Women voters now matter much more than before: Prannoy Roy
“There is a worry. I am not saying it is going to happen this time in India — a turnout management ploy, like what we have seen in other parts of world, also includes rumour-mongering that makes people worry about going to vote in elections fearing violence. In America, voter suppression prevents certain categories of voters, such as African Americans, from voting. Suppression methods make it complicated for them to even be registered as voters. We have a similar problem.”
IB inputs spurred searches by tax officials in T.N. & M.P.
The Income Tax (I-T) Department’s recent searches in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh followed “actionable and conclusive” inputs provided by the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Tax authorities are now considering requesting similar assistance from the IB to boost cash seizures in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, in the current election season, officials in the department said.
Vellore parliamentary constituency polls rescinded
President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday rescinded the election to the Vellore Lok Sabha seat based on a recommendation of the Election Commission, following a detailed report on the use of money power to influence voters. The I-T Department had seized ₹11.48 crore from the house of an alleged associate of DMK treasurer Duraimurugan, whose son Kathir Anand is the party candidate for Vellore.
‘There is a pro-Modi wave in Odisha,’ says Dharmendra Pradhan
There is a pro-Modi wave in the State, and the Prime Minister has appealed to the voters to elect a BJP-led government at both the Centre and the State. Mr. Naveen Patnaik is facing huge anti-incumbency.
Congress emboldening Maoists, says Modi
Covering adjoining States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh ahead of the second phase of voting for the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of emboldening Maoists. Referring to the recent killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi, Mr. Modi asked voters in Chhattisgarh to choose between landmines and development.
At a meeting in the coal town of Korba, he said, “It is questionable that the incident happened in a region where extremism was on the wane. The Congress, as before the Assembly election in 2018, considers Maoists revolutionaries and is conspiring with them to push back the State into a cycle of violence.
Opinion | Indian elections, South Asian concerns
The staggering scale of the election that is under way in India with just under a billion voters is hard for the mind to grapple with, even in this densely populated neighbourhood that includes Bangladesh and Pakistan. The level of worry is also at a pitch, for India should be the bulwark against weakening democracy in a world of Bolsonaro (Brazil), Duterte (the Philippines), Erdoğan (Turkey), Putin (Russia) and Trump (the U.S.) not to mention the People’s Republic of China.
No sign of arson in cathedral blaze
The fire that tore through Notre-Dame cathedral was probably caused by accident, French prosecutors said on Tuesday after fire-fighters doused the last flames in the ruins overnight and the nation grieved for the destruction of one of its symbols.
More than 400 firemen were needed to tame the inferno that consumed the roof and collapsed the spire of the eight-centuries-old cathedral. They worked through the night to extinguish the fire some 14 hours after it began.
Edited version of Russia probe report to be released
As Washington counts down the final hours until publication of the redacted Special Counsel report now expected on April 18, President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks in an effort to undermine potential disclosures on Russia, his 2016 campaign and the aftermath.
“Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!”
Airfares shoot up due to Jet Airways crisis
With Jet Airways suspending international operations till April 22 and drastically curtailing domestic flights, airfares have shot up 28% overall when compared to this time last year as passengers are left to making last-minute changes.
Air France and KLM have both operated additional flights to Mumbai owing to demand on April 14 and 15 respectively to accommodate passengers. Besides, there are 10 international routes where Jet Airways had monopoly by being the only Indian carrier to operate these sectors.
Ashwin makes the difference for Kings
When the Steven Smith-less Rajasthan Royals took the field against Kings XI Punjab, the team appeared to have conceded the psychological edge to the host.
And later in the evening, the way the Rajasthan batsmen suffered from a now-familiar ‘panic attack’, it only highlighted the Ajinkya Rahane-led team’s lack of collective self-belief, no matter how close it gets to victory.
