Aadhaar is Constitutional but conditions apply: Here's the citizen's verdict

Aadhaar is Constitutional but conditions apply: Here's the citizen's verdict

Multimedia News: The Supreme Court on September 26 ruled Aadhaar Constitutional, but did away with the requirement to have Aadhaar for opening bank accounts and getting a mobile connections.

However, the unique identity number would still be a must for filing I-T returns.

---

News Source: BS & Business Standard

---

How the the verdict change things for the common man?

Business Standard spoke to people in New Delhi to get their views on the judgment. After Supreme Court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which deals with private entities, and read down a few others, stating that they were unconstitutional.

↓↓↓ Here is the Video Link ↓↓↓

Aadhaar Verdict

Rafale deal very important to me as it is a strategic coalition: Emmanuel Macron

Rafale deal very important to me as it is a strategic coalition: Emmanuel Macron

Multimedia News: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday cleared his stand on the controversy surrounding the Rafale deal, involving his country and India.

Speaking on the topic, President Macron said, "It was a government to government discussion.

---

News Source: BS & Business Standard

---

I just want to refer to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi very clearly said a few days ago. I was not in-charge at that time.

I know that we have very clear rules. This contract is part of a board of framework, which is a mediatory and defence coalition between India and France.

It is very important to me because it is a strategic coalition."

↓↓↓ Here is the Video Link ↓↓↓

Politics over Rafale Deal

'Ajeya Bharat, Atal BJP': PM Modi's theme song for 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

The two topmost leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah — made light of the challenge posed by the Opposition’s mahagatbandhan. BJP chief Shah spoke of a 50-year unbroken reign for the BJP. “We will win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and there would be none who can oust us for the next 50 years,” Shah told his party’s National Executive.



2019 Lok Sabha Elections: Delivering the concluding speech of the event, the PM gave the slogan of Ajeya Bharat, Atal Bhajapa (victorious India, steadfast BJP) to his party for the 2019 polls, and asked party workers to win each and every polling booth.
In the morning, the National Executive passed a political resolution that presented the party’s agenda of building a New India by 2022 that would be free of casteism, corruption, communalism, and terrorism. It said the Opposition had no agenda other than ‘Modi roko’.

In a reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family of the Congress party, Modi said the alternative before people was his 48-month rule versus that of 48 years of one family. The PM accused the Opposition, particularly the Congress, of fighting the electoral battle based on “lies and falsehood”, which should be refuted strongly by spreading the message of his government’s performance.

Ajeya Bharat, Atal BJP

In his speech, the PM said the BJP has ruled Gujarat for 31 years, and it was inspired by a sense of service and development, and not arrogance. He said the party has remained steadfast in its principles, but its strategy is dynamic. Modi said an effective Opposition is necessary for a healthy democracy, but does not see any challenge for 2019.

The PM said today’s Opposition was a failure in government, and is a failure in Opposition as well. He suggested that one family served none but itself in its 48-year rule. Modi said the Congress was fighting the electoral battle based on lies, and asked party workers to defeat this by presenting facts to the people. Modi said the Congress had given the slogan of ‘garibi hatao’, or poverty alleviation, but ended up nationalising coal mines and banks, but some years later admitted its mistake and started walking on the path of reform. “We need to expose Congress party’s lies,” Modi told party leaders.

---

Ajeya Bharat, Atal BJP

Decoding Rafale Jet Deal: Timeline, allegations and counter-allegations

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 MMRCA in 2007 after the Defence Ministry, headed then by Congress leader A K Antony, cleared the proposal from the IAF.

Rafale Deal Controversy: As the controversy surrounding Rafale deal escalates, here is an explainer and a timeline relating to India's purchase of 36 combat jets from France for an estimated Rs 580 billion

What is Rafale?

Rafale is a French twin-engine multi-role fighter jet designed and built by Dassault Aviation. The Rafale jets are considered one of the most potent combat jets globally.

What was the UPA deal?

India began the process to buy a fleet of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) in 2007 after the Defence Ministry, headed then by Congress leader A K Antony, cleared the proposal from the Indian Air Force.

