Election News Digest: No Seat-Sharing with AAP, Congress Ready to Go Alone in Delhi

New Delhi:  Days of speculation on a possible seat-sharing arrangement between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ended on Friday with the former announcing that it would contest all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi alone.

Addressing a press conference in the Capital on Friday, Congress in-charge of Delhi, PC Chacko, blamed the AAP leadership for the failure of not forming an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls for seven seats. The Capital is slated to go for polls on May 12, with all seven seats being won by BJP in 2014.

 “Even today, we are ready for an alliance with AAP with seat sharing arrangement of three seats to the Congress and four to them,” Chacko said, adding that in the talks AAP was represented by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

Chacko said in the 2014 election, both Congress and AAP put together got 47% votes, with the former getting 21% and AAP securing 26% votes.

“On pro rata basis, the Congress should get 3 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party should contest on four seats in Delhi. This was the understanding in talks with Sanjay Singh,” he added.

A statement from AAP was not immediately available.

Wont’ Get Jobs if You Don’t Vote For me, Maneka Tells Muslims 

Lucknow: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday kicked off a major controversy when she told Muslims in Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh to vote for her if they wanted jobs. She is contesting as a BJP candidate from Sultanpur, a seat won by her son Varun Gandhi in 2014, who is contesting from his mother's seat Pilibhit

Addressing an election rally in Turab Khani village, she said she would not give jobs to Muslims if they did not vote for her. She also said that she would not like it if she won without the support of Muslims.

"My feelings get hurt. If Muslims then come to me asking for work, then I will think let it be, how does it matter?... After all, a job is a deal," she said, making it clear that Muslims should not expect jobs if they do not vote for her.

Gandhi further said that Muslim voters need to understand that it was a give and take relation.

The Congress termed Gandhi's statement "scandalous".

Pre-Poll IT Raids on TN Construction Firm

Chennai: With the polling date for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu nearing on April 18, the Income Tax (I-T) department carried out search operations in the premises connected to a private construction contractor, officials said.

The search operations were carried out in Namakkal and Tirunelveli to flush out cash meant for bribing the voters.

The I-T department also searched the premises of some financiers on information that they were mobilising funds to be used in the elections.

According to reports, the IT men searched the premises of PSK Engineering Construction Company, alleging “routing and possession of unaccounted cash.”

The investigation wing of the IT department reportedly also searched a group of cash handlers and financiers against whom they got information about alleged mobilization of cash for “possible use in elections."

Rupani Govt’s Performance Below Average: ADR

New Delhi: The performance of the Vijay Rupani-led Gujarat government is "below average" on most of voter concerns, including employment, drinking water and healthcare, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The election watchdog's "Gujarat Survey 2018", released on Friday, says the government also performed "poorly" in providing water for agriculture, farm loans and tackling noise pollution, among others.

The survey was conducted between October 2018 and December 2018.

Across the state, major voter concerns were employment opportunities (42.68%), drinking water (37.12%) and healthcare (30.23%), according to the survey.

In rural areas, the top priorities were availability of water for agriculture (46%), farm loan availability (45%), and subsidy for seeds and fertilisers (44%), and the government performed below average on all these counts, it says.