigs like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi out from its list of 40 star campaigners.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the party is all set to launch its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-to-kick-off-campaign-blitz-in-bihar-as-poll-heat-picks-up-205646">Lok Sabha election campaign in Bihar</a>.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar on July 2, party sources said on Monday. He is expected to address election rallies in Jamui and Gaya.

Before PM's visit, party chief Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Bihar on March 29.

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its list of star campaigners for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to reports, BJP's star campaigners include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah along with union ministers like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its list of star campaigners for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to reports, BJP's star campaigners include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah along with union ministers like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj. BJP has released list of star campaigners for #LokSabhaElections2019 for UP. PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti feature on the list. Names of LK Advani & Murli Manohar Joshi missing from the list 40 star campaigners — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 26, 2019 × Interestingly, the party has kept out some of the tallest party leaders and political bigwigs like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi out from its list of 40 star campaigners. Meanwhile, the party is all set to launch its Lok Sabha election campaign in Bihar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bihar on July 2, party sources said on Monday. He is expected to address election rallies in Jamui and Gaya. Before PM's visit, party chief Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Bihar on March 29. (With inputs from ANI)

Lok Sabha polls: BJP's list of star campaigners skips Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced that Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

According to the seat-sharing arrangement, Samajwadi Party will contest 37 seats while BSP will fight on 38. Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal was being considered the third wheel of the alliance.&nbsp;

Lok Sabha 2019 will be held in seven phases starting April 11, ending on May 19. Uttar Pradesh will cast vote in seven phases.&nbsp;

On March 8, the Samajwadi Party had released its first list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, fielding party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from its stronghold Mainpuri.

The party later announced that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav would contest from Kannauj, where she is the sitting MP.

The party has decided to field MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav from the current seats of Badaun and Firozabad, respectively.&nbsp;

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced that Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced that Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) are now a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance in Uttar Pradesh. According to the seat-sharing arrangement, Samajwadi Party will contest 37 seats while BSP will fight on 38. Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal was being considered the third wheel of the alliance. Lok Sabha 2019 will be held in seven phases starting April 11, ending on May 19. Uttar Pradesh will cast vote in seven phases. On March 8, the Samajwadi Party had released its first list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, fielding party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from its stronghold Mainpuri. The party later announced that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav would contest from Kannauj, where she is the sitting MP. The party has decided to field MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav from the current seats of Badaun and Firozabad, respectively.

Lok Sabha polls: Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) join SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday expressed confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, stating that the Congress "will not get more than 60 seats" in the general elections.&nbsp;

Goyal said that he is confident of the BJP making a clean sweep, bagging more than 300 Lok Sabha seats. He targetted Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, criticising her political debut that happened just 60 days ahead of the general polls.&nbsp;

Goyal said Priyanka induction into politics at this juncture is just to "bail out her failed elder brother", news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

"Nation needs more serious politicians than the fly-by-night ones," he said.&nbsp;

Slamming Congress leader Sam Pitroda over his remarks on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/if-only-a-similar-deterrent-action-was-taken-after-mumbai-attack-sitharaman-on-balakot-airstrikes-205237">aggressive action against Pakistan</a>, Goyal said the BJP would give a befitting reply to terror attacks and not be 'apologetic' as the opposition party leaders, news agency PTI reported. &nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter on Friday, and in a series of tweets, lashed out at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/amit-shah-slams-rahul-gandhi-over-pitrodas-remarks-asks-do-you-consider-pulwama-attack-a-routine-incident-205033">Pitroda</a>. &nbsp;

"The most trusted advisor and guide of the Congress President has kick-started the Pakistan National Day celebrations on behalf of the Congress, ironically by demeaning India’s armed forces," PM Modi tweeted out.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday expressed confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, stating that the Congress "will not get more than 60 seats" in the general elections.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday expressed confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, stating that the Congress "will not get more than 60 seats" in the general elections. Goyal said that he is confident of the BJP making a clean sweep, bagging more than 300 Lok Sabha seats. He targetted Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, criticising her political debut that happened just 60 days ahead of the general polls. Goyal said Priyanka induction into politics at this juncture is just to "bail out her failed elder brother", news agency ANI reported. "Nation needs more serious politicians than the fly-by-night ones," he said. Slamming Congress leader Sam Pitroda over his remarks on aggressive action against Pakistan, Goyal said the BJP would give a befitting reply to terror attacks and not be 'apologetic' as the opposition party leaders, news agency PTI reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter on Friday, and in a series of tweets, lashed out at Pitroda. "The most trusted advisor and guide of the Congress President has kick-started the Pakistan National Day celebrations on behalf of the Congress, ironically by demeaning India’s armed forces," PM Modi tweeted out. (With inputs from agencies)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's political debut is just to 'bail out her failed elder brother': Piyush Goyal

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh on Saturday said that a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee will be held later in the day today, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

Singh said that the leaders are likely to take a final call on 6 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, following which the names of the candidates will be declared.

Singh's remarks came a day after the party released a list of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-polls-bjp-releases-list-of-36-candidates-sambit-patra-to-contest-from-puri-204967">36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls</a> in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and Odisha ahead of the general elections on Friday.&nbsp;

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Former Chhattisgarh CM Dr Raman Singh: A meeting of BJP Central Election Committee will be held today &amp; I think final decision on 6 Lok Sabha seats (in Chhattisgarh) will be taken &amp; candidates for these seats will be declared. <a href="https://t.co/3yqhM5pGp9">pic.twitter.com/3yqhM5pGp9</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1109300999716524032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The party has fielded Girish Bapat from Pune (Maharashtra), its national spokesperson Sambit Patra from Puri (Odisha), Dilip Kumar Kilaru from Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Bharati Pawar from Dindori (Maharashtra) and Sanbor Shullai from Shillong (Meghalaya).

The decision was taken after a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the BJP in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others.

The BJP on Thursday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming polls comprising 184 candidates including some of the biggest names in the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and Union ministers like Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. BJP president Amit Shah replaced L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow.&nbsp;

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh on Saturday said that a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee will be held later in the day today, news agency ANI reported.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh on Saturday said that a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee will be held later in the day today, news agency ANI reported. Singh said that the leaders are likely to take a final call on 6 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, following which the names of the candidates will be declared. Singh's remarks came a day after the party released a list of 36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and Odisha ahead of the general elections on Friday. Former Chhattisgarh CM Dr Raman Singh: A meeting of BJP Central Election Committee will be held today & I think final decision on 6 Lok Sabha seats (in Chhattisgarh) will be taken & candidates for these seats will be declared. pic.twitter.com/3yqhM5pGp9 — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2019 × The party has fielded Girish Bapat from Pune (Maharashtra), its national spokesperson Sambit Patra from Puri (Odisha), Dilip Kumar Kilaru from Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Bharati Pawar from Dindori (Maharashtra) and Sanbor Shullai from Shillong (Meghalaya). The decision was taken after a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the BJP in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others. The BJP on Thursday released its first list of candidates for the upcoming polls comprising 184 candidates including some of the biggest names in the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and Union ministers like Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. BJP president Amit Shah replaced L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow.

Final call on 6 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh likely to be taken today: Raman Singh

The National Democratic Alliance on Saturday released its list for 39 out of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which will contest the general polls in Bihar in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), will contest 17 seats.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to reports, the JD(U) will also fight on 17 seats while 6 seats go to the LPJ.&nbsp;

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will contest from Shatrughan Sinha's Patna Sahib seat.

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BJP in-charge for Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to be BJP’s candidate from Patna Sahib.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LokSabhaElections2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LokSabhaElections2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/LIVPmAFOLA">pic.twitter.com/LIVPmAFOLA</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1109333651559317509?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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BJP's party in-charge for Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav announced that Lok Janshakti Party's Chandan Kumar will contest from Nawada. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan's son, Chirag Paswan, is fielded from Jamui seat while his brother&nbsp;Ram Vilas Paswan's brother Pashupati Kumar Paras to contest from Hajipur

Besides this, Ramkirpal Yadav will contest from Patliputra, RK Singh from Arrah, Aswani Choubey from Buxar, Radha Mohan Singh from East Champaran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Saran, Yadav stated.

Meanwhile, former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh on Saturday said that a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee will be held later in the day today, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

Singh said that the leaders are likely to take a final call on 6 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, following which the names of the candidates will be declared.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released a list of 36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and Odisha ahead of the general elections.

The party has fielded Girish Bapat from Pune (Maharashtra), its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-polls-bjp-releases-list-of-36-candidates-sambit-patra-to-contest-from-puri-204967">national spokesperson Sambit Patra from Puri (Odisha)</a>, Dilip Kumar Kilaru from Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Bharati Pawar from Dindori (Maharashtra) and Sanbor Shullai from Shillong (Meghalaya).

The decision was taken after a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the BJP in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others.

The National Democratic Alliance on Saturday released its list for 39 out of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which will contest the general polls in Bihar in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), will contest 17 seats.

The National Democratic Alliance on Saturday released its list for 39 out of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which will contest the general polls in Bihar in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), will contest 17 seats. According to reports, the JD(U) will also fight on 17 seats while 6 seats go to the LPJ. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will contest from Shatrughan Sinha's Patna Sahib seat. BJP in-charge for Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to be BJP’s candidate from Patna Sahib.#LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/LIVPmAFOLA — ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2019 × BJP's party in-charge for Bihar, Bhupendra Yadav announced that Lok Janshakti Party's Chandan Kumar will contest from Nawada. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan's son, Chirag Paswan, is fielded from Jamui seat while his brother Ram Vilas Paswan's brother Pashupati Kumar Paras to contest from Hajipur Besides this, Ramkirpal Yadav will contest from Patliputra, RK Singh from Arrah, Aswani Choubey from Buxar, Radha Mohan Singh from East Champaran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Saran, Yadav stated. Meanwhile, former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP leader Dr Raman Singh on Saturday said that a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's central election committee will be held later in the day today, news agency ANI reported. Singh said that the leaders are likely to take a final call on 6 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, following which the names of the candidates will be declared. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday released a list of 36 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra and Odisha ahead of the general elections. The party has fielded Girish Bapat from Pune (Maharashtra), its national spokesperson Sambit Patra from Puri (Odisha), Dilip Kumar Kilaru from Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Bharati Pawar from Dindori (Maharashtra) and Sanbor Shullai from Shillong (Meghalaya). The decision was taken after a meeting of the Central Election Committee of the BJP in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj among others.

Lok Sabha polls: NDA releases list of candidates for Bihar, Ravi Shankar Prasad replaces Shatrughan Sinha in Patna Sahib seat

K. Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Thursday announced its candidates for all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.

The party has again fielded KCR's daughter K Kavitha from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat.

Besides her, Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy will contest from Nalgonda, Pasunuri Dayaker from Warangal, G Nagesh from Adilabad, Talasani Saikiran Yadav from Secunderabad, Manne Srinivas Reddy from Mahabubnagar and Puste Srikanth from Hyderabad, among others.

The party has also announced two names for the Legislative Council positions out of the four legislative council seats that are going to be vacated shortly.

The Telangana Chief Minister has picked Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy and Kukatpally TRS leader Kurmaiah Gari Naveen Rao for the two seats.

Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 Lok Sabha seats at stake on April 11.&nbsp;

K. Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Thursday announced its candidates for all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. The party has again fielded KCR's daughter K Kavitha from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat.

K. Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Thursday announced its candidates for all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. The party has again fielded KCR's daughter K Kavitha from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat. Besides her, Vemireddy Narasimha Reddy will contest from Nalgonda, Pasunuri Dayaker from Warangal, G Nagesh from Adilabad, Talasani Saikiran Yadav from Secunderabad, Manne Srinivas Reddy from Mahabubnagar and Puste Srikanth from Hyderabad, among others. The party has also announced two names for the Legislative Council positions out of the four legislative council seats that are going to be vacated shortly. The Telangana Chief Minister has picked Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukhender Reddy and Kukatpally TRS leader Kurmaiah Gari Naveen Rao for the two seats. Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 Lok Sabha seats at stake on April 11.

Lok Sabha elections: TRS announces candidates for 17 seats in Telangana

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-releases-first-list-of-182-candidates-for-lok-sabha-polls-modi-to-contest-from-varanasi-again-204704">Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday released</a> another list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls wherein Lalubhai Patel, a two-time MP from Daman and Diu, has been fielded from the Lok Sabha constituency. Patel won the Daman and Diu Lok Sabha constituency for BJP in 2009 and 2014 elections. Voting for the constituency will be held on April 23 during the third phase of polling, and counting of votes will take place on May 23.

