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BJP loses two UP seats, including Yogi’s, by huge margins; RJD wins in Bihar

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Gorakhpur/Patna: In a major blow to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, backed by its otherwise bitter foe BSP, wrested the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and was set to win in Gorakhpur, seats vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel defeated his nearest Bharatiya Janata Party rival Kaushlendra Singh Patel by 59,613 votes, leading to noisy celebrations and calls for opposition unity across the nation to defeat the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha battle.

The results were announced after 31 rounds of counting.

The Bahujan Samaj Party had extended support to the Samajwadi Party in a bid to avoid a split in opposition vote.

Amid beating of drums and distribution of sweets, the victorious Nagendra Patel not only thanked the people of Phulpur for his victory but said he also had the blessings of ‘behenji’ Mayawati along with his own leader Akhilesh Yadav.

Mafia don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmad, contesting as an Independent from inside the jail, won 33,818 votes in Phulpur while Manish Mishra (Congress) got 11,934 votes.

SP’s Praveen Kumar Nishad is leading in the Gorakhpur constituency with 377,146 votes after 25 rounds of counting. BJP’s Upendra Dutt Shukla is second with 354,192 votes.

Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively after being elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Both seats were a status fight for the BJP.

As the vote count moved towards the final rounds, Samajwadi Party’s Praveen Nishad had secured 334,463 votes in Gorakhpur, with the BJP’s Upendra Dutt Shukla at the second spot with 308,593 votes. One official said Nishad had won.

The setback comes as a huge shocker to the year-old BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, where Adityanath has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha seat for five consecutive times.

Both the Lok Sabha constituencies voted on Sunday.

“This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath),” Samajwadi Party spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS.

“They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground,” he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

In a rare show of camaraderie, Samajwadi Party leaders admitted that the BSP decision to back their party played a critical role in the outcome.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The Samajwadi Party won from five seats. The Congress won two seats and the BSP drew a blank.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead right from the beginning of the vote count that began on Wednesday morning and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials counted the tens of thousands of votes.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela earlier sparked a storm by barring journalists from entering the counting centre and did not announce details of counting after the first two rounds.

After the defeat of BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath said, “We accept the verdict of the people, this result is unexpected, we will review the shortcomings. I congratulate the winning candidates.”

Gorakhpur has been held by Yogi Adityanath since 1998 – he was the youngest MP at 26 – and three times before that by his mentor Advaidyanath.

Phulpur is an extremely prominent Lok Sabha seat that the BJP had wrested only in 2014. It has been represented by Jawaharlal Nehru, his sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit and also former Prime Minister V P Singh.

The fate of the third parliamentary seat being called today is Araria in Bihar, where too the BJP is trailing, this time behind Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD.

RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha bypoll by 61,988 votes.

RJD got 5,09,334 votes and BJP got 4,47,346 votes in Bihar.

Counting for two Assembly seats in Bihar were also held today. BJP’s Rinky Rani Pandey has won Bhabhua Assembly seat while the RJD has won the Jehanabad Assembly seat.

Since there are no permanent enemies in politics, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have come together this time to stop the BJP.

The last time they joined hands was in 1992 — to take charge of the state after the sacking of BJP’s Kalyan Singh in the aftermath of the Babri demolition.

The elections were said to test the recently formed electoral arrangement between the two arch-rivals — Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP). The two parties have come together in Phulpur and Gorakhpur for the first time after 1991 to take on the BJP.

(Agencies)

‘Great victory’: Mamata hails Akhilesh, Mayawati, Lalu

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Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday congratulated Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati and RJD leader Lalu Prasad as the opposition took big leads over the BJP in Lok Sabha by-elections.

“Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawatiji and Akhileshji… The beginning of the end has started,” the Trinamool Congress leader tweeted.

“Congratulations to Lalu Prasadji for winning Araria and Jehanabad. This is a great victory,” she said. Officials in Patna said the vote count was still on.

The Samajwadi Party, backed by the BSP, took winning leads in both the Lok Sabha seats of Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The RJD was leading over the BJP in the Lok Sabha seat of Araria in Bihar.

