Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today warned against the forced conversion and destruction of worship places of other religions, describing them as 'crime in Islam' as he greeted the Hindu community which celebrated the Holi festival with traditional enthusiasm across Pakistan.

Addressing a function in Karachi to celebrate the Holi festival with the Hindu community, he insisted that it was not anyone's job to decide who will go to hell or heaven, but to make Pakistan a heaven on earth.

In his inclusive message to minorities, Sharif said 'no one can force others to adopt a certain religion' in Pakistan and greeted the gathering with 'Happy Holi'.

"Islam gives importance to every human being regardless of his caste, creed or religion and I say it clearly that forcing anyone to convert his religion is a crime and it is our duty to protect the worship places of the minorities in Pakistan," Sharif told the gathering.

Leading members of the Hindu community and minority lawmakers attended the function where the prime minister insisted that in Pakistan the fight was between terrorists and those who wanted to see the country progress.

"There is no fight in Pakistan over religion. If there is any fight it is with these terrorists and miscreants who use religion to mislead people and kill innocent people and dont want to see this country develop or prosper," he said. -- PTI

Top gainers at BSE today.

Graphic on BSE Sensex.

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday slammed Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar by calling him 'do din ka sultan'.

"If you want to be a 'do din ka sultan' then you are welcome to do so. He is the chief minister for two days beginning this evening. This swearing-in is a ministerial act, it is of no constitutional significance. Will be nullified in a floor test in 48 hours," Singhvi said.

Singhvi was reacting to the Supreme Court's order of conducting a floor test on Thursday giving two days to prove the majority. The apex court had also paved the way for oath taking ceremony Parrikkar this evening.

This development came after the Congress moved the apex court challenging the scheduled swearing-in of Parrikar.

During the hearing, Singhvi, alleged that the BJP was indulging in horse-trading and violating the established constitutional practices.

He asserted that the Congress was not even consulted once on the formation of next government in the state. -- ANI

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla today justified her decision to invite the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government in the north-eastern state by stating that the party has the requisite numbers.

On Congress' contention that she should have first invited the party to form the government since it emerged as the single largest party after the state assembly election, Heptulla told reporters, "I do not know what allegations they are making. I am a straight-forward person. I go by the book. I know the rules and regulations."

"BJP has the requisite numbers. They are more than 30. It will be helpful for Manipur," she said.

Clarifying her position on the matter further, the Governor said, "My 37 years in Parliament and 17 years in the Chair (as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman)... when I was a member of the Congress party, I had to work with non-Congress governments, including Janata government, BJP and many others. I had to work with at least five different prime ministers and nobody ever made an allegation that I did something wrong.

"For Manipur we need lots of development, lots of jobs and I feel that it is very necessary that we should have stability in the state," she said.

On being quizzed regarding the number of ministers who will take oath tomorrow, Heptulla said, "The list will come to me." -- PTI

JUST IN: Telugu actor and former MLA Jayasudha's husband Nitin Kapur allegedly committed suicide by jumping of a building in Mumbai.

JUST IN: Mufti Tassaduq Hussain, son of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to contest Lok Sabha bypoll from Anantnag constituency on People's Democratic Party ticket.

The seat fell vacant after Mehbooba Mufti left it to take over as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister post her father and former CM Mufti Sayeed's death.

The Viral Fever has formed a committee to look into the allegations of sexual harassment against its founder Arunabh Kumar.

TVF has formed an internal committee comprising people from its human resource and administration team.

Coming out in defence of Kumar, TVF director Nidhi Bisht shared her side. The response from TVF to the allegations in the blog post created a furore online.

In its official statement, TVF said, 'We will leave no stone unturned to find the author of the article and bring them to serve justice for making such false allegations.'

However, a few TVF employees rubbished the allegations of sexual harassment against Kumar.

Meanwhile, many have come forward criticising TVF team for refusing to probe the allegations.

AIB team members Rohan and Tanmay Bhatt also took to Twitter, suggesting the organisation to probe the matter. -- ANI

And in Manipur, Governor Najma Heptullah invites the BJP to form government. N Biren Singh will be the Chief Minister and a council of ministers will take oath tomorrow in Imphal; Amit Shah and  Union Min Jitendra Singh to attend.

The EC has put paid to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's request for paper ballots instead of EVMs of the municipal polls.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation elections will be held on 22 April and  counting will be held on 25 April. EVMs will be used in the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Delhi,  SK Srivastava, State Election Commissioner, announced.

