!! " 7/ " $ '&8 &8 8 VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( .' /.0*1# $*+*$+, #$%&'() $%-(. :/5:3"!4; (239:3--41!:: /23!.:!/:;!"!-!- ! " # ""#$!#% %#%#% 41!-5: 4+/34"5 33"31!:;3 #&#%%# < ( -= .." >> < : ! $ % *2%+3*24 *#$ R ! R " !1"!23 each they hold the key to any MLAs. The BJP has 12 legisla- has reduced due to demise of Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte Congress yet again staked an ## Government formation. tors in the 40-member BJP MLA Francis D’Souza ear- last year. The NCP has one abortive claim to form a JP MLA Pramod Sawant “We have managed to con- Assembly, whose strength now lier this year, and Parrikar on MLA in the Assembly. Government in the coastal Bwas on Monday named as vince the alliance partners and is 36 after Parrikar’s death. Sunday, and resignations of Earlier, even as Parrikar’s State. ,, !1"!23 the new Goa Chief Minister finalised the formula of two The strength of the House two Congress MLAs Subhash funeral procession was on, the Continued on Page 4 after party bigwigs, including Deputy Chief Ministers for he speculation for alliance president Amit Shah and the State,” a senior BJP func- Tbetween the Aam Aadmi Union Transport Minister tionary said. Parrikar was head- Party (AAP) and the Congress Nitin Gadkari, could bring ing a coalition Government came to an end after AAP’s about a consensus on his name comprising the BJP, three Delhi convener Gopal Rai on by making the other claimants MLAs each of the GFP, the Monday made it clear that to the post from the alliance MGP and three Independents. there would neither be any partners agreeable to his can- Shah said it will be hard to alliance with the Congress nor didature, according to sources. fill the void left by Manohar a rollback of any of its candi- Sawant was the Speaker of Parrikar even as reports sug- dates in the national Capital. the Goa Assembly. gested that two MGP MLAs The statement came a day Swant’s name was cleared could switch over to the BJP to after the AAP declared its can- hours after late Chief Minister increase its number in the didate for the seventh Lok Manohar Parrikar’s funeral cer- Assembly from 12 to 14. Sabha seat in Delhi. Asserting The Congress is confused and emony, also attended by Prime Sawant has been a promi- that “enough is enough”, Rai everyone is giving different Minister Narendra Modi, con- nent presence in Goa’s political said these are the final seven statements,” Rai said. cluded at Goa’s Capital Panaji. scene since Parrikar’s illness candidates of the party and The ruling AAP had earli- Sawant will be assisted by was announced in October there is no question of “any roll er on March 2 announced the two Deputy Chief Ministers — 2018. In February, the BJP back”. names of its candidates for the Goa Forward Party (GFP)chief leader had updated the public Rai said despite facing stiff six Lok Sabha seats. The AAP Vijai Sardesai and about the State of Parrikar’s opposition from its workers, declared its seventh candidate Maharashtrawadi Gomantak health, after the CM was admit- the party was open to an for West Delhi Lok Sabha seats Party (MGP) MLA Sudin ted to AIIMS in Delhi. alliance with the Congress in on Sunday. The party insiders Dhavalikar. Interestingly, the Sawant represents the Delhi but after waiting for so said the name of Balbir Singh two who have now been Sanquelim constituency and is long and constantly hearing Jhakhar was announced after “accommodated” had earlier an Ayurveda practitioner by conflicting statements from the recalcitrant attitude of the staked their claim to the top profession. He was close to the party, we have decided Congress leadership towards post in the State. Parrikar, who was understood that now even if the Congress forging an alliance in the There was no Deputy CM to have groomed him as a approaches us, there will be no national Capital. post in place when Parrikar was politician. The Congress is alliance in Delhi. The other six AAP candi- CM. But since the MGP and currently the single largest He also said there has been dates are Atishi from East the GFP both have 3 MLAs party in the State with 14 no communication from the Delhi, Guggan Singh from Congress and it clearly shows North-West Delhi, Raghav that the grand old party is “not Chadha from South, Dilip ! serious” about elections in Pandey from North-East, " # ! $ Delhi. “AAP will fight the Lok Pankaj Gupta from Chandni *+ " " % & Sabha polls on the issue of full Chowk and Brijesh Goyal from ' Statehood and it is ‘late now’ for New Delhi seat. R Monday asked the Congress Dal (RLD) alliance. ( %) talks on an alliance in Delhi. Continue on Page 4 not to “spread confusion” and “The Congress is free to said the alliance was capable of field its candidates on all the 80 defeating the BJP on its own. seats in UP alone. In other Hours later BSP’s poll ally words, our alliance (of SP- Samajwadi Party (SP) the SP BSP-RLD) is capable enough of too echoed Mayawati’s view. In defeating the BJP. The Congress a tweet, SP president Akhilesh should refrain from spreading Yadav said, “In Uttar Pradesh, confusion about leaving seven Q R the SP, BSP and RLD alliance seats for the (SP-BSP-RLD) is capable of defeating the BJP. tweets made it clear that the alliance,” Mayawati tweeted. .(+41 The Congress party need not party will not enter into any She also said, “The BSP spread any kind of confusion.” alliance with the Congress. would like to make it clear once day after the Congress said Mayawati even dared the On Sunday, the Congress again that there is no alliance Ait was leaving seven Lok Congress to go ahead and field announced that it was leaving or understanding with the Sabha seats for the SP-BSP- candidates in all the 80 Lok seven Lok Sabha seats in the Congress in UP and anywhere RLD combine in Uttar Pradesh, Sabha seats in the State. State for the SP, Bahujan Samaj in the country.” BSP supremo Mayawati on The BSP chief in a series of Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Continued on Page 4 $ " !" # $ $$ & !!" $ ' $ $ , - $ %) () * + O- & # -56-) one steamer all decked up for her, and they all jumped into Priyanka, and no arrangement the boat. $ % n an hilarious turn of events for another boat to carry them The boat was soon stuffed & Iduring the boat campaign by along to cover Priyanka’s poll beyond its capacity and became '()' ' Congress general secretary campaign. unstable. On boatman’s frantic Priyanka Gandhi on Monday, The drama started as soon instruction, some people had to " a boat carrying media persons as Priyanka — who reached the alight. But as the boat reached $. and some Congress leaders ghat around 11.30 am — got the middle of the river, it ran ran aground at Manaya ghat of onto her steamer. There was no aground in low water. And it '& Allahabad from where room for the media. could not budge an inch from / $ Priyanka started sailing to However, as soon her boat there. reach Varanasi. started sailing, media persons Following which, a boat $$ As media persons reached and some Congress leaders was called in to take the stuck & *+ the Manaiya Ghat, they saw just found another boat following journalists back to the pier. % !1"!23 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 Purvanchal 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 Pradesh while leaders, representing Delhi BJP party president nificance of Purvanchali voters Deputy Chief Minister Manish Purvanchalis. The BJP is like- Manoj Tiwari, the party sources in Delhi can be measured by Sisodia belongs to neighbour- ly to field at least two candi- hinted at former Congress MP the fact that they form nearly ing Ghaziabad. dates eyeing sizeable from West Delhi Mahabal 35 to 40 per cent of votes in the Continue on Page 4 !($#) *#%+,-./+, ! . / & % $ ( "' % / ,, tained minor injury on ,, !1"!23 for various violations and 63 !1"!23 his right hand but was ,, !1"!23 O a collision between two prosecutions initiated.