CWC meeting begins to review party's worst ever electoral performance

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee began on Monday to review party's worst ever electoral performance in the Lok Sabha polls as the party just won 44 seats in the 543-member House. The meeting is being held at the party headquarters.
Sources said that the Congress Working Committee may resign en masse over the humiliating defeat the party suffered. Sources added that the CWC members will endorse their president Sonia Gandhi's line of taking collective responsibility in a bid to shield their Vice President Rahul Gandhi who led the party campaign for the elections.
The party has also refuted reports that only Sonia and Rahul will quit over the debacle. "The question of Sonia and Rahul resigning does not even arise. It's a collective responsibility. I am equally responsible," party leader Manish Tewari said.
Renuka Chowdhury seconded him. She said, "There is no question of us evaluating Rahul Gandhi. We have to hit the ground as we have Assembly elections coming in six months. We have to get our act together and have to deliver."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, has trained its guns on Sonia and Rahul. "The Congress has lost all its credibility. That is why Sonia and Rahul are shirking responsibility," party leader Giriraj Singh said.
The lone Congress leader to pin the blame for the electoral defeat on Rahul Gandhi was former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. He told CNN-IBN that the party's "campaign managers" made mistakes. He also said that it was high time Sonia led the party.

Congress advises party leaders not to lose nerves in defeat

With several Congress leaders in Uttarakhand attacking each other in public following the party's rout in Lok Sabha polls, state unit of the party on Monday asked them not to lose their nerves in defeat and practise restraint.
"We should not lose our nerves in defeat. We should accept the mandate of the people with dignity and abstain from issuing statements against each other," PCC disciplinary committee chief and spokesman Dhirendra Pratap said.
Pratap's appeal comes in the wake of Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat telling a local news channel recently that Satpal Maharaj's wife Amrita Rawat who is his ministerial colleague, did not campaign for him whole-heartedly in Pauri-Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency, where he lost to BJP heavyweight and former chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri with a comprehensive margin.
"We should not lose our cool in the face of defeat. There is the party platform to discuss and sort out every issue. Issuing irresponsible statements against each other in public must be avoided," Pratap said.
Amrita's husband Maharaj who was the sitting Congress MP from Pauri-Garhwal had defected to the BJP in March this year dealing a blow to his former party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The PCC spokesman also criticised the BJP for demanding chief minister Harish Rawat's resignation owning moral responsibility for the party's dismal poll showing in the hill state where it lost all the five Lok Sabha seats.
"It is not at all fair to demand the CM's resignation. He has done a wonderful job despite being in power for just a few months. Moreover, his chief ministership is not due to BJP's mercy," he said advising the party not to let its success get to its head.

About 60 lakh voters chose NOTA in Lok Sabha 2014 elections

Close to 60 lakh voters opted for the None of The Above (NOTA) option across the country while exercising their franchise in the 16th Lok Sabha polls with the maximum percentage of the electorate going for this choice in Puducherry.
As per data updated till 11:20 P.M., the NOTA vote share stood at 1.1% of the total votes polled, which boils down to a total of 59,78,208 votes.

A total of 3% of voters in Puducherry, or 22,268 votes, opted for the NOTA. This was followed by Meghalya with 2.8% (30,145), Gujarat 1.8% (4,54,880) Chhattisgarh 1.8% (2,24,889), Dadra and Nagar Haveli 1.8% (2,962). The other states included: Odisha- 1.6% (3,28,060), Bihar- 1.6% (5,76,348), Mizoram- 1.5% (6,495), Jharkhand- 1.5% (1,90,241), Daman and Diu- 1.5% (1,316), Madhya Pradesh- 1.3% (3,91,837), Sikkim 1.4-% (4,259), Tamil Nadu- 1.4% (5,74,712).

Also, Tripura- 1.2% (23,783), Kerala- 1.2% (2,10,561), Goa- 1.2% (10,103), Rajasthan- 1.2% (3,27,902), Uttarakhand- 1.1% (48,043), West Bengal- 1.1% (5,68,276), Arunachal Pradesh 1.1% (6,216).
Assam- 1.0% (1,47,057), Maharashtra- 0.9% (4,32,181), Himachal Pradesh- 0.9% (29,156) and Delhi- 0.5% (39,690), among other states.