Manohar Parrikar takes oath in Marathi, sworn in as Goa chief minister.
Parrikar has to take a trust vote on Thursday to prove he has a majority, the Supreme Court ruled, in a big setback for the Congress. The BJP was invited to form the government in Goa despite winning fewer seats in the election than the Congress. That decision - taken by Governor Mridula Sinha - was challenged by the Congress in court. The Congress won 17 seats in the election; the BJP won 13, but secured the support of small regional parties.

Manipur: Governor Najma Heptulla invites BJP to form government.

Former Defence Minister and Goa's Chief-Minister-elect Manohar Parrikar today said that he will comment on the Supreme Court's order, after he is sworn in as Chief Minister later in the evening.


"I will comment after the swearing-in,' he said in Panaji when asked to comment on the apex court's order to hold a floor test in the Goa Legislative Assembly on March 16.


The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for oath taking of Manohar Parrikar as the Chief Minister of Goa by refusing the plea of Congress to stay the ceremony, saying the BJP has shown the support of 21 out of the 40 newly elected MLAs. The apex court at the same time directed conducting of the floor test on Thursday. Parrikar is to be sworn in this evening.


It also directed going ahead with all "pre-requisites of holding the floor test by tomorrow, including the formalities required by the Election Commission" and putting in place the senior most member in the Assembly as the protem speaker.


The top court said it was "satisfied" that all the sensitive and contentious issues raised in the petition by Goa Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar "can be resolved by a simple direction of holding a floor test".

Union Information and Broadcast Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday lambasted the Congress following accusations of the BJP murdering democracy to form the next government in Goa and said the grand old party doesn't have the majority or a leader of former defence minister Manohar Parrikar's stature.


Stating that no party has gained majority votes in Goa and Manipur, he pointed out that the other parties have infact offered their support to the BJP to form the government.


Naidu also claimed that BJP has elected the leader for both the states and has also provided the list regarding the number of majority to the respective Governors.


Asserting that the BJP has both majority and leader, Naidu said: "This is the only reason why the Governor decided to chose Manohar Parrikar from the BJP as the Chief Minister of Goa."


Rubbishing the Congress allegations, Naidu threw light on what happened in Jharkhand and Bihar in 2005, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka in 1998 in, Andhra Pradesh in 1983-84 and how the grand old party dismissed all opposition parties during emergency in 1975.


Naidu also used the occasion to attack the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Nongthombam Biren Singh today reiterated his party's claim that they has the numbers to form government.  While the party is yet to be formally invited by Governor Najma Heptullah to form government, Raj Bhavan sources have expressed hope that it could be done by tomorrow.

After securing an astounding victory, Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday took a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party and said there was no threat from them in the recent assembly polls.

After meeting Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Singh said that today's meeting was a courtesy call after the big win.

"It was only a ten-minute meeting and we are going back. The Congress Party has worked very hard and that has paid off in this elections. The AAP was no threat to the Congress Party. They used their social media very effectively and made hype out of it," Singh told reporters.

The Congress leader yesterday met Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore to stake his claim to form the next government in the state.

The Congress secured 77 out of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly polls making a strong comeback after a decade.

The AAP won 20 seats on debut, making it the second largest party in the Punjab Assembly.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance fared the worst with 18 seats.

Image: Mooh mitha: Amarinder Singh celebrates his victory on Saturday

Taking a cue from BSP supremo Mayawati, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has expressed reservations about electronic voting machines and sought the use of ballot papers in the upcoming civic body polls in the national capital. Kejriwal has directed Chief Secretary M M Kutty to write to the State Election Commission in this regard.


"The Chief Minister has directed the chief secretary to ask the state election office to hold MCD elections through ballot papers," a source in the CM's office said. The move comes close on the heels of Mayawati questioning the "reliability" of electronic voting machines (EVMs). She had alleged that they were tampered with in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, where her party suffered a debacle. Earlier, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken also requested Kejriwal to opt for ballot papers and shun EVMs in the corporation polls.


"Many are doubting EVMs-Not prejudiced-nor casting aspersions on results; I want @ArvindKejriwal to hold MCD elections through Ballot Papers," he had tweeted. AAP's Jarnail Singh, who lost to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi, also demanded use of ballots in the elections ahead.


"Although we accept defeat, we have serious doubts over the results in Punjab. There are several villages in the Lambi constituency where we have received less votes than the number of volunteers we have there.


"For the first time, voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) was used in Punjab. When we asked the Returning Officer to tally the number of votes to the VVPATs, he declined to do so," Singh said.

