PDP largest party in J&K, BJP to form govt. in Jharkhand

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  BJP workers celebrate outside party office in Harmu, Ranchi on Tuesday.
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  AP

  Supporters of People's Democratic Party (PDP) celebrate the news of early election result trends outside a counting centre in Srinagar on Tuesday.
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  The Hindu

  File picture shows Kashmiris waiting to cast their votes during the first phase of elections in Sumbal, Bandipora district. Photo: Nissar Ahmad

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda loses from the Kharsawan (ST) constituency

Party position in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls:

Party	Won	Leading	Total
Bharatiya Janata Party	25	0	25
Communist Party of India (Marxist)	1	0	1
Indian National Congress	11	1	12
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference	15	0	15
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party	28	0	28
Jammu & Kashmir People Conference	2	0	2
Jammu And Kashmir People Democratic Front (Secular)	1	0	1
Independent	3	0	3
Total	86	1	87

Party position in Jharkhand Assembly polls:

Party	Won	Leading	Total
Bahujan Samaj Party	0	1	1
Bharatiya Janata Party	37	0	37
Indian National Congress	5	1	6
AJSU Party	5	0	5
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha	18	1	19
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)	7	1	8
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation)	1	0	1
Jai Bharat Samanta Party	1	0	1
Jharkhand Party	1	0	1
Marxist Co-Ordination	1	0	1
Navjawan Sangharsh Morcha	1	0	1
Total	77	4	81

7:13 pm: BJP-AJSU alliance wins absolute majority in Jharkhand. BJP wins 37 seats, while AJSU Party bags 5 in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly.

7:03 pm: Jharkhand Drinking and Sanitation Minister Jai Prakash Bhai Patel defeats BJP’s Kumar Mahesh Singh by over 7,000 votes from Mandu seat.

Former minister and JMM’s Joba Manjhi wins the Manoharpur (ST) seat defeating her nearest rival BJP’s Gurucharan Naik by over 17,000 votes.

Disaster Management Minister Mannan Malick (Congress) has lost to BJP’s Raj Sinha by over 52,000 votes from the Dhanbad constituency.

6:50 pm: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi (JVM-P) loses to CPI (ML-Liberation) candidate Raj Kumar Yadav in Dhanwar by 10,712 votes.

5:44 pm: Record turnout in J&K showed people's faith in democracy; I thank them from bottom of my heart for placing their confidence in BJP: PM

5:29 pm: Party president Amit Shah does not rule out joining hands with either PDP or National Conference saying “all options are open”. 

5:23 pm: First time in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim candidate has won the elections on a BJP ticket by triumphing over a Hindu contestant of National Conference in Kalakote Assembly seat of Rajouri district. 

5:17 pm:

5.06 pm: Congress is not averse to supporting PDP to form government in J&K, says party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar.

4.50 pm: We are not in a hurry to cobble up numbers. Will explore possibilities to give a credible govt., says Ms. Mehbooba

4:41 pm: Mandate is not decisive and below our expectations, says PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti.

4:15 pm: JVM (Prajatantrik) candidate Amar Kumar Bauri defeats sitting AJSU party MLA Uma Kant Rajak by about 34,000 votes from Chandankiyari (SC) seat.

3:49 pm: BJP set to form govt in Jharkhand, celebrations begin. 

3:45 pm: Sita Murmu alias Sita Soren of JMM wins Jama seat beating her nearest BJP rival Suresh Murmu by 2,306 votes.

3:43 pm: BJP has strengthen its position in Jharkhand, where the party has increased its seats from 18 in 2009 to 41 this year: Shah

3:40 pm: All options are open in Jammu and Kashmir: Amit Shah on having alliance in the State for govt. formation.

3:31 pm: Will provide a good government in Jharkhand: BJP President Amit Shah

3:22 pm: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda loses from Kharsawan (ST) to Dasrath Gagrai of JMM.

News Analysis: The results in Jharkhand — as also in Jammu and Kashmir — signal that the fight in the future elections will be between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and regional parties. 

3:17 pm: In Kanke(SC), BJP’s Jitu Charan Ram beat Congress’ Suresh Baitha by over 59,000.