Lok Sabha Polls 2014: Stop reading too much, high polling shows nothing

NEW DELHI: With voting over in 438 seats in seven phases of the nine-phase Lok Sabha polls 2014, the balloting percentage has not shown a distinct pattern. In some states' percentages have shown a trend similar to earlier patterns, while ups and downs in others have led to speculation on the nature of the mandate being handed out. Does higher voting percentage indicate an anti-incumbency sentiment as is the conventional wisdom or does it mean that voters are more aware and the process of voting has become less cumbersome than it used to be? There is no evidence to back any supposition related to high or low percentage of voting, said psephologist Sanjay Kumar at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). "There is more noise than substance on the rise in voting percentages. For 2014, we expect polling to stabilise at 65% on an average, which is admittedly 8% higher than before, but states which normally show high turnouts likes Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have peaked and stabilised while, other states are showing results of initiatives to facilitate voting," he said. A study carried over 20 years by CSDS demonstrates this (see box). "In the period between 1998-2008, we studied polling patterns in 110 elections held in that period. In cases where incumbent governments were voted out, which is 66 elections out of these 110, the turnout was up in 28 cases, it declined in 18 cases and was the same in 20. Similarly, in cases where the government remained unchanged, which was in 44 cases out of 110, turnouts increased in 14 cases, decreased in 13 and remained unchanged in 17. What can you infer from that?" Kumar said. Dr Neeraja Gopal Jayal from the Centre for Law and Governance, JNU, concurs with this view holding the example of the recently concluded assembly polls in five states in December. During those polls a higher vote percentages in Delhi and Rajasthan, which resulted in the exit of an incumbent government, was matched by equally high percentages in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh which voted back the old governments. The theory that people now do not give out "fractured verdicts" but decisively vote for one or the other does not apply equally everywhere, Javal said. "In UP the trend is certainly of giving a decisive mandate on one hand since 2007, and since there are more than two political forces fighting it out, it can be considered a trend. In states like Rajasthan where there are only two forces, verdict in favour of one or the other is normal. In Delhi in 2013, the AAP factor, a third force in Delhi threw up a fractured mandate, despite high polling," she added. So what can be inferred from polling percentages, if not the prospective verdict? Former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi is quite clear that the Election Commission's efforts at promoting high voter turnouts and interventions were solely repsonsibile for the popularity of voting. "Voter education was launched four years ago, and in 22 Assembly elections since then there have been record turnouts, in 17 states, women voters cast their ballots more than men, and around 35-38 million voters have been added every year," Quraishi said. Distribution of polling slips by the EC and the deployment of paramilitary have been seen as contributory factors, he said. That of course leaves analysts very little head room to speculate on the nature of the verdict being delivered over the last month. May 16th it will have to be.

