The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which bagged 54 seats in the recently concluded <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/maharashtra-bjp-shiv-sena-feud-continues-for-the-cm-post-258477">Maharashtra Assembly elections</a> on Wednesday held meetings and took few decisions in Mumbai.

It all began with a meeting of important leaders at Silver Oak, which is NCP chief Sharad Pawar`s residence.

All prominent faces of the NCP were present at the meeting and were spotted with happy faces as they met Pawar for the first time after Diwali.

A little while later an NCP core committee meeting took place at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai. Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Supriya Sule, Dhananjay Munde, Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Nawab Malik and other leaders and workers were present in the meeting.

A few decisions were to be taken and therefore the core of NCP was present there.Post core committee meeting, a gathering of the newly-elected MLAs was held in NCP office, Ballard Pier here. The meeting saw the NCP office being decorated with flowers and posters of `Pawarful NCP` depicting powerful NCP.

It was a comeback of sorts as NCP leaders seemed to be happy and satisfied with the results and the way every winning MLA was welcomed was special in its own way.

The meeting also saw Ajit Pawar being elected as the Legislative Party leader unanimously.Pawar took BJP-Shiv Sena`s "arrogance" to task by saying that NCP had won people`s hearts and people had taught them a lesson.

Pawar also said, "The current scenario is that except the ruling parties of Shiv Sena and BJP, NCP is the most accepted party in the state. The people of Maharashtra have shown us love."

On <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/supreme-court-reserves-ayodhya-verdict-after-40-days-of-hearing-256283">Ayodhya land dispute</a> case, Pawar said, "The Ayodhya result will be announced soon and it is a matter of faith. Whatever judgement comes we have to make sure that it is accepted and peace prevails everywhere. There should be communal harmony maintained everywhere. There are chances that some forces might take advantage of this but it is important to be calm and accept things."

In a veiled attack at BJP, Pawar also said, "I don`t think Article 370 makes relevance at every place. Why do you have to raise the issue of 370 everywhere? How does 370 affect everything? You have to understand that Article 370 is not the only thing in the nation. First, understand the needs of the common man, that is much more important."

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which bagged 54 seats in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections on Wednesday held meetings and took few decisions in Mumbai.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which bagged 54 seats in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections on Wednesday held meetings and took few decisions in Mumbai. It all began with a meeting of important leaders at Silver Oak, which is NCP chief Sharad Pawar`s residence. All prominent faces of the NCP were present at the meeting and were spotted with happy faces as they met Pawar for the first time after Diwali. A little while later an NCP core committee meeting took place at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai. Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel, Supriya Sule, Dhananjay Munde, Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Nawab Malik and other leaders and workers were present in the meeting. A few decisions were to be taken and therefore the core of NCP was present there.Post core committee meeting, a gathering of the newly-elected MLAs was held in NCP office, Ballard Pier here. The meeting saw the NCP office being decorated with flowers and posters of `Pawarful NCP` depicting powerful NCP. It was a comeback of sorts as NCP leaders seemed to be happy and satisfied with the results and the way every winning MLA was welcomed was special in its own way. The meeting also saw Ajit Pawar being elected as the Legislative Party leader unanimously.Pawar took BJP-Shiv Sena`s "arrogance" to task by saying that NCP had won people`s hearts and people had taught them a lesson. Pawar also said, "The current scenario is that except the ruling parties of Shiv Sena and BJP, NCP is the most accepted party in the state. The people of Maharashtra have shown us love." On Ayodhya land dispute case, Pawar said, "The Ayodhya result will be announced soon and it is a matter of faith. Whatever judgement comes we have to make sure that it is accepted and peace prevails everywhere. There should be communal harmony maintained everywhere. There are chances that some forces might take advantage of this but it is important to be calm and accept things." In a veiled attack at BJP, Pawar also said, "I don`t think Article 370 makes relevance at every place. Why do you have to raise the issue of 370 everywhere? How does 370 affect everything? You have to understand that Article 370 is not the only thing in the nation. First, understand the needs of the common man, that is much more important."

Maharashtra power tussle: Sharad Pawar holds NCP meetings in Mumbai

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that the mandate for his party in Maharashtra elections is to sit in the opposition and they have fully accepted it.

Speaking to media persons here, Pawar said the newly-elected MLAs of the party will meet on October 30 to elect legislative party leader.&nbsp;

"The public mandate for us is to sit in the opposition and we have accepted it with the bottom of our heart. There is no other option," Pawar said.

He said the party will talk to its ally Congress on the post of leader of opposition.&nbsp;

"For the post of opposition leader and other positions, Congress and NCP will deliberate. On every issue, Congress and NCP will move forward only after having discussions with each other," he said.

NCP has won 54 seats in Maharashtra elections, ten more than the seats won by Congress. He said the newly-elected MPs of the party will meet October 30 at 5 pm.

Maharashtra Congress Committee President Balasaheb Thorat was also present at the press conference.

Earlier in the day, Thorat paid a visit to Sharad Pawar in "his personal capacity".

Pawar`s daughter Supriya Sule, MP, and party MLA Rohit Pawar, who is his grand-nephew, were also present.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the Maharashtra assembly polls.&nbsp;

Shiv Sena leaders on Saturday demanded that BJP should give a written assurance that both the alliance partners will run the government according to 50-50 formula for two-and-a-half-years each.&nbsp;

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that the mandate for his party in Maharashtra elections is to sit in the opposition and they have fully accepted it.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that the mandate for his party in Maharashtra elections is to sit in the opposition and they have fully accepted it. Speaking to media persons here, Pawar said the newly-elected MLAs of the party will meet on October 30 to elect legislative party leader. "The public mandate for us is to sit in the opposition and we have accepted it with the bottom of our heart. There is no other option," Pawar said. He said the party will talk to its ally Congress on the post of leader of opposition. "For the post of opposition leader and other positions, Congress and NCP will deliberate. On every issue, Congress and NCP will move forward only after having discussions with each other," he said. NCP has won 54 seats in Maharashtra elections, ten more than the seats won by Congress. He said the newly-elected MPs of the party will meet October 30 at 5 pm. Maharashtra Congress Committee President Balasaheb Thorat was also present at the press conference. Earlier in the day, Thorat paid a visit to Sharad Pawar in "his personal capacity". Pawar`s daughter Supriya Sule, MP, and party MLA Rohit Pawar, who is his grand-nephew, were also present. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the Maharashtra assembly polls. Shiv Sena leaders on Saturday demanded that BJP should give a written assurance that both the alliance partners will run the government according to 50-50 formula for two-and-a-half-years each.

Mandate for Nationalist Congress Party is to sit in opposition: Sharad Pawar

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. This, despite the fact that the party managed to increase its vote share over its 2014 performance.

The BJP won 40 of the 90 constituencies in the Haryana Assembly, which means it is six seats short of the simple majority needed to form a government on its own. It scored 36.45 per cent of the votes, which was an increase of 3.25 percentage points over its 2014 performance of 33.2 per cent, which had give it 47 seats in the Assembly.

However, the sticking point that led most observers to expect a massive electoral sweep for the BJP in the 2019 Assembly election was the fact that the party had received a mind-boggling 58 per cent of the votes. This was an extremely steep increase from the 34.84 per cent the party had scored in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

However, this very real Modi wave doesn't seem to have translated to the Assembly elections for the BJP.

The Congress managed to hold on to its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and notched an increase of eight percentage points over its score in the 2014 Assembly elections. This gave the party victories in 31 seats, up from 15 seats in 2014.

But, if the BJP's vote share increased and the Congress's vote share increased, where did these votes come from? The likely answer to that is that they came from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which crashed from an inelastic and steady vote share between 22 and 24 percentage points over the past few elections to a mere 2.45 per cent.

The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which broke away from the INLD in a family feud, seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of the INLD's decimation. The fledgeling party managed to score victories in 10 seats. The JJP's vote share was not presented separately by the Election Commission of India since it is not yet recognised. Whether the votes that abandoned the INLD vote shifted in totality to the JJP remains to be seen.

Simply put, this many not exactly have been a vote against the government of ML Khattar. It is just that vote bloc migrations as a result of the collapse of the INLD put in place a situation where the increases in vote share just didn't convert into seats for the BJP. Only one thing is certain, there was a massive Modi wave in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and the Prime Minister's popularity need not necessarily translate to victories for the Chief Ministers he put in place over the past five years. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-haryana-election-result-shows-pm-modi-s-popularity-does-not-automatically-assure-bjp-victory-2798544">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar.

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. This, despite the fact that the party managed to increase its vote share over its 2014 performance. The BJP won 40 of the 90 constituencies in the Haryana Assembly, which means it is six seats short of the simple majority needed to form a government on its own. It scored 36.45 per cent of the votes, which was an increase of 3.25 percentage points over its 2014 performance of 33.2 per cent, which had give it 47 seats in the Assembly. However, the sticking point that led most observers to expect a massive electoral sweep for the BJP in the 2019 Assembly election was the fact that the party had received a mind-boggling 58 per cent of the votes. This was an extremely steep increase from the 34.84 per cent the party had scored in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, this very real Modi wave doesn't seem to have translated to the Assembly elections for the BJP. The Congress managed to hold on to its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and notched an increase of eight percentage points over its score in the 2014 Assembly elections. This gave the party victories in 31 seats, up from 15 seats in 2014. But, if the BJP's vote share increased and the Congress's vote share increased, where did these votes come from? The likely answer to that is that they came from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which crashed from an inelastic and steady vote share between 22 and 24 percentage points over the past few elections to a mere 2.45 per cent. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which broke away from the INLD in a family feud, seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of the INLD's decimation. The fledgeling party managed to score victories in 10 seats. The JJP's vote share was not presented separately by the Election Commission of India since it is not yet recognised. Whether the votes that abandoned the INLD vote shifted in totality to the JJP remains to be seen. Simply put, this many not exactly have been a vote against the government of ML Khattar. It is just that vote bloc migrations as a result of the collapse of the INLD put in place a situation where the increases in vote share just didn't convert into seats for the BJP. Only one thing is certain, there was a massive Modi wave in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and the Prime Minister's popularity need not necessarily translate to victories for the Chief Ministers he put in place over the past five years. (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)

Haryana election result shows PM Modi's popularity does not automatically assure BJP victory

Opposition has done better-than-expected in both states & BJP's over-reliance on PM Modi & 'national' issues may have failed to make the desired impact.

WION Edit: Local Issues Matter To People & Opposition Is 'alive'

Here's What The Assembly Election Results Mean For BJP, Congress, NCP, JJP & Others.

Gravitas: Assembly Poll Results: Interpreting The Key Factors & Events

With Congress-NCP campaign in doldrums, the outcome of the Maharastra Assembly election would be along predictable lines.

Video Opinion: Rahul Gandhi has made it more difficult for Congress ahead of Maharashtra Assembly election

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, an old warhorse of Indian politics, has been named in an enforcement case investigation report filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam case. His nephew Ajit Pawar is also an accused in the case.&nbsp;

Sharad Pawar has called it vendetta politics before the state polls due next month and thundered that like Shivaji, he won’t bow down to the powers in Delhi.

NCP is fighting for survival with its back to the wall. The party is facing a mass exodus of leaders. Almost daily, there is news of this or that MLA, MLC, corporator, senior leader leaving the party and joining either BJP or the Shiv Sena.&nbsp;

NCP was formed in May 1999 by Sharad Pawar, PA Sangma, and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Congress for opposing Italian Sonia Gandhi’s ascendancy to party president post. Sangma left the party in 2012, while Tariq Anwar quit last year and returned to the Congress.&nbsp;

The party didn’t have a base of its own. The Congress split down the line from the top to the bottom and many leaders/workers switched loyalties to Pawar. He wasn’t ever able to create a vote bank or support apart from the one enjoyed by the Congress party. The 1999 state elections held within three months of formation of the party threw up a hung verdict.

Pawar allied with Congress to form government in the state, the same party that he had left three months ago.

The Congress-NCP alliance went on to rule the state for 15 years on the trot. In 2004, NCP got more seats than the Congress; despite that, he offered the Chief Minister’s chair to the grand old party. In effect, the party leaders and workers enjoyed power since the foundation days of the party.