In the meanwhile, the party also released a list of 100 candidates who will contest the assembly polls in Odisha.&nbsp;

Damodar Rout, Kusum Tete, Prakash Behera, and K Narayan Rao, who recently joined BJP after quitting BJD, have been given tickets to contest polls in the state. Rout has been fielded from Balikuda-Ersama assembly constituency, Prakash Behera from Salepur, Kusum Tete from Sundergarh and K Narayan Rao from Paralakhemundi, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

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BJP releases 2nd list of candidate for upcoming Lok Sabha elections - Lalubhai Patel to contest from Daman &amp; Diu Parliamentary constituency. The voting for the constituency will be held on 23rd April in the 3rd phase of polling. <a href="https://t.co/GsT37uknlm">pic.twitter.com/GsT37uknlm</a>
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In the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP had won 10 out of 147 seats in Odisha. Odisha will be going to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will be voting simultaneously for parliamentary and assembly constituencies. There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha.&nbsp;

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Besides this, the BJP also announced the names of 10 candidates in Telangana for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Former Congress leader and ex-Minister DK Aruna, who joined BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday, has been fielded from Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha constituency.&nbsp;

The party is yet to announce seven more candidates in Telangana. Hyderabad is touted to be the main Lok Sabha constituency for the BJP from where AIMIM party president Asaduddin Owaisi is contesting. Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 Lok Sabha seats on April 11.&nbsp;

The BJP released the first list of candidates for the upcoming polls comprising 184 candidates including some of the biggest names in the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and Union ministers like Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. BJP president Amit Shah replaced L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday released another list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls wherein Lalubhai Patel, a two-time MP from Daman and Diu, has been fielded from the Lok Sabha constituency.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday released another list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls wherein Lalubhai Patel, a two-time MP from Daman and Diu, has been fielded from the Lok Sabha constituency. Patel won the Daman and Diu Lok Sabha constituency for BJP in 2009 and 2014 elections. Voting for the constituency will be held on April 23 during the third phase of polling, and counting of votes will take place on May 23. In the meanwhile, the party also released a list of 100 candidates who will contest the assembly polls in Odisha. Damodar Rout, Kusum Tete, Prakash Behera, and K Narayan Rao, who recently joined BJP after quitting BJD, have been given tickets to contest polls in the state. Rout has been fielded from Balikuda-Ersama assembly constituency, Prakash Behera from Salepur, Kusum Tete from Sundergarh and K Narayan Rao from Paralakhemundi, news agency ANI reported. BJP releases 2nd list of candidate for upcoming Lok Sabha elections - Lalubhai Patel to contest from Daman & Diu Parliamentary constituency. The voting for the constituency will be held on 23rd April in the 3rd phase of polling. pic.twitter.com/GsT37uknlm — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019 × In the 2014 Assembly elections, BJP had won 10 out of 147 seats in Odisha. Odisha will be going to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The state will be voting simultaneously for parliamentary and assembly constituencies. There are 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) releases list of 100 candidates for the upcoming Odisha assembly elections. pic.twitter.com/U3ywkecTxV — ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2019 × Besides this, the BJP also announced the names of 10 candidates in Telangana for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Former Congress leader and ex-Minister DK Aruna, who joined BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday, has been fielded from Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha constituency. The party is yet to announce seven more candidates in Telangana. Hyderabad is touted to be the main Lok Sabha constituency for the BJP from where AIMIM party president Asaduddin Owaisi is contesting. Telangana will go to polls in a single phase for all 17 Lok Sabha seats on April 11. The BJP released the first list of candidates for the upcoming polls comprising 184 candidates including some of the biggest names in the party such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah and Union ministers like Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. BJP president Amit Shah replaced L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow. (With inputs from ANI)

BJP announces list of 100 candidates for Odisha assembly polls 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BSP president Mayawati's opting out of the Lok Sabha polls is a clear indication of a certain victory for the NDA, the Shiv Sena said Friday.

It also claimed Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would spoil the game for the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, reasoning the vote bank of the Congress and Mayawati is similar.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the NDA constituent said Pawar and Mayawati not contesting was a sign that the road was clear for Narendra Modi to return victorious as Prime Minister.

"Along with Sharad Pawar, Mayawati too has decided not to contest Lok Sabha polls, the importance of which is that they are out of the prime ministerial race," the Sena editorial said.

Quoting Mayawati, it said she wants to campaign for her party's candidates across the country, hence she chose not to contest herself.

However, the editorial reasoned, the BSP has presence only in Uttar Pradesh, and, therefore, the decision to opt out meant she was running way from a fight.

Pawar has sought a similar escape route from Madha Lok Sabha constituency, it claimed.

Taking a dig at the NCP chief, the Sena said Pawar is trying to unite the entire Opposition but couldn't bring his own family and party members on the same page and therefore had to opt out.

"Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil's decision to leave the NCP and join the BJP is a big blow for Pawar. It will stop the second hand of the NCP's clock, which is anyway running slow," the Sena said sarcastically.

On Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, it said, "In 2014, Dalits and Yadavs had voted heavily for Modi and not a single candidate of Mayawati could win. This scare haunts her even today. Priyanka's 'tourism' visits are getting a good response and there is a fear in Mayawati that the Congress leader will spoil her prospects from wherever she decides to contest," it said.

The editorial went on to claim that Mayawati's prime fear is the Congress and not BJP and one of the reasons for her not contesting is Priyanka's foray in active politics.

"Neither Sharad Pawar nor Mayawati is contesting. Therefore, two people who dreamt of being Prime Minister are no more contenders. This proves the mettle of the NDA," it said.

Pawar and Mayawati's decision is a clear indication that the road for Modi to become PM against is clear and the NDA's win is certain, the Sena said.&nbsp;

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BSP president Mayawati's opting out of the Lok Sabha polls is a clear indication of a certain victory for the NDA, the Shiv Sena said Friday.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BSP president Mayawati's opting out of the Lok Sabha polls is a clear indication of a certain victory for the NDA, the Shiv Sena said Friday. It also claimed Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would spoil the game for the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, reasoning the vote bank of the Congress and Mayawati is similar. In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the NDA constituent said Pawar and Mayawati not contesting was a sign that the road was clear for Narendra Modi to return victorious as Prime Minister. "Along with Sharad Pawar, Mayawati too has decided not to contest Lok Sabha polls, the importance of which is that they are out of the prime ministerial race," the Sena editorial said. Quoting Mayawati, it said she wants to campaign for her party's candidates across the country, hence she chose not to contest herself. However, the editorial reasoned, the BSP has presence only in Uttar Pradesh, and, therefore, the decision to opt out meant she was running way from a fight. Pawar has sought a similar escape route from Madha Lok Sabha constituency, it claimed. Taking a dig at the NCP chief, the Sena said Pawar is trying to unite the entire Opposition but couldn't bring his own family and party members on the same page and therefore had to opt out. "Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil's decision to leave the NCP and join the BJP is a big blow for Pawar. It will stop the second hand of the NCP's clock, which is anyway running slow," the Sena said sarcastically. On Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, it said, "In 2014, Dalits and Yadavs had voted heavily for Modi and not a single candidate of Mayawati could win. This scare haunts her even today. Priyanka's 'tourism' visits are getting a good response and there is a fear in Mayawati that the Congress leader will spoil her prospects from wherever she decides to contest," it said. The editorial went on to claim that Mayawati's prime fear is the Congress and not BJP and one of the reasons for her not contesting is Priyanka's foray in active politics. "Neither Sharad Pawar nor Mayawati is contesting. Therefore, two people who dreamt of being Prime Minister are no more contenders. This proves the mettle of the NDA," it said. Pawar and Mayawati's decision is a clear indication that the road for Modi to become PM against is clear and the NDA's win is certain, the Sena said.

Sharad Pawar, Mayawati not contesting indication of NDA's win: Shiv Sena

India Election Watch: The Story of India's migrant voters

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav Thursday alleged that the Pulwama terror attack was a "conspiracy" to garner votes, drawing a sharp reaction from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Yadav, a general secretary in the Samajwadi Party (SP), also said once there is a change at the Centre, investigations will be conducted into the incident and claimed that prominent people will come under the scanner of the probe.

Hitting out at the SP leader, Adityanath said this an example of "atrocious politics" and Yadav should apologise for his comment. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus, which was part of a convoy going to Srinagar from Jammu, on February 14.&nbsp;

"For the first time, it happened that there was no checking between Jammu and Srinagar. It was for the first time that the CRPF jawans were sent in simple buses. The point where the armoured vehicles were available, no one stopped there and they proceeded, and lives were lost," Ramgopal Yadav said.&nbsp;

"This was a conspiracy...But, when there will be a change of government, investigations will be done and prominent people will come under the scanner, who had pushed our youth to death to garner votes," he alleged.&nbsp;

The SP leader was speaking at a programme held here at Saifai -- the ancestral village of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.&nbsp; 
"A number of paramilitary jawans were unnecessarily killed to increase votes. I do not want to speak these things now.&nbsp;

"But, paramilitary personnel, including some officers, have complained to me that they had been demanding that they should be sent through air route, as when they go from Jammu, they take the air route, and when they enter the Valley, they go in armoured vehicles," Ramgopal Yadav said.

The chief minister said these kinds of statements damage the confidence of security personnel.

"The statement is the height of appeasement and an example of atrocious politics. These type of deplorable statements is a part of the conspiracy to damage the confidence of the brave jawans of the country," Adityanath said.&nbsp;

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav Thursday alleged that the Pulwama terror attack was a "conspiracy" to garner votes, drawing a sharp reaction from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav Thursday alleged that the Pulwama terror attack was a "conspiracy" to garner votes, drawing a sharp reaction from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Yadav, a general secretary in the Samajwadi Party (SP), also said once there is a change at the Centre, investigations will be conducted into the incident and claimed that prominent people will come under the scanner of the probe. Hitting out at the SP leader, Adityanath said this an example of "atrocious politics" and Yadav should apologise for his comment. Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus, which was part of a convoy going to Srinagar from Jammu, on February 14. "For the first time, it happened that there was no checking between Jammu and Srinagar. It was for the first time that the CRPF jawans were sent in simple buses. The point where the armoured vehicles were available, no one stopped there and they proceeded, and lives were lost," Ramgopal Yadav said. "This was a conspiracy...But, when there will be a change of government, investigations will be done and prominent people will come under the scanner, who had pushed our youth to death to garner votes," he alleged. The SP leader was speaking at a programme held here at Saifai -- the ancestral village of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. "A number of paramilitary jawans were unnecessarily killed to increase votes. I do not want to speak these things now. "But, paramilitary personnel, including some officers, have complained to me that they had been demanding that they should be sent through air route, as when they go from Jammu, they take the air route, and when they enter the Valley, they go in armoured vehicles," Ramgopal Yadav said. The chief minister said these kinds of statements damage the confidence of security personnel. "The statement is the height of appeasement and an example of atrocious politics. These type of deplorable statements is a part of the conspiracy to damage the confidence of the brave jawans of the country," Adityanath said.

Pulwama attack 'conspiracy' to fetch votes: SP leader

BJP on Thursday released the first list of 184 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. Modi contested the 2014 election from the same constituency.&nbsp;

Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda released the first list of candidates. &nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah to replace L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Apart from Modi, BJP heavyweights&nbsp;Rajnath Singh to contest from Lucknow while&nbsp;Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur.&nbsp;

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani will challenge Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Gandhi-family bastion Amethi. &nbsp;

VK Singh (Ghaziabad), Hema Malini (Mathura), Sakshi Maharaj (Unnao) are some of the other prominent figures announced in the first list. &nbsp;

Jugal Kishore to contest from Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh from Udhampur, Sofi Yousuf from Anantnag and Khalid Jehangir will contest from Srinagar.

Babul Supriyo will contest from Asanasol, Rahul Sinha from Kolkata North and CK Bose from Kolkata South.

Subhash Bhamre to contest from Dhule, Hansraj Ahir from Chandrapur, Poonam Mahajan from Mumbai North Central.

Kummanam Rajasekharan, who recently resigned as Mizoram Governor, &nbsp;will contest from Thiruvananthapuram and &nbsp;KJ Alphons from Ernakulam.&nbsp;

Anantkumar Hegde to contest from North Kannada, Sadanand Gowda from Bangalore North, B Y Raghavendra from Shimoga, Prathap Sinha from Mysore.

BJP has finalised names of all 17 party candidates from Bihar and the&nbsp;names to be announced in state jointly with allies, reported news agency PTI.

Lok Sabha elections begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23.&nbsp;

The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote, the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said at a packed press conference recently while announcing the poll dates.&nbsp;

BJP on Thursday released the first list of 184 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. Modi contested the 2014 election from the same constituency.

BJP on Thursday released the first list of 184 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi again. Modi contested the 2014 election from the same constituency. Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda released the first list of candidates. BJP president Amit Shah to replace L K Advani in Gandhinagar constituency. Apart from Modi, BJP heavyweights Rajnath Singh to contest from Lucknow while Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur. Textiles Minister Smriti Irani will challenge Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Gandhi-family bastion Amethi. VK Singh (Ghaziabad), Hema Malini (Mathura), Sakshi Maharaj (Unnao) are some of the other prominent figures announced in the first list. Jugal Kishore to contest from Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh from Udhampur, Sofi Yousuf from Anantnag and Khalid Jehangir will contest from Srinagar. Babul Supriyo will contest from Asanasol, Rahul Sinha from Kolkata North and CK Bose from Kolkata South. Subhash Bhamre to contest from Dhule, Hansraj Ahir from Chandrapur, Poonam Mahajan from Mumbai North Central. Kummanam Rajasekharan, who recently resigned as Mizoram Governor, will contest from Thiruvananthapuram and KJ Alphons from Ernakulam. Anantkumar Hegde to contest from North Kannada, Sadanand Gowda from Bangalore North, B Y Raghavendra from Shimoga, Prathap Sinha from Mysore. BJP has finalised names of all 17 party candidates from Bihar and the names to be announced in state jointly with allies, reported news agency PTI. Lok Sabha elections begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23. The polling will be held on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country in which nearly 90 crore voters would be eligible to vote, the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said at a packed press conference recently while announcing the poll dates.

BJP releases first list of 184 candidates for Lok Sabha polls; Modi to contest from Varanasi again

BSP supremo <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/i-will-not-contest-mayawati-drops-out-of-2019-lok-sabha-polls-204488">Mayawati</a> said on Wednesday that she will not be contesting the Lok Sabha polls but later told her supporters not to be "disheartened".&nbsp;

For, she seemed to hint, she could still become prime minister.&nbsp;

"When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM," Mayawati tweeted.&nbsp;

"Don't disheartened (sic) from my decision not to contest LS poll now," she added.&nbsp;

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a good example of a prime minister who became a member of parliament after assuming the office of PM. Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam.&nbsp;

Mayawati said Wednesday that she had resigned from the Rajya Sabha to devote herself to the party, and that she would like to do the same thing again.&nbsp;

WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma quoted party insiders as saying Mayawati was opting out of the elections because she did not want to be tied down to one constituency but would instead like to concentrate on campaigning for the party. She is expected to campaign outside of her bastion of Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

Sharma added that Mayawati also wanted to keep open the option of contesting the 2022 assembly elections.&nbsp;

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When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM. Don't disheartened from my decision not to contest LS poll now
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mayawati/status/1108317295489748992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati: I will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. <a href="https://t.co/88oGmtd6Ww">pic.twitter.com/88oGmtd6Ww</a>
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Having said that, there is also the fact that Mayawati has ceded at least some space to new Dalit leaders like the Bhim Army's Chandrashekhar Azad and the Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani. And, said Sharma, should her victory margins now be less than impressive, that will further pull down her stature.&nbsp;

BSP supremo Mayawati said on Wednesday that she will not be contesting the Lok Sabha polls but later told her supporters not to be "disheartened". For, she seemed to hint, she could still become prime minister.

