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Tue, 25 March 2014
Fractured mandate will be worst for country: Jaitley

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23:24   BJP fields Vinod Khanna in Punjab
Bollywood veteran Vinod Khanna will contest the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab, BJP announced as it released a list of nine more candidates tonight.

Khanna will take on Punjab Congress chief Pratap Singh Bajwa who had defeated him in the last election in 2009 by a narrow margin.

BJP has fielded Ram Swaroop Sharma for Mandi parliamentary seat in Himachal Pradesh where he will take on Congress's Pratibha Singh, the sitting MP and wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
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23:00   Fractured mandate will be worst for country: Jaitley
BJP leader Arun Jaitley today said a fractured mandate after the General Elections will be the worst thing to happen for the country as tough decisions would not be possible.

"The worst thing that could happen to India after the next election is to have a fractured mandate," Jaitley said here today while exuding confidence that the BJP with the support of NDA allies will be able to form the next government at the Centre.

"If you have a fractured mandate tough decisions are not possible. If you have a clear mandate, the government is strong enough and it can take tough decisions," he said. He noted that coalition government will be there, but such governments with a large nucleus will only be able to survive and not those with a small nucleus.
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22:47   RTI activist found dead, 'suicide' note names 50 bigwigs for his death
A Right to Information activist Vilas Baravkar was found hanging in his house at Chakan today, police said.

The police claimed a suicide note was found at his residence. The handwritten suicide note on a Rs 100 stamp paper has named around 50 bigwigs, including politicians, police officers and some government servants who are allegedly responsible for his suicide, police said.

"We are examining every possibility since Vilas Baravkar has unearthed many land scams and illegal constructions in Chakan. We will investigate all of them. We have still not registered any complaint against anyone named in the note," investigating officer Kishore Patil said.
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22:13   'Mahayuti' constituents are destructive ghosts: Ajit Pawar
NCP leader and deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today termed all the five constituent parties that form "Mahayuti" in Maharashtra as "destructive ghosts".

"These five partners have formed alliance to contest polls not for any constructive but for the destructive purpose... They have nothing to do with the problems faced by common people," Ajit said while canvassing for NCP nominee Vijay Bhamle who filed his nomination for Parbhani seat today.

Mahayuti comprises the BJP, the Shiv Sena, the RPI-A led by Ramdas Athawale, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna of Raju Shetty and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha of Mahadev Jankar.
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21:58   Manish Tewari NOT to contest Lok Sabha polls

Union minister Manish Tewari will not contest Lok Sabha polls and his Ludhiana seat in Punjab has been given to Ravneet Singh Bittu, a grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.        

 

This brings to an end the speculation over Tewari's candidature, who was reporting sick and is understood to have expressed his unwillingness to contest from Ludhiana on this ground.        

 

There was speculation that Tewari wanted to shift to Chandigarh seat, however, former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal was re-nominated.        

 

Bittu, the sitting MP from Anandpur Sahib was not keen on contesting from his seat from where the party fielded AICC general secretary Ambika Soni.         Jalandhar MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee has been fielded from Hoshiarpur while Santokh Singh Choudhary has been fielded from Jalandhar.        

 

With this, Tewari joins the league of a number of senior party leaders who are not in fray this time. P Chidambaram, A K Antony, G K Vasan and Jayanti Natarajan are some of them.  

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21:00   Cong to announce 'strong' candidate against Modi from Vadodara

Congress will announce a new candidate from Vadodara against Narendra Modi after Narendra Rawat, who was elected in the primaries today, withdrew his name to enable party to put up a strong contender against BJP's PM nominee.        

 

"Narendra Rawat has retired from the contest following BJP's announcement to field Modi from Vadodara. He has requested me to convey to the party command regarding the decision," AICC general secretary in-charge for Gujarat Gurudas Kamat told PTI.        

 

The announcement came ahead of the party's press briefing to release the sixth list of candidates.  

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18:41   Kejriwal accepts Varanasi challenge, wants a debate with Modi
Arvind Kejriwal announces his candidature from Varanasi saying he challenges Modi to come and debate with him.