Now NCP is out of power for the last five years and has faced a serious drubbing in two consecutive general elections. The workers are not used to being out of power and it has impacted their status and funding. To add to the woes of the party, the

Maratha voter, its staunchest supporter, has deserted it. The Maratha elite, which is used to be in the corridors of power, has moved to BJP and the Shiv Sena in the last five years.

The party has been accused of espousing the cause of the elite and not the common Marathis, whose exodus to the saffron parties, began much earlier.&nbsp;

BJP is giving tough competition to NCP in its den of western Maharashtra. Western Maharashtra is the second most urbanised region after Mumbai-Thane. Its GDP per capita is second only to Mumbai-Thane.

While NCP won half of its tally from this region in 2014 state elections, BJP finished ahead of the party bagging 25 seats versus 19 of NCP. Urban centres have traditionally supported the BJP across the country.&nbsp;

NCP has been reduced to a party of Pawars, Patils, Naiks, Bhujbals and Ranes. Dynastic politics has plagued the party. In new India where youth are rejecting such politics, NCP is struggling to cope up with this phenomenon.

Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, who is considered his heir, is already 60. He is brash and arrogant, not liked by many senior leaders. The recent exodus is partly because of his autocratic style of functioning. Many NCP leaders do not want to work alongside him.

Many corruption cases have tied him down. His son Parth unsuccessfully contested the general elections early this year.

While Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is popular in her constituency and is slowly making her mark in Parliament in matters of woman and child development, she doesn’t enjoy the same mass connect as her father.

NCP is essentially a party of regional landlords, powerful sugar lobby and cooperative societies (who arranged &amp; managed the votes in their constituencies) with little or no direct connection with the voters.

Even Pawar is aware that NCP is politically shrinking. At this age, he is touring the state drumming up support for the UPA after having bargained for an equal number of seats with Congress. Time is ticking fast on the clock of the party! 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the<a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-pawar-ncp-face-an-existential-crisis-like-never-before-2793357"> original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, an old warhorse of Indian politics, has been named in an enforcement case investigation report filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam case.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, an old warhorse of Indian politics, has been named in an enforcement case investigation report filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam case. His nephew Ajit Pawar is also an accused in the case. Sharad Pawar has called it vendetta politics before the state polls due next month and thundered that like Shivaji, he won’t bow down to the powers in Delhi. NCP is fighting for survival with its back to the wall. The party is facing a mass exodus of leaders. Almost daily, there is news of this or that MLA, MLC, corporator, senior leader leaving the party and joining either BJP or the Shiv Sena. NCP was formed in May 1999 by Sharad Pawar, PA Sangma, and Tariq Anwar after they were expelled from the Congress for opposing Italian Sonia Gandhi’s ascendancy to party president post. Sangma left the party in 2012, while Tariq Anwar quit last year and returned to the Congress. The party didn’t have a base of its own. The Congress split down the line from the top to the bottom and many leaders/workers switched loyalties to Pawar. He wasn’t ever able to create a vote bank or support apart from the one enjoyed by the Congress party. The 1999 state elections held within three months of formation of the party threw up a hung verdict. Pawar allied with Congress to form government in the state, the same party that he had left three months ago. The Congress-NCP alliance went on to rule the state for 15 years on the trot. In 2004, NCP got more seats than the Congress; despite that, he offered the Chief Minister’s chair to the grand old party. In effect, the party leaders and workers enjoyed power since the foundation days of the party. Now NCP is out of power for the last five years and has faced a serious drubbing in two consecutive general elections. The workers are not used to being out of power and it has impacted their status and funding. To add to the woes of the party, the Maratha voter, its staunchest supporter, has deserted it. The Maratha elite, which is used to be in the corridors of power, has moved to BJP and the Shiv Sena in the last five years. The party has been accused of espousing the cause of the elite and not the common Marathis, whose exodus to the saffron parties, began much earlier. BJP is giving tough competition to NCP in its den of western Maharashtra. Western Maharashtra is the second most urbanised region after Mumbai-Thane. Its GDP per capita is second only to Mumbai-Thane. While NCP won half of its tally from this region in 2014 state elections, BJP finished ahead of the party bagging 25 seats versus 19 of NCP. Urban centres have traditionally supported the BJP across the country. NCP has been reduced to a party of Pawars, Patils, Naiks, Bhujbals and Ranes. Dynastic politics has plagued the party. In new India where youth are rejecting such politics, NCP is struggling to cope up with this phenomenon. Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, who is considered his heir, is already 60. He is brash and arrogant, not liked by many senior leaders. The recent exodus is partly because of his autocratic style of functioning. Many NCP leaders do not want to work alongside him. Many corruption cases have tied him down. His son Parth unsuccessfully contested the general elections early this year. While Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is popular in her constituency and is slowly making her mark in Parliament in matters of woman and child development, she doesn’t enjoy the same mass connect as her father. NCP is essentially a party of regional landlords, powerful sugar lobby and cooperative societies (who arranged & managed the votes in their constituencies) with little or no direct connection with the voters. Even Pawar is aware that NCP is politically shrinking. At this age, he is touring the state drumming up support for the UPA after having bargained for an equal number of seats with Congress. Time is ticking fast on the clock of the party! (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)

Sharad Pawar, NCP face an existential crisis like never before

After their first significant electoral victories in 1967, the then Jan Sangh, BJP’s precursor, embarked on a series of informal alliances with princely notables in Madhya Pradesh, who were not only deeply influential in central India, but were, until then, staunch supporters of the Congress Party. &nbsp;

Much later, in the 1980s and 1990s, LK Advani and others in the BJP, continued this policy, broad basing it to include a vast spectrum of people and celebrities, who were not in any way related to the RSS or traditional Sangh politics. &nbsp;

Cut to 2019, when BJP is in a pole position in Indian politics, particularly after Narendra Modi’s second emphatic victory, obviously there is a queue to join the party. &nbsp;In many ways, the contrast could not have been starker. Since the 1960s, when the Jan Sangh was a pariah, seeking reluctant allies, to 2019 when political leaders of all hues are making a beeline to get into the party, is a long-distance travelled. &nbsp;

However, the BJP needs to exercise caution with rampant poaching — read defection exercises — that has led to politicians of various shapes and sizes, lining up to join the party in power. These days, not a week goes without someone or the other, in many cases even political heavyweights, joining the BJP. &nbsp; &nbsp;To be sure, party-hopping in not a new phenomenon in this country, and well precedes the advent of Narendra Modi. Every general election or Assembly poll is invariably accompanied by individual politicians, mostly local notables, transferring their loyalties from one party to another.&nbsp;

This switch is usually based on the ‘winnability’ factor. If an anticipated swing in favour of one party is complemented by a person’s local appeal, success is more or less guaranteed. On their part, political parties aren’t exactly selective about admitting turncoats, who may have been attacking them just the other day!

The pre-election switches may be uneven, but not exactly unethical, because if the electorate decides to back rank defectors, there is nothing that anyone can say or do.&nbsp;

This process of aya Rams and gaya Rams merely reinforce — if indeed any reinforcement was needed — that political parties, given the extreme diversity and vastness of Indian society, can scarcely be ideological at all, even loosely.&nbsp;

It would, therefore, be a mistake to describe the BJP as an ideological party, not the least by its own supporters, let alone critiques on the Left-Liberal end of the spectrum. To propose therefore that the BJP is entirely controlled by the RSS, is inaccurate. This may have held true for the early Jana Sangh, but over the decades the BJP has evolved into something far bigger than just the Sangh Parivar. There is little doubt that the RSS’s inputs to the BJP’s ultimate execution of its programmes are very significant, but the party’s stalwarts like Advani believed long ago that to expand its footprints, the BJP would have to move beyond a strictly regimented existence, something that the Left in India was unable to do. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

A look at the BJP’s leadership today, particularly in states where it has come to establish a presence only recently, will help to elucidate this point. Local BJP units, many of them set up newly, have to factor in local issues and deal with new entrants into the party fold, who do not come from the traditional saffron fold. They could belong to the Congress or even a regional party. To be sure, the RSS does provide the cohesion needed, but BJP’s horizontal, nationwide expansion, is its own doing.&nbsp;

Typically of India, the situation varies from one state to the other. In West Bengal and Tripura, the BJP was a very small party until quite recently. It constituted individuals associated with the Sangh Parivar, not all of them familiar with the ways of conducting electoral politics.

Many individuals from the Trinamool Congress and Congress who joined the BJP after 2014 or even just before the 2019 election, were better equipped to fight elections than the old-timers. &nbsp;

It would be fair to say that the remarkably good performance of the BJP in these two states, is thanks in the main to these new inductees, who skillfully harnessed the larger popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for electoral gains.&nbsp;

Such political integration is, however, not without its downside. In West Bengal, after the BJP’s electoral triumph in the Lok Sabha elections, there have been tensions in the local party unit on differing perceptions of Sangh old-timers and recent entrants. &nbsp;

A look at recent defections to the BJP in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, presents a different side of the problem. The implications of destabilising the HD Kumara Swamy government in Bangalore is being attributed to a lack of political ethics, because the provocation was triggered by Modi’s resounding mandate.

Yet, it would be instructive to remember that the Congress — Janata Dal (S) coalition that came into existence after the Assembly election in Karnataka last year, was itself steeped in rank opportunism. Both the parties had contested the polls bitterly against each other. Under the circumstances, replacing one unprincipled combination with another may hardly be deemed unethical.&nbsp;

Having said that, the BJP would be well-advised not to lose its original hallmark — party with a difference. The 2019 victory was prompted by peoples’expectations and coming so soon after that mandate, the murky games in Karnataka, Goa and poll-bound Maharashtra could make the party lose its moral sheen. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-defections-and-poaching-2778104">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

After their first significant electoral victories in 1967, the then Jan Sangh, BJP’s precursor, embarked on a series of informal alliances with princely notables in Madhya Pradesh, who were not only deeply influential in central India, but were, until then, staunch supporters of the Congress Party.

After their first significant electoral victories in 1967, the then Jan Sangh, BJP’s precursor, embarked on a series of informal alliances with princely notables in Madhya Pradesh, who were not only deeply influential in central India, but were, until then, staunch supporters of the Congress Party. Much later, in the 1980s and 1990s, LK Advani and others in the BJP, continued this policy, broad basing it to include a vast spectrum of people and celebrities, who were not in any way related to the RSS or traditional Sangh politics. Cut to 2019, when BJP is in a pole position in Indian politics, particularly after Narendra Modi’s second emphatic victory, obviously there is a queue to join the party. In many ways, the contrast could not have been starker. Since the 1960s, when the Jan Sangh was a pariah, seeking reluctant allies, to 2019 when political leaders of all hues are making a beeline to get into the party, is a long-distance travelled. However, the BJP needs to exercise caution with rampant poaching — read defection exercises — that has led to politicians of various shapes and sizes, lining up to join the party in power. These days, not a week goes without someone or the other, in many cases even political heavyweights, joining the BJP. To be sure, party-hopping in not a new phenomenon in this country, and well precedes the advent of Narendra Modi. Every general election or Assembly poll is invariably accompanied by individual politicians, mostly local notables, transferring their loyalties from one party to another. This switch is usually based on the ‘winnability’ factor. If an anticipated swing in favour of one party is complemented by a person’s local appeal, success is more or less guaranteed. On their part, political parties aren’t exactly selective about admitting turncoats, who may have been attacking them just the other day! The pre-election switches may be uneven, but not exactly unethical, because if the electorate decides to back rank defectors, there is nothing that anyone can say or do. This process of aya Rams and gaya Rams merely reinforce — if indeed any reinforcement was needed — that political parties, given the extreme diversity and vastness of Indian society, can scarcely be ideological at all, even loosely. It would, therefore, be a mistake to describe the BJP as an ideological party, not the least by its own supporters, let alone critiques on the Left-Liberal end of the spectrum. To propose therefore that the BJP is entirely controlled by the RSS, is inaccurate. This may have held true for the early Jana Sangh, but over the decades the BJP has evolved into something far bigger than just the Sangh Parivar. There is little doubt that the RSS’s inputs to the BJP’s ultimate execution of its programmes are very significant, but the party’s stalwarts like Advani believed long ago that to expand its footprints, the BJP would have to move beyond a strictly regimented existence, something that the Left in India was unable to do. A look at the BJP’s leadership today, particularly in states where it has come to establish a presence only recently, will help to elucidate this point. Local BJP units, many of them set up newly, have to factor in local issues and deal with new entrants into the party fold, who do not come from the traditional saffron fold. They could belong to the Congress or even a regional party. To be sure, the RSS does provide the cohesion needed, but BJP’s horizontal, nationwide expansion, is its own doing. Typically of India, the situation varies from one state to the other. In West Bengal and Tripura, the BJP was a very small party until quite recently. It constituted individuals associated with the Sangh Parivar, not all of them familiar with the ways of conducting electoral politics. Many individuals from the Trinamool Congress and Congress who joined the BJP after 2014 or even just before the 2019 election, were better equipped to fight elections than the old-timers. It would be fair to say that the remarkably good performance of the BJP in these two states, is thanks in the main to these new inductees, who skillfully harnessed the larger popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for electoral gains. Such political integration is, however, not without its downside. In West Bengal, after the BJP’s electoral triumph in the Lok Sabha elections, there have been tensions in the local party unit on differing perceptions of Sangh old-timers and recent entrants. A look at recent defections to the BJP in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, presents a different side of the problem. The implications of destabilising the HD Kumara Swamy government in Bangalore is being attributed to a lack of political ethics, because the provocation was triggered by Modi’s resounding mandate. Yet, it would be instructive to remember that the Congress — Janata Dal (S) coalition that came into existence after the Assembly election in Karnataka last year, was itself steeped in rank opportunism. Both the parties had contested the polls bitterly against each other. Under the circumstances, replacing one unprincipled combination with another may hardly be deemed unethical. Having said that, the BJP would be well-advised not to lose its original hallmark — party with a difference. The 2019 victory was prompted by peoples’expectations and coming so soon after that mandate, the murky games in Karnataka, Goa and poll-bound Maharashtra could make the party lose its moral sheen. (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.)

