EC ensured to deploy central forces during West Bengal Polls: Vijayvargiya

 

Public General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said that Election Commission's delegate guaranteed him to select focal security power for directing the West Bengal Assembly political decision 2021with-out any dread.

"West Bengal is a test for everybody in the midst of the prejudice and most noticeably awful lawfulness conditions. Political race Commission's delegate guaranteed to choose focal power in West Bengal to direct the political decision with no dread." said Kailash Vijayvargiya.

Kailash Vijayvargiya has additionally requested that state police should be kept aside during the West Bengal Assembly political decision in 2021 as West Bengal police have been seen associated with state legislative issues, said Kailash Vijayvargiya.

BJP has set up a solid base in West Bengal. Vijayvargiya said that they needn't bother with the help of any gathering to battle races and will frame an administration by a 66% edge.

West Bengal Assembly races are booked to be held in 2021. With 294 seats, a sharp challenge anticipates the state as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempts to wrest power from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.

Abandoned by SAD, BJP to contest all 117 seats in 2022 Punjab elections

 

Almost two months after BJP's drawn out partner in Punjab Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) split away from the NDA over the antagonistic ranch laws, party General Secretary Tarun Chugh declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party will challenge every one of the 117 Assembly voting demographics in the 2022 state surveys all alone.

Chugh said that the gathering is reinforcing its association on a war balance to challenge all seats in the following Punjab Assembly surveys.

"BJP is reinforcing its association on a war balance to challenge each of the 117 Assembly situates in Punjab," Chugh said.

The BJP General Secretary said that party President Jagat Prakash Nadda will essentially initiate 10 locale workplaces of the gathering on November 19.

In September, SAD conflicted with the NDA more than three new horticulture area change laws authorized - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Afterward, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal likewise left the Union bureau.

BJP's partnership with SAD in Punjab goes back to 1992. According to the seat-sharing equation settled between the partners throughout the long term, the SAD being the senior accomplice used to challenge on around 94 seats and the BJP on 23.

Out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, SAD used to handle applicants in 10 voting public and the BJP on three.

In 2017 Assembly surveys, Congress won an outright greater part in the state by winning 77 seats and expelled the SAD-BJP government following 10 years.

The SAD-BJP performed inadequately in the 2019 Lok Sabha surveys as they won 2 seats each while Congress stowed 8 seats in Punjab.

CR Patil takes charge as new chief of Bharatiya Janata Party's Gujarat unit

CR Patil assumed responsibility as the new head of BJP's Gujarat unit at the gathering office on Tuesday. He is a Lok Sabha MP from Navsari.
Patil has been named instead of Jitu Vaghani, who finished his residency as gathering's Gujarat unit president.
"Congrats to Shri CR Patil on being named as the new leader of the BJP. All the best for Gujarat BJP to push ahead under your authority," tweeted Vaghani.
On Monday, the BJP named CR Patil and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, both Lok Sabha MPs, as leaders of its Gujarat and Ladakh units."BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda has designated CR Patil and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal as leader of Gujarat and Ladakh BJP units individually," said an announcement gave by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh.

(Just the feature and image of this report may have been adjusted by the Business Standard staff; the remainder of the substance is auto-created from a coordinated feed.)

