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Business News india and world
13/05/2009
Idea Cellular Q4 Consolidated Net Profit Dips
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(RTTNews) - Idea Cellular Ltd, a part of the $24 billion Aditya Birla Group and India's leading GSM mobile services operator, reported a marginal dip in its consolidated net profit for the fourth-quarter, hurt by negative contributions by the group concerns. However, for the quarter, the company posted a higher standalone net profit.
Consolidated Results
The Gandhi Nagar-based company posted fourth-quarter consolidated net profit of Rs.274.26 crore, fell marginally from Rs.276.69 crore in the fourth-quarter of 2008. On a per share basis, earnings for the quarter declined 16% to Re.0.88 from Re.1.05 in the previous year quarter.
The company said the results for the quarter was impacted due to a negative contribution of Rs.25 crore by Spice Communications and Rs.3.60 crore by Indus Towers, being its first year of operations.
The company's quarterly net revenue increased 48% to Rs.2,923.98 crore from Rs.1,972.40 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, while other operating income was Rs.12.51 crore, compared with Rs.12.86 crore in the prior year quarter.
For the fiscal year, the company's consolidated net profit declined 14% to Rs.900.87 crore from Rs.1,042.31 crore for the twelve months ended March 31, 2008. Total revenue, including other operating income, increased 51% to Rs.10,148.41 crore from Rs.6,737.45 crore last year.
Standalone Results
Consolidated Results
The Gandhi Nagar-based company posted fourth-quarter consolidated net profit of Rs.274.26 crore, fell marginally from Rs.276.69 crore in the fourth-quarter of 2008. On a per share basis, earnings for the quarter declined 16% to Re.0.88 from Re.1.05 in the previous year quarter.
The company said the results for the quarter was impacted due to a negative contribution of Rs.25 crore by Spice Communications and Rs.3.60 crore by Indus Towers, being its first year of operations.
The company's quarterly net revenue increased 48% to Rs.2,923.98 crore from Rs.1,972.40 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, while other operating income was Rs.12.51 crore, compared with Rs.12.86 crore in the prior year quarter.
For the fiscal year, the company's consolidated net profit declined 14% to Rs.900.87 crore from Rs.1,042.31 crore for the twelve months ended March 31, 2008. Total revenue, including other operating income, increased 51% to Rs.10,148.41 crore from Rs.6,737.45 crore last year.
Standalone Results
The company posted fourth-quarter standalone net profit of Rs.303.20 crore up 10% from Rs.276.70 crore in the prior year quarter. Total revenue rose 44% to Rs.2,862.60 crore from Rs.1,985.26 crore in the year-ago quarter.
Idea added 5 million subscribers during the quarter, taking the total subscriber base to 39 million as on March 31, 2009.
Total minutes on the network at 44,224 million grew by 10% on a quarter-over-quarter basis. The average realized rate per minute, which had moved up from Rs.0.62 to Re.0.64 in the preceding quarter, settled at Re.0.63, the company said.
For the Jan-Mar 2009 period, the company's standalone net profit was Rs.1,008.21 crore, down 3% from Rs.1,044.38 crores for Jan-Mar period last year. Total revenue, including operating income, grew 47% to Rs.9,916.45 crore from Rs.6,737.45 crore in the corresponding period a year-ago.
During the year, the company added 15 million subscribers during the year, reflecting an improvement in national market share to 14.5% from 13.6% during the period.
Idea launched its commercial operations in the service are of Orissa in April 2009 and now operates in 16 service areas, covering 80% of national subscribers. With the planned launch of Tamil Nadu by June 09, and the remaining service areas by December 09, Idea will have pan India operations, the company said.
Idea added 5 million subscribers during the quarter, taking the total subscriber base to 39 million as on March 31, 2009.
Total minutes on the network at 44,224 million grew by 10% on a quarter-over-quarter basis. The average realized rate per minute, which had moved up from Rs.0.62 to Re.0.64 in the preceding quarter, settled at Re.0.63, the company said.
For the Jan-Mar 2009 period, the company's standalone net profit was Rs.1,008.21 crore, down 3% from Rs.1,044.38 crores for Jan-Mar period last year. Total revenue, including operating income, grew 47% to Rs.9,916.45 crore from Rs.6,737.45 crore in the corresponding period a year-ago.