BJP now sees politicians of all denominations lining up to join its fold

In a major jolt to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), party's three MLAs - Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Sandeep Naik, Vaibhav Pichad - joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The three MLAs joined BJP in presence of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. Maharashtra women wing president Chitra Wagh, who resigned from her post on July 27, also joined the Saffron party along with them.

Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Sandeep Naik, Vaibhav Pichad <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-1-congress-3-nationalist-congress-mlas-to-join-bjp-today-239631">handed over their resignation letters</a> to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade on Tuesday.

On July 25, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ncp-mumbai-chief-ahir-joshi-cross-over-to-bjp-238357">Ahir Joshi</a>, Mumbai President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had crossed over to Shiv Sena.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan claimed that more than 50 MLAs of the Congress and NCP want to join his party ahead of the Assembly elections in the state later this year.

Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar remained unfazed and said he has experience of handling such situations. He extended his best wished to all those who have crossed over to other parties and said such situations arise in politics sometimes. 
 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

In a major jolt to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), party's three MLAs - Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Sandeep Naik, Vaibhav Pichad - joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In a major jolt to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), party's three MLAs - Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Sandeep Naik, Vaibhav Pichad - joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The three MLAs joined BJP in presence of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. Maharashtra women wing president Chitra Wagh, who resigned from her post on July 27, also joined the Saffron party along with them. Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Sandeep Naik, Vaibhav Pichad handed over their resignation letters to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade on Tuesday. On July 25, Ahir Joshi, Mumbai President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had crossed over to Shiv Sena. Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan claimed that more than 50 MLAs of the Congress and NCP want to join his party ahead of the Assembly elections in the state later this year. Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar remained unfazed and said he has experience of handling such situations. He extended his best wished to all those who have crossed over to other parties and said such situations arise in politics sometimes. (With inputs from agencies)

Three Nationalist Congress Party cross over to BJP; Sharad Pawar says 'he can handle such situations'

Four MLAs from opposition <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ncp-mumbai-chief-ahir-joshi-cross-over-to-bjp-238357&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi-qpCS0NzjAhUGknAKHbvYCbsQFjACegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1GLkkWmVQ5mNE42m0ehnIP">Nationalist Congress Party</a> and Congress in Maharashtra on Tuesday resigned from the state Assembly and said they will be joining the ruling BJP.

NCP MLAs&nbsp;Vaibhav Pichad, Sandeep Naik and Shivendra Raje, and Congress legislator Kalidas Kolambkar handed over their resignation letters to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade.

They said they will be joining BJP tomorrow.

On Monday, Kolambkar had quit Congress and announced his decision to resign from the House.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in October this year.

On Sunday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had alleged that the central government is pressuring MLAs from opposition parties to join BJP.&nbsp;

Four MLAs from opposition Nationalist Congress Party and Congress in Maharashtra on Tuesday resigned from the state Assembly and said they will be joining the ruling BJP.

Four MLAs from opposition Nationalist Congress Party and Congress in Maharashtra on Tuesday resigned from the state Assembly and said they will be joining the ruling BJP. NCP MLAs Vaibhav Pichad, Sandeep Naik and Shivendra Raje, and Congress legislator Kalidas Kolambkar handed over their resignation letters to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade. They said they will be joining BJP tomorrow. On Monday, Kolambkar had quit Congress and announced his decision to resign from the House. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in October this year. On Sunday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had alleged that the central government is pressuring MLAs from opposition parties to join BJP.

Four opposition MLAs resign from Maharashtra Assembly

Ahir Joshi, Mumbai President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday crossed over to Shiv Sena.

Ahir joined Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son and Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray at "Matoshree'.

Uddhav Thackeray welcomed Ahir to the Shiv Sena, saying his presence will strengthen the party.&nbsp;I assure that Sachin Ahir will not regret his decision. He has joined the party with his family... Politics should be done like politics and we will not leave our principles. But yes we will not leave any stone unturned for expansion and strengthening of our party," he said

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— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1154274367922159616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Ahir said he was impressed with the developmental work done by Shiv Sena for the masses. I felt that it would be good to work should-to-shoulder with them," Ahir said.

Reacting to Ahir's cross over, NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said NCP-Congress coalition will perform better than the BJP in the next elections.

Meanwhile, another NCP leader, Chhagan Bhujbal, dismissed the reports of joining Shiv Sena as baseless. I am going nowhere; I will be where I am. All other news is baseless and false," he said. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Ahir Joshi, Mumbai President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday crossed over to Shiv Sena. Ahir joined Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son and Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray at "Matoshree'.

Ahir Joshi, Mumbai President of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday crossed over to Shiv Sena. Ahir joined Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son and Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray at "Matoshree'. Uddhav Thackeray welcomed Ahir to the Shiv Sena, saying his presence will strengthen the party. I assure that Sachin Ahir will not regret his decision. He has joined the party with his family... Politics should be done like politics and we will not leave our principles. But yes we will not leave any stone unturned for expansion and strengthening of our party," he said Maharashtra: Mumbai NCP president Sachin Ahir, joins Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray. pic.twitter.com/LWcP5SgUL5 — ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2019 × Ahir said he was impressed with the developmental work done by Shiv Sena for the masses. I felt that it would be good to work should-to-shoulder with them," Ahir said. Reacting to Ahir's cross over, NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said NCP-Congress coalition will perform better than the BJP in the next elections. Meanwhile, another NCP leader, Chhagan Bhujbal, dismissed the reports of joining Shiv Sena as baseless. I am going nowhere; I will be where I am. All other news is baseless and false," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

NCP Mumbai chief Ahir Joshi cross over to BJP

National Congress Party (NCP) youth workers staged a protest against Maharashtra Government over Water Conservation Minister Tanaji Sawant's statement calling 'a large number of crabs'&nbsp;being the reason behind the breach in Ratnagiri's Tiware dam, on Friday.

NCP workers reached Shahupuri police station in Kolhapur, holding live crabs and demanded to register an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 302 (murder) against crabs.

"There were no leakages earlier. Leakage happened after a large number of crabs gathered around the dam. Locals brought the issue to our notice and our department acted on it. The incident is unfortunate," Sawant told media on Friday.

On being asked if the construction was weak, the minister said that he came to know the shoddy construction work from the farmers and villagers of the area.

The death toll reached 19 in Ratnagiri's Tiware Dam breach incident as one more body was recovered during the search operation, which resumed on Friday morning.

The search operation was restarted by the police and the National Disaster Force (NDRF) this morning as several more people are feared dead in the incident, an official said.

The Tiware dam developed a breach on the night of July 3 due to heavy rains.

The breach caused a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

According to police, villagers have been moved to safer places and the situation is under control now.&nbsp;

National Congress Party (NCP) youth workers staged a protest against Maharashtra Government over Water Conservation Minister Tanaji Sawant's statement calling 'a large number of crabs' being the reason behind the breach in Ratnagiri's Tiware dam, on Friday.

National Congress Party (NCP) youth workers staged a protest against Maharashtra Government over Water Conservation Minister Tanaji Sawant's statement calling 'a large number of crabs' being the reason behind the breach in Ratnagiri's Tiware dam, on Friday. NCP workers reached Shahupuri police station in Kolhapur, holding live crabs and demanded to register an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 302 (murder) against crabs. "There were no leakages earlier. Leakage happened after a large number of crabs gathered around the dam. Locals brought the issue to our notice and our department acted on it. The incident is unfortunate," Sawant told media on Friday. On being asked if the construction was weak, the minister said that he came to know the shoddy construction work from the farmers and villagers of the area. The death toll reached 19 in Ratnagiri's Tiware Dam breach incident as one more body was recovered during the search operation, which resumed on Friday morning. The search operation was restarted by the police and the National Disaster Force (NDRF) this morning as several more people are feared dead in the incident, an official said. The Tiware dam developed a breach on the night of July 3 due to heavy rains. The breach caused a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages. According to police, villagers have been moved to safer places and the situation is under control now.

Maharashtra: NCP workers stage protest over Tiware Dam Breach, demand FIR against 'crabs'

As many as 14 Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, NCP, AAP and CPI, have given notice over discussion in Rajya Sabha tomorrow under Rule 176 on the `need for electoral reforms in the country`.

The leaders of the parties are expected to talk about electoral bonds, One Nation One Election and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/can-learn-a-lot-from-indian-experience-on-electronic-voting-machines-indonesian-envoy-211182">Electronic Voting Machine</a> (EVM) malfunction, among other issues.&nbsp;

Claiming that a majority of political parties were in favour of "One Nation, One Election" idea, the government had on June 19 announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will constitute a committee to study the feasibility of the concept after a meeting of parties from which main Opposition Congress and major parties kept away.&nbsp;

As many as 14 Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, NCP, AAP and CPI, have given notice over discussion in Rajya Sabha tomorrow under Rule 176 on the `need for electoral reforms in the country`.

As many as 14 Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, NCP, AAP and CPI, have given notice over discussion in Rajya Sabha tomorrow under Rule 176 on the `need for electoral reforms in the country`. The leaders of the parties are expected to talk about electoral bonds, One Nation One Election and Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunction, among other issues. Claiming that a majority of political parties were in favour of "One Nation, One Election" idea, the government had on June 19 announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will constitute a committee to study the feasibility of the concept after a meeting of parties from which main Opposition Congress and major parties kept away.

14 opposition parties give notice over discussion in Rajya Sabha on 'need for electoral reforms'

The ED will be questioning senior NCP leader and former aviation minister Praful Patel tomorrow as part of its money laundering probe related to alleged losses suffered by national carrier Air India. Watch full video to know more

ED to question former minister Praful Patel in UPA-era aviation scam tomorrow

Congress was trounced by Modi’s party in 2014 and reduced to its worst ever showing of 44 seats. It improved on that result on Thursday, but loss of Amethi and the BJP’s penetration of the country’s east, north-east and south confirmed that Gandhi’s party has been superseded as India’s only national political force.

Gravitas: Congress off-shoots earn voters trust

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is contesting on 22 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra out of 48, released its manifesto named 'Aao Milkar Desh Banaye' here on Monday ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

The focus of the manifesto was on the relationship with Pakistan, saying it will open talks with Pakistan while also insisting discussions on the issue of terrorism. "We will open talks with Pakistan during which we will insist on discussing terrorism," read the manifesto.

