Politics

Preparations for the 16th Lok Sabha elections begin in the Northeast

Tripura, Mar 22 (ANI): From 7th April, people across the country will exercise their voting right to choose their representatives in the 16th general elections. Within 9 polling days, an expected 81.4 crore people will cast their votes in 543 parliamentary constituencies. In the Northeast, the state election commissions have started taking measures to ensure safe and fair polling.

Mar 22, 2014

EU seals closer ties with Ukraine, sanctions Russia

The EU welcomed Ukraine into the Western fold Friday, signing the political provisions of a landmark accord as a defiant Russia formally completed its takeover of Crimea. Duration: 00:52

Mar 22, 2014

Crimea celebrates Russia union

People gathered to dance and sing on Friday night across Crimea to celebrate its union with Russia. Duration: 00:54

Mar 22, 2014

Parisians say pollution main issue ahead of local vote

Parisians say that their main worries ahead of local elections are the environment and unemployment, and they accuse politicians of playing up political affairs to divert attention from the important issues. Duration: 00:49

Mar 22, 2014

Kapil Sibal lambasts BJP ahead of LS polls

New Delhi, Mar 22 (ANI): Congress leader and union law minister, Kapil Sibal lambasted Bharatiya Janata Party for denying election ticket to its veteran leader, Jaswant Singh. He also slammed its PM candidate, Narendra Modi for his strategy of power politics. The Congress leader further commented on Modi’s so called ‘wave’ challenging him to contest from Varanasi instead of Gujarat.

Mar 22, 2014

Congress responsible for killings of Tamil people: Vaiko

Chennai, Mar 22 (ANI): MDMK Chief, Vaiko in a severe attack against ruling Congress at the backdrop of upcoming LS polls, on Saturday said that Congress is responsible for the killings of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. He further alleged that in spite of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s decision to ban the weapon supply to Sri Lanka in 1999, the Congress broke the decision in 2004. He appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to vote for Bharatiya Janata Party for getting justice for the Tamil People.

Mar 22, 2014

Arun Jaitely questions legal wisdom of Rahul Gandhi

Amritsar, Mar 22 (ANI): Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday questioned legal knowledge of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, over his remark on credibility of the court appointed SIT and its report on 2002 Gujarat riots case. In an interview Gandhi had said that legal accountability for the riots should be fixed and dismissed the talk of clean chit to the BJP’s PM candidate Narenda Modi. Launching a scathing attack on Rahul, Jaitley said that the report was a logical conclusion of the findings of a judicial officer who knows more than Rahul.

Mar 22, 2014

My fight is between fake and real BJP: Jaswant Singh

Jodhpur, Mar 22 (ANI): Calling BJP a divided party, senior leader Jaswant Singh on Saturday said that the real challenge is between the real and the fake BJP and only the public can make a verdict on them. He further said that he will decide on the future course of action for the Lok Sabha polls after talking to his supporters.

Mar 22, 2014

Putin signs Crimea annexation law amid new EU sanctions

Moscow, Mar 22 (ANI): Despite the EU and the US issuing latest sanctions on Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws formalizing Russia's annexation of Crimea. The move comes amid the west warning Russia that Crimea's annexation violated international law and would not be recognized by the world. The European Union's latest measures target 12 people involved in Russia's annexation of the peninsula. As Russia chose to overlook objections, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe reportedly consented to sending an international monitoring team to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian stock market tumbled low after US president Barack Obama threatened to target major economic sectors of the country, if it tried to move beyond the Black Sea peninsula.

Mar 22, 2014

Liquor manufacturers anticipate high sales during LS polls

Amritsar, Mar 22 (ANI): General elections seem to be a boon for the bootleggers and country liquor manufacturers in Punjab who pin hope on high sales of local brew during polls to garner voters’ support. Despite stringent election rules, a "money for votes" ethos still thrives in India, with politicians dishing out cash, food and liquor. A farmer, Rajendra Singh, said that there is an increase in sale as associates of the candidates contesting elections often distribute free liquor. To curb “the abuse of money power” during the elections, flying squads and static surveillance teams will guard against the distribution of cash or other bribes to voters.

Mar 22, 2014

Kejriwal praises EC decision to put gas price hike on hold

Faridabad, Mar 22 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to direct the government not to hike gas prices from April 1. On Friday, the Election Commission had said that it will be looking at the urgency of the manner in which the government was going ahead with a hike in gas prices. The oil ministry had last week sought the poll panel's approval to announce a hike in prices of gas from USD 4.2 a unit to USD 8 next month, when India goes to polls.

Mar 22, 2014

BJP will find an alternate way of using Jaswant Singh: Arun Jaitley

Amritsar, Mar 22 (ANI): Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley in an exclusive interview to ANI said it was unfortunate that his party could not accommodate senior leader Jaswant Singh from Barmer. Jaitley also added that his party will find an alternate way of using veteran leader. According to media report, Jaswant Singh 76, wanted to contest what is likely to be his last election, from his native place, Barmer. However, the BJP instead decided to field Colonel (Retd.) Sona Ram Choudhary, who was recently imported by the party from the Congress. Jaswant Singh is reportedly gearing up to contest as an Independent candidate from Barmer after the saffron party denied him the ticket.

Mar 22, 2014

Police arrest Maoists, seize arms in Bokaro

Bokaro, Mar 22 (ANI): Police arrested two Maoists and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunitions from the ‘red corridor’ of Jharkhand, as security has been beefed up ahead of the general elections. Police launched a combing operation after they received secret reports about the rebels in Bokaro district.

Mar 22, 2014

Maoists set ablaze a construction vehicle in Jharkhand

Giridih, Mar 22 (ANI): Maoists in Jharkhand torched a road construction machine triggering panic among the people of the area on Friday. A witness, Narayan said that they covered the entire area and asked everyone to stay there.

Mar 22, 2014

BJP goes full throttle with saffron caps, Modi badges, T shirts to woo voters

Guwahati/Varanasi, Mar 22 (ANI): Trucks filled with saffron caps, Modi badges and T-Shirts recently arrived in Assam to woo voters ahead of the upcoming elections as the BJP prepares to accelerate its campaigns for prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Bharatiya Janata Party has been vigorously campaigning for Modi in different parts of the country and leaving no stone unturned to ensure that voters support the party whole heartedly.

Mar 22, 2014