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Let House function, govt urges parties
After CPI, Jaya teams up with CPM
BJP’s first list of LS candidates soon
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Delhi Cabinet clears Lokpal
Protect N-E people in metros: PIL in SC
Nido’s death: Rahul joins protesters
SC asks residents, civic body to resolve Campa Cola flats row
Cong workers to pick LS candidates by voting
Parties gear up to woo Maratha community
Cross-LoC bus service resumes after two weeks
India, Germany to ink pact on green energy corridor
India renews interest in Iran-Pak gas pipeline
Resolve dispute in a week, SC tells Centre
Maoists pose strategic threat to NE: Haldar
Telangana Bill: Focus shifts to national capital
Cong MP calls for ‘open access’ for power users
RS poll: Cong under pressure to ensure ally candidate’s win
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Let House function, govt urges parties
New Delhi, January 3 Addressing a press conference here after an all-party meeting, Union Ministers P
Chidambaram, Kamal Nath and Manish Tewari, who are members of the Group of Ministers
(GoM-Media), appealed to all political parties to cooperate with the government in passing key bills in the two Houses. Asked for his comment on Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj’s charge that the government wanted to use Parliament as a platform for pushing forward Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s poll agenda, Kamal
Nath, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, pointed out that all these Bills were old and there was no question of pushing forward anybody’s agenda. The charge by
Sushma, he said, was a ploy not to allow these legislations to be passed and subsequently claim that the BJP was in favour of passing anti-corruption legislations. As many as 39 Bills, including the anti-corruption legislations, have been listed in the session. The session, convened mainly for the passage of the Vote-on-Account and interim Railway budget, will have 12 sittings between February 5 and
21. Chidambaram said he wanted a discussion on vote-on-account before its passage in the Lok
Sabha. The Interim Budget would mainly contain proposals, except those relating to amending tax laws, he said. Changes would be made in tax rates that do not require amendments to the laws. However, the government appeared conscious that the session could witness trouble over the Telangana Bill that seeks division of Andhra
Pradesh. The Bill is expected to be introduced in this session despite rejection by the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and MPs from
Seemandhra, including those from Congress, have made clear their intent to oppose it tooth and nail. The Samajwadi Party, which is opposed to smaller states, has also made it clear that it will oppose the Bill. “I asked parties to make their stand clear whether they are for corruption or against corruption, whether they are for Telangana or against
Telangana. There should be no 'ifs' and 'buts',” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister added.
39 Bills listed
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After CPI, Jaya teams up with CPM
Chennai, February 3 “I am happy to announce that the AIADMK and the CPM have decided to enter into an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. And we expect that this alliance would be very successful,” said AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa in the presence of CPM leader Prakash Karat. The CPM general secretary said that the two parties were confident that their alliance would be successful in Tamil Nadu and also "contribute to providing an alternative to the country." “I think it is very much clear that there are large number of parties — non-Congress as well as non-BJP parties — which have substantial support and strength in this country. This will be reflected in the upcoming elections,” Karat said. To a query as to who would be their prime ministerial candidate, Jayalalithaa and Karat said that it was pointless for any party to enter into such discussions now as the question would arise only after the election results were out. The AIADMK had yesterday announced that its alliance with the CPI for the Lok Sabha elections. Left parties in Tamil Nadu have remained with the AIADMK since the 2011 Assembly elections, while Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Thamizhagam have left the alliance and joined hands with the DMK. — PTI
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BJP’s first list of LS candidates soon
New Delhi, February 3 Though the names have been finalised, it would be interesting to see the age group of those who make it to the marquee in the first shot. The senior leadership and even the sangh parivar has been advocating that leaders above 75 years of age should refrain from the poll fray in 2014 but many elderly politicians have already thrown in their hat in the ring. There is intense speculation on whether the name of veteran leader LK Advani is among those whose name is announced in the first list. Advani’s name has been cleared by the Parliamentary Board, the party’s top decision making body, and now that his war for supremacy with party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi is almost over, at least openly, he is expected to contest the seat he currently holds, Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Sources say the initial list may include candidates from the BJP’s strongholds of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and MP but a vast majority are likely to be from smaller states like Goa, Uttarakhand, HP, the northeast and even Delhi. The list will include between 50 and 100 candidates for non-controversial and pro-BJP constituencies. Though Modi’s candidature is expected to be kept closed, party circles are abuzz with speculation that he may contest Ahmedabad east.