While releasing the manifesto, NCP general secretary DP Tripathi said: "It is necessary to strengthen our stand in global circumstances. Hence, the pathway of talks should never be closed. I don't say dialogues will immediately resolve the situation, but it'll lessen the problems".

Taking a dig at the Narendra Modi-led Government on its foreign policy, the manifesto stated: "It is important to at least continue working relations with Pakistan as we have with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives. The reason for the crisis in foreign policy is due to the current Government moving away from the principles set up by our founding Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. We will follow the Panchsheel philosophy which has worked for us well".

On the issue of national security, NCP manifesto said: "Our endeavour will be to bring the youth into the mainstream and thereby prevent them from falling prey to radicalisation. Stern action will be taken against those engaged in radicalising youth. This declaration has been made in the view of Jammu and Kashmir and a prolonged turmoil situation there."

"The NDA Government, in five years, has failed miserably to contain terrorism. In these five years of NDA rule, there have been three terror attacks on military and paramilitary forces and no one is held accountable" the manifesto added.

Apart from core traditional issues like farmers' distress, unemployment and job losses, issues like foreign policy, national security and defence also got a considerable space in the manifesto.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is contesting on 22 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra out of 48, released its manifesto named 'Aao Milkar Desh Banaye' here on Monday ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is contesting on 22 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra out of 48, released its manifesto named 'Aao Milkar Desh Banaye' here on Monday ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The focus of the manifesto was on the relationship with Pakistan, saying it will open talks with Pakistan while also insisting discussions on the issue of terrorism. "We will open talks with Pakistan during which we will insist on discussing terrorism," read the manifesto. While releasing the manifesto, NCP general secretary DP Tripathi said: "It is necessary to strengthen our stand in global circumstances. Hence, the pathway of talks should never be closed. I don't say dialogues will immediately resolve the situation, but it'll lessen the problems". Taking a dig at the Narendra Modi-led Government on its foreign policy, the manifesto stated: "It is important to at least continue working relations with Pakistan as we have with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives. The reason for the crisis in foreign policy is due to the current Government moving away from the principles set up by our founding Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. We will follow the Panchsheel philosophy which has worked for us well". On the issue of national security, NCP manifesto said: "Our endeavour will be to bring the youth into the mainstream and thereby prevent them from falling prey to radicalisation. Stern action will be taken against those engaged in radicalising youth. This declaration has been made in the view of Jammu and Kashmir and a prolonged turmoil situation there." "The NDA Government, in five years, has failed miserably to contain terrorism. In these five years of NDA rule, there have been three terror attacks on military and paramilitary forces and no one is held accountable" the manifesto added. Apart from core traditional issues like farmers' distress, unemployment and job losses, issues like foreign policy, national security and defence also got a considerable space in the manifesto.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: NCP releases manifesto, advocates talks with Pakistan

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls. Addressing a rally, Patil also claimed that while the Sena keeps attacking the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a city hotel two days ago. He sought to know what they discussed.

The Sena, though part of the BJP-led NDA, criticises the saffron party almost every day. In a veiled warning, BJP president Amit Shah had said last Sunday that if there was no alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will “plonk down” (defeat) its former allies. Referring to Shah’s statement, Patil said, “The president of the other party (BJP) talks about plonking you down. If you have (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s blood running in your veins, show the courage to walk out of the state cabinet tomorrow morning.”

Patil also said there was “no wave” in the country now, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s popularity was on the wane. “We have launched this Parivartan Yatra campaign to rid the country and state of the BJP,” he said. The NCP rally was also addressed by senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde and others. Ajit Pawar hit out at the Centre over the 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. “You gave reservation to those who pay income tax, but not to the poor,” Pawar said.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls. Addressing a rally, Patil also claimed that while the Sena keeps attacking the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a city hotel two days ago. He sought to know what they discussed. The Sena, though part of the BJP-led NDA, criticises the saffron party almost every day. In a veiled warning, BJP president Amit Shah had said last Sunday that if there was no alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will “plonk down” (defeat) its former allies. Referring to Shah’s statement, Patil said, “The president of the other party (BJP) talks about plonking you down. If you have (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s blood running in your veins, show the courage to walk out of the state cabinet tomorrow morning.” Patil also said there was “no wave” in the country now, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s popularity was on the wane. “We have launched this Parivartan Yatra campaign to rid the country and state of the BJP,” he said. The NCP rally was also addressed by senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde and others. Ajit Pawar hit out at the Centre over the 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. “You gave reservation to those who pay income tax, but not to the poor,” Pawar said.

NCP cites Amit Shah’s warning, dares Shiv Sena to quit government

The Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress will be contesting together in upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NCP leader Praful Patel said on Saturday.

"We have decided that NCP and Congress will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together on 40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra," Patel said.

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Praful Patel, NCP: We have decided that NCP &amp; Congress will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections together on 40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. However, a decision is yet to be taken for the remaining 8 Lok Sabha seats of the state. <a href="https://t.co/INMjJj9gxr">pic.twitter.com/INMjJj9gxr</a>
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"However, a decision is yet to be taken for the remaining 8 Lok Sabha seats of the state," he added.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80.

In December, NCP president Sharad Pawar had also confirmed that his party and Congress have reached consensus on sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats.

"We have decided the seat-sharing on 40 seats, still, eight are left. If any consensus is not reached on remaining eight seats then the final decision will be taken by the two party chiefs in New Delhi," ANI reported Pawar as saying.

During 2014 general elections, the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress had fielded political contenders for 27 constituencies in Maharashtra, while the Pawar-led NCP had contested on 21 seats. Earlier, the seat sharing was fixed at 26:22, but later the NCP decided not to contest from the Hatkanangale constituency as it did not have any contender.&nbsp;

This seat was later contested by the Congress.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80.

The Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress will be contesting together in upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NCP leader Praful Patel said on Saturday. "We have decided that NCP and Congress will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together on 40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra," Patel said. Praful Patel, NCP: We have decided that NCP & Congress will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections together on 40 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. However, a decision is yet to be taken for the remaining 8 Lok Sabha seats of the state. pic.twitter.com/INMjJj9gxr — ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2019 × "However, a decision is yet to be taken for the remaining 8 Lok Sabha seats of the state," he added. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80. In December, NCP president Sharad Pawar had also confirmed that his party and Congress have reached consensus on sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. "We have decided the seat-sharing on 40 seats, still, eight are left. If any consensus is not reached on remaining eight seats then the final decision will be taken by the two party chiefs in New Delhi," ANI reported Pawar as saying. During 2014 general elections, the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress had fielded political contenders for 27 constituencies in Maharashtra, while the Pawar-led NCP had contested on 21 seats. Earlier, the seat sharing was fixed at 26:22, but later the NCP decided not to contest from the Hatkanangale constituency as it did not have any contender. This seat was later contested by the Congress.

NCP, Congress to contest Lok Sabha polls together in Maharashtra: Praful Patel

Congress party and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-ncp-leader-tariq-anwar-joins-congress-173795">National Congress Party (NCP) </a>have reached a consensus on sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.&nbsp;

Speaking to ANI, NCP president <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sharad-pawar-hits-out-at-pm-modi-over-cbi-row-172994">Sharad Pawar</a>, stated on Monday, "In Maharashtra, NCP and Congress will together contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections along with Peasants and Workers Party of India.&nbsp;

Till now, we have decided the seat-sharing on 40 seats, still, eight are left. If any consensus is not reached on remaining eight seats then the final decision will be taken by the two party chiefs in New Delhi.

"During 2014 general elections, the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress had fielded political contenders for 27 constituencies in Maharashtra, while the Pawar-led NCP had contested on 21 seats.&nbsp;

Earlier, the seat sharing was fixed at 26:22, but later the NCP decided not to contest from the Hatkanangale constituency as it did not have any contender. This seat was later contested by the Congress.

Congress party and National Congress Party (NCP) have reached a consensus on sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Speaking to ANI, NCP president Sharad Pawar, stated on Monday, "In Maharashtra, NCP and Congress will together contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections along with Peasants and Workers Party of India.

Congress party and National Congress Party (NCP) have reached a consensus on sharing 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Speaking to ANI, NCP president Sharad Pawar, stated on Monday, "In Maharashtra, NCP and Congress will together contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections along with Peasants and Workers Party of India. Till now, we have decided the seat-sharing on 40 seats, still, eight are left. If any consensus is not reached on remaining eight seats then the final decision will be taken by the two party chiefs in New Delhi. "During 2014 general elections, the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress had fielded political contenders for 27 constituencies in Maharashtra, while the Pawar-led NCP had contested on 21 seats. Earlier, the seat sharing was fixed at 26:22, but later the NCP decided not to contest from the Hatkanangale constituency as it did not have any contender. This seat was later contested by the Congress.

2019 polls: Congress, NCP reach seat-sharing consensus in Maharashtra

Fresh protests over the rising cost of bread broke out in Sudan on Friday, witnesses said, as troops deployed after two days of deadly clashes that left eight protestors dead.

A government decision to raise the price of a loaf of bread this week from one Sudanese pound to three (from about two to six US cents) sparked protests across the country on Wednesday.

In the capital's twin city Omdurman, a witness — who declined to be named — said demonstrations erupted as worshippers emerged from a mosque frequented by followers of the Al-Ansar sect, which is linked to the Umma Party, Sudan's main opposition group.

Protestors chanted "the people want the fall of the regime" and "freedom, freedom," said the witness.

"Riot police fired tear gas at the demonstrators," the witness added.

The Umma Party overnight Thursday issued a statement calling on its members to join the protest movement.

Dozens also demonstrated on Road 60, the main artery in eastern Khartoum that links the city centre to the south of the capital, another witness said.

They demanded the government's ouster, the witness said on condition of anonymity, adding that the protesters were dispersed by riot police.

Protests were reported in other cities, including in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, and in Rabak, south of the capital.

In Rabak, the capital of Sudan's White Nile state, protesters torched the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP) and a government charity, witnesses told AFP.

White Nile authorities on Friday declared a state of emergency and announced a curfew until the following morning.

The protests first erupted in the eastern city of Atbara before spreading to Al-Qadarif, also in eastern Sudan, and then to the capital.

Two demonstrators were killed in Atbara and six others in Al-Qadarif, officials said on Thursday, as protesters torched NCP offices.

Government spokesman Bashar Jumaa warned that the government "will not be lenient" with those who set state buildings on fire or caused other damage to public property.

Schools ordered to close&nbsp;

The state-run SUNA news agency said the protest had initially been "peaceful", but later drifted off course.

Sudan's education ministry on Friday announced in a statement that schools across Khartoum would be closed and classes suspended "indefinitely from Sunday".

Rights group Amnesty International called on the government to stop firing on protesters and open up a probe into the deaths.

"These killings must stop," Amnesty's Deputy Director for East Africa Seif Magango said.&nbsp;

"Opening fire on unarmed protesters cannot be justified and what is clearly needed now is an independent, efficient investigation," he added.

Friday, the weekly day of rest, had started with calm returning to Khartoum, Al-Qadarif and Atbara, witnesses said.

While traffic returned to normal, police patrolled some streets in Khartoum, and soldiers deployed around petrol stations and banks in the north of the capital.

Police in patrol cars was seen carrying clubs and tear gas canisters while the troops held Kalashnikov assault rifles, the witnesses said.

An AFP reporter said lines formed outside bakeries in north Khartoum as residents waited to buy bread.

Residents in Al-Qadarif and Atbara also reported that security forces had deployed to secure government buildings and banks.

"Today the city is calm and most of the shops in the main market have reopened," Mohammed Sharif Omar said in a telephone interview from Al-Qadarif.

Fresh protests over the rising cost of bread broke out in Sudan on Friday, witnesses said, as troops deployed after two days of deadly clashes that left eight protestors dead.