During the year, the company added 15 million subscribers during the year, reflecting an improvement in national market share to 14.5% from 13.6% during the period.
Idea launched its commercial operations in the service are of Orissa in April 2009 and now operates in 16 service areas, covering 80% of national subscribers. With the planned launch of Tamil Nadu by June 09, and the remaining service areas by December 09, Idea will have pan India operations, the company said.
At the BSE, Idea Cellular closed Thursday's trading at Rs.57.80, up by Re.0.75 or 1.31% on a volume of 16.68 lakh shares.
Source: rttnews.com
Anand Mahindra's next big challenge
Anand Mahindra's next big challenge
April 23, 2009
For one, it has acquired a much bigger company. While Tech Mahindra is expected to clock revenues of over Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 35 billion) in 2008-09, Satyam is expected to declare a turnover of around Rs 6,500 crore (Rs 65 billion).
Together, the two will have a formidable telecom practice of over Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion/ $1 billion). And Tech Mahindra is all set to join the league of such hallowed names in the business as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro.
Text: Shobhana Subramanian
Image: Anand Mahindra, chairman, Tech Mahindra. | Photograph: Krishnendu Halder/Reuters
source: rediff.com
Rupee depreciates to 50.43 against dollar
Rupee depreciates to 50.43 against dollarMumbai:
The Indian rupee depreciated by nine paise to 50.43 against the US currency in early trade on account of heavy capital outflows by funds and increased month-end dollar demand from importers and refiners.
At the Interbank Foreign Exchange market, the local unit, which had snapped its four-day losing streak and gained 11 paise to 50.34 against the greenback, fell again to 50.43 a dollar.
Meanwhile, the benchmark Sensex dropped by 80.57 points or 0.74 per cent due to profit-booking at higher levels on Wednesday.
Source: www.indianexpress.com
Weekly wrap: Sensex extends winning streak
Notwithstanding some heavy profit taking at times, the market extended its winning streak to the sixth successive week by recording strong gains on three of the four sessions last week (April 13 - 17). The market was closed on Tuesday on account of Dr Ambedkar Jayanti.
Fairly strong global markets, falling inflation and reasonably good inflow of funds from foreign institutional investors were the significant factors that contributed to the market's upmove last week.
The Sensex, despite suffering a hefty loss of 337 points on Thursday, ended the week with a gain of 219.23 points or 2.03% at 11,02309. The Sensex, which tumbled by over 100 points on Thursday, closed with a gain of 42.35 points or 1.26% at 3384.40. Following sustained buying at several side counters, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices closed stronger by 3.4% and 4.88% respectively.
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The Wall Street investors were betting on hopes that the US economy would soon be back on the rails. Asian markets took cues and surged higher. The unveiling of a 15.4 billion yen stimulus plan by the Japanese government and the statement from the Chinese central bank that stimulus measures initiated by the Chinese Government were beginning to show results also aided the rally.
Infosys Technologies reported a 1.7% fall in its consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. More than the drop in revenues, the company's forecast of a 3.1% - 6.7% decline in revenue for the year ending March 2010 caused the stock's sharp decline on Wednesday.
The Sensex cruised past the psychological 11,000 mark in late afternoon trade on Monday as the bulls, on a roll for the past few sessions, held sway once again. Stocks from metal, banking, realty and auto sectors had a splendid ride up the charts and there were smart gains for a host of stocks from capital goods, PSU, pharma and infrastructure sectors as well. It was a bright day for a number of midcap and smallcap stocks too.
The Sensex, which opened with a positive gap of around 113 points at 10,916.43 and very nearly breached the 11,000 mark in early trade, suffered a setback of sorts and tumbled to 10,800.84 within the next few minutes.
However, as investors shrugged off the fall and started picking up stocks, the barometer spent the rest of the session rather comfortably in the positive territory.
Notwithstanding a spell of profit taking, the Sensex ended the day with a big gain of 163 points at 10,967.22 and the Nifty moved up by over 40 points at 3382.60 that day. The positive trend on the Asian bourses following the Chinese and Japanese governments stepping up government spending in order to revive the economy, and higher US index futures kept the mood buoyant on Monday.
