Imphal, January 28 (DNS)- Around 82 per cent of the electorate on Saturday exercised their franchise in Manipur assembly elections marred by militants' violence that claimed five lives and left two injured.
Chief electoral officer P C Lawmkunga said as per preliminary official reports, 82 per cent of the 17.40 lakh electorate cast votes but details from the nine districts in the state were yet to be received.
A CRPF man, three Village Volunteer Force personnel and a civilian were killed and two injured when miliants attacked an polling station in an interior area in Sugnu assembly constituency in Chandel district, official sources said.
However, Lawmkunga said a voter, his supporter and a security man were killed in an exchange of fire at the Dampi polling station in the district.
Bombs suspected to have been planted by militants were seized and defused before the start of polling in Khurai Chingangbam area, Sawombung High School, Khomidok in Imphal East district and Naoremthong High School area in Imphal West district, official sources said.
Two CRPF personnel on poll duty were killed in an ambush by militants in Ukhrul district yesterday, the sources said.
The fate of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh (Thoubal), Forest Minister and Congress leader Th Debendra (Jiribam), Congress nominee and Speaker I Hemochandra Singh (Shingjamei), former chief minister and NCP chief Radhabinod Koijam (Thangmeiband), Manipur people's party (MPP) leader and former deputy chief minister] L Chandramani Singh (Patsoi), were ... Read Full Story
Bathinda, January 28 (DNS)- During the assembly elections in five states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttrakhand, Anna Hazare factor will not work in any way, as Anna is now playing politics in place of waging a war against corruption. “This is the reason he is not getting much support these days from the people,” said Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan, while campaigning in favour of his party candidates at Balluana, Kotkapura, Kotshameer and Faridkot. LJP state president Kiranjit Singh Gehri, who is the LJP candidate from Bathinda (Rural) assembly constituency, also accompanied him.
Paswan further said that his party had some basic differences with Anna Hazare as Anna and his associates did not accept democratic process for getting the Lokpal Bill passed.
He said there was a Parliament to discuss and pass the Bill, but they were adamant to get their version of the Jan Lokpal Bill passed. He also termed Anna as a “puppet” of the RSS and the ... Read Full Story
Ludhiana, January 28 (DNS)- The People's Party of Punjab-led Sanjha Morcha will play a crucial role post-elections, said senior CPI (M) leader and Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, after addressing rallies in support of PPP candidates in Doaba.
Yechury said: "This is the first time that the people of Punjab have got an alternative other than the Congress and the Akali parties. Like football, the people would run between two goal posts. Now, the PPP and the Left parties have provided them another choice”
He said the Congress and the BJP were not much different from each other, whether in was the economic policies or “looting” the country’s exchequer. Asked as to what were the winning chances of the Sanjha Morcha, he said: "We are contesting the elections to win. There is strong anti-incumbency and bitter infighting within the Congress that forced Rahul Gandhi to declare yesterday that Capt Amarinder Singh would be the Chief Minister. In such a scenario, it is possible that the Sanjha Morcha may play a crucial role in these elections."
He denied any alliance with the Congress. "We are against the economic policies of the Congress. If the Congress wants to have an alliance with us, it will have to rethink its economic policies," he ... Read Full Story
Chandigarh, January 28 (Doaba News Service)- Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal earns Rs 4.58 crore a year and makes the maximum money among all candidates in the election fray. Following him at second position is his father and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, with income of Rs 2 crore.
These facts were made public by the Punjab Election Watch, an NGO, which studied the Income Tax returns of the candidates and released its analysis of 408 candidates belonging to major political parties in the fray.
The father-son duo is followed by Congress candidate Rana Gurjit Singh with an annual income of Rs 1.59 crore, Kewal Singh Dhillon (Congress) at Rs 1.53 crore and Deep Malhotra (SAD) at Rs 1.10 crore, as per their latest Income Tax returns.