Lok Sabha Elections: Unknown parties mushrooming in Gujarat during poll season

Armed with out-of-the box manifestos that promise abolition of income tax and unemployment allowance to educated youth, 48 Lok Sabha candidates of 21 lesser known parties have jumped in the poll fray in Gujarat.
Some of these parties include Apna Desh Party (ADP), Yuva Sarkar, National Youth Party (NYP), Adivasi Sena Party (ASP), Bhartiya National Janta Dal (BNJD), Bahujan Mukti Party (BMP), Bahujan Suraksha Dal (BSD), Bahujan Mukti Dal (BMD), Vishwa Hindu Sangathan (VHS), Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), Hindustan Nirman Dal (HND), Hindustan Janta Party (HJP), among others.
Among these 'lesser known' parties, BMP has shown huge confidence by fielding candidates on 13 Lok Sabha seats, followed by BNJD with 4 seats, VHS(3), ADP(3), HND(3), HJP(3), BSD(2). Other such parties have fielded one candidate each.
Each of these party has a unique, fascinating and 'out-of the box' manifesto to attract voters. For instance, complete abolition of Income Tax is one of the main agenda of BNJD candidates.
"BNJD is a 14-year-old party being run from Gandhinagar by our president VM Gajera. Our party's mission statement includes abolition of Income Tax, abolition of either toll tax or road tax, reduction in VAT, and reduction in electricity bills," party candidate from Mehsana Girish Dabhi said.
NYP also has a unique agenda. "We registered this party in 2008 and fought elections in Rajasthan and Delhi earlier.
Our prime motive is to give power to youngsters. India has 70% youngsters," state party president Prateek Chavelikar said.
"Big parties take all the work from their young party workers, but, hardly give ticket to them. Thus, we have pitted a college student, Piyush Patel, as our candidate against (veteran BJP leader) L K Advani in Gandhinagar," he said.
On a similar tune, Yuva Sarkar party has fielded their sole candidate from Surat.
"The party came into existence 11 months back and fought Assembly elections in Delhi. We want old politicians to retire at the age of 60 and give chance to youth. We also demand that reservation must be based on economic condition, not cast," Yuva Sarkar candidate from Surat, Kirit Vaasni said.
Besides, the South Gujarat-based Adivasi Sena Party (ASP) is determined to bring justice for tribals. Party president and founder Dr Pankaj Patel is also contesting from Valsad-ST seat.
"There is one more candidate fielded from Bardoli-ST seat by the party. I founded this party 8 years back to get justice for tribals, who are ignored by every government. We lost with close margin in previous Assembly election. But this time, I am confident that tribals will vote for us," said Patel, a qualified doctor who belongs to the tribal community.

Lok Sabha elections: Assam records 35% polling till noon

The first of the nine-phase polls off the mainstream combat zone, which covers five of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam and one of two in Tripura, saw brisk voting in the two northeastern states in the first few hours on Monday, officials said.
Woman holding her son inside a polling booth in Majuli, Assam In Assam, 35% of the 64,41,634 voters exercised their franchise till noon in five Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam where four persons clashed with CRPF personnel demanding that they be allowed to cast their vote first in Kaliabor constituency.
Voters are expected to exercise their franchise at 8,588 polling stations in Assam.
In Tripura, 41% of the 12,46,794 voters exercised their franchise till noon, amid complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs at some places.
Election office sources said 27% voting was registered in Tezpur, 45% in Jorhat, 32% in Lakhimpur, 38% in Dibrugarh and 30% in Koliabor during the first phase of elections in the state.
Security forces were deployed in adequate number in all the polling stations and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the poll-bound areas.
There were reports of EVMs malfunctioning in Assam's Dibrugarh, Kaliabor, Tezpur and Lakhimpur constituencies. The machines were later replaced and voting continued uninterrupted, the sources said.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, his wife as well as his son and Koliabor constituency Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi cast their vote in Jorhat, while union minister and contestants Paban Singh Ghatowar and Ranee Narah also exercised their franchise in Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur constituencies, respectively.
Voters wait in line outside a polling station in Dibrugarh during Lok Sabha elections. (AFP photo) Talking to reporters after casting his vote, the CM asserted that the Congress would sweep the polls in the state winning more than ten seats.
There is "no Modi magic but Tarun Gogoi magic in Assam. Earlier, I had said we will win ten seats but now I am sure the Congress will get more than that", he said.
Former union minister and sitting MP Bijoy Krishna Handique, contesting as Congress nominee from Jorhat, also cast his vote with his family members.
The Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress, AIUDF, AGP, AAP, SUCI, CPI(M), AIFB and SP are contesting in the five seats during the first phase of elections in the Congress-ruled state.
Among the 51 candidates are union ministers Ranee Narah and Paban Singh Ghatowar, sitting MP Bijoy Krishna Handique, CM Gogoi's son Gourav Gogoi and Bhupen Kumar Bora from the Congress. Congress rebel and Independent candidate Moni Kumar Subba is also in the fray.
For the BJP, its unit president Sorbananda Sonowal and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa are contesting, while AGP's nominees are Arun Kumar Sarma, Pradip Hazarika and Joseph Toppo.
For the first time in the northeast region and the third time in the country after Kashmir and Bihar, all polling booths have been declared smoking free.

