NDA (BJP & LJP) Candidates-List of Bihar 2014 Lok Sabha Election

BJP Candidates-List of Bihar for 2014 Lok Sabha Election
S. No.	Lok Sabha Seats	BJP Candidate Names
1	Bhagalpur	Shahnawaz Hussain
2	Darbhanga	Kirti Azad
3	Madhubani	Hukum Dev Narayan Yadav
4	Begusarai	Bhola Singh
5	Nawada	Giriraj Singh
6	Saran	Rajiv Pratap Rudi
7	Patna Sahib	Shatrughan Sinha
8	Arrah	R. K. Singh
9	Muzaffarpur	Ajay Nishad
10	Siwan	Om Prakash Singh
11	Aurangabad (Bihar)	Sushil Kumar Singh
12	Patliputra	Naval Kumar Yadav
13	Buxar	Manoj Tiwari
14	Sasaram (SC)	Chhedi Paswan
15	Valmiki Nagar	R. S. Pandey
16	Gopalganj (SC)	Janak Ram
17	Banka	Putul Kumari
18	Maharajganj (Bihar)
19	Paschim Champaran
20	Purvi Champaran
21	Sheohar
22	Sitamarhi
23	Jhanjharpur
24	Supaul
25	Araria
26	Kishanganj
27	Katihar
28	Purnia
29	Madhepura
30	Jahanabad
31	Karakat
32	Gaya (SC)
33	Nalanda
34	Ujiarpur
35	Hajipur (SC)	Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP)
36	Jamui (SC)	Chirag Paswan (LJP)
37	Samastipur (SC)	Ram Chandra Paswan (LJP)
38	Khagaria	Pashupati Kumar Paswan (LJP)
39	Vaishali	Rama Singh (LJP)
40	Munger	Chandan Singh (LJP)

[Note: The remaining candidates list will be updates as it is announced.]

Source: IndiaTV

Why Paswan is Key: Alliance with LJP will Widen BJP's Social Base

Why would an outfit like Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) draw such a huge interest nationally when pre-poll surveys have predicted it can’t win more than one seat in the next Lok Sabha?

The NDA is wooing him, as was the UPA. Suddenly, a party to which bigger groups would only throw political crumbs without risking its alienation are now ready to give in to what the LJP demands.

The sudden interest in the LJP has a social background. The Paswans, given to toddy tapping for a caste vocation, are the most preponderant group among the extremely backward classes (EBCs) of Bihar. It’s also the most militant, standing up to upper castes and capable of getting Dalit votes for its candidates where they are dominant. With an even spread in all constituencies, this caste in any alliance widens the social support group for an alliance and brings in other EBCs to the table.

The BJP’s wooing of Paswan has two objectives: one, widening the social base in a group that was decidedly anti-BJP, and two, his ‘return’ after he quit the AB Vajpayee cabinet over the 2002 Gujarat riots, rebuts criticism of the BJP as a wholly communal party.

Should the LJP join the NDA on Friday, it would tremendously weaken the clout of the RJD-Congress combine, largely because the LJP depends on candidates from the upper castes and Muslims as well. The upper castes are wholly with the BJP now and the Muslims, despite being anti-BJP, could support LJP candidates in certain districts.

However, the larger danger to the RJD is the Paswan clout in districts such as Hajipur, Vaishali and even Chapra. While Hajipur, with a huge upper caste electorate of Bhumihars stands solidly with Paswan, his Dalit votes swung it the RJD way in Vaishali and Chapra, which is Lalu’s backyard and the constituency where Rabri Devi would stand from. It was always the Lalu Prasad-Ram Vilas bonhomie that used to set up these constituencies for the UPA.

But with Paswan gone, the BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy is in with more than a shout after narrowly ending up on the losing side against Lalu in the past.

However, the LJP’s calculations go much beyond the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar. It rues the fact that its clout in alliance with the RJD had never helped it get more seats. With the BJP seemingly buoyant and Ram Vilas’ son Chirag looking to embark on an ‘independent’ political course, free of his father’s legacy, the LJP now looks to gain hugely from any pro-Narendra Modi wave in Bihar.

If their calculations go well, Paswan’s gambit of ‘returning home’ to the NDA could earn the LJP most of the six to eight seats it could fight for.

That many seats translated into assembly segments is close to 40, much more than its best showing of 29 seats in the 2005 assembly polls, just before the Lalu-Rabri era ended.

But then, the UPA is also counting on the anti-Paswan bias among 21 Mahadalit castes. Paswan with the NDA could make for a Mahadalit backlash, the benefit of which could go to either to the JD(U) or RJD.

Source: Hindustan Times

Lok Sabha Polls 2014: BJP Releases First List of 54 Candidates for 5-States

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of candidates for the upcoming General Elections on Thursday. Candidates for five states have been finalised in the first list.

While 16 candidates have been cleared from Maharashtra, 17 candidates have been cleared from West Bengal. Two candidates each from Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Manipur and six from Odisha has been finalised. Three candidates have been named from Himachal Pradesh and five from J&K. In all 54 candidates have been zeroed in.

Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari has been fielded from Nagpur, Gopinath Munde from Beed, Dilip Gandhi from Ahmadnagar, Kirit Somaiya from Mumbai North East and Gopal Shetty from Mumbai North. Interestingly BJP has never won from Nagpur. In HP Shanta Kumar has been fielded from Kangra and Anurag Thakur, sitting MP, from Hamirpur.

The party has nominated two Muslim candidates in Jammu and Kashmir, Gulam Mohammad Mir in Baramulla and Mushtaq Ahmad Malik Nurabadi in Anantnag constituencies.

BJP's top leadership met today at a meeting of its Central Election Committee. Senior party leaders LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi among others attended the meet.

Narendra Modi is BJP's PM candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. The polls are speculated to be held in April and May, with the new government expected to be formed in May.

