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Tue, 21 May 2019
Srinagar highway ban to end from Monday
Timeline Refresh
23:49 Srinagar highway ban to end from Monday
The Jammu and Kashmir governor's administration on Tuesday withdrew an order restricting movement of civilian traffic on the national highway between Srinagar and Jammu from Monday.
An official statement said following a review of the security situation in the state and of the requirement of security forces' convoys, Governor Satya Pal Malik has decided to lift the remaining restrictions on civilian traffic movement on the national highway connecting Jammu to Srinagar with effect from May 27.
May 26 will be the last day of restriction on the movement of civilian traffic on the highway. The state administration had earlier on May 7 reduced the number of days from two to one and allowed civilian traffic on Wednesdays.
These restrictions had become necessary following the movement of security forces on an unprecedented scale after the Pulwama terror attack, according to the statement.
The forces were required both for anti-militancy operations and for smooth conduct of the general elections.
In order to facilitate safe and secure movement of convoys of the security forces, the state administration had imposed prohibition on civilian traffic on the highway from Baramulla to Udhampur twice a week -- Sunday and Wednesday -- from 4 am-5 pm.
Elaborate arrangements were, however, made by the local administration to facilitate movement of public during the period of restriction, it claimed.
Earlier, restriction on civilian movement between Srinagar and Baramulla on the highway was limited to Sunday with effect from April 22 and later completely withdrawn from May 2.
Restrictions on the Srinagar-Udhampur stretch were limited to just one day from May 13.
"After a detailed review today with all security agencies, civil and police administration in connection with the preparations for the Shri Amarnathji Yatra, the governor directed that there should be no restriction on civilian movement on the highway from Monday next," the statement said.
The restriction had come into force after a suicide bomber triggered an explosive laden car next to a bus of a Central Reserve Police Force convoy leaving 40 personnel dead. -- PTI
22:49 IAF downing own copter: Srinagar base CO shifted
The Indian Air Force has transferred the Air Officer Commanding of Srinagar base as a court of inquiry steps up probe into the crash of an Mi-17 helicopter in Budgam due to suspected friendly fire on February 27 -- the day Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a fierce dogfight, official sources said on Tuesday.
They said officials responsible for the crash will face sever punishment as per provisions of the military law.
The senior-most official of the Srinagar base was removed to ensure impartial probe into the crash, the sources said.
The helicopter crashed in Budgam on February 27 when Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in an aerial combat, a day after India's airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot.
The Pakistani Air Force had unsuccessfully attempted to target various Indian military installations in Kashmir on February 27.
Sources said the CoI was also specifically focusing on examining role of various people including those controlling the air defence system when the helicopter was hit by a surface-to-air missile.
They said the IAF will initiate action based on the report of the CoI which could include charging the guilty with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The sources said the CoI was also examining whether the Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) system onboard the helicopter was switched off.
The IFF helps air defence radars to identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile. -- PTI
22:12 I still say transparency is important: Lavasa
On a day Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and fellow commissioner Sushil Chandra turned down his demand to incorporate minority view in orders relating to model code violations, Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa on Tuesday said he still believes that transparency is important and such cases should be dealt in a time-bond manner.
Talking to PTI after the meeting, Lavasa refused to comment on the issue of Commission maintaining a status quo, saying, 'minutes of the meeting will be drawn, instructions will be issued. Only then there would be a clarity'.
"In the meeting of the Election Commission held today regarding the issue of MCC (Model Code of Conduct), it was, inter alia, decided that proceedings of the commission's meeting would be drawn, including the views of all the commission members," the Commission said in a statement after the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours.
"Thereafter, formal instructions to this effect would be issued in consonance with extant laws/rules, etc," it further said.
Lavasa said, "Till the time there is clarity on the reasoning of the views, it is premature to say (anything)."
He said he continues to 'say that transparency is important ... minority view should be included and there should be time-bound procedures. My view is very clear'.
Explaining the order, a Commission official said dissent notes and minority views would remain part of records of the poll panel.
Lavasa had dissented on a series of clean chits given by the Commission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on their speeches during the election campaign.
As his demand to record his dissent notes in EC's orders was not met, Lavasa recused himself from cases relating to relating to violations of model code of conduct.
In a strongly-worded letter to Arora on May 4, Lavasa is learnt to have said that he is being forced to stay away from the meetings of the full commission since minority decisions are not being recorded.
In Tuesday's meeting, Lavasa stuck to his ground, pressing for his demand to include dissenting views in the orders.
The EC had maintained that the dissent notes cannot be made part of the order as poll code violation cases are not quasi judicial in nature and that they are not signed by the chief election commissioner (CEC) and fellow commissioners.
"They are like executive orders. They are summary decisions where decision is taken by the EC without hearing out counsels of the two parties. The orders are brief which are not signed by the three commissioners," explained the official.
Such orders are usually signed by the principal secretary concerned or secretary of the EC, the official said.
Lavasa had dissented in as many as five of the 11 EC decisions involving complaints against Modi and Shah for alleged MCC violation and where they were given a clean chit.
An official said the EC is likely to come out with a circular clearly outlining the procedure relating to complaints of poll code violation.
