!! " 67 % '#8 $ #8 $ 8 ()$%(!*+,-. $*+*$+, #$%&'() $%-(. ):74:2%-3; 12)9:2""30-:: 712-&:-7:;-%-"-" ! " # ""#$!#% %#%#% 30-"4: 3) )723)%4 2)2)%2)0-:;2) #&#%%# "$'<=(( >= ?: - $$ ' +/01+/2 +-0 R ! R " )-0%-12 the GFP both have 3 MLAs politician. strength now is 36 after Sunday, and resignations of Earlier, even as Parrikar’s ## each they hold the key to any The Congress is currently Parrikar’s death. two Congress MLAs Subhash funeral procession was on, the JP MLA Pramod Sawant Government formation. the single largest party in the The strength of the House Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte Congress yet again staked an Bwas on Monday named as “We have managed to con- State with 14 MLAs. The BJP has reduced due to demise of last year. abortive claim to form a && )-0%-12 the new Goa Chief Minister vince the alliance partners and has 12 legislators in the 40- BJP MLA Francis D’Souza ear- The NCP has one MLA in Government in the coastal after party bigwigs, including finalised the formula of two member Assembly, whose lier this year, and Parrikar on the Assembly. State. he speculation for alliance president Amit Shah and Deputy Chief Ministers for Tbetween the Aam Aadmi Union Transport Minister the State,” a senior BJP func- Party (AAP) and the Congress Nitin Gadkari, could bring tionary said. came to an end after AAP’s about a consensus on his name Parrikar was heading a Delhi convener Gopal Rai on by making the other claimants coalition Government com- Monday made it clear that to the post from the alliance prising the BJP, three MLAs there would neither be any partners agreeable to his can- each of the GFP, the MGP and alliance with the Congress nor didature, according to sources. three Independents. a rollback of any of its candi- Sawant was the Speaker of Shah said it will be hard to dates in the national Capital. the Goa Assembly. fill the void left by Manohar The statement came a day Swant’s name was cleared Parrikar even as reports sug- after the AAP declared its can- hours after late Chief Minister gested that two MGP MLAs didate for the seventh Lok Manohar Parrikar’s funeral cer- could switch over to the BJP to Sabha seat in Delhi. Asserting emony, also attended by Prime increase its number in the that “enough is enough”, Rai The Congress is confused and Minister Narendra Modi, con- Assembly from 12 to 14. said these are the final seven everyone is giving different cluded at Goa’s Capital Panaji. Sawant has been a promi- candidates of the party and statements,” Rai said. Sawant will be assisted by nent presence in Goa’s political there is no question of “any roll The ruling AAP had earli- two Deputy Chief Ministers — scene since Parrikar’s illness back”. er on March 2 announced the Goa Forward Party (GFP)chief was announced in October Rai said despite facing stiff names of its candidates for the Vijai Sardesai and 2018. In February, the BJP opposition from its workers, six Lok Sabha seats. The AAP Maharashtrawadi Gomantak leader had updated the public the party was open to an declared its seventh candidate Party (MGP) MLA Sudin about the State of Parrikar’s alliance with the Congress in for West Delhi Lok Sabha seats Dhavalikar. Interestingly, the health, after the CM was admit- Delhi but after waiting for so on Sunday. The party insiders two who have now been ted to AIIMS in Delhi. long and constantly hearing said the name of Balbir Singh “accommodated” had earlier Sawant represents the conflicting statements from Jhakhar was announced after staked their claim to the top Sanquelim constituency and is the party, we have decided the recalcitrant attitude of the post in the State. an Ayurveda practitioner by that now even if the Congress Congress leadership towards There was no Deputy CM profession. He was close to approaches us, there will be no forging an alliance in the post in place when Parrikar was Parrikar, who was understood alliance in Delhi. national Capital. CM. But since the MGP and to have groomed him as a He also said there has been The other six AAP candi- no communication from the dates are Atishi from East Congress and it clearly shows Delhi, Guggan Singh from that the grand old party is “not North-West Delhi, Raghav ! serious” about elections in Chadha from South, Dilip " # ! $ Delhi. “AAP will fight the Lok Pandey from North-East, *+ " " % & Sabha polls on the issue of full Pankaj Gupta from Chandni ' Statehood and it is ‘late now’ for Chowk and Brijesh Goyal from R Monday asked the Congress Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok ( %) talks on an alliance in Delhi. New Delhi seat. not to “spread confusion” and Dal (RLD) alliance. said the alliance was capable of “The Congress is free to defeating the BJP on its own. field its candidates