Colombo: Government of Sri Lanka has decided to hold the elections of the rest of the Provincial Councils as scheduled once their terms end as per the schedule prepared by the Election Commissioner.However, it is also reported that a Presidential Election will be held soon prior to the general elections which is scheduled for 2010 April to secure the Government’s position in the local political arena.Next Presidential election is supposed to be held at the end of 2011. With the war against terrorism...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sri Lanka Government decides to hold other Provincial Council elections according to the original schedule
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Govt favouring BNP- Jamaat: AL claims
Awami League has blasted the Emergency Government for favouring corrupts belonging to the erstwhile BNP-Jamaat government. It questioned the neutrality of the incumbent government's anti-corruption drive terming it an eye-wash and an activity to pull BNP and their alliance(The Bangladesh Today)out of the deep hole they had plunged into before one-eleven."The government amid its controversial activities further proved that they were not sincere and impartial against widespread corruption. Their anti-corruption...
BJP demands removal of Paswan from Union cabinet
JAIPUR : Alleging that Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan is supporting terrorism in the country by giving protection to SIMI activists, BJP has demanded an immediate removal of Lok Janshakti Party Chief from the Union Cabinet.In a press release here, BJP state spokesman Mohan Lal Gupta said that the Union Minister is supporting SIMI that is allegedly involved in terrorist activities.He ridiculed Paswan for comparing RSS and other Hindu outfits with SIMI and said they are working towards maintaining...
Chiranjeevi faced several obstacles ahead of party launch
TIRUPATI: From legal wrangles to loss of a close friend, Telugu film star Chiranjeevi overcame several hurdles for the launch of his party from this temple town.A row over his party's name "Praja Rajyam" was resolved on Friday after a claimant to the name withdrew his objection.Advocate V Channakrishniah from Lakkireddy Palli in Kadapa District had agreed to withdraw his application with the Election Commission posted for the registration of the party's name three months ago.A letter for withdrawal...
Zardari quest for prez post gets boost
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari's prospects for presidency brightened on Sunday with leaders of two prominent parties backing his bid, even as he claimed the 'establishment' is with him in his quest to succeed Pervez Musharraf.Jamiat Ulema-e Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said his party's 48 members in Parliament -- National Assembly and Senate -- and provincial assembles of NWFP and Balochistan would vote for Zardari in the September six presidential poll.Rehman said...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
SP, Congress leaders meet ahead of crucial seat sharing talks
NEW DELHI: A day ahead of the crucial seat sharing parleys between the Congress and Samajwadi Party, a six-member Coordination Committee of the outfits is meeting on Saturday to discuss key government policy issues.Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and general secretary Amar Singh are expected to represent SP while Congress is expected to be represented by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherji and Defence Minister A K Antony.The meeting,...
Congress leaders discuss revised NSG draft
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday held deliberations with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and some other senior colleagues over the nuclear issue ahead of the NSG meeting in Vienna. The meeting, also attended by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to the Congress president, is understood to have assessed the revised draft prepared by the US for consideration of the Nuclear Suppliers Group at its meeting on September 4-5.The meeting is...
Jaffna mc polls to be held soon
In the wake of the Eastern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections, the government is now planning to hold elections to the Jaffna Municipal Council to gauge public opinion in the northern capital, a Minister said yesterday.EPDP leader and Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda told Daily Mirror the election would be conducted soon and the government was holding a series of discussions to work out the preliminaries. “We will be able to conduct it before the end of this year....
BNP will not make any deal with govt in releasing Begum Zia: Hannan Shah
BNP Chairperson's Adviser Brigadier ASM Hannan Shah on Friday said the party would not accept any government conditions in releasing Begum Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman. "If the government tries to set any condition for the release Begum Zia, BNP will not accept(The Bangladesh Today)it and the party will go for tougher movement in order to free its Chairperson. Like Awami League, BNP will not make any secret deal with government in releasing its Chairperson. We want to free our Chairperson...