3:14 pm: Former Speaker and BJP’s sitting MLA C.P. Singh wins Ranchi seat, defeating JMM’s Mahua Maji by over 58,000 votes.

3:13 pm: BJP candidate Ramkumar Pahan wins Khijri (ST) seat, defeating Congress candidate Sundri Devi by over 64,000 votes.

3:12 pm: JVM(P) candidate Naveen Jaiswal wins Hatia seat by defeating nearest BJP rival Seema Sharma by 8,000 votes.

3:07pm: PDP emerging as largest party in a hung house, BJP second.

3:03 pm: Dinesh Oraon of BJP wins Sisai seat by defeating nearest JMM rival Susaran Horo by 2,593 votes.

3:00 pm: Chamra Linda of JMM wins Bishunpur seat by defeating Samir Oraon of BJP by 10,843 votes.

2:58 pm: BJP inching closer to form government in Jharkhand. 

2:56 pm: BJP candidate Dina Nath defeats his nearest rival Krishan Chander of Congress by a margin of 20,332 votes in Chenani Assembly of Udhampur district. Nath polled 33,047 votes, while Chander polled 12,715 votes.

2:48 pm: Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) candidate Ganesh Ganjhu wins Simaria seat defeating his nearest BJP rival Sujeet Kumar Bharati by 15,640 votes.

2:40 pm: BJP candidate Raghu Nandan Mandal wins Godda seat defeating his nearest Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rival Sanjay Prasad Yadav by 34,486 votes.

2:15 pm: Former Jharkhand deputy chief minister and AJSU party chief Sudesh Kumar Mahto lost Silli seat to his nearest JMM rival Amit Kumar by 29,740 votes.

2:15 pm: Deputy Chief Minister and three time MLA of Congress Tara Chand lost to BJP candidate Dr Krishan Lal with a margin of 14,790 votes in Chhamb Assembly constituency of Jammu district. Chand polled 21,243 votes, while Lal polled 36,033 votes.

2:14 pm: PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wins from Anantnag seat by 6000 votes.

2:00 pm: Former banker Haseeb Drabu wins from Rajpora as PDP sweeps all four Assembly seats in Pulwama district.

1:55 pm: Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather’s record run in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly ended today when he lost from Charar—e—Sharief while his National Conference colleague Ali Mohammad Sagar equalled his feat of sixth consecutive victories by winning Khanyar seat.

1:40 pm: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wins Beerwah Assembly seat by a margin of over 1000 seats

1.30 pm: Two major upheavals in Jharkhand polls: Chief Minister Hemat Soren lost poll from Dumka assembly constituency, though he has won from Barhet constituency. Jharkhand Vikas Morcha [Prajatantrik] chief Babulal Marandi has also lost from Giridih constituency

1.10 pm: Omar Abdullah leading in Beerwah. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who led the party’s campaign in the state, said it was “open” to aligning with PDP

1.00 pm: In Jammu and Kashmir, while the People's Democratic Party is leading in 31 seats, the BJP is ahead in 21 seats. 

12.45 pm: It will be easier to come together with Congress than BJP to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, senior PDP leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig said on Tuesday. 

12. 35 pm:

12.30 pm: BJP ally All Jharkand Students Union [AJSU] president Sudesh Mahto lost the poll from Silli assembly constituency by over 28,000 votes. Geeta Koda , wife of former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda had won the poll from Jagannathpur constituency, though Madhu Koda had lost election from Majhgaon.

BJP party workers celebrating even while counting was in progress at Ranchi on Tuesday. Photo: Manob Chowdhury

12.10 pm: Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren won the poll from Barhet assembly constituency defeating BJP's Hemlal Murmu by over 23,000 votes...Soren had contested from two seats. Result from Dumka seat is awaited..

12.05 pm: As polls results continue to emerge in Jammu and Kashmir, a hung verdict is the writing on the wall. PDP is emerging as the single largest party as it leads in 32 constituencies, and while BJP is the second party leading in 25 seats, all its candidates are trailing by huge margins in the Kashmir valley.