What about 'ghar wapsi'? Sibal on Sachin Pilot's claim of not joining BJP

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Tearing into Sachin Pilot over his case that he isn't joining the BJP, senior Congress pioneer Kapil Sibal on Thursday got some information about his arrangements on 'ghar wapsi'. He additionally asked whether Rajasthan's nonconformist administrators are traveling in Haryana under the attentive gaze of the saffron party.
Pilot was sacked by the gathering as Rajasthan vice president pastor and PCC boss after he transparently rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
As theory mounted about his subsequent stages, Pilot said he isn't joining the BJP.
Likewise READ: Sachin Pilot's future is in Congress just: Senior pioneer Veerappa Moily
"Bogus gossipy tidbits spread to insult. Pilot: 'I am not joining BJP'. I surmise then lawmakers at a lodging in Manesar is simply a get-away in Haryana's customary range of familiarity under BJP's attentive gaze. Shouldn't something be said about 'ghar wapsi'," Sibal asked on Twitter.
Sibal had before said he was stressed for the gathering and inquired as to whether it will wake up after the ponies have shot.
"Stressed for our gathering. Will we wake up simply after the ponies have dashed from our corrals," he had inquired.
Sibal's comments about 'ghar wapsi' come after the Congress by and by said the nonconformist MLAs can at present come back to the Congress overlay.
AICC general secretary for Rajasthan Avinash Pande and boss representative Randeep Surjewala have asked Pilot and other nonconformist administrators to come back to the Congress overlay in the event that they are not joining the BJP. The offer comes at the occurrence of Rahul Gandhi, who needs to give Pilot one more opportunity, party insiders said.Taking a swipe at Sachin Pilot over his case that he isn't joining the BJP, senior Congress pioneer Kapil Sibal on Thursday got some information about his arrangements on 'ghar wapsi'. He likewise asked whether Rajasthan's protester lawmakers are traveling in Haryana under the careful gaze of the saffron party.
Pilot was sacked by the gathering as Rajasthan vice president pastor and PCC boss after he straightforwardly rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
As hypothesis mounted about his following stages, Pilot said he isn't joining the BJP.
Additionally READ: Sachin Pilot's future is in Congress just: Senior pioneer Veerappa Moily
"Bogus bits of gossip spread to insult. Pilot: 'I am not joining BJP'. I surmise then officials at an inn in Manesar is simply a get-away in Haryana's usual range of familiarity under BJP's careful gaze. Shouldn't something be said about 'ghar wapsi'," Sibal asked on Twitter.
Sibal had before said he was concerned for the gathering and inquired as to whether it will wake up after the ponies have shot.
"Stressed for our gathering. Will we wake up simply after the ponies have darted from our pens," he had inquired.
Sibal's comments about 'ghar wapsi' come after the Congress by and by said the nonconformist MLAs can even now come back to the Congress crease.

AICC general secretary for Rajasthan Avinash Pande and boss representative Randeep Surjewala have encouraged Pilot and other nonconformist officials to come back to the Congress crease on the off chance that they are not joining the BJP. The offer comes at the example of Rahul Gandhi, who needs to give Pilot one more opportunity, party insiders said.

In UP, income tax for CM and ministers is paid by the treasury, since 1981

International News
The Uttar Pradesh state government exchequer has been paying the income tax of all the chief ministers and ministers since 1981, reports Times of India. A law, Uttar Pradesh Ministers' Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Act 1981, passed by then Chief Minister VP Singh, stated that since the ministers were poor and had meagre salaries and could not afford to pay the tax. It should be noted that UP is one of the poorest states in India.
Since then UP had 19 Chief Ministers and over 1,000 minsters.
A section of the Act says, “Every minister and minister of state shall be entitled, throughout term of his office, to a salary of one thousand rupees per month. Every deputy minister shall be entitled, throughout the term of his office, to a salary of six hundred and fifty rupees per month. "The salary referred to in sub-sections (1) and (2) shall be exclusive of the tax payable in respect of such salary (including perquisites) under any law relating to income tax for the time being in force, and such tax shall be borne by the state government.”
The list of chief ministers who have had the UP treasury pay their tax includes Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party, and the incumbent Yogi Adityanath.

 In the current financial year, the income tax bill of Adityanath and his council of ministers was around Rs 86 lakh and was paid from the state treasury. UP principal secretary (finance) Sanjiv Mittal, confirmed as much to Times of India.

Why has Unnao rape accused been given political protection, asks Priyanka

International News

In an apparent attack at the BJP, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday asked why people like BJP MLA and rape accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar are given the "protection of political power", while their victims are abandoned to battle for their lives alone.
Priyanka Gandhi's poser in a tweet came a day after the Uttar Pradesh police filed a murder case against Sengar and nine others following a complaint by the Unnao rape survivor's family, alleging "conspiracy" behind the Sunday's car crash in which the victim was severely injured and two of her family members were killed.The Congress leader also tagged portions of the FIR filed along with the tweet.
"Why do we give people like Kuldeep Sengar the strength and protection of political power and abandon their victims to battle for their lives alone?" Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.
"This FIR clearly states that the family was threatened and apprehensive. It even mentions the possibility of a planned accident," she said, tagging a copy of the FIR.
Unnao Superintendent of Police Madhav Prasad Verma had said on Sunday that the rape survivor, her paternal and maternal aunts along with their advocate met with an accident while on their way to meet her uncle, who is lodged in Rae Bareli jail.