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Delhi Cabinet clears Lokpal
New Delhi, February 3 The Bill, which recommends punishment ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment for officers and ministers accused of corruption, was passed without seeking approval of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the Union Home Ministry. “The Bill will neither be sent to the LG nor the Central government for approval. It will be tabled directly in the Assembly,” said top Delhi Government official, adding that it was nowhere written in the Constitution. Education Minister Manish Sisodia told mediapersons that the Bill provided no special provisions to even the Chief Minister. “It is a historic day for the people of the city as the Delhi Jan Lokpal has been approved by the Cabinet. Every person working in the Delhi Government, right from the Chief Minister to a peon, is covered under the Bill,” Sisodia said. The Bill will be presented in a special Assembly session at Indira Gandhi Stadium on February 16 where common people will also be invited. With provisions for whistle-blowers as well, the Bill ensures strict punishment to officers, bureaucrats and ministers. The only law that is close to this Bill is the one passed by the Uttarakhand Assembly in 2011, but it, too, had a few limitations in filing complaints against ministers. The Aam Aadmi Party had promised an effective Jan Lokpal Bill while campaigning for the Delhi elections and promised to pass it within 15 days after coming to power.
What this Bill means
The Lokpal institution will comprise a chairperson and 10 members. At least one-third of the members should have extensive outstanding knowledge of law. The Lokpal chairperson and members will be selected by a panel comprising the chief minister, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, two High Court judges selected in a full court meeting, one previous Lokayukta and two eminent citizens to be selected by other members of the selection committee. The tenure of the Lokpal chairperson and members will be seven years. It will cover all public servants. The Bill provides a legal right of protection to whistle-blowers and witnesses, including officials and individuals coming forward to provide information in cases of corruption. It provides for time-bound investigation and trial of corruption cases. The Lokpal will have the power to initiate a probe on on its own (suo motu) or on a complaint from an individual. If the beneficiary of an offence is a business entity, in addition to the punishment provided under this law, the guilty will have to pay a fine up to five times the loss caused to public exchequer.
The Bill in a nutshell
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Protect N-E people in metros: PIL in SC
New Delhi, February 3 “People of Northeast India have always remained vulnerable and have been subjected to various offences, indignities, harassment, humiliation and racial discrimination in other parts of the country. As their physical appearance is different, they are subjected to intentional insults, intimidation, sexual exploitation,” according to the Public Interest Litigation filed by Ranbir Yadav, BK Sharma and Abhishek Garg. Pleading with the apex court for issuing safety guidelines, they said the government had failed to promote harmony and a spirit of brotherhood among Indians, transcending religious, linguistic and regional identities, besides its inept handling of hate attacks. The petition has cited the killing of a 20-year-old student, Nido Taniam from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi last week (January 29), the death of a Manipuri student, Loitam Richard, in Bangalore in 2012 and the suicide by a Meghalaya girl, Dana Sangma, in Noida in 2012. The attacks had created a feeling among people from the Northeast that their lives were not being protected in other parts of the country and this posed a grave threat to national unity and integrity, the Public Interest Litigation added.