However, no announcement was made as to where Modi will contest from. Reports have been doing the rounds that he may contest from either Varanasi or Lucknow constituency. To be noted is the fact that senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi won from Varanasi from 2009.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, BJP and LJP alliance was finalised today evening. Addressing the press at his home BJP president Rajnath Singh said that the BJP had decided to give 7 out of 40 seats in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls. On his part Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan said that Modi was NDA's PM candidate and that it was a question which need not be put to him again.

Paswan also said that the NDA was like a family and hoped that the alliance would form the next government at the Centre. LJP was part of the NDA camp during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's regime. He quit the NDA a month or so after the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Earlier, LJP was in talks with Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and the Congress for an alliance in Bihar. However, the talks did not materialise because the LJP was reportedly unhappy about the number of seats that has been offered to it in Bihar by both the parties.

Source: ZeeNews

More Indian Voters Favour Narendra Modi than Rahul Gandhi: US-based Pew Survey

Washington: More than 60 per cent of Indian voters favour the BJP in the general election, due by May, while less than 20 per cent back the ruling Congress, a major American survey released yesterday said.

"With the Indian parliamentary elections just weeks away, the Indian public, by a margin of more than three-to-one, would prefer the Hindu-nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to lead the next Indian government rather than the Indian National Congress (INC), which heads the current left-of-centre governing coalition," Pew Research said.

The survey, which does not project the number of seats that each party is likely to win, said the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is more popular than Rahul Gandhi, who is leading his Congress party's struggling campaign.

Pew, a Washington-based think tank, interviewed 2,464 randomly selected voters in states and territories that are home to roughly 91 per cent of the Indian population, between December 7 and January 12. The margin of error is 3.8 per cent.

According to the survey, less than a third of Indians are satisfied with the way things are today.

The survey said more than six-in-ten Indians prefer the BJP to lead the next government. Just two-in-ten picked the incumbent Congress, which is battling perception of a government mired in corruption scandals and unable to check a sliding economy.

Other parties have the support of 12 per cent of the public. The BJP's backing is consistent across age groups and almost equal between rural (64 per cent) and urban (60 per cent) Indians, the survey found.

The northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, together home to more than 400 million, support the BJP most, with 74 per cent saying they preferred the party.

The BJP's weakest backing, around 54 per cent, is in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Mr Modi's Gujarat.

Nearly 60 per cent voters said the BJP is likely to be more successful than the Congress in creating job opportunities, reducing terrorism and check corruption. The Pew survey said only 17 per cent say Congress would do a better job dealing with graft.

Source: NDTV

Kejriwal Admits - There is a Narendra Modi Wave in Country

"It cannot be denied that there is a Modi wave in the country, but both Rahul Gandhi and Modi are puppets of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani," Kejriwal told national daily Dainik Bhaskar in an interview.

Nine days after he pulled the plug on his government in Delhi, Kejriwal kicked off the AAP’s Lok Sabha campaign on Sunday with a blistering attack on both the BJP and Congress, calling Modi and Rahul Gandhi agents of Mukesh Ambani.

The former Delhi chief minister, however, denied calling all politicians in the country were corrupt. “No, it's not true. There are many good leaders in the Congress and the BJP. I appeal to them to leave their parties and join the AAP,” he said.

On being asked about his Lok Sabha aspirations, Kejriwal said, “Let Modi first declare if he is going to contest the Lok Sabha polls and from where, only then our party will take a call on it (Kejriwal contesting).

Kejriwal also said he never accepted funds from big corporate houses such as Reliance. “Let me make it clear that neither I nor my party will accept any funding from corporate. There is no question of taking money from Ambani.”

During his 49-day tenure as Delhi CM, Kejriwal had ordered an FIR against the Reliance chairman and oil minister M Veerappa Moily among others, accusing them of manipulating gas prices so that Ambani could make huge profits.

Accusing Modi and Rahul of leading expensive campaigns and questioning the source of the money, he said, “I have filed an FIR against Mukesh Ambani and I want to ask him how many planes he has. Now, if he gives you his planes and helicopters, will the gas price become $16?”

Taking note of the BJP PM candidate’s promise to bring back black money stashed abroad, Kejriwal said, “Modiji, I am giving out the Swiss bank account numbers of the Ambanis (Mukesh and brother Anil). Will you get the money from their accounts if your government came to power?"

Source: Hindustan Times

Narendra Modi's choice: Lucknow or Ahmedabad?

The million-dollar question doing the rounds in BJP is where Narendra Modi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from.

He can either choose his home state Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh, BJP's Hindutva bastion and the epicentre of Ayodhya agitation. Party leaders indicated that Modi is inclined to contest from Gujarat as that would mean no worries about his home turf. He could rather devote more time to campaigning across the country.

But Modi's presence in UP would mean 10 more seats for BJP. This is based on the latest party survey carried out about a week ago — the third in a series being conducted in the state since November.

The central election committee (CEC), which picks up the candidates, is meeting on February 27 and a Modi rally in Lucknow is scheduled on March 3. It is still unclear if the CEC will announce Modi's constituency this Friday.

There is a rising demand among BJP cadres in UP, the crucial state in Hindi heartland with a massive 80 Lok Sabha seats, that Modi should contest from the state.

Speculation is rife that he might contest from Lucknow — the Lok Sabha seat that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee represented. Lucknow, feel many in the party, can act as a talisman for its prime ministerial candidate.

But a senior party leader from UP said Modi is unlikely to venture out of his home turf in Gujarat.

Another party functionary said that Modi's backward class identity, which is being played up in Bihar, should not be emphasised in UP as it would alienate the upper castes in the state — the party's traditional vote bank.

The latest party survey, however, found that the Modi factor has the potential to surpass caste equations, which have dominated the state's politics.

The party's November survey showed BJP getting 40 seats in UP. The one in February showed the party's tally rising to 60.

Source: DNA

Paswan’s LJP Set to Tie-Up with BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday signalled readiness to tie up with the NDA ahead of the 2014 general elections, giving the BJP a possible prominent Dalit leader as a poll ally.

The party’s desire to join the NDA comes after his demand of 10 seats in Bihar’s RJD-Congress-LJP alliance evoked a lukewarm response from RJD chief Lalu Prasad. LJP leaders also believe a tie up with BJP could reap richer electoral harvest.

