L A T E S T      N E W S

BJP all set to form government in Haryana 

CHANDIGARH: Riding a Modi wave, BJP, which contested Assembly polls on its own in Haryana for the first time, is set to form the new government, winning 24 seats and leading in 26 others in the 90-member Assembly.

As per the Election Commission, BJP has won 24 and was leading comfortably 26 others, Congress bagged 9 and leading in 5, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 12 and leading in 6 while its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had won one. HCJ was leading in two, HLP leading in one seat and Independents have won three and leading in 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed 11 rallies in the state in the run-up to the October 15 polls, has clearly helped BJP romp home comfortably, a senior party leader said.

Conceding defeat, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda hoped that the new dispensation will continue the growth momentum that has been in the state during its 10-year rule.

"A new government is going to come. I hope they will keep the growth momentum of Haryana," Hooda, who defeated INLD's Satish Kumar Nandal by 47,185 votes from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district, said.

INLD, which is out of power in the state for about a decade, is likely to end up as the second largest outfit in terms of number of seats won.

Outfits like Kuldeep Bishnoi's Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC BL) and its ally former union minister Venod Sharma's Jan Chetna Party (JCP), BSP, Left, Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) of Gopal Kanda, facing trial in air hostess suicide case, are set to bite the dust and their emergence on the political map of Haryana seems to be ebbing.

Prominent winners include Anil Vij (Ambala Cant), INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala, Naina Singh Chautala, wife of party's senior leader Ajay Singh Chautala and Haryana Minister and Congress party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Haryana Minister Savitri Jindal, mother of noted industrialist and former MP Naveen Jindal, lost to Dr Kamal Gupta of BJP.

Swaraj's sister Vandana Sharma, a political greenhorn, is ahead of her Congress rival in Safidon seat. 
Prominent BJP faces who won include chief ministerial aspirant and staunch RSS man Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal seat.

Latika Sharma of BJP, considered close to union minister Sushma Swaraj, won from Kalka seat defeating INLD heavyweight Pardeep Choudhary.

Among the bigwigs from the Congress who had to bite the dust include minister Mahender Partap Singh from Badkhal, late chief minister Bansi Lal's son and Haryana Cricket Association president Ranbir Singh Mahendra from Badhra, Hooda's Man Friday Bharat Bushan Batra from Rohtak seat.

INLD's state president Ashok Arora lost badly to BJP's Subhash Sudha from his traditional bastion Thanesar.

HJC also suffered a setback as party supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi's elder brother and former deputy chief minister Chander Mohan lost from Nalwa.

Jai Tirath of Congress won by a slender margin of three votes from his nearest rival Inderjeet of INLD.

SAD managed to retain Kalanwakli (R) seat from where party candidate Balkaur Singh romped home victorious defeating Shishpal Kherwala of Congress.
In Punahana seat, Independent Rahish Khan drubbed INLD's heavyweight Mohammade Ilyas.

During the 2009 Assembly elections, Congress had won 40 seats, INLD 31, BJP four, HJC-BL six, SAD and BSP one each and Independents seven. -PTI

Hooda accepts defeat in Haryana

Tarlochan Singh conferred with Sikh Lifetime Achievement Award 

Congress candidate from Rai segment wins 
by margin of 3 votes 

CHANDIGARH: Ruling Congress' sitting MLA from Rai Assembly segment in Sonepat district, Jai Tirath Dahiya won by a thin margin of three votes defeating his nearest rival of the Indian National Lok Dal.

As per the result declared by the Election Department, 62-year-old Jai Tirath polled 36,703 votes as against his 68-year-old INLD rival Inderjeet Dahiya's 36,700.

BJP candidate Krishna Gahlawat got 34,523 votes and finished at third position.
A total of 15 candidates had entered the fray from the Rai constituency.

Among those who were in fray included candidates from the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) and BSP, besides the Independents. -PTI

Former CM Rane accepts defeat, takes solace 
in son's victory 

MUMBAI: Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Narayan Rane, who was defeated in the Assembly elections from Kudal in Sindhudurg district, said this afternoon that he accepted the outcome.