11.57 am: The BJP Parliamentary Board meeting tomorrow in Delhi to discuss name of the party's chief minister in Jharkhand..

11.41am: The first result from Jharkhand: Scam tainted and former state chief minister Madhu Koda lost the poll from Majhgaon assembly constituency by 15,000 votes .

11.10 am: The trend shows that the BJP even penetrated successfully into Santhal Pargana, stronghold of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha...

The encouraging trends for BJP in Jharkhand has also caste its spell in neighbouring Bihar where some of the ruling party JD-U legislators have said the party should review and revive its alliance with the BJP, though, they are not ready to come on record with their feelings now

9.10 am: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was Tuesday ahead in Jammu and Kashmir followed closely by the BJP as officials counted votes polled in the five-phase assembly elections.

Candidates of the PDP led by Mufti Mohammed Saeed surged ahead in 30 of the 73 seats where early trends were available, officials said. The state assembly has 87 seats. A total of 48.29 lakh votes are to be counted.

8.30 am: The trend for Jharkhand elections clearly shows that BJP heading towards absolute majority in the state with the party leading on 40 seats and its alliance Jharkhand Vikas Morcha on four out of total 81 leaving behind the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with just 15 seats and the Congress on poor 2 seats. The coming trend of results indicates that there was a strong Narendra Modi wave reeling in the tribal state as corruption has been a major factor in the poll. The tainted Jharkhand leaders like Madhu Koda and Enos Ekka are trailing in their respective constituencies.

8.10 am: Jharkhand, which has been battling Maoist violence, registered an overall 66 per cent turnout for the 81 assembly seats. The State, which was carved out of Bihar in 2000, bettered the previous mark of 54.2 per cent in the 2004 assembly polls. 

7.55 am: Minutes before the counting of votes, let's see what the Exit polls have had to say. 

7. 50 am: The five-phase election in the two States which stretched for nearly a month saw 66 per cent voting with authorities making massive security arrangements to prevent any attempts by militants or Maoists to disrupt the polls. 

Modi's party breaks new ground in two Indian states

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election campaign rally at Kathua, south of Jammu December 13, 2014.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party made big electoral gains in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir and captured power in an eastern state on Tuesday, underscoring the Hindu nationalist's dominance of the political landscape.

The Bharatiya Janata Party won 25 of 87 seats in Kashmir, its best showing ever in the Muslim-majority state, but still way short of a simple majority that it wanted to seize power.

Modi himself campaigned heavily across Kashmir, a top priority for his party which wants closer integration of the revolt-torn Himalayan region with the rest of the country.

Still, it will remain a key player in the state where no single group attained a majority, raising the prospect of a coalition government led by the regional People's Democratic Party (PDP) which won 28 seats.

The rest of the seats were shared by regional parties, the Congress party and independents.

Separatists rejected the election and militants stepped up attacks to disrupt the month-long vote. Pakistan stakes a claim to the territory and calls for talks to resolve the 67-year-old dispute at the heart of hostility between the nuclear armed neighbors.

"In Jammu and Kashmir we have improved our position significantly. We are now a relevant party in Jammu and Kashmir," Amit Shah, the president of the BJP, told a press conference in New Delhi as the results came in.

"I believe that voters have endorsed Modi's style of governance."

Modi came to power in May promising to revive economic growth after the deepest slowdown in a decade under the previous Congress government. He has since won a clutch of state elections.

Voters in the mineral-rich Jharkhand state - the other state to go to the polls - gave the BJP a clear majority, potentially making it easier for Modi's government to kickstart mining projects urgently needed to reduce energy shortages.

State elections determine the number of seats parties have in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament where Modi's group lacks a majority.

The opposition blocked his plans to push through a legislation to increase foreign participation in the insurance sector in the session of parliament that ended on Tuesday.

Assembly poll results: Modi wave works in Jharkhand, but party may still need partners

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s bid for a single-party majority in Jharkhand may fall short of its objective by a whisker, results and counting trends around 12 noon today seemed to indicate. The BJP seems set to fall marginally below the halfway mark of 41 in an 81-seat assembly, though this could change as final results are announced.