BSP supremo Mayawati said on Wednesday that she will not be contesting the Lok Sabha polls but later told her supporters not to be "disheartened". For, she seemed to hint, she could still become prime minister. "When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM," Mayawati tweeted. "Don't disheartened (sic) from my decision not to contest LS poll now," she added. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a good example of a prime minister who became a member of parliament after assuming the office of PM. Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. Mayawati said Wednesday that she had resigned from the Rajya Sabha to devote herself to the party, and that she would like to do the same thing again. WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma quoted party insiders as saying Mayawati was opting out of the elections because she did not want to be tied down to one constituency but would instead like to concentrate on campaigning for the party. She is expected to campaign outside of her bastion of Uttar Pradesh. Sharma added that Mayawati also wanted to keep open the option of contesting the 2022 assembly elections. When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM. Don't disheartened from my decision not to contest LS poll now — Mayawati (@Mayawati) March 20, 2019 × Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati: I will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. pic.twitter.com/88oGmtd6Ww — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2019 × Having said that, there is also the fact that Mayawati has ceded at least some space to new Dalit leaders like the Bhim Army's Chandrashekhar Azad and the Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani. And, said Sharma, should her victory margins now be less than impressive, that will further pull down her stature.

After Mayawati says she will not contest Lok Sabha polls, she hints she could still become PM

Whether you like it or not, the use of Hindu symbolism is here to stay in Indian politics for a long time. What is happening in Congress today stands in stark contrast to Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Hyderabad in 2005 when the city hosted the plenary of the party.

Rahul Gandhi had said that the national flag is his religion. Today, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra despite her charismatic persona has not been able to ditch the trappings of cultural Hinduism publically espoused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

I would even say that not only it shows lack of creative engagement with BJP, but Congress has fallen back upon soft Hindutva which it practised in the 1980s, leaving socialist sloganeering to regional parties cutting across India.

When Mayawati and Mulayam Singh fought elections together in the 1990s in wake of Babri Masjid’s demolition, they did not evoke cultural nationalism to fight BJP on the ground.

The politics of social justice still evoked strong sentiments and it is for this reason that the political slogan,”Mile Mulayam Kanshiram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Sri Ram,” could not be contested by BJP as either anti-national or anti-Hindu keeping in mind caste sensitivities attached.

Today, neither Mayawati nor Akhilesh Yadav has attacked BJP on cultural position it has taken. Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi too have appropriated BJP’s political narrative of nation-building rather than challenging it from a non-left centrist point of view.

It begets the question as to why Gandhi’s became so vulnerable on the constitutional vision of India, unlike the first generation who were far more westernised and rabid on the issue of religious reform and change in the society. 
 
One, their religious identity as a Hindu was never in question and second, Congress as a party had strong conservative voices within the organisation. It allowed Congress to absorb and navigate hard Hindu politics led by RSS without pushing for any change in the Constitutional commitment towards the idea of India as conceived by the founding fathers.

The idea of India as conceived by the founding fathers was contested by RSS which argued that Constitution does not truly reflect the civilizational sensibility of the Indian sub-continent.

It is for this reason Congress will find centrist politics difficult, as it has failed to tackle ethnocentric political narrative which has marginalised them from 2012 onwards.

Congress today can neither go for the caste-specific alliance as regional parties or socialists of 70s, 80s and 90s were able to do so and nor it can push aside BJP on cultural nationalism as the theme&nbsp;originally belongs to RSS-BJP combine.&nbsp;

Congress needs to restore non-left centrism by authentic subaltern political sloganeering which picks up issues that are regional and cuts across caste and religion. At the central level, it needs to stick to Constitutional values which are being challenged in public for want of being unfair or unjust to the Hindu sensibility by RSS. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

&nbsp;

Whether you like it or not, the use of Hindu symbolism is here to stay in Indian politics for a long time. What is happening in Congress today stands in stark contrast to Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Hyderabad in 2005 when the city hosted the plenary of the party.

Whether you like it or not, the use of Hindu symbolism is here to stay in Indian politics for a long time. What is happening in Congress today stands in stark contrast to Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Hyderabad in 2005 when the city hosted the plenary of the party. Rahul Gandhi had said that the national flag is his religion. Today, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra despite her charismatic persona has not been able to ditch the trappings of cultural Hinduism publically espoused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I would even say that not only it shows lack of creative engagement with BJP, but Congress has fallen back upon soft Hindutva which it practised in the 1980s, leaving socialist sloganeering to regional parties cutting across India. When Mayawati and Mulayam Singh fought elections together in the 1990s in wake of Babri Masjid’s demolition, they did not evoke cultural nationalism to fight BJP on the ground. The politics of social justice still evoked strong sentiments and it is for this reason that the political slogan,”Mile Mulayam Kanshiram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Sri Ram,” could not be contested by BJP as either anti-national or anti-Hindu keeping in mind caste sensitivities attached. Today, neither Mayawati nor Akhilesh Yadav has attacked BJP on cultural position it has taken. Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi too have appropriated BJP’s political narrative of nation-building rather than challenging it from a non-left centrist point of view. It begets the question as to why Gandhi’s became so vulnerable on the constitutional vision of India, unlike the first generation who were far more westernised and rabid on the issue of religious reform and change in the society. One, their religious identity as a Hindu was never in question and second, Congress as a party had strong conservative voices within the organisation. It allowed Congress to absorb and navigate hard Hindu politics led by RSS without pushing for any change in the Constitutional commitment towards the idea of India as conceived by the founding fathers. The idea of India as conceived by the founding fathers was contested by RSS which argued that Constitution does not truly reflect the civilizational sensibility of the Indian sub-continent. It is for this reason Congress will find centrist politics difficult, as it has failed to tackle ethnocentric political narrative which has marginalised them from 2012 onwards. Congress today can neither go for the caste-specific alliance as regional parties or socialists of 70s, 80s and 90s were able to do so and nor it can push aside BJP on cultural nationalism as the theme originally belongs to RSS-BJP combine. Congress needs to restore non-left centrism by authentic subaltern political sloganeering which picks up issues that are regional and cuts across caste and religion. At the central level, it needs to stick to Constitutional values which are being challenged in public for want of being unfair or unjust to the Hindu sensibility by RSS. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s Ganga yatra and triumph of 'soft Hindutva'

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said Wednesday that she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections.&nbsp;

Mayawati is the latest addition to a quickly growing list of party supremos and high-profile leaders who have opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.&nbsp;

The list includes India's Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, who was the first to say she would not be contesting the polls.&nbsp;

NCP chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ncp-chief-sharad-pawar-says-he-will-not-contest-lok-sabha-polls-202608">Sharad Pawar followed her</a>, and now of course there's Mayawati.&nbsp;

The BSP supremo said Wednesday that she had resigned from the Rajya Sabha to devote herself to the party, and that she would like to do the same thing again.&nbsp;

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati: I will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. <a href="https://t.co/88oGmtd6Ww">pic.twitter.com/88oGmtd6Ww</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1108262347817275392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma quoted party insiders as saying Mayawati was opting out of the elections because she did not want to be tied down to one constituency but would instead like to concentrate on campaigning for the party. She is expected to campaign outside of her bastion of Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

Sharma added that Mayawati also wanted to keep open the option of contesting the 2022 assembly elections.&nbsp;

Having said that, there is also the fact that Mayawati has ceded at least some space to new Dalit leaders like the Bhim Army's Chandrashekhar Azad and Jignesh Mewani. And should her victory margins now be less than impressive, that will further bring down her stature.&nbsp;

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said Wednesday that she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati is the latest addition to a quickly growing list of party supremos and high-profile leaders who have opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said Wednesday that she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati is the latest addition to a quickly growing list of party supremos and high-profile leaders who have opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The list includes India's Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, who was the first to say she would not be contesting the polls. NCP chief Sharad Pawar followed her, and now of course there's Mayawati. The BSP supremo said Wednesday that she had resigned from the Rajya Sabha to devote herself to the party, and that she would like to do the same thing again. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati: I will not contest the Lok Sabha elections. pic.twitter.com/88oGmtd6Ww — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2019 × WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma quoted party insiders as saying Mayawati was opting out of the elections because she did not want to be tied down to one constituency but would instead like to concentrate on campaigning for the party. She is expected to campaign outside of her bastion of Uttar Pradesh. Sharma added that Mayawati also wanted to keep open the option of contesting the 2022 assembly elections. Having said that, there is also the fact that Mayawati has ceded at least some space to new Dalit leaders like the Bhim Army's Chandrashekhar Azad and Jignesh Mewani. And should her victory margins now be less than impressive, that will further bring down her stature.

I will not contest: Mayawati drops out of 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. Among scores of announcements, the party made public that Sethusamudram project will be started again.

The project entails opening up of the ecologically fragile Gulf of Mannar for dredging. Hindus believe that Ram Sethu was used by Lord Rama to crossover to Lanka to rescue goddess Sita. Rationalists, on the other hand, believe that the inundated bund is not man-made but a creation of tidal waves over a period of time.

Such was the furore in 2007 that the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had to withdraw the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court where the project was stated as a mythological feature.&nbsp;

With cultural sentiments flying very high and the BJP also in the fray in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, both Congress and the BJP will stay away from such controversial projects.&nbsp;

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AIADMK in its election manifesto: AIADMK will urge Government of India and the President to give due direction to the Governor of Tamil Nadu for release of the seven Tamil convicts as ordered by Supreme Court and approved by 
cabinet of Tamil Nadu govt. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LokSabhaElections2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LokSabhaElections2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/22UtSl55s4">https://t.co/22UtSl55s4</a>
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The Sethusamudram project will involve shipping routes to traverse from the Gulf of Mannar rather than circumnavigating around Sri Lanka.&nbsp;

Key highlights of DMK manifesto

Another controversial point in the manifesto is where the party says it will free former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi’s killers if they come to power.

DMK chief MK Stalin also stated that National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) would be abolished in Tamil Nadu and central offices in the state would function using Tamil as a co-official language.&nbsp;

"The NEET for medical admissions will be scrapped," DMK chief M K Stalin said while unveiling the salient features of his party's manifesto. Opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu from major political parties and students had taken emotive overtones in the past.

The party also assured steps for waiver of all educational loans taken by students.

"We will bring back the old pension scheme for both the central and state government employees," Stalin said.

The DMK president said the party would revert to the administered-price mechanism to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Another key feature of the manifesto is doing away with the direct cash transfer of subsidy for the LPG and bringing down the prices of cylinders.

The DMK is contesting 20 seats in the state, allotting the remaining 19 to its allies. The state goes to polls in a single phase on April 18.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. Among scores of announcements, the party made public that Sethusamudram project will be started again.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. Among scores of announcements, the party made public that Sethusamudram project will be started again. The project entails opening up of the ecologically fragile Gulf of Mannar for dredging. Hindus believe that Ram Sethu was used by Lord Rama to crossover to Lanka to rescue goddess Sita. Rationalists, on the other hand, believe that the inundated bund is not man-made but a creation of tidal waves over a period of time. Such was the furore in 2007 that the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had to withdraw the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court where the project was stated as a mythological feature. With cultural sentiments flying very high and the BJP also in the fray in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, both Congress and the BJP will stay away from such controversial projects. AIADMK in its election manifesto: AIADMK will urge Government of India and the President to give due direction to the Governor of Tamil Nadu for release of the seven Tamil convicts as ordered by Supreme Court and approved by cabinet of Tamil Nadu govt. #LokSabhaElections2019 https://t.co/22UtSl55s4 — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2019 × The Sethusamudram project will involve shipping routes to traverse from the Gulf of Mannar rather than circumnavigating around Sri Lanka. Key highlights of DMK manifesto Another controversial point in the manifesto is where the party says it will free former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi’s killers if they come to power. DMK chief MK Stalin also stated that National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) would be abolished in Tamil Nadu and central offices in the state would function using Tamil as a co-official language. "The NEET for medical admissions will be scrapped," DMK chief M K Stalin said while unveiling the salient features of his party's manifesto. Opposition to NEET in Tamil Nadu from major political parties and students had taken emotive overtones in the past. The party also assured steps for waiver of all educational loans taken by students. "We will bring back the old pension scheme for both the central and state government employees," Stalin said. The DMK president said the party would revert to the administered-price mechanism to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Another key feature of the manifesto is doing away with the direct cash transfer of subsidy for the LPG and bringing down the prices of cylinders. The DMK is contesting 20 seats in the state, allotting the remaining 19 to its allies. The state goes to polls in a single phase on April 18.

Lok Sabha polls: DMK releases manifesto, promises to restart Sethusamudram project; abolish NEET

After an alliance with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal is looking to regain its base in western UP and win the three seats it will be contesting in the coming Lok Sabha election.

In 2014, the defeat of the then Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh in Baghpat to BJP's Satyapal Singh, who had resigned as Mumbai Police commissioner just before the election, was "unexpected" for many as he had never lost the seat since 1999.

"The defeat was seen as a big sign of how the BJP was consolidating the dominant Jat vote in its favour. This time, RLD has an opportunity to take a sweet revenge by improving its performance with the help of SP and BSP and get back the Jat vote in its fold," said political analyst Manjula Upadhyay.

RLD leaders are confident of repeating their performance of Kairana LS bypoll last year when they succeeded in getting back Jat votes they had lost to the BJP in 2014.

"During Kairana byelection, RLD leader Jayant Chowdhury's slogan to Jats was 'BJP Ki Poonch Nahi, RLD Ki Mooch Bano'. The call was a hit and he succeeded in invoking the name of his grandfather Chowdhury Charan Singh and reminding the Jats of his legacy," a senior RLD leader said.

During the Kairana bypoll, RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan succeeded in defeating the BJP in the high-profile battle necessitated following the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh.

RLD candidate Tabassum was supported by the Congress, SP and BSP.