Fresh protests over the rising cost of bread broke out in Sudan on Friday, witnesses said, as troops deployed after two days of deadly clashes that left eight protestors dead. A government decision to raise the price of a loaf of bread this week from one Sudanese pound to three (from about two to six US cents) sparked protests across the country on Wednesday. In the capital's twin city Omdurman, a witness — who declined to be named — said demonstrations erupted as worshippers emerged from a mosque frequented by followers of the Al-Ansar sect, which is linked to the Umma Party, Sudan's main opposition group. Protestors chanted "the people want the fall of the regime" and "freedom, freedom," said the witness. "Riot police fired tear gas at the demonstrators," the witness added. The Umma Party overnight Thursday issued a statement calling on its members to join the protest movement. Dozens also demonstrated on Road 60, the main artery in eastern Khartoum that links the city centre to the south of the capital, another witness said. They demanded the government's ouster, the witness said on condition of anonymity, adding that the protesters were dispersed by riot police. Protests were reported in other cities, including in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, and in Rabak, south of the capital. In Rabak, the capital of Sudan's White Nile state, protesters torched the local headquarters of President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP) and a government charity, witnesses told AFP. White Nile authorities on Friday declared a state of emergency and announced a curfew until the following morning. The protests first erupted in the eastern city of Atbara before spreading to Al-Qadarif, also in eastern Sudan, and then to the capital. Two demonstrators were killed in Atbara and six others in Al-Qadarif, officials said on Thursday, as protesters torched NCP offices. Government spokesman Bashar Jumaa warned that the government "will not be lenient" with those who set state buildings on fire or caused other damage to public property. Schools ordered to close The state-run SUNA news agency said the protest had initially been "peaceful", but later drifted off course. Sudan's education ministry on Friday announced in a statement that schools across Khartoum would be closed and classes suspended "indefinitely from Sunday". Rights group Amnesty International called on the government to stop firing on protesters and open up a probe into the deaths. "These killings must stop," Amnesty's Deputy Director for East Africa Seif Magango said. "Opening fire on unarmed protesters cannot be justified and what is clearly needed now is an independent, efficient investigation," he added. Friday, the weekly day of rest, had started with calm returning to Khartoum, Al-Qadarif and Atbara, witnesses said. While traffic returned to normal, police patrolled some streets in Khartoum, and soldiers deployed around petrol stations and banks in the north of the capital. Police in patrol cars was seen carrying clubs and tear gas canisters while the troops held Kalashnikov assault rifles, the witnesses said. An AFP reporter said lines formed outside bakeries in north Khartoum as residents waited to buy bread. Residents in Al-Qadarif and Atbara also reported that security forces had deployed to secure government buildings and banks. "Today the city is calm and most of the shops in the main market have reopened," Mohammed Sharif Omar said in a telephone interview from Al-Qadarif.

Fresh protests in Sudan after deadly bread clashes

Former union&nbsp;minister and NCP leader Tariq Anwar quit NCP over Sharad Pawar’s proximity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking with WION Anwar said that Sharad Pawar’s statement in support of the Prime Minister on Rafale is not acceptable.

“Lot of mixed signals were coming from the party. People had started to say that NCP can go with BJP anytime. We also initially supported BJP in Maharashtra,” said Tariq Anwar. He also said that he respects NCP President Sharad Pawar but ideology cannot be diluted before the elections when a united Opposition is trying to mount a challenge against Narendra Modi.

When asked about his future, he said, "All options are open.”

Tariq Anwar also said that party was giving out mixed signals to the electorate on the side which it might take and that was not acceptable to him. 
&nbsp; 
Tariq Anwar started his career with the Congress Party. He quit Congress Party with Sharad Pawar and PA Sangama on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin in 1999.

All three of them to found NCP which subsequently aligned with Congress to defeat BJP in 2004. &nbsp;Tariq Anwar remained associated with Sharad Pawar for more than 2 decades.

He in his career been elected to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Congress has been very aggressive on the Rafale deal and using it as a principle plank to target and attack BJP on the issue of corruption.

The issue personally has been addressed in public domain number of times by Congress President Rahul Gandhi himself. Tariq Anwar was elected to Lok Sabha from Katihar in Bihar in 1980 on a Congress ticket.

Former union minister and NCP leader Tariq Anwar quit NCP over Sharad Pawar’s proximity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking with WION Anwar said that Sharad Pawar’s statement in support of the Prime Minister on Rafale is not acceptable.

Former union minister and NCP leader Tariq Anwar quit NCP over Sharad Pawar’s proximity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking with WION Anwar said that Sharad Pawar’s statement in support of the Prime Minister on Rafale is not acceptable. “Lot of mixed signals were coming from the party. People had started to say that NCP can go with BJP anytime. We also initially supported BJP in Maharashtra,” said Tariq Anwar. He also said that he respects NCP President Sharad Pawar but ideology cannot be diluted before the elections when a united Opposition is trying to mount a challenge against Narendra Modi. When asked about his future, he said, "All options are open.” Tariq Anwar also said that party was giving out mixed signals to the electorate on the side which it might take and that was not acceptable to him. Tariq Anwar started his career with the Congress Party. He quit Congress Party with Sharad Pawar and PA Sangama on Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin in 1999. All three of them to found NCP which subsequently aligned with Congress to defeat BJP in 2004. Tariq Anwar remained associated with Sharad Pawar for more than 2 decades. He in his career been elected to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Congress has been very aggressive on the Rafale deal and using it as a principle plank to target and attack BJP on the issue of corruption. The issue personally has been addressed in public domain number of times by Congress President Rahul Gandhi himself. Tariq Anwar was elected to Lok Sabha from Katihar in Bihar in 1980 on a Congress ticket.

Tariq Anwar quits NCP over Pawar’s dalliance with BJP 

Counting of votes in&nbsp;4 Lok Sabha bypoll seats began on Thursday morning. The bypolls were held on Monday in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra and in a single seat in Nagaland.

After taking an early lead through postal ballots,&nbsp;BJP's&nbsp;Mriganka Singh is now trailing against&nbsp;RLD's&nbsp;Tabassum Hasan&nbsp;by over 8,000 votes.

After leading in Bhandara-Gondiya, BJP is now trailing against NCP in Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondiya by 3,000 votes.&nbsp;

In Palghar, BJP's Gavit Rajendra Dhedya is leading by over 10,000 votes against&nbsp;Shiv Sena.

The high profile Kairana seat has all political pandits transfixed with BJP's Mriganka Singh, daughter of late BJP MP Hukum Singh pitted against Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Tabassum Hasan with the Opposition Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP providing support on the ground.

A victory for RLD would be seen as strengthing of the federal front after its victory in Karnataka&nbsp;Assembly elections recently and in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats in Uttar Pradesh earlier.

The voter turnout in Kairana was 54 per cent amid complaints of Electronic Voting Machine(EVM) Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail(VVPAT) malfunction which led the Election Commission to order repoll in 73 booths.

Malfunctioning of EVMs was also reported in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The BJP and NCP are locked in a bitter battle in the crucial Maharashtra seats.

The lone seat in Nagaland had reported 70 per cent polling with the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) battling the NDPP and the BJP.

Malfunctioning of EVMs was also reported in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Counting of votes in 4 Lok Sabha bypoll seats began on Thursday morning. The bypolls were held on Monday in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya in Maharashtra and in a single seat in Nagaland. After taking an early lead through postal ballots, BJP's Mriganka Singh is now trailing against RLD's Tabassum Hasan by over 8,000 votes. After leading in Bhandara-Gondiya, BJP is now trailing against NCP in Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondiya by 3,000 votes. In Palghar, BJP's Gavit Rajendra Dhedya is leading by over 10,000 votes against Shiv Sena. The high profile Kairana seat has all political pandits transfixed with BJP's Mriganka Singh, daughter of late BJP MP Hukum Singh pitted against Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Tabassum Hasan with the Opposition Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP providing support on the ground. A victory for RLD would be seen as strengthing of the federal front after its victory in Karnataka Assembly elections recently and in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats in Uttar Pradesh earlier. The voter turnout in Kairana was 54 per cent amid complaints of Electronic Voting Machine(EVM) Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail(VVPAT) malfunction which led the Election Commission to order repoll in 73 booths. Malfunctioning of EVMs was also reported in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The BJP and NCP are locked in a bitter battle in the crucial Maharashtra seats. The lone seat in Nagaland had reported 70 per cent polling with the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) battling the NDPP and the BJP.

Live Lok Sabha bypolls: BJP's Mriganka Singh trails in Kairana; NCP leads in Bhandara-Gondiya

The income of seven national parties from "unknown sources" during 2016-17 was Rs 710.80 crore, while total donations (above Rs 20,000) declared by them stood at Rs 589.38 crore, with BJP receiving Rs 532.27 crore from 1,194 entities, says a report.

Donations declared by BJP is more than nine times the aggregate declared by Indian National Congress (INC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) for the same period, the report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said today.

"The total donations (above Rs 20,000) declared by the national parties was Rs 589.38 crore, from 2,123 donations. A total of Rs 532.27 crore was declared by BJP from 1,194 donations while INC declared receiving Rs 41.90 crore from 599 donations," it said.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) declared that it did not receive any donations above Rs 20,000 during 2016-17, as it has been declaring for the past 11 years.

Total donations of national parties during 2016-17 increased by Rs 487.36 crore from Rs 102.02 crore during the previous financial year 2015-16, the report jointly prepared by ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) said.

Donations to BJP increased from Rs 76.85 crore during 2015-16 to Rs 532.27 crore in 2016-17, while that of NCP increased from Rs 71 lakh in 2015-16 to Rs 6.34 crore in 2016-17, the Delhi-based think-tank said.

Also, donations to AITC increased by 231 per cent, CPM and INC have declared an increase of 190 per cent and 105 per cent, respectively, as per their donation reports for 2015-16 and 2016-17, while that of CPI decreased by 9 per cent, it said.

The total income of national parties for 2016-17 was Rs 1,559.17 crore. Total income of national parties from known donors (details of donors as available from contribution report submitted by the parties to Election Commission) was Rs 589.38 crore, which is 37.8 per cent of the total income of the seven national parties in 2016-17, the report said.

Total income of the parties from other known sources ( sale of assets, membership fees, bank interest, sale of publications and party levy) was Rs 258.99 crore, or 16.61 per cent of the total income.

As per ADR, total income of seven national parties from unknown sources (income specified in IT Returns whose sources are unknown), for 2016-17 was Rs 710.80 crore, which is 45.59 per cent of the total income of the parties from all over India.

BJP's total income from unknown sources, including voluntary contributions, miscellaneous income, was Rs 464.94 crore during 2016-17, while that of Congress' total income from unknown sources stood at Rs 126.124 crore.

Among unknown sources of funding, maximum funds were collected under "voluntary contributions" by the BJP during 2016-17. A total of Rs 464.84 crore was collected under this head, which formed 99.98 per cent of the total income from unknown sources.

The most preferred unknown source of funding for INC was "sale of coupons" under which the party collected a total of Rs 115.64 crore which formed 91.69 per cent of its total income from unknown sources during 2016-17, it said.

The report further said that 708 donations to national parties were made by corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 563.24 crore (95.56 per cent of total donations), while 1,354 individual donors donated Rs 25.07 crore (4.25 per cent of total donations) to the parties during 2016-17.

ADR said that 531 donations from corporate/business sectors were made to BJP (Rs 515.43 crore) while 663 individual donors donated Rs 16.82 crore to the party during 2016-17.