"Status quo will be maintained. Dissent will not be made public but would form part of EC records," explained an official.
As per the law governing the functioning of the EC, efforts should be to have unanimity but in cases of dissent a majority (2:1) view prevails. In his May 4 letter, Lavasa is learnt to have also said that his participation in EC meeting is 'meaningless' as his dissent remained unrecorded.
He had said that his notes on the need for transparency have not been responded to because of which he has decided to stay away from meetings on model code related complaints.
Sources said Lavasa had written to the CEC about the issue on at least three occasions. -- PTI
20:50 Blood may spill on streets if results are manipulated: Kushwaha
The opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar on Tuesday alleged that attempts were being made to manipulate Lok Sabha poll results in favour of the ruling National Democratic Alliance and warned blood may spill on the streets on account of tremendous public anger.
At a joint press conference in Patna, which was addressed by Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, Rashtriya Janata Dal state president Ramchandra Purve, state Congress president Madan Mohan Jha and other leaders of the Grand Alliance, they alleged exit polls prediction of NDA winning 30 or more seats in Bihar out of 40 was misleading and aimed at causing demoralisation among our cadres, with a mala fide intent.
Earlier, we used to hear about booth loot. This time, it is suspected that attempts may be made to loot the results. These could be through manipulation of the EVMs or any other measures at the counting centres.
The leaders of the NDA are hereby warned not to indulge in such a misadventure.
There is tremendous public anger and blood may spill on the streets, for which we shall not be held responsible, Kushwaha told reporters.
The exit polls appear to have been a step in this direction. We have all toured the state during elections and can say, without any hesitation, that we are set to win most of the seats in the state. Such has been the public response in favour of the Mahagathbandhan, he said.
The National Democratic Alliance, therefore, seems to have devised a plan to demoralise the opposition cadres so that the rigged results could later be justified. We are dealing with people who are in power but have no scruples.
All mahagathbandhan workers are,therefore, urged to keep round the clock vigil at counting centres and stand their ground if they find anything amiss during the counting of votes,the RLSP chiefwho is contesting from his sitting seat of Karakat, besides Ujiyarpur said. In moments of desperation people pick up arms.
The NDA must take care that things do not reach a flashpoint.
Otherwise, we will not be responsible for the consequences, he added.
The RLSP chief, whose views were echoed by other alliance partners present at the press conference, also expressed concern over reports, in a section of the media, of EVMs being transported a day after polling was over in several parts of the country, including Saran district in Bihar.
Former Chief Minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi, who was not present at the press conference, also issued a statement questioning discovery of EVMs outside the strong rooms in several parts of the state and sought to know where were these kept and where were these being taken to and for what purpose.
The Election Commission here has issued a release denying these reports and asserting the EVMs at Saran were meant for training the personnel involved in counting.
These were not from among the polled machines kept at the strong room. Rather, these were kept at a warehouse for training purpose.
Public representatives have been shown the warehouses and the EVMs kept therein and they have been satisfied. -- PTI
20:29 Modi felicitated at NDA leaders dinner
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ashoka Hotel for National Democratic Alliance leaders dinner.
Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also arrived at Ashoka Hotel earlier.
PM Modi was felicitated by alliance leaders.
PM Modi was felicitated by alliance leaders.
19:34
BSE Sensex today.
19:34
Top market losers today.
19:32 Supersession: Vice Admiral files fresh plea
Vice Admiral Bimal Verma on Tuesday filed a fresh petition in the Armed Forces Tribunal seeking quashing of the government orders for designating Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as next Navy Chief and the last week rejection of his statutory complaint by the Defence Ministry.
In his plea, Vice Admiral Verma has contended that the tribunal should call for the service records of both -- him and Vice Admiral KB Singh -- and see if any "extraneous or irrelevant considerations" were placed before the competent authority to reject his case while the Navy Chief appointment was being made.
The tribunal is expected to hear the plea on Wednesday.
"Quash the Defence Ministry order by which the Vice Admiral's statutory complaint has been quashed on grounds that are extraneous, vague and unsubstantiated...quash the March 23 order by which Vice Admiral Karambir Singh has been appointed Chief of Naval Staff in place of the applicant (Vice Admiral Verma)," the fresh plea filed by Vice Admiral Verma said.
After the Defence Ministry rejected Verma's statutory complaint, his lawyer Ankur Chhibber had told ANI that 'as per law we would be withdrawing the present petition with liberty to challenge the order issued by the government and request the tribunal to hear the matter before the new chief takes over'.
The first plea was filed by Verma on April 10.
While rejecting his plea, Defence Ministry's Joint Secretary (Navy) Richa Mishra had clarified that though seniority is an important criterion while appointing services chiefs but it is not the 'sole' criterion and has been dispersed within the past too while appointing Navy chiefs.
"The Central government after careful examination of the matter is of the opinion that this statutory petition dated 10th April 2019 from Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma regarding his non-selection as the chief of naval staff is devoid of merit and be rejected," the Defence Ministry had said while rejecting the officer's plea.
The Defence Ministry also made it clear that being the seniormost officer, Vice Admiral Verma was also considered for the appointment to the post of Navy Chief but was 'found unsuitable to the tenant the appointment of the Chief of Naval Staff'.