Lok Sabha polls 2014: Every 4th contestant in UP is tainted; 'literate' Kerala fields maximum corrupt candidates

New Delhi: According to the survey figures provided by Association for Democratic Reforms, it is revealed that nearly 20 percent candidates contesting in the 3rd phase of Lok Sabha elections are tainted.

These candidates have also mentioned in the affidavit about the criminal cases against them. The survey which was done in 13 states reveals that Kerala has the most number of corrupt candidates in the nomination list.
According to the survey, every 4th candidate contesting from Uttar pradesh is also tainted. The list does not only consists of candidates from Bjp, Congress or SP but also from Aam Aadmi Party.

Lok Sabha polls: BJP fields Smriti Irani against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi

Ending suspense, BJP last night fielded actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani to take on Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
It also nominated Supreme Court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal against Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli.
Earlier, there was speculation that the party may field Uma Bharti from Rae Bareli. Sources said Bharti was not keen to leave her Jhansi seat to contest from Rae Bareli and there was no consensus on making her contest from two seats.
The decision on Irani and Aggarwal was taken at a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee, where top BJP leaders Narendra Modi, L K Advani, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley were present.
The party decided to field Bhairon Prasad Mishra from the Banda Lok Sabha seat in UP.
New Justice Party (NJP) President A C Shanmugam will contest from Vellore Parliamentary constituency in Tamil nadu on BJP’s Lotus symbol, said BJP General Secretary J P Nadda.
The CEC also announced that its state general secretary Karuappa M Muruganantham will contest from the Thanjavur Lok Sabha seat.The party is also in advance talks with TDP for an alliance in Andhra Pradesh, but a decision on the issue would be taken by today, party sources said.
After the party announced her nomination, Irani said, “In the name of the ‘family’, the people of Amethi have been kept away from the fruits of development for too long. I think it is an extreme shame.”She said that a change will brought about in the country under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

