Mysuru, Apr 13 : Denouncing the politics of NDA Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the coalition partners asked the voters to give a befitting reply in the Polling to save democracy.
Campaigning in the region has hit a peak with top leaders of the coalition partners taking to the road to battle with their arch rival BJP.
At an election rally held here last night they called for overthrowing the BJP and said that failure to do so would derail democracy.
In his campaign speech, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda reiterated importance of the rank and file and the leadership closing ranks to take on the communal forces to safeguard the Constitution. The progress of BJP, which won 17 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections, has to be halted in the State.
?The coalition government in Karnataka was formed to fight such forces and to prevent them from coming to power again. The coming together of all the leaders of the coalition on a common platform is to send a strong message to the voters of the State,? he added.
He said the Congress and the JD(S) had good support base and strength in the Mysuru-Chamarajanagar belt and appealed to workers of both parties to sink their differences in the larger interest of the country.
In his address, Coordination Committee Chairman and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the coalition government was formed to prevent communal forces from constituting a government in Karnataka and the same arrangement was at work for the Lok Sabha elections as well. ?We are fighting the BJP not only in Karnataka but across the country, where the Congress has joined hands with regional parties,? he added.
Siddaramiah said the BJP has fielded candidates in 27 out of 28 constituencies and was covertly supporting an Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya. The Modi government has instilled fear in the minds of minorities, dalits, farmers.
Stating that Narendra Modi’s 5 year rule came under flak, Siddaramaiah said that demonetisation had led to job loss while the GDP growth rate faltered and declined by 2 per cent as warned by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Though the Prime Minister defines himself as a ‘Chowkidar’, he safeguards only the rich like Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya who fled the country after looting it, he said, accusing Modi of being a ‘bhaagidaar’ (complicit) in such loot instead of a ‘Chowkidar’.

“If Modi comes to power for the second term, then the country would be finished,” said Sidhu.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, saying that the country will get finished if he becomes PM for the second term.

“If Modi comes to power for the second term, then the country would be finished,” said Sidhu.

“Where the world is going! China is constructing a rail line under the ocean. America has gone to Mars and is finding for the traces of life there. Russia is building a Robotic Army and you are making ‘Chowkidar’ and that too a thief,” said Sidhu.

Meanwhile, Sidhu praised the Congress, saying that there is no difference between what the party says and what it does.

“There is no difference between what Congress says and what it does. Soon after coming to power the government waived off farmer’s loan here up to Rs 11-15 lakh,” he said.

Nearly 45 percent voter turnout recorded in the Naxal-affected Bastar constituency in Chhattisgarh in the first phase of polling on Thursday.

Chhattisgarh will also vote for the Lok Sabha polls on the second and third phase of polling on 18 and 23 April for 3 and 7 parliamentary constituencies respectively.

Agencies

Many came forward to praise the actor-turned-Congress leader for “not putting up with any misbehaviour”.

Khushu Sundar was widely praised for the act, which many felt was courageous.
NEW DELHI: 

Misogyny can strike any time, and on the stray occasion, get struck back harder.

A video showing actor-turned-Congress leader Khushbu Sundar slapping a man who allegedly misbehaved with her during an election rally has generated a lot of attention on social media. The incident occurred while Ms Sundar was campaigning for her party’s Bengaluru Central candidate, Rizwan Arshad, in the Karnataka capital recently.

The short clip shows the former actor — known for her roles in films likes Annamalai (1992) and Janoo (1985) — jostling through a crowd at the rally. But suddenly, she turns and slaps a man who is then taken away by a policeman.

As the clip went viral, Ms Sundar did not offer any comment of her own but retweeted media reports and some remarks made by her followers. Many came forward to praise her for “not putting up with any misbehaviour”.

“That’s a job well done. Nobody has the right to abuse, and if he does, then he should be punished,” commented one of her followers. Another dubbed her as a “bold lady forever”, and said that she was a “big inspiration for every girl in this critical world”.