"Upon examination, the Central government is satisfied that the parameters for selection as evident from consistent practice were applied uniformly to all the officers in the zone of consideration and based on the assessment, Vice Admiral Bimal Kumar Verma being the senior most eligible officer was considered and found unsuitable to tenant the appointment of Chief of naval staff."
"The central government is also satisfied that no unsubstantiated frivolous, extraneous or irrelevant consideration has had a bearing on this said selection," Richa Mishra had said in her order rejecting the officer's plea.
After the government overlooked him in appointing Navy Chief and designated Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Navy chief, Verma who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, approached the Armed Forces Tribunal.
The government last month named Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as next chief of the naval staff, succeeding Admiral Sunil Lanba who retires on May 31.
While appointing the Army Chief in 2016, the Central government did not follow the seniority criteria. In the order, Defence Ministry also mentioned that the officer was not considered for being awarded the Param Vishisht Sewa Medal and was also not given the command of either the Eastern or the Western commands. -- ANI
18:31 Cong issues show-cause notice to MLA Roshan Baig over outbursts
The Congress issued a show-cause notice to senior leader and Karnataka legislator R Roshan Baig on Tuesday for his outbursts against the party leadership.
The party has taken strong exception to Baig's comments against former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and party state president Dinesh Gundu Rao.
The remarks are being taken seriously as an 'anti-party activity', the notice said, asking him to explain within a week why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.
"On failing to reply further disciplinary action will be taken against you," the notice, signed by state Congress general secretary V Y Ghorpade, said.
On Monday, Baig had hit out at the Congress leaders for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls as projected in the exit polls a day ago.
The MLA had held Siddaramaiah's 'arrogance' and Rao's 'immaturity' responsible for the 'flop show'.
He had also called Venugopal, who is in charge of the party affairs in the state, a 'buffoon'.
"By making statements to media and causing discomfort to the party and expressing your displeasure publicly through the media, you have conducted yourself by going against the party's principles. Your conduct has dented party's prestige," it added.
As the exit polls gave a clear-cut edge to the National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha election, the senior Congress leader had dropped hints of quitting the party and appealed to the Muslims to 'compromise' with the situation if the alliance returns to power.
Baig had earlier, too, expressed displeasure against the Congress leadership for not being included in the cabinet, headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
His outbursts has come at a time when another senior MLA, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is hobnobbing with the Bharatiya Janata Party, had threatened to quit the Congress along with other MLAs "soon".
Even the BJP has predicted that the ruling Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition would collapse after the Lok Sabha polls.
It had claimed that 20-odd Congress MLAs were unhappy with the government and might take any decision after the results on Thursday. -- PTI
18:05 Union Council of Ministers meets at BJP office
Union Council of Minsters meeting underway at Bharatiya Janata Party office in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah present. -- ANI
17:34 Lavasa's dissent won't be made public: EC meet
Rejecting the demand of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, the 'full commission' on Tuesday ruled that dissents and minority views in EC orders in cases of model code violations would not be made public.
The dissent notes and minority views would remain part of records as it is the case now, the EC said in a statement.
"In the meeting of the Election Commission held today regarding the issue of MCC (Model Code of Conduct), it was inter alia decided that proceedings of the commission's meetings would be drawn, including the views of all the commission members.
"Thereafter, formal instructions to this effect would be issued in consonance with extant laws/rules, etc," the poll panel said in a statement.
Lavasa has recused himself from MCC violation cases, saying his dissent was not being made part of the orders. He had given his dissent in some of the commission's clean chits to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah in complaints of MCC violations.
The EC had maintained that since the poll code violation cases are not quasi judicial in nature, they are not signed by the chief election commissioner (CEC) and fellow commissioners, and thus, the dissent cannot be made part of the order.
"Status quo will be maintained. Dissent will not be made public but would form part of EC records," explained an official.
As per the law governing the functioning of the EC, efforts should have an unanimity, but in the case of a dissent, a majority (2:1) view prevails.
The full commission comprises CEC Sunil Arora and fellow commissioners Lavasa and Sushil Chandra. -- PTI
17:00 Delhi Metro's yellow line back on track
Normal services were restored on Delhi Metro's Yellow Line on Tuesday nearly four hours after a technical glitch on a section of the corridor left thousands of commuters stranded.
The train services were hit around 9.32 am due to breakdown of the overhead wire at Sultanpur station, leading to tripping of power supply in the section, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials said.
Rush-hour commuters were left hassled as trains were temporarily run in two loops -- between Huda City Centre and Sultanpur and between Samaypur Badli and Qutub Minar.
16:58 22 Oppn parties move EC against EVM tampering
Leaders of 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission officials today over reports of controversy over alleged tampering of voting machines.
Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu said that people's mandate cannot be manipulated.
"We are asking Election Commission to respect mandate of people. It cannot be manipulated," Naidu said.
"We raised these same issues in last one-and-a-half months. We asked Election Commission why have they not responded. Strangely, the EC heard us for almost an hour and assured us they will meet us again tomorrow," said senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.
