New Delhi, May 17, 2009
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PM wants
Montek Singh Ahluwalia as Finance Minister?
New
Delhi: As the Congress core committee brainstorms over the issues related
to government formation, there are reports that Dr. Manmohan Singh wants deputy
chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia as the next Union Finance
Minister. Ahluwalia will have to enter the cabinet through the Rajya Sabha route,
the same as the Dr. Singh, CNN-IBN reports. With party leaders insisting that
the UPA does not need the support of any new big allies, the Congress is also
likely to keep key portfolios with it. There is also a demand from within the
party to bring Rahul Gandhi into the Cabinet especially after his successful campaigning
strategies, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. According to the sources, Rahul is
likely to be included as the Rural Development Minister in the Cabinet. Sources
revealed that the new Cabinet would include several young MPs. The other young
MPs apart from Rahul who are likely to be inducted into the Cabinet include Sachin
Pilot, Jitin Prasada, and Sandeep Dikshit. The major UPA allies such as the Dravida
Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) also are expecting ministerial berths. Reports claimed that the UPA
Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has already called up Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu
Prasad to attend the Cabinet meeting. There are speculations doing rounds that
the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be shifted to the Finance
Ministry, which the Manmohan Singh has been handling so far. Commerce Minister
Kamal Nath is likely to be shifted to the External Affairs Ministry. Home Minister
P Chidambaram and Defence Minister A K Antony are likely to continue in their
posts. Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal may get the Commerce Ministry.
Congress to discuss
Govt formation with pre-poll allies on Tuesday Top
New
Delhi: The Congress party on Tuesday will meet with its pre-poll allies to
discuss government formation, party spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi said after
the Congress core group meeting today. With Dwivedi emphasizing that the meeting
will be held only with the pre poll allies, it becomes even clearer that a section
of the Congress leadership wants Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s
Samajwadi Party out of the government. Held at Seven Race Course Road , the meeting
was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi,
her political secretary Ahmed Patel and Defence Minister AK Antony amongst others.
During the meeting, the Committee also moved two resolutions, one thanking the
people of India and the other the thanking the troika of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi
and Manmohan Singh. Through Dwivedi, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh conveyed
their thanks to the people of India for giving congress a thumping win in the
elections. In his statement to the committee, Singh said the new Government will
assume responsibility in the backdrop of deep global economic recession, and an
increasingly troubled neighbourhood. The UPA is short of a dozen seats to reach
the majority mark of 272 in Parliament. Sources said after the CWC meeting, Congress
leadership would hold discussions with the allies to finalize the details of government
formation.
Poll
tally: Congress wins 206 seats, BJP finishes with 116 Top
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. Trinamool Congress (TC) has emerged as the
largest ally with 19 seats followed by DMK with 18. The UPA now a total strength
of 261 and needs 11 more to touch the magic figure of 272 for a majority. For
NDA, the Janata Dal- United (JD-U) secured 20 seats, while Shiv Sena bagged 11
seats. Ajit Singh's RLD got five, Akali Dal-4, TRS-2 and AGP-1. The NDA has a
total tally of 159. According to the Election Commission of India, counting in
two seats had to be stopped on Saturday as the electronic voting machines had
developed snags. The two seats should be from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Third
Front has won 80 seats, with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) obtaining
16 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), 21 seats. The Fourth Front has won
26 seats, with the Samajwadi Party (SP), 22 seats and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
led by four seats. Other small regional parties won 15 seats. Of the remaining
17 seats, nine were won by independents followed by one each by 8 parties--All
India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi,
Sikkim Democratic Front, Nagaland Peoples' Front, Swabhimani Paksha, Bodoland
Peoples' Front and Assam United Democratic Front.
