-$ () %! +,- ,,- - SIDISrtVUU@IB!&!!"&#S@B9IV69P99I !%! %! ' &()*&+#,- 0/+ +0 5 20#3"4 /0#&1 )# %':;/ ) #/) / 8 9 #% ".#)"/ &#) #0&# 9&" /" %# ))9 0 123 /# # $%41 &&' 541 6 / # . /0.!"#1 ,! ! "$% !& !" a monopoly for over a quarter century”. hhattisgarh’s insurgency- The voting in 18 seats Chit 18 Assembly seats wit- sealed the fate of 190 candi- nessed heavy polling on dates, including Chief Minister Monday as voters defied Raman Singh from Maoists’ boycott call. It has set Rajnandgaon and his two the tone for the Assembly elec- Ministerial colleagues Kedar tions in five States that have Kashyap from Narayanpur and # $ %& '$%&(#! ) been viewed as a “semi-final” Mahesh Gagda from Bijapur. !,-'#( & . - before the country goes for the Rajnandgaon seat where Lok Sabha battle in 2019. Chief Minister Raman Singh is The phase-1 turnout was locked in a direct fight with " estimated to be 70 per cent and Congress candidate Karuna significantly the Maoist bas- Shukla, niece of late Prime tions in Chhattisgarh recorded Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the highest-ever voting per- recorded 70 per cent polling. centage amid peaceful polling Women voters mainly in # for which about 1.25 lakh secu- tribal-dominated forested inte- rity personnel were deployed riors were seen queued up in across eight districts. large numbers even after vot- Polling officials confirmed ing timing ended. $ that restive areas — Bhejji, Khujji Assembly segment Chintagufa and Injeram in registered the highest turnout Konta seat; Pamed and ** + , of 72 per cent. #$ %# RLSP, which had fought three Bhopalpattanam in Bijapur seat The second and final phase seats in 2014 and won all, is — which had track record of political parties and intellectu- of polling will be held on haring a hostile political unlikely to be spared not more almost zero polling recorded als described the higher November 20 for remaining 72 Srelationship with Bihar than two seats by the BJP. heavy turnout right from early turnout as an indication of seats. The counting will take Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Kushwaha has maintained $/! ! ! ! hours of voting. “Maoists losing influence in place on December 11 along BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Samata he is ready to “sacrifice” for the 0 " & Government officials, jungle areas where Naxals had with four other States. Party’s (RLSP) president NDA and would like Prime Upendra Kushwaha on Minister Narendra Modi to Monday met Opposition leader return to power at the Centre, Sharad Yadav, a friend-turned- but wondered as to why he was ! foe of Nitish Kumar, with a sug- being kept out of the Nitish gestion that he is not altogeth- Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP coalition er averse to switching camps. in Bihar. #$ %# 26 order of the SC. Kushwaha met Sharad at The OBC leader, who is “Report of the Central the latter’s residence and both also a Union Minister, has he Central Vigilance Vigilance Commission with the leaders were believed to once famously said “Nitish is TCommission (CVC) on regard to the preliminary have discussed the current capable of sinking any boat he Monday filed its preliminary enquiry held in respect of the political situation, especially in rides on.’’ enquiry report in a sealed petitioner — Alok Kumar Bihar, RLSP sources said. In a He accused Nitish of con- cover before the Supreme Verma — in sealed cover has tweet, Kushwaha described the spiring to break the RLSP. Court against benched CBI been submitted in court by meeting as a courtesy call. Kushwaha had also director Alok Kumar Verma in Tushar Mehta, Solicitor Seat-sharing within the attacked Nitish for allegedly &#'"" view of the allegations of cor- General,” the Bench said. National Democratic Alliance insulting him and had target- ruption levelled against him by Likewise, the apex court (NDA) constituents is not a set- ed him again on Sunday over enior BJP leader and Union his deputy Rakesh Asthana. noted in its order that the tled matter even as BJP presi- reports that two MLAs of his SParliamentary Affairs Following allegations of investigators of the agency. Verma for which a separate and report of the orders passed by dent Amit Shah last month party may join the JD(U). Minister Ananth Kumar, 59, corruption, Verma and A Bench of Chief Justice further enquiry is required. the acting director was filed in announced here with Nitish by The RLSP leader has kept died at a private hospital here Asthana were divested of their Ranjan Gogoi and Justice It implies there is no clean sealed cover, in terms of the ear- his side that his party and the the seat-sharing pot boiling by in the early hours of Monday, supervisory authority in the Sanjay Kishan Kaul took both chit to Verma and the CVC