Bahujan Samaj Parties's Satish Chandra Mishra said,"There is large-scale bungling relating to EVMs in Uttar Pradesh. We demand deployment of central forces."
Opposition parties have been sceptical about EVMs. -- ANI
15:51 Day after 10-year high, Sensex falls by 382 points
Just In: Sensex skids 382.87 points to close at 38,969.80; Nifty 119.15 points lower at 11,709.10.
15:49 Pranab 'concerned' over alleged EVM tampering
Former President Pranab Mukherjee today expressed concern at allegations of electronic voting machines tampering and said the "onus of ensuring institutional integrity" lies with the Election Commission.
"The safety and security of EVMs which are in the custody of the EC is the responsibility of the Commission," Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement.
A series of video clips have surfaced, which, opposition parties say, prove that EVMsare being tampered with or being transported in private cars in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.
"There can be no room for speculation that challenge the very basis of our democracy. People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any iota of reasonable doubt," said the former president.
"A firm believer in our institutions, it is my considered opinion that it is the 'workmen' who decide how the institutional 'tools' perform," he added.
15:44
Air India pilot, who is accused of sexual harassment, barred from entering airline's premises without permission: Official
15:38 MP govt to reopen murder case against Pragya
The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to reopen an old murder case against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Pragya Singh Thakur, a day after exit polls predicted a victory for her from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency.
The Congress-led government in the state will seek a legal opinion on reopening the murder case of ex-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Sunil Joshi, in which Pragya Singh was acquitted, state law minister P C Sharma said Tuesday.
Joshi was shot dead in Dewas district on December 29, 2007. Thakur and seven other accused were acquitted by a court there in 2017 due to lack of evidence against them.
The state government will appeal in a higher court to reopen the Joshi murder case, Sharma said.
The Dewas collector has been asked to submit a report in connection with the case, the minister added.
"We will seek a legal opinion on that report and then take a decision about moving a higher court," he said.
Sharma claimed that the then district collector took a decision on his own to shut the case, instead of sending it to the law department for legal opinion.
"The district collector should have sent the report to the law department instead of deciding that there was no need to move a higher court," he said.
The BJP dubbed the move as revenge politics.
"It looks like the MP government is going to take this decision because Pragya Thakur contested the election as BJP candidate against Congress' Digvijaya Singh. This is politics of revenge," state BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal said.
An accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Thakur is currently out on bail. -- PTI
15:05 Oppn insulting people's mandate by blaming EVMs: Naqvi
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday slammed the opposition parties over their allegations on EVM discrepancies, saying it amounted to insulting the vote of the people.
"People who are questioning EVMs are those who formed the government by this system. The Congress also formed its government by EVMs. The problem is that these people have realised that they are loosing and hence they are making such wild claims. They are insulting the vote of the people by blaming EVMs," Naqvi told ANI.
Later today, 21 opposition parties will knock the doors of Election Commission, pressing their demand of tallying VVPAT slips with EVM figures in an entire constituency, in case a discrepancy is found at any polling booth.
The Opposition is currently holding a meeting at Delhi's Constitution Club of India before visiting the EC office. -- ANI
15:03 BJP dreaming of forming govt in K'taka: Kharge
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday rejected speculation of the Bharatiya Janata Party forming a government in Karnataka.
The senior Congress leaders also snubbed claims made by BJP state chief Yeddyurappa, that over 20 MLAs will leave Congress after Lok Sabha poll results.
"They always keep dreaming. They were given a chance to form the government (in Karnataka). They were given a chance to prove majority on the floor which they could not do," Kharge said.
Yeddyurappa last week claimed that more than 20 "unhappy" Congress legislators will desert the grand old party after the declaration of general election results.
Earlier, Congress leader KC Venugopal had also claimed that many BJP MLAs will join his party after May 23.
Amid the widening rift between the Congress-Janata Dal Secular alliance and ongoing mudslinging between coalition leaders, Kharge said that there was no danger to the Karnataka government and asserted the unity of the ruling alliance.
Kharge said, "First no one wants to go to polls and, second, the alliance is united."
Contrary to Khadge's claims, state Congress leader Roshan Baig blamed his colleague KC Venugopal for the "collapse" of the coalition, calling the latter a "buffoon".
He also alleged that portfolios of the state government were "sold".
Baig, who is at loggerheads with the Congress party after not getting a ticket to contest the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, said that state president Dinesh Gundurao and Siddaramaiah should be held responsible if Congress doesn't perform well in the general elections. -- ANI
14:05 Delhi metro services hit, thousands stranded
A technical glitch disrupted services on Delhi Metro's Yellow Line for at least four hours on Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded on the road and traffic snarls all the way from Gurgaon to New Delhi.
Trains on the line that connects Huda City Centre in Gurgaon to Samaypur Badli in the city, running a distance of 49 km, stalled at 9.32 am and normal services were not resumed till after 1.30 pm. Services were hit due to a breakdown of the overhead wire at Sultanpur station, midway between Gurgaon and Delhi, leading to power supply tripping in the section, DMRC officials said.
