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Maharashtra Assembly polls: It’s BJP vs the rest

October 14, 2014

Modi Maharastra

Mumbai, Oct 14: With the end of campaigning on Monday, Maharashtra braces for an epic poll battle. With a riveting and unprecedented five-way contest, even Mumbai’s bookies are hedging their bets. The splintering of long-standing political alliances, just three weeks before the polls, set the stage for an election which could dramatically alter the State’s political map.

The big question is whether there will be a clear verdict. Much depends on who will benefit from the anti-incumbency factor against the 15-year rule of the Congress-NCP government, and to what extent.

BJP has the edge

Pollsters see a clear edge for the BJP that could emerge as the single-largest party. The BJP has banked heavily on the Narendra Modi juggernaut, with the Prime Minister’s blitzkrieg of 25 rallies in 10 days. By contrast the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressed four rallies and vice-president Rahul Gandhi six.

“There is a definite edge for the BJP because Mr. Modi’s honeymoon period has not yet ended. But whether it will get a clear mandate is not clear. Much depends on whether it has a pan-Maharashtra impact and whether the splitting of both alliances will swing votes towards the BJP,” says B. Venkatesh Kumar, political science professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 23 of the 24 seats it contested from Maharashtra. With the Prime Minister’s larger than life presence, the campaign became Modi versus the rest. The BJP had to fight off the sentiment of wounded Marathi pride fanned by its former ally the Shiv Sena.

Win will strengthen Modi-Shah as poll mascots

With the Prime Minister’s larger than life presence, the campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly polls became Modi versus the rest. The BJP had to fight off the sentiment of wounded Marathi pride fanned by its former ally the Shiv Sena.

Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the NCP and the Congress accused him of trying to divide Maharashtra, forcing the Prime Minister to issue an uncharacteristic denial.

The BJP is hoping for a repeat of its Lok Sabha success, an antidote to its recent by-election reverses. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 23 of the 24 seats it contested from Maharashtra.

“There is a definite edge for the BJP because Mr. Modi’s honeymoon period has not yet ended. But whether it will get a clear mandate is not clear. Much depends on whether it has a pan-Maharashtra impact and whether the splitting of both alliances will swing votes towards the BJP,” says B. Venkatesh Kumar, political science professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

A win in this key State will cement the position of both Mr. Modi and party president Amit Shah as election mascots within the BJP.

However, the lack of strong leadership within the State after the death of Gopinath Munde and the party’s going back and forth on the issue of Vidarbha’s statehood could upset the party’s calculations.

If no clear mandate emerges, the post-poll picture will depend entirely on the numbers with each party. The party with the largest number of seats could form the government with the help of Independents and smaller parties. The BJP and the Shiv Sena could patch up, setting aside the bitterness during the campaign. Or non-BJP parties could try and form an alliance, with signs of a rapprochement between the Shiv Sena and the MNS. Many feel the NCP could join this camp though the party has strongly denied this. If all else fails, the State could well be in for another spell of President’s Rule.

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Maharashtra Assembly polls: It’s BJP vs the rest

Mumbai, Oct 14: With the end of campaigning on Monday, Maharashtra braces for an epic poll battle. With a riveting and unprecedented five-way contest, even Mumbai’s bookies are hedging their bets. The splintering of long-standing political alliances, just three weeks before the polls, set the stage for an election which could dramatically alter the State’s political map.

The big question is whether there will be a clear verdict. Much depends on who will benefit from the anti-incumbency factor against the 15-year rule of the Congress-NCP government, and to what extent.

BJP has the edge

Pollsters see a clear edge for the BJP that could emerge as the single-largest party. The BJP has banked heavily on the Narendra Modi juggernaut, with the Prime Minister’s blitzkrieg of 25 rallies in 10 days. By contrast the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressed four rallies and vice-president Rahul Gandhi six.

“There is a definite edge for the BJP because Mr. Modi’s honeymoon period has not yet ended. But whether it will get a clear mandate is not clear. Much depends on whether it has a pan-Maharashtra impact and whether the splitting of both alliances will swing votes towards the BJP,” says B. Venkatesh Kumar, political science professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 23 of the 24 seats it contested from Maharashtra. With the Prime Minister’s larger than life presence, the campaign became Modi versus the rest. The BJP had to fight off the sentiment of wounded Marathi pride fanned by its former ally the Shiv Sena.

Win will strengthen Modi-Shah as poll mascots

With the Prime Minister’s larger than life presence, the campaign for the Maharashtra Assembly polls became Modi versus the rest. The BJP had to fight off the sentiment of wounded Marathi pride fanned by its former ally the Shiv Sena.

Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the NCP and the Congress accused him of trying to divide Maharashtra, forcing the Prime Minister to issue an uncharacteristic denial.

The BJP is hoping for a repeat of its Lok Sabha success, an antidote to its recent by-election reverses. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 23 of the 24 seats it contested from Maharashtra.

“There is a definite edge for the BJP because Mr. Modi’s honeymoon period has not yet ended. But whether it will get a clear mandate is not clear. Much depends on whether it has a pan-Maharashtra impact and whether the splitting of both alliances will swing votes towards the BJP,” says B. Venkatesh Kumar, political science professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

A win in this key State will cement the position of both Mr. Modi and party president Amit Shah as election mascots within the BJP.

However, the lack of strong leadership within the State after the death of Gopinath Munde and the party’s going back and forth on the issue of Vidarbha’s statehood could upset the party’s calculations.