On Wednesday, the bulls turned in a bit late, but then, so strong was their presence that their rivals were seen running for cover till the end of the session. Global cues were not significantly positive and IT bellwether Infosys Technologies' earnings guidance for financial year 2010 was also not encouraging.
Still, betting on hopes global economy would soon be back on track, participants picked up realty, capital goods, bank and auto stocks in a frenzied manner. Forecast of a good monsoon and expectations that the Apex bank would come out with some monetary measures following the sharp drop in inflation were among the factors that contributed to the enthusiasm during that session.
The Sensex, which shot up to 11,337.75 during the final hour, ended the day with a big gain of 318 points, while the Nifty closed with an impressive gain of 102 points.
The positive close on Wall Street and the steady trend on some Asian bourses triggered a bright start, but heavy profit taking after recent strong gains pushed the market down sharply into the red and the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty went tumbling down by 337 points and 115 points respectively on Thursday.
Inflation dropped down again raising hopes of some monetary easing measures from the Apex Bank. But political uncertainty weighed in significantly and prompted investors to go in for some heavy profit taking.
On Friday too, investors were seen booking profits at several counters. Weakness in European markets and lower US index futures also rendered the market sluggish in afternoon trade. The Sensex, which had vaulted nearly 400 points around noon, plunged sharply into the red during the final hour. However, with select blue chip stocks garnering a bit of support during the fag end of the session, the barometer managed to sign off with a modest gain of 76 points. The Nifty moved up by around 15 points.
Realty stocks had a good run last week on hopes of reduction in interest rates and a strong pick up in demand for new homes. Auto stocks swung back into action on hopes of higher demand for vehicles. Bank stocks had a good week on expectations that credit off-take will rise significantly over the next few quarters.
IT, pharma and FMCG stocks remained subdued for a better part of the week. Metal stocks rose sharply during the first part of the week but dropped down on profit taking later on.
State Bank of India, the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack last week, moved up by 14.6%. ICICI Bank ended with a sharp gain of 11%. HDFC Bank, which remained relatively subdued, finished with a modest gain of 2.1%.
BHEL moved up by nearly 10%. Sun Pharmaceuticals, HDFC, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro and ACC gained 4% - 7%. Mahindra & Mahindra, DLF, Maruti Suzuki, Reliance Communications, Grasim Industries and Hindustan Unilever surged 2% - 4%. Bharti Airtel gained 1.5%. Reliance Infrastructure gained modest ground while ITC and Wipro ended flat.
Hindalco went down by 6.7%. Tata Consultancy Services lost 5%. ONGC, Infosys Technologies, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Jaiprakash Associates, Sterlite Industries and Reliance Industries also ended weak. NTPC and Tata Power declined marginally.
Unitech zoomed 25.2% after the company mobilised over Rs 1600 crore through a qualified institutional placement of shares. Axis Bank, Reliance Capital and ABB ended higher by 12.9%, 11.9% and 11.4% respectively. Punjab National Bank, HCL Technologies, Siemens, Hero Honda and Ambuja Cements also closed on a firm note last week. Nalco, Cairn India, Tata Communications, GAIL India, SAIL, Reliance Power and Idea Cellular ended weak.
Tech Mahindra, the IT arm of auto major Mahindra and Mahindra, won the bid for Satyam Computer. The government nominated Satyam Board chose Tech Mahindra as the successful bidder following its bid of Rs 1,757 crore for 31 per cent stake in the scam-tainted IT giant. Tech Mahindra offered Rs 58 for each Satyam share.
Source: sify.com
Reliance Industries Q4 net profit dips 9.3%
Mumbai:
Corporate giant Reliance Industries posted a 9.3 per cent dip in its fourth-quarter net profit, while the turnover dropped about 25 per cent primarily due to lower revenues from oil and gas as well as the refining and marketing businesses.
The results were, however, better than the market expectations, as reflected in the share price surge earlier during the day when the RIL stock rose 2.7 per cent to Rs 1762.35 a share, analysts said.
RIL said that its net profit fell to Rs 3,546 crore in the quarter ended March 31, from Rs 3,912 crore a year ago.