pre- lier order of the court dated JD(U) would contest equal meeting rival Lalu Prasad’s son party spokesman said. He was CBI and sent on leave. the reports on record and fixed liminary report has left it for the October 26, 2018, by Additional number of Lok Sabha seats Tejashwi with reports that he suffering from lung cancer and Acting CBI director M November 16 as the next date apex court to decide further Solicitor General PS Narasimha. with other NDA constituents had sought six Lok Sabha seats had come back from the US in Nageswara Rao too filed in a for hearing in the matter. course of action, the sources “Both the aforesaid reports like RLSP and Lok Jan Shakti but was “assured” only four. But October after treatment at the sealed cover the decisions taken Sources privy to the CVC added. are taken on record. All the Party (LJP) of Ram Vilas Kushwaha described his meet- Memorial Sloan Kettering by him from October 23-26 enquiry said the report has The CVC and Rao placed matters will be considered on Paswan need to adjust with ing with Lalu’s son at a Cancer Centre, New York. He with regard to the transfer of flagged certain questions with three copies of their reports in Friday next i.e. November 16, lower number of seats than Government guest house as a is survived by wife and two investigations and change of regard to the probe against compliance with the October 2018,” the Bench said. they contested in 2014. The “chance meeting”. daughters. The Karnataka !"# Government has declared a three-day State mourning till death,” he said. ! "! November 14 as a mark of Ananth, was widely regard- respect to Ananth Kumar. His ed as an able political organis- last rites will be performed on er who helped the BJP expand Tuesday with all Government its reach in country’s south. # $ honour, an official release said. His organisational skills Ananth had built the BJP and proficiency in Kannada, " ! The SC will take up the in Karnataka and was the sole Hindi, Marathi and English case on November 14. Member of Parliament from caught the attention of the The court on October 31 from the State. party’s top leaders like Atal had asked the Centre to place His political journey began Bihari Vajpayee and LK #$ %# before it within 10 days the from Vidhyarthi Parishat and Advani, who made him a BJP pricing details of 36 Rafale graduated through RSS to the national General Secretary at a mid raging controversy fighter jets. In the last hearing, national politics. Known for his young age. Aover the 59,000 crore the Centre was reluctant to integrity, Kumar had friends in An urban face of the BJP, Rafale fighter jet deal with share the price details and the Congress and other parties. Ananth was a six-time parlia- allegation of wrongdoing, the Attorney General KK As a Union Parliamentary mentarian from the high-pro- Government on Monday stat- Venugopal had told a Bench Affairs Minister, his perfor- file Bengaluru South Lok Sabha ed in the Supreme Court that headed by Chief Justice Ranjan mance was appreciated by all. constituency since 1996. He it abided by the Defence Gogoi that pricing details of Even though he was identified became a Union Minister at a Procurement Procedure-2013 these jets were not even shared as Advani’s man, he succeeded young age (37) in the Vajpayee’s and due approval was taken with Parliament. in getting close to Narendra Governments of 1998-99 and from the Defence Acquisition The Centre made public Modi later. 1999-2004. Council and the Cabinet the 16-page document titled Mourning the death of In the 1996 Lok Sabha Committee on Security. “Details of the steps in the deci- Ananth, Karnataka Chief elections, the BJP denied tick- The Centre also placed in sion making process leading to Minister HD Kumaraswamy et to sitting MP renowned a sealed cover before the apex the award of 36 Rafale fighter said, “Kumar’s pro-people atti- economist Professor K court the price details of 36 aircraft order,” which stated tude and activities made him Venkatagiri Gowda from Rafale fighter jets which India the process as laid down in the apple of the eyes of people.” Bangalore South and fielded a is buying in fly-away condition Defence Procurement “He always valued and had new face, Ananth Kumar. The from France through a Procedure-2013 has been fol- given priority to friendship. I move raised eyebrows. Government to Government lowed in procurement of the have lost a great friend in his deal inked in October 2016. Rafale aircraft. P Q&! ! ' ( R #$ %# related impact continue to this till November 15. winds played crucial role in Center-run pollution watch remain nominal due to slow Incidentally, on October 27, transporting half-burnt parti- body said. elhi’s air quality improved transport winds.” stubble fire’s share in Delhi’s cles in Delhi air.