If no clear mandate emerges, the post-poll picture will depend entirely on the numbers with each party. The party with the largest number of seats could form the government with the help of Independents and smaller parties. The BJP and the Shiv Sena could patch up, setting aside the bitterness during the campaign. Or non-BJP parties could try and form an alliance, with signs of a rapprochement between the Shiv Sena and the MNS. Many feel the NCP could join this camp though the party has strongly denied this. If all else fails, the State could well be in for another spell of President’s Rule.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Kochi, Apr 10: Kerala government is winning accolades for saving the life of eight foreigners including a very serious UK citizen who had been undergoing critical care for COVID-19 at a hospital here.

All the persons have been completely cured with the declaration of the test result of four persons. The persons, Roberto Tonozo (57) of Italy, Lanson (76) of UK, Elizabeth Lance (76), Brial Neil (57), Janet Layi (83), Steeven Hankok (61), Annie Wilson (61) and Jan Jackson (63) were completely cured and preparing to go for their countries, an official statement said on Thursday.

The last four persons who were cured expressed their desire to undergo treatment at a private hospital here.

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News Network
May 4,2020

New Delhi, May 4: The country's manufacturing sector activity witnessed unprecedented contraction in April amid national lockdown restrictions, following which new business orders collapsed at a record pace and firms sharply reduced their staff numbers, a monthly survey said on Monday.

The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 27.4 in April, from 51.8 in March, reflecting the sharpest deterioration in business conditions across the sector since data collection began over 15 years ago.
The index slipped into contraction mode, after remaining in the growth territory for 32 consecutive months.

In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score below that denotes contraction.

Amid widespread business closures, demand conditions were severely hampered in April. New orders fell for the first time in two-and-a-half years and at the sharpest rate in the survey's history, far outpacing that seen during the global financial crisis, the survey said.

"After making it through March relatively unscathed, the Indian manufacturing sector felt the full force of the coronavirus pandemic in April," said Eliot Kerr, Economist at IHS Markit.
Panellists attributed lower production to temporary factory closures that were triggered by restrictive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Export orders also witnessed a sharp decline. Following the first reduction since October 2017 during March, foreign sales fell at a quicker rate in April. "In fact, the rate of decline accelerated to the fastest since the series began over 15 years ago," the survey said.

On the employment front, deteriorating demand conditions saw manufacturers drastically cut back staff numbers in April. The reduction in employment was the quickest in the survey's history.

"In the latest survey period, record contractions in output, new orders and employment pointed to a severe deterioration in demand conditions.
“Meanwhile, there was evidence of unprecedented supply-side disruption, with input delivery times lengthening to the greatest extent since data collection began in March 2005," Kerr said.

On the prices front, both input costs and output prices were lowered markedly as suppliers and manufacturers themselves offered discounts in an attempt to secure orders.

Going ahead, sentiment regarding the 12-month outlook for production ticked up from March's recent low on hopes that demand will rebound once the COVID-19 threat has diminished and lockdown restrictions eased.

"There was a hint of positivity when looking at firms' 12-month outlooks, with sentiment towards future activity rebounding from March's record low. That said, the degree of optimism remained well below the historical average," Kerr said.

In India, the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,373 and the number of cases climbed to 42,533 as on Monday, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus-induced lockdown has been extended beyond May 4, for another two weeks in the country.

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Agencies
July 12,2020

Jaipur/New Delhi, Jul 12: The crisis in Rajasthan Congress has deepened with state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot at loggerheads.

While Gehlot is blaming BJP for trying to destabilise the state government by poaching MLAs, Pilot is camping in Delhi to speak to the party leadership regarding the political turmoil in the state.

According to sources, Pilot has sought an appointment with party's interim president Sonia Gandhi but time for the meeting has not yet been given by her. Although Pilot met another party leader to apprise him about the situation in the state and spelled out his grievance.

As of now, many MLAs, who are believed to be in the Pilot camp, are also in Delhi to meet the party leadership. According to sources, the deputy chief minister has the support of nearly 30 Congress MLAs along with many independent legislators.

It is important to note that the controversy broke out in Rajasthan after Special Operation Group (SOG) sent a notice to Sachin Pilot to record his statement in the case registered by SOG in the alleged poaching of Congress MLAs in the state. The clash between Gehlot and Pilot is also over the post of PCC Chief as Gehlot Camp wants that 'One Leader One Post' formula to be implemented in Rajasthan. Currently, Sachin Pilot is heading the PCC besides holding the Deputy CM post.

Sources close to Sachin Pilot have informed that the young leader is upset with the notice issued to him. He believes it is aimed to record his phone calls and keep him under surveillance. Many of Pilot's supporters feel indignation and told Pilot that they cannot work with Ashok Gehlot. Also, Pilot is unlikely to attend the meeting called by Gehlot today, according to sources.

While the top leadership of the party is keeping mum, sources say it is keeping a watch on the development. General Secretary KC Venugopal has taken up the matter of the rift with the party's top brass with them not happy about it.

Rajasthan AICC Incharge Avinash Pandey told media persons: "Everything is under control. Few MLAs had issues and after discussion, they have returned back to Jaipur and others are also in touch. BJP's attempt of destabilising the government will not be successful in Rajasthan and government is stable."

Gehlot also held a meeting with ministers last night in Jaipur.  According to Gehlot camp, the top leadership is apprised of the development of the poaching attempt in the state. Amid Political Crisis Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot called a meeting of Ministers and all Cong MLAs tonight at his residence.

The Rajasthan crisis has alerted the other senior leaders of the party who have opined that the Madhya Pradesh incident should not get repeated in Rajasthan.

Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibbal tweeted, "Worried for our party. Will we wake up only after the horses have bolted from our stables?"

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