Defence minister Arun Jaitley says the Congress Party complains a bit too much.

Posting a message on his Facebook page, Jaitley said the Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing the mandate in Goa.

"It unsuccessfully petitioned before the Supreme Court. It attempted to raise issues in the Lok Sabha. What are the facts?" Jaitley asked.

This is what the FB post read...

"The Assembly Elections in Goa produced an inconclusive verdict. There was a Hung Assembly. Obviously in a Hung Assembly post-poll alliances will be formed. The BJP managed to form an alliance and presented to the Governor 21 out of 40 MLAs. They appeared before the Governor in person and submitted a letter of support. The Congress did not even submit a claim to the Governor. It had only the support of 17 MLAs. The Congress Party protested at the Governors decision to invite Mr Manohar Parrikar to form the Government with support of 21 out of 40 MLAs and described it as a murder of democracy.

"In the face of claim of these 21 MLAs led by Mr Manohar Parrikar, the Governor could not have invited the minority of 17 MLAs to form the Government. There are several precedents which support this decision of the Governor.

" In 2005, BJP won 30 out of 81 seats in Jharkhand. The JMM leader Shri Shibu Soren with a support of 17 MLAs of his Party plus others was invited to form the Government .

" In J&K 2002, the National Conference won 28 MLAs but the Governor invited the PDP & Congress Combination of 15 + 21 MLAs to form the Government.

" In 2013 the BJP won 31 seats in Delhi, but the AAP with 28 MLAs with support of Congress was invited to form the Government.
There are other precedents on the same lines available in 1952 (Madras), 1967 (Rajasthan) and 1982 (Haryana).

"The debate between the largest single party lacking majority versus a
combination of parties constituting a majority was answered by the former President Shri KR Narayanan in his communiqu in March, 1988 when he invited Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee to form the Government. The President had said when no party or pre-election alliance of parties is in a clear majority, the Head of State has in India or elsewhere, given the first opportunity to the leader of the party or combination of parties that has won largest number of seats subject to the Prime Ministers so appointed obtaining majority support on the floor of the house within a stipulated time. This procedure is not, however, all time formula because situations can arise where MPs not belonging to the single largest party or combination can, as a collective entity, out-number the single largest claimant. The Presidents choice of Prime Minister is pivoted on the would be Prime Ministers claim of commanding majority support.

"The Governor in Goa had only one claim of 21 MLAs out of 40 elected MLAs with Shri Manohar Parrikar as their leader. The 17 MLAs of Congress did not even make a claim nor elected their leader. How could the Congress ever be invited to form the Government?"


Image: Arun Jaitley taking over as defence minister today.

Gayatri Prajapati's son and nephew taken to Lucknow from Amethi for investigation in the rape case involving Gayatri Prajapati.

Office of RG @OfficeOfRG Met @capt_amarinder singhji earlier today. I'm confident that Punjab will once again rise to its true potential under a Congress government.

DigvijaySingh @DigvijaySingh Election Commission should look into the complaints of Sushri Mayawati Behenji. I hope Voting Machines were not tampered in UP elections.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that companies can ban employees from wearing the Islamic headscarf and other religious symbols. It is the first case of its kind amid a series of legal disputes over the right for Muslim woman to wear the hijab at work, the Independent reports.

"An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination," the court said in a statement.

The acclaimed actress is back with the 1947-set 'Begum Jaan', in which she plays the spitfire madam of a brothel on the Indo-Pak border. Read more

Pakistan Cricket Board suspends Mohammad Irfan in spot-fixing case.

When our MPs go abroad, they cease to be from opposing political parties as this delightful picture and exchange suggests.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor‏ @ShashiTharoor tweeted this picture of the "Indian parliamentary delegation at the #AsianParliamentaryAssembly Political Affairs Committee meeting in Islamabad @M_Lekhi @swapan55."

To which senior journalist Barkha Dutt responded: @ShashiTharoor @kamalmutneja @M_Lekhi @swapan55 hope you enjoy a murree beer !


BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta @swapan55 tweeted: @BDUTT @ShashiTharoor @M_Lekhi In Islamabad, not Muree. I don't think they drink here. But u should know that? U r a Frequent traveller

Gurdeep Singh Sappal, CEO of Rajya Sabha TV, is being tipped to become the media advisor to the newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh.

Sappal had a meeting with Arun Jaitley, leader of the Rajya Sabha and also Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, and conveyed his intention to quit as Rajya Sabha TV CEO. Sappal is also the Joint Secretary to Vice President of India Dr Hamid Ansari and his job profile includes dealing with the media in the Rajya Sabha and helps the RS chair, Dr Ansari, in handling ticklish issues. He also liaises with the opposition parties leaders in conducting the Rajya Sabha proceedings.

