India

BJP leader and five-time Gorakhpur MP, Yogi Adityanath was sworn-in as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, a day after he was unanimously chosen by party MLAs as the legislative leader at a meeting in Lucknow.

The oath taking ceremony took place at Smriti Upvan in Lucknow and was attended by senior leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav were also present at the event. The chief ministers from the BJP and NDA-ruled states were also among those in attendance. Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers of the state.

Apart from that, a total of 23 leaders took oath of the cabinet minister. Here’s the complete list:

Swami Prasad Maurya, Satish Mahana, Rajesh Agarwal, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Khanna, Dara Singh Chauhan, Dharmpal Singh, SP Singh Baghel, Satyadev Pachauri, Ramapati Shastri, Jay Pratap Singh, Omprakash Rajbhar, Brajesh Pathak, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary
Chetan Chauhan, Shrikant Sharma, Rajendra Pratap Singh, Siddharth Nath Singh, Mukut Bihari Verma, Ashutosh Tandon, Girish Yadav and Nand Kumar Nandi

Apart from the Cabinet Ministers, nine Ministers of State (Independent) and 15 Ministers of State also took oath of office.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nongthombam Biren Singh on Wednesday took oath as the chief minister of Manipur at the Raj Bhawan in Imphal. At the ceremony attended by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, Biren Singh and eight ministers took oath. This is BJP’s first government in Manipur and is being propelled by post-poll allies such as NPP, NPF, LJP and Independents.

Y Joykumar Singh, who took oath as the deputy chief minister, is an NPP MLA from Uripok. He was the former DGP of Manipur and was considered Ibobi Singh’s right-hand man. The other ministers who were sworn-in are Th Biswajit of the BJP, L Jayantakumar of the NPP, Karan Shyam of LJP, L Haokip of NPP, N Koyisi of NPP, Losie Dikho of NPF and Th Shyamkumar who won on Congress ticket from Andro. Shyamkumar recently defected to the BJP.

The oath-taking ceremony came after Governor Najma Heptullah invited the BJP-led coalition under Biren Singh to form the next government in the state after being assured of requisite support from regional parties and Independents. After the election results were announced on March 11, both the Congress and the BJP were claiming support in order to form the government. Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 MLAs, the BJP that secured 21 seats claimed to have the support of MLAs from NPP, NPF, LJP that would help it move past the half-way mark.

On being asked about Congress’ claim to form the government in the state, Heptullah had on Tuesday said, “I don’t know what allegations the Congress is making. In my 37 years in Parliament and 17 in the chair, even when I was a part of the congress, I have had to work with both Congress and non-Congress governments. Nobody has ever alleged that I was biased or unfair. Even the Congress party has never complained. They know that I am a straight-forward person and that I have always gone by the book.”

Coming out strongly against the Supreme Court order giving Manohar Parrikar an opportunity to win the Goa trust vote on Thursday, eminent jurist Fali S Nariman Tuesday said that the Constitution as well as judicial precedents laid down that the Governor was obligated to call the leader of the single largest party first to form the government.

“My understanding of the law and the precedents (benches of nine and five judges respectively) is that the Governor of a state is under constitutional duty to first invite the leader of the single largest party to form the government,” Nariman told The Indian Express.

In Goa, the Congress emerged as the single largest party, winning 17 of the 40 seats in the Assembly. The BJP, on the other hand, won only 13 seats but staked claim to form the government with the support of eight other legislators.

After Parrikar submitted a list of 21 MLAs in his support, Governor Mridula Sinha issued a press release last Saturday, appointing Parrikar as the new Chief Minister and asked him to prove his majority in 15 days.

Chandrakant Kavlekar, Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, complained that he was not called even once by the Governor to form the government or to be consulted on formation of a new government despite his being the single largest party in the state.

On being asked what could be the fault with the Governor’s decision when the BJP staked claim before the Congress did, Nariman said the constitutional principle was not about who rushed first.