"Due to a technical snag at a station, train services were affected on the Yellow Line," a senior DMRC official said. Trains were initially run between Huda City Centre and Sultanpur and between Samaypur Badli and Qutub Minar temporarily, he said. -- ANI
14:01 Amit Shah's 'thanksgiving' meet at 4:30 pm
BJP president Amit Shah has invited the union council of ministers to thank them for their 'service to the nation'. A get-together has been organised for 4:30 pm at the BJP HQ in New Delhi.
13:59 Oppn strategy meeting in Delhi begins
Top opposition leaders are now in a meeting in New Delhi to discuss the possibility of a non-NDA alliance staking claim to government formation and also move the Election Commission to press for their demand of tallying paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with electronic voting machine (EVM) figures.
Leaders of opposition parties such as the Congress, TDP, Left parties, BSP, NCP and TMC are meeting informally to discuss the way forward in case the NDA fails to get to the majority mark. Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), TDP's Chandrababu Naidu, Satish Chandra Misra of the BSP, Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Derek O'Brien of the TMC are at the meeting.
Notwithstanding exit polls that have predicted a majority for the BJP-led NDA, the opposition is going ahead with its strategy as most parties have trashed the forecast and claimed that the NDA would not get a majority in the Lok Sabha. Opposition leaders are citing previous examples when exit polls were proved wrong, as also elsewhere in the world like the surprise result in Australia.
13:36 Will take action against Baig: K'taka Cong chief
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief Dinesh Gundu Rao on Roshan Baig: It's unbecoming of a politician of his stature to be speaking like this, it ranks of pure political opportunism. We will take required action when the time is right.
13:35 BJP's Gopal Shetty orders 2000 kilo mithai
Mithai shop workers in Borivali, Mumbai ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections results on 23rd May. The shop owner says,"We've received an order of 1500-2000 kg sweets from BJP's Gopal Shetty (Mumbai North LS candidate). Workers are excited, so they're wearing Modiji's masks."
Urmila Matondkar is the Congress candidate from the seat. Read the interview with her here.
13:13 Congress' Roshan Baig calls KC Venugopal a 'buffoon'
Amidst the turmoil in the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka, Congress leader Roshan Baig on Tuesday called his party leader KC Venugopal a "buffoon" and blamed Siddaramaiah for the "collapse" of the alliance in the state.
"KC Venugopal is a buffoon. I feel sorry for my leader Rahul Gandhi ji. Buffoons like Venugopal, the arrogant attitude of Siddaramaiah and the flop show of Gundu Rao...The result is this," he told the media.
Asked whether Congress should have given more thought before giving portfolios in the state, Baig said, "Portfolios were sold. How can I blame Kumaraswamy for it? He wasn't allowed to function. From day one Siddaramaiah said 'I'm going to be the Chief Minister'.You have gone to their doorstep to form the government."
Amid all this, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has also cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi.
Later when a reporter questioned whether Siddaramaiah is responsible for the "collapse" of the government, Baig replied, "Yes. He is responsible."
Baig further alleged that "no seats were given to Christians and only one seat was given to Muslims in Karnataka.""They were ignored. I am upset with this, we have been used," he said. -- ANI
13:03 Swearing-in ceremony likely to be held in Rashtrapati Bhavan Durbar Hall
A list containing names of 542 newly elected MPs is likely to be submitted President Ram Nath Kovind at 5 pm on Saturday May 25. Three Election Commissioners headed by CEC Sunil Arora will present the list in a compendium to the President. The process to constitute 17th Lok Sabha thus will be set in motion with President Kovind inviting the Leader of the single largest party to form government.
The location of the swearing-in ceremony is likely to be the grand Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The other option was the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, but is highly unlikely.
The forecourt had been used to swear Narendra Modi as PM in 2014, but feedback of the uncomfortable experience has been taken into consideration this time around. IN any case, temperature in Delhi at 40C is hardly salubrious.
The 2019 ceremony, if the exit polls are to be believed and Narendra Modi gets another term, will be a simple affair with few invitees.
12:59 Naidu spearheads Oppn strategy
On Sunday, Chandrababu Naidu met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi separately in New Delhi, besides NCP supremo Pawar. Akhilesh and Mayawati also held a meeting on Monday and discussed their strategy going forward.
However, in view of the exit polls, the opposition has turned a bit cautious and decided not to hold any formal meetings.
Sources said the opposition strategy was to procure letters of support from various parties and in case of a hung verdict, to present the same before the president to stake claim to form the government. They added that the opposition did not want to leave anything to chance and did not wish to waste any time in staking claim for government formation and thus, was putting its house in order. Opposition parties will also be meeting the Election Commission and demand tallying of VVPAT slips with EVM figures in an entire Assembly constituency in case a discrepancy is found in any polling booth.
The Supreme Court has asked the EC to tally the VVPAT slips with the EVM figures of five polling stations in each Assembly constituency across the country, which may delay the results. In another releated development, the apex court Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during counting of votes on May 23 for Lok Sabha polls.
12:42 Oppn leaders to meet in Delhi on govt formation
Top opposition leaders will meet in New Delhi today to discuss the possibility of a non-NDA alliance staking claim to government formation and also move the Election Commission to press for their demand of tallying paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with electronic voting machine figures.
