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Operation X: It took only 15 minutes to execute Kasab
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A special inspector general of police in Maharashtra and 16 handpicked men oversaw Operation X leading to the death by hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday. The process was quietly initiated shortly after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Kasab's mercy plea on November 5, official sources said.

The chosen team's mission was to hang and bury the 25-year-old Kasab in complete secrecy in Pune's Yerawada Central Jail, where he would be moved from Mumbai.

Once home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the file from the President's office on November 7 and sent it to the Maharashtra government the next day, the police team took charge.

Only a handful knew that Kasab would hang on November 21 morning.

These included Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, earlier the Pune police chief, and Meeran Borwankar, who heads the Yerawada jail, and those at the helm in the state intelligence department and Mumbai CID.

Yerawada is one of the two jails in Maharashtra--the other being Nagpur Central Jail--where hanging facilities are available. Pune's proximity to Mumbai played a role. An expert hangman was summoned.

On November 12, Kasab had been told of his impending hanging by a jail staff in Mumbai. According to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Kasab was quietly shifted from Mumbai to Pune on November 19.

He was taken on a special flight late at night to reach Pune early November 19 and whisked off to the Yerawada jail. He requested that his mother be informed, and indicated he had no last wish. He did not want to make a will or any final testament.

As state home minister R.R. Patil put it, after completing all legal niceties, Kasab was executed at 7.30am on Wednesday. Just 15 minutes later, the Operation X chief conveyed to the state home department that the task was "successfully completed". (IANS)

Goa's planned airport brings uncertainty for Dhangar tribes
Views ::135 Mopa: The proposed Greenfield airport project at Mopa has brought uncertain future for the members of the nomadic Dhangar tribes, as the state government has acquired land, where the tribes claim to have been living for generations together.

The tribes, who claim that they have been living on the plateau since over a century, say they are left in a lurch, as they are not sure about getting the government compensation, which is paid for land acquisition.

From the Mopa village, which is almost 30 kms north of the capital city of Panaji, it is an hour's ride through the rough and non-tarred roads to reach the Mopa-Sodo pleateau, which is home for 12 families of this tribal community.

Eighty-year-old Bhago Warak, who stays here with his family, says he was born here and has been living at the site ever since he can remember. The family has now multiplied and there are five more houses of the Waraks here. Some more people from the same community have also joined them and shared the space without any differences.

"Things were all right till 2000. But suddenly, there was a buzz of airport project planned here. Initially, we thought that we would be spared, as we live much away from the actual Mopa village," Bhago said.

"But, we were dejected when we saw government officers coming here to demarcate the land for the airport project," he added.

Raising goats is the prime vocation of the Dhangar families, whose male members travel to Pernem, a small town few kms away on Goa-Maharashtra border in search of daily wage job.
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Goa govt not to induct Alina till bypoll: CM
Views ::138 Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday announced that he had deferred the induction of Alina Saldanha into state cabinet, thus respecting the Election Commission.

Parrikar said he was not going ahead with the induction of Alina, wife of former tourism minister Matanhy Saldanha into the state cabinet, although he has a right to do so under Constitution of India.

Alina would be inducted after the June 2 Cortalim bypoll, where she would be contesting on BJP ticket, he said.

The by-poll was necessitated following the demise of Matanhy Saldanha, while he was serving as a tourism minister of the state.

"I have a right under Constitution of India to swear in anyone in the state cabinet. But I have decided not to swear-in any minister till the byelection, as a respect to the Election Commission of India," Parrikar told reporters today at his official residence.

Right to Information (RTI) activist Aires Rodrigues had filed a complaint with the EC against state government's decision to induct Alina ahead of Cortalim bypoll.

ECI Secretary Bernard John, in a letter to Parrikar last night, said "the commission respects the constitutional right of the chief minister to constitute his cabinet at any time."

�However, in view of the model code of conduct being in force, and the widely prevalent perception that the a prospective candidate is sought to be inducted, the said advisory has been issued by the Election Commission of India to ensure that a level-playing field is maintained in keeping with the spirit of the code," the letter mentioned.
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Commercialisation, rising costs eating away Goa he
Views ::145 Panaji: Businessman Armando Gonsalves lives in his over 15-room big and almost a century-old ancestral mansion in the heart of the city.