Kairana was seen as a testing ground for the new-found opposition unity against the rising BJP then, and the win gave a boost to opposition's efforts to stitch a grand alliance against the saffron party.

Statistically, RLD's performance showed a downward trend after the death of former prime minister Chowdhury Charan Singh.

When Charan Singh died in 1987, Bharatiya Lok Dal had the maximum 83 legislators in Uttar Pradesh. The number dwindled over the years and came down to just one in 2017 assembly polls.

The best performance of RLD under Ajit Singh was in 2002 when it won 14 assembly seats in alliance with the BJP.

The party won five seats in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, again in alliance with the BJP, but during 2012 assembly polls, it forged an alliance with Congress and won nine assembly seats.

In 2014 general election and 2017 assembly polls, the party's performance was worst as it failed to turn voters in its favour and the BJP succeeded in making a dent in its vote bank.

Of the seven seats contested in 2014, the party lost all of them.

Even party chief Ajit Singh slipped to the third spot in his traditional Baghpat seat while his son Jayant Chowdhury lost to Bollywood actor-politician Hema Malini, who contested on a BJP ticket from Mathura.

Other candidates including Amar Singh, Jaya Prada and Rakesh Tikait also could not perform well and all of them lost.

In 2017 UP assembly polls, the RLD had contested 277 of the total 403 seats but won only one, Chhaprauli seat.

After entering an alliance with SP-BSP, the RLD will be contesting Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura seats.

While party chief Ajit Singh is likely to contest from Muzaffarnagar, his son Jayant will be contesting from party's traditional seat Baghpat.

Asked about RLD's Lok Sabha prospects, a senior RLD leader said, "This time equations are in our favour. Be it Muslim, backwards, Dalits, Jats or any other community, all are in our favour. Farmers are angry due to non-payment of cane dues."

SP MLC Rajpal Kashyap, when asked about the alliance partner, said, "This is an alliance of ideologies and it will succeed in defeating the communal BJP. We are all committed to ensuring the victory of the alliance candidates.

After an alliance with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal is looking to regain its base in western UP and win the three seats it will be contesting in the coming Lok Sabha election.

After an alliance with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal is looking to regain its base in western UP and win the three seats it will be contesting in the coming Lok Sabha election. In 2014, the defeat of the then Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh in Baghpat to BJP's Satyapal Singh, who had resigned as Mumbai Police commissioner just before the election, was "unexpected" for many as he had never lost the seat since 1999. "The defeat was seen as a big sign of how the BJP was consolidating the dominant Jat vote in its favour. This time, RLD has an opportunity to take a sweet revenge by improving its performance with the help of SP and BSP and get back the Jat vote in its fold," said political analyst Manjula Upadhyay. RLD leaders are confident of repeating their performance of Kairana LS bypoll last year when they succeeded in getting back Jat votes they had lost to the BJP in 2014. "During Kairana byelection, RLD leader Jayant Chowdhury's slogan to Jats was 'BJP Ki Poonch Nahi, RLD Ki Mooch Bano'. The call was a hit and he succeeded in invoking the name of his grandfather Chowdhury Charan Singh and reminding the Jats of his legacy," a senior RLD leader said. During the Kairana bypoll, RLD candidate Tabassum Hasan succeeded in defeating the BJP in the high-profile battle necessitated following the death of BJP MP Hukum Singh. RLD candidate Tabassum was supported by the Congress, SP and BSP. Kairana was seen as a testing ground for the new-found opposition unity against the rising BJP then, and the win gave a boost to opposition's efforts to stitch a grand alliance against the saffron party. Statistically, RLD's performance showed a downward trend after the death of former prime minister Chowdhury Charan Singh. When Charan Singh died in 1987, Bharatiya Lok Dal had the maximum 83 legislators in Uttar Pradesh. The number dwindled over the years and came down to just one in 2017 assembly polls. The best performance of RLD under Ajit Singh was in 2002 when it won 14 assembly seats in alliance with the BJP. The party won five seats in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, again in alliance with the BJP, but during 2012 assembly polls, it forged an alliance with Congress and won nine assembly seats. In 2014 general election and 2017 assembly polls, the party's performance was worst as it failed to turn voters in its favour and the BJP succeeded in making a dent in its vote bank. Of the seven seats contested in 2014, the party lost all of them. Even party chief Ajit Singh slipped to the third spot in his traditional Baghpat seat while his son Jayant Chowdhury lost to Bollywood actor-politician Hema Malini, who contested on a BJP ticket from Mathura. Other candidates including Amar Singh, Jaya Prada and Rakesh Tikait also could not perform well and all of them lost. In 2017 UP assembly polls, the RLD had contested 277 of the total 403 seats but won only one, Chhaprauli seat. After entering an alliance with SP-BSP, the RLD will be contesting Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar and Mathura seats. While party chief Ajit Singh is likely to contest from Muzaffarnagar, his son Jayant will be contesting from party's traditional seat Baghpat. Asked about RLD's Lok Sabha prospects, a senior RLD leader said, "This time equations are in our favour. Be it Muslim, backwards, Dalits, Jats or any other community, all are in our favour. Farmers are angry due to non-payment of cane dues." SP MLC Rajpal Kashyap, when asked about the alliance partner, said, "This is an alliance of ideologies and it will succeed in defeating the communal BJP. We are all committed to ensuring the victory of the alliance candidates.

After alliance with SP-BSP, RLD looks to revive itself in west Uttar Pradesh

The Congress Party on Monday released its fifth list of 56 candidates including former President Pranab Mukherjee's son and sitting MP Abhijeet Mukherjee from West Bengal's Jangipur Lok Sabha seat, and former Union Minister MM Pallam Raju from Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada seat.

Out of 56 candidates, 22 are from Andhra Pradesh, five from Assam, six from Odisha, eight from Telangana, two from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from West Bengal and 1 from Lakshadweep.

So far, the Congress has declared 137 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 11.

The last phase of polling is scheduled for May 19 and the counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Other than Raju, the 21 other candidates who will contest from Andhra Pradesh include, Shruti V. Devi (Araku), Dola Jaganmohan Rao (Srikakulam), Yedla Adiraju (Vizianagaram), Sreeram Murthy (Anakapalle), Janga Gowtham (Amalapuram), Nalluri Vijaya Srinivasa Rao (Rajahmundry), Kanumuri Bapurajau (Narsapuram), Jetti Gurunadho Rao (Eluru), Gollu Krishna (Machilipatnam), Shaik Mastan Valu (Guntur), Pakkala Suribabu (Narasdaraopet), Jesudasu Seelam (Bapatla), SDJM Prasad (Ongole), Ahmed Ali Khan (Kurnool), Kuncham Rajeev Reddy (Anantapur), KT Sreedhar (Hindpur), Gundlakunta Sreeramulu (Kadapa), Chevuru Devakumar Reddy (Nellore), Chinta Mohan (Tirupati) and Mohd Shahjahan Basha (Rajampet).

Voting for all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh shall take place on April 11 in a single phase along with the Assembly polls.

Among those contesting from Telangana include Madhu Yashki Goud from Telangana's Nizamabad, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav from Secunderabad, Firoz Khan from Hyderabad, Dr CH Vamshichand Reddy from Mahbubnagar, Dr Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool, N Uttam Kumar Reddy from Nalgonda, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy from Bhongir, and Dommati Sambaiah from Warangal.

All 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will go to polls in a single phase on April 11, which is also the first phase of Lok Sabha elections.

In Assam, the Congress has fielded Dr Cheemala Rangappa (Autonomous), Bhubaneswar Kalita (Mangaldoi), MGVK Bhanu (Tezpur), Pradyut Bordoloi (Nowgong) and Anil Borgohain (Lakhimpur).

Pradeep Kumar Devta (Bargarh), George Tirkey (Sundargarh), Bhakta Charan Das (Kalahandi), Pradeep Majhi (Nabarangpur), Manoj Kumar Acharya (Kandhamal) and V Chandrasekhar Naidu (Berhampur) are the six candidates who will contest on Parliamentary constituency from Odisha.

The Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases, beginning from April 11.

The last phase of polling in Odisha, which has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats at stake, will take place on April 29.

Congress'&nbsp;Harendra Agarwal, Dolly Sharma and Bansi Lal Pahadia will contest from the three major seats Meerut, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr, respectively, in Uttar Pradesh where 80 Lok Sabha are seats are at stake.

Voting will take place in this state during all seven phases - from April 11 to May 19.

The 10 candidates for West Bengal, other than Abhijit Mukherjee, include Priya Roy Chowdhury from Coochbehar, Mohan Lal Basumata from Alipurduars, Mani Kumar Sarnal from Jalpaiguri, Shankar Malakar from Darjeeling, Deepa Dashmunshi from Raiganj, Sadik Sarkar from Balurghat, Isha Khan Chowdhary from Maldaha Uttar, Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury from Maldaha Dakshin, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Baharampur and Abhu Neha from Murshidabad.

M. Hamdullah Sayeed will contest from Lakshadweep which has only one Lok Sabha constituency. Voters in Lakshadweep will cast their vote on April 11.

The fifth list was declared after a meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CCE) chaired by party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday.

The Congress party released its first list on March 7, declaring the candidature of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli and Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. The list of 15 candidates included 11 from Uttar Pradesh and four from Gujarat.&nbsp;

The Congress Party on Monday released its fifth list of 56 candidates including former President Pranab Mukherjee's son and sitting MP Abhijeet Mukherjee from West Bengal's Jangipur Lok Sabha seat, and former Union Minister MM Pallam Raju from Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada seat.

The Congress Party on Monday released its fifth list of 56 candidates including former President Pranab Mukherjee's son and sitting MP Abhijeet Mukherjee from West Bengal's Jangipur Lok Sabha seat, and former Union Minister MM Pallam Raju from Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada seat. Out of 56 candidates, 22 are from Andhra Pradesh, five from Assam, six from Odisha, eight from Telangana, two from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from West Bengal and 1 from Lakshadweep. So far, the Congress has declared 137 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in seven phases beginning April 11. The last phase of polling is scheduled for May 19 and the counting of votes will take place on May 23. Other than Raju, the 21 other candidates who will contest from Andhra Pradesh include, Shruti V. Devi (Araku), Dola Jaganmohan Rao (Srikakulam), Yedla Adiraju (Vizianagaram), Sreeram Murthy (Anakapalle), Janga Gowtham (Amalapuram), Nalluri Vijaya Srinivasa Rao (Rajahmundry), Kanumuri Bapurajau (Narsapuram), Jetti Gurunadho Rao (Eluru), Gollu Krishna (Machilipatnam), Shaik Mastan Valu (Guntur), Pakkala Suribabu (Narasdaraopet), Jesudasu Seelam (Bapatla), SDJM Prasad (Ongole), Ahmed Ali Khan (Kurnool), Kuncham Rajeev Reddy (Anantapur), KT Sreedhar (Hindpur), Gundlakunta Sreeramulu (Kadapa), Chevuru Devakumar Reddy (Nellore), Chinta Mohan (Tirupati) and Mohd Shahjahan Basha (Rajampet). Voting for all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh shall take place on April 11 in a single phase along with the Assembly polls. Among those contesting from Telangana include Madhu Yashki Goud from Telangana's Nizamabad, M. Anjan Kumar Yadav from Secunderabad, Firoz Khan from Hyderabad, Dr CH Vamshichand Reddy from Mahbubnagar, Dr Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool, N Uttam Kumar Reddy from Nalgonda, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy from Bhongir, and Dommati Sambaiah from Warangal. All 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will go to polls in a single phase on April 11, which is also the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. In Assam, the Congress has fielded Dr Cheemala Rangappa (Autonomous), Bhubaneswar Kalita (Mangaldoi), MGVK Bhanu (Tezpur), Pradyut Bordoloi (Nowgong) and Anil Borgohain (Lakhimpur). Pradeep Kumar Devta (Bargarh), George Tirkey (Sundargarh), Bhakta Charan Das (Kalahandi), Pradeep Majhi (Nabarangpur), Manoj Kumar Acharya (Kandhamal) and V Chandrasekhar Naidu (Berhampur) are the six candidates who will contest on Parliamentary constituency from Odisha. The Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases, beginning from April 11. The last phase of polling in Odisha, which has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats at stake, will take place on April 29. Congress' Harendra Agarwal, Dolly Sharma and Bansi Lal Pahadia will contest from the three major seats Meerut, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr, respectively, in Uttar Pradesh where 80 Lok Sabha are seats are at stake. Voting will take place in this state during all seven phases - from April 11 to May 19. The 10 candidates for West Bengal, other than Abhijit Mukherjee, include Priya Roy Chowdhury from Coochbehar, Mohan Lal Basumata from Alipurduars, Mani Kumar Sarnal from Jalpaiguri, Shankar Malakar from Darjeeling, Deepa Dashmunshi from Raiganj, Sadik Sarkar from Balurghat, Isha Khan Chowdhary from Maldaha Uttar, Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury from Maldaha Dakshin, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Baharampur and Abhu Neha from Murshidabad. M. Hamdullah Sayeed will contest from Lakshadweep which has only one Lok Sabha constituency. Voters in Lakshadweep will cast their vote on April 11. The fifth list was declared after a meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CCE) chaired by party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday. The Congress party released its first list on March 7, declaring the candidature of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli and Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. The list of 15 candidates included 11 from Uttar Pradesh and four from Gujarat.

Lok Sabha polls: Congress releases 5th list; fields Pranab Mukherjee's son from Jangipur

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjps-pramod-sawant-takes-oath-as-goa-chief-minister-says-will-never-be-able-to-do-as-much-as-parrikar-204182">BJP's Pramod Sawant sworn in as new Goa chief minister, says 'will never be able to do as much as Parrikar'</a>

The BJP's Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister of Goa at 1.50 am on Tuesday. Eleven ministers were sworn in along with him.&nbsp;

"I will not be able to work as much as Manohar Parrikar ji but I will definitely try to work as much as possible," Sawant said shortly after taking office. He added that it was Parrikar who had brought him into politics.&nbsp;

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/media-working-overtime-to-blame-me-for-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-204207">Media 'working overtime to blame me' for New Zealand mosque attacks: Trump</a>

US President Donald Trump has said the media is "working overtime to blame me" for the New Zealand mosque attacks.&nbsp;

The attacks on the two mosques last Friday in Christchurch have left 50 people dead. Trump has condemned the attacks but he has refused to come down as strongly on white nationalism.&nbsp;

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-1000-feared-dead-in-mozambique-storm-204202">Over 1,000 feared dead in Mozambique storm</a>

More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique last week, while scores were killed and more than 200 are missing in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealand-pm-ardern-vows-mosque-gunman-will-face-full-force-of-law-204206">New Zealand PM Ardern vows mosque gunman will face 'full force of law'</a>

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised on Tuesday that the man responsible for last week's deadly mosque massacres would face "the full force of the law", as she vowed never to utter his name.