The contenders for the mega deal were Lockheed Martin's F-16s, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Gripen, Boeing's F/A-18s and Dassault Aviation's Rafale.

After a long-drawn process, bids were opened in December 2012 and Dassault Aviation emerged as L-1 (lowest bidder). In the original proposal, 18 planes were to be manufactured in France and 108 in India in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
There were lengthy negotiations between the then UPA government and Dassault on prices and transfer of technology. The final negotiations continued till early 2014 but the deal could not go through.

Details of the negotiatied price per Rafale were not officially announced, but it was suggested by the then UPA government that the size of the deal would be USD 10.2 billion. The Congress claimed per aircraft rate including avionics and weapons was zeroed in at Rs 5.26 billion (As per Euro exchange rates prevailing then).

Read all about → Rafale Jet Deal

---

News Source: BS

'Rafale Scam' a direct deal between Modi and failed industrialist: Congress

The Congress also alleged that Modi-led Prime Minister's Office (PMO) connived to help jeweller Mehul Choksi escape from India.

Latest News: The Congress party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of behaving like a 'medieval monarch' in getting a failed Indian industrialist the contract to manufacture Rafale fighter jets. The Congress also alleged that Modi-led Prime Minister's Office (PMO) connived to help jeweller Mehul Choksi escape from India.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was yet to react to these allegations at the time of filing of this report. Congress spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy, who heads the subgroup of the party to study the Rafale fighter jet deal, alleged that the 'Rafale scam' was a 'direct deal between PM Modi and the industrialist', whose only distinction is that he has 'spectacularly failed as an industrialist'.

What is Rafale Deal Controversy

Over the past few days, Congress party leaders have fanned out across the country to hold press conferences on the 'Rafale Scam'. Reddy alleged that since Modi announced the deal in Paris, and in the spirit of 17th century French monarch Louis XIV, who famously said 'I am the State', the Indian PM also behaved like a 'medieval monarch' to ignore all defence procurement procedures to snatch away the Rafale deal from the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to gift it to a particular industrialist with no experience in defence manufacturing.

Reddy said the price negotiation committee was not consulted, the cabinet committee on security was not consulted. “We do not know whether the Air Force was consulted?” Reddy asked. On the argument that the French have supported India on crucial junctures and the deal was a strategic decision, Reddy said it was a global tender to purchase the fighter jets and the price and specifications are the only concern. “We don’t mix foreign relations with financial decisions. That only monarch can, prime ministers cannot. The PM is accountable to Parliament. He can be summoned...continue reading

---

News Source: BS

Rahul Gandhi slams mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits; BJP hits back

Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government believed that tribals, poor farmers, Dalits, minorities and people from other lower castes should not get the same benefits that the elite of India does.

Latest News: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits and minorities reflected the anger that currently pervaded India’s society because of growing joblessness and the Narendra Modi government taking away protections provided to the country’s poor. He said the Modi government’s demonetisation and poorly implemented goods and services tax (GST) have destroyed the informal economy and killed jobs in the small and medium businesses, which contributed to this anger.

Addressing a gathering at the Bucerius Summer School at Hamburg in Germany, of which Rahul Gandhi is an alumnus, the Congress president pointed to the example of the rise of the Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria to caution that excluding a large number of people from the development process could lead to creation of insurgent groups anywhere in the world.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Germany Speech

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) picked on Rahul Gandhi’s comments to allege the Congress chief was not only belittling and insulting India abroad, but also justifying terrorism. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Rahul “lied through his teeth” in his criticism of the Modi government. Patra asked whether Gandhi's submission was that minorities in India would “sell their soul” to IS if jobs are not available for them, and this amounted to “denigrating” the community. The BJP spokesperson said he wondered whether the data on job growth was “made in 10, Janpath”.

Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government believed that tribals, poor farmers, Dalits, minorities and people from other lower castes should not get the same benefits that the elite of India does. He said unleashing of demonetisation and faulty implementation of GST killed jobs that the poor used to get, and the accompanying weakening of "protections" has “made India angry”, and...continue reading

---

News Source: BS

Rahul Gandhi's Germany speech not broadcast live due to tech glitch

Gandhi's address was to be aired via a YouTube link, starting 9:30 pm IST, which was later rescheduled to start from 10:30 pm IST.

 

Latest News: Congress president Rahul Gandhi's address to the Indian Overseas Congress in Berlin in Germany Thursday could not be aired 'live' due to a technical glitch, the party said.

Gandhi's address was to be aired via a YouTube link, starting 9:30 pm IST, which was later rescheduled to start from 10:30 pm IST.

The address, however, could not be aired 'live' and the Congress party cited a technical glitch as the reason for it.

Gandhi is on a five-day tour to Germany and the UK.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi slams mob lynchings and attacks on Dalits

On Thursday night, he had addressed a gathering at the Bucerius Summer School in Hamburg, Germany.

He was to address the Indian Overseas Congress Friday night during his two-day stay in Germany.

He heads to London Saturday.

In London, he will address students of London School of Economic tomorrow. And on Saturday, he will address a gathering of the Indian National Overseas Congress.

Rahul Gandhi Germany Speech

---

News Source: BS

Fate of the nation must not be allowed to hang by the horn of a cow

The lynchings then are explicitly the front line of forces seeking to retain power in 2019 - a campaign where the political is brutally intended to ride on a fake spiritual.

Latest News : There is the Brahminical belief that the surest way to cross the perilous Vaitarni river on the way to heaven is to hang by the tail of a cow.

Well, what do you know, this seems equally true of crossing the majority mark in the Lok Sabha.

Consider the statement by an RSS leader that cow-related lynching will stop only if people ceased to consume beef. Clearly, Indresh Kumar seems privy to things on the ground that we merely speculate about.

An even more explicit admonition has come from Vinay Katiyar: Muslims ought not to touch cows. What could be a more no-nonsense enunciation of the right-wing political bottom line.

Cow Lynching

Had the cow been wholly a subject of faith and not of politics, Kiren Rijiju, a cabinet minister at the Centre, could hardly be spared by the lynch mobs, having declared that he eats beef and will continue to do so. Or Manohar Parrikar, chief minister of Goa, for saying beef will be available in the state. Nor would the fortunes of beef-eating Meghalaya have remained unaffected had the Bharatiya Janata Party’s political stakes there not been so high.

The lynchings then are explicitly the front line of forces seeking to retain power in 2019 – a campaign where the political is brutally intended to ride on a fake spiritual.

You may shout hoarse that this cynical praxis not only conceals the failure of the Narendra Modi government on multiple fronts, but bids fair to cause a grievous long-festering wound to the body politic. For whom it is fatally important to hold on to the reins of state power – a well-defined and well-understood political-ideological legacy informing that imperative – anything is par for the course. Any new fake morality may be constructed to...continue reading

---

News Source : BS

Grand alliance against BJP is like 'band, baja, barat' without groom

Naqvi also sought to blame the Congress over Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's recent emotional outburst.

Politics of India : The proposed "Mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) against the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls looks like a "band, baja, barat" without a groom, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday.

There would be no vacancy for the prime minister's post in 2019. "The 'Mahagathbandhan' is like the 'band, baja, barat' are ready but the groom is absent. There are nearly two dozen candidates who are staking claim for the post of prime minister," he said.

Several parties such as the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with other outfits, are planning to form a front to counter the BJP in the 2019 general election.

Grand Alliance Against BJP

Naqvi took a dig at the Congress for projecting Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate after the recent extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting and later withdrawing his name, apparently due to reservations expressed by other parties.

"The Congress first announced that its prime ministerial candidate was Rahul Gandhi. However, within 12 hours, they withdrew it. This could be the first such incident, wherein the Congress withdrew it (Gandhi's name) within 12 hours. It was withdrawal even before nomination. This is how the 'Mahagathbandhan' looks like," the minority affairs minister said.