Classified as a heritage house, Gonsalves has his office there and also gives his house free of cost for social causes, including annual Jazz music festival.

But many others, who own similar traditional heritage structures in Goa are not as fortunate. Several old-age houses are increasingly being converted into some kind of commercial centres like boutiques, bars, restaurants, while many others are gasping for their last breath.

Located in the Campal area in the centre of capital of Goa, Gonsalves' mansion is one amongst the houses which has saved itself from the dire effects of commercialisation and from getting demolished.

"I am not against the commercial use of the heritage structure, but it should not lose its aesthetic beauty and its character," Gonsalves says.

He feels that the increasing cost of maintenance of the heritage houses is forcing people to give them on rent so that they can earn the kind of money required for the upkeep of these structures.

Panaji's corners like Fountainhas, Campal, Altinho and St Cruz have been homes to Indo-Portuguese style architectural houses. However, barring a few, many of these structures have been demolished to make way for high-rises.

There are many houses across the state in places like Chorao, Diwar, which are islands, and Chandor, an erstwhile capital of Goa.

Jack Ajit Sukhija's family owns three old structures, out of which two have been converted into heritage hotels and one into an art gallery. While Geetanjali gallery has been art lovers favourite in Fountainhas area, Panjim Inn and Fountainhas Inn are most preferred hotels by the foreign tourists, who want to get a feel of the traditional Goan houses.

Way back in the 90s, when the forts of Rajasthan and palaces were converted into heritage hotels, Sukhija family had their house classified as heritage hotel in the year 1997. Ever since, the hotel has become an important attraction for the tourists.

"Government had formed a scheme for heritage houses, but it is yet to be implemented. Goa needs to promote its heritage tourism through these kinds of houses and other places," said Sukhija, secretary of Goa Heritage Action Group.

When asked if increasing commercialisation is making houses lose their charm, Sukhija says he doesn't feel so. "Ultimately the building should be able to pay for itself. The heritage houses require regular maintenance, which is very costly," he said.

The heritage activists, several times, have taken on the streets when some builder and even the state government tried to pull down the old building.

But how do the owners survive the increasing cost of maintenance of such houses? Gonsalves has an answer, which is also agreed by like-minded people like Sukhija.

"Government can allow the owners of these houses to have transfer of developmental rights (TDR), which can be sold to a builder for a cost. The money earned from TDR can be utilised to maintain the house," Gonsalves said.

Goa government was earlier toying with the idea of giving flying floor space index (FSI) to the owner of the heritage house, so that he can sell the FSI to a builder. Certain percentage of money earned from that was supposed to be deposited in the corpus, which would fund the repairs of such houses.
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Conmen play cops in Goa, target tourists, women
Views ::143 Panaji: When Ravikumar Prajapati, 48, from Karnataka was suddenly accosted by three authoritative sounding 'plainclothed' policemen in March and asked to accompany them to the nearest police station for carrying Rs. 3 million in cash, he did not question their genuineness.

Returning home after conducting a business transaction in Goa, Prajapati thought that he would be let off after establishing the source of the money. But he ended up being thrown out of the 'police' car, with his money robbed.

Police now believe Prajapati is just one of the dozens of victims of a 'fake police' gang, which essentially comprises conmen from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa who habitually poach on tourists and women.

"They target women who wear gold ornaments and tourists. Invariably they pose as policemen showing fake identity cards and rob their victims," Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravinder Yadav said.

While Prajapati was robbed and outsmarted by three conmen, in November last year, a local resident Ratnabai Polyekar from Sangolda, 10 km from here, was cheated by a smoothly executed old school 'sleight of the hand' trick.

"I was standing outside my house in the morning when two young people came to me and said there were robbers about and I should not be wearing gold on me. They gave me a piece of paper in which I was told to keep the gold," Ratnabai said in her police statement.

