Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi regained his lead over Union minister

News Network
May 23, 2019

Lucknow, May 23: Smriti Irani in Amethi after he trailed her for some time shortly after counting began Thursday.

The fight to retain the family bastion of Amethi has been one of the fiercest of contests of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

With the SP-BSP alliance staying out of the contest in Amethi, Rahul faced a straight contest from Union minister Smiriti Irani who accused him of shifting to Waynad (Kerala) for fear of losing in Amethi that he had represented since 2004.

In 2014, Rahul got 408651 votes against Irani’s 300748 votes. A low margin of victory of about one lakh votes was attributed to the BJP’s aggressive campaign and consistent attempts to make inroads in Amethi over the years. Rahul’s margin of victory was down substantially from the figure of 3.7 lakh votes with which he had won in 2009.

Congress general secretary for east UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who led party’s campaign for her brother in the constituency, said the people of the constituency had now understood the BJP’s designs and she was sure of of a higher victory margin for her brother in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Amethi Congress too had given a slogan of “paanch lakh paar” slogan to boost the victory margin.

Priyanka, in her election campaign, tried to strike an emotional chord with the local people by often referring to her father and former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi and his vision for development of Amethi and the country. She also accused Irani of distributing items like shoes to lure the people of the constituency.

Irani has been making regular visits to Amethi after losing the seat in 2014. She has consistently targeted Rahul for ‘neglecting’ Amethi over the years. Her frequent visits had helped the BJP in strengthening cadres and the party was able to win four of five assembly seats in Amethi in 2017 assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party won the fifth seat and the Congress could not win any seat in 2017 assembly polls.

The BJP workers tried to show black flags to Rahul Gandhi on his visits to his Lok Sabha seat on a number of occasions in the past five years. A black flag against a member of Gandhi family was unthinkable a few years ago in Amethi. Posters calling Rahul Gandhi a “Missing MP” had been put up in the constituency more than once in the past five years. But the BJP consistently used backwardness in the constituency as an opportunity to target the Congress chief.

The Congress and the BSP led Mayawati government had indulged in a war of words when the BSP government (2007-2012) refused to allot land to a number of development projects in Amethi and Rae Bareli. The Congress was able to bring some projects to ground only after installation of Samajwadi Party government in the state in 2012.

After Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, the Congress accused the Centre of indulging in political vendetta as some of Rahul’s projects were either scrapped or shifted out of Amethi.

This time, Rahul had promised that once a Congress government was formed at the Centre, he would ensure to bring double the number of development projects that the NDA government had taken away from the constituency in the past five years.

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News Network
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, set up by the government for construction of a temple in Ayodhya, will have 15 trustees and one of them will be from the Dalit community.

The statement comes a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust.

"There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit society," he tweeted.

Shah congratulated Modi "for such an unprecedented decision" that strengthens social harmony.

The home minister said the trust will be independent to take every decision related to the temple and 67 acres of land will be transferred to it.

"I fully believe that the waiting of millions of people for centuries will be over soon and they will be able to pay obeisance to Lord Shri Ram in his grand temple at his birthplace," he said.

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News Network
May 13,2020

New Delhi, May 13: With an increase of 3,525 COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of positive coronavirus cases rises to 74,281 cases, as of Wednesday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The tally is inclusive of 47,480 patients who are active coronavirus cases and 24,385 patients who have been cured/discharged and one patient migrated.

With an increase of 122 deaths due to COVID-19 reported in the last 24 hours, the number of deaths in the country now stands at 2,415.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of positive COVID-19 cases with 24,427 positive cases that include 5,125 patients recovered and 921 fatalities.

Gujarat has reported 8,903 COVID-19 cases inclusive of 3,246 recovered patients and 537 deaths due to the coronavirus.

Tamil Nadu reported 8,718 positive coronavirus cases with 2,134 patients recovering from the disease and 61 succumbing to the infection.

Delhi's tally of COVID-19 cases stands at 7,639 cases with 2,512 patients recovering and 86 patients died due to coronavirus.

Meanwhile Arunachal Pradesh (one case reported--now recovered), Goa (seven cases reported--all seven recovered), Manipur (two cases reported--both recovered) and Mizoram (one case reported--now recovered) have reported no new cases of COVID-19.

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News Network
January 17,2020

New Delhi, Jan 17: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia does not have any car on his name, according to information shared in the poll affidavit filed by him for Delhi elections.

In the affidavit, it is also shown that while his self-acquired immovable property remained roughly the same as in 2015. His wife's self-acquired immovable property is worth roughly about Rs 65 lakh, as per his latest affidavit.

In the papers submitted during the nomination for 2015 Delhi polls, the senior AAP leader had declared that he owned a Maruti Swift car of make 2013.

However, in his 2020 affidavit, he has mentioned "nil" in the column for motor vehicles and other means of transport.

In the affidavit submitted on Thursday, his moveable assets were declared worth Rs 4,74,888 for 2018-19, as against Rs 4,92,624 for 2013-14.

In 2015, Sisodia had informed in his affidavit that he had bought a property in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, worth Rs 5.07 lakh in April 2001. The approximate current market value of self-acquired property in 2015 was Rs 12 lakh.

In his current affidavit, the AAP leader has mentioned the same property. However, the approximate current market value of self-acquired property in 2020 has increased to Rs 21 lakh.

In his affidavit for the 2015 polls, Sisodia had also said that his wife had purchased a property in March 2008 costing Rs 8.70 lakh. At that time, the approximate value of her self-acquired property was Rs 20 lakh.

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