Kerjiwal asks the crowds: "Kya mujhe Narendra Modi se chunav ladhna chahiye?
The crowd roars in approval.
Kejriwal says he has no money to fight the elections and asks the people to contribute and says, "Main Narendra Modiji ko chunauti dene ko tyaar hoon."

A garlanded Kejriwal then challenges Modi to a debate.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections @ArvindKejriwal
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18:24  
"You have to defeat both Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Narendra Modi from Varanasi in these elections. This is not just an election, this is a revolution. Vote for honesty," says Kejriwal.
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18:19  
Just in: Teesta Setalvad faces arrest as Ahmedabad court rejects anticipatory bail plea in embezzlement case.
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18:16  
"Both Modi and Rahul Gandhi support high gas prices for Ambani. Only AAP has the courage to directly confront Ambani." says Kejriwal.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections @ArvindKejriwal
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18:11   'If Modi comes to power, more farmers will commit suicide'
Kejriwal on FDI: "Farmers are dying in Gujarat. If Narendra Modi comes to power, more farmers will commit suicide. Both the BJP and the Congress want FDI, so what's the difference between them? At least 60,000 small and middle-scale industries have shut down. If you vote for Modi, the weavers, and small scale industries in this city will die out. Local traders will lose their business," warns Kejriwal, equating both the Congress and the BJP as the evil twins who want to kill small traders. 

"Ambani and Adani will come to power. Think before you vote," says Kejriwal.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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18:00  
Kejriwal says that the AAP had requested the Election Commission to defer the gas price hike and it has been done. 
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17:59   'I have no desire to be MP'
Addressing the rally at Varanasi, Kejriwal, who is wearing the trademark AAP cap and a white shirt splattered with black ink, says, "I have no desire to become an MP. If my main aim was to become an MP, I would choose a safe seat like so many others.  I only want to stop people who have been looting the country. Who doesn't like the seat of the CM?

"But I had no alternative but to quit since the promise on which I came to power -- the Jan Lokpal Bill -- was not allowed to be passed. The BJP has been calling me 'bhagoara', an absconder, but I have not fled the scene."

He then borrows from the Ramayana to illustrate how leaving the battlefield is sometimes for the greater good.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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17:49   LIVE! Men hired by Modi threw ink at me: Kejriwal at Varanasi rally
Arvind Kejriwal speaking at the Varanasi rally. He says the sustained attack by the BJP has always been focussed on the AAP. "It was men hired by Narendra Modi who threw ink on me. The BJP and the Congress have never waved black flags or attacked each other. It's obvious they are together in looting the people. They have one common enemy, AAP," says Kejriwal.


Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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17:46  
And we count on Ramesh Srivats for his wit: @rameshsrivats Hey people, stop throwing ink at Arvind Kejriwal. It's India "Inc" that he complains about.
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17:38  
Deepak Shenoy @deepakshenoy This throwing ink on Kejriwal or chappal on someone else is just our bloody immaturity. Can we act like adults already?
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17:32  
Dr Kumar Vishwas says: Arvind ke upar syahi phenkne wale, Mushrraf ke liye Agra mein Laal Kaleen liye khade the...

Those who threw ink at Arvind Kejriwal, gave Musharraf (former Pakistan President) a red carpet welcome...
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17:30  
Dr Kumar Vishwas is almost at the end of his speech at the Varanasi rally.
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17:28  
Arvind Kejriwal set to announce candidature from Varanasi.
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17:13   Tribute to Nirbhaya: Lightweight revolver "Nirbheek" launched
Over around a year after the shocking Delhi gang-rape case, Indian Ordinance factory today launched a light-weight revolver "Nirbheek", designed especially for women to defend themselves from assault.
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17:07   LIVE! Cong manifesto tomorrow: SC/ST quota in pvt sector
The Congress party will release its manifesto ahead of the Lok Sabha polls tomorrow. Early reports indicate that the party will seek a reservation or a quota for SC/ST candidates in the private sector.

The Congress will also seek a reservation for women in politics. There will be a focus on the right to health and employment, and the  youth and middle class. The poll document is likely to unveil the party's goal to create 100 million new jobs for the youth by 2020.