(IANS)

RJD leads in Araria, Jahanabad, BJP in Bhabhua

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Patna: The RJD-led Grand Alliance in Bihar took a lead on Wednesday over the BJP in the Araria Lok Sabha and the Jahanabad Assembly seats while the BJP was ahead in the Bhabhua Assembly seat.

After trailing initially, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) moved ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Araria.

After 16 rounds of vote count, RJD’s Sarfaraz Alam took a lead of more than 15,000 votes in Araria over the BJP’s Pradip Kumar Singh.

RJD candidate Suday Yadav led by more than 16,000 votes in Jahanabad over his nearest Janata Dal-United (JD-U) rival Abhiram Sharma.

The BJP’s Rinki Pandey was leading by over 6,000 votes over Sambhu Patel of the Congress, a RJD ally, in Bhabhua.

The by-elections were held on Sunday.

(IANS)

Rani Mukherjee’s Advise To Her Fans & Hichki Audiences

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Rani Mukerji, in Yashraj’s upcoming film Hicki, enacts the role of a teacher named Naina Mathur dealing with Tourette Syndrome.

In Hichki, Rani Mukherji while tackling her involuntary nervous disorder to 1st become a teacher and then tackle societal “Hichki’s” by nurturing a motley crew of less privileged, rebellious and irreverent kids.

Incidentally speaking Rani Mukherjee’s journey in Hichki is all about overcoming weaknesses & stigmas and convert them into victories. And “Phir Kya Hai Gham”, the latest song from Hichki, captures this spirit perfectly.

This catchy song, “Phir Kya Hai Gham” in the beautiful voice of Shilpa Rao inspires us to brace for life and all that it will dish out bravely.

In fact “Phir Kya Hai Gham” is all about believing in ourselves and having faith in our dreams & capabilities. The lyrics of “Phir Kya Hai Gham” have been written by Aditya Sharma & Neeraj Rajawat and this song echoes the spirit of staying positive no matter what the circumstances. “Phir Kya Hai Gham” is the perfect musical salute to the spirit of Hichki.

Hichki Directed by Siddharth P Malhotra & produced by Maneesh Sharma is all set to touch the hearts of the audiences when it releases on 23rd Mar 2018.

Voter Angry With BJP: Rahul

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The BJP’s shocking performance in the three Lok Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar prove the “electorate is very angry against the BJP and will vote for the non-BJP candidate most likely to win”.

“Congratulations to the winning candidates in today’s by-election,” Gandhi tweeted, as it became clear that the Samajwadi Party was set to defeat the BJP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

“The Congress will look forward to ‘Navnirman’ in Uttar Pradesh, it won’t happen overnight,” he added.

(IANS)

No Bail for Congress MLA’s Son in Bengaluru Assault Case

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The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail petition of ruling Congress MLA N.A. Haris’s son Mohammad Nalapad, who was in judicial custody for allegedly assaulting a youth at a city center cafe on February 17.

“The bail petition has been dismissed,” said Justice S. Harish Kumar in the order.

Nalapad, 24, along with six other accused in the assault case, was sent to the central jail in the city outskirts, after a city court sent them to 14-day judicial custody for investigation.

A sessions court had earlier rejected Nalapad’s bail plea on March 2.

“The judge felt that the attack on the youth was ghastly and hence dismissed the bail petition after going through the evidence,” special public prosecutor M.S. Shyam Sundar told media here.

Meanwhile, Nalapad’s counsel C.V. Nagesh told media that he would appeal against the single order before a division bench of the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Nalapad and the six accused were arrested on February 19 after they surrendered at the Cubbon Park police station in the city center and a kilometer away from Farzi Cafe in the upscale UB City Mall where the youth (Vidvat) was brutally assaulted following an argument.

Haris, a two-time lawmaker from the Shantinagar assembly segment in the city centre, had earlier tendered an apology in the state legislative assembly for the violent conduct of his son.

(IANS)

Myanmar building military bases over Rohingya villages: Amnesty

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Eyewitnesses told Amnesty the Rohingya were forcibly evicted to make way for military bases [Thein Zaw/AP]

by Al Jazeera

Myanmar is building military bases over flattened Rohingya villages, an international rights group said.

