Pakistan keeps India on hold regarding Sharif’s attendance

Pakistan on May 22, 2014, announced that the decision whether Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will attend India’s prime minister-designate Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on May 26 will be possibly taken later. Modi had extended an invitation to Sharif on May 21, 2014, Wednesday to attend his oath-taking ceremony in New Delhi. Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam confirmed the receipt of the invitation to Nawaz Sharif for attending Modi’s swearing ceremony on May 26. She also added that it was a normal practice that when the head of state is preoccupied then he nominates someone else which is the acceptable protocol. She also added that Pakistan expected a meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan is on the cards after a new Indian government takes over. If Sharif were to attend the ceremony in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan it will be a first in the history of both the countries. Sharif was among the first leaders to call Modi and formally invite him to visit Pakistan soon after the BJP emerged as the clear winner in the Lok Sabha elections 2014. With the invitation Modi has indicated the dominance of neighborhood in his foreign policy that is focused on regional integration and peace. With his move Modi has granted a chance for his government to start anew the bonding with Pakistan. After his own election last year Sharif’s administration had also suggested that Singh be invited to attend the ceremony which the Indian premier had declined. Modi’s gesture to invite Sharif was welcomed by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. Modi has also extended invitations to other heads of governments of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries and world leaders for his oath-taking ceremony. Modi will be administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan at 6pm on May 26. At least 3,000 dignitaries are likely to attend the ceremony. All eyes are set on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is still considering attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to normalize ties with India and promote commercial and business activities but a final decision will be taken after consultations with the civil and military leaders. Within hours of the invitations being sent out by New Delhi, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa confirmed their attendance at the ceremony. As Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be on an official visit to Japan on May 26 she will be represented by Bangladesh...

An emotional Modi speaks at the Parliament building

BJP leader and the NDA prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi received a bouquet from newly-elected BJP Members of Parliament as he arrived at the Parliament building in New Delhi. After Mr. Modi was unanimously elected the leader of the BJP parliamentary party he became emotional during his address at the historic Central Hall of Parliament while also promising to work hard to fulfill aspirations of the people who have granted him and BJP a massive mandate. Mr. Modi expressed his gratitude to the leaders of the party and specially thanked patriarch LK Advani and President Rajnath Singh for giving him their blessings. Mr. Modi declared to the gathering that work and responsibility are the biggest things. He added that such was the strength of democracy that he though being from a humble background was on the verge of becoming the PM of India. He said that the new government will dedicate itself to the poor, innumerable youth, safety and security of the mothers and sisters while uplifting the rural areas, oppressed and the deprived. He promised to present a report card of his government to the people in 2019. During his half hour acceptance speech Modi broke down while referring to LK Advani’s statement that he had done a favor to BJP by taking up such a responsibility upon his shoulders. He said that a son is only dedicated to serving his motherland. Mr. Modi was elected as the leader amid chants of “Bharat Mata ki jai” and a standing ovation. BJP president Singh announced Modi as the leader of the BJP parliamentary board after Advani proposed his name. Rajnath Singh exclaimed that this was indeed a historic moment in the politics of India. Murli Manohar Joshi seconded the proposal while Sushma Swaraj hoped that Modi will be a famous PM. Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari also supported the proposal for electing Modi. Advani, who embraced Modi after he was chosen as the leader of BJP parliamentary party also got emotional. A 15-member delegation of the NDA, led by Advani had called upon President Mukherjee today on May 20th, 2014, afternoon to convey to him that Modi has been elected as the leader of the alliance. After the meeting BJP chief Singh told reporters that the Modi government will be sworn-in on May...

Narendra Modi unveiled

Modi has been able to find the pulse of the nation mainly through the youth who are expecting him to change the old styles of veteran Indian politicians to focus on the development front. It seems Modi at the age of 63 has undoubtedly become a youth icon who has infused a spirit among the younger generation of the electorate reigniting their interest in politics. It seems that his white beard is inconsistent to the energy levels he has revealed in the past months of hard campaigning in about 500-600 constituencies in India. The youth and newest voters in the country place him much above his closest rivals Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi due to his immaculate political acumen, successful rule in Gujarat and widespread propagation of brand Modi for uplifting his party the BJP into a terrain unknown to them. It also adds to Modi’s list of good attributes that he wears his modesty on his sleeve while declaring that BJP is racing forward to its best phase in Indian politics. He unabashedly claims that he and his party be given 60 months to work and serve the people of the largest democracy in the world. He has never ever claimed to disrespect other religions but propagates and believes in his religion, Hinduism. Narendra Modi has indeed become a rage amongst the country’s voters irrespective of religion, caste and political inclinations. The 23 million set to exercise their right to vote in the on going elections, being the most decisive chunk in deciding the fate of the nation, seem to be banking on Modi and BJP for forming the government this 16th Lok Sabha. It can be fondly recalled how once Rajiv Gandhi had churned similar emotions among Indians especially the youth though he was a political greenhorn. Though the all important lowering of the voting age to 18 had come during Rajiv’s tenure he failed to fulfill the aspirations of the nation when faced against the tough task to govern along with hardened old hands of his party. In the recent past only perhaps another not so young A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India had emerged as a capable leader who has commanded respect and good will from the people. Modi having a great track record in the state of Gujarat has turned his scorecard into a blazing gun to silence all his critics from each and every opposition political party. He has simply propagated to overhaul India to the next orbit through development...