Cong to seek waiver of road tax
JALANDHAR: As lakhs of devotees from Punjab would flock to Hazoor Sahib, Nanded, for Guruta Gadi Divas celebrations , Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to urge the Prime Minister that road tax of vehicles carrying devotees to Nanded be waived.Stating this here on Friday, PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee and former Adampur MLA Kanwaljit Singh Lalli said as buses and trucks carrying devotees would have to pass through nearly half-a-dozen states and the cumulative road tax would be...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Soren wins trust vote as Jharkhand CM
RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren has won the trust vote in the assembly with a margin of eight votes. A total of 76 legislators participated in the trust vote in the 82-member house.Of the total votes cast, 42 were in favour of the trust motion and 34 against it. Three legislators abstained, and one seat is vacant. On Thursday, the Jharkhand Assembly speaker had suspended the voting rights of two suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, Vishnu Bhaiya and Manohar Tekriwal.The...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
EC preparing to hold UZ polls tentatively on Oct 23
The Election Commission (EC) is taking preparations with a tentative date on October 23 for holding the upazila polls as per its earlier announcement, but the EC is yet to finalise in how many upazilas the elections will be held.(The Bangladesh Today)Talking to the reporters at the EC secretariat yesterday EC Secretary Humayun Kabir also said that the forthcoming upazila polls is also non-political like the other local polls, but the political leaders would be able to participate in election campaign...
Shujaat sees possibility of understanding with PML-N
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Thursday said Pakistan Muslim League-N’s presidential candidate Justice (Retd.) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui had contacted him in person and asked for PML-Q’s support in the upcoming presidential polls.Addressing a press conference here, Chaudhry Shujaat said the possibility of a positive outcome could not be ruled out if the PML-N contacts his party.He said the PML-Q will continue to keep its identity even if there is it reaches an understanding...
BJP woos Chiru's 'Prajarajyam'
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gets set to roll out the red carpet for actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi who received a spectacular crowd response on the day (August 26) when he launched his party Praja Rajyam in Tirupathi.Venkaiah Naidu, Senior BJP leader, reacting to the party's gameplan, tie-up with Praja Rajyam, and about the entry of the party said, "We are closely watching the things. We will decide when the appropriate time comes. We are awaiting Chiranjeevi to make public...
Rifts in SP on representatives in committee with Congress
NEW DELHI: Differences within Samajwadi Party ranks over the number of its representatives to the Congress-SP coordination Committee have led to postponement of its first meeting this week.Though names of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and general secretary Amar Singh had been initially proposed informally as representatives to the committee, there is a feeling in the party that an old socialist hand should also be included to make it more broad-based as far as SP is concerned.Since the committee...
Prachanda says his first 'political visit' will be to India
KATHMANDU: Amid criticism of his move to visit China first instead of India after assuming office, Nepal's new premier Prachanda on Wednesday said his maiden "political" trip will be to New Delhi and that it will take place "very soon."Prachanda, who undertook a five-day visit to Beijing to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics, was criticised in the political circle here for visiting China first in a sharp departure from tradition where India has been the first port of call for most of the...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
No snap polls, next elections in 2010, Sri Lanka President says
Aug 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (26) said that there is no hurry to hold a snap poll and the mandate given by the people for the ruling party is valid until 2010.Addressing a ceremony sponsored by the Finance and Planning Ministry to hand over appointment letters to 246 accountants recruited into the government services at Temple Trees yesterday, the President said although winning a general election at this stage is not a challenge to the United People's Freedom...
EC to announce parliament election schedule on finalisation of voters’ list: Chief Adviser
DHAKA: Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed on Tuesday said the Election Commission is the legal competent body to announce the schedule for general election and observed that the schedule might not be annou-nced before finalisation of the voters' list across the country.(The Bangladesh Today)Briefing reporters after a meeting of the Council of Advisors at Khulna Circuit House in the afternoon, he said it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct all elections, including the parliamentary...
PML-N, PML-Q not in presidential race from Sindh
Karachi : Two major political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q), are not in the race for the presidential elections in Sindh. Neither party filed nomination papers for presidential candidates in Sindh. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and the Awami National Party (ANP), filed nine nomination papers on Tuesday for their joint presidential candidate, PPP Co-Chairman Asif...
Soren takes oath as Jharkhand CM
RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren was Wednesday sworn in as Jharkhand Chief Minister.Governor Syed Sibte Razi administered the oath of office to Soren at a ceremony in the Raj Bhavan here in the afternoon.Soren's party had staked claim to forming the government Monday, two days after Madhu Koda stepped down as chief minister. Source : Times Of In...