 A woman belonging to Makhi police station area in Unnao had alleged that Sengar, a four-time MLA who represents Bangermau in the UP Assembly, raped her teenage daughter at his residence in 2017.The case had come to light after the victim allegedly attempted self-immolation outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence.Sengar, who is an accused in the rape case, was arrested on April 13 last year...Read More

Nitish Kumar inducts 8 new members in Bihar Cabinet, no berth for ally BJP

Current Affairs

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday inducted eight new faces in his council of ministers — all from Janata Dal (United) — days after he refused to join the new Narendra Modi government after being offered only one berth in the central Cabinet. Allies, Bhartiya

Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), were left out of the expansion.Kumar later explained he had offered a single position to the BJP, but the party wasn’t too keen.

“When the alliance formed, the number of ministers and departments were decided. There was large number of vacancies in the JD(U) quota after the general elections. At present, only JD(U)’s quota has been filled. All these portfolios were with us from the beginning,” Kumar said, and added, “There is no issue with the BJP.”

Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi confirmed the party was offered a seat in the state Cabinet. “The BJP decided to fill it in future,” he tweeted.

LJP chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan also said: “NDA is very much intact. Everything will be sorted. Nitish ji is an important leader of NDA in Bihar.” The BJP and the LJP still have one seat in the state Cabinet according to the “preoperational distribution”.

With the expansion, the number of ministers in the state, including the CM, has risen to 33. A total of 36 ministers, including the CM, can be inducted in the Cabinet.

The new ministers — Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar, Shayam Rajak, Ashok Chaudhury, Bima Bharti, Narendra Narayan Yadav, Ram Sevak Singh, and Laxmeshwar Rai — were administered the oath of office at a function at the Raj Bhavan in Patna by Governor Lalji Tandon. Kumar later rejigged portfolios of some of his ministers.

Clean air: One of the biggest challenges for PM Modi in second term

Economy News

One of the biggest challenges facing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he begins his second term is ensuring clean air in a country that’s home to some of the most polluted cities in the world.
The country is burning up more coal to supply cheap electricity to its 1.3 billion people, resulting in polluted air across vast stretches. That’s costing lives and denting the nation’s economic productivity, prompting a policy rethink. Air pollution and how political parties plan to tackle it figured in their manifestos for the first time in national elections that ended May 23.
Efforts in the past to clean up the environment have struggled to clear the test of affordability. India’s fleet of coal-burning power plants, among the biggest sources of air pollution and a dominant provider of cheap energy, have dragged their feet over implementing emission standards, citing cost. A campaign to replace firewood with clean cooking fuel in rural homes needs to be affordable to have greater adoption.A look at what the Modi administration needs to do:
Strengthen the electricity distribution companies. Rejuvenating the power retailers will be crucial for transitioning to cleaner, although costlier electricity. Their losses rose from April to December, reversing a declining trend. Efforts to revive them during Modi’s first term have met with some progress but haven’t been completely successful.
Ensure timely implementation of emissions norms for thermal power plants. One of the reasons this process has moved slowly is a possible reluctance by lenders to finance retrofits in a sector already stressed with a mountain of bad debt. Fixing the money-losing power retailers would be key to resolving the bad loan mess.