“We have decided to tie up with BJP..... every thing has been finalized,” said LJP leader Surajbhan. Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, however, said nothing was final.

After a poor show in the 2009 polls and in the 2010 assembly elections, this could be a do-or-die battle for Paswan. “He faces a difficult election and wants to be on the right side,” said a BJP leader.

Meanwhile, Dalit leader and former IRS officer Udit Raj is all set to join the BJP in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. BJP thinks there is a scope of making inroads into Mayawati’s vote -bank with a know n Dalit face, said a party leader.

Source: Hindustan Times

Modi-led NDA to Win 235+ Seats in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls: ABP News-Nielsen Opinion Poll

New Delhi: BJP-lead NDA is on course to emerge the biggest in general elections due by May, reveals ABP News-Nielsen Opinion Poll.

The Opinion Poll has found that NDA is set to win 236 seats in the 543-seat parliament while the incumbent UPA-II government is projected to win mere 92 seats.

According to the projection, BJP alone will get 217 (won 116 seats in 2009) seats out of a total 543 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress is projected to get only 73 (won 206 seats in 2009) seats--133 less than 2009 seat position in the Lower House.

The non-UPA and non-NDA parties seem to be holding a key share of national vote bank, reveals the survey. Left parties are likely to gather 29 seats while Others in the political fray could likely bag 186 seats.

The poll forecast that the BJP would win the lion's share of the vote in many of the big states that typically decide the fate of the polls.

BJP is forecast to win 40 (won 11 in 2009) of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country.

It is also predicted to emerge as the largest party in Bihar, with 21 (won 12 seats in 2009) of the state's 40 seats, and to win 19 (won 9 in 2009) of the 48 seats in Maharashtra. 7 seats go to Congress while NCP gets 7 seats. Shiv Sena gets 9 (won 11 in 2009) here.

BJP could bag 26 of Madhya Pradesh’s 29 seats and 22 out 26 seats from PM nominee Narendra Modi’s home turf Gujarat.

Rajasthan again where BJP is in power could give 20 seats to the party from the state’s electoral share. Congress set to win 5 here.

17 (won 19 in 2009) seats from Karnataka’s 28 could go BJP’s way as well while 8 seats likely to be won by Congress.

In Kerala, CPM is forecast to win 7 seats, while Congress could add 6 seats to its kitty out of the 20. Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK is seen winning 19 seats out of 39 in Tamil Nadu. DMK gets 13.

Congress may win only 2 seats in Tamil Nadu.

Out of the 14 seats in Assam, 8 seats could be captured by the Congress.

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is set to win 29 (won 19 seats in 2009) seats outs of 42, CPM could hold on to 7 here while Congress may latch on to 2 in West Bengal.

BJD is set to win 16 out of 21 seats in Orissa, 3 go to the BJP.

NDA’s vote share percentage is seen at 31% while UPA’s is projected at 24%. Left has 5% while Others take around 40% overall.

The ABP News-Nielsen Opinion Poll based on national representative sample of 29,000 randomly selected respondents across the country in the month of February.

Figure below displays the break-up of seats:

UPA 92: East 21 (142) North 23 (151), South 26 (134), West 22 (116)

NDA 236: East 39 (142), North 88 (151), South 21 (134), West 88 (116)

Left 29: East 14 (142), North 9 (151), South 15 (134), West 0 (116)

Others 186: East 68 (142), North 40 (151), South 72 (134), West 6 (116)


Source: ABPLive.in

ABP News-Nielsen Opinion-Poll: BJP to Bag Half the Seats in UP-Bihar

New Delhi: The latest ABP News – Nielsen opinion poll has projected a further strengthening of Bhartiya Janta Paty’s hold in Uttar Pradesh and a very slight loss in Bihar, when compared to the January opinion poll.

But over all, the data reveals that if Lok Sabha elections were held right now, then BJP will emerge with maximum numbers from both states.

In UP, of the total 80 seats, BJP is likely to win 40 seats, compared to 10 in 2009. While Congress, which had the most (21) seats in 2009, will be reduced to just 7 seats on it own, and 4 more with RLD.

BSP and SP are also seen losing some of their vote share. In 2009 BSP and SP had 20 and 23 seats respectively; in the current poll, they are shown winning 13 and 14 seats respectively.

The Aam Admi Party also seems to have lost a minor bit of ground, according to the opinion poll’s results. From 2 seats predicted in the January survey, the number has come down to 1 in February. The vote share of the party has also come down by 1% from 6% to 5%.

Meanwhile, of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, RJD has fallen from 20 in 2009 to just 9 now, while the BJP has picked up, from 11 in 2009 to 21 now.

But comparing the present survey’s result to the one held in January 2014 reveals that BJP has lost some of its vote share while JDU has gained. In the January opinion poll, BJP was projected to win 24 seats and the JDU 6.

This poll was conducted between 4th February to 15th February 2014. A total of 29,252 people, across 129 constituencies in both states, were interviewed.

In Uttar Pradesh, 4537 from 20 parliamentary constituencies were interviewed, while in Bihar 2272 people from 10 parliamentary constituencies were interviewed.

Uttar Pradesh (Feb-2014 Survey)

If Lok Sabha elections are held today, then of the total 80 seats in UP, 11 are likely to go to the Congress-RLD combine, 40 to BJP, 13 tp BSP, 14 to SP, 1to AAP and 1 to others.

According to the poll, Congress, on its own, is likely to win just 7 seats, compared to 21 on the 2009 elections. The current trend is also a drop from the previous opinion poll held in January, which projected 8 seats for the Congress. The vote share of the party has also dropped from 18.4% in 2009 to 13% in 2014.

BSP too seems to be on a downward trend, with number of seats for the party coming down from 20 in 2009 to 15 in the January poll, to 13 in the current survey. The party’s vote share has also moved from 27.2% to 23% to 22%.