"I accept the defeat. People of Konkan brought me into politics and gave me a chance to serve them. Now they have handed me my first electoral defeat," he said, speaking to reporters in his constituency.

Rane, a former Shiv Sena leader, was defeated by Sena's Vaibhav Naik by about 9,000 votes. The defeat is embarrassing for Congress as he was the party's campaign committee chief.

Rane, however, congratulated his son Nitesh, who won from neighbouring Kankavli on Congress ticket.

"People of Kankavli have elected a hard-working young man such as Nitesh with a margin of over 25,000 votes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Kankavli had no impact on his electoral chances," he noted. -PTI

Maharashtra will have BJP Chief Minister, says Fadnavis 

MUMBAI: With BJP set to emerge as the single-largest party in Maharashtra assembly poll, its state President Devendra Fadnavis today said the next chief minister will be from the party. 

"BJP will form the next government in Maharashtra. There will be a BJP chief minister," Fadnavis, a frontrunner for the post, told reporters here.

"Our parliamentary board will take a decision (on CM candidate)," he said, adding "we will provide a transparent government."

Maintaining that the people had placed great faith in BJP, he said, "The situation emerging now is that our tally will go up to over two-and-a-half times than our previous tally."

BJP had won 46 seats in 2009 polls. -PTI

BJP won't approach others for alliance

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said it will not approach other parties for an alliance in Maharashtra.

"We are the bigger party. We don't need to approach other parties for an alliance," party leader Om Mathur told a TV channel. "Other parties will now approach us for an alliance." 

The BJP has won 17 seats in Maharashtra and is leading in 104 in the 288-seat assembly. –Agencies

Country's richest woman loses in Haryana polls

CHANDIGARH: Savitri Jindal, the richest woman in the country, lost from the Hisar assembly seat, officials said on Sunday.

Jindal, who was elected from Hisar in 2005 and 2009 and is a minister in the outgoing Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state, lost to BJP candidate Kamal Gupta by 13,646 votes.

Jindal, who is the mother of billionaire industrialist-cum-politician Naveen Jindal, trailed during counting. She was the Congress candidate on the Hisar seat.

She is the chairperson of the multi-billion rupee OP Jindal group that has interests in the steel, power and mining sectors. First named the country's richest woman in 2008 by Forbes, she has retained the position in the October issue of the respected business magazine.

She has been placed 12th in the list of India's richest, with a net family worth of $6.4 billion (Rs.395 billion). The list includes industrialists Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani, NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and realtor K.P. Singh. –IANS

Cong workers demand Priyanka join active politics

NEW DELHI: With trends projecting a defeat for Congress in both Maharashtra and Haryana, a group of party workers gathered outside the AICC office here demanding that Priyanka Gandhi join active politics.

This is not the first time that such a demand has been made but it has repeatedly been snubbed by Priyanka, who had even issued a terse statement sometime back asking people to eschew from such speculation.

Waving posters, which read ''Priyanka Lao Congress Bachao' (Bring Priyanka; Save Congress)', 200 to 250 party workers, a larger number of them women, appealed to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to take the initiative to bring his sister into politics.

"We appeal to Rahul ji to bring Priyanka Gandhi into active politics of Congress at a time when the party is passing through tough times. She can supplement him in stopping the march of Narendra Modi," a worker said outside the party office.
Some of the party workers gathered outside said that had Priyanka been brought earlier and campaigned in both states, the Assembly election results in Maharashtra and Haryana could have been different.

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) leader Jagdish Sharma, who led the group, said the successive defeat of the party in elections make it now all the more necessary to bring Priyanka into active politics of the party to better its prospects.

"Had Priyanka Gandhi campaigned for the party in Maharasthra and Haryana, the results could have been different. In Lok Sabha polls, there was a talk of Narendra Modi wave. At that time Priyanka Gandhi was given responsibility to campaign for Raebareli and Amethi and Congress won there," Sharma, who is the National Vice President of INTUC, told PTI.