India’s
first Swine Flu patient shows improvement Top
Hyderabad:
Doctors at the Chest Hospital in Hyderabad have declared that the symptoms of
India ’s first confirmed swine flu patient have come down after he started receiving
medication. Doctors at the Swine Flu Isolation Ward said the hospital was taking
every precaution to ensure that the H1N1 virus does not spread any further, and
that there is no need for the general public to panic. “The patient was isolated
here from the 13th of this month. After knowing this result, we have started giving
him anti-viral drug, commercially available with different companies like Tamiflu,
Antiflu. In fact the symptoms have come down,” said Dr. Sudhakar, In-charge, Swine
Flu Isolation Ward, Chest Hospital , Hyderanad. On Saturday, Union Health Ministry
had confirmed the first case of H1N1 flu in Hyderabad . The H1N1 affected patient
has been identified as a 23-year-old passenger who arrived at the Hyderabad International
airport on May 13 from the United States . According to the health ministry officials,
the identified person's sample was sent to a testing lab in New Delhi , which
tested positive for influenza A (H1N1). Meanwhile, his co-passengers are also
being tracked down. The World Health Organization has been alerted about the case.
Some 7,500 people have been infected with the influenza strain that is a mixture
of swine, bird and human viruses. H1N1 flu has so far claimed 65 lives in 34 countries,
according to the WHO.
Kings
XI Punjab beat Deccan Chargers by one run in IPL thriller Top
Johannesburg:
Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh’s took his second hat-trick, as his team
beat Deccan Chargers by one run in an Indian Premier League (IPL) thriller here
on Sunday. Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to
field first. Punjab lost its first wicket when opener Sunny Sohal attempted a
cheeky flick shot to Rohit Sharma over short fine leg. Herschelle Gibbs and wicketkeeper
Adam Gilchrist then combined to run out Luke Pomersbach on 1. Just 11 runs later
Simon Katich hit straight to Pragyan Ojha at mid on, off an Andrew Symonds ball
full of a length, to leave Punjab on 26-3. Captain Yuvraj Singh added 20 runs
from 18 balls before being deceived by Venugopal Rao's change of pace to be bowled.
Mota's cameo innings ended when his sweep shot failed to clean long on for Harris
to take the catch diving forward. Singh bowled to a good length at the death,
taking the last wicket when Irfan Pathan failed to get hold of another fuller
ball to give Gibbs a routine catch. Kings XI wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara was
the only batsman who played some good shots in his inning of 56 runs off 43 balls
with four fours and a huge six. Kings XI finally scored 134 runs for the loss
of seven wickets in 20 overs. For Deccan Chargers, R. P. Singh was most successful
bowler with three wickets. Chasing a victory target of 135, Deccan Chargers got
to a good start and openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs scored 34 runs
for the first wicket. Gilchrist scored 23 runs in 13 balls with four fours and
one six. Once, Chargers were standing tall at a score of 79 runs with seven wickets
in hand, but Yuvraj Singh’s second hat-trick put Chargers in trouble. Yuvraj dismissed
Herschelle Gibbs (26), Andrew Symonds (25) and Venugopal Rao (0), spread over
two overs, to bring back Punjab in hunt. Rohit Sharma was the highest scorer with
42 runs in 26 balls with three fours and two sixes. Yuvraj Singh was declared
‘Man of the Match’ for his brilliant hat-trick.
Madhav
Kumar Nepal is all set to become new Nepal PM Top
Kathmandu:
Veteran communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal is all set to become new Prime
Minister of Nepal after getting the backing of 22 of the 24 parliamentary parties.
Twenty two parties including the Nepali Congress, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum
(MFJ), the Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party, the Nepal Sadbhawana Party, the Rastriya
Prajatantra Party and the CPN-United have submitted the signatures of the lawmakers
informing the CA chairman that they support Nepal as the Prime Minister of the
new coalition government. MJF, the fourth largest party in 601-member CA, finally
decided to support UML-led alliance for the formation of the new government. A
party needs the support of 301 lawmakers to form a government. Nepal, a former
Deputy Prime Minister and chief of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist
(UML) for 15 years, on Sunday presented his claim to the chairman of the constituent
assembly, Subhash Nembang, showing the support of 350 MPs, well ahead of the 302
he needs to win simple majority in the 601-member house. Even as the major parties
pledged their support, the Maoists, the largest party in the house, called up
a "sea of people" at the heart of the capital in an impressive show of might,
where they turned their guns on Nepal , the other parties and India . Madhav Kumar
Nepal owes his success to former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who declined
the top job when it was offered to him this week by the Maoists.
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