Assembly Elections
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ASSE MBLY ELECTIONS - 2013 India celebrated the 65th Republic Day with gaiety. The 65th Republic Day parade at Rajpath New Delhi on January 26, 2014 put the pride of India's military on display, with defence and paramilitary forces personnel marching along with their best machines cheered on by an exuberant audience. Ahead of the parade, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and the chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force laid wreaths at Amar Jawan Jyoti, paying respect to the brave-hearts who laid down their lives for the nation. President Pranab Mukherjee, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Antony then welcomed this year's chief guest, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was accompanied by his wife Akie Abe. The unfurling of the Tricolour by the President and a rendition of the national anthem, followed by a customary 21- gun salute, marked the beginning of the celebrations. The celebrations got off on an emotional note, with the father of Ashoka Chakra (posthumous) awardee K. Prasad Babu receiving the medal of honour from the President. A highlight of this year's parade was the display of India's first indigenously-developed Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas. It is a fourth generation, supersonic, multi-role combat aircraft designed and developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation. Main battle tank Arjun MK-II, the first indigenously designed and developed tank, also referred to as 'Desert Ferrari' for its excellent mobility, was also on display. Eighteen themed vibrant tableaux rolled down the glorious Rajpath on Republic Day, displaying the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the country. While twelve represented different States and one a Union Territory, five others exhibited the achievements of various ministries. The first tableau to roll down was from Uttar Pradesh. Titled 'Subah-e-Banaras', it showcased the rich heritage of Banaras (Varanasi) — a hub of saints, philosophers and artists. The tableau from Meghalaya highlighted the importance of areca nut — a popular cash crop grown in the State. It highlighted its role in boosting the livelihood of the locals. In his customary address to the nation on Republic Day eve, President Pranab Mukherjee made the comment that "the government is not a charity shop," an apparent reference to the generous promises and freebies offered by political parties across the spectrum. The statement could apply as much to the UPA, which has rolled out several subsidy schemes, as to parties such as DMK and AIADMIK, and to the AAP, has given Delhi residents subsidized water and power. Mr. Mukherjee denounced what he described as the rising trend of hypocrisy in public life, and said he did not give anyone "the licence to flirt with illusions." False promises lead to disillusionment, giving birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power. India-Japan Agreement : The summit meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Japan in New Delhi on January 25, 2014 was a continuation of the efforts to forge closer security, political and defence ties by putting in place new building blocks and expanding the horizons of ongoing initiatives. However, the talks between Manmohan Singh and Shinzo Abe also reflected the gap on the nuclear issue. The two countries signed eight pacts, of which half were connected with Japanese aid, thus indicating that soft loans and outright grants will continue to remain an integral component of Tokyo's strategy of reaching out to New Delhi. Mr. Abe held out the promise of more aid, of which 70 per cent will go for implementing phase-III of the Delhi Metro project. On the defence side, the two countries decided to make joint naval exercises a permanent feature and India, despite the experience of 2007, invited Japan to join the Indo-U.S Malabar series. Seven years ago, the presence of Japan and Australia in the Malabar series fuelled protests at home and from China leading to the dropping of the duo from subsequent chapters. The Prime Ministers reviewed the progress made in selling hi-tech US-2 amphibious aircraft to India. This is the first time Japan is offering to sell a plane which has military uses as well. With Mr. Abe setting up a National Security Council for the first time in Japan's history, the Prime Ministers decided to hold politico-security consultations on a regular basis with India's National Security Advisor, besides stepping up the pace of meetings between the Defence Ministers. Japan also lowered non-tariff barriers to import of shrimps that will help Indian fishermen. Recognising the importance of people-to-people exchanges, the Prime Ministers hoped that the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer scheme would be expanded to uncovered sectors while visa regimes are being relaxed by both sides. Taking into account the potential of the Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Programme for India's economic development, the Prime iMinisters looked at the possibility of extending similar programmes to other States. AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014 The first Grand Slam of the year-Australian Open-2014 was held in Melbourne from January 13 to January 26, 2014. This was the year of the outsider at the Australian Open. Few would have picked Stanislas Wawrinka and Li Na as champions ahead of the fortnight in Melbourne. But the outcome was a reminder that the only certainty in sports is its inherent uncertainty. Wawrika and Li took contrasting routes to victory: the 28-year-old Swiss became only the ninth man in the Open Era and the first in 21 years to beat both the No. 1and No.2 seeds to triumph; the 31 year-old Chinese woman, the first Asian to win "The Grand Slam of the Asia/Pacific" made capital of a draw that opened up after the exit of favourites Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. MEN'S SINGLES Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka claimed his first Grand Slam title in dramatic fashion on January 26, 2014 when he upset injury-troubled World No.l Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. The eighth seed roared through the first two sets and overcame the distraction of a back injury to Nadal, and then the loss of the third set, to take it 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours 21 minutes. It was a stunning result for Wawrinka, who had never taken a set in their 12 previous meetings and won his first Slam title at his 36th attempt, the second longest wait on record. Wawrinka's win was a rare shock at the top of men's tennis after several years of dominance by the game's top four players. The last outsider to win was Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 US Open. WOMEN'S SINGLES Li Na overcame an attack of nerves and weathered a feisty challenge from Dominika Cibulkova before roaring to a 7-6 (3), 6-0 victory to win her first Australian Open title on January 25, 2014. Heartbroken as runner-up last year and in 2011, the 31-year-old struggled on serve and battled an errant forehand in a tight first set, before finding her range in devastating fashion to become the oldest woman to win at Melbourne Park. The pint-sized Cibulkova, who won plenty of admirers at Melbourne Park after upsetting Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska on her way to the final, scrambled hard but was simply overpowered by Li's crunching ground-strokes in the second set. MEN'S DOUBLES Lukasz Kubot (Poland) and Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) beat Eric Butorac (USA) and Raven Klaasen (South Africa) 6-3, 6-3 to win Men's Double's title on January 25, 2014. WOMEN'S DOUBLES In women's doubles, top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy produced a great escape as they beat Russia's Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-4 3-6 7-5 to retain the title on January 24, 2014. The Russian third seeds led 5-2 in the decider before Errani and Vinci roared back to clinch their fourth Grand Slam title and retain their No. 1 ranking. MIXED DOUBLES India's Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau lost 6-3, 6-2 to French-Canadian combination of Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor in the mixed doubles final in 58 minutes on January 26, 2014. Mladenovic and Nestor, who won at Wimbledon last year, fended off all five break points they faced and broke the Sania- Tecau combination four times in the match. Final Results: At a Glance Event Winner Runner-up Men’s Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) Rafael Nadal (Spain) Women’s Singles Li Na (China) Dominika Cibulkova (Solvakia) Men’s Doubles Lukasz Kubot (Poland) and Robert Eric Butorac (USA) and Raven Klassen lindstedt (Sweden) (RSA) Women’s Doubles Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci (Italy) Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina (Russia) Mixed Doubles Kristina Mladenoivc (France) and Daniel Sania Mirza (India) and Horia tecau Nestor (Canada) (Romania) Boys’ Singles Alexander Zverev (Germany) Stefan Kozlov (USA) Girls’ Singles Elizaveta Kulichkova (Russia) Jana Fett (Croatia) .