Ms Sundar, who makes it a point to back women’s causes, was among the political figureswho supported journalist Priya Ramani in her #MeToo allegations against former Union Minister MJ Akbar. “Finally @mjakbar resigns… one can be an allegation but not all… kudos to the bravehearts who have stood up for the right, silencing the wrong. @priyaramani and all the other women who have stood their ground… this is your victory… Now shouldn’t #MJAkbar give up his #RS seat too?” she had tweeted soon after Mr Akbar quit his cabinet post.

The former actor had joined the Congress in 2014, claiming that it was the only party that “can bring about unity among various castes and creeds”.

Agencies

Maneka Gandhi, the MP from Pilibhit, began her campaign from the Sultanpur seat.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi is on camera telling a gathering of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, from where she is contesting the national election, to vote for her or else she may not be inclined to be responsive to their requests. “I have already won this election, now it is for you to decide,” said the BJP leader on Thursday.

A three-minute clip of her speech in Sultanpur’s Turabkhani area is being shared on social media.

“This is important. I am winning. I am winning because of the love and support of people. But if my victory is without Muslims, I won’t feel that good. Dil khatta ho jayega (Things will become sour). Then when a Muslim comes to me for work, I think let it be, how does it matter. It’s all give and take, isn’t it? We aren’t all sons of Mahatma Gandhi, are we? (laughter). It’s not that we keep on giving and then losing in the election. This victory will happen with or without you.”

A little later, she also says, “I have already won the elections, but you will need me. This is your chance to lay the foundation. When the election comes and this booth throws up 100 votes or 50 votes, and then you come to me for work we will see…I don’t see any divides, I see only pain, sadness and love. So it is up to you…”

Maneka Gandhi, the MP from Pilibhit, began her campaign from the Sultanpur seat about 10 days ago. The seat is currently held by her son Varun Gandhi. But this election, Varun has shifted back to Pilibhit, a seat he won in 2009. Maneka Gandhi has won the Pilibhit seat six times.

Last week, Maneka Gandhi waded into controversy when she described BSP supremo Mayawati as a “merchant of tickets” and accused her of taking Rs. 15-20 crore from those who wanted to be chosen as her party’s candidates.C

“Everybody knows Mayawati sells party tickets and even her party members take pride in telling this. She has 77 houses and residents of those houses say with pride that Mayawati takes Rs. 15-20 crore either in diamonds or in cash,” she was quoted as saying by news agency on Wednesday.

Agencies

Malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and clashes led to the delay in about 400 polling stations in different parts of the state.

Making history of sorts, polling in some booths in Andhra Pradesh continued till midnight as the total voter turnout reached nearly 80 per cent, capping hours of tension and clashes that left two dead and scores of others injured.

The polling concluded around midnight in some polling stations in Guntur, Krishna, Nellore and Kurnool districts as authorities allowed all the voters standing in queues at 6 pm to cast their votes.

Malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and clashes led to the delay in about 400 polling stations in different parts of the state.

Tension prevailed in Mangalagiri constituency in Guntur district, where Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s son and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate staged a protest against the failure of election authorities in making proper arrangements. Leaders of opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) staged a counter-protest.

The tension was also palpable at a booth in Vijayawada and in Kurnool district due to the clashes between rival groups.

As many as 25 incidents of violence marred polling for simultaneous elections to the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats.

Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi said 74 per cent polling was recorded till 6 pm. He said the overall percentage could go up to 80.

He said he received representations for re-poll in some booths from various parties. The Election Commission will take a decision in this regard after going through the available records, evidence and reports of the poll officials concerned.

Polling in three Maoist affected Assembly segments ended at 4 pm and in three others an hour later.

A worker from the TDP and another of the YSRCP were killed in violence in Anantapur and Chitoor districts.

More than a dozen others including senior TDP leader and Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao were injured in clashes at various places.

Complaints of non-functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and resultant delay at the start of polling were received from across the state.

Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his unhappiness over EVMs not functioning at several polling booths. He wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, demanding repoll in 150 booths.

A little over 3.93 crore voters were eligible to vote to decide the fortunes of 319 candidates for Lok Sabha seats and 2,118 candidates for Assembly polls.

Authorities set up 46,120 polling stations and deployed nearly four lakh personnel including more than lakh security men.