Just in: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal writes to the Election Commission, saying EVMs should not be used for upcoming Municipal Elections in Delhi. He wants the elections to be held through ballot paper.

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi's first statement after the five-state poll debacle. Commenting on the party's decimation in UP, Rahul said, "In opposition, you go through ups and downs, we had a little down."


"The BJP won elections in UP, I'd like to congratulate them. Why they won it has multiple reasons, one being polarisation," he said.


The Congress VP said the party needs to make structural changes, but accused the BJP of misusing money for power. "The BJP has stolen mandate the in Goa and Manipur by money power," he said.

Meanwhile the BJP's Goa chief said the party will not wait till Thursday, will take the floor test tomorrow itself.


On Saturday, when the election results were declared, senior Congress leaders admitted the losses hurt.

 
"Yes, UP is a bad loss, it hurts...I agree that, in UP, we need fundamental restructuring thinking for the Congress as a whole. These have to be hard, tough decisions about strategy," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Another Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad attributed the party's poor show in the politically crucial state to "public mood" and said its performance will be "scrutinised".

Arun Jaitley @arunjaitley Taking over as Defence Minister, March 14, 2017

More on the Goa fiasco. The SC directs that the Assembly session will be called at 11 am and only business of the House will be the holding of the floor test after swearing in of the members. The SC directs that all pre-requisites for holding floor test  be completed by March 15 including the formalities required by Election Commission. SC requests the Governor to summon the House for conducting the floor test. SC disposes the petition of Congress, saying all issues raised in it can be resolved by simple direction of holding floor test. SC says Cong has failed to come out with affidavits of MGP and Goa Forward Party MLAs indicating support to it. SC takes on record Guv's letter showing support of 3 members of MGP, 3 of GFP and 2 independents to BJP taking its strength to 21 in House of 40.  

Three detained in connection with the rape case involving Gayatri Prajapati; two of Prajapati's sons also detained for giving shelter to accused.

Just in: Goa floor test to be conducted on March 16, at 11 am. The SC refuses to stay Manohar Parrikar's swearing-in ceremony. So the swearing in could take place this afternoon. Bench dismisses argument that floor test can be held without a government in place.

Arun Jaitley takes charge as defence minister.

AICC general secretary and Goa in-charge Digvijaya Singh  @digvijaya_28  says, "We have been requesting Hon Governor Goa for appointment since 12th night but were not given."

Just in: The Supreme Court has ordered the Congress party to prove its numbers. Hearing on Congress' petition challenging the appointment of Manohar Parrikar as Goa CM, the Supreme Court has ordered a floor test in the Goa Assembly and has said the senior most MLA to be protem Speaker. The SC has asked for the floor test to be held either today or tomorrow.


At the hearing of the Congress petition in the apex court, the petitioner (Congress) alleged that established constitutional practices being violated by the BJP and that the party (BJP) is involved in horse trading. The SC bench headed by CJI Khehar observed that numbers should determine the single largest party.

The court asks Congress why the party did not approach the governor.

Congress tells the SC, that the governor did not even give a call to the largest winning party the elections in Goa.

Senior lawyer Harish Salve is representing the Central government, while  Abhishek Singhvi is representing the Congress in the SC.


Governor Mridula Sinha will meet the Congress delegation at 1:30 pm.


Congress counsel Singhvi says giving 15 days is not constitutionally correct procedure. This is a subversion of democracy.

The Congress on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging Goa Governor Mridula Sinha's decision to appoint Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of the state. The hurriedly filed petition late last evening was mentioned at the residence of Chief Justice J S Kehar.


A special Bench is being constituted for the hearing as the apex court is on Holi break for a week. The petition filed by Goa Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar has sought a stay on the swearing-in of Parrikar as the chief minister.


The petition has also sought quashing of the decision of the governor to appoint Parrikar as the chief minister. The Goa CLP leader has argued that the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the polls and under constitutional convention, the governor was bound to invite the single largest party to form the government and give it the opportunity to prove majority in the floor test.


It said the decision of the governor was blatantly unconstitutional and illegal, arbitrary and violated the basic features of the Constitution.


He added that the decision was hastily taken by the governor on Sunday. Further, the advocate said it was wrong on the part of the governor to invite the BJP-led alliance for government formation as there was no pre-poll alliance. In the 40-member House, the Congress has 17 MLAs, followed by the BJP with 13, the MGP (3), the GFP (3), the NCP (1) and Independents (3).

