Daltonganj : With barely 72 hours to go for  the Palamu Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(Maoists) ultras made their presence felt  by detonating a bomb and destroying the BJP's  election office in Harihargunj and setting on fire equipment involved  in a bridge construction work.

The ultras executed a bomb blast at the BJP's election office located at old bus  stand in Harihargunj midnight last night. Despite the spot being located on the NH-98 and barely  400 meters from the police station, policemen did not visit  the sight in the night suspecting an ambush by the Maoists.

The ultras before leaving the spot, located on the bordering  areas of Jharkhand and Bihar, shouted slogans.

Later the group reached Turi village under Harihargunj Police Station  area and torched a generator, a mixture machine and the shed of the  labourers where a bridge was being constructed at Batane river.  The ultras also threw pamphlets asking people to boycott the  elections. 

Meanwhile police teams have reached the spot and  have started investigating. Palamu is among the three  constituencies of Jharkhand where polling would be held on April 29. The  other two are Chatra and Lohardaga. 

The EC’s decision comes after the Bengaluru Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal on Thursday stayed the suspension of Mohammed Mohsin.

The Election Commission has revoked the suspension, which was handed to Karnataka cadre IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin for inspecting the helicopter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sambalpur in Odisha on April 16 as an election observer. 

The EC further debarred Mohammed Mohsin from election duty with immediate effect. 

The EC’s decision comes after the Bengaluru Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Thursday stayed his suspension.

“The suspension order issued by the EC cannot, on the face of it, lie. It is hereby stayed. Applicant will be eligible to re-join his former position under the government of Karnataka without any further ado about it,” said Tribunal Member K.B. Suresh in the order.

Modi was on an election tour in the eastern state for the BJP candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections being held in four phases from April 11 to April 29.

Interestingly, in another order on April 20, the poll panel had said that 48-year-old Mohsin’s headquarters will be the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka in Bengaluru, in place of Sambalpur in Odisha.

Mohsin, however, reported to Bengaluru on April 23, when polling for the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats in the western and northern regions of the southern state was held.

Staying the suspension, the Tribunal said the charge against Mohsin was that he checked the chopper though the Prime Minister was exempted from it under the Z-plus security category of the Special Protection Group (SPG).

“The applicant (Mohsin) claims that he had advised the accompanying officials to videograph the process with the advice of the SPG officials. The SPG, however, complained to the EC that the SPG protectees must be exempt from such intrusions into their private life,” observed the member.

Noting that even the SPG protectees were not eligible for anything and everything, the Tribunal cited a news report indicating that large packages were taken away from the Prime Minister’s cavalcade into another vehicle in Karnataka.

The Congress asked the poll panel to probe the incident that occurred on April 11 when Modi flew to Chitradurga in a chopper to address a massive BJP poll rally.

“Questions were raised about it but no action followed. The petitioner’s contention is that election officials have even checked vehicles of Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy more than once and no action followed,” the member observed.

Actor-politician Rajinikanth, who sat out the Lok Sabha and bye-polls in the state, has announced that he will contest in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, whenever announced. While speaking to the media in Chennai on Friday, a day after polls to 38 Lok Sabha seats and 18 assembly seats in the state concluded, Rajinikanth was asked when his entry to electoral politics could be expected. “Whenever assembly elections come,” he replied, adding, “We are prepared.”

When asked about the less-than-ideal voter turnout in the state, he said, “Seventy percent is a reasonable turnout.” Referring to the low turnout in Chennai, the state capital, a smiling Rajini added, “I think a lot of people went to their hometowns because of the four-day continuous holiday.”

The actor also said that it would be good if the number of booths in the state were increased.On caste-based violence on poll day, he said, “It’s definitely less than what has happened before. They (the Election Commission) have conducted the polls well this time; there is no doubt about that.”

With Tamil Nadu witnessing 22 bye-polls this poll season, the fate of the Edappadi Palaniswami-led AIADMK government hangs in the balance. When a journalist asked if Rajinikanth would announce his political party in the event of a regime change, he said, “Let’s see. We will decide all that after May 23. “

With the regard to rampant allegations of cash-for-votes this poll season, Rajinikanth said that the Election Commission has to look into it, refusing to comment further.

When asked if there is a chance that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be re-elected, all the actor said was, “It would become apparent on May 23 (when results are announced).”

In February, the actor had announced that he will not be contesting in the parliamentary elections and that his goal was the legislative assembly elections. Rajinikanth made this statement in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, which was held in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

He had also stated that he does not support or endorse any political party for the polls and that the flag of Rajini Makkal Mandram, his political outfit, and his pictures shall not be used by anybody for poll campaigns.