According to sources, leaders of opposition parties such as the Congress, TDP, Left parties, BSP, NCP and TMC will informally meet to discuss the way forward in case the NDA fails to get to the majority mark.
Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), TDP's Chandrababu Naidu, Satish Chandra Misra of the BSP, Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Derek O'Brien of the TMC are expected to take part in Tuesday's meeting among others.
Notwithstanding exit polls that have predicted a majority for the BJP-led NDA, the opposition is going ahead with its strategy as most parties have trashed the forecast and claimed that the NDA would not get a majority in the Lok Sabha.
Opposition leaders are citing previous examples when exit polls were proved wrong, as also elsewhere in the world like the surprise result in Australia.
As part of his efforts to unite the opposition, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader Naidu held a meeting on Monday with his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, at her Kolkata residence on forming a non-BJP government at the Centre in case of a hung verdict.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also telephoned Banerjee on Monday and discussed the strategy of the "Mahagathbandhan", sources said.
Naidu has been moving around across the country and has held several rounds of discussions with top opposition leaders in a bid to unite them and form an alliance to stake claim to form the next government in case the NDA falls short of the majority mark. -- PTI
Image: Leaders from the mahagathbandhan at HD Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru in May last year.
12:22 SC dismisses plea challenging appointment of observers for LS polls in Bengal
The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to entertain a plea challenging the appointment of two retired bureaucrats as special observer and central police observer in West Bengal for Lok Sabha polls.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and M R Shah said it was not inclined to entertain the petition as polling is already over. The bench, however, granted liberty to petitioner Ramu Mandi, who is contesting Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate from Barrackpore constituency of West Bengal, to approach the Calcutta High Court. -- PTI
12:21 Kumaraswamy cancels meet with oppn leaders
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi Tuesday, where he was expected to take part in a meeting of opposition leaders over the issue of Electronic Voting Machines, official sources said.
Speculation is rife in political circles that any adverse results for Congress-JD(S) alliance in this polls, would have its implications on the longevity of the Kumaraswamy-led government in Karnataka.
"The proposed visit of the chief minister to New Delhi today stands cancelled," the CMO said, without specifying any reasons.
According to the schedule of the chief minister shared with the media earlier, Kumaraswamy was to leave for Delhi by a special flight at 11 am and take part in meetings there, before heading back to the city in the evening.
According to JD(S) sources, the chief minister was to take part in the meeting of opposition leaders over the EVM issue.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha poll results on May 23, leaders of various opposition parties would meet the Election Commission (EC) and raise the issue of tallying paper trail of votes (VVPATs) with EVM figures.
Opposition parties are demanding tallying of VVPAT slips with EVM figures in an entire Assembly constituency in case a discrepancy is found in any polling booth. The court has asked the EC to tally the VVPAT slips with EVM figures of five polling stations in each Assembly constituency across the country, which may delay the results.
Kumaraswamy had on Monday voiced concern over the vulnerability of Electronic Voting Machines.
Hitting out at exit polls, the chief minister in a series of tweets had alleged that this "artificially engineered" or "manufactured" Modi wave is being used by the BJP to lure regional parties well in advance to fill any shortfall after the results on May 23.
The BJP would win big in Karnataka, the pollsters have predicted with the saffron party increasing its tally compared last time. Majority of the exit polls have predicted the BJP winning over 21 out of total 28 seats, compared to 17 last time.
Image: End of an alliance? Speculation is rife in political circles that any adverse results for Congress-JD(S) alliance in this polls will affect the longevity of the Kumaraswamy government.
11:47 Disproportionate assets case: CBI gives clean chit to Mulayam, Akhilesh
The CBI has given a clean chit to Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav in connection with a disproportionate assets case. The probe agency gave a clean chit to the SP leaders in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.
The CBI, in its affidavit, stated that it had closed the investigation on August 7, 2013, in the case and did not find any evidence to register a Regular Case against the father and son.
The apex court had earlier directed the CBI to file a status report in the case. The matter will now be heard in July when the Supreme Court will open after vacation. -- PTI
11:18 SC turns down 100% matching of VVPATs with EVMs
Two updates on the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls:
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking 100% matching of VVPAT with EVMs during counting of votes on May 23 for LS polls.
And the other news is that the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday reiterated that polled EVMs are safe in the sealed strong rooms which are under surveillance and also urged people to keep faith in the poll commission.
"Polled EVMs are safe in sealed strong rooms under security, CCTV coverage and surveillance of candidates. There is no possibility of changing EVMs. Don't panic and keep faith", the official handle of CEO, Uttar Pradesh tweeted on Tuesday.
The clarification by the polling officer comes after various rumours on social media regarding EVMs leading to tensions in some parts of the region.
In Mau, police had to disperse a crowd gathered outside a strong room last night.
In Bihar, RJD alleged suspicious movement of EVMs in Maharajganj and Saran parliamentary constituencies. The party's allegations were later refuted by the administration stating that it was for the purpose of training.
11:09 ECI announces re-polling at a Kolkata booth
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday ordered re-polling at a booth in Kolkata's Uttar parliamentary constituency. ECI declared void the poll held on May 19 at polling station number 200 of the Kolkata's Uttar parliamentary constituency.