Vote share of the ruling SP is 16% currently, the opinion poll has predicted. In 2009, the vote share of the party had been 23.5%. In terms of seats, the party seems consistent at 16 in both the surveys held this year; in the previous election, SP had won 23 Lok Sabha seats.

With barely a few months in existence, AAP has manged to command 5% of the vote share in UP, with 1 seat, the poll has predicted. In the January poll, AAP was projected to win 2 seats with 6% vote share.

In keeping with the continuing trend in recent opinion polls, BJP has emerged as the largest party from the state, with 33% of the vote share, taking it to 40 seats. In the January poll, the party was show having 32% vote share, with 35 seats. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, BJP had a vote share of 17.3% with 10 seats.

Bihar (Feb-2014 Survey)

BJP is likely to emerge as the largest party in Bihar as well, with 21 seats and a vote share of 32 per cent, the opinion poll has predicted. But it is a slight drop from the opinion poll held in January with showed the party having a vote share of 35% with 24 seats. While in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections the party had won 11 seats.

Ruling JDU seems to be facing the heat after parting from ally BJP with its seats having dropped from the 20 it won in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. But the party has picked up a bit from the previous month. In the current ABP News opinion poll, the party is winning 9 seats with 14% of the vote share, while in the January survey the party was winning 6 seats with 11% vote share.

RJD is likely to win 5 seats with 17% of the vote share, according to the results of both opinion polls held this year. In 2009, the Lalu Yadav led party had won 4 seats with 19.36% vote share.

LJP meanwhile is expected to win at least one seat, with 6% vote share. In the previous elections the party had failed to win any seats in the Lok Sabha.

Source: ABPLive.in

BJP Hopes Rajinikanth to Support Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP hopes actor Rajinikanth will announce his support for the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi just before the elections.

"We are fairly confident that he (Rajinikanth) will speak in support of Modi," L Ganesan, national executive member of BJP, told ET, reiterating what he told a Tamil weekly recently. Ganesan said he is in touch with Rajinikanth over phone and last met him about four months ago.

The 64-year-old actor, dubbed the Superstar, continues to have a huge fan following in these parts even decades after making his debut. His forthcoming film, Kochadaiyaan, based on motion capture technology and directed by this daughter, is slated for release in April this year, according to media reports.

Ever since 1996, when he declared support for a DMK-led front, famously saying "Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK returns to power," Rajinkanth is closely watched during election times.

"In 1996, when he spoke, it resonated with the popular mood," said A R Venkatachalapathy, professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies. "I think it really depends on the public mood; I don't think he has an impact by himself."

Venkatachalapathy's colleague and assistant professor C Lakshmanan said, "If Rajinikanth supports BJP or the prime ministerial candidate Modi, it is definitely advantage for the party. He is a big personality from the film industry and will make a difference but to what extent, we cannot estimate."

This is not the first time that the Modi-led party has been linked to Rajinikanth. When Modi addressed a rally in Tiruchi in September last year, posters showing Modi and Rajinikanth together came up. He did support an AIADMK-BJP alliance in 2004 but didn't urge his fans to follow his choice. That alliance drew a blank in the elections.

This time around, the BJP is trying to stitch together an elaborate alliance in Tamil Nadu. Besides banking on what it calls the 'Modi wave,' the party is trying to fight the elections jointly with MDMK, PMK and some other smaller parties. Talks with Vijayakanth's DMDK has till now proved elusive.

Last elections, BJP, on its own, got just 2% of the votes. This time, it hopes to be a strong contender to the two big Dravidian parties that dominate Tamil Nadu's politics.

Source: Economic Times

Notice Directing BJP to Pay Service-Tax on Narendra Modi Rallies Withdrawn

New Delhi: Barely a week after issuing notice to the Bharatiya Janata Party to pay service tax on rallies addressed by its prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi as tickets were sold by the party for the events, the notice was hastily withdrawn on Tuesday.

After an angry reaction from the BJP which had even question the motive behind the same, an embarrassed Central Excise Department withdrew notices sent to four BJP offices demanding service tax on Narendra Modi’s rallies.

The Director General of Central Excise Intelligence officials said that the notices sent to Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab units of BJP by its Ludhiana regional unit stand withdrawn.

Earlier in the notice issued to the BJP, the DGCI had argued that the BJP has to pay tax on the tickets as political rallies don’t fall under the category of “amusement and entertainment”, which get tax rebates.

“Recently it was in news that Bhartiya Janta Party has collected amount by way of tickets for entry to the rally at different places in India where Mr. Narendra Modi had addressed the public at large,” reads the notice.

“As the entry tickets to the event were not for any admission to any entertainment event or access to amusement facilities (which are in the negative list) the same is taxable in the hands of the person collecting the amount of tickets. It appears that the BJP/Shri Narendra Modi has neither got registered under the Service tax nor paid tax on collection from tickets,” the notice stated.

The notice, dated February 12, had sought a response from the BJP within ten days of receiving it. The BJP should intimate the details of amounts collected and service tax paid, if any, the notice reads.

Lambasting the move. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “ The government of India is so very worried that it has become mentally bankrupt in its hatred for Narendra Modi,” adding that it is beyond comprehension why the Ludhiana unit of the excise department sent a notice to the Chandigarh office of the BJP when no rally was held there.

Source: IndiLeak.com

Lok Sabha Polls 2014 - Narendra Modi Rally in City; Heavy Police Security Deployed

Mangalore: The city police are geared up to provide tight security to BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi. The security agencies provided maximum security to Narendra Modi when he arrived at Bangalore after BJP announced his candidature for PM. Meanwhile, the city police have furthered security arrangement than Bangalore, while on Modi’s visit to the city that has been identified as a most sensitive region.

Watch: "Bharatha Gellisi" Rally in Davangere, Karnataka

It’s the third convention that will be held after BJP announced Modi as their PM candidate. The convention that has been themed as’ Bharata Gellisi’ will be held at Nehru maidan, here on Tuesday February 18 at 3.00pm.