Bring fuels, such as natural gas, under the national sales tax regime, helping them compete with dirtier options, such as coal and petcoke. Boosting local production of gas will make it more affordable and help raise its share in the mix to 15%, more than double from now.Accelerate capacity addition in renewable energy, while enabling the grid to deal with the rising flow of intermittent power.Increase use of biomass for energy to help reduce the dependence on crude oil imports and prevent burning of crop residue, a leading air polluter in northern India

Modi's second term to lay groundwork for India's next 25 years: US expert

International News

Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his election victory, a top American corporate leader has asserted that in the next five years, the PM will lay the groundwork for India's economic growth and prosperity for the next quarter century.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a super-sized victory for a second term in office, winning an absolute majority and on course to touch the 300-seat mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha."Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a decisive election victory. These next five years of Prime Minister Modi's leadership will lay the groundwork for the next 25 years in terms of economic growth and prosperity for the country," John Chambers, Chairman of the Board of Directors at US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), said.
Chambers said under Modi's leadership, India will be able to increase its GDP and see economic growth and job-creation, and improve trade and foreign investment.
"The future is bright for India and we at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum look forward to boosting ties between the two countries like never before," Chambers said, reflecting the views of the American corporate sector, which is increasingly looking at India as an alternative to China when it comes to their manufacturing base.

 Three-term Indian American Congressman Dr Ami Bera issued a statement congratulating the citizens of the country who participated in the elections over the past five weeks."These were the largest democratic elections ever and reflected India's commitment to its founding ideals. I also congratulate Prime Minister Modi on his victory and look forward to working with him and his government to advance the values and interests that bind our two nations," he said.

BJP manifesto rooted in reality, prepared with nationalist vision: Jaitley

Election News

BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday said the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections beginning this week has not been prepared with a 'tukde tukde' mindset but with a strong nationalist vision.
The document, 'Sankalp Patra' (document of resolve), is rooted in reality, Jaitley said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the manifesto.

"Our new policy, new doctrine of striking terror in its origin has received global recognition," Jaitley told the gathering.

The Union finance minister said the party was committed to annulling Article 35 A of the Constitution, which provides special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The provision is discriminatory against non-permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
When India is at the cusp of history making most of all its lost opportunities, does it require a fragile government or a decisive one, he asked.

Jaitley added that previous governments only gave slogans, but the Modi-led administration gave resources to the poor.

He said the essence of the BJP manifesto is to deplete poverty over the next five years to single digit and then gradually eliminate it.

"Our fiscal prudence since 1947 has been best ever for any government," the finance minister said.

 (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

BJP manifesto highlights: Rs 25-trn agri push, pension for small traders

Election News

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its poll manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2019. BJP president Amit Shah highlighted the government's achievements while Home Minister Rajnath Singh read out the key promises in the manifesto. He also headed the committee that drafted it.
Here are the key takeaways of the BJP's manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2019:

•   Agri loans available on credit cards up to Rs 1 lakh at zero per cent rate of interest
• Collateral-free credit up to Rs 50 lakh for entrepreneurs
• Promotion of Startups through creation of a ‘Seed Startup Fund’ of Rs 20,000 crore.
• 10 per cent material procurement for the government by MSMEs having at least 50 per cent women in their workforce
• Micro, small and medium enterprises to given Rs 1 trillion worth of credit by 2024.
• A pucca house to every family who are either living in a kuchha house or have no access to housing by 2022.
• Expand Ayushman Bharat to include all Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers
• ‘Jal Jivan Mission’ to be launched to ensure piped water supply to every household in India by 2024...Read More

Cong picks 3 agencies to manage digital, social media campaign for LS polls

Opinion News
The Congress party on Tuesday identified three agencies that would manage its digital and social media campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Some more would be hired in the coming days and assigned other tasks.

The publicity committee of the party is headed by party leader Anand Sharma. But there was much disgruntlement in the team — some members complained to Congress President Rahul Gandhi that they were not being kept in the loop. The Congress chief first asked senior leader Jairam Ramesh to take part in the meetings, and when that alone did not help, overseas Congress Chief Sam Pitroda was summoned hastily, which helped break the stalemate.

Scramble to lose

It is unusual for leaders to fight for seats when the chances of victory are bleak. But that's exactly what is happening in the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). State leaders are jockeying to contest from Pathanamthitta, the epicentre of the Sabarimala issue.