HC takes note of Nido episode
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Nido’s death: Rahul joins protesters
New Delhi, February 3 Earlier in the day, Rahul spoke to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the phone urging him to order a judicial probe into the case after a delegation of students from the northeast met him at his residence. Later in the day, he surprised everyone by joining protestors at Jantar Mantar and reassuring them that they would be protected in the country. Arriving at Jantar Mantar around 7 pm, he also promised a judicial probe into the matter, something he had discussed with Shinde earlier in the day. "I think what happened is unacceptable. I understand your sentiment. You are looking for the setting up of a committee and that strict action should be taken. We have started work on both demands. You can expect a detailed study by the committee on the issue faced by the north-easterners," he said. Shinde is learnt to have promised Rahul to start working on the probe panel soon as he returns to Delhi tomorrow. MoS Minority Affairs Ninong Erring, who represents Arunachal East in the Lok Sabha, led the delegation of students to Rahul's residence earlier today. The delegation submitted a memorandum to Rahul. Meanwhile, Delhi Police today said they had identified six accused and have arrested three. Kejri to sit on dharna Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today assured a delegation of northeast students in the capital that he would join their protest for speedy justice. The delegation accompanied by Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering submitted a memorandum to the CM. After meeting Kejriwal, activist Binalakshmi Nepram said the CM had assured them of taking up the issue with the Lieutenant Governor and press for immediate police action in the case. — PTI
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SC asks residents, civic body to resolve Campa Cola flats row
New Delhi, February 3 “The Attorney General is asked to sort out the matter. It is better to try to sort out the issue within four weeks,” a bench of justices SJ Mukhopadhya and Kurian Joseph said. The court's remarks came when senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the residents’ body, said the proposal, which may include a plea for either regularisation of illegal construction or relocating flat owners, was being finalised and would be submitted to Attorney General G E Vahanvati within two weeks. — PTI
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Cong workers to pick LS candidates by voting
New Delhi, February 3 Part of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s pet “Lok Sabha Primaries” pilot, the project has started in Guwahati and Dakshina Kanadda Lok Sabha segments. These segments will set the trend for 12 others where the party has decided to have a representative section of leaders and cadres choose candidates for the General Election rather than the party high command working out things behind closed doors. The remaining 12 segments where the project will be launched on February 10 are: Vadodra and Bhavnagar in Gujarat; Bangalore North in Karnataka, Indore and Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh; Aurangabad and Yavatman Washim in Maharashtra; Bikaner and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Sant Kabir Nagar and Varanasi in UP and Kolkata Uttar in West Bengal. Except Mandsaur and Jhunjhunu which are represented by Congress MPs, all other constituencies are held by Opposition parties and hence present an opportunity at experimentation. Interestingly, while ministers and sitting MPs from New Delhi Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath recently objected to their segments being included in Primaries, Rahul’s aide and Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan offered her area for inclusion. From Delhi, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Ajay Maken has offered his segment while another general secretary in charge of Rajasthan has offered his constituency in Maharashtra for the Primaries experiment. The process of candidate selection under the new system will happen through an electoral college of Congress leaders and workers comprising MPs, MLAs, MLCs present and past; heads of party organisations and committees, municipal corporations and elected sarpanches and panchayat leaders. “The electoral college can have 1,000 to 1,500 people depending on the voters in a given Lok Sabha constituency. They will all vote on a given day to select the candidate for the segment,” Madhusudan Mistry, Congress general secretary in charge of ticket selection told The Tribune. Returning officers from within the organisation have been nominated to prepare the voters’ list which will be published on the websites of all district Congress committees under chosen LS segments so objections can be invited. “The important bit is that people with criminal background can’t apply for the contest. The scrutiny of documents will be done by us and our decision will be final. Candidates resorting to unfair means for canvassing will be disqualified,” said KJ Rao of the Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections, a community building organisation engaged in the promotion of inner party democracy. The Congress has outsourced the scrutiny for primaries to FAME, which has former election commissioners among members. Two segments from Delhi are expected to be included in the new system. “We are yet to decide on the Delhi segments,” Prakash Joshi, Congress secretary in charge of Primaries said.