This means the next government may still be a coalition led by the BJP, and possibly joined by some independents and/or the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), which is headed by ex-BJP Chief Minister Babulal Marandi. A BJP-JVM coalition would have a clear majority and would be stable.

Marandi fell out with the party some year ago after Arjun Munda and other MLAs brought his government down. Since then he has been running his own party, with varied success.

The new game in town is to fight separately and cohabit afterwards.

Given the strong showing of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Marandi’s JVM (P), and given the Congress-RJD coalition’s wins in some pockets, there is also the possibility of a non-BJP government in Jharkhand, but it would clearly be full of contradictions and remain shaky – the bane of all Jharkhand governments so far. So one should rule it out as a probability, if not as a possibility.

What the Jharkhand results prove is that the Modi wave has helped the BJP to emerge as the strongest party in the state, but the wave was not strong enough to beat back the counter-waves of tribal loyalties and rival coalitions, as shown by the good showing by the JMM, Congress-RJD and Marandi’s JVM(P).

Just as BJP’s Mission 44 failed in Jammu & Kashmir when the opposition recalibrated its strategy to stop Modi’s surge, the party’s showing in Jharkhand indicates that Narendra Modi will now have to spend time giving his allies due space and also rein in the hotheads in the Sangh parivar from taking the party towards Hindutva, sinking his governance agenda further.

The J&K and Jharkhand results are the first indications that the BJP, even though resurgent in most parts, has to recalibrate its strategy of going it alone all the time when the opposition to it is also beginning to see the need to work together.

In fact, if the JMM and JVM had fought the elections together, or the JMM and Congress/RJD alliances had entered into seat adjustments, the results could have been quite different. The rival combos would have equalled the BJP’s solo vote share.

However, it is also possible that parties fighting separately can garner more votes than when fighting together. The Congress-JMM coalition, by breaking up before the elections, has managed to garner over 30 percent of the popular vote- ahead of the BJP by a small margin.

This has been the pattern in J&K too, where the National Conference and the Congress fought the elections separately to tell the voters different stories in the valley and in Jammu.

The new game in town is to fight separately and cohabit afterwards.

India lawmakers demand Modi speak on Hindu conversions

 Opposition lawmakers, charging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done little to stop hard-liners in his party from forcibly converting religious minorities to Hinduism, threw Parliament into an uproar Monday, with the upper house repeatedly adjourned after descending into shouting matches.

Some of the Muslims, though, later said they had changed religions out of fear, raising the specter of religious communalism and a growing political divide in a country that has struggled for years with intermittent Hindu-Muslim violence.Right-wing Hindu groups allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have conducted a series of ceremonies across India over the past week to convert Christians and Muslims to Hinduism.

India is mostly Hindu, but has a significant Muslim minority and a smaller Christian one.

Modi, an avowed Hindu nationalist and longtime member of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Dal, one of the two main groups behind the conversions, has remained mostly silent on the issue.

On Sunday, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, converted 30 Christians to Hinduism in the southern Indian state of Kerala. In the western state of Gujarat, the VHP said 200 Christians had participated in weekend "homecoming" ceremonies.

Hindu hard-liners often call the ceremonies "homecomings," insisting that members of minority religions are descended from Hindus who converted to Christianity or Islam.

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Samajwadi Party supporters participate in an anti government protest in New Delhi, India, Monday, De …

Similar conversions were performed earlier this month in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where around 100 Muslims converted to Hinduism. Many, though, said later that they were threatened with violence if they didn't go along, and that they were promised government ration cards and money if they did become Hindus.

Hindu hard-line organizations were key political backers of Modi, who was voted into office earlier this year in a victory over the long-powerful Congress party. Since his election, the hard-line groups have become increasingly vocal, calling for the transformation of India into a Hindu nation.

"We are going to take the percentage of Hindus to 100 percent in the country," Praveen Togadia, a VHP leader, said in a weekend speech. "We won't tolerate Hindus becoming a minority in the country."

Indian Muslims have long been wary of Modi. In 2002, he was accused of failing to stop anti-Muslim riots that shook Gujarat state, where he was then the top elected official. The violence left at least 1,000 people dead. Modi has rejected the accusations, and India's Supreme Court has said that it found no evidence to prosecute him.

