Three security personnel, 2 ultras killed in encounter
Srinagar: Three security personnel, including an army officer, and two suspected foreign militants were killed, while four cops were injured in an overnight gunbattle in Kupwara district of north Kashmir. The encounter broke out at village Zunrishi in Kralpora area, 120 kms from here, Monday evening when a joint party of police and Army launched a search operation to flush out hiding militants, a senior police officer told PTI here. He said the house where the militants had taken shelter was destroyed in the overnight gunbattle that ended this afternoon. Bodies of both the militants and two policemen, who were part of the search party which stormed the house to neutralise the militants, were recovered from the debris of the building this afternoon, the officer said. He said a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army was also killed and four policemen injured in the encounter. The injured policemen were shifted to hospital where condition of two of them including an Assistant sub-inspector was stated to be “serious”, the officer said. The officer said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militants could not be ascertained immediately but they are believed to be foreigners. (PTI)
Smriti Irani attacks AAP candidate Kumar Vishwas in Amethi
Amethi: BJP candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Smriti Irani Tuesday alleged Kumar Vishwas as the ‘B’ team of the Congress and said the AAP leader could say anthing to remain in news. She also alleged that if Vishwas does not know how to respect women how he would respect the people. During an interaction with reporters during her campaign in the constituency she also attacked Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul while promise the people across the country to provide medical facilities,education and making women self reliant, but all these things were not visible in Amethi which lags behind in all the sectors of development”, she said. When asked about her as an outsider of the constituency she questioned the candidature of Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareily. (PTI)
AAP names Kulkarni for Vadodara Lok Sabha seat
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party today named Sunil Digambar Kulkarni as its candidate from Vadodara Lok Sabha constituency against BJP’s Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and Madhusudan Mistry of Congress. A Mechanical Engineer, Kulkarni works as a social worker in the infrastructure field and has been associated with the party since its early days. Narendra Modi, who is also contesting from two Lok Sabha seats, is also in the fray from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh where AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is in the ring to challenge him. Vadodara goes to polls on April 30. The party also fielded Subash Chander as its candidate from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Polling is scheduled to take place in Shimla on May 7. The announcement came on the day when former High Court judge Fakhruddin, who was named the party’s candidate in Rae Bareli against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, withdrew from the fray. However, the reasons for his withdrawal are not yet known. With Fakhruddin’s exit, party sources said that social worker Archana Srivastava may be named the AAP candidate. (PTI)
Advani unsure of BJP notching up majority on its own
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP veteran L K Advani Tuesday said he was not sure whether his party on its own will get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha polls but exuded confidence that NDA will emerge victorious and form the next government. “If the BJP will get a clear majority or not, this I will not be able to say. But we are sure it will be the highest- ever we have got and the next government will be formed by the NDA,” Advani told reporters on his arrival here. Advani is here to campaign for BJP candidate O Rajagopal on the concluding day of electioneering for the April 10 polls. (PTI)
Mulayam hits out at BJP, terms Shah in politics “unfortunate”
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav Tuesday targeted BJP for making Amit Shah as its UP incharge and termed as “unfortunate” the fact that people like him were doing politics. “It’s unfortunate that a person like Amit Shah is doing politics…Who is he? See his history…He was Home Minister (in Gujarat) when the riots took place..”, Yadav said. “Ye naash kar denge..” (They will ruin.. (democracy), Yadav added. “Uttar Pradesh is the land of Ram, Krisha, Atalji.. BJP should also think…they have made such a person as their UP incharge”, he said. The BJP general secretary had triggered a controversy with his remarks that the ongoing general elections, especially in western UP, is “an election for honour. It is an election to take revenge for the insult. It is an election to teach a lesson to those who have committed injustice.” Two FIRs have been lodged against Shah on Apr 6 in UP while Election Commission (EC) served him with a notice yesterday seeking explanation by 5 pm on Apr 9. (PTI)