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RJD leads by over 10,000 votes in Bihar’s Jokihat Assembly seat

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After trailing in the initial round of counting, the opposition RJD has established a comfortable lead over the ruling JD-U in the bypolls to the Jokihat Assembly seat in Bihar on Thursday, according to Election Commission officials.

After 10 rounds of the ongoing ballot counting, Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate Shahbawaz Alam established the comfortable lead over Janata Dal-United’s Murshid Alam.

The Jokikhat seat fell vacant following the resignation of JD-U MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who joined the RJD.

A third Independent candidate Mohammad Shabbir is also in the fray.

Voting for the seat took place on Monday.

The JD-U was backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the RJD had the support of the Congress and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) of former Chief Minister of Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Jokihat is a Muslim-dominated Assembly constituency, considered stronghold of former Union Minister and Shahnawaz Alam’s father Mohammad Taslimuddin, who died last year leading to bypolls in Araria Lok Sabha seat.

Kerala bypoll: At halfway mark, CPI-M eyes comfortable win

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CPI-M candidate Saji Cherian, with a lead of around 12,000 votes as counting crossd the halfway mark in the Chengannur Assembly bypoll in Kerala, was heading towards a comfortable victory on Thursday.

In the 2016 assembly polls the Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate, K.K. Ramachandran Nair, had an overall lead of 7,893 votes.

He had defeated sitting two-time Congress legislator P.C. Vishnunath, while BJP candidate P.S.Sreedharan Pillai, had come a close third with 2,305 votes.

Celebrations have already begun at the CPI-M candidate’s residence with sweets being distributed. His wife came out and thanked the electorate.

Cherian said that it’s a reward for his four-decade of active public life. “My party has been the source of my strength and this is a really good victory. It is a stamp of approval for the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government,” said Cherian.

Cherian was able to get a firm hold in more than 95 per cent of the booths where vote counting was underway.

Cherian is leading with 77 votes from the booth from where former Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s father hails. The Congress said it had not expected this outcome.

Congress candidate D. Vijayakumar is in the second position followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pillai, who has been fielded again.

“I had told soon after the elections that the Left has purchased votes, and all that can be seen now,” said Pillai.

Voting for the seat took place on Monday.

DK brothers allege political conspiracy to nail them

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DK Shivakumar,former minister and KPCC Campaign Committee chairman today alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amith Shah,BJP national President are trying to unleash a regime of terror by threatening him,DK Suresh,his MP brother and 11 accomplices through Central governmental agencies like Income Tax,Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation.
He and DK Suresh claimed in a hurriedly called press conference here early in the morning:We have information from well informed sources in various departments that preparations are over to carry CBI raids on 11 accomplices of us and search warrant could be issued any time.
DK Shivakumar alleged:We are continuously being targeted for no fault of us and cannot be cowed down by such threats and tactics.We’ll continue to resist them and surge ahead for serving the people who have entrusted so much of hope with us.
We also have tion from top officials that several meetings are going on at various places to nail us so that we can wiped off politically.But we are least deterred by such threats and have all the strength to face any number of such searches and raids,challenged DK Shivakumar.

Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti\

Punjab Assembly by-poll: Congress leads in Akali Dal stronghold

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The ruling Congress built a formidable lead of over 16,000 votes in the Shiromani Akali Dal stronghold of Shahkot in Punjab after seven rounds of counting in the by-election to the Assembly seat on Thursday.

Congress candidate Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia was leading over his Shiromani Akali Dal rival Naib Singh Kohar after the first few rounds of counting.

Ladi received over 34,000 votes while Kohar got only around 18,000 votes.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Rattan Singh was trailing fair behind. He got just over 1,100 votes.

The seat fell vacant following the death of sitting Akali Dal legislator Ajit Singh Kohar in February.

Kohar, a former minister, was elected five times from this seat. His son Naib Singh Kohar was fielded by the Akali Dal.

The Shahkot seat remained a stronghold of the Akali Dal for over two decades in the past.

There were 12 candidates in the fray this time. A total of 76 per cent voting was reported on May 28.

Punjab has a Congress government since March 2017.

Rajarejeshwari Nagar Election results Out,Congres Candidate Munirathna leads.

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The results of the Rajarajeshwarinagar constituency are out and Congress candidate Munirathna is leading by excess of 31,000 votes against BJP’s Muniraju Gowda.