Net profit for the year registered an even sharper fall of 21.5 per cent at Rs 15,279 crore from Rs 19,458 crore a year ago, but the turnover for the fiscal ended March 31 rose 8.3 per cent due to higher exports and revenue gains in oil and gas as also the refining and marketing businesses.
source: www.indianexpress.com
Narayana Murthy on the coalition govt he would prefer
Narayana Murthy on the coalition govt he would prefer
April 23, 2009
He is now also the author of A Better India, A Better World (Penguin/Allen Lane). His first book was released by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, April 20.
The book is a collection of 38 of his speeches encompassing issues ranging from entrepreneurship, education, economic reforms, corporate governance, social responsibility, globalisation to ethical values and policies that can help bridge the divide between the rich and the poor.
In a three-part interview with Editor (News & Business) Shishir Bhate, Narayana Murthy spoke about coalition politics, economy, education, entrepreneurship and a lot more.
Excerpts...
Image: Narayana Murthy with his just released book. | Photograph: Rajesh Karkera
Source: rediff.com
All's fair in love and cricket: Shilpa Shetty
All's fair in love and cricket: Shilpa Shetty
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty whose co-ownedIndian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals faces her friend and superstar Shah Rukh Khan's team Knight Riders in Cape Town Thursday, says "all's fair in love and cricket" despite it being a "difficult" match emotionally.
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"We play on the 23rd in Cape Town against the Knight Riders, that will be a difficult one, not the match but the emotion... it's terrible to play against a friend's (Shah Rukh Khan) team but all's fair in love and cricket, I guess," Shilpa posted on her blog on Wednesday from South Africa.
"Hope we have luck on our side this time... I've realized winning in this format (Twenty20) of the game has a lot to do with luck as well," she added.
Source: sports.in.msn.com
Yuki flawless in victory over fourth-seeded Japanese
New Delhi: Indian wildcard Yuki Bhambri beatJapanese Hiroki Moriya for the third successive time in two years, outclassing the fourth-seed 6-2, 6-2, to enter the quarter-finals of the $15,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) men's Futures at the DLTA complex here on Wednesday.
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The junior Australian Open champion had beaten Moriya at the 2007 Asia-Oceania championship and in the prestigious Osaka Mayor Cup final last year.
The 16-year-old Indian played near flawless tennis, serving sharp, hitting his forehand fluently and moving fluidly on court. With the Delhi youngster in such form there was hardly anything that the Japanese could have done.
To make matters worse, Moriya committed quite a few unforced errors to lose his serve in the third and fifth games of the first set. He could have lost the set in the seventh game itself but for his saving three set-points to hold serve. Yuki then served out the set to love.
Things didn't get any better for Moriya in the second set as he dropped serve twice more, in the third and the fifth game, to close the match in 57 minutes.
Yuki, fresh from his stint at Florida with the Nick Bollettieri Academy, however, said he didn't expect the win to be so easy.
"I was expecting a tough fight. Moriya is someone who is a rhythm player, slugging it out from the baseline. But I did not allow him to settle," said Yuki, who rushed after the match to take his Class X exam from the open school.
"I have been serving well and that takes a lot of pressure off me. Now I don't get flustered even if I am a couple of points down as I know I can always bank on my serve. I have also tried to develop my forehand as a weapon. I am consciously going for my shots as on a hard court you cannot go for long rallies."
Yuki next plays eighth-seeded Rohan Gajjar, who rallied to beat national champion Ranjeeth Virali-Murugesan 4-6,6-3,6-2 in another pre-quarter-final clash.
"I have a good chance in the tournament. I expect a tough match tomorrow against Rohan. With the second seed out, the draw is open. If I can pull it off against Rohan, then I can have a shot at the title," Yuki said.
In another pre-quarter-final match, Vishnu Vardhan showed the door to Vivek Shokeen with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Meanwhile, it was curtains for Purav Raja, who went down 2-6, 4-6, to American Adam El Mithdawy and, Vijay Kannan, who stretched seventh seed Sean Thornley of England to three sets before losing 3-6, 6-3, 4-6.
Pakistan lodges protest
Pakistan lodges protestDUBAI - PAKISTAN has lodged a protest with cricket's governing body over the shifting of World Cup 2011 matches due to be staged in the country to other nations, an official said on Wednesday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) last week stripped Pakistan of 14 matches it was scheduled to host, citing the 'uncertain security situation' in the troubled country. The fixtures will go ahead in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said a delegate of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged the protest on the sidelines of ICC meeting here on Tuesday.
