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Dissent brews in Congress over Haryana polls

    New Delhi: Dozens of angry party workers from the Congress resorted to slogan shouting and a sit-in outside the party's main office, here alleging foul play in selection of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Haryana. Hundreds of regional workers and supporters lined up at the party headquarters demanding seats for contesting the elections. Of the 89 candidates announced by the Congress, 15 are relatives of prominent leaders, leading to a furore amidst the party cadres who have accused the high command of promoting dynastic politics. "We believe that many of the genuine Congress party workers who have given their entire lives for the past 35 years to their party, they have been ignored and others who paid money for the seats have been given the tickets. People are questioning the basis of the ticket distribution," said Ram Ratan, a former party legislator. The Congress party is facing a direct fight with the state's ruling Indian National Lok Dal.

    However, the BJP, which was an ally of INLD during the last elections, has this time round decided to fight the elections alone.

LJP strikes alliance with AJSU in Jharkhand (Go To Top)

     Ranchi: Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Jan Shakti and the All Jharkhand Students Union (Sudesh) have reached an electoral understanding and will go into the next month's Jharkhand assembly elections together. The newly formed alliance has projected AJSU leader Sudesh Mahto as their chief ministerial candidate. Addressing a joint press conference, the LJP supremo Ram Vilas Pawan said, "I have an old relationship with the AJSU, and our alliance will be led by its president Sudesh Mahto." Out of the 81 constituencies, AJSU will field its candidates in 43, while LJP will fight on 36 seats. "There could be friendly contests in the rest two seats," said Paswan. Sudesh Mahto said that doors for other parties to join the alliance had been closed for good. AJSU reportedly decided to go into alliance with LJP after BJP and JD (U) entered an alliance sidelining it.

14 Indian soldiers kidnapped by Nepali Maoists released (Go To Top)

    Kathmandu: Maoists rebels today released all the 14 soldiers of Indian Army's Gorkha Regiment who were abducted from the Kailali district in west Nepal two days ago. The release happened at the initiative of a Nepalese human rights watch group. The soldiers were in Nepal to spend their holidays when they were taken hostage. It is possible that the Indian Army soldiers were mistaken for Nepalese soldiers while been kidnapped. Maoists in Nepal have been battling the country's military in a crippling insurgency.