Security forces have bulldozed houses and started constructing at least three new security facilities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, said Amnesty International’s Remaking Rakhine State report, which was published on Monday.

The report, which said construction of the three army outposts began in January, is based on satellite imagery and witness statements from Rohingya refugees.

“What we are seeing in Rakhine state is a land grab by the military on a dramatic scale. New bases are being erected to house the very same security forces that have committed crimes against humanity against Rohingya,” Tirana Hassan, Amnesty’s crisis response director, said.

“The new construction is entrenching the already dehumanising discrimination they have faced in Myanmar.”

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since last August as a result of a government crackdown launched in the wake of deadly attacks on military posts by members of the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA).

Eyewitnesses told Amnesty that Rohingya in Buthidaung township had been forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for the development. Al Jazeera was not able to independently verify those claims.

‘Not a military land grab’

Myint Khine, a government administrator in Rakhine, told Al Jazeera the developments were not a “military land grab”.

“We have been using bulldozers for building roads and construction … not for military [purposes],” Khine said.

Hundreds of Rohingya villages have been torched and at least 55 settlements completely bulldozed, since the ongoing crisis began, according to Human Rights Watch.

The majority of those displaced have sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

According to the UN, the exodus marks the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world.

Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist, told Al Jazeera that Myanmar will “never allow” the Muslim minority to return to Rakhine state.

“It is clear that as a part of genocide they have destructed the Rohingya homes and confiscated everything,” Lwin said. “They will never allow the Rohingya to return to their original villages.”

The Rohingya, one of the most persecuted communities in the world, are not recognised as citizens of Myanmar and have for decades faced widespread discrimination from authorities.

Prior to the current exodus, tens of thousands of Rohingya have already been living as refugees in several neighbouring countries.

Myanmar and Bangladesh announced a repatriation deal in January, but rights groups and Rohingya have raised concerns about the agreement, saying it does not guarantee full citizenship or safety for those who return.

‘Atmosphere of panic’
Laura Haigh, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher, told Al Jazeera the demolition of their villages has created an “atmosphere of panic” among the Rohingya.

“What we need to see is the Myanmar government saying this is Rohingya land and saving it for them,” Haigh said.

“[Instead] there’s a growing sense this [militarisation] is going to be a threat to safety and security, and there’s worry about violence happening again.”

Although the Amnesty report refers to the construction of three security bases, in the Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, there is growing evidence more facilities are being developed, Haigh added.

“Every time we go back to look at specific locations, we are seeing changes on a day-to-day basis. It’s not just about the scale of change, it’s also about the pace,” she said.

Border tensions
The ongoing turmoil in Rakhine state has also created flashpoints between Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Earlier this month, Myanmar deployed some 200 troops to its border with Bangladesh, close to a nearby strip of land between the two that is home to about 6,000 Rohingya refugees.

The area falls within Myanmar’s territory but is widely referred to as “no man’s land” because it lies beyond the country’s border fence.

Myanmar said the move was part of an operation to target the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) fighters operating in the region.

Security forces – who reportedly issued warnings using loudspeakers for Rohingya to leave the “no man’s land” – were later pulled back after Bangladesh summoned Myanmar’s ambassador over the incident.

Kyaw Win, founder of the Burma Human Rights Network, told Al Jazeera that Myanmar authorities are still attempting to force Rohingya remaining in Rakhine into Bangladesh.

“Burma is starving remaining Rohingya in Rakhine state and this is forcing them to flee,” Win said.

On Monday, the UN’s Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee also said Myanmar’s government appeared to be pursuing a policy of starvation.

Lee, who was reporting to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, said the results of a UN fact-finding mission in Myanmar “bear the hallmarks of genocide” by the country’s authorities.

Explosion hits as Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah enters Gaza

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A damaged vehicle of the convoy of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was removed after the explosion [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

An explosion has struck the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah upon his entrance into the Gaza Strip, lightly injuring several people.

The explosive device detonated shortly after Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint, known Palestinians as Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza on Tuesday, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza reported.

Hamdallah was unharmed and appeared on live television shortly after the incident at the inauguration of a wastewater treatment facility.

