Five key challenges a Narendra Modi government would face

From convincing sceptical bond investors that the fiscal deficit can be contained to concerns that El Nino will devastate agricultural crops, any new government will face urgent and critical challenges with no easy solutions.

Expectations the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader Narendra Modi will win elections that started this week with a new approach to country's economic problems have helped send shares to record highs and the rupee to an eight-month peak.

To some investors that optimism is misplaced. Should Modi win the elections, his government will face its first credibility test with markets when he delivers a budget by June or July that will need to show the country can realistically contain its fiscal deficit.

That will be followed by key decisions on the current account deficit, on the relationship with a hawkish Reserve Bank of India ( RBI), on how much funds to sink into troubled state lenders, and on how to get states to promote private investments.

The BJP promised fiscal discipline and banking reforms among other policy plans when it announced its election manifesto on Monday, but gave no details.

1. Delivering a budget that contains the fiscal deficit

Any new government will need to fix finances that are in dire straits, and about to get worse.

To achieve a revised fiscal deficit target of 4.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for the year ended in March, the Congress-led government cut spending by $13 billion and pushed about $16 billion in subsidy costs into the new year...

Source: Today Business News

From ET News

Prime accused sentenced to life in Suriyanelli rape case

Of the 35 accused in the case, five had died during the pendency of trial.

While Dharmarajan was sentenced to life, the remaining were sentenced to varying terms of rigorous imprisonment up to 13 years and fined by a division bench, comprising Justices K T Sankaran and M L Joseph Francis, which delivered the judgment on separate appeals filed by the accused.

For default of sentence, the accused would have to undergo an additional three months RI. The case relates to the abduction and sexual exploitation of a minor girl from Suriyanelli in Kerala's Idukki district by several persons in 1996.

    

The bench rejected the plea of the accused that the victim was 'deviant' and that she could have escaped during her captivity.

   

The judges said there was no embellishing in the evidence of the victim which runs to 598 pages and it was totally accepted.

    

"There are materials to show that her evidence is true. She was mercilessly and brutally raped," the court held.

Dharmarajan, Raju, lured Usha procured her and she was subjected to rape by other accused, the court held.

   

Dharmarajan, who had been absconding, was later arrested. While the trial court had convicted all the accused on charges of rape, gang-rape and kidnapping, the High Court had acquitted all but one.

   

On an appeal filed by the state government and the victim, the Supreme Court had ordered the High Court to consider afresh the appeal filed by the accused.

   

The prosecution case was that the girl, who was studying in school, was enticed, abducted and sexually exploited by a bus conductor on January 16, 1996.

   

The girl was later handover to two others, including prime accused Dharmarajan. She was then taken to various places and raped by many persons, before she was released after being in captivity for 40 days.

(Agencies)

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Want to be BJP’s ‘colleague’: TDP chief

Things would become clear in a day or two, he told reporters at a press conference, even as talks over seat-sharing with the BJP appear to be caught in a stalemate.

   

When he was asked if he is hopeful of sealing an alliance with the BJP, Chandrababu said that he is a "responsible leader" and hence would not like to make any comments.

   

"I am responsible leader. I have to talk responsibly. It's not correct on my part to speak something when discussions are still on," he said.

   

The TDP chief said that he wanted to join hands with the BJP once again to protect "national interests". Also, after bifurcation, two new states would face several problems like lack of revenue resources, power and employment, he said.

   

"We have to address all these things. So we are seeking a tie-up with the BJP and help it form the government at the Centre," he said.

   

Dismissing talk that his party itself is in a weak position and is hence willing to concede more number of seats to the BJP, Chandrababu remarked that the TDP is 'strong'.

   

"It's a wrong perception that we are weak. We are strong in both regions and the people's mood is in our favour. Of course, Narendra Modi is also being preferred as the prime ministerial candidate. We have to look into all these factors as these are very crucial polls," he said.

(Agencies)

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Candidates in Sikkim not resorting to huge rallies

Candidates say it is a small state and together with party workers and they are having door-to-door meetings to give a personal touch to campaigning.

  

Hardly any party is holding political rallies or large election meetings in Gangtok. Occasionally, one can find small stickers pasted on walls seeking votes.

