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BJP may retain power in Goa, wrest power in U'khand; consolation prize for Cong in Punjab Election Results 2017   : If the predictions of several of the exit polls, made public on Thursday, for the five states that had Assembly elections in February-March turn out to be true, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to emerge as the most influential leader of India since Indira Gandhi, who had held sway over the country’s political landscape 40 years back. Findings of at least four exit polls suggested that Modi’s blitzkrieg of public rallies in Uttar Pradesh (UP) could help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) either comfortably cross the majority mark of 202 in the 403-seat UP Assembly, or come close to it. The BJP, along with ally Apna Dal, had bagged 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, winning a staggering 337 of the 403 Assembly segments. At least two exit polls — India Today-Axis and Today’s Chanakya — could come close to that tally by winning up to 285 seats. Howeve...

In the 2007 polls, BJP came out as largest party with 35 seats, while the Congress won 21 seats Amid tight security, the polling for the single-phase   Uttarakhand assembly elections 2017   began on Wednesday and the one question in everyone’s mind is whether this Himalayan state, which was carved out from the gigantic Uttar Pradesh in 2000, is going to have a new chief minister or the incumbent supremacy will continue. The rebel party leaders, certainly, hold the key in the outcome in the hilly state where two prominent parties – the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Congress — are trying every bit to seek the favour of every section of voters. Both parties expelled many leaders ahead of the elections, who then walked into the rival camps. While the BJP has fielded candidates, who have served the Congress, from 13 seats, the grand old party is trying its luck with seven erstwhile-BJP MLAs. In the last leg of the election campaign, the Congress vice-president Rahul...

PMO stamp in Cabinet rejig Among many political, administrative and ideological messages in the changes in the council of ministers that Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  carried out, the most important was the unambiguous stamp of his office. The sweep of influence of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tuesday’s rejig was rarely witnessed in the past three decades. In expanding this influence of the central government, the PM was assisted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah. The changes in the Cabinet worked at several levels. They were definitely done with an eye on electoral compulsions —  Dalits  and Other Backward Classes found increased representation. New ministers were inducted from states that are either electorally crucial for the  BJP  (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat) or are going to polls in the near future (Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh). Also, alliance building was kept in mind. Allies like...

Venkaiah Naidu questions fairness of scheduled floor test in Uttarakhand   With nine Congress rebel MLAs barred from voting in the floor test, Union Minister   Venkaiah Naidu   today questioned the fairness of the trial of strength in the   Uttarakhand Assembly today, when ousted chief minister   Harish Rawat has been "caught on tape" allegedly "offering bribes" to legislators. He also asked as to how those concerned could ignore the manner in which the dissident legislators were disqualified from participating in it. "How can there be fair trial of strength in Assembly? Speaker disqualifies dissident MLAs? CM caught on tape offering bribes to MLAs," he alleged "CM's aide makes a stunning revelation that 12 MLAs were paid Rs 25-50 lakh each by the CM to retain their support. Speaker disqualifies MLAs even when there was no voting. No whip was issued. Can all the concerned close their eyes about this unilateral disqualification," he a...