Naqvi also sought to blame the Congress over Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's recent emotional outburst, when the JD(S) leader said he was swallowing the pains of running a....read more

---

News Source : BS

Tax payers will pay Rs 1 trn to 'Mr 56's friend' for Rafale deal: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi had alleged on Friday that "Mr 56's friend" would actually benefit "$20 billion", equivalent to Rs 1.30 trillion, through offset contracts in the Rafale deal.

Rafale Deal Row : Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the tax payers would have to pay Rs 1 trillion over the next 50 years to "Mr 56's friend" for maintaining the 36 Rafale aircrafts that the country was buying.

Gandhi has been taking a swipe at Modi using the "56-inch-chest" remark that the latter had made at elections rallies in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had also been questioning the prime minister about when he would show that "broad chest" while dealing with Pakistan and China.

"Over the next 50 years, Indian Tax Payers will pay Mr 56's friend's JV, 100,000 Cr to maintain 36 Rafale Scam jets, India is buying," Gandhi tweeted.

Rafale Scam Row

The Congress chief attached an investor presentation of Reliance Infrastructure, saying there was "truth" in it, which would soon be denied "as usual" by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a press conference.

Gandhi had alleged on Friday that "Mr 56's friend" would actually benefit "$20 billion", equivalent to Rs 1.30 trillion, through offset contracts in the Rafale deal.

The Congress has been attacking the BJP government over the Rafale deal, alleging favouritism in granting the offset contract to Reliance Defence in violation of the rules. It had accused Modi and ......read more

---

News Source : BS

PM Narendra Modi posts exercise video after Kohli’s challenge, nominates Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy

Modi says he also walks “on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature…” The PM appealed to every Indian to “devote some part of the day towards fitness”.

Latest News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday shared a video that showed his morning exercises, including yoga and breathing practices, responding to Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, who had thrown a fitness challenge at him.

On Twitter, Modi said he also walks “on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature – Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating”.

The Prime Minister appealed to every Indian to “devote some part of the day towards fitness”.

In a separate message, he nominated Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, table tennis player and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manika Batra and the “entire fraternity of brave IPS officers, especially those above 40” for the #fitnesschallenge, which has become a talking point on Twitter.

On May 23, Kohli had posted a video of his workout and nominated Modi, a strong proponent of yoga. The cricketer had accepted the challenge of Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who too had posted an exercise video.

I have accepted the #FitnessChallenge by @ra_THORe sir. Now I would like to challenge my wife @AnushkaSharma , our PM @narendramodi ji and @msdhoni Bhai for the same.

Watch Video → Narendra Modi Fitness Video

Bypoll Results 2018: BJP loses prestige battle in Kairana to united Opposition

The arithmetic of a united Opposition pooling votes trumped the BJP’s hopes of repeating the chemistry that the Narendra Modi-led party rode on to win the 2014 LS polls.

Bypoll Results 2018 : The results of four Lok Sabha and 10 assembly by-polls, announced on Thursday reinforced the idea of a united Opposition that parties have been working on to fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and sent Bharatiya Janata Party strategists back to the drawing board. The BJP and its allies could win three of the 14 seats.

The trend, apparent in the results of Uttar Pradesh’s Phulpur and Gorakphpur Lok Sabha by-polls in March, was reinforced by Thursday’s results, particularly in the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats of the state.

The arithmetic of a united Opposition pooling votes trumped the BJP’s hopes of repeating the chemistry that the Narendra Modi-led party rode on to win the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Uttar Pradesh is crucial for the BJP in 2019. Its successive defeats in by-polls, barely a year after emphatically winning the Assembly polls, is likely to lead to questions being put to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Graph On the eve of the polling on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a well-publicised roadshow on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and addressed a public rally in Baghpat, where he reached out to the region’s sugarcane farmers. The farmers are upset about not getting a suitable price for their produce. The Opposition had accused the Prime Minister of violating the spirit of the model code of conduct.