The city police commissioner R Hitendra briefing the security arrangement at a media meet here on Monday February 17, said that 7 DCP/SP category 7 officers, ACP/DySP category 25 officers, 67 police inspectors, 157 sub-inspectors, 211 assistant sub-inspectors, 1,450 head constables/policemen, 221 women constables, 135 traffic policemen and 300 home guards – altogether 2,573 police personnel will provide security to Narendra Modi’s visit.

Twelve KSRP companies, 8 ASC, one company of Rapid Action Force (ANF), two bomb detection squads, one natural disaster squad, 13 check posts, 16 temporary outposts, 5 fire brigade squad, 5 ambulances are on standby duty.

The organizers expect over 1 lac people will arrive to attend the convention. The private vehicular traffic is banned in the radius of 1 kilometer from Nehru maidan, said city police commissioner R Hitendra.

Source: Bellevision.com

I am Single, Who will I be Corrupt for?' says Narendra Modi

Sujanpur, Himachal Pradesh: Narendra Modi has contended that only a person with no family ties can fight corruption in the country effectively and has presented himself as that man, as he is single.

Addressing an election rally in Hamidpur in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, Mr Modi said in Hindi, "Mere liye na koi aagey, na peechhey. Kiske liye bhrashtachaar karunga? (In have no family ties. I am single. Who will I be corrupt for?), adding, "this mind and body is totally devoted to the nation."

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate was in the middle of a sharp attack on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance or UPA government for "its failure to check corruption."

"Black money stashed abroad belongs to the people of India. These people (Congressmen) have looted the poor and put money there...if we need freedom from corruption, we need freedom from the corrupt," he said.

Mr Modi also sought to turn the tables on the Congress on its repeated allegation that he is a "divisive leader." He used words that Congress president Sonia Gandhi used recently, to attack her party on the Telangana issue. "The Congress is indulging in divisive politics. It's doing 'zeher ki kheti' (sowing seeds of poison on Telangana)," Mr Modi said.

"The whole of Andhra Pradesh is burning. The way it (Congress) wants to create Telangana, neither Telangana is happy nor Seemandhra," he said, pointing to what he called the smooth creation of states during the tenure of the BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee as PM.

Mr Modi, 63, has never commented on reports that he was married at an early age and separated soon after. He allegedly kept the wedding secret because it meant he would not be able to climb the ladder of the puritan Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological mentor, which frowns on key workers marrying, according to a recent Modi biography by author Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.

The Congress' Rahul Gandhi, seen as Mr Modi's chief rival for the post of PM, is also single.

Source: NDTV

Survey Sredicts 200+ Seats for BJP-led NDA in 2014 LS Polls; 89 for Congress

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party will emerge as the front-runner in the upcoming general election, according to the Times NOW-C Voter national poll projection unveiled on Thursday. The latest pre-poll survey predicts a big surge for BJP from the last election, taking the seat count for the National Democratic Alliance that it leads to 227, just 55 short of a simple majority. That compares with 159 Lok Sabha seats for NDA in 2009. The findings are in line with those of recent opinion polls. The poll projection gives Aam Aadmi Party three out of seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and one each in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and a Union Territory, making up a total seven for the debutant political party. The biggest loser, according to the survey, will be the ruling Congress party. The Grand Old Party is expected to win just 89 seats, losing 117 across the country and in just about every state.

The sole saving grace for Congress and the only state in which BJP will lose seats is Karnataka, according to the survey. But the loss there won't be huge, according to the pollsters, who put it at just eight seats.

BJP is expected to gain 86 seats more than its 2009 tally, primarily from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Delhi, rising to 202 from 116. It's also seen winning one seat in Kerala, where the party is yet to win a parliamentary or assembly seat or even come second in such a race.

However, BJP's support swell doesn't seem that evident in Uttar Pradesh, where the survey gives the party 34 out of 80 seats. At the height of its popularity in the state in the 1990s, BJP had 57 seats. This was before Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh.

NDA is expected to scale up its vote share by 10%. BJP's alliance partners in NDA, Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal and Republican Party of India, are also seen doing well. The biggest gainer, interestingly, won't be NDA, but 'others', whose tally will rise to 215 from 125 in 2009. Going by the survey's findings, this block will be almost equal in number to NDA and could become a decisive factor, depending on how the post-poll scenario develops.

The survey was conducted between January 15 and February 8, and is based on a sample size of 14,142 respondents across 28 states.

Source: Economic Times

Lok Sabha Poll Expenditure of Candidates Raised to Rs 40 Lakh

The candidates contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will now be able to spend Rs 40 lakh , an increase of Rs 15 lakh from the last poll expenditure limit.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal Saibal Barman said the raise was effected in 2011 and came in force for Lok Sabha by-elections ever since. "But for the first time it will be effective in the general elections this time," Barman said. He said the contestants for Lok Sabha seats were allowed to spend Rs 25 Lakh maximum for electioneering purpose in 2009.

"However, different political parties are still not happy as they demanded further rise of this ceiling of poll expenditure for the coming Lok Sabha polls during a meeting with the Election Commission in Delhi in last week of January," Amit Roy Chowdhury, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Poll Expenses, in EC office here said. Chowdhury said the Commission is also stepping up its surveillance against poll expenses by candidates.

"The EC will deploy Flying Squad (FS), Static Survellance Team (SST) and Video Surveillance Team (VST), which will work under Expenditure Observers appointed by the Commision," he said.

The observers would also help create an awareness against misuse of poll expenses, while a campaign would also be launched through media, he said.

Source: IBN Live

Shift in Power Balance Led US to Engage with Narendra Modi

The decision of the United States to renew its engagement with Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, stemmed from a recognition that they could no longer afford to ignore the man who could well be the next prime minister of a close strategically.

The decision also sprang from a shift in the internal balance of power in Washington DC. The move will boost Modi's international legitimacy, and may well provide a strong campaign point to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the run-up to the crucial national elections.

Hindustan Times broke the story on Tuesday that US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, requested for a meeting with Modi. They are expected to meet next week in Gujarat.

The US Move

A Delhi-based Western diplomatic source representing a close US partner, which has engaged with the Gujarat chief minister, argued that America needed to "establish a relationship" with Modi before the Lok Sabha elections.