Parties in Delhi fail to impress voters from Northeast

The As the campaign for Lok Sabha polls reaches a fever pitch for seven Lok Sabha seats, candidates are having a tough time wooing voters from the Northeast who feel almost all political parties have failed to address their "key" concerns.
People from the eight NE states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, who have settled in New Delhi for better education and job opportunities, say it is time political parties took concrete steps to address their grievances concerning lack of adequate security and rising instances of racial abuse.
Though Delhi Election Commission said it does not have the figure of voters hailing from the Northeast in Delhi, NGO Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network puts the number at around five lakh.
A senior Delhi BJP leader said though the number of people from Northeast may not be very significant, they may matter in case of "tight fights".
Youngsters from Northeastern states say they have been facing racial abuse in various parts of the national capital and nothing has been done by political parties to ensure they can live in the city just like any other Indian citizen.
"I want my elected representative to make sure that people from the Northeast are treated as Indian citizens and we are not discriminated against because of our accent or features. Also, I would want my representative to bring up the anti- racial discrimination law in Parliament," says D Apao of Manipur.
Apao said political parties in Delhi have not addressed issues of racial discrimination faced by those from Northeast, primarily due to the lack of a robust electorate.
Last month, around 5,500 eligible voters hailing from Northeastern states registered themselves for voter identity cards in a drive jointly launched by the Delhi Election Commission and the North Eastern Council, the nodal agency for economic and social development of the region.
With the theme being 'inclusive voting', the drive was launched with an aim to register voters from sections which are sidelined, including those from the Northeast. "With the theme of inclusive voting, we had a special focus on adding to the voter list people from the Northeast. More than 5,500 girls and boys from Northeast applied in the recent drive to register themselves as voters for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," Vijay Dev, Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer told PTI.
New voters can collect voter cards by April 4, he said. Asked about grievances of people from Northeast, DPCC Chief Spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said Congress party has been "vocal" in condemning cases of racial discrimination and was doing its best to help the community.
"If we come to power again, an anti-racial discrimination law will be on our agenda," said Sharma. Aam Aadmi Party's Nagendra Sharma said Arvind Kejriwal had expressed solidarity with the cause of Northeast people in Delhi following the death of Nido Tania, who hailed from Arunachal Pradesh.
"We believe Delhi belongs to everyone and there should be no alienation and our party will work towards this issue," Sharma said. Delhi BJP's North East coordinator Manas Deka said they would select some families in every constituency and make them work as links with Northeast people.
"So, in case of emergency or any aberration, NE people can contact these local families. Additionally, we will also press for implementation of an NE security cell in every major police station in Delhi," he said.
J Maivio, Vice President of the Naga Students Union in Delhi, says there was a need for greater interaction between the community and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) of various areas in Delhi. Political representatives of Northeast can play a key role in this regard, he added. "We are being discriminated against because people here do not know we belong to the country," says Maivio. He further called for leaders to ensure sensitisation of Delhi police personnel. In the aftermath of Tania's death in February this year, the city had seen a series of protests where students and activists demanded safer spaces for those hailing from NE.
Other issues that came to the fore included several cases of sexual harassment of young girls from the Northeast. Be it public transport, educational institutions or workplaces, Northeast women continue to feel threatened.
"The issue of safety applies to all women in Delhi and that would be a deciding factor. Additionally, for Northeastern women, we need an increase in the number of hostels for us to stay in. This will help make residential areas safer for us," says Sunny Tayeng, general secretary, women's division, Arunachal Students' Union Delhi.
In the aftermath of the Tania case, AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had joined the protesters and expressed solidarity with their cause.
People from the Northeast now hope that concrete measures will be introduced by the three major political parties -- BJP, Congress and AAP -- to address their concerns.

Press Release on Guna Candidate and 3 Gwalior Office Bearer Issue

The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party has requested the Election Commission to direct the concerned authorities to thoroughly and swiftly investigate the allegations levelled against the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Guna and three members of the district level committee of Gwalior. It has been brought to the notice of the party that a woman member has filed a police complaint alleging rape between December 2012 and January 2013. The party office bearers who met the district police authorities were informed that the complaint date is more than a year old.
Therefore, in accordance with the law, which states that any complaint which is more than three months old cannot be converted into an FIR without preliminary investigation, the AAP demands that the investigation be completed in 3 days. Since the allegation has been levelled after the candidate filed his nomination, the element of mischief cannot be ruled out and the party wants to get to the root of the issue. Some news reports have alleged that the complainant brought the issue to the notice of the party leadership. AAP categorically denies this. Such an issue was never brought to the notice of either the state or the national leadership.

MADHYA PRADESH,

State of Politics

* Collision between ruling BJP, in power since Dec 2003, and Congress which has two faced two debacles in consecutive assembly polls
* Contest between BJP mascot Shivraj Singh Chouhan (CM since 2005) and Union MoS energy Jyotiraditya Scindia, Cong's state poll team head
* Chouhan took a knock with Congress going all out to pit Sunday's Ratangarh temple stampede that killed over 100 as Chouhan's biggest administrative failure. Questions raised over Chouhan's ambitious 'Mukhya Mantri Teerth Darshan Yojana' that helps the elderly go on pilgrimage at state expense

* Cong's 22-member poll campaign committee has kept out Digvijay Singh (MP's CM from 1993 to 2003). Old war-horses such as Kamal Nath, former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria and leader of Opposition Ajay Singh (Arjun Singh's son) given lesser heft
* Turf struggle : Digvijay battling to ensure the Scindia-Nath combo doesn't walk away with bulk of tickets. Several rising sons hopeful : Diggy's son 26-yr-old Jaivardhan and Kamal Nath's son Nakul. State Congress chief Kantilal Bhuria wants a ticket for his son Vikrant
* Scindia's name for CM in Rahul camp
* MP Cong leader Laxman Singh, Diggy's brother, gearing up to take on the CM in Sehore's Budhni, help by Chouhan
* In BJP, Modi-Chouhan tussle on. Modi to campaign for five days in MP last leg
* Modi-Chouhan rift went public when Chouhan asked BJP leaders to postpone announcing Modi's PM nomination till after MP polls as it'd make BJP's position difficult in 25 seats with sizeable Muslim population
* Advani supported Chouhan as PM candidate
* After Modi was made BJP's PM candidate, Advani shared stage with him first at a rally in MP. Modi touched a dismissive Advani's feet