"He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety —&nbsp;that is why you will never hear me mention his name," Ardern said in an emotional address to a special meeting of parliament, which she opened with the Arabic greeting "as salaam aleikum" —&nbsp;'peace be upon you'.

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/akshay-kumar-is-not-planning-to-contest-2019-lok-sabha-elections-204188">Akshay Kumar not planning to contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections</a>

If there is an actor who has been making films with the theme of nation-building, it's Akshay Kumar. The actor's past few blockbuster hits have all had nationalism as their theme which made many speculate if the actor was planning to join politics.&nbsp;

There were also rumours that the BJP was planning on making Akshay contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar.&nbsp;

Quashing rumours about his debut in politics, Akshay said, "Politics is not on my agenda. I feel what I am doing through my films, I will never be able to do that through politics." The actor was speaking to the press while promoting his upcoming film 'Kesari'.&nbsp;

BJP's Pramod Sawant sworn in as new Goa chief minister, says 'will never be able to do as much as Parrikar' The BJP's Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister of Goa at 1.

BJP's Pramod Sawant sworn in as new Goa chief minister, says 'will never be able to do as much as Parrikar' The BJP's Pramod Sawant was sworn in as chief minister of Goa at 1.50 am on Tuesday. Eleven ministers were sworn in along with him. "I will not be able to work as much as Manohar Parrikar ji but I will definitely try to work as much as possible," Sawant said shortly after taking office. He added that it was Parrikar who had brought him into politics. Media 'working overtime to blame me' for New Zealand mosque attacks: Trump US President Donald Trump has said the media is "working overtime to blame me" for the New Zealand mosque attacks. The attacks on the two mosques last Friday in Christchurch have left 50 people dead. Trump has condemned the attacks but he has refused to come down as strongly on white nationalism. Over 1,000 feared dead in Mozambique storm More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique last week, while scores were killed and more than 200 are missing in neighbouring Zimbabwe. New Zealand PM Ardern vows mosque gunman will face 'full force of law' New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised on Tuesday that the man responsible for last week's deadly mosque massacres would face "the full force of the law", as she vowed never to utter his name. "He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety — that is why you will never hear me mention his name," Ardern said in an emotional address to a special meeting of parliament, which she opened with the Arabic greeting "as salaam aleikum" — 'peace be upon you'. Akshay Kumar not planning to contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections If there is an actor who has been making films with the theme of nation-building, it's Akshay Kumar. The actor's past few blockbuster hits have all had nationalism as their theme which made many speculate if the actor was planning to join politics. There were also rumours that the BJP was planning on making Akshay contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar. Quashing rumours about his debut in politics, Akshay said, "Politics is not on my agenda. I feel what I am doing through my films, I will never be able to do that through politics." The actor was speaking to the press while promoting his upcoming film 'Kesari'.

News brief: Big stories of the day

N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telegu Desam party on Tuesday released a list of 25 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections along with its third list of 36 candidates for the state assembly elections.&nbsp;

According to reports, Ashok Gajapathi Raju will contest from Vizianagaram Lok Sabha seat, Kesineni Srinivas from Vijayawada, Galla Jayadev from Guntur and N Sivaprasad from Chittoor.

This comes just a few days after the party released a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/tdp-announces-126-candidates-for-assembly-polls-naidu-son-nara-lokesh-to-contest-203399">list of 126 candidates for the April 11 assembly elections</a> last Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is slated to contest from Kuppam assembly constituency while his son, IT Minister Nara Lokesh will fight from Mangalagiri.

Andhra Pradesh will conduct state assembly elections on April 11.&nbsp;

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora had announced the elections for the 175 Assembly seats and the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will take place on April 11 in a single phase.

The results of the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls will be announced on May 23.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telegu Desam party on Tuesday released a list of 25 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections along with its third list of 36 candidates for the state assembly elections.

N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telegu Desam party on Tuesday released a list of 25 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections along with its third list of 36 candidates for the state assembly elections. According to reports, Ashok Gajapathi Raju will contest from Vizianagaram Lok Sabha seat, Kesineni Srinivas from Vijayawada, Galla Jayadev from Guntur and N Sivaprasad from Chittoor. This comes just a few days after the party released a list of 126 candidates for the April 11 assembly elections last Thursday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is slated to contest from Kuppam assembly constituency while his son, IT Minister Nara Lokesh will fight from Mangalagiri. Andhra Pradesh will conduct state assembly elections on April 11. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora had announced the elections for the 175 Assembly seats and the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will take place on April 11 in a single phase. The results of the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls will be announced on May 23. (With inputs from ANI)

TDP releases names of 25 candidates for Lok Sabha polls, third list for assembly elections 

I had begun the new year by discussing how smaller parties were going to be more important in this election season in India. Following the sad and premature demise of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the tumultuous politics in the state in the aftermath, I am tempted to add one more thing: the Goa model of fractious, fluid coalition governments is set to spread over a larger swathe of India as democracy takes roots and interest group politics and local issues begin to override deeper issues of ideology, national-level posturing or big party organisations.

You only have to go state by state to understand how politics has entered the phase that the Indian economy did in the aftermath of reforms that kicked off in 1991. With the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a slew of regional parties across the country, it is not just that coalitions have become mainstream.

Within each party, workers and lobbies have become more demanding - much like restless software employees who smelt opportunities in a world where employers including Infosys, Wipro, IBM, Accenture and a host of others competed for talent.

Goa is a small state and it took the charisma of Parrikar to keep his flock together. His successor Pramod Sawant was sworn in after the Congress tried valiantly to form a rival government on the strength of being the single largest party in the state assembly. Sawant now has a tough task ahead in emulating Parrikar in a state where Hindutva politics has limited utility because of the rooted presence of regional outfits and 25 per cent Christian voters.&nbsp;

A key point, as one analyst observed in a TV discussion, is that defecting leaders get re-elected from their constituencies, suggesting that their confidence and their abilities can overpower the might, the ideology or the symbol of a big party. Or, for that matter, the stigma that one used to attach to defections. I think this phenomenon is spreading across India. I hope to discuss specifics some other time, but there is a general pattern that needs to be noted.

Today's slogging party worker is tomorrow's neta. Imagine. Mamata Banerjee was just a humble Congress worker on the streets of what was then Calcutta. In today's Kolkata, she rules over the state with her own Trinamool Congress that has managed to take on both the CPM and her mothership, the Indian National Congress. Modi himself has risen in the BJP from his humble worker origins in Gujarat and has successfully sidelined stalwarts like Lal Krishna Advani.

The naive idealism of the Independence movement and the Emergency era have given way to hard-as-nuts ambitions and strategies. Mastery of local issues, goodwill, oratory, lobbying and media savvy are now explicitly recognised as key political skills.

If the "high command" of any party is not willing to recognise a worker, breakaway formations and audacious defections offer them a way out. All major Indian political parties with the exception of the communist groups no longer care enough about ideology or the mood of grassroots workers enough to discourage defectors from coming in.

There may be an unwritten recognition: a so-called loyal worker is just a not-so-competent chamcha. In such a context, parties prefer a smart defector to a dubious loyalist. Or a useful defector, as we found out last week when Tom Vadakkan, a long-time Congress spokesman considered close to Sonia Gandhi, simply jumped ship to the BJP. The Kerala leader's ostensible reason (Congress disregard for the Army) and timing for the jump were so flimsy, that it looked more comic than grandiose. Vadakkan after decades sitting literally 100 metres from 10 Janpath at the Congress head office suddenly realised the party practises dynastic politics. Excuse me?

Vadakkan is not a major leader but the BJP holding a news conference to announce his entry was certainly a significant indicator of where Indian politics is going.

Caste, community and tribe still remain important political currencies in India. To top this, we may add an increasing localisation of politics. Local netas who care about the neighbourhood hospital, road or school and are/or more available to meet voters to address their various concerns build up goodwill that escapes the attention of the national media. But they do not escape the hawk eye of the high commands of parties. We have a virtual stock exchange for "winnable" politicians based on ground reports.

The scene is not much different from the technology sector, where Amazon, Microsoft and Google may love to poach each other's employees based on their CVs and industry intelligence. Talent, work, skills and energy matter more than loyalty. If the people in question are mission critical (Read: key to winning seats or forming governments), the netas matter more.

What is happening this month across political parties are just like annual appraisals and job interviews in top companies every March, prior to the start of a new financial year. Some employees get thumbs-down signals and they look for other opportunities. Smart ones feel bad when smarter ones get the chance or a new boss moves in with his/her own ideas and confidants.

In a sense, such defections and group shifts have been part of Indian history and culture. Only, generals and soldiers who used to capture territories for kings have given way to netas and chamchas who capture votes for parties.

In such a context, the stylish reference to "winnability" in political parties is an indirect admission of the harsh reality of grassroots politics: Parties don't really win on the basis of their ideals; they increasingly put their brand names on those they think are likely to win, while keeping their trademarks alive with tall talk and big spending.

 
(This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/blogs/pre-poll-defections-indias-politics-is-looking-more-and-more-like-its-it-sector-2188783.html">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

I had begun the new year by discussing how smaller parties were going to be more important in this election season in India. Following the sad and premature demise of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the tumultuous politics in the state in the aftermath, I am tempted to add one more thing: the Goa model of fractious, fluid coalition governments is set to spread over a larger swathe of India as democracy takes roots and interest group politics and local issues begin to override deeper issues of ideology, national-level posturing or big party organisations.

I had begun the new year by discussing how smaller parties were going to be more important in this election season in India. Following the sad and premature demise of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the tumultuous politics in the state in the aftermath, I am tempted to add one more thing: the Goa model of fractious, fluid coalition governments is set to spread over a larger swathe of India as democracy takes roots and interest group politics and local issues begin to override deeper issues of ideology, national-level posturing or big party organisations. You only have to go state by state to understand how politics has entered the phase that the Indian economy did in the aftermath of reforms that kicked off in 1991. With the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a slew of regional parties across the country, it is not just that coalitions have become mainstream. Within each party, workers and lobbies have become more demanding - much like restless software employees who smelt opportunities in a world where employers including Infosys, Wipro, IBM, Accenture and a host of others competed for talent. Goa is a small state and it took the charisma of Parrikar to keep his flock together. His successor Pramod Sawant was sworn in after the Congress tried valiantly to form a rival government on the strength of being the single largest party in the state assembly. Sawant now has a tough task ahead in emulating Parrikar in a state where Hindutva politics has limited utility because of the rooted presence of regional outfits and 25 per cent Christian voters. A key point, as one analyst observed in a TV discussion, is that defecting leaders get re-elected from their constituencies, suggesting that their confidence and their abilities can overpower the might, the ideology or the symbol of a big party. Or, for that matter, the stigma that one used to attach to defections. I think this phenomenon is spreading across India. I hope to discuss specifics some other time, but there is a general pattern that needs to be noted. Today's slogging party worker is tomorrow's neta. Imagine. Mamata Banerjee was just a humble Congress worker on the streets of what was then Calcutta. In today's Kolkata, she rules over the state with her own Trinamool Congress that has managed to take on both the CPM and her mothership, the Indian National Congress. Modi himself has risen in the BJP from his humble worker origins in Gujarat and has successfully sidelined stalwarts like Lal Krishna Advani. The naive idealism of the Independence movement and the Emergency era have given way to hard-as-nuts ambitions and strategies. Mastery of local issues, goodwill, oratory, lobbying and media savvy are now explicitly recognised as key political skills. If the "high command" of any party is not willing to recognise a worker, breakaway formations and audacious defections offer them a way out. All major Indian political parties with the exception of the communist groups no longer care enough about ideology or the mood of grassroots workers enough to discourage defectors from coming in. There may be an unwritten recognition: a so-called loyal worker is just a not-so-competent chamcha. In such a context, parties prefer a smart defector to a dubious loyalist. Or a useful defector, as we found out last week when Tom Vadakkan, a long-time Congress spokesman considered close to Sonia Gandhi, simply jumped ship to the BJP. The Kerala leader's ostensible reason (Congress disregard for the Army) and timing for the jump were so flimsy, that it looked more comic than grandiose. Vadakkan after decades sitting literally 100 metres from 10 Janpath at the Congress head office suddenly realised the party practises dynastic politics. Excuse me? Vadakkan is not a major leader but the BJP holding a news conference to announce his entry was certainly a significant indicator of where Indian politics is going. Caste, community and tribe still remain important political currencies in India. To top this, we may add an increasing localisation of politics. Local netas who care about the neighbourhood hospital, road or school and are/or more available to meet voters to address their various concerns build up goodwill that escapes the attention of the national media. But they do not escape the hawk eye of the high commands of parties. We have a virtual stock exchange for "winnable" politicians based on ground reports. The scene is not much different from the technology sector, where Amazon, Microsoft and Google may love to poach each other's employees based on their CVs and industry intelligence. Talent, work, skills and energy matter more than loyalty. If the people in question are mission critical (Read: key to winning seats or forming governments), the netas matter more. What is happening this month across political parties are just like annual appraisals and job interviews in top companies every March, prior to the start of a new financial year. Some employees get thumbs-down signals and they look for other opportunities. Smart ones feel bad when smarter ones get the chance or a new boss moves in with his/her own ideas and confidants. In a sense, such defections and group shifts have been part of Indian history and culture. Only, generals and soldiers who used to capture territories for kings have given way to netas and chamchas who capture votes for parties. In such a context, the stylish reference to "winnability" in political parties is an indirect admission of the harsh reality of grassroots politics: Parties don't really win on the basis of their ideals; they increasingly put their brand names on those they think are likely to win, while keeping their trademarks alive with tall talk and big spending. (This article was originally published on Zee News. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Pre-poll defections: Political parties prefer a smart defector than a dubious loyalist

The problem with history is that it is often nuanced. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi’s colourful barb at NaMo’s China diplomacy in the Masood Azhar episode case might resonate with those bashing PM Narendra Modi, but betrays deep historical ignorance.