"I think it is less that the US making a judgment that he will win. It is more a case of wanting to engage with all the key possibilities for a new government here."

But the source added that US had taken longer than other missions in Delhi to see Modi as a serious candidate.

"His chances have been improving over the last 12 months. Till last summer, American friends did not think he would come so far."

The source also said that this must be seen as a part of the wider trend of missions reaching out to the Gujarat strongman.

"In January 2013, German Ambassador Michael Steiner hosted Narendra Modi for lunch with ambassadors of all EU countries stationed in India. This was their first collective meeting with the chief minister after the riots of 2002. In October 2012, British High Commissioner James Bevan had met Modi in Gandhinagar, breaking a ten-year boycott."

A diplomat from an Asian country, which has also been engaging closely with Gujarat, told HT, "The US move is interesting because of the visa issue but it is not surprising. As diplomats, we have to cover all bases. It is the prudent thing to do."

In a piece for New York Times, Zahir Janmohamed, who was formerly with Amnesty International in Washington DC and campaigned to deny Modi a visa, wrote about the "unusual coalition" that led to the visa-denial in 2005. These included "Indian-born activists, evangelical Christians, Jewish leaders, and Republican members of Congress concerned about religious freedom".

Responding to the new development, Janmohamed told HT on Tuesday morning, "Forces working against providing Modi a visa are no longer as strong as they used to be back in Washington. The Bush administration was obsessed with religious freedom, but this has slipped down the priority list of the Obama administration."

He added that there are other lobbies – particularly business groups, the Hindu America Foundation, Non-Resident Indians – who have argued for re-engagement.

"Business lobbies have pointed out that Gujarat's growth rate is higher than most Indian states. Others argue India's court system has given Modi a clean chit, and it is not tenable to ostracise him."

The US, he argued, was "scrambling".

"No one thought when the visa was denied that he would be a strong PM candidate. The administration is now trying to re-position itself so that it is not embarrassed if he indeed wins."

BJP "VICTORY"

The BJP is expected to sell the renewed engagement as a victory for the PM candidate. Party sources said that this represented a vindication of their position.

"Modi did not go to the US. The US came to him. The message is clear that even the world's biggest power has recognised Modi, on his terms," said a source.

He added that they had not made the US visa issue a campaign point, but the renewed engagement could well come up in party's publicity about Modi's emergence.

"This will strengthen the perception that he is winning."

Source: Hindustan Times

Modi Asks Odisha Voters to Ensure BJP Wins All 21 Lok Sabha Seats

Bhubaneswar: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi pitched for the Lok Sabha elections asking people in Odisha to elect BJP candidates in all the 21 seats in the state while addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar. He asked the public to give him a chance to be the Prime Minister. "What the Congress could not do in 60 years, I promise you I will do it in just 60 months," he said.

Claiming that the 'BJP model of development' would do wonders for India, he said that only the BJP was concerned about the welfare of people. Modi also highlighted unemployment amongst the youth in the state and also claimed that the Oriya population working in Gujarat's Surat were from Ganjam district which is state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's native place.

He stressed on the migration of labourers and others from working class to other states including Gujarat. He questioned as of why workers who make silk sarees were moving to Surat in Gujarat. "Why cannot the karigar work in Odisha itself," he asked.

Modi began his speech in Oriya but claimed that he was not targeting Patnaik, who is not very comfortable in his mother tongue. "I am not speaking in Oriya to give Patnaik a complex," said Modi while claiming that the state was on the cusp of a major political change.

He went on to compare his tenure as the Gujarat Chief Minister with his Odisha counterpart. "Odisha CM has completed 14 years in government and even I have completed 14 years in Gujarat. We have brought Gujarat to a place where people go looking for employment, people from Odisha go to Gujarat for jobs," said Modi and added that Patnaik had ruined the state.

Moving on to the national level, Modi said that the forthcoming Lok Sabha election was not just about who comes to power but the motive was to purify the political system.

Patnaik had earlier expressed his opposition to Modi's candidature for the PM post. He took several potshots at the ongoing attempts to form a non-BJP, non-Congress secular front. He accused them of supporting the Congress party.

"It is time to give a befitting reply to the third front who have been spoiling the states, there are 11 such parties , 9 of them are supporting Congress and in elections they separate their ways and then join hands with Congress post elections. The only aim of Third Front is 'Congress Bachao'," he said.

He targeted the Gandhi family saying, "The Congress has been ruled by mostly one family. Are they concerned about price rise? Delhi government is only interested in getting the power, not concerned about the country and the people," he said.

Narendra Modi praised BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claiming that he has achieved 15 per cent growth in agriculture in the state.

Saying that the people in Odisha were waiting for a change, Modi asked them to vote for BJP in the Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections.

Source: IBN Live

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell to Meet Modi

U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy Powell plans to meet Narendra Modi, signalling a shift in America’s stand towards the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in connection with 2002 Gujarat riots.

“We can confirm the appointment (between Mr. Modi and Ms. Powell),” a State Department spokesperson told PTI. The request to meet Mr. Modi has been made by Ms. Powell herself, but the spokesperson did not comment on the possible date of the meeting, which is expected to take place in Ahmedabad this month.

“This is part of our concerted outreach to senior political and business leaders which began in November to highlight the U.S.-India relationship,” the spokesperson said.

The go ahead, just before the announcement of general elections in a few weeks from now, seems to have been taken after intensive debate within the various wings of the Obama Administration — the White House and the State Department in particular — with crucial inputs from the members of the Congress, and the influential leaders of the corporate sector, the U.S. India Business Council in particular.

In the past few weeks, a series of public meetings organised by the influential think tanks here have had concluded that the BJP-led by Modi was currently headed to win the upcoming general elections.

The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)-U.S. president Chandrakant Patel welcomed the decision taken by the Obama Administration in this regard.

“We highly appreciate the decision taken by U.S. President Barack Obama, and Secretary of State John Kerry. This would further help in strengthening of Indo-U.S. relationship,” Mr. Patel said.