On Thursday, an upbeat Opposition insisted that the by-poll results reflected “widespread” anti-incumbency against the Modi government at the Centre, and states run by the BJP and its allies, including Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Meghalaya.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra attributed the results to local issues and said the combination of Prime Minister Modi and party chief Amit Shah would help the BJP win the 2019 elections.

The results brought the BJP’s seats tally down to 272 in the Lok Sabha. The party is now on the brink of losing its majority status in the Lower House.

The results were a vindication for Yadav and second-generation dynasts who led their respective parties to victories in their home states. In the Kairana Lok Sabha constituency, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary led from the front to have his party’s Tabassum Hassan elected.

She was supported by the Congress, SP, BSP, Left parties and others. She also became the first Muslim from Uttar Pradesh to enter the current Lok Sabha.

Read More → Kairana ByPoll Results

After Virat Kohli’s ‘Fitness Challenge’, Rahul Gandhi dares Narendra Modi to cut petrol prices

So far, Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, Modi, Hrithik, Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal have taken up the challenge.

 

Latest News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accepted a fitness challenge by cricketer Virat Kohli saying that he will soon post a personal fitness video. Earlier on Wednesday, Kohli, in a tweet, challenged Modi in a fitness campaign initiated by Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on social media.

“Challenge accepted, Virat! I will be sharing my own #FitnessChallenge video soon,” Modi tweeted on the initiative called the ‘Hum Fit Toh India Fit’ challenge.

On Wednesday, Kohli, who posed for his fitness video in a gym, tweeted: “I have accepted the #FitnessChallenge by @ra_THORe (Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore) sir. Now I would like to challenge my wife @AnushkaSharma , our PM @narendramodi ji and @msdhoni Bhai for the same. #HumFitTohIndiaFit #ComeOutAndPlay.” Earlier, the Olympian shooter Rathore initiated an online fitness campaign and posted his exercise regime on the social media.

He further challenged Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, cricketer Virat Kohli and badminton player Saina Nehwal to post their respective fitness mantras on the social media.

So far, Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, PM Modi, Hrithik Roshan, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, and Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal have taken up the challenge and posted messages and videos supporting the cause.

After Virat Kohli’s ‘Fitness Challenge’, Rahul Gandhi dares Narendra Modi to cut petrol prices on Business Standard. So far, Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, Modi, Hrithik, Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal have taken up the challenge.

Rathore does push-ups to spread fitness message ‘Fitness Challenge‘:

• Rathore made a pitch for exercise on Twitter and urged netizens to share pictures and videos on the site to show how they kept fit.
• “Whenever I see the prime minister, I get inspired…He wants all of India to be fit,” Rathore said in the video.
• “Post pictures and videos of how you keep yourself fit and send a #FitnessChallenge to your friends on social media,” he tweeted.

Rahul dares PM for ‘Fuel Challenge‘:

• As Narendra Modi accepted an online fitness challenge from Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was quick to dare the prime minister for a “fuel challenge”, asking him to reduce the spiralling fuel prices in the country or face a nationwide stir by his party.
• “Dear PM, Glad to see you accept the @imVkohli fitness challenge. Here’s one from me: Reduce fuel prices or the Congress will do a nationwide agitation and force you to do so. I look forward to your response,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter using the hashtag ‘FuelChallenge’.

Karnataka Election Results 2018: Karnataka fate hangs in balance; BJP or Congress, who will have the last laugh?

While the BJP emerged single-largest, it was the JD(S) which turned kingmaker helping the Congress keep power in a crucial southern state.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 : Karnataka is headed for a spell of political instability as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged the single-largest party with 104 seats after the just-concluded Assembly elections, but could not reach the halfway mark of 112. The Congress, with 78 seats, acted with swiftness and agility, contacted the H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), with 38 seats, offered the smaller party chief ministership and stitched up an agreement to forestall an understanding between the JD(S) and the BJP.

At the time of filing this report, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala had remained non-committal on the claims of the parties, asking them to wait until the official tally is declared. Constitutional experts said the Governor was not obligated to call the single-largest party for a first stab at forming a government though the majority must be tested on the floor of the House.