'We have registered our protest during the ICC meeting and our stance was that all four co-hosts of the World Cup were not treated equally by the ICC and they should have waited for six months before taking this decision,' Saeed told AFP.
The ICC had cast serious doubts over Pakistan's chances of hosting World Cup matches after last month's terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, which left seven players and their asistant coach injured and eight policemen dead. Sri Lanka were forced to abandon the tour mid-way through the second Test.
Even before the Lahore attacks, several national sides refused to tour the country, where the army has been fighting an increasingly trenchant insurgency by Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda.
But Saeed raised questions about the security situation in its neighbouring countries.
'India shifted their cricket league to South Africa over security fears,' he said of the Indian Premier League's move which followed New Delhi's refused to provide security due to the event overlapping with the general elections.
'We could not tour Bangladesh because there were security fears in March,' said Saeed, referring to a postponement over February's mutiny at a military camp there that left 56 officers dead.
'The situation in Sri Lanka was not good either, so from the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt (to) our director general Javed Miandad, everyone has said that ICC must reconsider the decision,' said Saeed. -- AFP
(Source: www.straitstimes.com )
Chris Gayle leads Kolkata to win over Punjab
Chris Gayle leads Kolkata to win over PunjabMan-of-the-match Chris Gayle hit a swashbuckling 44 not out to take Kolkata to 79-1 before rain stopped play in the ninth over.
The West Indies skipper smacked two fours and six sixes, although he had an early reprieve when he was dropped by Vikram Singh in the second over.
Gayle and Brendon McCullum (21 off 16 balls) shared a first wicket stand of 57, with McCullum hitting a four and two sixes before edging a Vikramjeet Malik delivery to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara in the fifth over.
"It's very unfortunate and disappointing to lose in this fashion," said Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh. "Duckworth Lewis, a dropped catch, just not our day."
Punjab has lost its first two games and lies second from bottom of the IPL table.
"Its nice to get a result at last," Kolkata captain Brendon McCullum said. "I hope we take off from there and start to pick up points."
Singh, Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene had earlier helped steer Punjab to 158-6.
Singh scored 38 off 27 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Together with Kumar Sangakkara (26 off 24 balls), he guided Punjab from 3-48 to 4-104. Pathan then struck 32 off 17 balls and Jayawardene an unbeaten 31, hitting three fours and a six, to add a final flourish to the innings.
Sourav Ganguly was the pick of the Kolkata bowlers, taking two early wickets to put the breaks on the Punjab innings. The former India captain had Pathan caught at mid-off by Murali Kartik and then next ball Ravi Bopara (15) nicked a slower delivery to wicketkeeper McCullum.
Aashok Dinda and Ishant Sharma took one wicket apiece.
The match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain at Kingsmead. Both teams get one point.
(Source: www.telegraph.co.uk)
Kevin Pietersen outshined as Adam Gilchrist glistens
Kevin Pietersen outshined as Adam Gilchrist glistensYesterday they received similar treatment from Adam Gilchrist, another Aussie golden oldie, as they went down by 24 runs in Cape Town.
For the second game running, Pietersen lost the toss - which is never a good idea when you are playing a day-night match. He then watched his bowlers feed Gilchrist's cut shot as the Deccan Chargers amassed 184 for six.
Both the highest scores in this year's IPL have been made against Bangalore.
In an underperforming attack, Pietersen is emerging as one of the more effective options: he had figures of 4-0-31-2 yesterday, which included the wicket of Gilchrist for 71.
Former Australia international Gilchrist belted five sixes in his innings of 71 from 45 balls for Deccan. Right hander Rohit Sharma equalled that in his 52 from just 30 deliveries against a largely hapless Bangalore bowling attack.
Pieteren's batting was less successful: coming to find the required run-rate already at 10 per over, he scratched around for 11 off 15 balls before being comfortably stumped off Pragyan Ojha.
South African Jacques Kallis (15) briefly flourished before being caught at cover and stumped respectively.