Some Christian groups say fear has also been spreading in their communities. Early this month, a Roman Catholic church was burned in New Delhi in a suspected case of arson. Last week, a group singing Christmas carols was attacked in the southern city of Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, as members of Parliament have battled over the past week about the conversions and the statements by Hindu leaders, Modi has barely mentioned the issue at all.

To many members of religious minorities, that is deeply worrying.

"The prime minister's silence has been deafening," said Dominic Emmanuel, a spokesman for the New Delhi Archdiocese. "If Modi does not speak up now, the situation is going to slip out of his hands."

Christians account for about 2.3 percent of India's 1.2 billion people and largely coexist peacefully with Hindus. About 14 percent of Indians are Muslims.

Modi's education minister, Smriti Irani, caused an uproar a couple of weeks ago when she suggested canceling the Dec. 25 school holiday so students could attend classes on good governance. That idea was quietly scuttled.

Opposition lawmakers say Modi's silence is damaging the secular nature of Indian society and the religious freedoms guaranteed by the country's constitution.

The upper house of Parliament was repeatedly adjourned Monday after opposition lawmakers demanded that the prime minister clarify his position on the conversions.

The impasse in Parliament has paralyzed a series of key bills, stalling government efforts to overhaul the economy and boost growth.

Modi-Rajan-Commodities trinity keeping India a favourite: Citi

India remains a consensus favourite investment destination for US companies, largely on the back of a 'Modi-Rajan-Commodities trinity', global financial major Citigroup said in a report today. 

While India is not totally insulated from the adverse global cues emanating from falling crude prices and depreciation in Russian currency, "it is relatively better-off", the Citi economists said. 

Listing out factors in favour of India, they said in the report that India is a net importer of crude, its macro fundamentals are improving and rising forex reserves are giving a further boost. 

In a report today, Citigroup said: "Unsurprisingly, India remains a consensus favourite both as an absolute and relative play due to a trinity of factors -- business-friendly Modi government; pro-active RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and commodity tailwinds. 

"Following a strong market performance in 2014, most investors were of the view that the on-going cyclical and structural upturn could result in India continuing to outperform in 2015, albeit at a modest pace." 

However, the report said that despite high expectations, memories of the 2013 taper tantrums have resulted in investors remaining on guard and watching out for potential risks. 

NPA issues in the banking sector, standoffs in Parliament denting the reform momentum and limited space on the fiscal side are among the major concerns for investors. 

"Many feel that the first full budget of the BJP government in February 2015 will provide useful insights on the path ahead," the report said. 

While estimating that Indian economy is likely to edge back to 7 per cent growth rate and lower inflation, Citigroup noted that "unlike the 2013 taper tantrums, when India had a high current account deficit, elevated inflation and weak growth, India's fundamentals have improved". 

"However, we re-iterate there is no room for complacency as generalised EM risk aversion could result in reversal in portfolio flows and external debt de-leveraging," it added. 

Everything That's Wrong with Jharkhand and its Politics

It has been a month on the road now. I have been shifting from one part of Jharkhand to the other, covering the five-phase Assembly elections here, a state with just 81 assembly seats but also a state where one single party has almost never had an absolute majority government.

In Jharkhand's 14-year existence, much has become worse, in an area that was already underdeveloped in undivided Bihar.

And even after covering this region for over 5 years, some things never cease to amaze me. For instance, the absence of even functional primary healthcare centres as our NDTV team travelled into the interiors of Latehar's manika block, ahead of the first phase of polls. I remember travelling in Palamu a few years ago to cover a drought, and transporting a heavily pregnant lady from an interior village to a hospital 35 kms away. Yes, 35 kms for a delivery. That, in a nutshell, is Jharkhand for you.

Or take Godda. An area full of coal and mines -- yet also a place that is fast becoming infamous as Jharkhand's child trafficking hotspot. I travelled here just days ago, to track 100 odd children who were rescued from Kerala's orphanages 6 months ago, and promised a better life, and education. But 6 months on, sans the media headlines, I found that all government promises, almost all, have vanished into thin air.