Lok Sabha polls: Congress now fields Madhusudan Mistry against Narendra Modi in Vadodara

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD: Congress is fielding senior leader and AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat after withdrawing its original candidate Narendra Ravat.
The move to pit a heavyweight candidate who's also a close Rahul Gandhi aide against Modi shows that the ruling party is raising its game to try and counter the BJP's key leader. It's also a sign that it will look for a suitably high-profile candidate to stand in Varanasi, the other Lok Sabha seat that Modi is contesting and in which the Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal will be vying for votes as well.
This strategy could also be aimed at trying to make sure that Modi will need to focus on both constituencies, perhaps to the detriment of his campaign elsewhere in the country, analysts said. Mistry is a Gujarati and wellknown as a vocal critic of Modi.
The AICC has also fielded former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan from Nanded despite his name figuring in the Adarsh housing scam, which has given rise to criticism. Meanwhile, Youth Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Ranveet Singh Bittu has been shifted to the Ludhiana seat in place of union information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, who is said to be unwell. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has already said he's ready to fight Modi from Varanasi.
Congress leaders have already called upon the SP and BSP to ensure a united fight against Modi from Varanasi but the party is yet to name a candidate for the seat.
AICC named Mistry as its candidate in Vadodara after the party leadership felt Ravat wouldn't be a strong enough opponent to Modi. Incidentally, Ravat had become the Congress candidate from Vadodara after he won a "party primary". "I am happy to fight against Modi and I am confident of a victory," Mistry said soon after his candidature was announced.
Before the AICC announcement, Ravat issued a statement in Vadodara announcing his desire to withdraw."Now that the Narendra Modi has chosen to contest from here, I request the Congress leadership to withdraw me from the contest and nominate an appropriate candidate to contest against Modi," he said.

In Nagpur, pay Rs 10,000 for dinner with Kejriwal

Nagpur: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is organising a fund-raising dinner with its national president Arvind Kejriwal as host at a price of Rs 10,000 per person on March 13 at a luxury hotel in Sadar in Nagpur.
The party is getting response for the event and the number of those likely to attend it could be between 150 and 200, AAP's media coordinator and fund-raising dinner organiser Girish Nandgaonkar and spokesperson Prajakta Atul said. The registrations are going on and Nagpur Lok Sabha candidate Anjali Damania will also be present at the dinner.
"The dinner is basically for our donors and we will put up all names on our AAP Nagpur website," a release from AAP said in Nagpur on Monday. Kejriwal will be arriving in the city on March 13 on a two-day tour of the region.
The former Delhi chief minister will be touring Chandrapur and Bhandara Lok Sabha constituencies and attend the dinner the same night with donors. On March 14, the AAP leader will be joining a road show in the city, party sources said.

BJP clarifies its position on MNS to Shiv Sena after warning

New Delhi: All is well between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, it seems. Just days after BJP leader Nitin Gadkari met Raj Thackeray, the chief of MNS - Shiv Sena's rival - both BJP and Sena scrambled to portray a united front.
"I met Uddhavji at Matoshree. I conveyed to him that the Sena was a natural and trusted ally of the BJP," Maharashtra BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis said.
"There is no issue between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. We had sent a message to the BJP through our editorial. The BJP has now clarified that we are their trusted ally," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.
The message Raut was referring to was in fact, a warning, sources said. A warning to the BJP that the Sena will contest from all 48 seats if it did not clarify its position on the MNS.
The BJP was quick to calm the ruffled feathers. It said its cadres will work only for Mahayuti - the alliance between BJP, Sena, RPI and other regional parties.
Not only that, BJP will also send its Maharashtra in-charge Rajiv Pratap Rudy to Mumbai on Tuesday to meet Uddhav. The Sena had earlier blamed the MNS of trying to split their alliance.
"The efforts of some to break the alliance and split the Hindu vote has gone in vain. There were differences at times as well, but the alliance survived all that," Shiv Sena leader Rahul Narvekar said.
"We are looking forward to the elections and what happened before is being put behind us. We will be contesting the elections with the BJP," he added.

