India

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Russian military delegation led by Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov has arrived in New Delhi for a working visit to discuss bilateral drills Indra-2019, the Defense Ministry’s information and mass communications department told reporters on Tuesday.

New Delhi, March 12; PTI/GANASHAKTI: The West Bengal governor recently wrote a report to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, which was then sent to the President warning of “potential violence” in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, said sources. 

This report, the sources said, was key in the Election Commission’s decision to spread polls in the state over seven phases.

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that the AAP will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own, ruling out any alliance with the Congress.

Addressing the media here, he stated that the party plans to go full throttle on the issue of full statehood for Delhi.

Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing the "victim card" as she said people of the country were the victims of his "wrong policies".

She was speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel National Memorial here.

According to sources, the senior Congress leader in her address lashed out at the Modi government for 'politicising' issues related to national interest.

Jammu, Mar 12 (PTI) Accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre of delaying assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, National Panthers Party Tuesday said the denial of democratic rights to people could prove counterproductive.

NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh rued that the assembly elections was deferred in Jammu and Kashmir on "flimsy excuses" of security constraints.

New Delhi/Lucknow, Mar 12 (PTI) In a setback to the prospects of an opposition grand alliance to take on the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha election, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) made it clear on Tuesday that it would not have any electoral tie-up with the Congress in any state for the polls beginning April 11.

In a statement, BSP supremo Mayawati said, "It is being made clear again that the Bahujan Samaj Party will not have any electoral alliance with the Congress in any state."

Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way.

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision.

Patna, Mar 12 (PTI) Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha has fired a fresh salvo at Narendra Modi, highlighting the inconvenience caused to commuters whenever the prime minister's convoy passes through notwithstanding his avowed dislike for 'VIP culture'.

Amid speculations that his exit from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may be imminent, the Patna Sahib MP made the stinging attack on his official twitter handle on Monday.

New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Expelled TMC MP Anupam Hazra joined the BJP here on Tuesday.

Hazra had won the 2014 election from Bolpur in West Bengal.

He joined the BJP at the party's headquarters here in the presence of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.

The TMC leadership had expelled the Bolpur MP for anti-party activities on January 9.

Lucknow, Mar 12 (PTI) The Bhaujan Samaj Party is sticking to old-fashioned electioneering, shunning fancy raths and holograms, and keeping public relations companies that offer such high-tech options at bay, a party leader said.

Instead, the party will bank on public meetings by supremo Mayawati and booth-level campaigning by its workers.