As was widely expected, while the BJP emerged single-largest, it was the JD(S) which turned kingmaker, helping the Congress keep power in a crucial southern state. The BJP’s jubilant mood, when the initial results first poured in, turned to gloom as it became clear that the halfway mark was going to elude it. A scheduled press conference by party President Amit Shah was called off, a lunch party organised at the BJP headquarters was cancelled and drum players, who had congregated at the headquarters in Delhi, were asked to go home in a matter of hours. Bouquets of flower lay piled up forlornly at the headquarters, testifying to the disappointment of workers.

---

Also Read : BJP vs Congress-JD(S): Karnataka’s fate now in Governor’s hands; highlights

---

It was clear from initial reactions in Bengaluru and Delhi that the BJP was not interested in tying up with the JD(S) to form a government at any cost. The Congress, which had indicated on Monday that it was ready to be flexible about the top job (with former chief minister (CM) Siddaramaiah announcing that he was ready to accept a Dalit CM) got top leader Sonia Gandhi to call Gowda and persuade his son Kumaraswamy to become CM with the Congress’ backing to keep the BJP out. Although the JD(S) has roughly half the number of seats the Congress has, it grabbed the offer of chief ministership eagerly.

The BJP claimed it had the mandate to form the government. But the Congress and the JD(S), which together have a few seats more than the saffron party, retorted that they had got the mandate to prevent the BJP from forming a government. In a sense, the Congress did a BJP on the BJP. In Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur elections in 2017, the BJP tied up with smaller parties and Independents under the nose of the Congress, though the party was single-largest, and managed to form a government, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. “The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur that a single-largest party does not automatically qualify to form the government,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in defence of the Congress-JD(S) claim to form a government.

 Read More on → Karnataka Results 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Rahul slams Narendra Modi over BJP leader bribery sting; updates

With just one more day to go for the Karnataka Assembly election, the voter ID card row continues while the Congress corners BJP over an alleged bribery sting. Catch all Karnataka polls updates here.

 

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » With voting just a day away, the BJP and Congress’ high-voltage campaign for the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 has ended. The campaigning in the run-up to the crucial polls saw everything from a cross-fire of barbs to a voter ID row.

On the last day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi government for issues ranging from atrocities against Dalits to the country’s foreign policy as he expressed confidence in winning the Karnataka polls “hands down”. BJP President Amit Shah, meanwhile, accused the Congress of making desperate attempts to win the election in an “undemocratic” way, adding that such machinations would not work and that his party would win 130-plus seats.

On Saturday, voters in the state will decide who got it right.

The Congress’ candidate from Bengaluru’s Raja Rajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment has been booked in connection with the recovery of close to 10,000 voter ID cards from a flat there, along with over 100,000 counterfoils resembling acknowledgement slips used for addition of names into electoral rolls.

Further, the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday night deferred a decision on the recovery of voter ID cards from the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar flat, even as it sought fresh information from the state election machinery.

Of course, the end of the official election campaign at 5 pm on Thursday did not mean that the allegations and accusations also stopped. Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over allegations that BJP leader B Sriramulu had bribed former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan.

The accusation is based on a “sting” video showing the state BJP leader allegedly trying to bribe a kin of the former Chief Justice of India to get a favourable verdict for mining baron G Janardhana Reddy in an illegal mining case. State electoral authorities on Thursday directed TV news channels not to air the video.

The election in 223 of the 224 constituencies in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be held on May 12, and the counting of votes and announcement of the result will take place on May 15. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B N Vijay Kumar, the Jayanagar BJP candidate.

Get Latest Updates on → Karnataka Elections 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018: Campaigning ends today; voter ID row continues; updates

With Karnataka Assembly election 2018 now on their heads, the BJP and Congress have just one more day to convince and woo voters. Catch all the updates around the Karnataka election here

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » With the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 just two days away, the BJP and Congress’ high-voltage campaigning will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. Eyeing to sweep the crucial polls, the political parties will hold multiple rallies today in their last attempt to woo the voter. For the BJP, party president Amit Shah and the party’s chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa will be campaigning in the state today, while Congress President Rahul Gandhi and incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will campaign for their party on the final day.

Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Gandhi, the Karnataka election campaign has also seen political heavyweights Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaign for their respective parties.

The last day of campaigning for the Karnataka polls comes after Prime Minister Modi and Congress chief Gandhi were face-to-face in the state on the second last day for the campaigning. Working seriously on his ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’ mission, Modi used all of his oratory skills to lambast the Congress in his four election rallies on Wednesday. On the other hand, Gandhi said in his Basavanagudi rally that the people of Karnataka would reject Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. The Congress president also attacked the Prime Minister for being silent on the issue of alleged Dalit atrocities.

The election in Karnataka will be held on May 12 in 223 constituencies, out of the 224 constituencies of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, while th e counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on May 15. The election for one constituency has been postponed following the death of B N Vijay Kumar, the Jayanagar BJP candidate.

Last day of Karnataka polls campaigning today: The high-voltage campaigning for the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. The campaign has seen Modi, Shah, Adityanath, Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders square off against Congress chief Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and Siddaramaiah, with both parties going hammer and tongs at each other over who has neglected farmers more and who has more corrupt candidates in the fray, among other topics of contention.

Also Read : Fake Voter ID Row

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Sonia Gandhi questions Modi’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ slogan

The Congress leader said,” Modi is a good orator and speaks like an actor but that would not feed people”.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » Holding her first election rally in two years, UPA chairperson president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Modi government of discriminating against Congress-ruled Karnataka, and questioned his slogan of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’.

Launching a counteroffensive against the prime minister, who has relentlessly targeted the Siddaramaiah government over corruption, she wanted to know what happened to the institution of Lok Pal, the anti-graft watchdog that was proposed to be set up.

“The Modi government is discriminating against our government in Karnataka. Is this your ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ (together with all, development for all)?” she said.

The Congress leader said,” Modi is a good orator and speaks like an actor but that would not feed people.”

The much-awaited Lokpal Bill got the presidential assent in January 2014, providing for the creation of an anti-graft watchdog which will bring under its purview even the prime minister with certain safeguards. However, the institution is yet to be set up.

---

Also Read :  Lok Sabha Elections 2019 : Ready to be PM if Congress comes to power, says Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of pursuing a ‘divide and rule’ policy on a day when Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he was ready to be prime minister if his party wins 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The day was also marked by the debut of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the Karnataka Assembly campaign and complaints by the Congress that the income-tax department was singling out the party’s leadership for raids.

The election campaign ends on Thursday and the state goes to the polls on Saturday. Counting will be held on May 15.

---

Full Updates on → Karnataka Elections 2018

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Over 9,000 voter IDs seized from Bengaluru house; updates

Three days before Karnataka Assembly election 2018, a ‘fake’ voter ID row has erupted in the poll-bound state, with BJP and Congress accusing each other of involvement. Catch all the update here.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » Just three days before Karnataka Assembly election 2018, the Election Commission of Karnataka on Tuesday confirmed that its officials recovered 9,746 Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) from an apartment in Bengaluru’s Jalahalli area of the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency. Reacting to the development, the BJP demanded cancellation of polling in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, accusing the Congress of trying to “rig” the polls. Congress hit back, saying that a BJP leader was the owner of the Bengaluru flat from where the ‘fake’ voter cards had been found.

The development came hours after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced off against each other while campaigning in Karnataka. The prime minister and the UPA chairperson attacked each other with stinging barbs, with Modi accusing Gandhi and her son (Congress President) Rahul Gandhi of destroying Congress to save the “dynasty”, and Gandhi saying Modi’s speeches alone could not “fill empty stomachs”.

Polling in the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 will be held on May 12 and the results will be out on May 15.

Nearly 10,000 voter IDs seized from a Bengaluru flat: The Election Commission of Karnataka on Tuesday confirmed that they recovered 9,746 electors photo identity cards from an apartment in Bengaluru’s Jalahalli area, which falls under the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency. In a midnight briefing on Tuesday, Chief Electoral Officer for Karnataka Sanjiv Kumar said that according to the preliminary verification, the ID cards were of actual electors and appeared to be prima facie genuine.

