Captain Amarinder Singh will take oath as the chief minister of Punjab at a swearing-in ceremony today morning.

The 77-year-old, who has been credited with the Congress&#39;s big win in the recently-concluded state assembly elections, will take oath at 10 am today.

Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore will administer the oath of office to the chief minister-designate and his team of cabinet ministers at the Governor&#39;s House (Punjab Bhawan).

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who joined the Congress just a month before the elections, is also likely to be given a Cabinet berth. He is reportedly keen on the post of deputy CM. Congress leaders, however, are reportedly against Sidhu&#39;s elevation given that he recently joined the party and that they don&#39;t see a point in both top posts being taken by leaders from the same belt (Malwa).

Other prominent faces from the state who are likely to be inducted include industrialist Rana Gurjit Singh, former Punjab mfinance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Muslim community leader Razia Sultana and Aruna Chaudhary.

The Congress formally elected Amarinder Singh as the head of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) last Sunday. Amarinder Singh later met the governor and staked his claim to form the next government in the state.

This is the second time that he will helm the Northern Indian state. He was previously chief minister from 2002-2007.

The Congress came back to power winning 77 seats in the 117-member state assembly riding a strong anti-incumbency wave against the ruling SAD-BJP combine which won just 18 seats.&nbsp;

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s Aam Aadmi Party, which debuted in Punjab for the first time, picked up just 22 seats.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore will administer the oath of office to the chief minister-designate and his team at 10 am today

Captain Amarinder Singh will take oath as the chief minister of Punjab at a swearing-in ceremony today morning. The 77-year-old, who has been credited with the Congress's big win in the recently-concluded state assembly elections, will take oath at 10 am today. Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore will administer the oath of office to the chief minister-designate and his team of cabinet ministers at the Governor's House (Punjab Bhawan). Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who joined the Congress just a month before the elections, is also likely to be given a Cabinet berth. He is reportedly keen on the post of deputy CM. Congress leaders, however, are reportedly against Sidhu's elevation given that he recently joined the party and that they don't see a point in both top posts being taken by leaders from the same belt (Malwa). Other prominent faces from the state who are likely to be inducted include industrialist Rana Gurjit Singh, former Punjab mfinance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Muslim community leader Razia Sultana and Aruna Chaudhary. The Congress formally elected Amarinder Singh as the head of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) last Sunday. Amarinder Singh later met the governor and staked his claim to form the next government in the state. This is the second time that he will helm the Northern Indian state. He was previously chief minister from 2002-2007. The Congress came back to power winning 77 seats in the 117-member state assembly riding a strong anti-incumbency wave against the ruling SAD-BJP combine which won just 18 seats. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, which debuted in Punjab for the first time, picked up just 22 seats. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Captain Amarinder Singh to be sworn in as Punjab chief minister today, Navjot Singh Sidhu likely to get cabinet berth

The BJP in Manipur&nbsp;claimed on Sunday to have secured the support of 32 MLAs after getting the backing of NDA&nbsp;constituent parties and two other MLAs, and said it would elect the legislature party leader tomorrow.

BJP has its own 21 MLAs and secured support of 11 others adding up to 32 legislators. 31 are needed to form government in the 60-member Assembly, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after meeting Governor Najma Heptullah.

A delegation of BJP and parties supporting it called on the Governor but it was not clear what transpired in the meeting.

Biswa Sarma said the legislature party leader would be elected tomorrow.

Shyamkumar, one of the 28 Congress MLAs who won from Andro constituency, and the lone All India Trinamool Congress legislator Robindro joined the BJP taking the party&#39;s numbers to 32, Sarma said. 
 
Asked about application of the anti-defection law against Shyamkumar, Biswa Sarma said they have kept that in mind. 
Earlier, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said, &quot;We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and LJP in our bid to form the government in Manipur.&quot; 
 
NPP won 4 seats and LGP 1. 
 
NPP and LJP representatives were present along with their winning candidates in Madhav&#39;s press conference. 
Madhav said that the party also has an &quot;understanding&quot; with another NDA partner Naga People&#39;s Front which has won four seats. 
 
So, after the support of NPP, NPF, LJP, Trinamool Congress and the Congress&#39; one MLA, the BJP has support of 32 MLAs including its own 21. 
 
Madhav said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur. 
 
The NPP&#39;s Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur. 
 
On being asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said the party leadership would decide soon. 
 
Manipur yesterday threw up a hung assembly with the ruling Congress bagging 28 of the 60 seats and the BJP winning 21.&nbsp;

Despite BJP&#39;s move to form government in Manipur, the Congress which was ruling the state for the past 15 years, said it would stake claim too. 
 
&quot;We will stake claim soon to form the next government. A fractured mandate requires a coalition government. The Congress is exploring possibilities to join with like-minded parties to form the government,&quot; state Congress president T N Haokip told reporters after a Congress legislature party meeting during the day. 
 