(Source: www.telegraph.co.uk)
AB de Villers century powers Delhi to 189 for 5
"I was always confident"
Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag said he was confident of chasing down the original total against Kings XI Punjab.
According to Duckworth Lewis method Delhi Daredevils' target was revised from 105 in 12 overs to 54 of six overs and Sehwag (38) and Gautam Gambhir (15) played sensibly to score the runs in 4.5 overs to help his team beat Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets in the rain truncated match."I wasn't worried (about the score) because I expected them to score 120 runs and was prepared for that and with the sort of batting we have I was confident we can chase anything around 120-130," Sehwag said.
"We were chasing 100 something runs and I told Gautam to play complete 12 overs and I can go after the bowling and we can build on a partnership and that is exactly what Gautam did," he added.
Sehwag hoped to keep the momentum going and play in the finals next month.
"Yes we are hoping (to play in finals). If we can play the same kind of cricket we can play the finals," he said.
Kings XI Punjab's skipper Yuvraj Singh said they lost the momentum after initial start and felt the Duckworth Lewis put the rivals in an advantageous position.
"We had a good momentum going but after seven overs we lost a few wickets and lost the momentum and thus the game turned. "Duckworth Lewis comes handy for the team batting second. It is always advantageous to the chasing team but we can't do much about that. We are happy with the start, off course we can take some positive out of it and we have enough games coming up, so looking forward to that," he said.
Asked as when Brett Lee can be expected to play, Yuvraj said, "He (Brett Lee) is very close to playing actually. I mean, as soon as he is 100 per cent fit, he is gonna come and play for us." Meanwhile, Man of the match Daniel Vettori, who scalped three wickets for 15 runs for the Daredevils, said spinners will play a very crucial role in this IPL as they have adapted to the conditions better than anybody else.
"I didn't see (Anil) Kumble bowl but I saw (Shane) Warne bowling, the wicket looks very good and I think the spinners would play a huge role," Vettori said.
"Spinners adapted themselves really quick, more than anybody else, and they realised what their strengths are. We have played in small ground and generally the wickets are good for batting and the spinners have done a good job," he added
(Source: www.espnstar.com)
25 per cent voting in six hours in Maharashtra
25 per cent voting in six hours in MaharashtraMumbai, April 23 (IANS) Nearly 25 percent of the electorate had cast their votes by 1 p.m. Thursday as polling proceeded peacefully in 25 parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra, an election official said.
“The average voting was 14.4 percent till 11 a.m. and a little above 25 percent by 1 p.m. There have been no reports of any untoward incident from any part of the state during polling,” said the official.
Around 37.7 million (3.77 crore) voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect 25 MPs from 372 candidates, including 20 women.
This morning, central ministers Sharad Pawar, A.R. Antulay and Sushilkumar Shinde cast their votes in Baramati, Raigad and Solapur respectively.
Pawar is contesting from Madha constituency, around 120 km from his stronghold Baramati, where his daughter Supriya Sule is testing her electoral fate.
Among the major parties, the Congress is pitted directly against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in six constituencies and against the Shiv Sena in three.
Recently, the BJP withdrew Deepak Shinde, its official nominee from Sangli. It is now supporting a rebel Congressman, Ajit Ghorpade, who is a legislator from Kavathe-Mahankal.
The Congress’s ally the NCP will contest against the BJP and Shiv Sena in seven constituencies each.
The NCP’s Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, is contesting from Nashik.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has put up candidates in all the 25 constituencies, while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has put up candidates in Jalna and Pune.
In coastal Konkan region’s Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency, State Industries minister Narayan Rane’s son Nilesh Rane, contesting on a Congress ticket, will attempt to break the stranglehold of veteran Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu.
The constituencies where polling was underway Thursday are Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Dindori, Nashik, Raigad, Maval, Pune, Baramati, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur, Hatknangle and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
(Source: www.sindhtoday.net)India news, india politics news
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| √ | Obama welcomes healthcare pledge |
23/04/2009
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| √ | Four poll officials die in Madhya Pradesh |
| √ | Congress faces tough contest.. |
| √ | 25 per cent voting in six hours in Maharashtra |
Congress faces tough contest in seven segments
Congress faces tough contest in seven segments
ONGOLE: A day before the second phase of the elections in the Prakasam district, though the odds appear in favour of the Congress, the Telugu Desam may just about manage to edge out the Congress.
