Mayawati’s ‘atrocities’ will help us win more seats: BJP

October 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance is likely to win the assembly elections in Maharashtra where polling was held Tuesday, according to IBN-Lokmat Times projections. According to these projections, the ruling Congress-NCP alliance will win 135 to 145 seats in the 288-member assembly with the Congress garnering 75-85 seats and the NCP 55-65 seats.

October 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It will be a hung verdict in Maharashtra but the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance will end with most seats while the Congress will sweep Haryana in coming assembly elections, an opinion poll Thursday said. According to the survey by Star News channel, the Congress-NCP combine ruling Maharashtra will win up to 140 of the 288 assembly seats.

September 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Describing as "shocking" the low conviction rate in cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said such cases should be pursued on priority. Emphasising that the first task should be to provide "physical security" to these disadvantaged communities, Manmohan Singh noted that reports of atrocities against Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and senior citizens were appearing all over the country with disturbing regularity.

July 16th, 2009 LUCKNOW - A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's move to slap the SC/ST act on Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi was "vindictive" and exposed the "autocratic" functioning of the state government. "The government's move to book the Congress leader under the SC/ST act is disproportionate and vindictive," senior BJP leader and Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon told reporters here.

June 8th, 2009 Initial European Parliament vote resultsIncomplete European election results project this range of seats for political groups in the next EU assembly: — Conservatives/European Democrats: 267 to 271 seats — Socialists: 157 to 161 seats — Liberals/Democrats for Europe: 80-82 seats — Europe of the Nations: 35 seats — Far-left/Nordic Greens: 35 seats — Greens/European Free Alliance: 54 seats — Independent/Democracy Group: 17 seats — Others: 86-88 seats

May 18th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Monday asked for the resignation of over 50 party leaders heading various corporations, official sources said. After becoming chief minister in 2007, Mayawati had given plum postings to several of her party leaders, with many given red-beacon cars and enjoying facilities and perks given to ministers of state.

May 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has won 261 seats with the Congress winning in 206 in the 542 results officially declared on Sunday. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the other hand has won 159 seats with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning in 116.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a dream run, the Congress was poised to win 204 Lok Sabha seats, having been declared victors in 14 constituencies and leading in 190 others Saturday, according to official figures. This is far more than its score in the 2004 general elections when it won 145 seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha and got into a post-poll alliance with other parties to form the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and run the government at the centre for five years.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the verdict in the 2009 general elections in West Bengal was a vote against the continuance of Left rule. Thanking the people of Bengal for their support and for coming out and voting "despite atrocities by the CPI(M)", she said the people had shown support for change in the state.

May 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party led NDA is trailing behind the Congress-led UPA in the projections given by different exit polls in the Lok Sabha elections. The surveys shown by electronic channels after the end of fifth phase of polling today placed the BJP-led NDA not very far behind the UPA and the Third Front likely to get little over 100 seats.

May 7th, 2009 AMRITSAR - Sikhs continued protests across Punjab against the atrocities being committed on their brethren by the Taliban in Pakistan. Scores of activists took to the streets in Amritsar to express their anguish against the treatment meted out to Sikhs in Pakistan's North West Front Province (NWFP).

March 17th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Gujarat has kept up its demand for contesting at least two Lok Sabha seats in the state, even as ally Congress has already announced its own candidates in 12 constituencies. The Congress is expected to make an announcement on candidates for the remaining 14 seats from Gujarat in the next two days.

March 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The 'political dinner' has started at the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's residence here just a while ago with leaders representing all eleven parties of the newly formed Third Front being present. he first meeting of the Third Front since its launch in Karnataka is crucial, as the name of coalition's prime ministerial candidate is likely to be decided, besides a discussion on the poll strategy.

March 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - All 11 parties of the Third Front will gather on Sunday evening for a dinner meet at BSP chief Mayawati's residence in New Delhi. The first meeting of the Third Front since its launch in Karnataka is going to be crucial, as the name of coalition's prime ministerial candidate is likely to be decided, besides a discussion on the poll strategy.

March 12th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Critics and former lieutenants of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati have joined hands with the objective of derailing her poll aspirations in 2009. They have formed an alliance called the Adhikar Manch, which would contest all 80 seats in the state.