“The Governor, according to me, is under a constitutional duty to first invite the leader of the single largest party in the state, whether or not he or she is the first to stake claim.” Nariman also wondered why the Supreme Court order on Tuesday completely missed this point.

In his blog, Finance Minister Jaitley has said that “in a hung Assembly, there will be post-poll alliances”. He also said that “in the face of claim of 21 MLAs led by Manohar Parrikar, Goa Governor couldn’t have invited minority of 17 Congress MLAs to form government”.

After successful trials of two homegrown interceptor missiles in a gap of 20 days at both high and low altitudes, India is now planning to deploy the anti-ballistic missile system to protect its metros from hostile aerial attacks.

A senior defence official said initially, the Government is contemplating to put the ballistic missile defence (BMD) system in place at least in New Delhi.

‘’The decision to implement the system will be taken likely this year after a couple of trials of the missiles in a coordinated manner,’’ he said.  

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed two-layered BMD systems to intercept targets at exo and endo-atmospheric (both outside and inside the atmosphere) regions. Both the systems have been test fired 13 times since 2006.  

While Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV), capable of destroying incoming targets at high altitude, was successfully test fired for the second time on February 11, ninth test of Advanced Area Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, which can kill the enemy missile at low altitude, was a great success on March 1.

“Both the missiles have undergone a series of tests and performed as expected. Prior to PDV tests, at least two tests of Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) were conduced. These are now foolproof systems,’’ the official claimed.     

After successful implementation in Delhi, the system will be deployed to cover all other major cities and vital installations in the country. The interceptors can destroy incoming ballistic missiles launched from more than 2,000 km away. The missiles will work in tandem to ensure a hit probability of 99.8 per cent.

The DRDO has two phases of the BMD systems. While the phase-I interceptors are now ready for deployment, the phase-II missiles, capable of thwarting threats from enemy missiles with ranges of 5,000 km, are expected to be ready in next couple of years.

Meanwhile, the DRDO is developing a laser-based BMD system. The new interceptor can travel at the speed of sound and kill incoming missiles in less than one minute. It will have the flexibility to be fired from both airborne and seaborne platforms.

‘’We have already test-fired exo and endo interceptors separately. Preparation is on to test the two simultaneously at different targets before their deployment. Thereafter, we will go for the test of laser-based BMD system,’’ the officer added.

Rape-accused Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati was today arrested from the city (Lucknow) after remaining absconding for nearly a month.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Lucknow, Manzil Saini told PTI that Prajapati was arrested from Aashiyana area of the city early this morning.

He is likely to be produced before the POCSO Court later in the day, Saini said.

Six persons named in the FIR against the 49-year-old SP leader have already been been picked up by the police.

Police had yesterday interrogated the SP leader's two sons and nephew to get some inputs regarding his whereabouts.

Prajapati was booked on a Supreme Court directive and an FIR was lodged on February 17 against the minister and six others for allegedly gang-raping a woman and alleged attempt to rape her minor daughter.

The apex court had asked the UP Police to submit an action taken report regarding the incidents in eight weeks.

A Look Out notice was also issued against him as also a Non-Bailable Warrant. His passport too has been impounded.

Airports across the country had been alerted about the possibility of Prajapati trying to flee the country.

In the just-concluded Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Prajapati had lost to BJP from Amethi, the seat he held.

Reacting to the arrest of the SP leader, BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the "State police was till now politicised. As soon as it has been freed from political pressures it has started performing resulting in the arrest".

Events moved rapidly -- and acrimoniously -- yet gave a concrete shape to the political landscape at either corners of India on Tuesday. In the end, the BJP had moved closer to taking a decisive hold of two more states, turning what looked like a 2-3 score into 4-1. Both Goa and Manipur having returned ambivalent verdicts, this post-result coup of sorts came amidst much drama, dissent and a court case -- the latest to join a long judicial history.

Manohar Parrikar, back in his old playground after almost three years as Union Defence Minister, was sworn in for a new term as Chief Minister even as nascent #NotMyCM protests hit the streets of Goa. In Manipur, former footballer and journalist N. Biren Singh will go through the formal ceremony on Wednesday.