The TDP and YSRCP are locked in a direct fight for power while Jana Sena of actor Pawan Kalyan made its debut in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Left parties. The BJP and Congress also contested all seats on their own.

Chandrababu Naidu, YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Pawan Kalyan, Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh, Naidu’s brother-in-law and actor N. Balakrishna and state Congress chief Raghuveera Reddy were among the prominent candidates.

The key contestants for Lok Sabha included former union ministers Kishore Chandra Deo, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy (all TDP), M.M. Pallam Raju and J.D. Seelam (Congress), D. Purandeswari (BJP), state BJP chief Kanna Lakshminarayana and former CBI joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana (Jana Sena)

In 2014 elections, TDP had bagged 102 seats while it’s then-ally BJP had won four seats. YSRCP had won 67 seats. Two independents were also elected.

In the simultaneous elections held for Lok Sabha, TDP had bagged 15 seats while BJP got two seats. YSRCP candidates were elected from eight constituencies.

Agencies

The Election Commission on Thursday, 11 April, said it found no merit in the complaints by a number of voters in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar that the indelible ink put on their fingers came off soon after it was applied.

The Election Commission officials said they received a complaint from booth number 190, but found no merit in the complaint.

A few people had complained that they were able to remove the ink with chemicals like nail-paint remover and others said they were able to wipe it off.

Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan said a report was sought from the polling officer and it was found that the phial of ink procured from Mysore paints and Varnish Limited was certified by a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research lab, as is the procedure.

“The shelf life of this ink is six months and all the phials are tested by the CSIR and national physical laboratory. In this case too, these ink phials were certified; reports from the sector and zonal magistrates and the micro observers also said the ink was in order.”Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Election Commissioner

One of the reasons for the ink to come off, Bhushan said, could be that the voters may have applied oil or cream on their hands. This in turn could have led to the ink coming off.

However, Returning Officer of the 13-GB Nagar Lok Sabha constituency told ANI that arrangements are being made to send the indelible ink to lab for further probe.

The alliance candidate Nikhil K, son of CM HD Kumaraswamy is up against widow of Rebel Star Ambareesh, who is getting support from the BJP.

The Karnataka unit of Congress has suspended seven block leaders in the Mandya district for anti-party activities and not campaigning for JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, a party official said on Thursday.

“As the district block leaders refused to campaign for Nikhil, defying high command’s diktat (order), state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao has suspended them for indiscipline and anti-party activities,” party official Ravi Gowda told media.

“As they refused to fall in line and obey the party’s order for the cause of coalition dharma, the party had to suspend them and seek explanation for defying the diktat,” said Gowda. Mandya district is about 100 km southwest of here on way to Mysuru.

“The rebels were also suspended for campaigning on the sly for our rival candidate (Sumalatha Ambareesh) contesting as an Independent with the BJP support,” said Gowda.

The suspended block presidents are H. Appaji of Mandya Rural, A.S. Rajeev of Bharati Nagar, Putramu of Malavalli Rural, K.J. Devaraj of Malavalli City, M. Prasanna of Nagamangala, K.R. Ravindra Babu of K.R. Pet and S.B. Prakash of Melkote.

As part of pre-poll alliance, the JD-S and the Congress have agreed to field joint candidates in all 28 parliamentary seats and campaign jointly to prevent division of votes in a straight contest with the BJP.

Though hundreds of party workers have refused to campaign for 29-year-old Nikhil, an upcoming Kannada film actor, the party hopes suspension of their leaders would make them (cadres) stop from seeking votes openly for Sumalatha and campaigning for her on the sly.

As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting 21 seats and the JD-S 7, including Mandya, Hassan, Tumkur and Udupi-Chikamagalur in the first phase of polling.

“The block presidents were warned against anti-party activities on receiving complaints from JD-S leaders that they were campaigning for the rival (Sumalatha) and seeking votes in the name of Ambareesh,” said Gowda.

Kannada rebel star M.H. Ambareesh, 66, who died on November 24, 2018, was a native of Mandya and represented it in the Lok Sabha thrice, twice as the Congress member and once as the JD-S member.