“Modi is the most popular leader of the country right now. Given that he has been given clean shit by all the courts in India, it was not fair on the part of the U.S. to not to have relationship with Modi,” Mr. Patel said.

In 2005, the U.S. State Department had revoked a visa that Mr. Modi had for travelling to the U.S. in the wake of the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

Source: The Hindu

"Clear Cut Modi Wave", BJP will Win More Than 300 Seats: Venkaiah Naidu

Bangalore: Asserting that there was a "clear cut Modi wave", senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said the BJP will win more than 300 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as it has gained the confidence of the minorities and oppressed castes.

"There is a clear-cut Narendra Modi wave across the country. BJP will win more than 300 Lok Sabha seats. There is a tacit change among voters. Dalits, SC/STs and minorities have voted for the party in the state assembly elections last year," he said addressing BJP workers here.

Citing an example, Naidu said out of the 34 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes in Rajasthan, BJP won 20-odd assembly seats, clearly showing Dalit swing towards the party.

"Congress gave ten tickets to Muslim candidates in Rajasthan, but none of them could win a single seat. Whereas, BJP fielded four Muslim candidates and two won. This also shows the minority voters have voted for BJP," he said.

This trend was also seen in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi elections, Naidu added.

Speaking about the emergence of Third Front, Naidu said history showed the futility of such an alternative where there were far too many prime ministerial aspirants. "This is also seen even now. Deve Gowda, Nitish Kumar, Mamta Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Jayalalitha, all want to be prime minister," he said.

Third Front is a non-existent alternative as some parties do not cherish proximity to other parties, Naidu said.

"RJD does not cherish proximity to JD(U); Trinamool Congress to Congress and Communists; SP to BSP; AIADMK to DMK, and hence where is the Third Front?" he questioned.

Naidu also ridiculed the Congress, and Third Front by saying their policies will push India backward and make its position awkward, respectively. "BJP means forward (progress), Congress means backward and Third Front awkward," he said.

Source: ZeeNews

Modi's Kolkata Rally: Can Other Parties of Bengal Ignore BJP Anymore?

It was a calibrated approach or a sort of testing of ground. And it seems to have paid off. Narendra Modi's rally at Kolkata's iconic Brigade ground was supposed to be an indicator of whether the Modi wave's resonance could be felt in Bengal as well. If swelling crowds were to be an indication to go by, it was much more than a wave.

While estimates vary, it has been quite some time since a non-TMC or a non-Left party could make around 4- 5 lakh (some estimates put it at even more) gather at the Brigade ground. Bengal BJP, riding on Modi magic, did it today. For the uninitiated, on any other day the massive swarm of people coming from distant districts, gathering at the Sealdah and Howrah station in the morning and then moving in unison towards the Brigade ground would have been misconstrued as another protest rally of either the Left Parties or that of the ruling TMC.

But 5th of February, 2014 was different. The countdown for it had started long time back and the BJP state machinery left no stone unturned to show its increasing strength in the state. Modi's speech was a nuanced one. Knowing the emotional bondage Bengalis have with Swami Vivekanand, Netaji Subhas Bose and Rabindranath Tagore, he touched upon all of them and questioned why Congress did not allow Pranab Mukherjee to become the Prime Minister of India either in 1984 or 2004.

While being unsparing towards the Third Front and its constituents, he stated that if they had seen the swelling crowds in Kolkata today, they would have realised in which direction the wind is blowing, a clear snub to Nitish Kumar who, after being ignored by Congress, is now trying to shape up a motley group or regional parties in the run up to the national elections.

While being unsparing to the Left Front for ruining Bengal, Modi lauded Bengal electorate for throwing out the Left parties from power but asked as to whether the people of Bengal have got the change they were promised by the present regime and appealed to vote for BJP this time for bringing the development to Bengal which had eluded it for decades. He asked the electorate to be unsparing and force accountability on the government.

The Masterstroke...

The balanced criticism of the appalling governance of ruling TMC and questioning as to whether it has brought change for good in Bengal, as well as touching upon the issues of Bangladeshi infiltration was meant to send out clear signals that an increasingly confident BJP has numbers in its favour from other possible allies like TDP, AIADMK and BJD and thus even though Mamata is not unwelcome, she may not be allowed to criticize BJP, and go away with that. It was not unknown to Narendra Modi that a considerable amount of disgruntlement against Mamata regime does exist. Punching a glaring hole on the Mamata's pet ‘Paribartan'paradigm was synchronised with appeal for giving BJP a chance for Paribartan by electing it to power in 2014 national elections even while making clear that the vote is for general elections and not for assembly elections.

Primarily, with opinion polls indicating NDA stopping just short of majority and with projections of some of major regional parties and possible BJP allies like BJD, YSR Congress, TDP and AIADMK expected to perform well, ally hunting worries of BJP has lessened quite a bit.

Leaving the Door Open....

However, Modi's calibrated speech stopped short of taking direct barb at Mamata, thereby leaving ample space for negotiations and manoeuvres in the post poll scenario even while making it clear that the leverage is with BJP and not other way round. The NDA PM nominee intelligently avoided some of the extremely embarrassing issues for Mamata regime including the Saradha Chit Fund Scam and the increasing instances of crime against woman in the state. Economic compulsions may push Mamata towards

NDA After Elections...

For Mamata, today's rally might not have been surprising as being a seasoned politician and a Chief Minister she has enough resources to gauge the surging Modi wave in Bengal. While BJP is expected to win a few seats in Bengal whose chances may have increased even more after this rally, it is the vote share consolidation in favour of BJP which may go up to as much as 18% which might compel Mamata to mend much of her present lacunae and appeasement politics. If the trend continues like this, possibility of BJP consolidating even more and emerging as a challenger in 2016 assembly elections or a contender for the 2021 elections may not be a day dream anymore.