At least four top leaders including Union Ministers K J Alphons and senior leader K Surendran are vying for a ticket to contest the seat. Interestingly, the BJP has never won a Lok Sabha seat from the state. Also the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP cadres in Kerala do not see eye to eye. Given that, political observers are betting on either the Congress or the Left, despite the mileage BJP gained out of the Sabarimala stir.

Don’t gatecrash


 It’s not unusual to hear stories about students in India gatecrashing weddings. Just for fun or to indulge in a hearty meal when hostel mess food is nothing but torture and the monthly allowance from home is diminishing rapidly. A premier institution in the country has had enough of this...Read More

Impossible job: India's pollsters face the uphill battle to call election

Economy & Policy:

Thousands of candidates, hundreds of parties, endless combinations of possible coalitions – spare a thought for India’s pollsters, tasked with making sense of the country’s fiendishly complicated politics ahead of a general election due by May.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a surprise majority in 2014. Until last year, many predicted a similar result. But amid rising anger over unemployment and a fall in rural incomes, the BJP lost key state elections in December, making this contest more closely fought than first expected.

That means surveys conducted on behalf of newspapers and TV channels will be closely scrutinized. Some of India’s top pollsters however, told Reuters current surveys could be wide of the mark until the parties finalize alliances, which could be as late as April – and even then, there are challenges.
“In India there are certain relationships between caste, religion and allegiance,” said VK Bajaj, chief executive of Today’s Chanakya, the only polling firm to predict the BJP would win an outright majority in 2014. “We have to do checks and counter-checks when collecting our samples.”

CHECKERED PAST


 Opinion polls grew in popularity in India in the 1990s, after economic liberalization saw a boom in privately-owned newspapers and TV channels, all demanding their own surveys.

Were Jeff Bezos' plans to dominate Indian e-commerce ambushed by Ambani?

Companies News:

Amazon.com and Walmart Inc.’s plans to dominate India’s online retail landscape have been ambushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political priorities heading into a tightening election.

The vote, which must be held by May, has increased the influence of local retailers that lobbied for growth-crimping curbs on the U. S. giants. On cue, India this month rolled out constraints on foreign e-commerce players including Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, which together control 70 percent of its online shopping. The tighter rules, aimed at protecting small traders, may end up benefiting the country’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who is building a home-grown competitor.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is still licking its wounds after being trounced in three key recent state polls and a year ago fighting an unexpectedly close contest in Gujarat -- Modi’s home state. Among small businesses, which are a traditional support base, the government’s popularity has been eroded by 2016’s surprise cash ban and the subsequent chaotic roll out of a new sales tax.

The rules now bar Amazon and Flipkart Online Services Pvt. Ltd. from owning inventory, and require them to treat all vendors equally, throttling discounts and exclusives -- a huge advantage to homegrown companies including Ambani’s new venture. His Reliance Industries Ltd., which owns India’s largest retail chain and third-biggest telecom network, has the potential to evolve into a local version of Amazon or Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., UBS AG said last month.


 “Whether serendipitous or not, India’s tightened regulatory regime for online retailers is a huge win for Reliance with its new retail ambitions,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief executive officer of consultancy Greyhound Research. “This could be a field leveler for them..Read More

Priyanka takes up Congress role in UP after over a decade behind the scenes

Election News:

With the general elections less than 90 days away, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appointed his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, which constitutes roughly 40 Lok Sabha seats, including their family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi constituency.

Priyanka, who turned 47 earlier this month, has been an important, behind-the-scenes figure in the party’s decision-making processes for over a decade, but Wednesday’s announcement marks her official political debut. With UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi having already indicated her desire to retire from electoral politics, the move could pave the way for Priyanka’s entry into the electoral arena and she could contest from Rae Bareli, the seat currently represented by her mother, party sources said.

Her appointment, however, opened the Congress to renewed attacks from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over “dynastic politics” and "lack of inner-democracy". BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress had admitted to Rahul Gandhi having “failed” in providing leadership.


 The Congress's allies, including Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, welcomed the news, though. Congress strategists believe Priyanka's charisma would help the party perform better in key states of UP and Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls. The appointment has ramifications, at least in UP, not just for the principal rival BJP, but also the frenemies Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP)...Read More