Governor Mridula Sinha’s decision to invite the BJP, despite it having only 13 seats (against 17 of the Congress) was promptly questioned in a petition before the Supreme Court. The result was not a happy one for the party. In a stinging rebuff, the court chided the Congress for not even presenting a claim to the Governor and refused to stay the swearing-in. It only directed the fledgling Goa government to confirm its stability via a floor strength on Thursday.

The outcome of the floor test is more or less predictable, with the Goa Forward Party and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party backing the BJP, even in the face of criticism for having betrayed the people’s mandate. Over and above that, Parrikar hinted at Congress MLAs being on his side -- three new legislators are apparently angry enough at the turn of events and want to back Parrikar.

Congress pointsman Digvijay Singh, widely seen to have botched up his job by inordinately delaying his move and letting the BJP run away with the script, faced irate questions from MLAs. It was the choice for a CM face that he took time over -- a fact full of irony now. Also, the Congress too was short of a majority. Even the SC pointed out, “If you had the numbers, you would have held a dharna at the Governor’s house,”

Soon after the apex court refused to stay the Parrikar swearing-in, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah lost no time in taking that as a cue and invited the BJP to form the government, citing the rationale that the Governor needs to weigh the issue of stability.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on 14 March, 2017 said the constitutional norms were not followed by Goa Governor Mridula Sinha for inviting to form government in the state. He said that the Congress, despite being the single largest party in the state, was not invited to form the government.

"The procedure is that the single largest party is always called, so the Governor should have adopted this process. The Governor has to act under the Constitution as per the established conventions," Singh told reporters.

Citing 2013 Delhi electoral elections, where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won more seats than the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, Singh said, "If you remember the Delhi elections, the BJP was the single largest party, and the AAP and the Congress were at second and third respectively. The Governor then invited the BJP, first, to form the government, but the BJP refused citing lack of majority and then the AAP was invited where they formed the government with the Congress."

The Congress leader's remarks came after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea filed by the party challenging Manohar Parrikar's appointment as the next Goa Chief Minister.

Digvijaya Singh-led delegation will be later meeting Governor Sinha, asking her to invite them to form the government in the state.

The MLAs will meet the Governor after the Congress Legislative Party meeting at the Congress House in Goa.

Parrikar has claimed of having support of 13 MLAs of the BJP, three MLAs of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), three MLAs of Goa Forward Party (GFP) and two independent MLAs, thus having a total of 21 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly.

The Congress won 17 seats with the BJP finishing second in the state with 13 seats.

In a case of delicious political irony, Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai, the man often referred to as a 'fixer' in public discourse by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, was the one who literally 'fixed' Parrikar's Chief Ministership.

On Lenten Sunday, when a tired-looking Parrikar and his central cabinet colleague, Nitin Gadkari, were twiddling thumbs, anxiously with 18 MLAs -- three short of a majority -- at a five star resort near Panaji, it was the arrival of the Fatorda MLA Sardesai, which finally sealed the majority alliance for the Defence Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and late on Sunday, staked claim to form government in the coastal state.

With Goa throwing up a fractured mandate, regional parties like Goa Foward and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party with three MLAs each, three independent MLAs and a sole Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator were literally worth their weight in gold, but also available for picking.
“A Tale of Three Hotels”

While the leaders of the Congress, which emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats, squabbled for hours over choice of the party's legislative wing leader, the BJP, with 13 MLAs in the 40-member state assembly, was more nimble and swift.

The story of how the two parties, BJP and Congress, conducted themselves on a day of hectic parleys, could inspire an essay titled 'A tale of three hotels'.

The Congress leaders, including party general secretary Digvijaya Singh and top state politicians, camped at the iconic Mandovi hotel in Panaji, where for five hours, they wrangled over the choice of CLP leader, apart from waiting for Sardesai and other Independents.