The BJP and the AAP are yet to release their manifesto.
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16:58   Mystery of MH370 'may never be solved'
Even if searchers are able to miraculously pluck Malaysia Airlines flight 370's "black box" from the depths of the vast Indian Ocean, experts say it may not solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

Planes, ships and state-of-the-art tracking equipment are hunting for any trace of the passenger jet, which Malaysia said crashed in the forbidding waters after veering far from its intended course.

They face a huge challenge locating the Boeing 777's "black box", which holds vital clues to determining what caused the plane to vanish after it took off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing on March 8.-- AFP
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16:53   'India should issue stamp of WW II heroine Noor Inayat Khan'
As Britain's Royal Mail today issued a stamp of Indian-origin World War II heroine Noor Inayat Khan, campaigners called for India to bestow a similar honour on the famous spy in her centenary year.

The stamp -- part of a series called 'Remarkable Lives' honours Noor, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, along with nine others including actor Sir Alec Guinness and poet Dylan Thomas.

Read: Mukherjee pays homage to forgotten spy Noor Inayat Khan
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16:49   Akhilesh 'missing' opportunity to contest LS polls
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today regretted "missing" the opportunity of contesting the Lok Sabha polls. "Kab Lok Sabha ja payengey pata nahi. Ye mauka to chook gaya (I don't know when I will reach Lok Sabha. I have missed the opportunity this time)," Yadav said.

He was talking to media at a function where BSP MP Surendra Nagar joined the ruling Samajwadi Party along with his supporters. Taking potshots at the BJP, Yadav said its graph was coming down very fast as the polling dates were coming near.

"They started with Gujarat development model but they started following communal agenda," he said.
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16:43  
AAP releases its 11th list of candidates. See
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16:38   Sahara to pay Rs 2,500 crore by 2015
Sahara Group assures the Supreme Court that it will pay Rs 2,500 crore within 3-4 working days. Sahara says it will pay the entire amount in five installments by March 31, 2015.

Sahara chief Subrata Roy is facing contempt proceedings for violating court orders for alleged non-payment of more than Rs 20,000 crore to millions of investors in schemes sold by two group companies.

This is Sahara group's fresh proposal after the apex court rejected a 10-step plan offered by the company on March 13.
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16:19  
Listen in to the BJP's campaign anthem.
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16:16   Rajnath counters Sushma, says decision on Jaswant taken by CEC
Contradicting his party colleague Sushma Swaraj, BJP president Rajnath Singh today suggested that Jaswant Singh was denied ticket from Barmer after the Central Election Committee discussed the issue and that the step was taken due to certain "political compulsions".

Rajnath Singh said Jaswant Singh could not be nominated despite "everyone" wanting and all senior party leaders, including himself, were also "pained" by this decision.

He said "extraordinary decisions are taken in extraordinary situations" but refused to elaborate.

"Even while desiring from the depth of our hearts, it was not possible for us to give ticket to Jaswant Singhji from Barmer," Rajnath Singh said.

He acknowledged that Jaswant Singh had told him about his desire to contest from Barmer and that he had told him that he will discuss the issue with the Rajasthan unit of BJP.

"I talked to everyone. Everyone respects him. But there were certain political compulsions because of which the ticket could not be given to him," Rajnath Singh said.
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16:03  
The BJP's campaign anthem has been composed by Aadesh Srivastava.
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15:59  
Rajdeep Sardesai '@sardesairajdeep: Song says: yeh desh nahi mitne doonga. Journo asks: kisne mitaya desh. Jaitley smiles: glad humour is still alive in media!
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15:58   BJP's campaign anthem has Modi's dialogues to Sukhwinder's song
Arun Jaitley addresses press conference at BJP headquarters in New Delhi. The party released its campaign anthem which has lyrics written by Prasoon Joshi and has been sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The anthem has been created in such a way that initial lines are dialogues by Narendra Modi followed by the anthem sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The campaign anthem will be available in audio and video form and is called "Main Desh Nahin Jhukne Doonga". #GharGharModi

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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15:37   'Modi, Modi' slogans accost Kejriwal around Varanasi
Calling him a "traitor", hundreds of slogan-shouting people blocked his cavalcade while raising slogans of "Modi, Modi". Smeared with sandalwood paste as he exited from the Vishwanath temple, Kejriwal did not speak to journalists and merely smiled even as the vocal protests continued.