On the other hand candidates of both the parties are getting nightmares in two constituencies due to the PRP.All the parties are out to woo the women voters who form the largest chunk of voters and are the deciding factor. Of the two constituencies bordering Guntur district - Yerragondapalem and Darsi - the TDP appears strong in Yerragondlapalem. In this constituency which is home to migrant workers, there is a strong caste factor in favour of the TDP in four mandals - Yerragondapalem, Pullalacheruvu, Tripurantakam and the Pedaravidu.Further, the Congress appears to have lost its Yadava vote to the PRP and a section of Madigas appear to favour TDP. To add to the woes of the Congress, its candidate Adimalapu Suresh is a non-local and making his debut into politics. In Darsi constituency, PRP candidate is very rich and there are chances that he will use his money clout. The TDP is banking on its traditional Kamma vote base. Congress MLA here has not done much for the development of the constituency and his son, Congress candidate, Buchepalli Sivaprasada Reddy has not developed a rapport with the locals.Among Parchur, Addanki and Chirala constituencies, the Congress seems to have an edge in Addanki following B Ch Garataiah quitting TDP and joining Congress. He quit after TDP nominated Karanam Balarama from the constituency.Further, Gottipati Ravi Kumar is favoured over Balaram for his good behaviour.The PRP is unlikely to have any affect here.In Chirala, the TDP seems to have a clear advantage with the public opinion strongly against the VANPIC, which falls in the constituency.Anti-incumbency might see the defeat of Daggubati Venkateswara Rao in Parchur constituency. However, there are chances that he might still win due to the internal differences within the TDP ranks here and he getting the support of D Rama Naidu.The Congress appears to have the edge in Ongole, SN Padu (Santanutalapadu) and the Kandukur constituencies.In SN Padu constituency, famous for Chimakurthy granite mines, the future prospects of the industry is likely to influence the outcome. Although the Congress has given the seat to a political novice and son of a former IAS officer, K Vijay Kumar, the electorate seems to be heavily loaded in his favour, thanks to both the Kamma and Reddy communities thinking of supporting the Congress candidate over the Mahakutami candidate Jala Anjaiah of the CPM. Ongole MLA Balineni Srinivasulu Reddy also seems to be going strong in the constituency. But, the police harassment of the TDP and PRP leaders, reportedly at the behest of the MLA, are likely to mar his chances.Lack of development in Kondepi might turn the voter in favour of the TDP. Further, the presence of a rebel Congress candidate is likely to affect the chances of the party.In Markapur constituency, the money clout of the PRP candidate may turn the outcome in his favour.Though the Congress has fielded a novice Chandrasekhar Yadav from Giddalur, the ongoing Veligonda project may work in favour of the ruling party.However, lack of development in the constituency may tilt the balance in favour of the TDP.In Kanigiri, the Congress is bound to win in the absence of TDP candidate.The TDP nominee, Kadiri Babu Rao forgot to sign the nomination papers and his papers were rejected.On the whole, while the Congress is sure of win in one constituency, it appears to have an edge in four constituencies, while the TDP has an edge in three constituencies. The rest four constituencies will witness keen fights.(source: www.expressbuzz.com)
Four poll officials die in Madhya Pradesh
Four poll officials die in Madhya PradeshThe Election Commission on Thursday said that four officials on poll duty have died in Madhya Pradesh. Though the exact reason for the deaths are not known, the officials blamed the heat wave.
"While two employees died in Bhopal on Wednesday, one each died in Shahdol and Hoshangabad on Thursday," Additional Electoral Officer Sanjay Pandey said in Bhopal.
"Though the exact reason behind the deaths is not known, heat stroke appears to have been the cause," he said.
(Source: www.hindustantimes.com)
India's prime minister in waiting?
India's prime minister in waiting?
It's a totally one-sided contest in Amethi, the constituency in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting the parliamentary elections.
When Mr Gandhi started in politics in 2004, he beat his nearest rival by nearly 200,000 votes. This time, his supporters say they will ensure his victory margin is doubled.
Mr Gandhi, 38, has impeccable political lineage - he is the fourth generation of India's famous Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
The Gandhi family is imbued with star quality - wherever they go, huge crowds mob them.