State president Luizinho Faleiro, former Chief Ministers Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane, were potential candidates for the post, but each camp and their proxies rejected each other, wasting precious time.

There was even a secret ballot to select the CLP leader; an exercise whose results were incidentally also kept a secret from the media and the party's junior MLAs.

By evening, frustrated Congress leaders stepped out of the hotel, with Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate even blaming the party's "Delhi leaders" for losing the opportunity to select a CLP leader and forge a ruling coalition.

When news filtered in that the BJP, along with supporting MLAs, had left for Raj Bhavan to formally stake claim, all party heavy weights declined to accept the CLP leader's position, which was later 'unanimously' offered to three-time MLA from Quepem, Chandrakant Kavlekar, who appeared shocked at the sudden elevation.

A bitter Digvijaya Singh accepted the responsibility for the Congress losing the opportunity to form a government, but blamed Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte and Sardesai for ditching the party.

Meanwhile, away in Panaji's Vivanta by Taj hotel, gritty conversations and hardcore negotiation between Gadkari and Parrikar on the one side, and leaders of MGP, GF and Independent MLAs on the other, was the order of the day.

Gadkari, who landed in Goa late on Saturday night, mandated by the BJP's parliamentary board to form a government in the coastal state, engaged in parleys first with MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar from 1 am on Sunday morning.

The discussion was fruitful, the BJP leader said, and ended at around 4 am, and after a short break, he met Sardesai at the Cidade de Goa resort near Panaji.

After a brief meeting, Sardesai left for home, claiming he was not happy with the bargain offered by the BJP. By afternoon, Gadkari sent an emissary, brought him back to the resort and sealed the deal, which sources say, includes three ministerial berths for the three MLAs of GF.

With MGP, whose leaders enjoy warm ties with Gadkari, and two other independent candidates already in the kitty, Parrikar and his allies left for the Governor's palace nearby, armed with letters of support.

The letters, signed by leaders of both regional parties and independent legislators, including the one signed by Sardesai, incidentally mentions that the support to the BJP is only subject to Parrikar being Chief Minister.

Ironically, if there is any legislator who has been critical of Parrikar in the last five years, it has been Sardesai, who has blamed Parrikar's administrative skills as well as repeatedly questioned his credibility, both as Chief Minister of Goa and as Defence Minister of India.

The elections to the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) will take place on April 22, the Election Commission announced. The model code of conduct is already in place. While the filing of nominations will begin on March 27, the votes will be counted on April 25.

The elections this time will see an interesting three-cornered contest between the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. The AAP, that cruised to a landslide victory in the Assembly elections in 2015, hopes to replicate the success in the corporation election as well. The city has seen frequent war of words between the AAP-led Delhi government and the BJP-led MCD.

Currently, the three corporations are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP has 153 councillors in the three civic bodies, namely North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). There at 272 seats at stake with NDMC and SDMC accounting for 104 seats each, while 64 seats fall under EDMC.

Newly-appointed Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said the party would drop all sitting councillors and attempt to ‘infuse fresh blood’ in the election fray. Even family members of councillors will not get tickets, Tiwari confirmed.

In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party establishing its supremacy in the recently-concluded Assembly polls by gaining a clear majority in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and staking claim to form a government in Goa and Manipur, senior Congress leader and former cabinet minister P. Chidamabaram on Monday asserted that any political party that comes second in the elections cannot form the government.

"A party that comes second has no right to form the Government. BJP stealing elections in Goa and Manipur," Chidambaram tweeted.

Earlier, the BJP declared a Chief Minister for Goa, in the form of Manohar Parrikar, and sealed its candidature by garnering support from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward Party.

The BJP has also been working overtime to ensure it forms the government in Manipur as well.

The Congress has, however, been slow in deciding on its chief ministerial nominee for both the states.

In the five states where the Assembly polls took place, the Congress managed to secure a clear majority only in Punjab with as many as 77 seats in the 117-seat Assembly, making a strong comeback after a decade.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 20 seats on debut, making it the second largest party in the Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance fared the worst with 18 seats.