Pic: A file picture of Arvind Kejriwal attack with ink in November 2013.


Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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15:12   LIVE! First eggs, now INK thrown at Kejriwal in Varanasi
Alright, after an egg attack, there's been an ink attack on Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi. Police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse unruly crowds during the road show. Kejriwal is yet to speak at the rally where he will ask the people of Varanasi if he should contest against Narendra Modi in the city.  
So, remember, Kejriwal has not declared himself a candidate from Varanasi. People's verdict is awaited.

AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have also had ink thrown at them earlier.  
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15:04   Boom time for Indian media as political spending rises
As most Indian firms are struggling, newspaper, television and radio companies are expected to flourish this year as the world's largest democracy spends a record amount on national elections. In the Lok Sabha polls which will run from April through May, political parties are likely to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to promote their candidates and causes to India's more than 800 million eligible voters. Read
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14:51  
The Telugu civil servant who is taking on Speaker Meira Kumar in Bihar. Read
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14:43   Shakti Mills' rapists challenge 'death penalty' plea, hearing at 4 pm
A sessions court today adjourned the hearing in the photo journalist case at 4 pm after the defence sought to move the Bombay High Court challenging the framing of fresh charge against three common convicts for repeated offence.

The additional charge was framed yesterday under 376 (e) of IPC after the sessions court accepted the prosecution's application in this regard.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam today examined the investigation officer in the telephone operator gang rape case and one of the police constables to prove the charges of repeated offence, which was introduced after the December 16 Delhi gang-rape case.

Days after sentencing four men to life term for brutalising a telephone operator in Shakti Mills compound in Mumbai, a local court on Monday framed fresh charges against the three common convicts.
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14:24   Rabri's brother Sadhu to contest as independent
This happened a while ago... Annirudh Prasad, more infamously known as Sadhu Yadav, former MP of RJD, will challenge his sister Rabri Devi, as an independent from the Saran Lok Sabha constituency, in what is seen a declaration of an open war against Lalu Prasad's family.
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14:19   LIVE! Karunanidhi throws rebel Alagiri out of DMK
DMK chief Karunanidhi expels his son MK Alagiri from the party. On March 19, DMK announced it would take disciplinary action against those who kept in touch with Alagiri. The party has accused Alagiri of "misleading party workers".

Alagiri is soon set to launch a state-wide tour to hold consultations with loyalists across Tamil Nadu as he looks to galvanise them ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Also read: Karunanidhi under grip of betrayers, alleges Alagiri

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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13:53   LIVE! Cong MLA tries to kiss Nagma, party yet to take action
The Congress has not taken any action against a legislator who was caught on camera manhandling party candidate Nagma in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

The actor-turned-politician was campaigning in Hapur when the area legislator, Gajraj Singh, grabbed her face and reportedly kissed her. Nagma angrily broke free and walked off.

Hapur is a part of the Meerut constituency from where Nagma is contesting next month's national election.

The candidate had reportedly gone there to inaugurate a party office and visit a gurdwara.Though the visuals have been seen on various channels and websites, neither Nagma, nor the Congress have acknowledged them. Nagma has denied the incident.

"Nothing like this has happened. These are all lies. How are such lies being spread?"  -- NDTV


Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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13:45   AAP chief greeted with 'Kejriwal vapas jao', 'Kejriwal murdabad' in Varanasi
More on Kejriwal at Varanasi:

The AAP chief who arrived here in Varanasi by the Shivganga express train, faced an angry mob of BJP workers at different points in the town who shouted slogans of "Kejriwal vapas jao" and "Kejriwal murdabad".

The AAP leader arrived with around 50 workers and is scheduled to address a rally later in the day to ask the people of the constituency whether he should take on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who is contesting from this seat.