However, five others were lightly injured in the blast.

The Palestinian Authority intelligence chief Majed Faraj was part of the convoy.

Fatah, the West Bank-based political party to which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas belongs, called it a “terrorist attack” and blamed it on Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza.

“This attack is an attempt to kill all reconciliation efforts. It is a dangerous step aimed at spreading disorder and fighting among our people,” said Munir al-Jaghoub, heads Fatah’s information department at the Office of Mobilisation and Organisation.

“We demand that Hamas expedites its investigation. The developments have proven that Hamas has completely failed in providing security in Gaza, just as it has failed in providing a decent life for our people in the strip,” added Jaghoub.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iyad al-Buzom, Gaza’s interior ministry spokesperson, said the act of placing blame “has a political dimension”.

“Here in Gaza, we take all the security precautions to welcome all the convoys and delegations and particularly the prime minister as he entered Gaza,” he said.

He added that “several suspects were arrested a short while ago,” and that an investigation “to find out who was behind the explosion” is under way.

Hamas and Fatah, the two main Palestinian political parties, signed a reconciliation agreement in October 2017, ending a decade of division that saw two parallel governments operating in Gaza and the West Bank, respectively.

The agreement to form a unity government was signed in the Egyptian capital in Cairo on October 13, but efforts to implement the agreement have faced several obstacles.

Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gaza-based political analyst, believes there are “several sides who are benefitting from this explosion”.

“We will hear Fatah saying that some members of Hamas do not want reconciliation, and likewise, we will hear Hamas saying this could have been a fabricated attack by Fatah’s security services,” Ibrahim told Al Jazeera.

“The ones who will pay the price are the Palestinian people themselves. The Palestinian Authority may impose more punitive measures against the Gaza Strip and it is imperative that Hamas captures those behind the attack as soon as possible,” he continued.

“This explosion will have repercussions for the people in Gaza.”

JD-S nominee richest in Karnataka Rajya Sabha polls

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Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) candidate B. M. Farooq with a declared assets of around Rs 770 crore is the richest of the five aspirants in the fray for biennial elections to the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka.

According to affidavits filed with the Election Commission (EC), Farooq, 51, has declared assets of about Rs 770 crore, including immovable ones worth over Rs 600 crore, and a bank balance of about Rs 95 lakh.

He is pitted against Congressmen L. Hanumanthaiah, G.

C. Chandrashekar and Syed Nasir Hussain, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is seeking a second term since his first term as an Independent member ends on April 2.

BJP’s Chandrasekhar, 53, is the second richest candidate with declared assets of about Rs 50 crore and bank deposits of about Rs 4.8 crore.

Hanumanthaiah, G. C. Chandrashekar and Hussain have declared assets of about Rs 4.8 crore, Rs 13 crore and Rs 18.7 crore, respectively.

The March 23 Rajya Sabha elections will fill vacancies due to retirement of Basawaraj Patil, Rahman Khan and R. Ramakrishna of the Congress and Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Counting of votes will also be held on March 23.

(IANS)

Court permits narco tests on Gauri murder accused Naveen Kumar

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Bengaluru: The 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court, permitted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing senior journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder to hold narco-analysis tests on K T Naveen Kumar one of the accused in the case on Monday. The court remanded Kumar in the judicial custody until March 26.

The SIT had considered Naveen Kumar as an accused in journalist Gauri Lankesh murder case after they discovered the evidence that he had conspired to murder writer KS Bhagawan.

Naveen Kumar also possesses information on Gauri’s killers and SIT has a strong belief that he is trying to protect those information.

The SIT submitted an audio and video footage while where Kumar agreed for the tests, but Kumar refused before the magistrate when he was produced before the court. The test was ordered to be conducted on Monday, said the sources.

On Monday when Kumar was presented before the magistrate he told that he was ready for the tests and the truth should be revealed. After that the court permitted the police to carry out the tests.

Kumar will be taken to Ahmedabad Forensic Science Laboratory on an available date.

According to the sources, on Sunday Kumar met his advocate while in custody and asked him about the tests. After the advocate informed Naveen about the test, he agreed to undergo the test and prove his innocence.

(Agencies)

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