New strategy
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Parties gear up to woo Maratha community
Mumbai, February 3 The ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition in the state has begun the process of including the Marathas among those considered eligible for reservation in educational institutions and government jobs in the state. State Revenue Minister Narayan Rane had submitted a report last year recommending that 25% of seats in educational institutions and in government jobs be reserved for the community. “We are considering implementing parts of the Narayan Rane report before the elections," a Home Department official told this reporter. The Marathas account for 35% of the state's population and most members of the community are engaged in agriculture. The ruling front has been facing a tough battle from the BJP whose leader Narendra Modi has been eulogising legendary Maratha warrior Shivaji during his meetings in the state.
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Cross-LoC bus service resumes after two weeks
Srinagar/Poonch, February 3 The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service resumed via Uri in Baramulla district of north Kashmir and Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district of Jammu region. It is the first major breakthrough in resolution of the deadlock over the cross-LoC trade that was stalled since January 17 after narcotics worth Rs 100 crore were recovered from a Pakistani truck in Uri. After the driver’s arrest in India, the PoK authorities had retaliated by detaining 27 Indian truck drivers after which 48 Pakistani truckers were also held up on the Indian side. The bus service that resumed operation today is only for the divided families who have relatives on both sides of the LoC. At the Kaman Bridge (Aman Setu) near Uri, 120 km from here, sixty-four Kashmiris from both sides crossed over at zero point. “At Uri crossing, the bus from our side ferried 28 people to Muzaffarabad, while 10 from PoK returned home,” said Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Firdous Iqbal. “Also, 34 residents of the Valley returned home along with two new guests from the other side,” he said. In Poonch, 72 people, including 69 from PoK, returned home. Most of the people who crossed over were stranded in various parts of the state after the two sides suspended the bus services. “I was happy when I heard that the bus service has resumed and now I will be able to go back to meet my relatives in my country,” said Akbar from Kotli, a PoK resident who boarded the bus from Poonch crossing.
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India, Germany to ink pact on green energy corridor
New Delhi, February 3 Addressing a press conference today ahead of his President’s visit, German Ambassador Michael Steiner said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had shown desire to cooperate with Germany in this critical area when he visited Berlin last year. Since then, the two sides were in touch and have now given final touches to the proposed agreement. The President will be accompanied by a high-ranking delegation comprising, among others, representatives of the German cabinet, Parliament and business. Steiner said Germany was also keen on developing an Indo-German school campus and the issue would be discussed at length during the President’s visit. The German President will have meetings with top Indian leaders, including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Sawraj. The German envoy said UN reforms would be high on the agenda when the two sides hold talks. Both India and Germany are members of the G-4 grouping of countries which consider themselves as candidates for permanent seats in the UN Security Council and support each other’s candidature too. Japan and Brazil are the other members of the grouping. “I think there is now a recognition that the UN structure does not reflect realities of today any more...if an organisation lags behind in reflecting the realities, it becomes less efficient and less convincing,” he said. On the two Italian marines on trial for the killing of an Indian fisherman, Steiner said it would be in the interest of India and Italy as well as the European Union if the two countries settled the matter in accordance with the law. India and Germany are strategic partners since 2000. With the commencement of Inter-Governmental Consultations in 2011, there has been significant progress in all areas of bilateral cooperation through regular high-level exchanges at the Head of Government level as also due to cooperation in strategic areas and growing economic and commercial ties. Germany continues to be India's largest trading partner in Europe.