Snapshot: SP posters mock other parties for not having candidates

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the parties are trying means to woo voters and hit out at each other.
The Samajwadi Party posters put up across Allahabad are taking a dig at other parties for not having enough candidates for the upcoming elections.

Rebel RJD leader Ram Kripal Yadav meets BJP chief Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Even as former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Ram Kripal Yadav hinted that he may soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party put up a brave face saying his exit won't impact the party.
"RJD is a strong party. Ram Kripal Yadav's exit won't impact our party," Rabri Devi, wife of party chief Lalu Prasad, said. The rebel RJD leader reportedly met BJP chief Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.
"I met Rajnath Singh at the airport. I will tell you the details of the meeting later," Yadav, seemingly in a hurry, said.
The RJD had made attempts to mollify the embittered leader, with Lalu's daughter Misa Bharati reaching out to him. All attempts failed, however, and Kripal Yadav announced that he will fight elections against Misa from the Pataliputra seat in Bihar.
Lalu has not commented so far.

DMK releases poll manifesto, proposes abolition of death sentence

Chennai: Abolition of death sentence, statehood to Puducherry, implementation of Sethusamudhram project and making Tamil the local official language are some of the promises made by the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) in its Lok Sabha election manifesto which was released on Tuesday in Chennai.
The M Karunanidhi-led DMK has been opposed to the death sentence to the killers of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The DMK has also been backing the demand for the killers to be released from jail.
The DMK has also said that it is against FDI in retail and education. The manifesto also talks about the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The party will urge India to take immediate action for conducting a referendum among Northern and eastern province Tamils. On being asked as to who the DMK will project as PM candidate among Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi, DMK chief Karunanidhi said, "Neither of them."
DMK chief Karunanidhi has also said that the party is not looking at any pre-poll alliances.
On Monday, the DMK had released its first list of candidates, fielding 2G accused A Raja from his current constituency Nilgiris and Dayanidhi Maran from Central Chennai.
A Raja has been defiant, saying that there is no evidence against him and that he is confident of doing well in the elections. "Yes, it is true that the 2g trial is still going on. Have you come out with any concrete evidence against me? It has been admitted by the CBI that Raja did not have any disproportionate assets," A Raja said.
"The finance secretary came, deposed before court saying there was this much exchequer loss. The trial is going on and I have full faith for the elections," Raja added.

2G trial on, but confident of doing well in elections, says A Raja

Chennai: 2G scam accused A Raja, who has has been given a Lok Sabha ticket by the DMK, remains defiant. A Raja said that there is no evidence against him and that he is confident of doing well in the elections.
"Yes, it is true that the 2g trial is still going on. Have you come out with any concrete evidence against me? It has been admitted by the CBI that Raja did not have any disproportionate assets," A Raja said.
"The finance secretary came, deposed before court saying there was this much exchequer loss. The trial is going on and I have full faith for the elections," Raja added.
The DMK has decided to field former telecom minister and 2G scam accused A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha elections. Raja will contest from his current constituency Nilgiris, a reserved seat for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), while Maran will contest from Central Chennai.
Karunanidhi exuded confidence in his leaders and rubbish allegations of corruption against them. "Already the case is shaky. There is no concrete evidence against Raja and others," he said.

Won't ally with anyone responsible for AP's division: Ex-CM Kiran Reddy

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy launched his party on Monday.
Jai Samaikyandhra Party will work for a united Andhra Pradesh, Reddy declared.