When she unwrapped the same piece of paper on reaching home, she found a few pebbles and glass bangles instead of her gold chain and gold bangles.

Yadav said the gang, none of whose members has been caught yet, operates in Goa as well as neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka, where cases with a similar modus operandi have been reported.

While nearly a dozen cases have been reported to police in Goa over the last two years, officials fear there may be several instances where victims may have not come forward to register the offence.

Drunk tourists in Goa are some of the most sought after targets for this gang, which is fast being called the 'Iranian gang' because of the presence of a few Pathans and long naturalised Baluchi tribesmen, in addition to the more indigenous comrades.

In 2009, four drunk, unsuspecting tourists from Maharashtra were robbed off their cards, Rs.40,000 in cash by the fake police, indicating that the gang may have been at work even four years ago.

Police have now issued an advisory.

"They should not interact with any person who poses as police personnel, specially, if the said person is in civil clothes. There are no directives issued by police regarding banning of wearing of gold ornaments by members of public in public places," the advisory states.
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IRB constable suspended for sleazy MMS scandal
Views ::171 Panaji: An India Reserve Battalion jawan, who was booked for shooting and circulating a sleazy clipping of his woman colleague, has been suspended pending inquiry against him, police said on Monday.

"Constable Abdul Kadar Chandsahab has been placed under suspension by the higher-ups and a disciplinary inquiry has been initiated against him," a police spokesman said.

Chandsahab allegedly shot the clipping showing him in compromising position with the woman constable in a hotel at Colva beach.

The victim had lodged a complaint against Chandsahab after he circulated the MMS, which went viral among police personnel.

Colva police are yet to arrest Chandsahab who has moved for anticipatory bail before a local court.

Deputy Inspector General Ravindra Yadav said that the inquiry would also be conducted against all the policemen who have stored the clip in their mobile phones.
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abhishek manu singhvi video
Views ::460 There was a sex tape released of Abhishek Singhvi where (allegedly) he was seen having sex with a senior female lawyer. The Delhi High Court restrained a media house from publishing, telecasting and broadcasting the contents of the sex tape. Singhvi claimed that such a CD either does not exist or if it does, it is clearly and obviously morphed, fabricated and forged.Later, on 18th April, Congress party, the party to which Singhvi belongs released a statement declaring that the CD was a personal matter of the senior lawyer. On 19th April the video went public on Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites.Singhvi then blamed social media sites for sensationalism and claimed an organised gang was involved in broadcasting CD contents despite a court injunction .

Goa proposes to reduce petrol price by Rs 11/litre
Views ::162 In a step that will make petrol in Goa the cheapest in India, chief minister Manohar Parrikar has proposed a reduction in prices of the fuel by Rs 11 per litre in the state.

Petrol for as cheap as Rs 55 per litre was one of the main promises of the Bharatiya Janata party
(BJP) in its election manifesto for the March 3 assembly polls.

Parrikar said that only 0.1% value added tax (VAT) component would be levied by the state government for sake of record.

"I propose to reduce petrol price by Rs 11 per litre to save commuters from inflation," Parrikar said, presenting his first budget after his party came to power in the state/

Once the budget is passed, the price of petrol in Goa would be the cheapest in the country at Rs 55 per litre.

Petrol in Goa is presently priced at approximately Rs 66 per litre.

The reduction of petrol price is expected to provide major relief to a large section of the 14 lakh-odd population in Goa, which has one two-wheeler for every three resident citizens. As of 2011, the state had 5.33 lakh two-wheelers registered in the state.

Parrikar also said that in order to lure aviation companies to refuel at the Goa airport, VAT on aviation fuel would be reduced from 22% to 12%.
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Goa govt to inspect mines ahead of monsoon
Views ::163 Panaji: Goa government has asked the district administration officials to begin monitoring the mining sites from the safety angle ahead of the monsoon.

District Collector Mihir Vardhan said that committees, led by sub-divisional magistrates, will ensure that all the safety precautions are in place at these sites, which are prone to accidents after heavy downpour.

After three mining disasters in the last monsoon, the monitoring committee, headed by district collector was formed by the state government, which had the representatives of Indian Bureau of Mines, State Mines and Geology Department, Mines Safety and other agencies.