Polling for 16th Lok Sabha on April 10

Chhattisgarh voting amid tight security Maoist-hit Bastar parliamentary constituency of Chhattisgarh had sitting MP Dinesh Kashyap of BJP fighting Congressman Deepak Karma son of Mahendra Karma and AAP candidate Soni Sori, a tribal teacher from Dantewada, a marked critical zone in these general elections of 2014. Over 872 digital/video cameras were installed to monitor the polling process in the naxal infested region so that polling remained peaceful. The contest this time had become an interesting one with Sori gaining support from remote areas and Karma gaining on sympathy and anti-incumbency votes against the ruling BJP. However the main point was that the low turnout that was an advantage for Kashyap set to regain his seat due to the on going Modi wave. Polling of 10 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra Not only Maharashtra but the whole national had heard of Nitin Gadkari even before a single vote was cast during this Lok Sabha polls. Other than being the richest politician in the fray Nitin had the nation guessing about which side he would contest for finally in the ensuing elections. Maharashtra accounts for 48 parliamentary constituencies second only after UP having the largest number of seats in India has BJP contesting for 6 seats in the 10 where polling was held on April 10. BJP alliance Shiv Sena had nominated candidates for 4 seats. Congress was in the fight from 7 seats while alliance Nationalist Congress Party competed for 3 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party had placed candidates in all 10 Lok Sabha seats. The constituencies that voted for selecting their lawmakers were Bhuldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandhara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chirmur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal-Washim on April 10. Odisha had simultaneous polling Polling in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly seats in Odisha was held on April 10 amid tight security as the polls had been boycotted by the extremists. Voting took place in Kandhamal, Koraput, Kalahandi, Bargarh, Bolangir, Berhampur, Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Aska and Nabarangpur parliamentary constituencies with a total of 98 candidates in the fray. Star hockey player Dilip Tirkey was contesting from Sundargarh LS seat on a BJD ticket against Hemanand Biswal of Congress and Oram. While Siddhant Mohapatra was another prominent BJD candidate from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, CM Naveen Patnaik was contesting from the Hinjili assembly constituency in Ganjam district. 10 LS seats in Haryana go to polls The key candidates in Haryana include industrialist Naveen Jindal, CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son Deepender, Avtar Singh Bhadana from the Congress and Rao Inderjit Singh from BJP. Chandigarh...

Opinion poll declares majority for NDA

An opinion poll by Hansa Research for NDTV claimed that BJP amassing around 34.5% vote share would win 226 seats with the Congress being reduced to 92 seats in the 16th Lok Sabha. The opinion poll conducted yesterday on April 14, 2014, night, projected that the National Democratic Alliance were on a path towards securing majority in the Lok Sabha with 275 seats out of the 543 in the on going elections. The survey declared that the United Progressive Alliance will presumably end up with merely 111 seats with the others bagging around 157 seats. It predicted that the Congress party will be able to garner only 25.6 per cent of the votes cast. It has also predicted that there will be a BJP white wash in Uttar Pradesh, its best performance till date by winning probably 51 out of the 80 parliamentary seats on offer. While this would mean a gain of 10 seats for the BJP from its previous endeavor in 2009 the Congress may be languishing with only 5 seats meaning a loss of 16 seats in UP itself, the most important state in the Lok Sabha elections. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi party is tipped off to win around 14 seats in UP against their tally of 23 seats that it had acquired in 2009. The rest of the 10 seats will belong to Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj party almost half the figure it had attained in the previous Lok Sabha elections held in 2009. The BJP is also expected to sweep the polls in Rajasthan and predicted to notch up a tally of 21 from the state’s 25 parliamentary seats with the Congress capturing a lowly three. The only place where the Congress may perk up its tally is in Karnataka where it is expected to win 14 seats of the state’s 28 Lok Sabha seats an additional 8 from its 2009 tally. BJP will in all probability is set to lose around 7 seats from its net procured in 2009 in Karnataka to end up with 12 seats only. H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) will bag only two seats compared to the three it had won in the last Lok Sabha contest. The prediction for Odisha has sprang another surprise with BJP standing to gain 7 seats of the 21 from the state as it had drawn a blank in the 2009 general election. The Congress it seems will have to be satisfied with a solitary constituency this time from Odisha which again...