Congress stages a walkout from Lok Sabha over govt formation in Goa.

-- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat holds meeting with party leaders in Coimbatore, discussion over UP CM likely.

-- Hearing on Congress' petition challenging appointment of Manohar Parrikar as Goa CM begins in Supreme Court.

The Congress on Tuesday issued an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha over the formation of government in Goa and Manipur.

Meanwhile, even as the Supreme Court is set to hear the Congress' petition challenging the appointment of Manohar Parrikar as Goa Chief Minister today, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh-led delegation will meet Governor Mridula Sinha, a day after she issued a letter to officially appoint Parrikar as the CM. The swearing-in ceremony was slated to be held in Panaji at 5 pm today.

Earlier, in a dramatic development, the Congress had moved the apex court against Governor Sinha's decision, despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the second largest party.

The petition filed by Goa Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar had sought stay on the swearing-in of Parrikar as the chief minister.

The Congress claimed that the Governor should have invited them to form the government, as they are the single largest party with 17 seats.

The petition for urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar.

President Pranab Mukherjee, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted Parrikar's resignation as Union Defence Minister, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley was entrusted with the additional charge of the Defence Ministry.

The Congress had emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly. But, instead of it, the BJP staked claim to form the government in the state inviting the ire of the grand old party and allegations of 'stealing elections'

An Indian-American woman came under fire from social media users for asking White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer inflammatory questions after confronting him in a mobile store and later accusing him of making racist threats.

In a post on Medium, Shree Chauhan, whose Twitter bio says she is an Education advocate, said she saw Sean Spicer in an Apple shop in Washington D.C. and normally she would not approach any public figure like this but said she felt obliged to do so because she was so angry about President Donald Trump's actions.

In a video posted by her, she can be seen asking, "Have you helped with the Russia stuff? Are you a criminal as well? Have you committed treason too just like the President? What can you tell me about Russia? You know you are a fascist right? You work for a fascist. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about destroying our country? Do you feel good about the decisions you are making? Do you feel good about lying to the American people?"

Spicer can be seen ignoring her questions, smiling and saying thank you, apart from at one point saying, "It's a great country that allows you to be here."

In her post, Chauhan admits that she was not polite to the spokesman when she approached him but was also stunned by the boldness of having her citizenship threatened on camera.

She said, in her post, that after going over and over again on the video she realised that Spicer's response when he tells her, "It's such a great country that allows you to be here," was "racism and it is an implied threat."

"Think about the sheer audacity of Mr. Spicer to say that to my face with a smile, knowing that he that he is being recorded on video and the position of power he holds in our government," she said in her post.

"I watched the video over and over again. I had other people watch it. I watched it with the sound off so I could watch Mr. Spicer's lips and make sure words match up with the consonants I thought I heard. I watched it with the volume all the way up with my eyes closed," she said.

The White House has defended the firing of high-profile India-born prosecutor Preet Bharara and seeking of resignation of 45 other attorneys who were appointed by the previous administration, saying this was "standard operating procedure'.


"This is a standard operating procedure for a new administration around this time to ask for the resignation of all the US attorneys,' White House Press Secretary Sea Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference.


He made the remarks while responding to questions on firing of Bharara after he refused to resign following the Department of Justice's order asking him and 45 other attorneys, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama, to quit.


"We had most of them -- or a good chunk of them had already submitted their resignation letters. This is just the final swath of individuals who had not at this time. But this is common practice of most administrations,' Spicer argued.


He said President Trump had wanted to call Bharara to thank him for his service."The President was calling to thank him for his service. This is, a standard action that takes place in most administrations,' he said.


"Then-Attorney General Reno sent out an almost identical letter in 1993. The Bush administration sent out a similar one, as well. So this is a very common practice for all political appointees '" not just in the Department of Justice -- but throughout government when there's a turnover administration to ask for all individuals to do that,' he said.

Bharara, 48, who was the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, left his office yesterday. He got an emotional farewell from his colleagues. "I love New York. This is the best prosecutor's office you've ever seen," he said.


Meanwhile, a media report said that Bharara was fired because he was conducting a probe of Fox News channel and whether the Rupert Murdoch-owned company hid from its investors payments it made to employees who alleged sexual assault. The allegation was denied by the White House.