Vardhan said that the inspection of mines will begin from April 1 and will continue for one and half month till May 15.

The Mines and Geology Department will take action against the mining sites, which do not adhere to the precautions, he said.

Three people had died and several injured in three mining mishaps during last rainy season. Mulgao village was inundated, after the pond stocking water on the mining site breached in July 2011.
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Candolim ship will cease to exist soon
Views ::174 A huge oil tanker ship that had run aground on Goa's Candolim beach 12 years ago will finally vanish from the spot by the end of the next month, as it is being broken into parts by professional ship-breakers, senior officials said today.

State Tourism Director Swapnil Naik said that the wreckage of MV River Princess, a 26 metre long cargo ship that had hit the beach, owing to troubled weather in the year 2000, is being broken and removed by a Mumbai-based ship breakers.

Naik said that almost 80 per cent work of breaking and taking away the ship in parts has already completed, while the remaining work will be over by the end of next month.

Mumbai-based Arihant Ship Breakers Pvt Limited was given the contract of cracking the ship. After several attempts to tow away the ship had failed, the authorities were forced to allow the vessel to be broken, despite environmental concerns.

The existence of the ship had also resulted in the sand erosion on Candolim beach, which is adjacent to the picturesque Calangute beach in North Goa.

Several measures like geo-tubes to control the sand from crumbling in the water had been taken, but in vain. Naik said that the company was awarded 180 working days to remove the wreckage as per the contract. "They should be able to finish the work within the given time," he said.

The company, which began the work in March 2011, had taken a break owing to the monsoons, which makes weather unfavourable for the salvage operations.

"We will count the exact working days that the company has worked. Sometimes, they had to curtail the work halfway due to gusty wind conditions, all the factors would be counted," Naik said.

Few local people also expressed concerns that the removal of the ship may create a depression in the area, resulting in the cases of drowning of tourists alongside.

Xavier Machado, a local, said that lifeguard services, employed by the Tourism Department, should be informed about the hazards, once the ship is removed from the location. He said that a false current can be created as the ship being tucked in the seabed for the past 12 years thus creating a hole at the site.

"At least for a few days, lifeguards should disallow swimming in and around Candolim beach," said Macheado, who runs a shack at Calangute beach.

Candolim beach has reported few cases of drowning in the recent past due to uncertain current created due to existence of the huge ship.
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CCTVs to keep eye on Goa beaches soon
Views ::122 Panaji: Over three dozen CCTV cameras will soon start capturing all the movements and activities on Goa's crowded beaches, as part of state government's nitiative in curbing illegalities on the shores.

Goa Tourism Department has moved a proposal of installing more than 36 CCTV cameras at vital locations, mostly crowded beaches, which would be monitored 24X7 by a dedicated control room back in the capital city of Panaji.

Tourism director Swapnil Naik said that the state Tourist Department security force, a semi-police force in the making, will be empowered to monitor these cameras through a dedicated control room.

Tourist Security Force is still being formed, as recruitment for this elite force was held back by the erstwhile Congress-led government and now the BJP-led government is expected to revive the process.

The proposal for CCTV cameras worth Rs 2.5 crore is likely to figure in the state budget that would be presented by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar tomorrow.

Naik said, "At present, cameras do exist at 18 locations, which monitor the activities only during the day. They don't have a night vision facility." Goa has 105-km long beach stretch.

Drishti Special Response Pvt Ltd, a private firm assigned the job of keeping life guards on the beaches, is handling these low-visibility gadgets, capturing black and white images.

"The existing cameras would be upgraded and additional cameras with night vision facility would be installed on the beaches," Naik said adding that similar cameras are also proposed to be installed at churches and temples, which are tourist attractions.

According to officials, the cameras will be able to keep a vigil on the activities on the beach during the nights.

DGP Kishen Kumar, during his recent visit to the beach had expressed dissatisfaction over the security arrangements here. Kumar had assured to step up the security to avert any possible terror attack.
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Rajendra Arlekar elected unopposed as Goa speaker
Views ::71 Panaji: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajendra Arlekar was Monday elected unopposed as the speaker of Goa's 12th legislative assembly.