INC received a total of Rs 36.06 crore via 98 donations from corporate/business sectors and Rs 5.84 crore through 501 individual donors during 2016-17. 
Satya Electoral Trust donated a total of Rs 265.12 crore to BJP and INC and is one of the top two donors to the two parties. The Trust donated Rs 251.22 crore to BJP and Rs 13.90 crore to INC, the report said. 
Among state-wise donations to national parties, a total of Rs 290.90 crore was donated from Delhi, followed by Rs 112.31 crore from Maharashtra and Rs 20.22 crore from Uttar Pradesh, it added.&nbsp

Donations declared by BJP is more than nine times the aggregate declared by INC, NCP, CPI, Marxist CPM and AITC for the same period, the report by ADR said today

The income of seven national parties from "unknown sources" during 2016-17 was Rs 710.80 crore, while total donations (above Rs 20,000) declared by them stood at Rs 589.38 crore, with BJP receiving Rs 532.27 crore from 1,194 entities, says a report. Donations declared by BJP is more than nine times the aggregate declared by Indian National Congress (INC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) for the same period, the report by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said today. "The total donations (above Rs 20,000) declared by the national parties was Rs 589.38 crore, from 2,123 donations. A total of Rs 532.27 crore was declared by BJP from 1,194 donations while INC declared receiving Rs 41.90 crore from 599 donations," it said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) declared that it did not receive any donations above Rs 20,000 during 2016-17, as it has been declaring for the past 11 years. Total donations of national parties during 2016-17 increased by Rs 487.36 crore from Rs 102.02 crore during the previous financial year 2015-16, the report jointly prepared by ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) said. Donations to BJP increased from Rs 76.85 crore during 2015-16 to Rs 532.27 crore in 2016-17, while that of NCP increased from Rs 71 lakh in 2015-16 to Rs 6.34 crore in 2016-17, the Delhi-based think-tank said. Also, donations to AITC increased by 231 per cent, CPM and INC have declared an increase of 190 per cent and 105 per cent, respectively, as per their donation reports for 2015-16 and 2016-17, while that of CPI decreased by 9 per cent, it said. The total income of national parties for 2016-17 was Rs 1,559.17 crore. Total income of national parties from known donors (details of donors as available from contribution report submitted by the parties to Election Commission) was Rs 589.38 crore, which is 37.8 per cent of the total income of the seven national parties in 2016-17, the report said. Total income of the parties from other known sources ( sale of assets, membership fees, bank interest, sale of publications and party levy) was Rs 258.99 crore, or 16.61 per cent of the total income. As per ADR, total income of seven national parties from unknown sources (income specified in IT Returns whose sources are unknown), for 2016-17 was Rs 710.80 crore, which is 45.59 per cent of the total income of the parties from all over India. BJP's total income from unknown sources, including voluntary contributions, miscellaneous income, was Rs 464.94 crore during 2016-17, while that of Congress' total income from unknown sources stood at Rs 126.124 crore. Among unknown sources of funding, maximum funds were collected under "voluntary contributions" by the BJP during 2016-17. A total of Rs 464.84 crore was collected under this head, which formed 99.98 per cent of the total income from unknown sources. The most preferred unknown source of funding for INC was "sale of coupons" under which the party collected a total of Rs 115.64 crore which formed 91.69 per cent of its total income from unknown sources during 2016-17, it said. The report further said that 708 donations to national parties were made by corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 563.24 crore (95.56 per cent of total donations), while 1,354 individual donors donated Rs 25.07 crore (4.25 per cent of total donations) to the parties during 2016-17. ADR said that 531 donations from corporate/business sectors were made to BJP (Rs 515.43 crore) while 663 individual donors donated Rs 16.82 crore to the party during 2016-17. INC received a total of Rs 36.06 crore via 98 donations from corporate/business sectors and Rs 5.84 crore through 501 individual donors during 2016-17. Satya Electoral Trust donated a total of Rs 265.12 crore to BJP and INC and is one of the top two donors to the two parties. The Trust donated Rs 251.22 crore to BJP and Rs 13.90 crore to INC, the report said. Among state-wise donations to national parties, a total of Rs 290.90 crore was donated from Delhi, followed by Rs 112.31 crore from Maharashtra and Rs 20.22 crore from Uttar Pradesh, it added.

National parties receive Rs 711 cr donation from 'unknown sources' in 2016-17: ADR

The NCP cadre in Mumbai is rife with talks of NCP chief Sharad Pawar joining hands with MNS leader Raj Thackeray following a meeting between the two leaders at Pawar&#39;s Nepean Sea Road residence in Mumbai on Saturday.

A report in DNA quoted NCP leaders as saying that Sharad Pawar and Raj Thackeray are joining forces to pose a challenge to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.

An NCP leader requesting anonymity told DNA that Sharad Pawar met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the two decided that the NCP supremo would handle the Congress-NCP alliance and other small parties who wish to give a joint fight to the BJP in Maharashtra. He said Sharad Pawar was thinking on the lines of the MNS being a part of the Congress-NCP alliance.

&quot;Sharad Pawar saheb had a meeting with Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi where it was decided that Pawar Saheb will solely handle the Congress and NCP alliance and other smaller parties who wish to give a joint fight to the BJP in Maharashtra. As a part of a larger plan, Pawar saheb is toying with the idea of MNS being a part of the Congress-NCP alliance. He also wants MNS to do well so it will have a role to play in state politics,&quot; the senior NCP leader told DNA. Also read - <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opposition-should-unite-to-achieve-modi-mukt-india-raj-thackeray-36293">Opposition should unite to achieve &#39;Modi-Mukt&#39; India: Raj Thackeray</a>

&quot;Congress is also struggling to put the numbers together. If some seats are given to the MNS and the rest are with Congress and the NCP, then this formidable alliance will be in a better position to snatch the reign from the BJP. We have the support of Marathas, Dalits and Muslims, but this won&#39;t help win more seats in Mumbai and Thane. If Raj Thackeray joins, using the Marathi manoos plank, other communities will also vote. This will help get more seats and come in power in 2019,&quot; he added.

Raj Thackeray&#39;s MNS has a significant presence in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nasik and Pune in Maharashtra.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said dismissed talks of a future alliance as speculation. &quot;A meeting between two party leaders does not mean there is talk of a future alliance. The Thackeray family and Pawar saheb share a good rapport. We should not read too much between the lines at this moment,&quot; Nawab Malik said.

Maharashtra Congress leaders, however said that it would be difficult to take Raj Thackeray as an alliance partner since the two parties had &quot;very different ideologies&quot; and were against North Indians which formed the Congress&#39;s voters base in Mumbai.

&nbsp;&quot;We have very different ideologies. Our voters are not homogeneous. Thackeray and his party workers have assaulted North Indian hawkers and taxi drivers frequently. And North Indians are our voter base in Mumbai. So we cannot hurt our traditional vote bank in any case,&quot; the Congress leader told DNA requesting anonymity.

Another NCP leader, however, said that the Shiv Sena might in the end ally with the BJP because of a common Hindutva agenda.

&quot;Their actions do not hold any truth because of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray&#39;s fickle stand. In the end, they may go with the BJP in the name of their Hindutva agenda. They also want to enjoy power and hence they will not leave the government despite tall talk that has been going on for the past several months. Therefore, Congress and the NCP need to go the extra mile to stitch the larger umbrella alliance with all vote catchers and smaller parties and social groups. No one is untouchable in politics and politics is the art of all possibilities. Pawar saheb is astute enough to use these skills at the right time,&quot; the NCP leader told DNA on the condition of anonymity.

 
&nbsp;

The NCP cadre in Mumbai is rife with talks of the NCP chief joining hands with the MNS leader following a meeting between them at Sharad Pawar's Nepean Sea Road residence in Mumbai on Saturday

The NCP cadre in Mumbai is rife with talks of NCP chief Sharad Pawar joining hands with MNS leader Raj Thackeray following a meeting between the two leaders at Pawar's Nepean Sea Road residence in Mumbai on Saturday. A report in DNA quoted NCP leaders as saying that Sharad Pawar and Raj Thackeray are joining forces to pose a challenge to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. An NCP leader requesting anonymity told DNA that Sharad Pawar met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the two decided that the NCP supremo would handle the Congress-NCP alliance and other small parties who wish to give a joint fight to the BJP in Maharashtra. He said Sharad Pawar was thinking on the lines of the MNS being a part of the Congress-NCP alliance. "Sharad Pawar saheb had a meeting with Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi where it was decided that Pawar Saheb will solely handle the Congress and NCP alliance and other smaller parties who wish to give a joint fight to the BJP in Maharashtra. As a part of a larger plan, Pawar saheb is toying with the idea of MNS being a part of the Congress-NCP alliance. He also wants MNS to do well so it will have a role to play in state politics," the senior NCP leader told DNA. Also read - Opposition should unite to achieve 'Modi-Mukt' India: Raj Thackeray "Congress is also struggling to put the numbers together. If some seats are given to the MNS and the rest are with Congress and the NCP, then this formidable alliance will be in a better position to snatch the reign from the BJP. We have the support of Marathas, Dalits and Muslims, but this won't help win more seats in Mumbai and Thane. If Raj Thackeray joins, using the Marathi manoos plank, other communities will also vote. This will help get more seats and come in power in 2019," he added. Raj Thackeray's MNS has a significant presence in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nasik and Pune in Maharashtra. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said dismissed talks of a future alliance as speculation. "A meeting between two party leaders does not mean there is talk of a future alliance. The Thackeray family and Pawar saheb share a good rapport. We should not read too much between the lines at this moment," Nawab Malik said. Maharashtra Congress leaders, however said that it would be difficult to take Raj Thackeray as an alliance partner since the two parties had "very different ideologies" and were against North Indians which formed the Congress's voters base in Mumbai. "We have very different ideologies. Our voters are not homogeneous. Thackeray and his party workers have assaulted North Indian hawkers and taxi drivers frequently. And North Indians are our voter base in Mumbai. So we cannot hurt our traditional vote bank in any case," the Congress leader told DNA requesting anonymity. Another NCP leader, however, said that the Shiv Sena might in the end ally with the BJP because of a common Hindutva agenda. "Their actions do not hold any truth because of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's fickle stand. In the end, they may go with the BJP in the name of their Hindutva agenda. They also want to enjoy power and hence they will not leave the government despite tall talk that has been going on for the past several months. Therefore, Congress and the NCP need to go the extra mile to stitch the larger umbrella alliance with all vote catchers and smaller parties and social groups. No one is untouchable in politics and politics is the art of all possibilities. Pawar saheb is astute enough to use these skills at the right time," the NCP leader told DNA on the condition of anonymity.

Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar meeting fuels talk of alliance

Congress president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar hours after the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Lok Sabha bypoll results were announced, shows that the Congress leadership is serious on forging a bigger alliance of opposition parties, the NCP said today.

In a major blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party was trounced in the bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, including the citadel of Yogi Adityanath&#39;s Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him,&quot; NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

&quot;Despite the Congress being the bigger party, Rahul Gandhi has started meeting leaders of other parties. This shows they (Congress) are serious on making a bigger alliance,&quot; Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, told PTI here.

The NCP leader said, &quot;Rahul Gandhi wants that Pawar saheb should bring in more people (parties) in the country under the UPA fold.&quot;

Adityanath, who termed the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samajwadi Party alliance as one of &quot;snake and mongoose&quot;, had said over-confidence and inability to understand the electoral understanding between the SP and the BSP led to the defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.

In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal retained Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency, while the BJP held on to Bhabua.

Rahul Gandhi had received some praise from Pawar last month, who said the Congress party chief was showing an inclination to &quot;learn and understand&quot; the issues facing the nation.

Asked if the Shiv Sena, the BJP&#39;s bickering alliance partner, will withdraw support to the Narendra Modi government, like the TDP did, Malik said, the &quot;Sena won&#39;t part ways with the BJP-led government.&quot;

&quot;They (Sena) are just bargaining. They don&#39;t have the courage to go solo,&quot; the NCP leader said.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today ended its four-year-old alliance with the BJP and walked out of the NDA, eight days after two of its Union ministers resigned over the Centre&#39;s refusal to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.&nbsp;

'Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him,' NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar hours after the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Lok Sabha bypoll results were announced, shows that the Congress leadership is serious on forging a bigger alliance of opposition parties, the NCP said today. In a major blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party was trounced in the bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, including the citadel of Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. "Rahul Gandhi has started meeting various party leaders and began this practice by meeting Pawar saheb. The Congress president is meeting party presidents who are senior to him," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. "Despite the Congress being the bigger party, Rahul Gandhi has started meeting leaders of other parties. This shows they (Congress) are serious on making a bigger alliance," Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, told PTI here. The NCP leader said, "Rahul Gandhi wants that Pawar saheb should bring in more people (parties) in the country under the UPA fold." Adityanath, who termed the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samajwadi Party alliance as one of "snake and mongoose", had said over-confidence and inability to understand the electoral understanding between the SP and the BSP led to the defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats. In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal retained Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly constituency, while the BJP held on to Bhabua. Rahul Gandhi had received some praise from Pawar last month, who said the Congress party chief was showing an inclination to "learn and understand" the issues facing the nation. Asked if the Shiv Sena, the BJP's bickering alliance partner, will withdraw support to the Narendra Modi government, like the TDP did, Malik said, the "Sena won't part ways with the BJP-led government." "They (Sena) are just bargaining. They don't have the courage to go solo," the NCP leader said. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today ended its four-year-old alliance with the BJP and walked out of the NDA, eight days after two of its Union ministers resigned over the Centre's refusal to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

Rahul meeting Pawar shows Congress serious about forming bigger alliance: NCP

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday proposed a panel of senior members of the Maharashtra Legislature to probe the audio clip that allegedly featured the name of Leader of Opposition in the Council, Dhananjay Munde.