In this atmosphere, the BJP and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, former allies and now political foes, have led a high-decibel campaign against each other. One statement by the BJP's star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made repeatedly at rallies has stayed with me. "Give us a majority and we will give you development," he said, adding "unlike those who have ruled here in the last 14 years." 

But here's a statistic - in the 14 years of its existence, Jharkhand has seen maximum years of rule by the BJP.

The party argues that most of its governments were in partnership with difficult coalition partners, but to me, it sums up what's wrong in Jharkhand, and its politics.

Amitabh Bachchan Meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi

This image was posted on Twitter by @PIB_India

SOON AFTER THE MEETING, MR MODI PUT UP A PHOTOGRAPH WITH MR BACHCHAN ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently in New Delhi, paid a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Soon after the meeting, Mr Modi put up this photograph with Mr Bachchan on his Facebook page.
 

This image was posted on Facebook by Narendra Modi

Big B and Mr Modi, almost identically dressed in a white kurta pyjama and grey shawls, seemed to enjoy their conversation although its not clear what they discussed.
 

This image was posted on Twitter by @PIB_India

On his return to Mumbai, Big B wrote on Twitter
 

T 1712 - Cold Delhi .. warm Mumbai ..happy home .. soon happier - grandchildren coming in from the cold to be with their cousin in the warm

- Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 20, 2014

On October 29, Mr Bachchan swept streets in Mumbai as part of the Swachh Bharat cleanliness drive launched by Prime Minister - Big B had been tagged in the celebrity chain by industrialist Anil Ambani.

BJP Against Forceful Conversions, Says Party Chief Amit Shah

BJP President Amit Shah during a two-day visit to Kerala.

KOCHI:  BJP President Amit Shah today said his party is against forceful conversions and asked other political parties in the country to support a Bill in this regard if they are 'sincere' in their approach to secularism.

"BJP is against forceful conversions and that is why we want to bring a law. So-called secular parties should support BJP's move," said Mr Shah. 

"A public debate on the matter can be taken up only after arriving at a consensus among political parties," he said when asked if BJP is ready to talk to minority organisations on this issue.

The conversions row has stalled work in Parliament, with a united opposition attacking the ruling BJP on religious conversions and demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sources however say the BJP has decided that it will not "not give an inch" on the demand for PM Modi's statement, after an assessment that the repeated calls for an intervention by the PM is an attempt to build a perception that he is not in control of members of his party and the government.

On the 'ghar wapsi' (homecoming) programme reportedly carried out by a pro-Hindu outfit in Uttar Pradesh, he said "the matter is before the court. I don't want to comment."

Mr Shah also dismissed Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's allegation that the BJP is trying to divide the country on communal lines. "There is no basis for that," he said.

Referring to the black money issue, the BJP president said the party is committed to bringing back black money stashed abroad. 

On the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he exuded confidence that the BJP would form the next government in the
state.

Mr Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, inaugurated a mega membership campaign programme of the party in Palakkad

Vote in Record Numbers: Narendra Modi

File photo of Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged voters to turn out in record numbers as balloting took place in the fifth and final phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.

"I urge all those voting in the fifth and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand assembly polls to turn out in record numbers and vote," Modi tweeted.

In this phase, voting will be for 20 constituencies of Jammu and Khashmir where over 18 lakh voters are eligible to decide the political fate of 213 candidates.
A total of 2,366 polling stations have been set up.

In Jharkhand, 3,690,069 voters in this phase will decide the political fate of 208 candidates including 16 females. Polling is taking place at 3,773 polling booths.

Trolls, Whatever. My Film Is Oscars-Bound

(Jackky Bhagnani, the son of producer Vashu Bhagnani, made his debut as an actor in 2009. This year, he starred in Youngistaan which has made it to the Oscar long list as an independent entry.)

Youngistaan is a film very close to my heart, and one of my first films after Faltu which was taken extremely well by critics...I know there are a lot of people taking the Mickey out of the film going to the Oscars, but it's great to bring a smile on everyone's face and honestly there are few actors who get offended on jokes cracked on them while on the other hand, there are few that make fun of themselves sportingly. I'm from the latter few. 

