Politics

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday ended her campaign for the Lok Sabha polls with a huge road show that traversed various areas of south Kolkata.

Banerjee was accompanied by her Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member and film actor Mithun Chakraborty and party candidates for the Jadavpur and Kolkata South constituencies Sugata Bose and Subrata Bakshi respectively.

Both constituencies would go to the hustings alongside 15 others May 12, when the staggered five-phase polling for the 42 seats in the state would come to an end.

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje today exuded confidence of winning all the 25 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

Raje took feedback from the party office bearers and leaders from across the state at a meeting at the party headquarters here and said that she was confident that the party would win all the seats, thus making her Mission-25
successful.

A total of 55 additional general observers will be present in West Bengal to supervise the counting of votes May 16, while the state is likely to get 17 more special observers to monitor the final phase of the Lok Sabha polls May 12.

An Election Commission official said here that apart from the 43 general observers, 55 more will maintain vigil across the 48 counting venues in the state.

Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal’s office has forwarded an application by an AAP worker seeking action against BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over his non-disclosure of the marital status in the past to the state Home Department.

AAP activist Nishant Verma has sought cancellation of Modi’s election to Assembly from Maninagar in 2012, and his nomination for Lok Sabha from Vadodara in ongoing election.

Attacking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the Saradha chit fund scam, CPI-M leader Gautam Deb Saturday said she can give a lot of information to the CBI as she knows “everything”about the scandal.

“Mamata Banerjee knows everything. She can give lot of information to CBI,” Deb said, a day after the Supreme Court handed over the probe into the multi-crore scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

He alleged that Banerjee had taken “benefits” from the Saradha and questioned by she was so intent on saving the media houses owned by the company.

A repoll will be held Sunday in a booth of the Bishnupur Lok Sabha constituency where an FIR has been registered against the local Trinamool Congress legislator on allegations of false voting during the May 7 polls, according to an Election Commission official.

Election Commission’s special observer to West Bengal Sudhir Kumar Rakesh said the repoll will take place in the Sahapur Primary School of the Sonamukhi assembly segment in Bankura district.

BJP candidate Smriti Irani, who is pitted against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, has appealed to the Election Commission for appointing a special observer to ensure free and fair counting in the constituency.

In her plea to Chief Election Commissioner, Irani cited various incidents to allege that during polling her complaints to the poll authorities in Amethi have gone unheeded.

Seeking immediate remedial measures to ensure a free and fair election in Amethi parliamentary constituency, Irani alleged that the local administration has “failed miserably to do their obligated duty”.

Soon after his marathon campaign came to an end, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi tonight held a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here to review the electioneering and discuss future course of action.

Modi, who was campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, landed in Delhi after electioneering in the nine-phased polls drew to a close and went straight to meet former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“After addressing final campaign rally came to seek Atalji’s blessings. Had met him when campaign started. Its always special to meet him,” the Gujarat Chief Minister
tweeted.

BJP candidate Smriti Irani, who is pitted against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, has appealed to the Election Commission for appointing a special observer to ensure free and fair counting in the constituency.

In her plea to Chief Election Commissioner, Irani cited various incidents to allege that during polling her complaints to the poll authorities in Amethi have gone unheeded.

Seeking immediate remedial measures to ensure a free and fair election in Amethi parliamentary constituency, Irani alleged that the local administration has “failed miserably to do their obligated duty”.

As poll campaign drew to a close in this keenly-watched constituency, BJP President Rajnath Singh today took a dig at Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying there was no bigger ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) than Narendra Modi who used to sell tea made by his father.

Addressing BJP’s last press conference for the polls set to take place on May 12, Singh hit out at all other parties,
namely Congress, SP and BSP, but did not even name AAP whose national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is also fighting against
Modi here.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that since the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has failed on all fronts, the people are eager to get rid of this government.

Taking Narendra Modi head on, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate does not understand the strength of India and its people and accused his party of following a politics that was “full of anger”.

Also attacking him on Snoopgate issue, Gandhi advised Modi to change slogans on his posters where it was promised that he would give power to women, as “he was the person sending police after women and tapping their phone in Gujarat.”

BJP’s prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi will be one of the candidates whose fortunes will be decided when the last lot of 18 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh go to the polls Monday.

Also in contest that day are AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, one of two main opponents of Modi in Varanasi, and Samajwadi Party chieftain Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is fighting it out in Azamgarh. The Monday voting will mark the end of staggered polling in Uttar Pradesh, a politically critical state that picks 80 Lok Sabha MPs, as well as the entire country.

