Two ECs must quit, says Lalu
Claims partisan role in Bihar
Patna, May 7
The Election Commission was mired in a fresh controversy today when Railway Minister Lalu Prasad demanded immediate resignation of Election Commissioners B.B. Tandon and N. Gopalaswamy, who were accused by a senior IAS official of having made every attempt to countermand the poll in the Chapra Lok Sabha constituency last year.
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PM, Vajpayee meet amid standoff
New Delhi, May 7

Even as bitterness over continuing boycott of Parliament by the NDA was in the air, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his immediate predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee today did not allow it to prevail on them as they briefly interacted at a public function.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the inauguration of Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial in New Delhi on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Manmohan leaves for Moscow today
New Delhi, May 7
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves here tomorrow for Russia to participate in the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Allies’ victory in World War II. During this short multilateral visit, he will hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the margins, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Power crisis looms over region
New Delhi, May 7
With the onset of summer season, the power situation is likely to worsen in the Northern region, including in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, UP and other states. Despite the power ministry’s claims of improvement in power generation by about 5 per cent this year and entry of private sector players, the crisis will prevail.

Haryana Governor’s turn to rule Chandigarh: Hooda
Chandigarh, May 7
Haryana now wants to rule the capital city of Chandigarh. The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has demanded that the powers to administer Chandigarh should be given to the Governor of Haryana. Successive Punjab Governors have been running the affairs of Chandigarh Administration for the last 21 years.

Gunman’s body found, kin blame MLA
Patiala, May 7
The body of former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh’s gunman was fished out of the Narwana Branch Canal dowstream of Gandakheri village in the district this afternoon. A team of doctors conducted a post-mortem examination late this evening even as grieving relatives accused the Congress politician of being responsible for the death of the gunman and demanded justice in the matter.

Nobel replica restored in Tagore’s abode Santiniketan, May 7 The replica of the Nobel medal of Rabindranath Tagore was handed over to the Vice-Chancellor of Viswa Bharati University by External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh during a special programme here today. External Affairs Minister, K. Natwar Singh showing two replicas of Tagore’s stolen Nobel medallion to Nobel laureat Amartya Sen during a function in Santiniketan on Saturday. — PTI photo