Andhra Pradesh may see political realignment
HYDERABAD: With Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi launching a new political party, Andhra Pradesh appears to be heading for realignment of political forces before next year's elections.The Praja Rajyam, launched by the actor at a mammoth rally at Tirupati on Tuesday, is likely to join hands with smaller parties to take on both the ruling Congress party and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).The priorities of the new party spelt out by Chiranjeevi and his stand on key issues indicate the possibility...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Pak: Zardari, Siddiqui, Sayed file nomination papers
ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan People's Party filed nomination papers for its chief Asif Ali Zardari for the September 6 presidential polls saying it had enough support to ensure his victory despite PML-N's decision to pull out of the government and field its own candidate.PML(N) leaders filed nomination papers for Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui. PML-Q candidate Mushahid Hussain Sayed filed the nomination papers accompanied by his party leadersSenior PPP leaders and federal Ministers Sherry Rehman and...
Chiranjeevi launches political party 'Prajarajyam'
TIRUPATI: Lakhs of supporters celebrated as megastar Chiranjeevi on Tuesday unveiled his political party and named it ‘Prajarajyam’. ( Watch )Addressing a political meeting, where large numbers of fans had gathered to support their legend, the southern star said he is overwhelmed by the response of the people towards his decision of joining politics. “The new party will have social justice as its main agenda,“ Chiranjeevi said.Chiranjeevi added, “I firmly believe in youth power. I am hungry to serve...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Left has betrayed legacy of Surjeet: Congress
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday accused CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat and other comrades of destroying the legacy of veteran Marxist H S Surjeet who had polarised the secular forces."The withdrawal of support to the UPA was the biggest step to give boost to the communal forces," said Congress spokesman Manish Tewari.Tewari told reporters that the Left had done was to "betray the legacy of Comrade Surjeet".He recalled that Surjeet was instrumental in bringing together all secular forces in...
Soren told to prove majority by Sept 1
RANCHI: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren has been invited by Governor Syed Sibte Razi to form the government and told to prove his majority by September 1. Earlier, Soren met Governor Razi and presented a letter of support from 42 legislators.The move came after outgoing chief minister Madhu Koda finally softened his stance and expressed support for him.When Soren went to meet the governor, he was accompanied by Koda, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, central minister and...
Sharif pulls out of Pakistan coalition
ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif's PML-N has pulled out of Pakistan's ruling coalition and has decided to sit in the Opposition, said Dawn Channel. This was decided in a meeting of top leaders of former premier Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N. ( Watch )The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has decided on former chief justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui as its presidential candidate.The meeting of the PML-N's central working committee, chaired by Sharif, was held in the wake of comments by top party leaders accusing the...
Zardari to be PPP's Prez candidate, coalition crisis deepens
ISLAMABAD: Heeding his party's wishes, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday decided to contest the Sept 6 Presidential election, but the ruling coalition appeared to be heading for a deeper crisis over the issue of reinstatement of judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf. "Mr Asif Zardari has accepted to contest the election for the office of president of Pakistan after the party unanimously drafted him to do so," PPP deputy secretary general Raza Rabbani told reporters.Pakistan's...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Support after restoration of judges by Monday: Sharif
LAHORE: Taking a tough stand, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday cut short by two days the Wednesday deadline for restoration of the deposed judges and linked the issue to his party's support to PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari's candidature in presidential polls in Pakistan. "It will take Parliament 10 minutes to pass a resolution for reinstatement of deposed judges after which an Executive Order should be issued by the Prime Minister in the evening," the former prime minister told reporters here...
Northeast must 'agitate' with Centre for development: Aiyar
NEW DELHI: Noting that India's 'Look East' policy was yet to reap benefits for the country's northeastern region, Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has said these states must "agitate" with the Centre to seek development.Aiyar, the minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DONER), said efforts were on to make the region a gateway to the prosperous South East Asian nations."Now we are focusing on linking the region to South East Asia on the basic assumption that South East Asia begins...
Chiranjeevi hosts tea party for filmstars
HYDERABAD: Actor Chiranjeevi, who has stepped into politics, hosted a tea party for the film fraternity at the Rama Naidu studios at Jubilee Hills on Saturday.Amongst those who were present were actors Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Tarun, producer D Rama Naidu, Tammareddy Bharadwaja and others.Interestingly, actor Mohan Babu who is known to have a running a feud with Chiranjeevi also came for the tea party. "He invited me with love and I came," Mohan Babu said.Nandamuri Balakrishna and NTR Jr from the Nandamuri...