  

"All our candidates are meeting voters on a one-to-one basis in their houses. It is a small place and we are trying to cover as many houses as possible in our meetings. It does take time but this is the most effective way of campaigning," Sikkim Krantikari Morcha's (SKM) general secretary Jacob Khaling said.

  

The border state goes to polls on April 12 for 32 assembly constituencies and the lone Lok Sabha seat.

  

The ruling party Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has all the 32 MLAs in the outgoing assembly, is also doing door-to-door meetings in a similar way.

  

"In certain areas where the voters are very large or the candidate has little time, we have group meetings with voters to explain our agenda and the good work our government has done," SDF's vice-president K B Chamling said.

  

He said the candidates are mostly walking on foot during campaigning.

With such low key political campaigning, tourists visiting this hill station do not even realise that the state is going to vote for a new Assembly.

  

Large election rallies are being held only for heavyweights like Chief Minister Pawan Chamling or SKM supremo P S Goley.

  

Party workers are also distributing pamphlets seeking votes for their respective party candidates.

  

State election commission officials said they are keeping a close watch on campaigning and so far no party or candidate has been found guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct.

  

Besides SDF and SKM, Congress is the only party contesting all 32 assembly seats. The BJP has put up candidates in 13 constituencies while Trinamool Congress has fielded nominees in seven seats.

  

For the lone Lok Sabha seat, sitting MP Prem Das Rai of SDF is pitted against nominees from SKM, BJP, Congress, Trinamool and Aam Admi Party.

(Agencies)

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Flood, plantation, influx among major poll issues in Assam

The Congress nominees during the electioneering are highlighting the economic reforms undertaken by the UPA, eradication of poverty schemes, MNREGA and social justice measures, particularly for the tea tribes and women, its state unit Chief spokesman Mehdi Alam Bora said.

The Self Help Group (SHG) scheme is a crucial issue during the poll here underscoring its role in giving employment to both the youth and women voters, Bora said.

The BJP is harping on the change factor, by triggering development under the leadership of Narendra Modi, fight corruption, seal the Indo-Bangladesh border, grant refugee status to the victims of religious, social and political atrocities in Bangladesh, party state unit General Secretary Santanu Bharali said.

Turning to local issues, the saffron party has promised to also make efforts for fulfilling the demand for Article 244(A) in Karbi Anglong district, improve the condition and increase production of the world's oldest running refinery at Digboi, save rhinos from poachers, oppose construction of mega dams in the upper reaches of river Brahmaputra, Bharali said.

For the regional party Asom Gana Parishad, illegal migration from Bangladesh is again its poll plank on which it was voted to power immediately after its formation in 1985.

The contestants of the party, which had come to power for second time in 1991, are also seeking votes on local issues such as opposition to big dams, implementation of the Assam Accord, curbing price rise, 100 per cent employment to locals in public and private sector offices in the state, said its publicity secretary Manoj Saikia.

(Agencies)

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Sudarsan's sand animation to attract voters to polling booths

Sudarsan, also the state icon for state Election Commissioner, said the one-and-a-half minute film will be telecast on Doordarsan and private TV channels and screened at cinema halls across the state besides on social media websites.

  

Through the film, Sudarsan tried to give messages like "Don't sell your vote," "Don't get biased by false promises" and "Don't get swayed by freebies".

  

The animation film and two photographs of sand art were released by Director General of Election Commission Akshay Rout .

  

"We hope this innovative and creative film will motivate people to cast their vote and popularise the sand art form as well," CEO Mona Sharma said.

(Agencies)

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46 students held in Lonavla rave party

The rural police raided a birthday party organised by one of the students in the early hours on Wednesday at a bungalow in Gold Valley of Lonavla.

Bungalow owner Saifuddin Bungalowala and caretaker Dilip Rammilan Yadav were arrested, Lonavla police station sub-inspector CB Kamble said.

Hookahs and foreign liquor worth Rs 19,000 were also seized.

The students, all in the age group of 20-23 years, were charged under section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the IPC, sections 110, 112 and 117 of the Bombay Police Act and the section (65)(E) of the Bombay Prohibition Act.

All the students were sent for medical examination to a government hospital.

The students were later produced in the court of a first class judicial magistrate at Vadgaon which granted them bail.

(Agencies)

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