The re-polling will be conducted on Wednesday, May 22 from 7 am to 6 pm.
BJP's Rahul Sinha, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay and CPI(M)'s Kaninika Bose Ghosh are in the fray from Kolkata Uttar constituency.
Earlier on Monday, a BJP delegation led by Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Railway minister Piyush Goyal approached the EC and urged it to conduct re-polling in the constituencies where violence had taken place during all the phases of the Lok Sabha polls.
The delegation had also requested the EC to withdraw false cases made against BJP leaders in West Bengal. -- ANI
11:06 Five more years of Narendra Modi will take India to a dark place
If the Indian prime minister is returned to office, his sectarian politics will make bigotry the defining ideal of the republic. Read the column in the Guardian.
10:42 Vivek Oberoi apologises for exit poll meme
Vivek Anand Oberoi apologises for the exit poll meme where he compared the ongoing elections to Aishwarya's affairs with Salman Khan and him and then her marriage to Abhishek Bachchan.
"Sometimes what appears to be funny and harmless at first glance to one, may not be so to others. I have spent the last 10 years empowering more than 2000 underprivileged girls, I cant even think of being disrespectful to any woman ever. Even if one woman is offended by my reply to the meme, it calls for remedial action. Apologies. tweet deleted."
Reacting to the heavy criticism on social media after he shared the meme Oberoi said Monday there was much ado about a "non-issue" and people were "politicising" the post unnecessarily.
Oberoi, who had dated the former Miss World in the early 2000s, posted a meme with three panels, one with him, another with Salman Khan and a third with her husband Abhishek and daughter Aaradhya on Twitter, captioned 'opinion poll', 'exit polls' and 'results'
"Haha! creative! No politics here... just life," Oberoi captioned the photo and credited the Twitter account that shared it.
Asked about the controversy over the tweet, Oberoi told reporters he doesn't understand "why people are making a big deal about this."
"Someone sent me a creative meme where I was being made fun of. I just wrote, 'Ha ha,' and appreciated the other person. When someone makes fun of you, you should laugh and not take it so seriously.
"I even wrote there that there's nothing political about it. It's life and such things happen in life that you are with someone and then you move on in life."
The actor said Aishwarya is "happy in her life and I am happy in mine".
"It's just a small meme. To take it so seriously and then give such a big reaction... The people, who are in the meme, haven't objected to it. But everyone has politicised it."
Aishwarya is currently in Cannes for the prestigious film festival.
10:29 Pragya Thakur, two other accused exempted from court appearance
A special court in Mumbai has granted exemption to the 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Chaturvedi from appearing before it this week. When the matter was taken up by the special NIA court on Monday, the three accused filed applications through their lawyers seeking exemption from appearance.
While Thakur and Chaturvedi said they are busy with preparations for the upcoming results of the Lok Sabha polls, which they had contested, Purohit cited personal difficulties. The court allowed the applications.
The court also allowed an application filed by lawyers of the accused persons to visit the blast site in Malegaon, a town about 200 kilometers from here in Maharashtra's Nashik district.
Last week, the special NIA court, which is conducting a trial against seven accused in the case, had directed all of them to appear before it at least once a week.
10:12 In memoriam
Congress President Rahul Gandhi, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pay tribute to former Prime Minister RajivGandhi, on his death anniversary at Veer Bhumi. Robert Vadra also present.
09:59 Sensex rises over 200 points to hit record high
The benchmark BSE Sensex jumped over 200 points to hit a record intra-day high of 39,565.82 as investors' euphoria over exit poll outcome continued in early session on Tuesday. The 30-share index was trading 205.24 points, or 0.52 per cent, higher at 39,557.91.
In similar movement, the broader NSE Nifty rose 48.90 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 11,877.15. In the previous session, the Sensex ended 1,421.90 points, or 3.75 per cent, higher at 39,352.67, and the Nifty soared 421.10 points, or 3.69 per cent, to 11,828.25.
Top gainers in the Sensex pack in morning trade include HDFC twins, Bajaj Finance, Coal India, RIL, Bajaj Auto, HUL, IndusInd Bank, Sun Pharma, Vedanta, Axis Bank and Asian Paints, rising up to 2.21 per cent. On the other hand, Tata Motors, Yes Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, SBI, Infosys, ONGC and TCS fell up to 3.18 per cent.
Most exit polls forecast another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The results of the seven-phase polls will come out Thursday. Meanwhile, market regulator Sebi and stock exchanges have beefed up their surveillance mechanism to check any manipulative activities in the market this week in view of the high-octane election related events lined up.
Foreign institutional investors bought equity worth Rs 1,734.45 crore on Monday, while domestic institutional investors sold shares to the tune of Rs 542.71 crore, provisional data available with stock exchanges showed.
Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in China, Japan and Korea were trading on a mixed note in their respective early sessions. Benchmarks on Wall Street ended in the red on Monday.
On the currency front, the rupee appreciated marginally to 69.71 against the US dollar in opening trade Tuesday. Brent crude, the global benchmark, was trading at 72.20 per barrel, higher by 0.32 per cent. -- PTI
09:45 You will always be my hero: Priyanka's tribute
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka also paid floral tributes to the late prime minister on his death anniversary at Veer Bhumi this morning.