German Prez coming today
Gauck to meet Kejriwal
German President Joachim Gauck will also meet newly elected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sources said Kejriwal is likely to call on the visiting leader on Thursday
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India renews interest in Iran-Pak gas pipeline
New Delhi, February 3 This was clearly indicated by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid while interacting with a group of visiting Pakistani journalists earlier this week. “If there is seriousness from all sides, we are ready to import natural gas from Iran and Central Asia through Pakistan,” Khurshid was quoted as saying. Such regional projects could create ‘inter-dependencies’ and would compel both India and Pakistan to have a long-term cooperative relationship, he said. Until 2009, India was also part of the multi-billion dollar project, which was then dubbed as the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) ‘peace’ pipeline. Later, New Delhi pulled out of the ambitious project, citing pricing issues and the security of the pipeline as the reasons. Though it never acknowledged officially, New Delhi was under intense pressure from the US to abandon the project as part of international pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear programme. Khurshid, however, maintained that New Delhi had never backed out of the pipeline project. “When you make such a huge investment in a project, you need to show seriousness …rhetoric only will not work,” he reportedly stated at his interaction with Pakistani
mediapersons.
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Resolve dispute in a week, SC tells Centre
New Delhi, February 3 A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and J Chelameswar asked the ministries of Law, Home and External Affairs to come out with a clear stand by February 10, the next date for hearing the petition filed by the accused marines and the Italian envoy Daniele Mancini. Attorney General GE Vahanvati said the government was close to breaking the logjam and was hoping for a positive outcome in a week. On January 18, 2013, the SC had delivered its verdict directing the Centre to hold expeditious trial of the accused by setting up a special court. The petitioners lamented that not even the chargesheet had been filed in the case so far. The petitioners contended that invoking the anti-terror law, Suppression of Unlawful Activities (SUA) Act, against the marines was against the SC order for charging them only under the Maritime Zone Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code and the UN Conventions. Charging them under the anti-terror law would tantamount to calling Italy a terror state, they pleaded. The petition also pleaded for letting the accused to leave for Italy and stay there, pending the beginning of the trial. The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, have pleaded that they shot down the fishermen mistaking them for sea pirates. The incident had triggered a diplomatic row with Italy.
Italian Marines’ case
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Captain of INS Airavat pays for error, removed from command
New Delhi, February 3 The warship, an amphibious one and used to land troops close to the shore, suffered damage to its propellers while entering the harbour on January 30. Although the ship did not suffer any major damage, but it is a serious issue for the Navy as the incident indicates at a navigational error on board the 5650-tonne warship that was commissioned in 2009. Ship Commander JPS Virk has been removed pending a board of inquiry, Navy sources confirmed. It is likely that when the ship strayed away from the main channel, it hit something, a rock or earth. All entry and exit channels at the harbour are surveyed and digital maps are available to the commanders. The Ministry of Defence had asked the Navy for a report on the incident. Notably, two other ship commanders were removed from command prematurely after separate incidents to their ships in December last and January this year. Commander Gopal Suri was removed from INS Talwar while Commander Deepak Bisht was removed from IS Betwa. Both are doing staff postings at the Western Naval Command headquarters in Mumbai. The INS Talwar had rammed into a fishing boat off Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, sinking the boat and throwing out 27 fishermen, who were rescued by the warship crew and later taken ashore. The fishing boat was not lit during the night hence was not visible and an FIR was registered against it for breaking maritime rules. The INS Betwa, returned to the Mumbai dockyard on January 4, had reported ingress of salt water into the outer casing of its Sonar located at the bottom of the ship. The ship was brought to dry dock and a vertical fracture was found on its dome. It was repaired and is back to sailing on an operational deployment, but its Commander Deepak Bisht was removed. In November last year, Defence Minister AK Antony while addressing the Naval Commanders said: "It must be ensured that safety mechanisms are topmost priority and Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) are adhered to strictly and without exception". He had underscored the responsibility of the force to train, operate and maintain assets and capabilities built assiduously so that "resources are not frittered away".
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Maoists pose strategic threat to NE: Haldar
Guwahati, February 3 Addressing a select gathering here, he said the presence of Maoists in the Northeast had the potential to create serious “strategic security complications” and urged the security establishments to take seriously the Naxals’ attempts to consolidate themselves in the area. Haldar, who is also the government’s peace interlocutor for Assam, said the Maoists’ decision to set up bases in eastern Assam, along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, has assumed significance because of its proximity to the international border and the traditional routes that insurgent groups in the Northeast have been using to access its bases in Myanmar.