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was re-elected as the CLP leader in the meeting for the fourth time.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

The BJP said it had the support of 32 legislators. 31 are needed to form the government in the 60-member Assembly

The BJP in Manipur claimed on Sunday to have secured the support of 32 MLAs after getting the backing of NDA constituent parties and two other MLAs, and said it would elect the legislature party leader tomorrow. BJP has its own 21 MLAs and secured support of 11 others adding up to 32 legislators. 31 are needed to form government in the 60-member Assembly, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after meeting Governor Najma Heptullah. A delegation of BJP and parties supporting it called on the Governor but it was not clear what transpired in the meeting. Biswa Sarma said the legislature party leader would be elected tomorrow. Shyamkumar, one of the 28 Congress MLAs who won from Andro constituency, and the lone All India Trinamool Congress legislator Robindro joined the BJP taking the party's numbers to 32, Sarma said. Asked about application of the anti-defection law against Shyamkumar, Biswa Sarma said they have kept that in mind. Earlier, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said, "We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and LJP in our bid to form the government in Manipur." NPP won 4 seats and LGP 1. NPP and LJP representatives were present along with their winning candidates in Madhav's press conference. Madhav said that the party also has an "understanding" with another NDA partner Naga People's Front which has won four seats. So, after the support of NPP, NPF, LJP, Trinamool Congress and the Congress' one MLA, the BJP has support of 32 MLAs including its own 21. Madhav said that yesterday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur. The NPP's Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur. On being asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said the party leadership would decide soon. Manipur yesterday threw up a hung assembly with the ruling Congress bagging 28 of the 60 seats and the BJP winning 21. Despite BJP's move to form government in Manipur, the Congress which was ruling the state for the past 15 years, said it would stake claim too. "We will stake claim soon to form the next government. A fractured mandate requires a coalition government. The Congress is exploring possibilities to join with like-minded parties to form the government," state Congress president T N Haokip told reporters after a Congress legislature party meeting during the day. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was re-elected as the CLP leader in the meeting for the fourth time. (PTI)

BJP says has requisite numbers for forming government in Manipur

The Election Commission tonight (March 11) ordered repolling in one of the booths of Lohaghat Assembly seat in Uttarakhand where EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)&nbsp;went out of order, forcing counting at the station to be stopped midway through.

Repolling in booth number 128, Government Inter College at Karankarayat, was ordered after the EVMs stopped displaying results due to some technical problem prompting authorities to stop counting, the state election office said here.

Polling will be held afresh on March 15. Counting will undertaken and the results will be declared the same evening, it said.

The poll panel has asked its state representatives to keep the documents pertaining to today&#39;s counting for the Assembly seat sealed till the announcement of the booth&#39;s results.

When the EVMs conked out, BJP&#39;s Puran Singh Fartyal was ahead of his nearest rival, Congress&#39; Khushal Singh by 450 votes.

Of the result for 69 seats declared, the BJP has won in 56 to sweep to power in the state. Congress has won in 11 seats and Independents secured two seats.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Polling will be held afresh on March 15. Counting will undertaken and results declared the same day

The Election Commission tonight (March 11) ordered repolling in one of the booths of Lohaghat Assembly seat in Uttarakhand where EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) went out of order, forcing counting at the station to be stopped midway through. Repolling in booth number 128, Government Inter College at Karankarayat, was ordered after the EVMs stopped displaying results due to some technical problem prompting authorities to stop counting, the state election office said here. Polling will be held afresh on March 15. Counting will undertaken and the results will be declared the same evening, it said. The poll panel has asked its state representatives to keep the documents pertaining to today's counting for the Assembly seat sealed till the announcement of the booth's results. When the EVMs conked out, BJP's Puran Singh Fartyal was ahead of his nearest rival, Congress' Khushal Singh by 450 votes. Of the result for 69 seats declared, the BJP has won in 56 to sweep to power in the state. Congress has won in 11 seats and Independents secured two seats. (PTI)

Repolling ordered in booth of Uttarakhand's Lohaghat seat

By Iftikhar Gilani

Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi.

Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party&rsquo;s fortune in this critical state.

In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s constituency.

Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs.

Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs.

&ldquo;With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?&rdquo; he questions.

Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well.

After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively.

SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi&rsquo;s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress.

Tussle of two

Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates

(This article first appeared in DNA)

The bone of contention is 10 seats in the Congress pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli

By Iftikhar Gilani Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi. Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party’s fortune in this critical state. In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi’s constituency. Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs. Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs. “With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?” he questions. Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well. After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively. SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi’s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress. Tussle of two Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates (This article first appeared in DNA)

UP elections: Alliance done but SP, Cong continue to bicker over seat sharing