The Supreme Court of India Stays Kejriwal's Anti-Media Circular

The Supreme Court of India has today put stay on a Delhi government circular that told the authorities to file a defamation cases against media organizations for any piece of news that causes damage to its reputation or that of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other ministers and asked him to explain why it was issued.

"Issue notice (to Kejriwal). However, as an interim measure we direct stay of the circular dated May 6, 2015 till further order of this court. Accordingly, it is stayed," said a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant.

The Supreme Court has also questioned Kejriwal's stand on the issue and has given him six weeks’ time to respond.

The said circular, issued by the state information and publicity department says that if any officer associated with the Delhi government thinks that a broadcasted or written news has caused damage to the government or its employee's  reputation, he or she should file a complaint with the principal home secretary.

It also states that after getting a nod from the director (prosecution), the issue will then go to the law department and after taking approval from the government, a case should befiled.

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DTC Calls Off Strike After AAP Government Imposes ESMA

The drivers of Delhi TransportCooperation (DTC) called off their state wide strike yesterday after the state government imposed the Essential Service Maintenance Act (ESMA).

The strike was called by the DTC drivers in protest of the murder of a fellow driver who was killed by a biker after his bus grazed the bike from behind in the Mundka area.

CM Arvind Kerjriwal met the deceased's family yesterday and promised a compensation of 10 lakh and a job to one of the family members.   

The end of a nearly two-days-long strike comes as a breath of fresh air to the 40-lakh people who were left in a limbo after the 4,705 DTC buses went off the roads.

"It has been notified that the Haryana Essential Services Maintenance Act (HESMA) 1974 is imposed in NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi which prohibits the strike of DTC employees in NCT of Delhi for a period of six months," a government statement said.

"We have called off our strike," Tara Chand, a member of the DTC Worker Unity Centre confirmed after the government notification came.

The DTC staff union decided to go on an indefinite strike following the murder of DTC driver Ashok Kumar Singh bya biker who repeatedly hit the 42-year-old with his helmet and a small fire extinguisher installed in the bus; Singh bled to death while being taken to hospital.  

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DWC Summons Kumar Vishwas Over Alleged Charges of Molestation

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sent a notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kumar Vishwas toady for allegedly molesting a Muslim party volunteer.

DCW chairperson Barkha Shukla has said, "She is his party worker who had been coming to us. She has also written a letter to Kejriwal and the police commissioner. Even we have sent a notice from our side. I think he (Vishwas) should come forward tomorrow and clarify, because she is a party worker and it is a matter of her dignity."

The poet-turned-politician is accused of having physical relationship with a party volunteer during the run-down of last year's general elections. Kumar Vishwas contested the election from Amethi against Rahul Gandhi and lost his deposit.

The victim's husband is reportedly threatening to divorce her.

The victim is living alone for the past one month. She is alleging that Kumar's wife is spreading the rumor in the media that she discovered her in an uncompromising position with Vishwas. The woman is also complaining that she has been defamed on social media as well.

Kumar Vishwas is a very famous poet among youngsters, and is known for his motivational poems. 

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Electricity At Half The Rate And Free Water Plan Of Delhi Government Will Be Implemented From 1 March

Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodiya has said today that those who are consuming less than 400 units will be provided electricity at half the price by the Delhi government. 20000 litres of water will be given free per household. The announcements will be implimented from 1 March.

"We had promised to reduce power tariffs, the families using power till 400 units will get it on half the price. This will be effective from the 1st of March. Those families using more than 400 units will have to pay the entire bill," Sisodiya told the media.


Electricity at half the rate and cheap water to every household are two major points of AAP's 70-piont election manifesto.  

AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had called a meeting of all the departments and ministers few days ago to draw a course of action for the welbeing and development of the capital city.

Kejriwal had earlier asked all the relevant departments to come up with a detailed roadmap on how they will fulfil AAP's plan to provide the city dwelers with cheap electricity and free water.

Kejriwal has also directed the CAG to conduct an audit of the private power distribution companies in the capital.

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Delhi Elections: A Landslide For AAP, A 'Capital' Punishment for The BJP

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) has won 67 out of the 70 seats in Delhi assembly elections today. The results have not just amazed the opposition parties and different political analysts, but it has pleasantly surprised the AAP as well.

The BJP has shrunk to just 3 seats form 32 in the previous elections. The Congress party could not manage to win a single seat.

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of AAP has described their victory as 'people's victory' and has said that the top priority of the new government would be 'ending bribery' in the capital.

Before today's results, the degree of Modi's popularity was somewhat considered to be a force that was invincible. In May, Modi became the first PM to have come to power with a clear cut majority in 30 years.

After coming to power at the center, Modi won four state elections on the trot, and has not tasted failure until now.  

The AAP has not just won 95% of the total seats; it has managed to gather 54% of the total voted in the states. The vote share of the BJP has remained somewhat unchanged at around 32%. 

This gigantic victory of the Aam Admi Party will definitely affect the BJP's prospects in the coming state elections.

Graphic Source: Election Commission of India

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Delhi Elections: Early Trends Indicate A Landslide Victory For AAP, BJP Trounced, Congress Wiped Out

If the early counting trends are to be trusted, the Aam Admi Party is in for a landslide victory in Delhi. The AAP is leading from 66 seats, while the BJP is languishing at 3, the INC is leading on one seat.

On one hand these trends are heart rending for the BJP, while on the other, they have surprised the AAP as well.

Opinion polls and exit polls were predicting a clear cut majority for the AAP, but no one ever predicted this kind of mandate.

These results will definitely dent the confidence of the BJP, a party that never tasted defeat after getting to power at the center in the general elections last year.