He said Congress workers are "sad" with such results for the party and feel that it's time that Priyanka is given an important responsibility in Congress for which "Rahul Gandhi, himself should take initiative." -PTI

BJP single largest in Maha, Sena comes 2nd 

MUMBAI: Falling short of a majority, BJP is emerging as the largest party in Maharashtra assembly and Shiv Sena is finishing second, triggering conciliatory noises from the two former allies over government formation but each appeared to be waiting for the other to blink first.

In its maiden outing without the crutches of Shiv Sena in 25 years, BJP was way ahead of rivals with 16 seats in its kitty and its candidates leading in 106 constituencies in the 288-member Assembly, short of the half way mark of 144.

Shiv Sena, though second in the race, was far behind with its nominees winning 12 seats and ahead in 43.

Congress, which along with NCP ruled the state for 15 years in a row, looked set for a major debacle with the likelihood of finishing behind its former ally.

The party has pocketed 10 seats and is leading in 31, while NCP has secured 8 seats and its candidates are ahead in 37 constituencies.

Of the 52 seats declared so far, CPI-M, MNS, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi have won one seat each, while independents have bagged two.

In a major setback for Congress, its campaign committee chief and former Chief Minister Narayan Rane lost to Shiv Sena candidate Vaibhav Naik in Kudal.

Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan of Congress, NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar were, however, leaving in Karad South and Baramati. A top Congress Minister Harshwardhan Patil was trailing in Indapur.

Owning moral responsibility for the rout, state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre resigned.

"People have given us a mandate to play the role of opposition, and we will be a constructive opposition," he said.

With BJP certain be the winner but failing to secure a majority on its own, its leaders including state party chief Devendra Fadnavis have said the the chief minister's post will go to the party.

"People have given us the responsibility and we will do whatever is needed to fulfil that responsibility. The government will led by us," BJP MP from Mumbai Kirit Somaiya told a press conference.

There has been speculation that Shiv Sena could demand chief ministership as a condition for the reunion with BJP to form government despite the latter emerging as the largest party

However, the estranged former allies appeared willing to bury the hatchet. -PTI

Ashok Chavan blames state leadership for Maha poll drubbing

MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Sunday blamed the state leadership for the drubbing received by Congress in the Assembly polls and dismissed the notion of any 'Modi wave'.

"BJP has not won because there was some Modi wave here.

It all boils down to the anti-incumbency factor. Had the state leadership handled issues more responsibly, we would have been much better off than what we are today," he told PTI.

The Congress-NCP break up at the eleventh hour dented the image of both the parties in the mind of the electorate, he said.

"We worked very hard for the welfare of our state in the last 15 years, but we failed to project our achievements and our development in front of the people. I wish the state leadership had handled the election issue carefully," said the Lok Sabha MP from Nanded.

Congress will start working on its revival plan without wasting any time, he said.

"We will immediately go an analysis of our defects and shortcomings. Our strength and weakness coupled with the current political situation will be kept in mind while working towards our revival," said Chavan, one of the two MPs from Congress who won the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

"For now, we can only very humbly accept the people's verdict," he added. -PTI

NCP offers outside support to BJP

MUMBAI: In a surprise development, the NCP on Sunday offered outside support to BJP to form a government in Maharashtra "in the interest of stability and development" of the state.

"The people of Maharashtra have not given mandate to any single party. No party is in a position to form a stable government on its own. Keeping in mind the interest of Maharashtra people, we feel we should support the party which can form the government. Maharashtra needs a stable government.

"BJP has emerged as single largest party and we feel that we should given them support from outside so that they can form the government in the interest of the stability and development of the state," NCP leader Praful Patel told reporters here.

The NCP, which was in the government headed by Congress for last 15 years in the state, has won 16 seats and was ahead in 27 others in 288-member Assembly. -PTI