After the 6th round of counting Muniratna has secured 52,285 votes, trailed by BJP competitor with 20858 votes and the JD(S) has secured 10123 votes. In the interim independent candidate Huccha Venkat has secured 192 votes.

The election were postponed because of the seizure of 9,564 Election Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) from a flat at Jalahalli.

The constituency has 4.71 lakh voters including 2.25 lakh women. There are 421 polling stations in the constituency. After the May 12 election, the conditions have changed significantly with political opponents Congress and JD(S) getting to be coalition accomplices in the legislature. Be that as it may, senior pioneers of both the parties held road shows looking for votes in favor of their applicants.

Inspired by Gandhi, This Lady Has Dedicated 50 Years to Help the Downtrodden

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Mrs. Shobhana Ranade – a calm and composed lady, has dedicated over half a century of her life for the betterment of the downtrodden, particularly women and children.

She has spearheaded the Gandhi National Memorial Society and a national training institute for women at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune in 1979.

Mrs. Ranade was an active volunteer at a time when the Mahatma’s Quit India Movement was gaining ground. She embodies the Gandhian principles and is the quintessential Gandhian. Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave influenced her to work for destitute women and underprivileged children.

In 1955, she moved to Assam and started a school ‘Shishu Niketan’ and the first child welfare centre in the oil town of Digboi. She also worked in tribal villages in Nagaland and NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) for women empowerment. Through the Adim Jaati Seva Sangh, Naga tribal women were given special training in weaving and spinning. She also started a Khadi Bhandar in Kohima. She works and lives fearlessly and that is what she preaches to the children and women of the projects.

As a Trustee of the Kasturba Gandhi National Trust, Mrs. Ranade has dedicated her life and energies to ensure women’s empowerment, development, equality and education.

She also worked for the overall development of the children, especially orphans, underprivileged and street children.

The Trust’s State office located at Saswad, in Purandar Taluka in Pune is set up over a sprawling area of 11 acres; of which 6 acres is used for farming and 5 acres to conduct various activities of the Ashram. The Balgriha currently takes care of over 40 young, deprived girls by providing them shelter, food and education to enable them to live a happy and meaningful life.

Mrs. Ranade has emphasized on empowerment and emancipation of women. Women are empowered through the Ashram’s bakery unit, farming, and vegetation. Besides, they are also trained in over 20 village industrial trades and vocational skills viz. tailoring, flour making, preparing food items, jewellery, and many more.

Towards children’s upliftment and development, Mrs. Ranade directs her Organisation on various programs and initiatives for the welfare and upliftment of the street children. The Hermann Gmeiner Social Centre situated at Shivajinagar, Pune, provides education, nutritional food, healthcare, counseling and rehabilitation to the street kids. Around 60 children, who were unclean, undisciplined, prone to malnutrition and various addictions are taught basic personal hygiene and are each provided with a set of toiletries and a locker to keep their belongings.

The SOS Children’s Villages Balgram is yet another noble endeavor set up to provide the orphans and the destitute children their right to a family. Mrs. Ranade has been instrumental in establishing the SOS Children’s Villages in Maharashtra. It runs on rights-based principle, rather than need-based ideas, providing a sense of protection and security, emotional support and love through family care, warmth and affection. At the SOS Village Balgram, a mother is given the responsibility to take care of the overall development of a group of 10 children.

It is worth noting that some of these women leave and sacrifice their family responsibilities to take care of the abandoned and destitute.

In Maharashtra, there are three SOS villages – Pune, Latur and Alibaug. The first Balsadan was started at Vinobaji’s ancestral village — Gagode in Raigad, Maharashtra.

It is commendable to see the unstinting welfare and developmental work done by Mrs. Shobhana Ranade. A transformational leader and a firebrand social worker indeed, Mrs. Ranade personally mentors every sevika right from the time of selection. She visits them in remote villages, stays with them and with emotional support and frequent discussions guides them to solve the various issues in line with Gandhian philosophies. She has worked with Vinobaji as a Convenor of Stree Jagaran at Pavnar and also as the Chairman of the ‘Bhoodan”Gram Dan’ board of Maharashtra.