Arlekar, who was elected in the March 3 polls from the Pernem constituency in North Goa (the only constituency in Goa reserved for Scheduled Castes), was the only legislator in the 40-member house, whose name had been proposed for the post.

The election was held on the first day of the three-day budget session which got underway Monday. Arlekar was administered the oath of office by protem speaker Mahadev Naik.

The Congress has nominated former chief minister Pratapsing Rane as the leader of opposition.

The 40 member Goa legislative assembly has 21 BJP legislators, with two regional parties - the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (3 legislators) and the Goa Vikas Party (2 legislators) - and five independents backing the BJP while. The opposition Congress has nine members.
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Parrikar govt mulls abolishing VAT on petrol
Views ::75 Panaji: Petrol in Goa may become cheaper by Rs 11 per litre if the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government abolishes the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol when it presents the maiden budget on March 21.

The Chief Minister has indicated that the budget will recommend zero value added tax (VAT) on petrol which would in effect become cheaper by Rs 11 per litre.

Petrol costs Rs 65 a litre in Panaji. "Compared to neighbouring Maharashtra, the prices will be cheaper by Rs 16," Parrikar told PTI, adding that BJP in its election manifesto had assured of slashing the rates.

VAT on petrol in the state is levied at 20 per cent and that on diesel, 19 per cent.

The state government officials in the know said that the move would result into an additional annual revenue burden of around Rs 100 crore on the state exchequer.

Parrikar, who also holds finance portfolio, is also expected to announce sops like an allowance of Rs 1,000 per month for housewives, unemployment allowance to educated youth besides measures to stabilise prices of LPG cylinders.

"All the announcements included in the manifesto would incur additional liability of Rs 550 crore. However, we will have additional resource mobilisation to mop up the revenue," he said, refusing to elaborate.

Meanwhile, sources in the government stated that Parrikar might impose additional duty on liquor and also tax iron ore dumps (unused ore) at various mining sites.

The state budget had last year announced a green cess on the dumps but the recommendations never materialised due to pressure from mining lobby.
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Goa election results: BJP defeats Congress, to form government
Views ::62 Panaji: In what may be a big setback for the ruling Congress party, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form its government in Goa.

As per the trends available so far, the BJP has secured 23 seats and is ahead in one seat, while the ruling Congress party managed to win only 9 seats. Others have won seven seats.

BJP leaders who have won include Ganesh Gaonkar from Sanvordem, Mahadev Naik from Siroda, Kiran Kandolkar from Tivim and Anant Shet from Maem. Ramesh Tawadkar and Nilesh Cabral are other party leaders leading from their respective constituencies.

Celebrations were on at the Bharatiya Janata Party's office here as the party along with its alliance partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), won majority in the 40-member state assembly.

"We have prepared a time-bound agenda which we have promised in our election manifesto and we are going to implement it. Petrol as promised will be sold at Rs.55 in Goa immediately after the budget," BJP leader and hot favourite for chief minister Manohar Parrikar told a news agency.

At the party headquarters, where the newly elected legislators were scheduled to gather, workers are already celebrating victory by lighting fire crackers and throwing colour on each other.

The rival Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance ranks a poor second at eight seats, with the NCP unable to even open its account these elections.

Many of the Congress stalwarts including four from Churchill Alemao family and state party chief Subhas Shirodkar bit the dust as the BJP-MGP alliance today managed to bag majority of seats in Goa assembly elections.

Congress-NCP ministers including Churchill Alemao, Joaquim Alemao, Manohar Asgaonkar, Filip Nery Rodrigues, Jose Philip Dsouza, Nilkant Halarnkar and others lost the polls to the new faces mostly fielded by BJP-MGP as election results were declared today.

In Salcette, which is a Congress bastion, Congress won two seats out of eight. BJP, which had fielded several Catholic candidates, managed to make a hold in Salcette.