Fadnavis said in the Legislative Assembly that it was a serious issue as the audio clip purportedly casts aspersions on the functioning of the Legislature and lowers its dignity.

A Marathi news channel had last week allegedly aired an audio clip in which it was purportedly claimed that Munde, a senior NCP leader, had stalled a Calling Attention Motion in the Legislative Council for a bribe.

Munde had rubbished the accusations against him and alleged it was a tactic adopted by the government to divert peoples&#39;&nbsp;attention from &quot;core issues&quot; plaguing the state.

Fadnavis on Monday said, &quot;We need to protect the dignity of the Legislature.&quot;

&quot;I suggest that a committee comprising the Assembly speaker, the Legislative Council Chairman and the leaders of opposition in the Upper and the Lower House should probe the issue so that the dignity of the legislature is protected&quot;, he said.

He added that the police case in the matter will be probed separately.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar said he agreed with the suggestion and asked the Chair to tell the members from the treasury benches to get back to their seats so that the day&#39;s proceedings could be conducted.

The leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil then raised the issue of the revocation of suspension of BJP-backed independent MLC Prashant Paricharak.

To this, Fadnavis said there was no need to politicise all issues.

&quot;In this (Munde) case, even we can bring politics. But I am suggesting a way out to uphold the dignity of the Legislature,&quot; Fadnavis said.

As members from the treasury benches came into the well demanding suspension of Dhananjay Munde, Speaker Haribhau Bagde took up the motion to thank Governor C&nbsp;Vidyasagar Rao for his address to the joint sitting of the state Legislature on the first day of the budget session.

Amid the din, the motion was passed without a discussion on it and sans a reply from the Chief Minister.

The speaker then adjourned the House for the day.

Paricharak was suspended from the state Legislative Council in March last year after he joked during an election campaign about the wives of soldiers.

The legislator had later apologized for his statement.

The state government had last week revoked his suspension.

A Marathi news channel had last week allegedly aired an audio clip in which it was purportedly claimed that Munde, a senior NCP leader, had stalled a Calling Attention Motion in the Legislative Council for a bribe

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday proposed a panel of senior members of the Maharashtra Legislature to probe the audio clip that allegedly featured the name of Leader of Opposition in the Council, Dhananjay Munde. Fadnavis said in the Legislative Assembly that it was a serious issue as the audio clip purportedly casts aspersions on the functioning of the Legislature and lowers its dignity. A Marathi news channel had last week allegedly aired an audio clip in which it was purportedly claimed that Munde, a senior NCP leader, had stalled a Calling Attention Motion in the Legislative Council for a bribe. Munde had rubbished the accusations against him and alleged it was a tactic adopted by the government to divert peoples' attention from "core issues" plaguing the state. Fadnavis on Monday said, "We need to protect the dignity of the Legislature." "I suggest that a committee comprising the Assembly speaker, the Legislative Council Chairman and the leaders of opposition in the Upper and the Lower House should probe the issue so that the dignity of the legislature is protected", he said. He added that the police case in the matter will be probed separately. NCP leader Ajit Pawar said he agreed with the suggestion and asked the Chair to tell the members from the treasury benches to get back to their seats so that the day's proceedings could be conducted. The leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil then raised the issue of the revocation of suspension of BJP-backed independent MLC Prashant Paricharak. To this, Fadnavis said there was no need to politicise all issues. "In this (Munde) case, even we can bring politics. But I am suggesting a way out to uphold the dignity of the Legislature," Fadnavis said. As members from the treasury benches came into the well demanding suspension of Dhananjay Munde, Speaker Haribhau Bagde took up the motion to thank Governor C Vidyasagar Rao for his address to the joint sitting of the state Legislature on the first day of the budget session. Amid the din, the motion was passed without a discussion on it and sans a reply from the Chief Minister. The speaker then adjourned the House for the day. Paricharak was suspended from the state Legislative Council in March last year after he joked during an election campaign about the wives of soldiers. The legislator had later apologized for his statement. The state government had last week revoked his suspension.

Munde audio clip: Chief Minister suggests probe by House Panel

On February 18 this year, the candidate from Williamnagar Constituency of Garo Hills Meghalaya, Jonathone N Sangma and three of his supporters were killed in an IED blast allegedly triggered by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), a militant outfit active in Garo Hills. The GNLA, led by its elusive commander-in-chief Sohan D Shira, has been unleashing a reign of terror in areas where it dominates which are mainly East and South Garo Hills.

Jonathone and some of his supporters had gone to Sawilgre village under Samanda block for an election campaign that Sunday afternoon. He was called there by the villagers who said they wanted to discuss certain issues with him. But perhaps the villagers were used as decoys by the GNLA. The villagers never turned up at that village. Only the chairs and tables were kept there. After waiting for a while,&nbsp;Jonathone decided to return to Williamnagar. Just then the IED blast was triggered and Jonathone and three others died on the spot. They included a young volunteer, a security guard and one more supporter. The other three injured persons were taken to a Williamnagar Civil Hospital but one more had succumbed to his injuries recently.

And then, barely a week after the dreadful incident, on February 24, Sohan D Shira the GNLA supremo who had repeatedly given the slip to the Meghalaya Police, including its Special Force, was shot dead. What raises doubts about this killing is that there were no casualties on the police side or on the side of the rebel outfit. There were no signs of an encounter. It looked like a clean, well-planned operation.

After Jonathone&rsquo;s death, several troubling questions were raised. Posters had been put up in the constituency, asking people not to vote for him. The posters had pictures of blood and bullets, and warned the villagers of serious consequences if they vote for him. But this is not the first time such posters were out up. In 2013, too, Jonathone faced similar threats. He lodged an FIR even then but the case has progressed at snail pace and is lying unsolved at the lower courts.

Since Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has made peace, security and political stability his election plank, Jonathone&rsquo;s political assassination have given a lie to that claim. And then the equally sudden elimination of Sohan D Shira who has evaded arrest for a very long time has raised doubts about the whole chain of events. Following Jonathone&rsquo;s killing, political parties, especially the National People&rsquo;s Party, the main rival of the ruling Congress in Garo Hills, had demanded an independent probe by the National Investigating Agency (NIA).

Was it the fear that the Agency might get to the root of the militant-politician nexus, the reason why Sohan Shira was eliminated because with his death all the well-kept secrets about who his handlers were have died with him. &nbsp;Meanwhile, it is learned that the Deputy Commander of the dreaded ULFA (Independent) based in Myanmar, Drishti Rajkhowa will be taking Sohan Shira&rsquo;s place soon. That should spell more trouble for the land of clouds unless swift action is taken by the next government to be formed post-March 3, next. &nbsp;

Meanwhile, on the election front, Jonathone Sangma&rsquo;s death could make things a bit more difficult for the Congress Party to return to power in Meghalaya. The Party is now seen as being capable of killing a dreaded militant if it wants to and to allow things to simmer if it chooses to. The NPP and BJP (which hitherto had very little leeway in Garo Hills) might both be able to capitalise from this new turn of events.

At last, campaigning for the February 27 elections ended on Saturday 24 last. In Garo Hills, the mood was sombre following the death of Sohan Shira. In the rest of the state, people heaved a sigh of relief, especially students preparing for their respective Board examinations. It has been a raucous election in Meghalaya with political parties and candidate using music to score political points above their rivals. For music composers and singers this has been a very lucrative season.

The BJP commissioned the legendary singer, 70-year-old Lou Majaw, to compose their theme song. Other parties just took off from there. On Saturday there were huge motor rallies which brought traffic in Shillong and its suburbs to a standstill. The amount spent on these rallies and on feeding the candidates daily for a month, and if supporters are to be believed, then even money was actively distributed by candidates on Saturday to ensure they remain loyal, must far exceed the upper limit set by the ECI. But who cares?

Most sitting MLAs use the MLA (Local Area Development Scheme) funds of Rs 2 crore per year to meet their private election expenses. The loopholes are yet to be plugged to prevent siphoning of public money through the Scheme. And so we are all good!

With a heavy sense of despair and futility even as the much touted &ldquo;Change&rdquo; which every political party promises appear like a mirage, the people of Meghalaya goes to vote tomorrow. A total of 370 candidates are in the fray of which 32 are women. The Congress has fielded candidates in 59 seats (election in Williamnagar is countermanded due to the death of Jonathone Sangma, the NCP candidate); the BJP in 47, NPP in 52 seats and the regional parties between them are contesting 42 seats. Most of the faces are tried and tested; hence the pessimism!

This time the prediction is that Meghalaya is headed for a hung assembly with no party getting the absolute majority. The fight really is between the NPP and Congress. That Meghalaya&rsquo;s next government will be a coalition of parties, goes without saying and whether this will result in another period of political chaos is also a moot point.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Jonathone Sangma’s death could make things a bit more difficult for the Congress Party to return to power in Meghalaya.

On February 18 this year, the candidate from Williamnagar Constituency of Garo Hills Meghalaya, Jonathone N Sangma and three of his supporters were killed in an IED blast allegedly triggered by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), a militant outfit active in Garo Hills. The GNLA, led by its elusive commander-in-chief Sohan D Shira, has been unleashing a reign of terror in areas where it dominates which are mainly East and South Garo Hills. Jonathone and some of his supporters had gone to Sawilgre village under Samanda block for an election campaign that Sunday afternoon. He was called there by the villagers who said they wanted to discuss certain issues with him. But perhaps the villagers were used as decoys by the GNLA. The villagers never turned up at that village. Only the chairs and tables were kept there. After waiting for a while, Jonathone decided to return to Williamnagar. Just then the IED blast was triggered and Jonathone and three others died on the spot. They included a young volunteer, a security guard and one more supporter. The other three injured persons were taken to a Williamnagar Civil Hospital but one more had succumbed to his injuries recently. And then, barely a week after the dreadful incident, on February 24, Sohan D Shira the GNLA supremo who had repeatedly given the slip to the Meghalaya Police, including its Special Force, was shot dead. What raises doubts about this killing is that there were no casualties on the police side or on the side of the rebel outfit. There were no signs of an encounter. It looked like a clean, well-planned operation. After Jonathone’s death, several troubling questions were raised. Posters had been put up in the constituency, asking people not to vote for him. The posters had pictures of blood and bullets, and warned the villagers of serious consequences if they vote for him. But this is not the first time such posters were out up. In 2013, too, Jonathone faced similar threats. He lodged an FIR even then but the case has progressed at snail pace and is lying unsolved at the lower courts. Since Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has made peace, security and political stability his election plank, Jonathone’s political assassination have given a lie to that claim. And then the equally sudden elimination of Sohan D Shira who has evaded arrest for a very long time has raised doubts about the whole chain of events. Following Jonathone’s killing, political parties, especially the National People’s Party, the main rival of the ruling Congress in Garo Hills, had demanded an independent probe by the National Investigating Agency (NIA). Was it the fear that the Agency might get to the root of the militant-politician nexus, the reason why Sohan Shira was eliminated because with his death all the well-kept secrets about who his handlers were have died with him. Meanwhile, it is learned that the Deputy Commander of the dreaded ULFA (Independent) based in Myanmar, Drishti Rajkhowa will be taking Sohan Shira’s place soon. That should spell more trouble for the land of clouds unless swift action is taken by the next government to be formed post-March 3, next. Meanwhile, on the election front, Jonathone Sangma’s death could make things a bit more difficult for the Congress Party to return to power in Meghalaya. The Party is now seen as being capable of killing a dreaded militant if it wants to and to allow things to simmer if it chooses to. The NPP and BJP (which hitherto had very little leeway in Garo Hills) might both be able to capitalise from this new turn of events. At last, campaigning for the February 27 elections ended on Saturday 24 last. In Garo Hills, the mood was sombre following the death of Sohan Shira. In the rest of the state, people heaved a sigh of relief, especially students preparing for their respective Board examinations. It has been a raucous election in Meghalaya with political parties and candidate using music to score political points above their rivals. For music composers and singers this has been a very lucrative season. The BJP commissioned the legendary singer, 70-year-old Lou Majaw, to compose their theme song. Other parties just took off from there. On Saturday there were huge motor rallies which brought traffic in Shillong and its suburbs to a standstill. The amount spent on these rallies and on feeding the candidates daily for a month, and if supporters are to be believed, then even money was actively distributed by candidates on Saturday to ensure they remain loyal, must far exceed the upper limit set by the ECI. But who cares? Most sitting MLAs use the MLA (Local Area Development Scheme) funds of Rs 2 crore per year to meet their private election expenses. The loopholes are yet to be plugged to prevent siphoning of public money through the Scheme. And so we are all good! With a heavy sense of despair and futility even as the much touted “Change” which every political party promises appear like a mirage, the people of Meghalaya goes to vote tomorrow. A total of 370 candidates are in the fray of which 32 are women. The Congress has fielded candidates in 59 seats (election in Williamnagar is countermanded due to the death of Jonathone Sangma, the NCP candidate); the BJP in 47, NPP in 52 seats and the regional parties between them are contesting 42 seats. Most of the faces are tried and tested; hence the pessimism! This time the prediction is that Meghalaya is headed for a hung assembly with no party getting the absolute majority. The fight really is between the NPP and Congress. That Meghalaya’s next government will be a coalition of parties, goes without saying and whether this will result in another period of political chaos is also a moot point. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Will BJP be able to capitalise on Jonathone Sangma's death in Meghalaya?