On April 9, the actor had welcomed BJP’s poll promise to set up a separate authority to link rivers and said that if the party comes to power, it must implement it. He had asked the people of Tamil Nadu to vote for a party that would address the water crisis in the state.

Ghazipur, Apr 19 : Triggering a controversy, Union minister Manoj Sinha has warned the detractors, that anyone who points a finger at BJP workers will find himself paying for it within four hours.

Sinha, who is seeking re-election from Ghazipur seat, was addressing ‘Kisan Panchayat Sammelan’ in Saidpur area on Thursday evening.

“If any finger is pointed at a BJP worker, then I assure you, in four hours the person will pay for it,” the 59-year-old sitting MP said.

Sinha further said that party workers are ready to bury corruption and illegal wealth.

“No one has the temerity to look a BJP worker in the eye. If they do, then rest assured, those eyes will not be safe,” he warned during the election meeting in his constituency.

The Union minister was apparently trying to convey that BJP would not allow those steeped in corruption and crime to enter in his constituency.

Sinha faces the joint opposition candidate Afzal Ansari of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who had defeated him in 2004.

Amta/Malda (WB), Apr 18 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday mocked the Congress’ promise to eradicate poverty, and said India will actually be freed of poverty the day it gets rid of the Congress.

Singh said the indication after second phase of election is clear that the BJP will return to power.

Addressing election rallies at Howrah and Malda districts, Singh said since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress has been promising eradication of poverty.

“Now, Rahul Gandhi is also pledging that. The fact is the day the country becomes free of the Congress, it will also get freedom from poverty,” the senior BJP leader said.

Lashing out at the TMC in Bengal, Singh alleged that democracy has ceased to exist under its rule in the state.

“Violence has been unleashed on opposition parties. Is it a sign of democracy? In Bengal, we will fight till we restore democracy,” he asserted.

He alleged that the TMC has replaced democracy by “goondaraj”.

Under the TMC rule, “all the three — the mother, the motherland and the people are suffering,” he said, referring to the ruling party’s slogan of ‘Ma, Maati and Manush’.

Maintaining that infiltrators will be thrown out, Singh said refugees will be given citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP are engaged in a bitter fight over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The saffron party has also vowed to bring in National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country and weed out infiltrators.

Referring to Bangladeshi actor Ferdous Ahmed who was ordered to leave the country after he took part in a campaign of the ruling TMC in West Bengal, Singh said people like him will not be allowed to act as per their whims and fancies.

Mumbai, Apr 19 : Hours after she resigned from Congress party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday formally joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray and youth wing president Aditya Thackeray here.

Welcoming her decision to join the Shiv Sena, Mr Thackeray said, “We welcome her in our party. The party will gain strength with her experience.”
Sources in the Congress said, “Rahul Gandhi has not accepted her resignation so far.”
Citing that there was ”no respect for women” in the grand-old party as reason for resigning from all posts, Ms Chaturvedi said, “I am extending my gratitude to the Shiv Sena chief for this opportunity. I belong to Mumbai and in future, I will continue working for the Mumbaikars.”
A couple of days ago she had hit out at the Congress for reinstating UP party workers who allegedly had misbehaved with her.
In a letter to party president Rahul Gandhi, Ms Chaturvedi tendered her resignation from all posts and the primary membership of the party.
”In the last few weeks, certain things have convinced me that my services are no longer valued in the organisation and that I have reached the end of the road. At the same time, I feel that more time that I spend in the organisation will be at the cost of my own self respect and dignity.
”What saddens me is that despite the safety, dignity, empowerment of women being promoted by the party and has been your call to action, the same is not reflected in the action of some of the members if the party. I would request you to accept my resignation and relieve me of all my roles and responsibilities from the party on immediate basis and oblige,” she said in her letter to the Congress president on Thursday which was released to media on Friday.

Belagavi, Apr 19 : Close on the heels of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s addressing election rallies in Bagalkot and Chincholi yesterday, AICC President Rahul Gandhi will try to woo voters of Chikkodi, considered as the cradle of the co-operative movement in Karnataka, this evening.
According to Veerkumar Patil, a senior Congress leader in Belagavi, district, more than one lakh party workers are expected to participate. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the success of the rally. Voters from Belagavi, Dharwad and Chikkodi are expected to arrive in large numbers.
The Congress has fielded sitting MP Prakash Hukkeri for Chikkodi Loka Sabha seat, a Congress bastion for a long time.
The BJP had fielded Annasaheb Jolle, replacing the former MP Ramesh Katti, in an attempt to clinch the seat from the Congress.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election Katti had lost the seat by a slender margin of 3000 votes.