Awards and Honours Mrs. Ranade has numerous awards and accolades to her credit, the most recent and notable being the Padma Bhushan for Social Work in 2011. Others include National Award for Child Welfare Services (1983); the Ahilyabai Holkar Award for Women and Child Development by the Government of Maharashtra (2001); the Gandhi Sanmaan Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh; Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India (2007) .

Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds after night of violence

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A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel appears to be holding following one of the worst days in violence in the Gaza Strip since the 2014 Gaza war.

Hamas said on Wednesday that armed groups in the Gaza Strip had agreed to a deal with Israel following a night of air attacks targeting several Hamas and Islamic Jihad positions in the coastal enclave.

The Israeli government had yet to comment on the offer but Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy chief in Gaza, said the group was committed to a truce as long as Israel was.

“A number of mediators intervened in the past hours, and an agreement was reached to return to a ceasefire in Gaza”, Hayya said in a statement.

Hours earlier, a Hamas-affiliated Twitter account announced that the group had agreed to return to an understanding on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip so long as the “occupier” did the same.

Reporting from Gaza, said Egyptian security officials had helped broker the deal after Israel warned of “tougher retaliation measures” against the groups’ leadership.

“The truce came about after Israel conveyed a message to the Egyptians that if the Palestinian factions didn’t stop, Israel would react in a stronger, harder way and target the leadership of those groups.

“It’s 10am local time (07:00 GMT), and the ceasefire appears to be sticking for now, it started at 4am local time,” he added.

“The Palestinians are projecting this image that they brokered the ceasefire. Israel will not admit that they agreed to one. But – however it’s happened – it’s worked and kept things quiet for the time being.”

Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz sidestepped questions on whether Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, but said it was not interested in an escalation towards war.

“It all depends on Hamas. If it continues [to attack], I don’t know what its fate will be,” Katz told Israel Radio.

The Israeli army said it struck 60 targets belonging to Palestinian resistance groups after a “barrage of projectiles” were fired from Gaza into southern Israel on Tuesday.

The firing of rockets and mortar rounds came as Islamic Jihad vowed to avenge a deadly attack against its members last week.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed Israel for the burst of violence, accusing it of “escalating tensions”.

“Difficult days have passed in the West Bank, Jerusalem and especially in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation launched a fierce aggression on the Gaza Strip today with rockets and aircraft. This indicates that the occupation does not want peace. However, we want peace, and we demand peace”.

Tuesday’s exchange of fire came after weeks of deadly unrest in the enclave.

Since March 30, at least 121 unarmed Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in protests near the Israeli fence between Gaza and Israel. Palestinians are demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from during the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Gaza – a territory of more than two million people – has been under a devastating Israeli-imposed blockade for the past 12 years, which has severely restricted the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory.

On Tuesday, a group of Palestinians set sail from Gaza in an attempt to breach Israel’s naval blockade.

The vessel, carrying patients needing medical care, students and job-seeking university graduates, was later captured by Israeli warships and towed to Israel.

How the media covered death in Gaza and the Jerusalem ceremony
Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but, citing security concerns, maintains tight control of its land and sea borders, reducing its economy to a state of collapse.

Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza through its border.

US-brokered peace talks have been stalled since 2014, and Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories have expanded.

Gaza experienced its most significant conflict in 2014 when at least 2,251 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, were killed. At least 66 Israeli soldiers and six civilians were also killed.

Loan Waiver proposal will sought out in 15 days says HD Kumarswamy

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Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has sought 15 days time to announce the government’s proposal on farm loan waiver. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara had earlier held a meeting with representatives of farmers from 30 districts. They had sought suggestions on the issue and Kumaraswamy had said that he will make an announcement after consulting the Congress.

Now, Kumaraswamy has postponed it by another 15 days. He said that the loan waiver scheme would be implemented in two phases and that loans of all farmers, irrespective of their loan or the land they own, will be waived off. The farmers also demanded that all types of loans borrowed from national banks and cooperative banks be waived off. The entire amount would add up to Rs. 53,000 crore.

Kumaraswamy said that a decision can be taken by the government only after discussing the matter with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and with bankers. Until then, he requested the farmers to not take extreme decisions like taking their life.

Indian Air Force lends helping hand to put out the fires in Jammu and Kashmir

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has carried out twin “bambi bucket” operations in Mata Vaishnodevi hills in Jammu and Kashmir and Pathankot hills of Punjab to douse major fires, an official said today.