Political loyalty
Support for the Gandhi family in Amethi is absolute and most people here don't even know the names of other candidates.
 |   Amethi is the place which is going to give India its prime minister this time  Engineering student Vipul Mishra  |
"I've voted for the "panja" (the hand - Congress Party's election symbol). Rahul Gandhi is from this region, he is our man," is the common refrain among voters queuing up to cast their ballots on Thursday, the second of the long drawn-out five-phase elections.
Political loyalty runs deep in Amethi.
Usman Khan, 75, was at the polling booth soon after 0700 local time. "I'm old and infirm, my eyesight and knees are weak so I thought I would come and vote early before it gets crowded."
Mr Khan said that he had voted for Congress.
"When Rahul's father (the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) was MP here, he built a network of irrigation canals in the area. Thanks to him we can grow different kinds of crops."
Similar sentiments are expressed everywhere.
"We have seven voters in our family and we all always vote for the Congress Party," says housewife Chandravati Singh.
Shopkeeper Sushil Jaiswal says that Rajiv Gandhi "did a lot" for the people of Amethi.
"But after his death, the place fell into neglect. Then in 2004 Rahul Gandhi became our MP and he's also improved this place."
A small crowd gathers outside Mr Jaiswal's shop and people begin to list the good work done by the MP in the last five years.
Large numbers
"The road network in the region is fantastic with almost every village connected by proper roads. Amethi's railway station has been spruced up and several new trains have begun to stop at the station," Mr Jaiswal said.
"Mr Gandhi is focusing on education and has opened many computer training institutes in Amethi."
|  We live because of the Gandhi family Congress supporter Usman Khan |
Congress supporters say that the only major problem in Amethi is electricity supply, which usually lasts for only 10 hours a day. But most believe Mr Gandhi will soon address this problem too.
Almost everyone here believes that it will be sooner, rather than later, that Mr Gandhi will be the prime minister. And defying the harsh sun and high temperatures, they have come out in large numbers to vote.
"We support Rahul Gandhi for prime minister because he is young," said Vipul Mishra, a 22-year-old engineering student.
In India, politics is largely dominated by leaders in their 70s and 80s.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is 76 while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani is 81.
Mr Gandhi - at 39 - is seen as a refreshing change by his supporters.
"Rahul Gandhi is young and he thinks like a young man," Mr Mishra said.
"He is patient and hears us out. He's the only one who is thinking about the youth."
He added: "I have great expectations from this election. Amethi is the place which is going to give India its prime minister this time."
Mainstream
The Congress Party has repeatedly said that its prime ministerial candidate is Manmohan Singh - while the Gandhi scion himself has kept quiet on the issue.
 Long queues of people in Amethi are expected to vote for Mr Gandhi |
But it is no secret in India's political circles that the young Gandhi is being groomed to run the country one day in the future.
Since the 2004 elections when Mr Gandhi took tentative steps into politics, he has now left the periphery of political life and moved into the mainstream.
In September 2007 he was appointed a party general secretary and has been looking after its youth wing.
But his seemingly inexorable rise has not gone without some criticism. His detractors accuse him of being inarticulate and lacking in charisma. They argue that he has yet to prove that he is ready for a larger role.
Supporters say that he has emerged as his party's most sought-after campaigner in these elections and has addressed several campaign rallies outside of Amethi.
Senior Lucknow-based journalist Sharat Pradhan said: "He comes to Amethi once every two months. He has done quite a bit of work here. He has worked for women's empowerment [and] the rural employment guarantee scheme here is a success because he personally monitors it.
"But he doesn't need to spend all his time in Amethi. His name would get him all the votes. He needs to step out, strike a rapport with people in the rest of the country."
Majority unlikely
However, Congress is believed to have its own reasons for not naming Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate.
The party is unlikely to get a majority on its own and does not want to put the young leader at the mercy of bickering and mercurial alliance partners.
In the unlikely scenario that the party does win a majority on its own, Rahul Gandhi may well find himself wearing the crown.
He would then become the fourth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to be prime minister.
As the great-grandson of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the grandson of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the son of Rajiv Gandhi, no-one doubts that he has the right pedigree for the top job.
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