Such ignorance adds up because graver implications of past mistakes cannot be undone.&nbsp;

It is a fact that India was a founding member of the United Nations, whereas mainland China was excluded from that body until the early 1970s.

Nehru campaigned for China’s entry in the UN, and for making it a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) at the expense of India’s chance of becoming a member of that apex body.&nbsp;

Even though never requested by China, India voluntarily and vigorously advocated Peoples Republic of China (PRC) for the permanent membership of the UNSC in lieu of Taiwan, lobbying with all nations for the UN membership and UNSC permanent seat - not for itself, but for China.&nbsp;

Both the US and the USSR were willing to accommodate India as a permanent member of the UNSC in 1955, in lieu of Taiwan, or as a sixth member, after amending the UN charter.&nbsp;

Nehru wanted the seat to be given to China, as he did not want them to be marginalised, a gesture reciprocated by China in kind seven years later in 1962.&nbsp;

That the lesson was completely lost on Nehru is evident from the fact that Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit — the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly — advocated China’s case even in 1963.

Shashi Tharoor in his book ‘Nehru: The Invention of India’ recalls that when the US offered support for an “Indian Monroe Doctrine” in southern Asia in 1953, Nehru turned John Foster Dulles down with scorn.

“Indian diplomats who have seen the files swear that at about the same time Jawaharlal also declined a US offer to take the permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, then held, with scant credibility, by Taiwan, urging that it be offered to Beijing instead”.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in his speech in Parliament in August 1959, recalled how the Chinese occupation of Tibet in October 1950 notwithstanding, India had decided to raise the question of China’s admission into the United Nations in September 1959 at Nehru’s bidding.&nbsp;

On November 18, 1950, the representative of El Salvador moved the United Nations formally and asked the General Assembly to create a special committee to ‘study’ what measures should be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to shield Tibet against ‘unprovoked’ Chinese aggression.&nbsp;

But when the Steering Committee of the United Nations met, the Indian representative asked the committee to drop the whole matter. When Vajpayee had moved a resolution in Parliament that simultaneously India should also raise the Tibetan issue in the United Nations, Nehru was unresponsive.&nbsp;

KM Panikkar, the Indian Ambassador in Beijing, stated that to protest the Chinese invasion of Tibet would be an act of interference vis a vis India’s efforts on behalf of China in the UN and destroy PRC’s prospects of entry into the UN.

Vallabhbhai Patel did try to draw the attention of Nehru to the threat expansionist China, warning against pursuing its entry into the UN, without quid-pro-quo, but Nehru seemed to be living in his own world, so far as China was concerned.

Patel advise came “in view of the rebuff which China has given us and the method which it has followed in dealing with Tibet”.

“There would probably be a threat in the UNO virtually to outlaw China, in view of its active participation in the Korean War”, Patel warned in his letter to Nehru, “We must determine our attitude on this question also.”

Nehru went ahead with his bull-headed stubbornness, his miscalculations driven by his inexplicably adamant and unreasonable approach, which ended up creating and complicating India-China border problem and allowed it to drift into an unfortunate war.&nbsp;

He bungled Kashmir in 1947-48 by refusing the military advice of its generals to clear the state of invaders, and internationalised the issue by sending it to the UN.&nbsp;

The Panchsheel in 1954 and the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, with zero reciprocity, amounted to massive giveaways.&nbsp;

After signing the Panchsheel agreement with China in 1954 and helping Chou Enlai to emerge into the limelight in Bandung in 1955, Nehru’s starry-eyed phase of “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai” blissfully glossed over the real divergence of interests between the two countries at that time.&nbsp;

India exploded a bomb in 1974, but instead of declaring weapons status, it declared its intent to stay non-nuclear and left itself vulnerable to external pressures to disarm.

Nehru’s idealistic shenanigans were fatal, to say the least. Patel was strongly against the reference of Kashmir to the UN and preferred ‘timely action’ on the ground.&nbsp;

Because of this reference, the issue no longer remained an internal affair, but snowballed into an international issue in the UNSC, enabling Pakistan to rake it up every now and then.&nbsp;

If the grand old party is willing to own up the role of Indian National Congress in liberating India from the British rule all to itself, it must also be willing to accept that many of the pathogens still afflicting India are bequeathed to India by Nehru. Cosying up to China is one of them.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-cosying-up-to-the-dragon-2730407">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

 
 
&nbsp;

The problem with history is that it is often nuanced. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi’s colourful barb at NaMo’s China diplomacy in the Masood Azhar episode case might resonate with those bashing PM Narendra Modi, but betrays deep historical ignorance.

The problem with history is that it is often nuanced. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi’s colourful barb at NaMo’s China diplomacy in the Masood Azhar episode case might resonate with those bashing PM Narendra Modi, but betrays deep historical ignorance. Such ignorance adds up because graver implications of past mistakes cannot be undone. It is a fact that India was a founding member of the United Nations, whereas mainland China was excluded from that body until the early 1970s. Nehru campaigned for China’s entry in the UN, and for making it a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) at the expense of India’s chance of becoming a member of that apex body. Even though never requested by China, India voluntarily and vigorously advocated Peoples Republic of China (PRC) for the permanent membership of the UNSC in lieu of Taiwan, lobbying with all nations for the UN membership and UNSC permanent seat - not for itself, but for China. Both the US and the USSR were willing to accommodate India as a permanent member of the UNSC in 1955, in lieu of Taiwan, or as a sixth member, after amending the UN charter. Nehru wanted the seat to be given to China, as he did not want them to be marginalised, a gesture reciprocated by China in kind seven years later in 1962. That the lesson was completely lost on Nehru is evident from the fact that Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit — the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly — advocated China’s case even in 1963. Shashi Tharoor in his book ‘Nehru: The Invention of India’ recalls that when the US offered support for an “Indian Monroe Doctrine” in southern Asia in 1953, Nehru turned John Foster Dulles down with scorn. “Indian diplomats who have seen the files swear that at about the same time Jawaharlal also declined a US offer to take the permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, then held, with scant credibility, by Taiwan, urging that it be offered to Beijing instead”. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in his speech in Parliament in August 1959, recalled how the Chinese occupation of Tibet in October 1950 notwithstanding, India had decided to raise the question of China’s admission into the United Nations in September 1959 at Nehru’s bidding. On November 18, 1950, the representative of El Salvador moved the United Nations formally and asked the General Assembly to create a special committee to ‘study’ what measures should be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to shield Tibet against ‘unprovoked’ Chinese aggression. But when the Steering Committee of the United Nations met, the Indian representative asked the committee to drop the whole matter. When Vajpayee had moved a resolution in Parliament that simultaneously India should also raise the Tibetan issue in the United Nations, Nehru was unresponsive. KM Panikkar, the Indian Ambassador in Beijing, stated that to protest the Chinese invasion of Tibet would be an act of interference vis a vis India’s efforts on behalf of China in the UN and destroy PRC’s prospects of entry into the UN. Vallabhbhai Patel did try to draw the attention of Nehru to the threat expansionist China, warning against pursuing its entry into the UN, without quid-pro-quo, but Nehru seemed to be living in his own world, so far as China was concerned. Patel advise came “in view of the rebuff which China has given us and the method which it has followed in dealing with Tibet”. “There would probably be a threat in the UNO virtually to outlaw China, in view of its active participation in the Korean War”, Patel warned in his letter to Nehru, “We must determine our attitude on this question also.” Nehru went ahead with his bull-headed stubbornness, his miscalculations driven by his inexplicably adamant and unreasonable approach, which ended up creating and complicating India-China border problem and allowed it to drift into an unfortunate war. He bungled Kashmir in 1947-48 by refusing the military advice of its generals to clear the state of invaders, and internationalised the issue by sending it to the UN. The Panchsheel in 1954 and the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, with zero reciprocity, amounted to massive giveaways. After signing the Panchsheel agreement with China in 1954 and helping Chou Enlai to emerge into the limelight in Bandung in 1955, Nehru’s starry-eyed phase of “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai” blissfully glossed over the real divergence of interests between the two countries at that time. India exploded a bomb in 1974, but instead of declaring weapons status, it declared its intent to stay non-nuclear and left itself vulnerable to external pressures to disarm. Nehru’s idealistic shenanigans were fatal, to say the least. Patel was strongly against the reference of Kashmir to the UN and preferred ‘timely action’ on the ground. Because of this reference, the issue no longer remained an internal affair, but snowballed into an international issue in the UNSC, enabling Pakistan to rake it up every now and then. If the grand old party is willing to own up the role of Indian National Congress in liberating India from the British rule all to itself, it must also be willing to accept that many of the pathogens still afflicting India are bequeathed to India by Nehru. Cosying up to China is one of them. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Congress's barb at Narendra Modi government's China diplomacy shows historical ignorance

There are broadly three categories of political migrants during the election season. The first comprises leaders that have been denied tickets by their respective parties and thus switch over to a rival camp which offers them the chance to contest. The second has leaders who have been long-time rebels waiting for the right occasion to jump ship. The third group consists of politicians that latch on to current developments other than purely political as a reason to leave their parties, even though politics remains a consideration.&nbsp;

In the present context, the first classification would feature a host of figures from all sides — for instance, sitting BJP Member of Parliament Shyama Charan Gupta, who crossed over to the Samajwadi Party after he realised that he would not get the ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The second group has the likes of Kirti Azad, who for months as a sitting MP from the BJP, had criticised the party and its leadership on a variety of issues; and ‘Jay’ Panda, who came over to the BJP from the Biju Janata Dal after spending several months condemning his original party while remaining there.&nbsp;

Prominent in the third category is Tom Vadakkan, until recently a senior Congress leader, a one-time aide to Sonia Gandhi and vociferous supporter of the dynasty. He recently joined the BJP, saying he had been deeply upset by the Congress’s response to the Pulwama attack and the air strikes which were conducted inside Pakistani territory. This group also boasts of politicians from the Trinamool Congress who have migrated to the BJP, angry with West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee over her politics and the manner she has responded to issues of national security.&nbsp;

But there is a fourth classification too, which is unique in the sense that, so far, there is only one person in this list. A few days ago, senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader Danish Ali quit his party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party. What makes the switchover stand out is his claim that he had the blessing of the senior-most JD (S) leaders, HD Deve Gowda and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, for his action. It is difficult to digest this contention, not just because it is unbelievable that the leadership of a party he quits would consent to his joining a different party.&nbsp;

Kumaraswamy’s remark that Danish Ali’s move was a “thoughtful political decision taken by JD (S) and BSP to win more seats in the Lok Sabha election” must be taken with a pinch of salt.&nbsp;

Only a few weeks ago, the BSP had pulled out of the coalition regime in Karnataka led by the JD(S), causing embarrassment to the JD(S). How will it help the party if Danish Ali works to expand the BSP’s based in the state where the JD(S) is already struggling to keep the alliance with the Congress going? As JD(S) leader, Danish Ali had played a significant role in getting his party and the Congress together to foil the BJP’s chances of forming a government in Karnataka after the last election had resulted in a hung Assembly. Only days before he announced his departure from the JD(S), he had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the alliance frictions. &nbsp;

The fact is that, despite these optics, Danish Ali had begun to nurse misgivings about the Congress. He must have been as frustrated as the senior JD(S) leadership with the conduct of the senior alliance partner. HD Kumaraswamy may have reconciled to drinking the “poison” of the alliance, but Danish Ali perhaps felt choked enough to not endure the situation any further. His decision to join the BSP was more out of compulsion than choice. He could obviously not go to the Congress, and he would have been a misfit in the BJP. The Samajwadi Party had even a smaller presence in Karnataka than the BSP. Moreover, unlike the BSP, the SP was more inclined in favour of Congress. &nbsp; 
 
It is being said by him and his supporters that the development should be seen as Danish Ali’s attempt to strengthen the hands of anti-Narendra Modi forces. It is difficult to understand this line of reasoning. He brings nothing on the table for the BSP in Karnataka, not to speak of Uttar Pradesh. He is a lightweight politician in any case, and for BSP chief Mayawati, he would have mere optical value. It is possible that Danish Ali is now looking for a new place of work — Uttar Pradesh, which he has suddenly remembered is his birthplace. There is speculation that the BSP could offer him the ticket from one of the ’safer’ constituencies in the state, possibly Amroha. If that is the case, it more honestly explains Danish Ali’s decision.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

There are broadly three categories of political migrants during the election season. The first comprises leaders that have been denied tickets by their respective parties and thus switch over to a rival camp which offers them the chance to contest.