Just a week before Meghalaya goes to polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Jonathone Nengminza Sangma was killed in a terrorist attack on Sunday.

The 43-year-old Sangma was killed along with his two security guards after he was returning from poll campaigning.

He was the NCP candidate from Williamnagar constituency in East Garo Hills district in Meghalaya.

Jonathone had contested from the same seat in 2013 as an independent candidate.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Deeply saddened to hear about the unexpected loss of Jonathone N Sangma. My heartfelt condolences to his near and dear ones. The blood of innocents spilled by the enemies of the State will not disturb the peace in Meghalaya.
&mdash; Mukul Sangma (@mukulsangma) <a href="https://twitter.com/mukulsangma/status/965269140847190016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This desperate act will not be tolerated. The perpetrators of the crime will be apprehended expeditiously and brought to book.
&mdash; Mukul Sangma (@mukulsangma) <a href="https://twitter.com/mukulsangma/status/965269194475532288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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As per media reports, Garo National Liberation Army, a rebel outfit fighting for a sovereign Garoland, had put up posters in Williamnagar threatening voters with dire consequences if they vote Sangma

It is learnt that Sangma had been facing similar threats since 2013 and he had even faced attacks by unknown miscreants earlier.&nbsp;

During the last state election in 2013, he had filed a case against Congress leader Deborah C Marak for instigating militants of the Garo National Liberation Army against him during the elections.

Deborah had won the seat in 2013 securing 8,402 votes while Jonathone had come second with 5,525 votes.

Meghalaya goes to polls on 27 February. 
&nbsp;

Jonathone Sangma's two security guards were also killed in the attack

Just a week before Meghalaya goes to polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Jonathone Nengminza Sangma was killed in a terrorist attack on Sunday. The 43-year-old Sangma was killed along with his two security guards after he was returning from poll campaigning. He was the NCP candidate from Williamnagar constituency in East Garo Hills district in Meghalaya. Jonathone had contested from the same seat in 2013 as an independent candidate. Deeply saddened to hear about the unexpected loss of Jonathone N Sangma. My heartfelt condolences to his near and dear ones. The blood of innocents spilled by the enemies of the State will not disturb the peace in Meghalaya. — Mukul Sangma (@mukulsangma) February 18, 2018 × This desperate act will not be tolerated. The perpetrators of the crime will be apprehended expeditiously and brought to book. — Mukul Sangma (@mukulsangma) February 18, 2018 × As per media reports, Garo National Liberation Army, a rebel outfit fighting for a sovereign Garoland, had put up posters in Williamnagar threatening voters with dire consequences if they vote Sangma It is learnt that Sangma had been facing similar threats since 2013 and he had even faced attacks by unknown miscreants earlier. During the last state election in 2013, he had filed a case against Congress leader Deborah C Marak for instigating militants of the Garo National Liberation Army against him during the elections. Deborah had won the seat in 2013 securing 8,402 votes while Jonathone had come second with 5,525 votes. Meghalaya goes to polls on 27 February.

Meghalaya elections: NCP candidate killed in terror attack

Opposition leaders came together in Mumbai for a march on Friday which began from B R Ambedkar&#39;s statue near the state secretariat in the afternoon.

Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, D Raja, Hardik Patel, Omar Abdullah, Dinesh Trivedi and Sushilkumar Shinde took part in the &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march.

&quot;Since 1947, we have been deriving our identity from the Indian Constitution. We all have come here to send across a message that to save the country, the constitution should be protected,&quot; former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said after the march.

Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai.

Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Hardik Patel (Gujarat&#39;s Patidar leader), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress) attended the meeting.

The &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march is being seen as an attempt to consolidate anti-BJP parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Independent MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetti, the convener of the &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march, who was also present at the meeting, said participants gathered near the Ambedkar statue and began walking towards Shivaji Maharaj statue at the Gateway of India.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam also joined the march.

The Maharashtra unit of the BJP has, meanwhile, organised &#39;Tiranga Yatra&#39; in the city on Friday to counter the opposition event.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said that several ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in the Yatra.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the gathering when it converges at Kamgar Maidan, he said.

The procession will start from Chaityabhumi, the memorial of B R Ambedkar in Dadar, before reaching Kamgar Maidan in central Mumbai.

Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai.

Opposition leaders came together in Mumbai for a march on Friday which began from B R Ambedkar's statue near the state secretariat in the afternoon. Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, D Raja, Hardik Patel, Omar Abdullah, Dinesh Trivedi and Sushilkumar Shinde took part in the 'Save Constitution' march. "Since 1947, we have been deriving our identity from the Indian Constitution. We all have come here to send across a message that to save the country, the constitution should be protected," former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said after the march. Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai. Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Hardik Patel (Gujarat's Patidar leader), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress) attended the meeting. The 'Save Constitution' march is being seen as an attempt to consolidate anti-BJP parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Independent MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetti, the convener of the 'Save Constitution' march, who was also present at the meeting, said participants gathered near the Ambedkar statue and began walking towards Shivaji Maharaj statue at the Gateway of India. Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam also joined the march. The Maharashtra unit of the BJP has, meanwhile, organised 'Tiranga Yatra' in the city on Friday to counter the opposition event. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said that several ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in the Yatra. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the gathering when it converges at Kamgar Maidan, he said. The procession will start from Chaityabhumi, the memorial of B R Ambedkar in Dadar, before reaching Kamgar Maidan in central Mumbai.

Opposition leaders march together in Mumbai, setting tone for 2019 polls

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and state party unit chief Ashok Chavan noted that the Congress will join hands with &quot;like-minded&quot; parties in Maharashtra to take on the ruling BJP.

Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state.

&quot;The prevailing social situation in Maharashtra, the political situation and the fight against the government in future was discussed at the meeting,&quot; Chavan said.

&quot;The problems currently plaguing the state, the prevailing political situation and the upcoming Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature were discussed at the meeting,&quot; Chavan added.

Chavan noted that the Congress and the National Congress Party (NCP) have decided to put up a fight on issues like &quot;deteriorating condition of farmers in the state, issues being faced by middle class and rising dictatorship like the attitude of the BJP-led government&quot;.&nbsp;

In a separate meeting, Congress and NCP leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in South Mumbai.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and state party unit chief Ashok Chavan noted that the Congress will join hands with "like-minded" parties in Maharashtra to take on the ruling BJP. Chavan spoke at a party meeting which was attended by senior Congress leaders of the state. "The prevailing social situation in Maharashtra, the political situation and the fight against the government in future was discussed at the meeting," Chavan said. "The problems currently plaguing the state, the prevailing political situation and the upcoming Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature were discussed at the meeting," Chavan added. Chavan noted that the Congress and the National Congress Party (NCP) have decided to put up a fight on issues like "deteriorating condition of farmers in the state, issues being faced by middle class and rising dictatorship like the attitude of the BJP-led government". In a separate meeting, Congress and NCP leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in South Mumbai. (With inputs from agencies)

Congress to join hands with 'like-minded' parties to fight BJP in Maharashtra: Ashok Chavan

Sharad Pawar-led <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-unhappy-over-ticket-distribution-paas-workers-vandalise-congress-office-in-surat-24609">Nationalist Congress Party(NCP)</a> has decided to fight the Gujarat Assembly elections without the Congress.

NCP leader Praful Patel said: &quot;Congress did not seem serious and kept on delaying, so we will fight alone,&quot; adding,&quot;We wanted to contest in Gujarat in alliance with Congress and had talks with them too.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;We are confident of doing even better alone,&quot; he added.

The Congress has been trying to stitch a coalition against the ruling BJP in the Gujarat elections due to be held next month.&nbsp;

On Sunday, Congress and the Hardik Patel&#39;s Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti(PAAS) had reached a seat-sharing agreement after protracted talks, however, last night clashes erupted between PAAS workers and Gujarat Congress party cadres in Ahmedabad and Surat over ticket distribution.

The clashes came even as the Congress released its first list of 77 candidates for the Gujarat polls. The list included three Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) contestants.

The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998, India&#39;s prime minister Narendra Modi became chief minister of the state for the first time in 2002. This will be the first time the BJP will be fighting the elections without Modi at the helm in his home state. &nbsp;

Despite several attempts, the Congress has been unable to dislodge the ruling party.

Last week, taking a jibe at the &#39;&#39;Gujarat model&#39;, senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram in a series of tweets slammed PM Modi over &#39;extravagant promises&#39; made by him&nbsp;in Gujarat, asserting that &quot;in reality, had worsened since BJP came to power.&quot;&nbsp;

Chidambaram compared Gujarat&#39;s development figures with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, and said it continues to &quot;lag behind even after all the &#39;boasting&#39;.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Congress has been trying to stitch a coalition against the ruling BJP in Gujarat elections due to be held next month.?

Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) has decided to fight the Gujarat Assembly elections without the Congress. NCP leader Praful Patel said: "Congress did not seem serious and kept on delaying, so we will fight alone," adding,"We wanted to contest in Gujarat in alliance with Congress and had talks with them too." "We are confident of doing even better alone," he added. The Congress has been trying to stitch a coalition against the ruling BJP in the Gujarat elections due to be held next month. On Sunday, Congress and the Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti(PAAS) had reached a seat-sharing agreement after protracted talks, however, last night clashes erupted between PAAS workers and Gujarat Congress party cadres in Ahmedabad and Surat over ticket distribution. The clashes came even as the Congress released its first list of 77 candidates for the Gujarat polls. The list included three Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) contestants. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998, India's prime minister Narendra Modi became chief minister of the state for the first time in 2002. This will be the first time the BJP will be fighting the elections without Modi at the helm in his home state. Despite several attempts, the Congress has been unable to dislodge the ruling party. Last week, taking a jibe at the ''Gujarat model', senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram in a series of tweets slammed PM Modi over 'extravagant promises' made by him in Gujarat, asserting that "in reality, had worsened since BJP came to power." Chidambaram compared Gujarat's development figures with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, and said it continues to "lag behind even after all the 'boasting'."

NCP won't fight Gujarat elections with Congress: Praful Patel

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