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Telangana Bill: Focus shifts to national capital
Hyderabad, February 3 Lawmakers from the state cutting across party lines but divided over regional sentiments are camping in Delhi to put pressure on the government on their respective stands. Telangana Rashtra Samithi founder-president and MP K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been in the forefront of the statehood movement, has been camping in Delhi and meeting various party leaders to drum up support for the Telangana Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament next week. CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is strongly opposed to the division of the state, is scheduled to leave for Delhi tomorrow to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to request him not to send the Bill to Parliament. He has succeeded in getting a resolution passed by the Assembly, rejecting draft Telangana Bill referred to it by President. Contending that the Assembly resolution reflected the "will and self-respect" of the Telugu people, Kiran has been demanding that the bifurcation process be halted. He has also threatened to quit politics if the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013, is introduced in Parliament in the present form. Along with the CM, the legislators from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions have been demanding that AP be kept united in the interests of the future of Telugu people. With Seemandhra legislators being in a majority in the Assembly, the resolution, moved by the CM, was passed by voice vote on January 30, rejecting the Bill.
Capital camping
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Cong MP calls for ‘open access’ for power users
Mumbai, February 3 In his letter MP Gurudas Kamat has written to Chavan and Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) asking them to allow consumers to decide their power providers. “The Electricity Act of 2003 permits “open access’ there by giving a choice to the consumer to select any provider offering better services or rates,” Kamat wrote in his letter. The MP noted that Tata Power, one of the private power distributors in Mumbai, charges much less per unit of power as compared to Reliance Infrastructure. “A request is hereby made that all consumers whose electricity consumption is 300 units be allowed to switch to Tata Electric Company,” read the letter. At present residents in only some parts of suburban Mumbai are allowed to switch from Reliance Infrastructure to Tata Power.
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RS poll: Cong under pressure to ensure ally candidate’s win
Guwahati, february 3 The Congress has fielded two candidates - an MP from Uttar Pradesh Sanjay Singh and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhubaneswar Kalita - in the Rajya Sabha election while it has the responsibility of ensuring win of the candidate of its ally BPF. In the 126-member Assam Assembly, the Congress has 79 MLAs. The party enjoys the support of 12 BPF MLAs and two Independent MLAs which makes the effective strength to 93. The party needs 96 votes to ensure victory of all the three candidates. The Opposition BJP (five MLAs), Asom Gana Parishad (nine MLAs) and All India United Democratic Front (18 MLAs) have fielded a common candidate Haider Hussain, who is expected to win if all the 32 MLAs from the opposition camp vote in the election. The lone Trinamool Congress MLA has also promised to back the Opposition’s candidate. The Congress has made Sanjay Singh, who has been fielded on the instruction of the party high command, its first choice candidate to ensure his victory. The PCC president Kalita obviously is the second choice candidate of the Congress. So, the party will need votes from the Opposition camp to ensure win for Daimary, the ally BPF’s candidate. Meanwhile, PCC chief Bhubaneswar Kalita has stated that the 79 MLAs from the Congress can ensure win of only two party candidates. However, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has stated that the BPF candidate is equally important for the Congress and the party would ensure his victory. Earlier, the BPF candidate stated that he would pull out of the fray in case there was no assurance from the Congress on his victory. He even collected the withdrawal form yesterday. The Congress can’t afford to antagonise BPF as the latter’s support will be crucial for the party in the next Lok Sabha election.
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Cong gives no trust notice against Naveen govt
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New Delhi, February 3
Srinagar/Poonch, February 3
I am happy to announce that the AIADMK and the CPM have decided to enter into an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. And we expect that this alliance would be very
successful.
I think it is clear that there are many parties — non-Congress, non-BJP parties — which have substantial support in this country. This will be reflected in the upcoming
elections.