There are broadly three categories of political migrants during the election season. The first comprises leaders that have been denied tickets by their respective parties and thus switch over to a rival camp which offers them the chance to contest. The second has leaders who have been long-time rebels waiting for the right occasion to jump ship. The third group consists of politicians that latch on to current developments other than purely political as a reason to leave their parties, even though politics remains a consideration. In the present context, the first classification would feature a host of figures from all sides — for instance, sitting BJP Member of Parliament Shyama Charan Gupta, who crossed over to the Samajwadi Party after he realised that he would not get the ticket from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The second group has the likes of Kirti Azad, who for months as a sitting MP from the BJP, had criticised the party and its leadership on a variety of issues; and ‘Jay’ Panda, who came over to the BJP from the Biju Janata Dal after spending several months condemning his original party while remaining there. Prominent in the third category is Tom Vadakkan, until recently a senior Congress leader, a one-time aide to Sonia Gandhi and vociferous supporter of the dynasty. He recently joined the BJP, saying he had been deeply upset by the Congress’s response to the Pulwama attack and the air strikes which were conducted inside Pakistani territory. This group also boasts of politicians from the Trinamool Congress who have migrated to the BJP, angry with West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee over her politics and the manner she has responded to issues of national security. But there is a fourth classification too, which is unique in the sense that, so far, there is only one person in this list. A few days ago, senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader Danish Ali quit his party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party. What makes the switchover stand out is his claim that he had the blessing of the senior-most JD (S) leaders, HD Deve Gowda and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, for his action. It is difficult to digest this contention, not just because it is unbelievable that the leadership of a party he quits would consent to his joining a different party. Kumaraswamy’s remark that Danish Ali’s move was a “thoughtful political decision taken by JD (S) and BSP to win more seats in the Lok Sabha election” must be taken with a pinch of salt. Only a few weeks ago, the BSP had pulled out of the coalition regime in Karnataka led by the JD(S), causing embarrassment to the JD(S). How will it help the party if Danish Ali works to expand the BSP’s based in the state where the JD(S) is already struggling to keep the alliance with the Congress going? As JD(S) leader, Danish Ali had played a significant role in getting his party and the Congress together to foil the BJP’s chances of forming a government in Karnataka after the last election had resulted in a hung Assembly. Only days before he announced his departure from the JD(S), he had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the alliance frictions. The fact is that, despite these optics, Danish Ali had begun to nurse misgivings about the Congress. He must have been as frustrated as the senior JD(S) leadership with the conduct of the senior alliance partner. HD Kumaraswamy may have reconciled to drinking the “poison” of the alliance, but Danish Ali perhaps felt choked enough to not endure the situation any further. His decision to join the BSP was more out of compulsion than choice. He could obviously not go to the Congress, and he would have been a misfit in the BJP. The Samajwadi Party had even a smaller presence in Karnataka than the BSP. Moreover, unlike the BSP, the SP was more inclined in favour of Congress. It is being said by him and his supporters that the development should be seen as Danish Ali’s attempt to strengthen the hands of anti-Narendra Modi forces. It is difficult to understand this line of reasoning. He brings nothing on the table for the BSP in Karnataka, not to speak of Uttar Pradesh. He is a lightweight politician in any case, and for BSP chief Mayawati, he would have mere optical value. It is possible that Danish Ali is now looking for a new place of work — Uttar Pradesh, which he has suddenly remembered is his birthplace. There is speculation that the BSP could offer him the ticket from one of the ’safer’ constituencies in the state, possibly Amroha. If that is the case, it more honestly explains Danish Ali’s decision. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Lok Sabha elections 2019: The curious case of political switchovers

When bigwigs unite: A look at the key constituents of the 'Mahagathbandhan'

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders of Bihar are likely to announce the seat-sharing in Bihar for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday.

The announcement will be made during a press conference at the Janata Dal (United) office in Patna later today.

Bihar JD (U) chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Pashupati Kumar Paras and Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai are expected to be present at the presser.

Rai told ANI, "All is well in NDA. We will win all 40 seats in Bihar. I do not want to comment on Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)."

According to sources, the BJP is likely to contest on Patliputra, Patna Sahib, Arrah, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Buxar, Sasaram, Begusarai, Araria, Aurangabad and Ujiyarpur parliamentary constituencies.

The JD (U), on the other hand, will test their fate while contesting from Purnia, Madhepura, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Siwan, Balmiki Nagar, Jhanjharpur, Sitamarhi, Gaya, Gopalganj, Munger, Banka, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Karakat and Jahanabad Lok Sabha seats.

Sources added that the LJP will fight on six seats - Hajipur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Jamui, Nawada and Khagadia.

The formula of seat-sharing was announced a few months ago in Delhi by BJP president Amit Shah, JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar, and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

According to the NDA seat-sharing formula, the BJP and the JD(U) will contest 17 seats each, while the remaining six would be fought by the LJP.

Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The dates of polling in Bihar are April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won only four seats and the Congress won two. The JD-U, which contested separately, won two seats. The BJP-led NDA won 31 seats, with the former's tally being 22.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders of Bihar are likely to announce the seat-sharing in Bihar for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. The announcement will be made during a press conference at the Janata Dal (United) office in Patna later today.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders of Bihar are likely to announce the seat-sharing in Bihar for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. The announcement will be made during a press conference at the Janata Dal (United) office in Patna later today. Bihar JD (U) chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Pashupati Kumar Paras and Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai are expected to be present at the presser. Rai told ANI, "All is well in NDA. We will win all 40 seats in Bihar. I do not want to comment on Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)." According to sources, the BJP is likely to contest on Patliputra, Patna Sahib, Arrah, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sheohar, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Buxar, Sasaram, Begusarai, Araria, Aurangabad and Ujiyarpur parliamentary constituencies. The JD (U), on the other hand, will test their fate while contesting from Purnia, Madhepura, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Siwan, Balmiki Nagar, Jhanjharpur, Sitamarhi, Gaya, Gopalganj, Munger, Banka, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Karakat and Jahanabad Lok Sabha seats. Sources added that the LJP will fight on six seats - Hajipur, Vaishali, Samastipur, Jamui, Nawada and Khagadia. The formula of seat-sharing was announced a few months ago in Delhi by BJP president Amit Shah, JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar, and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan. According to the NDA seat-sharing formula, the BJP and the JD(U) will contest 17 seats each, while the remaining six would be fought by the LJP. Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The dates of polling in Bihar are April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May 6, 12 and 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won only four seats and the Congress won two. The JD-U, which contested separately, won two seats. The BJP-led NDA won 31 seats, with the former's tally being 22.

Bihar: NDA leaders likely to announce seat-sharing for Lok Sabha polls

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid here on Sunday and reviewed important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes during President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India last year. 
 
EAM @SushmaSwaraj is welcomed by her Maldivian counterpart @abdulla_shahid @MDVForeign ahead of the bilateral talks and Joint Ministerial Meeting. #IndiaFirstPolicy more intense and vigorous" tweeted Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson (MEA) Raveesh Kumar. 
 
Warm discussions between EAM @SushmaSwaraj &amp; Foreign Minister @abdulla_shahid. Reviewed progress on important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes of the State Visit of President @ibusolih to India," Kumar added. 
 
Swaraj, who arrived in Male on Sunday for a two-day visit to the island nation at the invitation of Shahid, is accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and other senior officials, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 
 
During her visit, Swaraj is slated to participate in delegation-level meetings with the Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Yumna Maumoon, Minister of Environment, Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan, and Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail. 
 
The ministers will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and discuss the future programme of action,&nbsp;a statement put out by the MEA said. On March 17, Swaraj is scheduled to call on Speaker of the Parliament Qasim Ibrahim. 
 
On the second day of her visit, she will call on President Solih. Maldives` Minister of Home Affairs Sheikh Imran Abdulla will also meet the Indian External Affairs Minister. 
 
India attaches the highest importance to its relationship with the Maldives which is marked by trust, transparency, mutual understanding, and sensitivity,'&nbsp;the MEA statement said. Swaraj`s visit to the Maldives is aimed at strengthening the "close and friendly relations" between the two nations, after ties between New Delhi and Male came under strain during former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen`s five-year rule, which saw him cosying up with China for various development projects, cracking down on dissent and imposing a state of emergency by jailing opposition leaders. 
 
Moreover, there were several diplomatic issues under the Yameen government with many Indian nationals being reportedly denied visas. 
 
Solih`s surprise victory in the Maldives presidential elections in last September came as a major diplomatic victory for India after New Delhi repeatedly warned the Yameen government to respect democratic institutions and free the jailed opposition leaders. 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the island nation for Solih`s swearing-in ceremony in November last year. During the visit, Solih briefed the Prime Minister about Maldives` fragile economic situation. 
 
The two leaders discussed ways in which India can continue development partnership in various sectors, particularly to help the new government in meeting its pledges to the people of the Maldives. 
 
During Solih's visit to India in December last year, New Delhi announced financial assistance of $1.4 billion to Male in the form of budgetary support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit to fulfil the socio-economic development programmes of the island nation.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid here on Sunday and reviewed important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes during President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India last year.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid here on Sunday and reviewed important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes during President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India last year. EAM @SushmaSwaraj is welcomed by her Maldivian counterpart @abdulla_shahid @MDVForeign ahead of the bilateral talks and Joint Ministerial Meeting. #IndiaFirstPolicy more intense and vigorous" tweeted Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson (MEA) Raveesh Kumar. Warm discussions between EAM @SushmaSwaraj & Foreign Minister @abdulla_shahid. Reviewed progress on important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes of the State Visit of President @ibusolih to India," Kumar added. Swaraj, who arrived in Male on Sunday for a two-day visit to the island nation at the invitation of Shahid, is accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and other senior officials, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). During her visit, Swaraj is slated to participate in delegation-level meetings with the Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Yumna Maumoon, Minister of Environment, Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan, and Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail. The ministers will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and discuss the future programme of action, a statement put out by the MEA said. On March 17, Swaraj is scheduled to call on Speaker of the Parliament Qasim Ibrahim. On the second day of her visit, she will call on President Solih. Maldives` Minister of Home Affairs Sheikh Imran Abdulla will also meet the Indian External Affairs Minister. India attaches the highest importance to its relationship with the Maldives which is marked by trust, transparency, mutual understanding, and sensitivity,' the MEA statement said. Swaraj`s visit to the Maldives is aimed at strengthening the "close and friendly relations" between the two nations, after ties between New Delhi and Male came under strain during former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen`s five-year rule, which saw him cosying up with China for various development projects, cracking down on dissent and imposing a state of emergency by jailing opposition leaders. Moreover, there were several diplomatic issues under the Yameen government with many Indian nationals being reportedly denied visas. Solih`s surprise victory in the Maldives presidential elections in last September came as a major diplomatic victory for India after New Delhi repeatedly warned the Yameen government to respect democratic institutions and free the jailed opposition leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the island nation for Solih`s swearing-in ceremony in November last year. During the visit, Solih briefed the Prime Minister about Maldives` fragile economic situation. The two leaders discussed ways in which India can continue development partnership in various sectors, particularly to help the new government in meeting its pledges to the people of the Maldives. During Solih's visit to India in December last year, New Delhi announced financial assistance of $1.4 billion to Male in the form of budgetary support, currency swap and concessional lines of credit to fulfil the socio-economic development programmes of the island nation.

Sushma Swaraj reviews bilateral issues with Maldivian counterpart

&nbsp;Imagine a cricket match in which the fielding team gets a wicket off the very first ball - and that too a run-out because the two batsmen don't know how to run between the wickets.&nbsp;

That's what Delhi's political scene is looking like now. On the very first day after the Election Commission of India announced general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has found the going good in the capital city thanks to a poor understanding between its main rivals.

With Congress president Rahul Gandhi formally asking his party cadre to win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the capital, a triangular fight between itself, the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is confirmed to a point where I believe the lotus-wallahs have a clear upper hand for several reasons.&nbsp;

Unless there is some late change of mood, and a pinhole exists for a mutually agreeable arrangement as some reports speculate, the advantage is clearly with the BJP.

So what happened to the grand plan to unseat the BJP in a 'Mahagatbandhan' - a grand alliance? In Delhi at least, it has fallen a victim to narrow egos that do not sit easily with claims that Modi's defeat is so important that everyone else has to close ranks.&nbsp;

While you can apportion blame between both the Congress and AAP, the Congress must take a higher share because it had every reason to swallow a bit of its 133-year-old pride as modern India's oldest political grouping.

In Lucknow, they say the old nawabs were so courteous to each other that they would say 'pehle aap' (you first) repeatedly to the other when a horsecart arrived that the cart would leave without either of them. In Delhi, we have a 'pehle aap' culture of a different variety, with much the same result.

The Congress, it seems, wanted the AAP to make the first move in what might have been an alliance. 'Pehle AAP', it seemed to say. But the AAP went ahead and announced candidates for six seats in Delhi without much ado (If there were any backroom talks, we are not quite aware). For Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, putting the AAP first has become his own variant. 'Pehle AAP,' as it were.&nbsp;

The result of all this is a triangular contest in which the BJP is set to be the gainer. Given the fact that there is a widespread belief that Modi is the front-runner, but faces an anti-incumbency factor in which the BJP on its own may not get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha like it did last time, every seat counts for those who want to - or claim to want to - unseat him. With seven seats tilting towards the BJP, the grand alliance of the opposition has gotten off to a not-so-grand start in the national capital.

Even otherwise, the BJP is on strong ground in Delhi. With memories of the Pulwama attack in Kashmir and anti-terror airstrikes by the Indian Air Force in Pakistani territory fresh in public memory, Modi has already made national security a major poll plank. There is no state, I believe, that buys this plank more than Delhi. As the capital region, national issues are close to its heart. Delhi also is arguably the least affected by caste politics by Indian standards. Given the BJP's tendency to appeal above caste divides, that is another advantage for the BJP.

The Congress is a bruised party. Its own internal tensions between Delhi party leaders Sheila Dixit and Ajay Maken is part of the capital's political folklore. It does not help that the AAP is sitting in power in the local government and has been energetically working towards raising its profile. Its passion and energy can be seen everywhere as if it has put behind the bad vibes it acquired when senior leaders like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav found themselves out of the group in an unseemly turn of events.

AAP has truly revolutionised education and healthcare in Delhi with visible administrative interventions by its government. Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, have also perfected the dubious art of hyping up achievements. I expect AAP to be BJP's main challenger because it also has built up considerable goodwill among teeming migrants from eastern UP and Bihar.

The Congress is no doubt strong in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but it cannot expect a simple rebound vote to help it in Delhi, given AAP's inspired, though chequered, rule over the city. There are no rabbits that I can see coming out of Rahul Gandhi's magical hat.

At the national level, if the Lok Sabha break-up throws up a pleasant surprise for the opposition (which I do not rule out), Delhi's seats may turn up to be more crucial than it appears now. The Congress seems to want to brazen it out there despite the sensitivity of the situation. It seems to confuse memories of the past with the imperatives of the present.

