;& #%7 %7 7 VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( 34%.3- 56" &'(' () !"#$% *+(,+$- 5(- +=9 6'N'0=-0=89O 05'45'54 ! " # ""#$!#% %#%#% ',-5- '=4@ =9=9&59:(95>'?,59+5 9=85 #&#%%# A 012 BC33& DE A- 5 - # $ 7 $ ) #(7 #(89 6 : #$ %%!&'! !! " (' & )! 456&50' 456&50' .. ( P ! ith the AAP and the he Opposition , #( !9&!9!0-,!:O WCongress going public TMahagathbandhan is final- & , O2 ' in asserting that they will not ly in place in Bihar. The 9& : 9 # # 9& ! enter into an alliance, it is now Congress on Tuesday agreed to " NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who contest on nine seats as against 8 + O9 9, O0-, ) ! has entered the scene to play its insistence for 11 seats. The the mediator, in what is being alliance’ mainstay RJD will - 6 seen as a last-ditch attempt to contest 20 seats, seven less PNS: BJP Lok Sabha MP forge a pre-poll alliance than it fought in 2014 thus Shatrughan Sinha may be pit- between the two parties in paving the way for the accom- - ted on a Congress ticket from Delhi to take on the BJP, which modation of other smaller par- # Patna Sahib against Union holds all the seven Lok Sabha ties in the grouping. $ ## # Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. seats in the Capital. Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP The confusion over After a series of flip-flops will fight on four seats and Jitan 9 Darbhanga seat is also under- between both the parties, P Ram Majhi’s HAM on three 0-, stood to be cleared as Kirti sources said Congress Central seats. RJD leader Tejashwi Azad will be the Congress leadership has started a rethink Yadav, who is spearheading # candidate from the seat. While on the insistence of their the formation of the much- Azad was suspended from alliance partners’ tallest leader hyped grand alliance, has BJP and he joined Congress, Pawar, who met Congress chief rushed to Ranchi to brief and Sinha has kept it a secret on his Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun further deliberate with RJD part but has made his inten- Kharge first and then AAP’s ! P patriarch Lalu Prasad, cur- tions obvious by criticising his Sanjay Singh, also a Rajya " # rently cooling his heels in jail parent party BJP and Prime Sabha member. The Maratha $ % &! in a multi-crore fodder scam. by RJD, which had field- what the other was Minister Narendra Modi on strongman had last month P% "( The Mahagathbandhan in ed him on its ticket five to get. The cur- several occasions. hosted a mega Opposition Bihar formally acknowledges years ago but expelled rent impasse sur- meeting that starred Rahul Congress, RJD, RLSP, HAM, him later on disciplinary joint Press conference by rep- faced following Tejashwi indi- Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and her party colleagues at her the leadership to spell out its Sharad Yadav’s Loktantrik grounds. resentatives of all the grand cating “fissures” as crisis over Mamata Banerjee. home to reconsider a tie-up stand to avoid confusion Janata Dal and Mukesh Sahni’s “RJD is to contest on 20 alliance partners. seat-sharing deepened in the Following Pawar’s media- with AAP — an idea that she among party workers. Vikasheel Insaan Party as its seats, Congress on 9 seats, Sharing of seats in the Bihar Mahagathbandhan. tion, Delhi Congress president has resisted vehemently so far. While Sheila has strongly constituents. While Congress RLSP on 4, HAM on 3, LJD Grand Alliance was hampered Amid hard bargaining by Sheila Dikshit convened an Sources said 13 former opposed a tie-up with the AAP, wants to take on board and VIP on 2 seats each,” said by squabbles between smaller smaller parties, the major play- urgent meeting with the three Congress district presidents Congress incharge of Delhi Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav, AICC sources, adding that a partners like the RLSP and the ers — RJD and Congress — working presidents — have written a letter to party PC Chacko made it clear on whose wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a formal announcement would HAM with each party demand- locked horns over the seat Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf chief Rahul Gandhi asking for Tuesday that “Delhi leaders Congress MP, it was opposed come up on Wednesday at a ing a share that was bigger than sharing arrangements. and Rajesh Lilothia — of Delhi an alliance with the AAP. have to follow the Congress’ Pradesh Congress Committee Sheila, a three-time CM policy decision to go for (DPCC), which had opposed an whose rule ended with AAP’s alliances with parties opposed R alliance with AAP. The leaders rise in Delhi, had on Monday to the BJP”. Even after Pawar’s did not divulge any details and warned in a letter to Rahul and intervention, Sheila said she ,- only stated that the meeting was UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was against the alliance but will over decision of candidates for that an alliance with the AAP follow whatever the party lead- the Lok Sabha elections. will hurt the Congress in the ership decides. Sources said Sheila met long run. She had also urged Continued on Page 4 O ! " # ! -4-' ! %'*+ R $ % P " he BJP-led Government in "! TGoa will face the floor test !,! %'!' ) + on Wednesay, a day after it was ! formed. Governor Mridula 456&50'7,8,(-' & O Sinha has convened a special / session of the Assembly on #! )'- n more trouble for cash- #' 456&50' Wednesday at 11.30 am to Istrapped Jet Airways, an #( # enable Chief Minister Pramod 456&50' umbrella body of its domestic ! n a major decision, the BJP Sawant to prove his majority in pilots on Tuesday threatened to # Ion Tuesday announced it the House, an official said. he all-powerful GST stop flying from April 1 if # % " will drop its all 10 incumbent P Sawant on Tuesday said his TCouncil on Tuesday their dues are not paid by MPs from Chhattisgarh and ! " Government had sought a floor allowed builders an option to March-end even as aviation # $ replace them with new faces in # % & &' test on Wednesday to prove its choose between old tax rates regulator DGCA said only 41 the Lok Sabha polls, a decision strength in the Assembly. The and the new ones for under- aircraft of the airline were in !%&'& that comes in the wake of the that Union Minister Vishnu 2019 LS poll but that seems Government in the coastal construction residential pro- operation and more attrition is party’s drubbing in the recent Deo Sai and seven times Lok highly unlikely given his pre- State claims support of 21 jects to help resolve input tax likely soon. " " State Assembly elections. Sabha member and former occupation with the strategis- MLAs — 12 from the BJP, three credit issues. As situation at the belea- # According to reliable Union Minister Ramesh Bais ing and campaigning. each of allies Goa Forward The council, headed by builders — who were worried guered airline deteriorated, & + sources, the Central Election will not be fielded in the polls. The announcement under- Party (GFP) and Union Finance Minister Arun about loss of input tax credit in Civil Aviation Minister Suresh ! % " Committee’s (CEC) scrutinised There is also question mark scores the BJP’s bid to wrest Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Jaitley and including repre- the new tax regime. Prabhu directed senior officials party’s first list of candidates for as to who would contest from Chhattisgarh from the Party (MGP) and three sentatives of all States, at its The new tax rate of 1 per of his Ministry to continuous- ( the Lok Sabha polls for the sec- LK Advani’s constituency Congress, which handed it a Independents. 34th meeting here laid out cent for affordable houses and ly monitor developments relat- ) ond time in last one week for Gandhi Nagar or from that of massive defeat in the Assembly The strength of the 40- transition rules for the imple- 5 per cent for others, without ing to the crisis. ,! several hours at the meeting Murli Manohar Joshi’s LS seat polls last year. The Congress member House has been mentation of new tax rates for ITC, will apply on new projects. In a related development, # # called on Tuesday night. Kanpur. Sources said Gandhi had won 68 seats, reducing the reduced to 36 due to the death the real estate sector. The move will help address the Jet Airways’ Aircraft ''- ./ Constituencies of a number of Nagar seat may go to someone tally of the BJP, which was in of Chief Minister Manohar Builders will get a one-time apprehensions as well as poten- Maintenance Engineers’ Union %0! MPs have been planned to be whose name BJP patriarch power in the State for 15 years, Parrikar, BJP MLA Francis option to continue paying tax tial disputes on various com- wrote to the DGCA on Tuesday #1/# changed, sources said. Advani may suggest. Advani's to a mere 15. The difference in D’Souza and resignations of at the old rates (effective rate of putational and transitional morning saying they were not 1/ BJP general secretary Anil daughter Pratibha has been the vote share of the two par- two Congress MLAs Subhash 8 per cent or 12 per cent with issues such as the loss of input paid salaries for last three # ./ % Jain, also the party affairs active in Gujarat for some ties was a huge 10 per cent. Shirodkar and Dayanand Input Tax Credit or ITC) on credits and pricing that were months and that their “adverse incharge for Chhattisgarh, time. Gujarat ex-CM Anandi The BJP is also considering Sopte. ongoing projects (buildings bound to arise on account of psychological” condition has made the announcement as the Ben Patel’s daughter’s name is not fielding any family mem- The Congress is the single where construction and actu- the change.