He first faced opposition by the BJP workers at Tagore town colony in Bhojubir locality where he halted at a party worker's residence and later faced similar opposition at Baba Kal Bhairon temple in Vishesehwarganj locality.
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13:34   BJP's Sonaram files nomination from Barmer
BJP candidate Sonaram today filed nomination papers from Barmer constituency in Rajasthan. Backed by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Sonaram was given a ticket by the party instead of veteran Jaswant Singh. The former Congress MLA had been vocal against former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and joined BJP last week.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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13:30   LIVE! Actress Nanda passes away
Yesterday actress Nanda passes away. She has 75.

Blessed with a face innocent of any malice or calculation, Nanda is remembered even today, as much for being Baby Nanda or the chhoti bahen of her earlier films as for her successful career as the soft-spoken heroine of some 40 films thereafter.

She played sister to stars like Raaj Kumar (Dulhan) or Dev Anand (Kaala Bazaar) and doing small roles in big films like Dhool Ka Phool. Nanda's ability to arouse the audience's protective instincts was pronounced even then --- most noticeably in two weepies: Bhabhi (1957) and Chhoti Bahen (1959). Read Dinesh Raheja's 2002 tribute to her on rediff.com.
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13:00  
In Varanasi, people say that on poll day, it is going to be a Modi victory, because Kejriwal is perceived to be the man who ran away from Delhi.

Tweets on the egg thrown at Kejriwal's car:

pieush agrawal ‏@pieushsapna:  Eggs thrown at Arvind Kejriwal's car in Varanasi. He has the choice now for his breakfast - fried or boiled

Rajesh Dhandapani ‏@QuickBenMurugan: 
Profound question....why egg throwing is considered as an insult


PERUMAL PILLAI N ‏@56perumal 
RT-"Kejriwal has reached Varanasi ahead of Modi because he will sweep and clean all the dirt in Varanasi so"

Narendra Lowanshi ‏@Namo_namah272: ye to hona he tha but isme bjp ka hath hai RT

Sherni. ‏@Highheelswaali  When life throws eggs, make anda pav. #AamAadmiStyle
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12:45   LIVE! Kejriwal scrambles for cover in Varanasi: Eggs thrown at car
Meanwhile, eggs are  being thrown at Kejriwal's vehicle in Varanasi. Remember, Narendra Modi's last rally in Varanasi -- called the Vijay Shankhnaad rally -- was held in December, when he visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple and conducted a puja. 

Prices of eggs may go up since it's become a favourite protest tool. Remember, eggs were thrown at BJP candidate Kirron Kher during her visit to Chandigarh a few days ago.

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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12:36   Losing battle
It is that time in Indian politics again when all that matters is a ticket from the party to fight elections. Denied their party's nominations, old faithfuls and even leaders easily metamorphose into all kinds of rebels.

But Jaswant Singh's rebellion against the Bharatiya Janata Party on being denied a party ticket has a slightly different dimension. He has been one of the seniormost leaders of the party and has held important positions in the BJP-led governments at the Centre. Read more

Latest election updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
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12:31  
Arvind Kejriwal will also interact with retired academics and professors at the Banaras Hindu University. and while he has maintained he will ask Varanasi voter whether he should battle Modi in the city, the decision has already been taken. Just as he did in Delhi, when he took on then CM Sheila Dikshit, his decision to take on Modi is more than just symbolic.
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12:19  
Kejriwal will also visit the Kal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples in Varanasi. Kejriwal, a self-proclaimed atheist till a few years back, has said time and again that he became a believer once again because there was no other way a two-year-old party could have come to power in Delhi without divine power.

Pic: Arvind Kejriwal takes a dip in the Ganga in Varanasi/NDTV
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12:19   LIVE! Kejriwal takes on Modi with a dip in the Ganga in Varanasi
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal hit Varanasi this morning to determine by a referendum during his rally later in the day, whether he should take on Narendra Modi. Kejriwal has said that it was time to defeat both the NDA and the UPA and therefore it was not just about challenging the BJP's prime-ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi.

The BJP has decided to field Modi for the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi as well as Vadodara in his home state Gujarat.

Pic courtesy: NDTV
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11:53   EC puts gas price hike on hold
The revision in natural gas prices will have to wait, with the Election Commission on Monday asking the petroleum ministry to defer the proposal in view of all relevant facts, including pendency of the matter in the Supreme Court.