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/blogs/each-seat-matters-but-congress-aap-have-gifted-advantage-to-bjp-in-delhi-in-2019-lok-sabha-elections-2187208.html">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Imagine a cricket match in which the fielding team gets a wicket off the very first ball - and that too a run-out because the two batsmen don't know how to run between the wickets.

Imagine a cricket match in which the fielding team gets a wicket off the very first ball - and that too a run-out because the two batsmen don't know how to run between the wickets. That's what Delhi's political scene is looking like now. On the very first day after the Election Commission of India announced general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has found the going good in the capital city thanks to a poor understanding between its main rivals. With Congress president Rahul Gandhi formally asking his party cadre to win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the capital, a triangular fight between itself, the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is confirmed to a point where I believe the lotus-wallahs have a clear upper hand for several reasons. Unless there is some late change of mood, and a pinhole exists for a mutually agreeable arrangement as some reports speculate, the advantage is clearly with the BJP. So what happened to the grand plan to unseat the BJP in a 'Mahagatbandhan' - a grand alliance? In Delhi at least, it has fallen a victim to narrow egos that do not sit easily with claims that Modi's defeat is so important that everyone else has to close ranks. While you can apportion blame between both the Congress and AAP, the Congress must take a higher share because it had every reason to swallow a bit of its 133-year-old pride as modern India's oldest political grouping. In Lucknow, they say the old nawabs were so courteous to each other that they would say 'pehle aap' (you first) repeatedly to the other when a horsecart arrived that the cart would leave without either of them. In Delhi, we have a 'pehle aap' culture of a different variety, with much the same result. The Congress, it seems, wanted the AAP to make the first move in what might have been an alliance. 'Pehle AAP', it seemed to say. But the AAP went ahead and announced candidates for six seats in Delhi without much ado (If there were any backroom talks, we are not quite aware). For Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, putting the AAP first has become his own variant. 'Pehle AAP,' as it were. The result of all this is a triangular contest in which the BJP is set to be the gainer. Given the fact that there is a widespread belief that Modi is the front-runner, but faces an anti-incumbency factor in which the BJP on its own may not get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha like it did last time, every seat counts for those who want to - or claim to want to - unseat him. With seven seats tilting towards the BJP, the grand alliance of the opposition has gotten off to a not-so-grand start in the national capital. Even otherwise, the BJP is on strong ground in Delhi. With memories of the Pulwama attack in Kashmir and anti-terror airstrikes by the Indian Air Force in Pakistani territory fresh in public memory, Modi has already made national security a major poll plank. There is no state, I believe, that buys this plank more than Delhi. As the capital region, national issues are close to its heart. Delhi also is arguably the least affected by caste politics by Indian standards. Given the BJP's tendency to appeal above caste divides, that is another advantage for the BJP. The Congress is a bruised party. Its own internal tensions between Delhi party leaders Sheila Dixit and Ajay Maken is part of the capital's political folklore. It does not help that the AAP is sitting in power in the local government and has been energetically working towards raising its profile. Its passion and energy can be seen everywhere as if it has put behind the bad vibes it acquired when senior leaders like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav found themselves out of the group in an unseemly turn of events. AAP has truly revolutionised education and healthcare in Delhi with visible administrative interventions by its government. Kejriwal and his deputy, Manish Sisodia, have also perfected the dubious art of hyping up achievements. I expect AAP to be BJP's main challenger because it also has built up considerable goodwill among teeming migrants from eastern UP and Bihar. The Congress is no doubt strong in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but it cannot expect a simple rebound vote to help it in Delhi, given AAP's inspired, though chequered, rule over the city. There are no rabbits that I can see coming out of Rahul Gandhi's magical hat. At the national level, if the Lok Sabha break-up throws up a pleasant surprise for the opposition (which I do not rule out), Delhi's seats may turn up to be more crucial than it appears now. The Congress seems to want to brazen it out there despite the sensitivity of the situation. It seems to confuse memories of the past with the imperatives of the present. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

2019 Lok Sabha elections: Congress and AAP have gifted advantage to BJP in Delhi

The Congress party has launched its pan-India campaign for the general elections by targetting the BJP and the Narendra Modi government by holding it responsible for all the problems of the country.

The ruling BJP has responded to the Congress attack by going on the offensive and questioning the Congress culture and pointing out how it has deviated from the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi and the freedom fighters who had sacrificed their all for the cause of the nation.

Addressing a Congress rally at Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district in Gujarat after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Tuesday, the newly appointed Congress National Congress general secretary of eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said that the government was not talking about the real issues while people were being divided and hatred was being spread. She also laid stress on the need for building awareness among the people. Equating awareness with patriotism, she said that if it is used as a weapon without harming anyone, the county will become strong.

On this occasion, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Modi and the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre. He referred to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as Gabbar Singh Tax equating it with the brute character by the same name in Sholay, the much acclaimed and popular Bollywood blockbuster.

Blunting the Congress tirade against him and the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quick in going into the overdrive mode and calling upon influencers from all fields, including politics, industry, sports, films and other walks of life to take the lead in spreading voter awareness and value of high voting. He has expressed the hope that these elections would witness the highest ever turnout in the history of Indian elections!"

Paying tributes to Gandhi ji and all those who had marched with him to Dandi, PM Modi has shared his thoughts on the Dandi March – especially the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and his aversion to the Congress culture on his blog. Highlighting Mahatma Gandhi's concern for the poor, Modi has said that in all aspects of his government’s work, the guiding consideration is the welfare and progress of the deprived sections but sadly, the antithesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture.

Modi’s argument comes like a knockout punch vis-a-vis the main opposition when he says in a matter of fact manner: “Mahatma Gandhi was a firm believer in democracy. Ironically, Congress imposed Emergency and trampled over the democratic spirit. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values. Gandhi Ji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947.”

What Modi has pointed out on his blog is already a topic of discussion on social media and also in drawing room circles and among the commoners on the street. Modi’s stock has grown manifold particularly after the air strike against the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack. The anti-terror operation inside Pakistani territory is being treated as a turning point in the war on terror and the Government of India’s strategy to handle the Kashmir crisis.

It’s advantage Modi and the BJP at this stage when campaigning is still picking up for the Lok Sabha elections, as the Congress refuses to come on the same page with the government of India on the crucial issue of terrorism and national security.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

The Congress party has launched its pan-India campaign for the general elections by targetting the BJP and the Narendra Modi government by holding it responsible for all the problems of the country.

The Congress party has launched its pan-India campaign for the general elections by targetting the BJP and the Narendra Modi government by holding it responsible for all the problems of the country. The ruling BJP has responded to the Congress attack by going on the offensive and questioning the Congress culture and pointing out how it has deviated from the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi and the freedom fighters who had sacrificed their all for the cause of the nation. Addressing a Congress rally at Adalaj village of Gandhinagar district in Gujarat after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Tuesday, the newly appointed Congress National Congress general secretary of eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said that the government was not talking about the real issues while people were being divided and hatred was being spread. She also laid stress on the need for building awareness among the people. Equating awareness with patriotism, she said that if it is used as a weapon without harming anyone, the county will become strong. On this occasion, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Modi and the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre. He referred to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as Gabbar Singh Tax equating it with the brute character by the same name in Sholay, the much acclaimed and popular Bollywood blockbuster. Blunting the Congress tirade against him and the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quick in going into the overdrive mode and calling upon influencers from all fields, including politics, industry, sports, films and other walks of life to take the lead in spreading voter awareness and value of high voting. He has expressed the hope that these elections would witness the highest ever turnout in the history of Indian elections!" Paying tributes to Gandhi ji and all those who had marched with him to Dandi, PM Modi has shared his thoughts on the Dandi March – especially the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and his aversion to the Congress culture on his blog. Highlighting Mahatma Gandhi's concern for the poor, Modi has said that in all aspects of his government’s work, the guiding consideration is the welfare and progress of the deprived sections but sadly, the antithesis of Gandhian thought is the Congress culture. Modi’s argument comes like a knockout punch vis-a-vis the main opposition when he says in a matter of fact manner: “Mahatma Gandhi was a firm believer in democracy. Ironically, Congress imposed Emergency and trampled over the democratic spirit. The Congress misused Article 356 several times. If they did not like a leader, that Government was dismissed. Always eager to promote dynastic culture, Congress has no regard for democratic values. Gandhi Ji had understood the Congress culture very well, which is why he wanted the Congress disbanded, especially after 1947.” What Modi has pointed out on his blog is already a topic of discussion on social media and also in drawing room circles and among the commoners on the street. Modi’s stock has grown manifold particularly after the air strike against the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camps in Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack. The anti-terror operation inside Pakistani territory is being treated as a turning point in the war on terror and the Government of India’s strategy to handle the Kashmir crisis. It’s advantage Modi and the BJP at this stage when campaigning is still picking up for the Lok Sabha elections, as the Congress refuses to come on the same page with the government of India on the crucial issue of terrorism and national security. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

On the issues of ideology and national security, it’s advantage Narendra Modi and BJP all the way

Terming the April 11 elections in the state a fight between "credibility and opportunism," YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Monday asked people of Andhra Pradesh to vote for change to usher in welfare and development in equal measure.

Kickstarting his party's election campaign in the coastal city of Kakinada, Reddy said the time has come for people to teach Chief Minister and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu a fitting lesson for having cheated people on all counts.

"These elections are not between two political parties but a fight between credibility and opportunism. It is a fight between democracy and anarchy.

It is high time that such an unscrupulous person (Chandrababu Naidu) should go, as people are vexed with his lies, U-turns, deceptions and cheating," the Leader of Opposition said.

Jagan alleged Naidu was responsible for the division of the state and also stalling Special Category Status (SCS).

"He defaced the Polavaram project and stood as a promoter of real estate business in the (Amaravati) capital region," the YSRC chief alleged.

"The time has come to usher in a change, one for betterment and prosperity," Reddy said.

Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the YSRC was seeking to win the elections through conspiracies.

"He (Reddy) has been to jail and sent several others as well. YSRC has a criminal history. If Jagan Mohan Reddy is trusted, he will send everyone to jail," Naidu told his party cadre through teleconference.

"In this just war, victory will be TDPs," Naidu added.

Over 3.71 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise for electing 25 Lok Sabha members and 175 members of the state assembly in the polls, the first after the state was bifurcated to create Telangana in 2014.

Terming the April 11 elections in the state a fight between "credibility and opportunism," YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Monday asked people of Andhra Pradesh to vote for change to usher in welfare and development in equal measure.

Terming the April 11 elections in the state a fight between "credibility and opportunism," YSR Congress president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Monday asked people of Andhra Pradesh to vote for change to usher in welfare and development in equal measure. Kickstarting his party's election campaign in the coastal city of Kakinada, Reddy said the time has come for people to teach Chief Minister and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu a fitting lesson for having cheated people on all counts. "These elections are not between two political parties but a fight between credibility and opportunism. It is a fight between democracy and anarchy. It is high time that such an unscrupulous person (Chandrababu Naidu) should go, as people are vexed with his lies, U-turns, deceptions and cheating," the Leader of Opposition said. Jagan alleged Naidu was responsible for the division of the state and also stalling Special Category Status (SCS). "He defaced the Polavaram project and stood as a promoter of real estate business in the (Amaravati) capital region," the YSRC chief alleged. "The time has come to usher in a change, one for betterment and prosperity," Reddy said. Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the YSRC was seeking to win the elections through conspiracies. "He (Reddy) has been to jail and sent several others as well. YSRC has a criminal history. If Jagan Mohan Reddy is trusted, he will send everyone to jail," Naidu told his party cadre through teleconference. "In this just war, victory will be TDPs," Naidu added. Over 3.71 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise for electing 25 Lok Sabha members and 175 members of the state assembly in the polls, the first after the state was bifurcated to create Telangana in 2014.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: Polls a fight between credibility and opportunism, says YSRC chief

Every issue tends to get a political flavour as the election season comes near in any country. As the general elections in India approach, much is being spoken about the timing, the said clash between the voting dates and the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan.

Speaking up on the issue, veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Tuesday said that he finds the discussion around the issue “totally disgusting”.&nbsp;

Taking to Twitter he wrote: "I find this whole discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting. This is the kind of distorted and convoluted version of secularism that to me is repulsive, revolting and intolerable. EC (Election Commission) should not consider it for a second."

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I find this whole discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting . This is the kind of distorted and convoluted version of secularism that to me is repulsive , revolting and intolerable . EC shouldn’t consider it for a second .
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) <a href="https://twitter.com/Javedakhtarjadu/status/1105174534909452294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The said controversy erupted after some people reportedly pointed out that the ensuing general elections are kept to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan so as to dissuade Muslims from voting.&nbsp;

The voting dates were announced on Sunday by the Election Commission. The dates for the seven phases are April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will be held on May 23.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the month of Ramadan this year is likely to start around May 5. It is a holy month for Muslims who fast during the day and eat after the sun sets.&nbsp;

Every issue tends to get a political flavour as the election season comes near in any country. As the general elections in India approach, much is being spoken about the timing, the said clash between the voting dates and the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan.

Every issue tends to get a political flavour as the election season comes near in any country. As the general elections in India approach, much is being spoken about the timing, the said clash between the voting dates and the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan. Speaking up on the issue, veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar on Tuesday said that he finds the discussion around the issue “totally disgusting”. Taking to Twitter he wrote: "I find this whole discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting. This is the kind of distorted and convoluted version of secularism that to me is repulsive, revolting and intolerable. EC (Election Commission) should not consider it for a second." I find this whole discussion about Ramzan and elections totally disgusting . This is the kind of distorted and convoluted version of secularism that to me is repulsive , revolting and intolerable . EC shouldn’t consider it for a second . — Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) March 11, 2019 × The said controversy erupted after some people reportedly pointed out that the ensuing general elections are kept to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan so as to dissuade Muslims from voting. The voting dates were announced on Sunday by the Election Commission. The dates for the seven phases are April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting of votes will be held on May 23. Meanwhile, the month of Ramadan this year is likely to start around May 5. It is a holy month for Muslims who fast during the day and eat after the sun sets.

Javed Akhtar on elections during Ramadan debate: This is repulsive, revolting and intolerable