“A major forest fire broke out in the hills of Mata Vaishnodevi shrine (in Katra in Reasi district) from May 23, which halted the yatra. More than 20,000 pilgrims were stuck at various places along the track due to major fire”, Defence Spokesman Col N N Joshi said.

Air Force Station Udhampur was requested by the civil administration to contain the situation and secure life and property, he said adding that helicopters based at Air Force Station Udhampur were immediately pressed into action.

“The helicopters were equipped with under slung water buckets which can carry water up to 4,500 litres. In aviation terminology, these are known as bambi buckets”, he said. A bambi bucket is essentially a collapsible bucket utilizing a pilot control valve that can deliver a concentrated column of water from the helicopter to the fire, he added.

The development of bambi bucket has been a breakthrough development after feedback from helicopter operators and forest and land management agencies. The spokesman said that two helicopters were immediately launched for humanitarian operations at shrine hill and helicopters collected the water from Chenab river near Reasi and precise drop was carried at new track between Ardh Kunwari & Bhavan.

It was a daunting task keeping in mind the high ridges of Trikuta hill, high tension cables and challenging terrains, he said. The operations at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine was started on May 23 and continued till May 27. On May 28, another fire engulfed the Garh Mata Mandir in Pathankot in Punjab, posing a major threat to life of pilgrims and nearby habitants, the spokesman said.

On request of the district administration Pathankot, Air Force Station Udhampur responded and launched another helicopter operation equipped with Bambi bucket, the spokesman said. As there were no standard helipads near the water body, the helicopter had to operate from remote location near Ranjit Sagar of Thein dam. The continuous operations by helicopter crews resulted in controlling of forest fire at the pilgrimage, he added.

The operations towards containing fire at Garh Mata Mandir started on May 27 and was completed by May 28. A total of 10 sorties were flown towards containing the fire, he added. “Such operations are high risk operations considering challenging terrains, steep ridges, obstruction posed by high tension cables, poor visibility due to excessive smoke and turbulence”, he said.

The spokesman said that effective co-ordination between Air Force Station Udhampur and civil administration both at Katra and Pathankot led to swift response from the Indian Air Force towards containment of fire within a short time.

G.T. Deve Gowda says that Cabinet formation by Friday,

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JD(S) MLA in Chamundeshwari G.T. Deve Gowda said at a press conference in Mysuru on Tuesday that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will soon form his Council of Ministers. He said that the delay in Cabinet formation was because Congress President Rahul Gandhi was on a foreign tour. While he admitted that there were many aspirants for ministerial berths in the JD(S), he denied reports of a rift in the Congress-JD(S) coalition over the issue.

Gowda said that all MLAs from the coalition might be aspiring for Cabinet berths and that it was nothing to worry about. “Kumaraswamy is taking all factors into consideration before forming his Cabinet, with an eye on running the government for the full five years,” he added. He informed that the matter was being discussed with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and that a decision will be taken by Friday.

When asked whether Chief Minister Kumaraswamy will complete his full term of office, Gowda said that the matter was taken up with the leaders of the coalition and that a decision was awaited. About the longevity of the coalition, he said that though there was some bad blood between the parties in the run-up to the polls, they had now decided to forget the past and work together for the State’s progress.

He criticised the BJP for “spreading falsehoods” about the delay in Cabinet formation. He said that the coalition government was here to stay. “The next big aim is to win the Lok Sabha elections,” he added. He also attacked the BJP for employing “bandh politics” with respect to farm loan waiver, without giving the CM any time to act. He also pointed that the bandh had a poor response in the State.

“People are watching everything and are aware of who is doing what. Farmers should not end their lives and should stay calm as Kumaraswamy will soon bring relief to them,” he said. He also defended Kumaraswamy’s statement about the loan waiver issue. He said the CM had only stated the fact that he was not given the majority vote, because of which he could not take a decision on his own.

Gowda also said that former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had not announced farm loan waiver when he was heading the BJP government in 2008. Even as the Finance Minister in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, he had taken more than a year to announce waiver of Rs. 2500 crore worth of farm loans. Gowda promised that he would make an announcement about farm loan waiver on Wednesday as he had consulted the coalition partners.

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