Seeking to drive a wedge between alliance partners SP and BSP, Union minister Rajnath Singh Sunday said Samajwadi Party will have to bear the consequences of teaming up with the Mayawati-led party in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing an election meeting at Dataganj here, he said, … Samajwadi Party (SP) does not know what big mistake it has committed by forging an alliance with the BSP. It will have to bear the consequences.

Earlier this year, BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav announced that they will fight from 38 and 37 seats, respectively while leaving two for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

The rupee opened 10 paise higher at 69.07 against the US dollar on Monday. The domestic unit halted its three-day winning streak as it closed 25 paise lower at 69.17 as forex traders weighed rising crude oil prices.

Besides, as forex dealers said, there was concern in the market after reports surfaced that the Supreme Court Friday restrained Arcelor Mittal from acquiring Essar Steel, which in turn might impact dollar inflows considering the Essar Steel acquisition was worth nearly USD 7 billion.

Telecom operator Reliance Jio has crossed the 300 million customers mark in two-and-a-half years of its operations, sources said.

The milestone was reached on March 2, they added.

Queries sent to Jio on the matter remained unanswered.

For nearly one month after dates of Lok Sabha elections were declared, BJP got close to 160 hours of airtime coverage on DD News and its regional channels, even as Congress half of that, a report by Indian Express has said. On April 5, DD News shared a report with Election Commission on airtime provided to all political parties from the date of announcement of polls till that day. The Congress was second in terms of coverage with 80 hours, while CPM got only eight hours.

Based on this report, the EC on April 9, called airtime to parties disproportionate. The poll body also asked Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to ask DD News to desist from extending any preferential or disproportionate airtime coverage in favour of any party, the paper added further.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Sunday said his technology advisor Hari Prasad Vemuru, whose presence in TDP's delegation to the Election Commission was objected to by the poll panel, was a whistle-blower and not a thief.

Yesterday we met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and showed him how EVMs were not functioning properly. He (Vemuru) was called for discussion in the fight for transparency. He is a whistle-blower. He has not committed theft, Naidu said speaking at a presser of opposition parties here on the issue of transparency in the election process.

Jet Airways, which revolutionized Indian aviation after the government ended the monopoly of state-owned carriers, is now on the brink of shutting down, devastated by management missteps and the feisty low-cost airlines that followed in its footsteps.

Out of cash and desperate for a buyer, Jet is now operating just nine planes, according to the Press Trust of India, down from 123 at its peak. The company had grounded dozens of aircraft over the past few weeks as its finances deteriorated, and on Friday, it canceled its last remaining international flights through at least Monday, upsetting the plans of travelers in locations from London to Hong Kong.

Congress in-charge for Uttar Pradesh (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is willing to contest against PM Modi. If she indeed contests, it will be the most watched match-up of Lok Sabha election 2019, where a member of the Gandhi family will directly challenge the might of PM Modi, that too from Varanasi.

According to sources, Priyanka Gandhi has given serious thought to the possibility of contesting against PM Narendra Modi. The party hopes that such a fight, even if symbolic to an extent will greatly enthuse workers of the region. However, the final decision will be taken by Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised that the Congress will deposit Rs. 72,000 every year into the bank accounts of women if the party comes to power at the Centre after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing a public meeting in Kolar, the constituency which will go to polls on Thursday (April 18), Mr. Gandhi said the Congress has promised a minimum income guarantee scheme (MIGS), formally called Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), to 5 crore of the “poorest families” covering 25 crore people by assuring them a guarantee minimum income of Rs. 6,000 per month or Rs 72,000 per year.

Over 80 per cent of the poll spending by the candidates in Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency was by the nominees of the BJP, BSP and Congress with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma accounting for a third of the total Rs 1.24 crore, official data showed.

This, however, is the individual spending by the candidates till April 9, the last day of campaigning for the polls held on April 11 and does not include expenses charged to their parties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to corner the Congress on its showpiece poll promise of Nyay, and sought to know who would do justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, violence against Dalits, and the Bhopal gas tragedy under its regime.

The Prime Minister addressing a poll rally, a day after the campaign by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Theni, alleged the Congress and dishonesty were best friends but sometimes by mistake, they end up speaking the truth. Now they are saying Ab Hoga Nyay (justice will be done now) even if they did not intend, they have admitted that all they have done is Anyay or injustice for 60 long years, (during the Congress rule), he said.

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