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party on Saturday engaged in a verbal spat over the Election Commission’s (EC’s) decision to allow Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to undertake a roadshow in the Muslim dominant and congested Bemiyan area of Varanasi, while at the same time denying BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi permission to address a rally in the vicinity a couple of days ago.

Elated by Rahul Gandhi’s impressive roadshow here, Congress today claimed “100 per cent” success for its nominee Ajai Rai and dismissed suggestions that it is fighting for a “silver medal” in Varanasi polls.

“100 per cent chance…I am not bothered who is our competitors. We are just here to campaign for our party and see the success of our candidate,” senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said when asked how much confidence the party has about the success of Rai, who is taking on BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Returning the compliment to Narendra Modi who had campaigned against him in Amethi, Rahul Gandhi today took out an impressive roadshow on the last day across Varanasi, where the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate is contesting.

Starting his journey from a Muslim dominated Gol Gadda area, the Congress Vice President, flanked by party candidate Ajay Rai, waved to the cheering crowds while standing in his vehicle as his convoy travelled a distance of 12 kilometres in four hours.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Saturday held a roadshow
here in favour of party candidate Ajay Rai from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul Gandhi reached the Babatpur airport in the state and then flew in a chopper to Varanasi city. His roadshow saw thousands of people lining both sides of the route in the city.

His cavalcade passed through many localities dominated by the minority. Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Pramod Tiwari, Madhusudan Mistry and Mukul Wasnik.

The BJP Saturday attacked the Election Commission for allowing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to hold a roadshow in Varanasi, two days after BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was denied permission to hold a rally in the same constituency.

“Why was the Rahul roadshow permitted when Modi was denied permission (to hold a rally in) the same area?” Jaitley said, referring to Beniya Bagh. He attributed it to “political motive”.

“Security restrictions exist only for the BJP, not for the others?”

Bharatiya Janata Party vice president Muktar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said the battle for second position in the 2014 general elections is between the Congress Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, suggesting that there was no doubt in his mind that the BJP will emerge as the top contender to form the next government

Talking to ANI, Naqvi described the poll competition for second spot as being between Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as the “Maalik” or “Master”, and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal as the “Mohra” or “Pawn”.

Union minister Beni Prasad Verma on Friday said no political party would get a majority in ongoing Lok Sabha elections and need of the hour was that all parties should unite to thwart Narendra Modi from becoming the Prime Minister.

“No political party is going to get majority including the Congress which will, however, emerge as the single largest party. Under these circumstances all non-BJP parties should unite. This is need of the hour” to stop Modi from becoming the Prime Minister, the Congress leader said.

Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh on Friday said in Indore that Varanasi District Magistrate acted in an impartial manner by denying permission to a rally of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

“Modi is facing a threat to his life and in the absence of police and Intelligence Bureau report it is not possible for the district administration to grant permission to him for holding a rally. Had anything happened, the DM could have lost his job,” said Digvijaya.

A special CBI court on Friday summoned BJP leader Amit Shah along with 36 others in the Tulsiram Prajapati encounter case of 2006.

A special judge JT Utpat here summoned all accused to appear before the court on May 23.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet in the case on September 29, 2012, against Shah and 18 others, including several police officers.

The court has also rejected the bail application filed by suspended IPS officer DG Vanzara who is an accused in the Sohrabbudin encounter case.

In April 2014, the papers of the case were transferred to Mumbai CBI court from Gujarat.

After Narendra Modi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today held a massive roadshow here and hit out hard at the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate for his “helicopter and corrupt politics” while claiming that both the BJP and the Congress will “disintegrate” after the May 16 results. Kejriwal said it was an election that would change the “direction and fate of the country”.

Taking on Congress president Sonia Gandhi for calling him a person of “low thought”, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Friday accused her of “stooping low” due to impending defeat in the general elections.

Addressing his 12th and last Bharat Vijay 3-D rally, Modi said he had suffered “intolerable pain” due to such allegations during the campaign but charged the Congress with “having lost its base” and having “no determination” left to put up a fight.

The Election Commission Friday issued a notice to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi saying that he had violated model code of conduct with his speech in Himachal Pradesh this month in which he alleged people will be killed if BJP comes to power.

In its notice to Gandhi, the Commission asked him to explain his stand by 11 a.m. Monday.

The poll panel said it had received a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party enclosing a video CD and press clippings of his speech in Solan in the hill state May 1.