Election Commission to seek details of Niti Aayog vice-chairman's remarks against Cong over minimum income promise ## Election Commission to seek details of Niti Aayog vice-chairman's remarks against Cong over minimum income promise

The Election Commission is learnt to have decided to seek details of remarks made by Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar in which he had attacked Congress over minimum income guarantee promise. Sources in the poll panel said, since Kumar is part of "bureaucratic executive", such remarks may be violative of the model code."It is not a case of one politician attacking the other or one party attacking the other," said a functionary.Kumar had accused the Congress of promising the moon to win elections.He had also tweeted, saying "The proposed income guarantee scheme fails the economics test, fiscal discipline test and execution test".In another tweet, Kumar had claimed that, "true to its past record of promising the moon to win elections, Congress President announces a scheme that will bust fiscal discipline, create strong incentives against work and which will never be implemented."

Mar 26, 2019 10:09 PM

"Lal Krishna Advani was the actual mentor of BJP. They have forgotten old days because of the new crop of leaders. But old is gold. It's an insult to him. But this is my opinion, they may not agree with it," says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Mar 26, 2019 9:14 PM

Congress did nothing for poor during its 10-year rule, says Yogi Adityanath ## Congress did nothing for poor during its 10-year rule, says Yogi Adityanath

Hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his minimum income scheme announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asked why the party didn't do anything to uplift the poor during the 10 years when it was in power.In a big-bang poll promise, Gandhi had on Monday announced that Rs 72,000 per year will be given as minimum income to poor families, benefiting around 25 crore people, if his party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month.Addressing a 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' (victory pledge meeting) here, Adityanath asked Gandhi why the Congress-led UPA government had not done anything to bring happiness into the lives of poor people during its 10-year term from 2004 to 2014.He also heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre for introducing various welfare schemes to benefit the poor.He claimed that Modi, unlike the Congress, is sensitive towards the needs of the poor.Adityanath accused Congress leaders of siphoning off government funds meant for the poor."Your father Rajiv Gandhi's helplessness was clearly visible when he had said that of Rs 100 that his government sent to the poor, only Rs 10 reached them," the chief minister said.

Mar 26, 2019 8:48 PM

AAP's Gautam Buddh Nagar candidate fails to find proposers, nomination rejected ## AAP's Gautam Buddh Nagar candidate fails to find proposers, nomination rejected

Nomination of the Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat was rejected on Tuesday as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers, poll officials said.Ten mandatory proposers are required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national party or a recognised regional party in a state, the officials said."She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI.

Mar 26, 2019 7:40 PM

Samjawadi Party releases another list of candidates; Devendra Yadav from Etah, Hemraj Verma from Pilibhit and Anand Sen from Faizabad

Mar 26, 2019 6:56 PM

Senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi dropped; Maneka, Varun, Jaya Prada in BJP's list for UP ## Senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi dropped; Maneka, Varun, Jaya Prada in BJP's list for UP

Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was on Tuesday dropped as a BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, while union minister Maneka Gandhi and her MP son Varun Gandhi swapped their seats as the party announced its 29 more nominees from Uttar Pradesh. BJP general secretary Arun Singh announced that Union minister Manoj Sinha has been fielded from Ghazipur, a seat he had won in 2014, and UP government ministers Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Satyadev Pachauri from prestigious Allahabad and Kanpur seats respectively. Joshi, 85, had won from Kanpur in 2014 but was told by the party leadership that he would not be fielded in the coming elections. The party has not given the ticket to veterans like LK Advani, BC Khanduri and Kalraj Mishra among others.

Mar 26, 2019 6:43 PM

The BJP released its list of 39 candidates for Uttar Pradesh where the Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, starting April 11.

Mar 26, 2019 6:31 PM

BJP fields candidate with 11 criminal cases, TMC seeks arrest ## BJP fields candidate with 11 criminal cases, TMC seeks arrest

In a state where political parties have traditionally refrained from fielding bahubalis,33-year-old BJP candidate from West Bengal's Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat, Nisith Pramanik, stands out with the dubious distinction of as many as 11 criminal cases against him.According to a mandatory affidavit filed by Pramanik along with his nomination papers, he declared he has 11 cases pending against him, his first brush with the law being in 2009.Pramanik, who joined the saffron party on February 28,was earlier with the Trinamool Congress before being expelled for alleged anti-party activities. Though West Bengal has a history of poll-related violence, political parties in the state have generally kept bahubalis (musclemen) away from public glare to go along with the Bengali 'bhadralok' image of the educated middle-class. The latest criminal case filed against the BJP candidate was on March 16 at Dinhata police station in Coochbehar district for cheating and criminal breach of trust.(PTI)