Catholic candidates like Matanhy Saldanha, Michael Lobo, Glen Ticlo, Carlose Almeida defeated stalwarts. NCP, which had won on three seats in 2007 elections, has got a single seat.

The party fought the election in alliance with Congress. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhas Shirodkar also suffered defeat at the hands of BJP's Mahadev Naik in Shiroda constituency.
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Goa election results: BJP defeats Congress, to form government
Views ::69 Panaji: In what may be a big setback for the ruling Congress party, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form its government in Goa.

As per the trends available so far, the BJP has secured 23 seats and is ahead in one seat, while the ruling Congress party managed to win only 9 seats. Others have won seven seats.

BJP leaders who have won include Ganesh Gaonkar from Sanvordem, Mahadev Naik from Siroda, Kiran Kandolkar from Tivim and Anant Shet from Maem. Ramesh Tawadkar and Nilesh Cabral are other party leaders leading from their respective constituencies.

Celebrations were on at the Bharatiya Janata Party's office here as the party along with its alliance partner, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), won majority in the 40-member state assembly.

"We have prepared a time-bound agenda which we have promised in our election manifesto and we are going to implement it. Petrol as promised will be sold at Rs.55 in Goa immediately after the budget," BJP leader and hot favourite for chief minister Manohar Parrikar told a news agency.

At the party headquarters, where the newly elected legislators were scheduled to gather, workers are already celebrating victory by lighting fire crackers and throwing colour on each other.

The rival Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance ranks a poor second at eight seats, with the NCP unable to even open its account these elections.

Many of the Congress stalwarts including four from Churchill Alemao family and state party chief Subhas Shirodkar bit the dust as the BJP-MGP alliance today managed to bag majority of seats in Goa assembly elections.

Congress-NCP ministers including Churchill Alemao, Joaquim Alemao, Manohar Asgaonkar, Filip Nery Rodrigues, Jose Philip Dsouza, Nilkant Halarnkar and others lost the polls to the new faces mostly fielded by BJP-MGP as election results were declared today.

In Salcette, which is a Congress bastion, Congress won two seats out of eight. BJP, which had fielded several Catholic candidates, managed to make a hold in Salcette.

Catholic candidates like Matanhy Saldanha, Michael Lobo, Glen Ticlo, Carlose Almeida defeated stalwarts. NCP, which had won on three seats in 2007 elections, has got a single seat.

The party fought the election in alliance with Congress. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhas Shirodkar also suffered defeat at the hands of BJP's Mahadev Naik in Shiroda constituency.
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UP election results: SP all set to form govt
Views ::60 Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party is all set to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh. Riding on a wave in its favour, the Mulayam Singh-led SP has won/leads in 224 out of the total 403 seats.

Mulayam�s son Akhilesh has already declared that his father would be the next Chief Minister.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which had secured a majority of its own in 2007, has been routed this time around with wins/leads in only 80 seats. As per reports, Mayawati will head towards the Raj Bhavan later today to tender her resignation.

Of the others, the BJP�s results/leads are average at 48 seats. But the saffron party is upbeat given the results in its favour in Punjab and Goa; it is in the running in Uttarakhand as well.

However, the biggest upset has been the dismal performance of Congress, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi had personally micro-managed the poll campaign and had staked his prestige to see his party emerge from its 22-year hibernation in the politically crucial state.

The Congress combine will have to be contended with just 35 seats, an improvement of just 13 seats from its performance last time.

Others are ahead/have won in 16 seats.

Congressmen are already busy insulating Rahul from the defeat. State party chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who has won from Lucknow, said, "Rahul Gandhi was brilliant, the candidates failed the Congress in UP."

Among the prominent SP candidates who are leading include Mulayam Singh Yadav�s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, Brahmashankar Tripathi, Abhay Singh and Mata Prasad, while Veer Singh and Ambika Choudhary are trailing.

SP's Mohammad Azam Khan defeated his nearest rival by over 60,000 votes.

From the BJP who are on course to victory include Kalraj Mishra and Mahesh Kumar Sharma, while Avadhesh Kumar, Nawab Singh Nagar, Daddan Mishra, Devendra Singh and Ramapati Shastri are trailing.