While BJP suffers a huge loss, the Congress is virtually wiped out from the capital city.     

Graphic Source: Election Commission of India

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Kejriwal Set To Get Majority In Delhi: Exit Polls

Delhi Polls: The Final Show Down Begins

Kejriwal Set To Get Majority In Delhi: Exit Polls

All the top exit polls conducted in the national capital Delhi are indicating that AAP led by  Arvind Kejriwal is heading towards a full majority in the state assembly.

Top exit poll agencies like Nielsen, C-Voter, Cicero, News Nation, Axis APM, and Today's Chanakya are projecting AAP to win in excess of 40 seats, a comfortable number to form a government.

BJP's CM candidate Kiran Bedi termed the exit poll trends as incomplete and incomprehensive, "This is based on data till 3 pm. Let us not accept it as final, " she said.

Voter turnout in Delhi today was around 69%, a number higher than last year's general elections or 2013's assembly elections. 

If the AAP comes to power in the state, it will be a first major setback for the BJP after it came to power at the center last year in May.

AAP's victory in Delhi will give Kejriwal an opportunity to avenge himself on PM Modi, who trounced him in the general elections; both contested the election from Varanasi constituency. Most of the political pundits were touting this assembly election as Modi vs Kejriwal and not as Kejriwal vs Kiran Bedi.

Delhi assembly election was(and still is ) a question of existence for the Aam Admi Party, while for the BJP, it was a question of keeping the Modi wave alive before the vital Bihar assembly elections.   

BJP, in its vigorous poll campaign, mostly concentrated on counting the achievements of the Modi government at the center and criticizing Kejriwal and AAP. On the other hand, AAP's campaign hovered mostly around some very populist promises like free Wi-Fi, subsidized electricity and water bills, and homes for the slum dwellers.

The results for the elections will come out on 10 February.  

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Delhi Polls: The Final Show Down Begins

Delhi Polls: The Final Show Down Begins

Voting is under way for the much talked-about Delhi assembly elections, which is touted as the first real test of PM Modi's popularity wave.

Polling started at 8 in the morning. Initially the polling was on the slower side, but after a couple of hours later as the sun came out, the polling picked up speed. Around 36% voting happened till 1 PM.

Delhi has around 13 million eligible voters who can cast their votes at 12000 thousand polling stations in the capital city. To take care of any security concern, around 55000 para-military personnel have been deputed here along with the Delhi Police.

Both the AAP and the BJP are fighting for the throne in Delhi. The Congress party, which ruled the state for 15 consecutive years till 2013, is conspicuously lagging behind the two mentioned parties.    

   

In the meanwhile, BJP's New Delhi candidate Nupur Sharma - fighting the election against the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal- has alleged that the AAP workers have manhandled her sister near Sangli booth; AAP has refuted the allegation and called it baseless and politically motivated.

Both the CM candidates Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal are fighting a close battle this time as almost all the opinion polls have termed the Delhi assembly elections as a neck-to-neck fight.

The results will be announced on 10 February.     

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Opinion Polls Indicate A Simple Majority For The Aam Admi Party

An opinion poll yesterday has revealed that the political preference of Delhi is changing from BJP to AAP for the coming assembly elections. The Aam Admi Party could garner a majority in the house if the elections were held right now.

The opinion poll has forecasted around 36-40 seats for the Aam Admi Party, while the BJP has been projected to win around 28-30 seats. The capital city will be going to the polls on 7 February and the results will be declared on 10 February. 

The move of bringing Kiran Bedi into the party and making her the Chief Ministerial candidate of BJP to counter the anti-corruption facet of Arvind Kejriwal seems to have backfired big time. The move has not just made the voters skeptical but it has given rise to the voices of dissent in the party organization in Delhi as well.  

The opinion poll depicts Kejriwal as the most preferred choice of the people of Delhi for the CM's post with 54% vote share.

One another opinion poll conducted by a reputed agency gives 35 seats to AAP and around 29 seats to the BJP.

The political analysts are of the opinion that this huge shift in the momentum - BJP was expected to win with a landslide majority six months ago -has occurred largely due to the delay of six to eight months in conducting the elections in Delhi.

The friends-turned-foes (Bedi and Kejriwal) are leaving no stone unturned to gain an upper hand in their respective poll campaigns.

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Kiran Bedi's Campaign Aide Resigns From BJP Alleging Her Behavior as Dictatorial

Kiran Bedi's Campaign Aide Resigns From BJP Alleging Her Behavior as Dictatorial

An aide assigned to take care of Kiran Bedi's election campaign has resigned from the BJP alleging Bedi's behavior as dictatorial. Her whirlwind induction into the party and the subsequent announcement of her CM candidature irked many party members in Delhi, and eventually forced the top-brass of the BJP to take control of the election campaign.

The aide names Narendra Tandon has told the media that he resigned from the BJP last night as he was unable to tolerate her dictatorial attitude. When asked to respond, Bedi said she was ignorant of any such development.  

Yogendra Yadav of the Aam Admi Party said, "To the BJP, I would say 'get well soon'."

BJP's representatives are of the opinion that the resignation of Tandon will not harm the party as he was not the head of Bedi's poll campaign. "His past record is not very impressive. He has created trouble for the party in the past as well," said one of the party spokesperson.

Bedi, 65, is in contention for the CM's post against the AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.

In the previous election the BJP fell short of the numbers and that allowed AAP to form a government in alliance with the Congress party. However, the government could not last longer than 49 days and Kejriwal resigned from CM's post after failing to get the Lokpal bill passed in the assembly; many analysts consider it a disastrous move. 

The fight for the throne of Delhi is expected to be fierce, and with just five days to go for the polls no one seems to be ceasing a single inch of ground.

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