In Youngistaan, my character was not based on any one particular political person, it was purely fictional. Well, also another thing that happened - most of the points raised by us in the film actually were adapted in REAL life by different political parties which were the major turnaround points in the 2014 elections - like Arvind Kejriwal refusing to live in his official house, Narendra Modi going to the United Nations and speaking in Hindi, all political parties concentrating on the youth of the country. 

We hope the e-voting idea essayed by us in the movie also gets some momentum in the Real Political World.

As for the Oscars - dude, who won't be excited, it's da Oscars yaar, even to be shortlisted and having gotten through all the scrutiny, am super duper proud of my film and really excited for it !!!

PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee Meet at President's Banquet, Exchange Pleasantries

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Meets Prime Minister Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI:  A banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee for a visiting foreign dignitary on Friday night provided the platform for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his bitter political foe, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to meet and exchange pleasantries.

As the Prime Minister arrived for the banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in honour of Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, he shook hands with the Indian delegation that had lined up for the customary introduction to the visiting head of state.

PM Modi stopped for a while and exchanged greetings with the West Bengal Chief Minister.

After exchanging pleasantries with Ms Banerjee, Prime Minister Modi walked ahead along the line and stood with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while Ms Banerjee spoke with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

This was the first time Mamata Banerjee met PM Modi in the backdrop of weeks of a bitter war of words between the BJP and Trinamool Congress. The ongoing bitterness is due to a range of issues including the Saradha chit fund scam and the Burdwan blast.

Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly targeted PM Modi using some strong words against him. The BJP too, attacked her, and the Trinamool Congress accusing them of shielding those involved in the Saradha chit fund scam and Burdwan blast.

The President, who returned from the hospital after a week, where he underwent a coronary angioplasty, did not stay for the banquet and retired to bed on health grounds.

The banquet, where the visiting President was served 'sorsey maach' (fish dipped in mustard paste), 'doi maach' (fish prepared with curd), 'maach bhapa' (steamed fish) with Bengali music playing in the background, was carried forward by Vice President Hamid Ansari.

There was a cultural programme ahead of the banquet where renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Priya Venkataram performed before the VVIPs
.

Strong message sent to Pakistan: PM Modi says on bail to 26/11 plotter Lakhvi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking in Lok Sabha on Friday.India has strongly conveyed its sentiments to Pakistan over a court granting bail to 26/11 Mumbai terror attack plotter Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

"Pakistan has been told in very clear terms," Modi said after Opposition demanded a statement from the PM on the issue.

He said people of India felt the same amount of the pain the Pakistanis felt at the massacre of the school children. "There are tears in the eyes of every Indian."

"And soon after, the attitude shown by them is a serious blow to humanity. It has shocked all those who believe in humanity," he said.  

India's approach towards Pakistan on the issue would be in tune with the sentiments expressed by Indian MPs, he said.

Speaking after the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajsaid in the House: "Pakistan has made a mockery of their commitment of fighting terror groups without hesitation by granting bail to Lakhvi. We demand that the decision be revoked," she said.

Soon after, the Lok Sabha passed a resolution condemning the bail. Resolution, read out by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, asked the government to take every step to put pressure on Pakistan to bring the matter related to 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to a satisfactory conclusion.

Zakiur Rehman LakhviLakhvi is currently under detention at a jail in Rawalpindi as the Nawaz Sharif government prepares to challenge the bail granted to him by an anti-terrorism court. He is unlikely to be released.

"We are going to challenge the bail order of Lakhvi," government prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told Reuters. "We will go to Islamabad High Court on Monday to file the application."

Lakhvi would not be able to leave the prison until then, he said, as he was being held under a law that allows short detentions without charge, in the interest of keeping order.

Lakhvi is among the seven Pakistani nationals accused of planning and abetting the brazen terror attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 that left 166 dead, including foreigners.File photo of security forces battling terrorists holed up in Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai in November 2008. (Reuters)File photo of a Mumbai railway station after a terrorist attack in November 2008.