As many as 92 candidates (23 per cent), of the 408 candidates analysed by the Punjab Election Watch, have declared that they had never filed IT returns. The party-wise percentage is: Congress, 15 candidates (13 per cent); SAD, 11 candidates (12 per cent); PPP, 20 candidates (22 per cent); BSP, 27 candidates (44 per cent) and the BJP, one candidate (5 per cent).
Top three candidates with maximum assets but who have never filed IT returns are Karan Kaur of the Congress who is contesting from Muktsar. She has assets worth Rs 128 crore, followed by Ramanjit Singh Sikki of the Congress (Khadoor Sahib candidate) and Gurpartap Singh Wadala of the SAD (Nakodar candidate) having assets worth Rs 20.12 crore and Rs 13.71 crore, respectively.
As many as 47 candidates (12 per cent) ... Read Full Story
Mohali, January 28 (DNS)- People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) president Manpreet Singh Badal today sought vote to bring change and wipe out corruption, nepotism and officialdom from the state. Addressing a gathering in Phase 8 here, he said, “No significant change has come in people’s life and the time has come to vote to bring change.” Reiterating the political development that led to his resignation from the SAD, he said he had sacrificed his position and honour for the sake of moral values and principles. “The time has come to provide education, infrastructure, health and medical facilities to the residents,” he said adding that the Congress and Akali Dal had ruined the state.
Speaking in favour of party candidate from Mohali assembly segment, Bir Devinder Singh, the PPP chief said that the political scenario of Punjab was going to change. He said 97 per cent of the candidates were first timers and educated. Claiming to have a large vote bank among youths, he said the party would fare much better than previously ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, January 28 (DNS) The campaigning in Uttarakhand and Punjab for the Assembly elections slated for January 30, ends on Saturday.
In Uttarakhand 800 candidates are in the fray for 70-member Assembly seats, while as 1880 aspirants are in the fray for 117-member Assembly seats in Punjab.
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair polls in both the states slated on January 30.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari will address rallies in Pathankot and Chandigarh while his colleague, MP Shatrugan Sinha is scheduled to campaign in Ludhiana on Saturday.
Amarinder Singh's Congress, the Parkash Singh Badal-headed SAD-BJP combine and the Chief Minister's nephew Manpreet Singh Badal have come out as strong contenders over weeks of campaigning.
Meanwhile in Uttarakhand, Congress veteran ND Tiwari on Wednesday jumped into the race of chief ministerial post in the event of his party returning to power.
Earlier on January 25, Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi in an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN said that the use of black money during the Assembly elections was a major cause for concern and the EC was trying its best to deal with it.
Across the five states getting ready for the Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, nearly Rs 45 crore of illegal money has been seized so far. Out of that, nearly Rs 30 crore has been seized from Punjab only.
Sources in the Election Commission said that money is just the tip of the iceberg to buy votes in ... Read Full Story
Lambi, January 28 (PTI)- They share the common wall of their ancestral house, the family name and even the village name. But in the cut and thrust of politics, a common inheritance seems to matter little when it comes to electoral politics. Punjab's three Badal brothers are locked in a triangular contest in Lambi which goes to polls on Monday.
Fighting from here is Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, also the grand patriarch of Shiromani Akali Dal and the Badal family which hails from Lambi in Badal village. Challenging the CM are his brother Gurdas Badal and cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal. While the former is fighting to open the political account of his son Manpreet's newly-formed People's Party of Punjab, the latter is contesting on a Congress ticket, having fought as an independent in the last assembly elections.
The fight here is essentially in the family with Parkash Singh Badal running for the fifth time in a row. And though one would enter Lambi hoping mudslinging matches to be on, the brothers are refraining from running each other down in the public. For the outgoing CM, it is his brother Gurdas who is posing the biggest challenge.
Asked how he felt about taking on his own brother whom he had served for years, Gurdas Badal told PTI, "I have always dreamt of seeing my brother in the CM's chair. But things have now slipped out of his hands. He is only a face. It is his son Sukhbir Badal, the Deputy CM, and his family who are running the show. Nothing is in my brother's control nor does he assert ... Read Full Story