In a terse, four-line reply to the petroleum and natural gas ministry's March 14 proposal seeking EC nod for notifying the revised gas prices for the April-June 2014 quarter, principal secretary with the EC K Ajaya Kumar said "after taking into account all relevant facts, including the fact that the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court, the commission has decided that the proposal may be deferred". Read more
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11:46   Debating the secular-communal divide
The right-wing brand of politics seems to be a step ahead in articulating the idea of 'justice for all,' which should have ideally come from those championing secularism and more so from the religious minorities themselves. Read
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11:43   Local Jat leader to challenge Sachin Pilot
Election news: The fight for the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat has taken on an interesting prospect after the ruling BJP in Rajasthan decided to field a state minister and local Jat leader to challenge Union Minister and sitting MP, Congress's Sachin Pilot.

Pilot is counting on development work and projects started under his initiative over the last five years to see him through, but Rajasthan Water Resources minister Sanwarlal Jat is confident of success as all the eight Assembly segments in the Ajmer Parliamentary constituency are now in BJP's kitty.

But Pilot is unfazed despite Congress's comprehensive defeat at the hands of BJP in the recent Assembly elections in the state.

"I am ready to take on and will defeat the BJP candidate this time also. In the last elections, I defeated sitting MP Kiran Maheshwari by a margin of 76,000 votes... This time, I am confident of a better performance," Pilot said.
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11:35   Srinivasan's scam connect
A Supreme Court panel probing the IPL match-fixing scandal has said his son-in-law was guilty of illegal betting on games.

After an extensive investigation, the three-member panel also said allegations of match-fixing against Gurunath Meiyappan during the Indian IPL required further investigation.

"Roots of corruption and malpractices have crept in deep into the game of cricket, more particularly the IPL, and are seeping into the game at an alarming rate," the panel had said in its 170-page report, last month.
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11:26   LIVE! IPL probe nauseating, BCCI prez must step down, fumes SC
The Supreme Court has said that in its view BCCI president N Srinivasan must step down for a free and fair probe in the IPL spot fixing scandal. Calling the situation 'nauseating' the SC asks, "Why is Srinivasan sticking to his chair. If you don't step down, then we will pass the order.

"The probe panel report in sealed envelope contains very very serious allegations and unless BCCI President steps down, no fair probe can be conducted. We can't divulge details of the report in an open court, the court says, allowing the BCCI counsel to go through a certain portion of the report.

The SC has adjourned the case to March 27.
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11:14   No city limits
In Varanasi, each of the Brahmin, Muslim, Patel and Vaishya communities number 2.5 lakh or more. If any two of these communities were to fully back one party, its candidate would be sure to win. Read
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11:07   The only Parsi to be in Pakistan Test squad passes away
Rusi Dinshaw, the only Parsi to have ever been selected in a Pakistan Test squad, has passed away quietly and his death in tragic circumstances has brought into sharp focus the failure of the PCB to look after its former players. Dinshaw, an 86 year-old man in need of proper care and support, was suffering from schizophrenia. He breathed his last in Islamabad Monday.
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11:05   India has experienced an illiberal regime already
There is a fear abroad. It is the fear of authoritarianism. Driving that fear is the prospect of Narendra Modi as prime minister.

Nobody, not even his claque of applauders, quite believes that he is patient with dissent or dissenters. Impatience, the alarmists argue, could lead to imprisonment. Fascist is the preferred epithet for Modi among his detractors and their numbers are as large as his admirers.

This argument blurs the distinction between authoritarian or totalitarian rule and fascism. Read
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10:58   Race to find Malaysia airliner's black boxes
Time is running out to find the crucial keys that could solve the mystery of how and why Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down. After the excruciating 17-day wait for confirmation that the Boeing 777 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, searchers are racing to locate the so-called black boxes before a battery-powered ping they emit fades away.
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10:58   Text message from Malaysia Airlines that families hoped they would never get
Lalitha Kumaramangalam knows what it means to lose a close relative in an air crash. But for the Tamil Nadu BJP leader and her family, the loss they were asked to accept this evening is harder to take than the death of her father four decades ago.