Mar 26, 2019 6:29 PM

Former BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi dropped from Kanpur, UP minister Satyadevi Pachauri fielded from Kanpur, says BJP

Mar 26, 2019 6:14 PM

Maneka Gandhi to contest from Sultanpur and Rita Bahuguna Joshi to fight from Allahabad, says BJP

Mar 26, 2019 6:10 PM

BJP has declared its list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Mar 26, 2019 6:04 PM

Congress's surgical strike on poverty: Rahul Gandhi on promised minimum income for poor ##Congress's surgical strike on poverty: Rahul Gandhi on promised minimum income for poor

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed his party's promise of minimum guaranteed income to the poorest 20 per cent households a "surgical strike on poverty" and said nobody should be poor in 21st century India.Addressing a rally in Suratgarh town of Ganganagar district, a day after declaring his party would roll out the scheme if voted to power, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minster Narendra Modi gave money to the rich and top industrialists of the country, but the Congress would serve the poor.He said the promised minimum income scheme was a "big bang"."Dhamaka hai ye...bomb fatega (It's a big bang...a bomb will set off). This is a Congress's surgical strike on poverty. They (the BJP) worked to eliminate the poor we will eliminate poverty," Gandhi said.On helping the poor, he said, "We thought how it should be done. After discussion and brainstorming, we thought that there should be a minimum income line of Rs. 12,000 per month. Soon after formation of the Congress government in 2019, the minimum income line in India will be Rs 12,000 per month."

Mar 26, 2019 5:53 PM

Akhilesh looks to consolidate 'lathi, hathi, 786' voters ## Akhilesh looks to consolidate 'lathi, hathi, 786' voters

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's decision to contest from his father Mulayam Singh's bastion Azamgarh is being touted as a move to consolidate the Yadav, Dalit and Muslim voters in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.The Samajwadi Party is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). "Akhilesh contesting the polls from Azamgarh will help in the consolidation of 'lathi, hathi and 786' voters," SP Azamgarh district chief Havaldar Yadav said, referring to the Yadavs, Dalits and Muslims."His presence will boost the poll prospects of SP-BSP alliance candidates in the entire eastern UP region as Azamgarh lies between Gorakhpur and Varanasi," he said."With 'netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav) as MP and Akhilesh as CM, the constituency witnessed development and people here acknowledge it," Havaldar said.The seat is at present held by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh who won the 2014 polls from Mainpuri and Azamgarh. He retained Azamgarh to ensure the presence of the party in eastern UP. (PTI)

Mar 26, 2019 5:00 PM

AIMIM enters LS poll fray in Maharashtra ## AIMIM enters LS poll fray in Maharashtra

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM Tuesday announced its Maharashtra MLA Imtiaz Jaleel as the party candidate from Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency in the western state. Polling would be held in Aurangabad in the third phase of elections on April 23. "Imtiaz Jaleel will be AIMIM's candidate for the Aurangabad Parliamentary Constituency," Owaisi tweeted. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is contesting Lok Sabha elections for the first time outside Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.It has fielded its Bihar unit chief Akther Ul Imam from Kishanganj parliamentary constituency in the state, party sources said here.Jaleel, sitting MLA from Aurangabad Central, tweeted he "will be contesting MP seat from Aurangabad on Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and MIM ticket". (PTI)

Mar 26, 2019 4:52 PM

BJP for Joshi not contesting Lok Sabha polls##BJP for Joshi not contesting Lok Sabha polls

Former BJP president and Lok Sabha MP Murli Manohar Joshi has been asked by the party to not contest the coming general election, a development in line with its decision to not field many of its veterans in the polls, including its founding member and longest serving chief LK Advani. Joshi's office confirmed the development. It said Joshi has issued a brief statement for voters in Kanpur, from where the 85-year-old leader had won in 2014. The statement said BJP general secretary (organisation) Ramlal, a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) appointee, had conveyed Joshi the party leadership's decision that he should not be contesting the elections.

"Dear voters of Kanpur, Shri Ramlal, General Secretary (Org), Bharatiya Janata Party conveyed to me today that I should not contest the ensuing parliamentary election from Kanpur and elsewhere," Joshi wrote in the statement. He had vacated Varanasi seat, which he had won in 2009, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. (PTI)

Mar 26, 2019 4:21 PM

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