Land-for-job: NDA team meets PM, demands Lalu's ouster
NEW DELHI: Keeping up the pressure on railway minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, a delegation of Opposition NDA on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that he be sacked from the Cabinet in the wake of the alleged "land-for-jobs" scam that came to light after an expose telecast by a private TV channel.Taking a dig at Prasad, who has been credited for his "management skills" for turning around the Indian Railways into a profit-making enterprise, BJP leader Muqhtar Abbas Naqvi...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Soren set to become Jharkhand CM
NEW DELHI: Shibu Soren is tantalizingly close to realising his aspiration to be the chief minister of Jharkhand — a state he helped form — with the UPA leadership successfully persuading incumbent Madhu Koda to step down for 'Guruji'.Koda is expected to announce his resignation on Saturday. The agreement with Koda capped hectic parleys among UPA partners to facilitate Soren's ascension.A power-sharing arrangement has been worked out which centres on maintaining the status quo with the significant...
BJP calls Cong, SP, BSP 'cheerleaders of terror'
NEW DELHI: Opposition BJP on Friday lashed out at Congress, SP and BSP for sympathizing with Ahmedabad blast accused and SIMI activist Abu Bashar and accused them of playing the "minority appeasement" card, following the visit of MPs from the three parties to Bashar's village in Uttar Pradesh, from where he was picked up by Gujarat police.BJP called the three parties "cheerleaders of terrorism" for coming out in support of the SIMI activist arrested in connection with Ahmedabad serial blasts. "The...
Polls in mind, Cong & SP form panel
NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party and Congress have set up a coordination panel aimed at providing a mechanism to regulate relations and sort out issues with both parties viewing each other as allies who will face the next general elections as part of the same political formation.The coordination panel will have Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee and defence minister A K Antony while the SP will be represented by its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav...
Friday, August 22, 2008
Advani using Kashmir to be PM: Yasin Malik
SRINAGAR: Yasin Malik, a Kashmir faction leader who has never supported the pro-Pakistan sentiments in the valley, says Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani has been "exploiting" the Amarnath land row to secure his vote bank and be the next prime minister of India."Advani, powered by other Hindu extremists in the Sangh Parivar, wants to be the next prime minister of India and he is exploiting the situation to come to power by giving a communal tone to the Amarnath land row," Malik said.Malik,...
Mayawati's social engineering not worrying Cong
NEW DELHI: BSP making inroads into the Congress base in the national Capital does not seem to have shaken the grand old party with its leadership exuding confidence that Mayawati's social engineering will not cut much ice here.Congress' Delhi unit chief Jaiprakash Aggarwal said his party has a "strong base" in the city and expressed confidence that the party-led government will return to power for the third successive term in the coming Assembly elections."BSP winning seats in municipal elections...
Informal talks for LS polls have begun: BJP
BJP has already begun informal talks with political parties in Tamil Nadu on the possibility of forging alliance for the coming Lok Sabha elections, party state president L Ganesan said on Thursday.Barring Congress, DMK and Left, BJP has number of options to choose its ally or allies for the polls and final shape would be taken at the right time, Ganesan told reporters in Coimbatore.Stating that both PMK and Left were 'vulnerable,' due to recent developments--PMK going out of DPA and latter withdrawing...
Battle for Jharkhand enters its last stage
The battle for Jharkhand entered a decisive phase on Thursday with Congress president Sonia Gandhi stepping in to break the impasse over government formation.She conferred with her party colleagues and Rashtriya Janta Dal’s (RJD) Lalu Prasad and then met Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren who is seeking her intervention to have him installed as chief minister.Incumbent Madhu Koda has been asked to come to New Delhi for consultations on Friday.Koda, along with the other Independents,...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
JMM chief Shibu Soren claims RJD support for CM post
NEW DELHI: Shibu Soren's hopes of making a comeback as Jharkhand chief minister by replacing incumbent Madhu Koda received a boost on Thursday with the RJD assuring the JMM supremo of its support.Soren said after his meeting with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad that the Railway Minister had not only promised his party's backing but also assured him help in securing the support of independents.Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) General Secretary Hemlal Murmu was with Soren when he met Prasad.The development is...