The NDA's elevation to power and delivery in terms of good governance as being promised by Narendra Modi may increase that chance by multiples. Further, a demoralised CP(I)M may sway the electorate more towards a rising BJP. Going by the mood of the youth especially the educated professionals and college goings Mamata's real compulsion is the appalling condition of the state finances and sheer lack of investments coming into the state.

In spite of her personal popularity and her party's continuing good run, deep inside she knows it too well that inability to garner investments, failing to improve law & order and not being able to stop the Bangladeshi infiltrators may make the electorate repeat of what it did on Left Front. Therefore, her grand posturing notwithstanding, she would have little choice but to warm up to NDA if it comes to power in 2014.

While much of the things remain on the conditions of ‘ifs' and ‘buts', it seems now that BJP has real potential now to increase the hold of the party in Bengal riding on the NAMO wave. It would be interesting thing to see how things shape up in Bengal politics over the next one decade. Surely, politics and elections would not end with 2014. Seeds of a long haul game were perhaps sown in Bengal in Modi's rally. And going by the mood of the youth, especially the educated professionals and college goers, it is proof enough that the resonance of the Modi wave has surely implanted its ripples here in a big way.

Source: OneIndia

Barack Obama Watching Narendra Modi Speech on TV?

Washington/New Delhi: "Even Obama listens (to) the speech of NaMo," says the caption of a doctored picture showing the US President watching a Narendra Modi speech on TV which is in circulation on social media outlets today.

In the original picture of January 28,2011, Obama is seen watching a televised speech by the then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Outer Oval office. The picture is taken by Pete Souza, according to the White House which has posted it on its flicker account and is publicly available.

In the doctored picture, Mubarak, who ruled Eygyt for 30 years before he was forced to leave following a popular uprising, has been replaced by Modi. The Gujarat Chief Minister is seen delivering a speech, which is being watched on a small television screen by Obama and his team.

Among others, the picture was shared by BJP Member of Parliament from Navasari in Gujarat C R Paatil, a known Modi supporter.

When contacted, Patil said he was not aware that the photograph was morphed. He said he received it on his Facebook page from somebody and forwarded it without verifying its authenticity.

He said it could be a handiwork of BJP rivals. "Why should BJP or a Narendra Modi supporter do it and get a bad name?," he said. I am trying to find the details of the photograph, he said.

Source: Zee News & PTI

Narendra Modi Heads East, to Hold Rally in Kolkata Today (5-Feb)

Kolkata: BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is now heading to east where he will be holding a rally in Kolkata on Wednesday.

In Kolkata, Modi is expected to raise the issue of declassification of secret files on Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's death. His public address will reportedly begin at around 2 PM.

Narendra Modi 5-Feb Kolkata Rally Live

A day before the rally, BJP had criticised the state government for alleged non-cooperation with Gujarat security officials. BJP on Tuesday said that permission was denied at the last minute by the army for landing Modi's helicopter at the Race Course ground in the city and alleged a "conspiracy" by the Centre.

West Bengal BJP President Rahul Sinha said that it had been planned to bring the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate by helicopter from the NSC Bose International Airport to avoid traffic snarls.

"But permission was denied at the last moment. It is a conspiracy by the UPA government," he alleged.

"Both the state and the Centre are not cooperating with us. The state government has not made any arrangements for food and accommodation for the NSG and Gujarat officials who have come here for security arrangements. Is this the way things should function?" asked Sinha.

Source: IBN Live

Ramdev Ups the Bar, Seeks 300 Seats for Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD: After publically supporting Narendra Modi's candidature for the prime minister's post, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has now announced that his trust will mobilize all its members and followers to vote for BJP and the Gujarat CM.

"I would urge every one of my followers to vote for Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha elections. Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust and I have sorted out a plan and we will be mobilizing 50 crore voters across the country so that BJP can get 300 seats," Baba Ramdev said while addressing the media in Ahmedabad.

The work to mobilize the followers would begin from March 1. On March 23 - the martyr day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru - the trust would be organizing yoga camps across the country.

Ramdev claimed that 10 crore people would be participating in the camp which will be held across the country. Further Ramdev claimed that he would attempt a new Guinness World Record of maximum number of people performing yoga at the same time.

When asked about cow slaughter in Gujarat he, said he would personally discuss the issue with Modi. And if Modi became PM, he would ensure that there is a 100% ban on cow slaughter in the whole country.

Saying that there was internal strife within the Congress, he claimed that some Congressmen had met him and asked him to get Modi to give them a BJP ticket. "These Congress MPs told me that to fight the elections on a Congress ticket meant that they had already lost," he claimed.

Source: TOI

2014 Lok Sabha Elections: Finding Allies Tough for Congress

NEW DELHI: With just over two months to go for the general elections, the ruling Congress is finding it tough to hang on to its allies ahead of what is expected to be a clash of competing coalitions.

"The situation is tough," a Congress member conceded, pointing to the rapprochement worked out with the National Conference only after the party agreed to make concessions to its J&K partner.

Similarly, in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said ahead of the seatsharing talks that BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi is not an untouchable.

DMK, Trinamool Congress and BSP have all indicated that they are keeping their options wide open on striking a pre-poll alliance with Congress as well as prefer maximising their gains in the Lok Sabha elections by distancing from the Congress if need be.

Only in the case of Bihar, there are firm signals that seat-sharing talks with Lalu Prasadled RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party are progressing smoothly.

Regional parties are keeping their options open for a post-poll alliance depending on their numbers.

Source: The Economic Times

Jayalalithaa Joins Hands with CPI for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today announced that her All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) had joined hands with the Communist Party of India (CPI) for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"The AIADMK and the CPI have decided to enter into an alliance for the forthcoming Lok sabha elections," she said after a meeting with veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan at her residence here.

"We have decided to work together. Other details will be shared later," she said.

"I endorse everything that she has said. Our alliance will lead to victory," Mr Bardhan said.

Sources said CPI (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat is expected to meet Ms Jayalalithaa on Monday. The Left parties had fought the last assembly elections in Tamil Nadu alongside the AIADMK.

The AIADMK had helped Left candidates to be elected to the Rajya Sabha last year and this year.

Source: NetIndian.in