"The commonality and the uniformity of the resignations is the key here," White House Counselor Kellylanne Conway said. "This is just not a news story, it's a lot of noise, not much news because it's very uniform and it's very common for presidents to ask for the resignations of political appointees like ambassadors and like US attorneys, the past few presidents have done this," she told Fox News.

The issue of government formation in Goa and Manipur is set to rock the Lok Sabha with the Congress deciding to move an adjournement motion today. Sources said that the leader of Congress in the lower house, Mallikarjun Kharge, along with some other party MPs, will move the motion while seeking to raise the issue and demand a discussion on it.


The Congress has alleged that the BJP is moving against the law and precedent in forming their governments in Goa and Manipur, saying they are the single largest party in both states.


In Goa, the Congress has 17 legislators followed by BJP with 13, Goa Forward Party and MGP with three each, three independents and NCP (one).


The party has won 28 seats in Manipur while the BJP has secured 21. The NPP and the NPF have won four seats each, with the LJP and the Trinamool Congress bagging one seat each.


The BJP leadership with their MLAs had met the Manipur governor along with the NPP president, the four MLAS of his party and the lone LJP and TMC MLAs, besides one from the Congress. The saffron party has claimed it enjoyed the support of 32 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur assembly.

Peeved with the BJP, many Congress leaders have said that the single largest party should have been invited by the governors of both states to form the government.


The Congress has already moved the Supreme Court challenging Goa Governor Mridula Sinha's decision to appoint BJP leader Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of the state. In Manipur too, the Congress is exploring legal options.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a popular author, filmmaker and speaker who brightened lives with her wide-eyed and generous spirit and broke hearts when she wrote of being terminally ill and leaving behind her husband Jason died Monday at age 51.


Rosenthal had been diagnosed in 2015 with ovarian cancer. Her death was confirmed to The Associated Press by her longtime literary agent, Amy Rennert, who said Rosenthal "was the most life-affirming person, and love-affirming person.' Fellow author John Green tweeted -- "She was a brilliant writer, and an even better friend."

For those who haven't read: Rosenthal's You May Want to Marry My Husband, here's the link.

Even as the Supreme Court is set to hear the Congress' petition challenging the appointment of Manohar Parrikar as Goa Chief Minister today, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh-led delegation will be meeting Governor Mridula Sinha, a day after she issued a letter to officially appoint Parrikar as the CM.

The MLAs will meet the Governor after the Congress Legislative Party meeting at the Congress House in Goa.

The Congress yesterday filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging Manohar Parrikar's appointment as the Chief Minister.


"Congress is the single largest party with 17 seats in Goa which has the strength of 40 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has only 13 seats and they did not have any pre-poll alliance. The Goa Governor appointed Parrikar as the Chief Minister, despite that," Congress leader Sunil Kawthankar told ANI.

Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted Parrikar's resignation from the Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

We'd be lying if we said we saw this coming. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies won 325 out of 403 seats in the 2017 U.P. Assembly election, a strike rate of 81%. This is the largest number of seats won by any party/coalition in UP since the Janata Party in 1977. In retrospect, the analysis of this extraordinary feat is remarkably straightforward. It is almost a repeat of the national election in 2014, when U.P. was in the grip of the 'Modi wave'.  Read more

Did you meet God?
This was a question Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to travel into space, often faced from admirers at home after he returned to Earth in 1984.

"I would say, no, I hadn't met God," he says.More than three decades later, fact and fiction blur easily with his modern-day fans when they meet Mr Sharma, 68.

"Now many young mothers introduce me to their kids and tell them, 'this uncle has been to the Moon!'".

India's only man on the moon speaks to the BBC. Read the full interview here.


Image: Rakesh Sharma in a 2009 picture. Read his interview with us then.

The rupee soared 42 paise to 66.18 against the dollar early today on increased selling of the US currency by exporters and banks amid higher foreign inflows following BJP's resounding win in UP and positive IIP numbers. Forex dealers said that a weakening dollar against other currencies overseas and domestic stock markets zooming to new highs with the NSE Nifty hitting a record 9,122.75 points in opening trade kept the rupee going. Furthermore, industrial production bouncing back in January, expanding by 2.7 per cent year-on-year too supported the rupee, they added.

On Friday, the rupee had gained 11 paise to close at a fresh 4-month high of 66.60 against the dollar on renewed selling of the US currency by exporters and banks.


Forex market remained closed yesterday on account of Holi. Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose 615.70 points, or 2.12 per cent, to 29,561.93 in opening trade today.

Cheering the BJP's landslide win in Uttar Pradesh, the Nifty soared to new all-time highs on Tuesday.