“Though we all have respect and love for Ambareesh as his ardent fans, we cannot violate party discipline and coalition dharma,” Gowda said

Polling will be held in two phases for 14 seats each on April 18 in the central and southern regions and on April 23 in the coastal and northern regions. 

Agencies

 Silchar,  Apr 11 : Accusing Congress of playing with the future of countrymen who are victims of partition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  today said that his government is committed to give justice to the  people who believe in Maa Bharati' and vowed to pass the Citizenship  Amendment Bill (CAB) in Parliament.In 1947 country was divided  on religious lines. Pakistan was created for Islam religion. But during that  time those people who were minorities in that country like Hindu and  Sikhs had to face the ire of fundamentalist forces and the Congress never  thought about them. Those people who believe inMaa Bharati' were left  to fend for themselves. Congress is your culprit,? Mr Modi said while  addressing a mammoth rally in Silchar in Southern Assam.
    Reiterating  the BJP government's stand on CAB, Mr Modi said,? We are committed to bring  the CAB bill in Parliament again and we will do this after talking to  all stakeholders in the society so that interests of all are taken care  of. ?
    To placate the raw nerve in the Brahmaputra valley on the  opposition to the bill, Mr Modi said ?The culture, tradition of Assamese  people will be protected and we will bring necessary amendment to the  CAB bill taking everyone's interest into consideration?.
    Lashing  out at Congress Mr Modi said that the grand old party is responsible for ' pitiable condition' of tea gardens and its workers in Assam.
  ?People  who drink tea with golden spoon can only understand its taste but they  don't know those who pluck the tea leaves hurt their hands. Your  `Chaiwala' will leave no stone unturned to make your life better,? Mr  Modi said listing out welfare schemes his government has started for the  tea garden labourers  after assuming power in 2014.
     Exuding  confidence of forming the government again at the Centre, Mr Modi said  that people have decided to make Modi sarkar again and urged people to  vote for BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
    ?When you press the  button of lotus it makes me stronger. Every single vote will give  strength to Modi to make your life better,? Mr Modi said adding that by  2022 he will ensure that every poor in the country will have his own  concrete house, gas connection and electricity.
    Delving on the  issue of corruption, Mr Modi said, ?Congress hand is not with  development but with corruption. The main leaders of the party are out  on bail for tax evasion. A party run by a family can put entire country  at stake for their benefit?.
 Mr Modi was campaigning for BJP candidates from Silchar Rajdeep Roy and bordering Karimganj Kripanath Malla.

New Delhi, Apr 11 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged mass deletion of names from voters list during the phase one of Lok Sabha elections and said Election Commission must give an explanation.

Mr Kejriwal retweeted several people complaining about their missing names on polling day.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Mr Kejriwal said,”Reports coming from all across India that votes have been deleted on unprecedented scale.”

In a series of tweets, he questioned, “Why are all faulty EVM machines seen to be voting always for BJP? Why do most deleted voters turn out to be anti-BJP voters?”

”What is happening EC? Are these elections fair?” he said in another tweet.

”Election Commission must explain,” he said.

The AAP leader cited reports from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also expressed his concern over deletion of names and said in a tweet,”’Election Commission of India!’ Please see what you are doing to ‘Voters of India’ So many people reporting about illegal deletion of their own votes. Is this the way you want to serve India? This nothing but serving BJP.”

Polling is being held on Thursday in 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over 18 States and two Union Territories for the first phase of general elections.

New Delhi, Apr 11: Refuting the media reports about the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) pilots were trained on Rafale fighter aircraft, France on Thursday termed the report as “fake news”.
“I can confirm that it is fake news,” French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler said in a tweet.
Mr Ziegler’s reaction came after there was fresh uproar on social media over the Rafale deal.
In February, Aviation International News had reported that the delivery of the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets for Qatar has been done. Aviation International News reported, “The first batch of pilots trained for Qatar in November 2017 was Pakistani exchange officers.”
After taking the Inter-Government Agreement (IGA) route for acquiring 36 Rafale aircraft from French government, the ruling dispensation is being criticised and the opposition especially the Congress party has levelled allegation of corruption in the deal.