Apart from the IDs, five laptops, one printer, and two large steel trunks with counterfoil strips resembling acknowledgement slips of Form 6 used for addition of names onto the electoral rolls were also recovered from the apartment during the raid. Kumar added that the significance of the counterfoils can only be verified after due investigation.

The state election commission added that an FIR has been registered in the matter and further investigations will be conducted on the same. It further assured that in the next 24 hours, when more information is available, firm action will be taken.

Read Full Updates here → Fake Voter ID Row

Karnataka Elections 2018 : Farmers are in distress but a loan waiver may not help

Karnataka’s farmers, battling drought and water shortage, have been under dire financial duress.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto for the Karnataka assembly elections 2018 released on May 4, 2018, declared that farm loans upto Rs 100,000 in nationalised banks and cooperative societies would be waived. A few days earlier, the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate and party state president B.S. Yeddyurappa promised a waiver of agriculture loans in both nationalised banks and cooperative societies if his party came to power, hoping, as a consequence, he said, for a 3-4% rise in vote share for his party.

As Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, running the only Congress government in southern India, tries to remain in favour of the electorate ahead of the May 12 elections to the state assembly, he has his task cut out. Among other steps, the government waived Rs 8,165 crore of farm loans from cooperative banks in 2017, claiming this would benefit more than 2.2 million farmers.

Rural Karnataka, which accounts for 154 (69%) of the state’s 224 legislative constituencies, has to remain the primary focus. Karnataka’s farmers, battling drought and water shortage, have been under dire financial duress, and how well the Siddaramaiah government is seen to handle this challenge will be among the factors that will determine a positive outcome for his government.

While the government is implementing the farm loan waiver, experts believe that the such a move will help in the short-run to win elections, but will not help in the welfare of farmers in the long term till agriculture is made more remunerative.

In both districts, families in which farmers had killed themselves said the ex-gratia compensation of Rs 500,000 had not diminished their loan burden, primarily because erratic rainfall and unremunerative prices have squeezed incomes, perpetuating dependence on moneylenders.

Nevertheless, the farmers and their families said they appreciated the support provided by the government in the form of loan waivers and ex-gratia compensation, despite delays in paying out monthly pensions. Farmers we spoke to in Yadgir said that they would vote for the present government, while in Mandya which has strong Vokkaliga (sect) presence and is a Janata Dal (Secular) stronghold, they are undecided, although they were not unhappy with the government.

Read more on → Karnataka Farmers

Karnataka Elections 2018: BJP fields most criminals, Congress the richest candidates

BJP at the first spot and Congress at second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in Karnataka Assembly Election 2018. Catch latest updates on Karnataka polls 2018.

 

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 » The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the first spot and the Congress is at the second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in the Karnataka Assembly Election 2018, says a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The top three candidates with highest assets among all the candidates in fray belong to the ruling Congress — Priyakrishna, from Govindarajanagar constituency with Rs 10.20 billion worth total assets, N Nagaraju from Hosakote Assembly seat with assets valued at Rs 10.15 billion and the state Energy Minister D K Shivakumar from Kanakapura segment with Rs 8.4 billion assets.

The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.

Of the total candidates, the watchdog could not analyse details of 95 candidates belonging to national, regional, local and fringe parties, as their affidavits were badly scanned or were incomplete on the websites of the karnataka polls panel and the Chief Electoral Officer of the southern state.

“Among major parties, 83 (37%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 59 (27%) out of 220 candidates analysed from Indian Nataional Congress, 41 (21%) out of 199 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], 5 (20%) out of 25 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (United) [JD (U)] , 5 (19%) out of 27 candidates analysed from Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] and 108 (10%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits,” said the report.

“There are 254 (10%) candidates who have declared serious criminal cases registered against themselves, four candidates have declared case related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302) against themselves, and 25 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-307) against themselves,” said the report, adding that “23 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women”.

Read More on → BJP Candidates