Congress party general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted a poignant tribute on the death anniversary of her father Rajiv Gandhi today. She tweeted, "You will always be my hero" and posted this image (alongside) showing Rajiv embracing a young Priyanka with lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan's immortal poem Angnipath next to it. Priyanka was just 19 when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991.
Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra was also present with the Gandhi family and also paid obeisance.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former President Pranab Mukherjee paid homage to the former prime minister.
Born on August 20, 1944, Rajiv Gandhi had represented Uttar Pradesh's Amethi parliamentary constituency four times.
A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Rajiv Gandhi served as the sixth Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the assassination of his mother, then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide bomber during an election rally in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.
He was cremated at Veer Bhumi, located on the banks of the river Yamuna. -- ANI
09:36 Rahul, Priyanka worked hard, Cong will be a strong Oppn: Sena
Shiv Sena on Tuesday took a jibe at the Congress and said that the party will prove to be a strong Opposition in the Parliament as its president Rahul Gandhi and leader Priyanka Gandhi have worked hard in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
"We do not want to go by exit polls, but looking at the enthusiasm of the people, the trend and the mandate of Maharashtra has become clear. There is no need for a priest to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will again come to power in 2019," Shiv Sena said in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
"Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have definitely worked hard... They will be successful as a strong opposition. In 2014, their party did not have enough number of MPs to get the post of opposition in the Lok Sabha. This time the Leader of Opposition will be from Congress party, this should be termed as Rahul Gandhi's success," the party added.
Most of the exit polls on Monday projected that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will retain power at the Centre again.
Polling for seven-phased Lok Sabha elections started on April 11 and concluded on May 19.
The much-awaited results of the general elections will be announced on May 23. -- ANI
09:04 Gandhis pay homage to ex-PM Rajiv
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with her husband Robert Vadra pay tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary at Veer Bhumi.
08:35 F1 legend Niki Lauda passes away
Formula One legend Niki Lauda passed away at the age of 70 on Monday, a family spokeswoman confirmed in a statement.
"With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday," stuff.co.nz quoted the family spokesperson as saying.
"His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain. A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed," the spokesperson added.
The three-time world champion had received a lung transplant last year and then he was hospitalised with flu in January this year.
Mclaren F1 team paid their tributes to Lauda on Twitter and wrote "All at McLaren are deeply saddened to learn that our friend, colleague and 1984 Formula 1 World Champion, Niki Lauda, has passed away. Niki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history, #RIPNiki".
Lauda, won the F1 titles in 1975, 1977 and 1984.
He was hugely admired within the F1 fraternity.
He won two F1 titles for Ferrari and one for Mclaren.
He competed in 171 races in his lifetime and out of those, he succeeded in winning 25. Lauda, even suffered a horrific accident, leaving him severely burned and injured in 1976.
The Austrian, even had some business establishments including his own airline and he had senior roles in F1 management. -- ANI
Image: Niki Lauda, left, with Former England football star David Beckham. Photograph: Pablo Sanchez/Reuters
08:16 Don't be disheartened with exit polls: Priyanka to workers
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has sought to bolster the morale of party workers by asking them to not be disheartened by "rumours" and exit poll results and urged them to be alert at their respective booths.
Issuing a recorded audio message for Congress workers, she said they should not fall prey to "rumours and exit poll trends which are being promoted to undermine the spirits of Congress persons."
"Don't be disheartened with rumours and exit polls. These are crafted to undermine your spirits. Because of all this your alertness becomes all the more important. Be on your guard on strong rooms and counting centres. We are sure our and your hard work will bear fruit," Priyanka said in the message.
Most exit polls have predicted a majority for the BJP-led NDA, leaving the UPA far behind. -- PTI
00:17 UK foils 19 terror attacks in 2 years
The UK government announced a fresh crackdown on its nationals travelling to Islamic State territory in Syria as it revealed that Britain's security forces had foiled 19 major terror attacks in the past two years.
In a speech on national security at Scotland Yard headquarters in London, UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid warned British nationals to leave conflict-ridden territories or risk a jail term of up to 10 years, effectively imposing a ban on travel to Idlib and the northeast of Syria under new powers to tackle suspected terrorists.
"Each and every day, our security services fight against terror from large international terrorist groups, to radicalised individuals. In the past two years, they have foiled 19 major terrorist attacks 14 of them Islamist, and five of them motivated by extreme right-wing ideologies, said Javid, the UK's senior-most Pakistani-origin minister.
And despite this impressive work, the tempo of terrorist activity is increasing, he warned.
Laying out details of the UK's new Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act, he unveiled powers to designate a region anywhere in the world and make it an offence for British nationals to be there.
He said: I've asked my officials to work closely with CT (Counter-Terrorism) policing and intelligence agencies to urgently review the case for exercising this power in relation to Syria, with a particular focus on Idlib and the North East.
So, anyone who is in these areas without a legitimate reason should be on notice. I can also see that there may be a case in the future for considering designating parts of West Africa.
-- PTI
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