The Kumaramangalams are among 200-odd families scattered across the globe whose lives changed forever today when they received a text message. "Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived,' the text message read. Full story here
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10:51   LIVE! 'MH370 at bottom of southern part of Indian Ocean'
A British satellite company has solved one crucial aspect of the mystery surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared on March 8, using a complex mathematical process to determine that it ended its journey in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean.

Guided by a principle of physics called the Doppler effect, the company, Inmarsat, analyzed tiny shifts in the frequency of the plane's signals to infer the plane's flight path and likely final location. The method had never before been used to investigate an air disaster, officials said. Read more
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10:07   IM terrorist's aide arrested in Rajasthan
Barkat Ali, an alleged accomplice of suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Mohd Sakib Ansari, was arrested today.        

Ali had managed to give the police the slip on Sunday and several police teams had swung into action to catch him.        

"We received information about his arrival at home today morning following which the police cordoned off his house and arrested him," a police official said.        

Ali had allegedly supplied explosives and electronic detonating devices to Sakib, who was trained in making bombs and carrying out explosions by top Indian Mujahideen terrorist Zia Ur Rehman alias Waqas, a Pakistani national wanted in connection with several bombings.       
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10:03   Russia's G8 summit cancelled over Ukraine crisis
US President Barack Obama and top economic powers have cancelled an upcoming G8 summit in Russia to build pressure on Moscow against its military action in Ukraine.        

After the talks on the Ukraine crisis in The Hague, it was announced that the G8 summit scheduled in Sochi in June would be replaced by a G7 meeting in Brussels, without Russian involvement.        

The decision was taken by leaders of Canada, France,Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission following their meeting in The Hague on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.
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09:29   Jaffer Sharrief resigns from the Congress
Vicky Nanjappa reports: Veteran Congress leader and 7-time MP Jaffer Sharrief has quit the party and wants to stay away from politics.

Visibly upset over the way he was treated by the Congress, which denied him a ticket to contest his last Lok Sabha elections from the Bangalore Central constituency, Sharif sent his resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi before leaving for Mecca on March 19.
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09:27   Time is running out for missing Malaysia Airlines flight
Time is running out to find the crucial keys that could solve the mystery of how and why Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down.        

After the excruciating 17-day wait for confirmation that the Boeing 777 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, searchers are racing to locate the so-called black boxes before a battery-powered ping they emit fades away.        

By law, the boxes with must be able to send those signals for at least 30 days following a crash. But experts say they can continue making noise for another 15 days or so beyond that, depending upon the strength of the black box battery at the time of the crash.        

Without the black boxes the common name for the voice and data recorders normally attached to a fuselage it would be virtually impossible for investigators to definitively say what caused the crash.
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09:25   Plane crash: China asks Malaysia to provide satellite data
China has demanded that Malaysia provide the satellite data which led to its judgement that flight MH370 ended in the Indian Ocean.        

"We demand the Malaysian side to make clear the specific basis on which they came to this judgement," Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng said during an urgent meeting with Malaysian Ambassador Datuk Iskandar Bin Sarudin.        

He urged the Malaysian side to provide all information and evidence related to the analysis of satellite data.        

Xie urged Malaysia to continue all the relevant work including search and rescue for the missing plane, which carried 239 people.
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08:55   Patna blasts mastermind Tehsin Akthar arrested by Delhi police
Vicky Nanjappa reports: Tehsin Akthar, the man who is suspected to be the current chief of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, has been detained by a special team of Delhi police from near the India-Nepal border in Bihar.

Akhtar is suspected to be the mastermind of the Patna blasts in October 2013.

Tehsin's arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of Waqas Ahmed, a Pakistan-based IM operative who was among the terrorists who planned and carried out the 13/7 serial blasts in Mumbai.
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00:07   Up to 108 missing after US mudslide

Authorities say they have 108 reports of people missing or unaccounted for after Saturday's huge landslide in the north-western US state of Washington.

 

Eight bodies have been recovered so far after the 54m (177ft) deep wall of mud swept near the town of Oso, about 90km (55 miles) north of Seattle. Search crews have worked day and night, using helicopters in the dangerous conditions that destroyed 30 homes. Several people, including an infant, were critically injured.

 

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