on all the 80 Hours later BSP’s poll ally seats in UP alone. In other Samajwadi Party (SP) the SP words, our alliance (of SP- too echoed Mayawati’s view. In BSP-RLD) is capable enough of a tweet, SP president Akhilesh defeating the BJP. The Congress Yadav said, “In Uttar Pradesh, should refrain from spreading Q R the SP, BSP and RLD alliance confusion about leaving seven is capable of defeating the BJP. seats for the (SP-BSP-RLD) & )30 The Congress party need not tweets made it clear that the alliance,” Mayawati tweeted. spread any kind of confusion.” party will not enter into any Mayawati also said, “The day after the Congress said Mayawati even dared the alliance with the Congress. BSP would like to make it Ait was leaving seven Lok Congress to go ahead and field On Sunday, the Congress clear once again that there is no Sabha seats for the SP-BSP- candidates in all the 80 Lok announced that it was leaving alliance or understanding with RLD combine in Uttar Pradesh, Sabha seats in the State. seven Lok Sabha seats in the the Congress in UP and any- BSP supremo Mayawati on The BSP chief in a series of state for the SP, Bahujan Samaj where in the country.” $ " O " # ! $ $ % & ! " #, $$ ' - . %) $ ' "45" one steamer all decked up for her, and they all jumped into # Priyanka, and no arrangement the boat. n an hilarious turn of events for another boat to carry them The boat was soon stuffed Iduring the boat campaign by along to cover Priyanka’s poll beyond its capacity and became " Congress general secretary compaign. unstable. On boatman’s frantic $!% Priyanka Gandhi on Monday, The drama started as soon instruction, some people a boat carrying media persons as Priyanka — who reached the aboard had to get off. But as the ) and some Congress leaders ghat around 11.30 am — got boat reached the middle of the *+ ran aground at Manaya ghat of onto her steamer. There was no river it ran aground in low '), Allahabad from where room for the media. water there. And it could not $ -% . Priyanka started sailing to However, as soon her boat budge an inch from there. reach Varanasi. started sailing, media persons Following which, a boat As media persons reached and some other Congress was called in to take the stuck # the Manaiya Ghat, they saw just found another boat following journalists back to the pier. % )-0%-12 Purvanchali votes in Delhi. Mishra joining the BJP. “We are national Capital. Sources in the Delhi BJP said learning from past instances, in As per the Election he burgeoning population the party is focusing on Baniya 2012, during civic elections, the Commission data, in Delhi, Tof Purvanchalis (people and Purvanchali communities Delhi BJP fielded 18 there are at least 20 Assembly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) for the Lok Sabha elections. Purvanchali candidates and 12 constituencies or 80 municipal has altered the poll demogra- “Party is in the process of managed to win, and in 2017 wards where Purvanchalis con- phy of the national Capital. deciding the names of two the party gave tickets to 43 stitute 17 to 47 per cent of Punjabis, who used to domi- leaders each from the Purvanchalis and out of them the vote. nate the public discourse and Purvanchali and Baniya com- 34 won. As the Purvanchali The ruling Aam Aadmi poll outcome in the past, now munity while one candidate population is growing, one Party (AAP) has 13 MLAs stand relegated to play the sec- each from Jat, Punjabi and leader is not sufficient to rep- from Putvanchal background. ond fiddle to the domineering Dalit communities will be field- resent the community,” said a Gopal Rai, AAP’ Delhi con- Purvanchalis. ed,” said sources. BJP leader. vener and a Minister in the The situation has propelled When asked about anoth- If one considers voters’ Delhi Cabinet, hails from east- regional parties to select more er Purvanchali leader part from calculations in Delhi, the sig- ern Uttar leaders, representing Delhi BJP party president nificance of Purvanchali voters Pradesh while Deputy Chief Purvanchalis. The BJP is like- Manoj Tiwari, the party sources in Delhi can be measured by Minister Manish Sisodia ly to field at least two candi- hinted at former Congress MP the fact that they form nearly belongs to neighbouring dates eyeing sizeable from West Delhi Mahabal 35 to 40 per cent of votes in the Ghaziabad. #&#%($#) *#%+,-./+, / " & !%$ 1 5 % :12 finalised their candidates for state is headed by AICC gen- Delhi (by senior BJP leaders tion after our family, having dates. All surveys too have " 7 $ $ 5 any of the four Himachal Lok eral secretary (organisation) K for parliamentary board meet- its hold in this region, joined also gone in my favour," he #2 5 ynasty is alive and kicking Sabha seats seats - Shimla, C Venugopal.