Jammu: Protesters attack Congress leader
Jammu, Aug 21 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Mangat Ram Sharma had a narrow escape when angry protesters attacked him amid violent protests after curfew in Jammu was relaxed for 12 hours from 5 a.m. ThursdaySharma was on his way to a doctor's house in Bhagwati Nagar here, when a group of youth attacked his car with stones. Security guards were unable to bring him out of the vehicle.However, a guard on a bike saved Sharma who took a ride on his bike to escape the mob.The...
PPP backs Zardari for Presidency
Islamabad: Asif Ali Zardari may be the next president of Pakistan as the Pakistan People's Party has backed their party chief for the post of President.Zardari has said that a decision will be made only after consulting ruling coalition partners. However, Zardari rules himself out for the post of President.But the big question is whether Zardari as President would be acceptable to Nawaz sharif of the PML-N. There is already tension between the two leaders with still no agreement over the reinstatement...
AGP seeks photo I-cards for Indians
GUWAHATI: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today demanded that photo identity cards should be provided to all genuine Indian citizens to remove feeling of apprehension from their minds in order to avoid clashes like the ones in the districts of Udalguri, Darrang and Sonitpur. A delegation of the regional party visited the affected areas of the three districts yesterday to take stock of the situation and appealed to all sections of people not to allow themselves to be instigated by anyone.Talking to...
Sharif threatens to quit Pakistan coalition: Report
SINGAPORE: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has threatened to pull his party out of Pakistan's ruling coalition if it does not decide by Friday to reinstate judges purged by former president Pervez Musharraf, the Wall Street Journal reported.The deadlock over the judges opened up cracks in the coalition led by slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) soon after Musharraf, faced with the threat of impeachment, resigned on Monday.Sharif told the newspaper that the sacking...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Deregister parties backing terrorists, separatists: BJP
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to “deregister” political parties which were openly siding with “banned terrorist outfits” and those supporting “separatists” in Jammu and Kashmir.A party delegation submitted to the Commission a two-page memorandum, signed, among others, by Yashwant Sinha, Prakash Javadekar, Vijay Goel and Arun Shourie.BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi later told journalists that the delegation “verbally” told the Commission that it should...
JMM Soren likely to meet Sonia Gandhi today
NEW DELHI: In a last ditch effort to persuade the UPA leaders here to help him gather the magic number to form his government in Jharkhand, JMM chief Shibu Soren accompanied by all 17 MLAs of the party is reaching here today evening. Highly placed sources in the party claimed that JMM has managed to secure support of all independents barring Chief Minister Madhu Koda and Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi. "Besides party MLAs, some independents, too, might accompany Soren who will reach...
Biharis are not beggars, says Nitish Kumar
PATNA: A Goa minister's remark that there will be more beggars in the coastal state if trains linking it to Patna are introduced triggered an outrage in Bihar with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanding an apology.Denouncing as unwarranted the remarks made by Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik on Tuesday, Kumar said it had hurt the sentiments of the people of Bihar."Coming from a person occupying the responsible post of a minister in a state the remark is deplorable and should be condemned by all. The remark...
I will not leave 'first love' Pakistan: Musharraf
ISLAMABAD: Amid intense speculation about his future after stepping down, former President Pervez Musharraf has denied reports that he would leave his "first love" Pakistan and settle in another country, saying his resignation did not reflect a "defeat". "My resignation as President does not reflect my defeat as I resigned in the interest of Pakistan and its people," Musharraf was quoted by Geo News channel as saying to several delegations that met him on Tuesday.Musharraf, who quit on Monday to...
UPFA victory ensures country’s prosperity - Minister Gunawardane
Urban and Sacred Areas Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardane yesterday appealed to the voters in Kegalle, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa to vote for the UPFA so that the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government’s efforts to safeguard the Motherland and create a prosperous Sri Lanka could be ensured.“Within two years the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government could reverse the terrorists’ advance, as conceded by everybody.”The Minister in a statement yesterday said the East has been liberated and parts of the...
Uncertainty looms large as major parties oppose UZ polls before national one
DHAKA: The BNP has been terming this government move as unconstitutional. Country's political horizon has been clouded with uncertainty as government is determined to hold upazilla polls first and the major political parties are opposing the government move to hold upazilla elections before the national one.(The Bangladesh Today)In spite of growing demand from the major parties including AL and BNP to hold the general election at first, the caretaker government is still determine to hold the Upazilla...
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