The elections, which have taken place in the middle of the last Lok Sabha election in 2009 and the next in 2014, are being considered some sort of "semi-final" for the UPA and NDA.

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Goa: BJP's campaign starts, Congress yet to begin
Views ::75

Even as BJP is midway through its 'Jana Sampark Abhiyaan' (contact with people) ahead of March 3 assembly polls, the election campaign of the ruling Congress is yet to start.

Goa BJP chief Laxmikant Parsekar said his party aimed to reach at least 1.5 lakh voters during the fortnight-long Abhiyaan, which has already completed its South Goa leg.

The campaign is led by BJP's star campaigner, Manohar Parrikar, likely to be the party's choice for the Chief Minister's post.Though it is yet to announce its list of candidates.

BJP has already promised allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to every woman if it comes to power.

The party is in talks with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for pre-poll alliance.

Congress, on the other hand, is yet to start the campaigning, although its campaign manager, Mauvin Godinho, broke a coconut to mark a start in his own constituency last week.

Godinho told a news agency that full-fledged campaigning will start only after January 30, after the list of candidates is announced.

Ruling coalition partners, Congress and NCP, are holding alliance talks in Delhi.

"The delay in announcing the candidates helps us to control some dissidents. Congress has too many aspirants," Godinho said.

The time lost in deciding the candidates can be compensated by the time saved in controlling the damage done by dissidents, he said.
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Goa: Decision on BJP-MGP alliance in two days
Views ::75

BJP on Thursday said the decision on the proposed alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) would be taken in the next two days.

Goa BJP chief Laxmikant Parsekar said that meeting between the leaders of the two parties last evening remained inconclusive.

"Nothing happened in the meeting last night. We expect the alliance to be decided in the next two days," he said at a press conference today.

MGP is currently a part of the Congress-led ruling coalition in the state, but has indicated that it might join hands with main opposition BJP for the March 3 assembly polls.

Sources said that MGP might get six out of the total 40 seats in the tie-up with BJP.

"BJP-MGP getting together would prevent division of votes," a senior BJP leader said, adding that the two parties were ideologically close.

MGP had won two seats in 2007 polls, and supported Congress later, while BJP had got 14 seats. .

Suspend official for breaching election code: EC
Views ::79

The Election Commission has directed Goa's Chief Secretary to suspend a top government official for allegedly violating the election code of conduct by offering people jobs in his department ahead of the Assembly polls.

State Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava has been asked to suspend Director of Animal Husbandry Siddhivinayak Naik and submit an 'action taken report' to the Commission by January 31, official sources said here today.

Naik has been found guilty by the EC of giving offer letters to 140 aspirants looking for jobs in his department while the election code of conduct is still in force.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer Narayan Navti said the EC had called for the suspension of the officer as it thought that merely transferring the official to some other department would not be enough.

Naik withdrew the offer letters immediately after the EC began an enquiry.

Goa is going for Assembly polls on March 3 and a code of conduct is currently in place in the state.

Following a complaint lodged by the main opposition party, BJP, seven state government departments came under EC's scanner for allegedly giving recruitment letters when the election code is still in force. .

India-Bangla trade must grow faster, says Pranab
Views ::89 Petrapole (West Bengal), Jan 21 : Stressing the need to further improve trade and commerce with Bangladesh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said India's decision to allow duty-free entry to a large number of items from it would help correct the trade imbalance.

"The political relations between the two countries are improving. There is now a need for faster growth of trade and commerce," Mukherjee said at this India-Bangla border post in West Bengal's North 24-Parganas district.

In November, India permitted duty-free entry of a large list of products from Bangladesh to substantially correct the trade imbalance.

"Overall, we export more to Bangladesh and import less from them," he said.

Bangladesh Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said India has reciprocated the Sheikh Hasina government's efforts to improve bilateral ties.

The two ministers attended the function where a car pass system was introduced for truck drivers and helpers engaged in export-import activities between the two countries.

It will facilitate easy loading and unloading of goods in the border areas and prevent unauthorised persons from crossing the borders.
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