09:32 An update for cricket lovers: Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin and Rohit Sharma ruled out of India’s second test match against Australia in Perth tomorrow because of ankle injury, abdominal strain and a jarred lower back respectively.
09:31 Kamal Nath to be CM, Scindia likely to be offered Deputy CM: Sources:
As the race to who will be CM in Madhya Pradesh heats up, sources have said that Kamal Nath is likely to be CM, while Jyotiraditya Scindia may be offered the deputy’s post.
Congress emerged as the single largest party in Madhya Pradesh with 114 seats, two short of a simple majority.
Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced their parties’ support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. BSP got two and SP one seat in the MP assembly polls.
The Congress has also claimed support of the four independents, all Congress rebels, who emerged victorious.
09:07 Nation pays homage to Parliament attack martyrs:
The nation is paying homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives while defending Parliament House in the terror attack on this day in 2001.
Two persons from the Parliament Security Service of the Rajya Sabha, five Delhi Police Personnel and a woman constable of the Central Reserve Police Force laid down their lives on this day while preventing entry of terrorists inside the Parliament House Building. A gardener of CPWD also lost his life in the attack.
President Ram Nath Kovind said that India gratefully remembers those martyred while defending Parliament from terrorists. In a tweet, Kovind said forces of hate and terror targeted India’s democracy and democratic values but did not succeed. He said such forces will never be allowed to succeed.
08:55 Congress won polls through deceit: Yogi on assembly elections:
A day after the BJP was pushed out of power from three major states in the Hindi heartland, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath downplayed the Congress’s victories by saying that it had achieved electoral success through deceit.
“The Congress’s lies will start unravelling soon, and that will make our future battles even easier,” the firebrand BJP leader said.
Adityanath campaigned extensively for the recent assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.
Addressing mediapersons, the BJP leader said that victories and defeats were part of the democratic process and one should accept both outcomes in all humility. “But we never bask in our victories while blaming our defeats on electronic voting machines, unlike our rivals who practise serious double standards in this regard. When they win, they immediately start worshipping the EVMs,” he claimed.
08:32 After losing 3 states, Amit Shah meets leaders today to review setback:
After Tuesdays electoral setbacks, it is time for introspection in the Bharatiya Janta Party.
Party president Amit Shah will go into a huddle with senior leaders on Thursday to discuss the reasons behind the defeats the party faced in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh annd Rajasthan, and to lift the morale ahead of the 2019 general elections, according to senior leaders familiar with the matter.
Before that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak to the BJP MPs at the weekly parliamentary party meeting in the Parliament complex. The BJP is also expected to hold a meeting of its national council in the Capital in the second week of January, when 2,000 party leaders from across the country will assemble to discuss the national elections.
07:55 Kamal Nath vs Scindia, Pilot vs Gehlot: Rahul to decide today:
Who will lead the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments will be decided by Congress president Rahul Gandhi today.
In both states, lawmakers held marathon meetings after which their leaders announced that the choice had been left to Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress won Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in state elections seen as the last popularity test before the 2019 national polls.
The victory parties have been short-lived with intense lobbying behind-the-scenes for the chief minister’s post in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
In Rajasthan, the Congress is sharply divided between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot, even though both leaders have projected unity and smiled together in multiple photo-ops.
Sources say two-thirds of the newly-elected Congress lawmakers in Rajasthan have conveyed to the central leadership that they want Sachin Pilot, the 40-year-old state Congress head, to be chief minister.
In Madhya Pradesh, state Congress chief Kamal Nath is believed to be his leadership’s choice but a conflicting picture has emerged after Jyotiraditya Scindia, the other contender for the top post, said he would be “honoured” to serve as chief minister. Both the leaders left for Delhi on Wednesday night and are expected to meet Rahul Gandhi on Thursday.
“I am a servant of the people, have always been and will always be. What form that will take, be it through Madhya Pradesh or as minister of central government or chief whip, it is for my party to decide,” Scindia, 47, said, not ruling himself out.
While Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot contested and won the Rajasthan election, both Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia are parliamentarians and did not contest the Madhya Pradesh polls.
00:28 State poll results a warning ahead of 2019 elections: Hazare:
Failure to fulfil promises made to people led to the defeat of the BJP in three Hindi-speaking states, social activist Anna Hazare said Wednesday.
The government may have forgotten its promises but people have not, the veteran anti-corruption crusader said and added those in power at the Centre should heed voters’ warnings ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Hazare said the BJP had to face defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assembly polls due to false assurances given by it to people.
Assurances were given to people that black money will be brought back, farmers will get a good price for their produce, power will be decentralised and people will get Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts, Hazare said.
However, none of these promises was fulfilled, he said.
“It is not clear if they even remember the promises they made, but people do remember. That is why people understood they were false assurances to come to power,” Hazare told a TV news channel when asked about the results of the just-held assembly polls.
“People have given the indication to those in power to be careful or they would be taught a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019,” the social activist said.
He said the November 2016 demonetisation drive was a misstep and failed to achieve its stated objective of curbing black money.
In a democracy, important decisions should be taken after thorough discussion and brining on-board the opposition, Hazare said.
“However, here, demonetisation was done according to their whims. People faced hardships. How much black money has come out? The RBI said 99 per cent of (scrapped) money returned to banks. Where is the black money then?” he asked.
Asked if Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s name changing spree was one of the factors that led to the BJP’s dismal poll performance, he said Lord Ram is not present in temples alone but inside every poor man.
“Why are you only searching him there (in temples)? Service of the poor is his worship. This is what Ram taught us.” — PTI
Source: Rediff