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BREAKING NEWS
Suspect A-I passenger to be freed soon
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents confirmed that a passenger on Air India flight 101, who was detained for questioning at New York's John F Kennedy Airport, is not a suspect, nor wanted on any grounds.

GUJARAT UNDER SIEGE
30 persons burnt alive in Ahmedabad
Another 20 persons were killed in separate incidents across Gujarat as an indefinite curfew was clamped in 26 places and the government said it would invoke POTO to deal with the Godhra killers.

RSS agrees to mediate between govt, VHP
'We will speak to VHP leaders. Vajpayee will also speak to them. Our effort would be to maintain law and order across the country,' RSS leader Madan Das Devi said.

Rajnath orders Ayodhya cleared of karsevaks
The chief minister took a firm stand following the failure of his talks with Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans to tone down the VHP's rhetoric.

VHP to abide by court verdict, if given early
The outfit's secretary Purushottam Narain Singh, however, said that the transportation of carved stones from karsewakpuram to the temple site would start on March 15.

Oppn, allies seek stern action in Gujarat, Ayodhya
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav demanded that disturbed areas in Gujarat be handed over to the army.

Paramilitary forces in Gujarat; army on standby
Defence Minister George Fernandes, BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy and former party president Kushabhau Thakre will proceed to Gujarat on Friday to take stock of the situation.

Army begins reconnaissance missions in Ahmedabad
It is expected to conduct flag marches from early Friday.

Mob sets fire to Wakf board office in Gujarat secretariat
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his minister were holding a meeting in another part of the secretariat when a rampaging mob set fire to the Wakf office.

Godhra killings have fuelled our resolve: Togadia
`Nothing can stop us from going ahead with our plans to march in a procession together with the carved columns exactly 15 days from now,' the VHP international secretary general insisted.

Angry Gujarat ministers in a combative mood
While Home Minister Gordhanbhai Zadaphia likened the Sabarmati Express incident to the American center attack, Health Minister Ashok Bhatt pointed to Godhra's dubious record of communal disturbances.

Judicial inquiry ordered into Sabarmati Express attack
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ordered the probe under the Commission of Inquiry Act.

Centre in touch with Gujarat govt: Advani
'There can be no two opinions. No word can be too strong to condemn this incident', the Union home minister told Lok Sabha.

Cong decries collapse of law and order in Gujarat
Party spokesman Jaipal Reddy refuted the BJP's `irresponsible' charge that the Congress had failed to denounce the violence.

Victims' bodies brought to Ahmedabad
VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore visited the Sola civil hospital on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

Lives could have been saved at Godhra: Witness
Travelling ticket examiner Sajjanlal Raniwal said that an armed Railway Protection Force party fled when they were pelted with stones by miscreants.

BJP blames Congress councillors for Godhra attack
Spokesman V K Malhotra said the Congress, instead of demanding action against the killers, was demanding a ban on the VHP.

Curfew in Ahmedabad
Violence erupted in the city during the VHP-sponsored Gujarat bandh called to protest Wednesday's attack on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra.

Sporadic violence in Godhra, 66 held
Unruly mobs set fire to shops and motor garages in Godhra, Lunawara, Limkheda, Kalol and Vaijapur.

Police close to solving Sabarmati Express case
The police have arrested four people, and are searching for a municipal corporator, who allegedly led the rampaging mob which attacked the Sabarmati Express train.

Gujarat assembly adjourned
Chief Minister Narendra Modi moved the resolution to adjourn the house, while leader of opposition Naresh Raval seconded it.

VHP CALLS FOR BANDH
VHP calls for countrywide bandh to protest Godhra killings
The outfit also sought a referendum on whether the government should hand over the undisputed land in Ayodhya to it.

Shiv Sena supports Maharashtra bandh
The bandh has been called by the VHP to protest against the attack on the Sabarmati Express in Godhra, Gujarat.

Maharashtra minority panel condemns Godhra attack
The Maharashtra State Minority Commission said that the attack on the Sabarmati Express was aimed at triggering widespread communal disturbance all over India.

Maharashtra gears up for VHP protest
The BJP has also supported the VHP's bandh call to protest against the violence in Gujarat.

AYODHYA ISSUE
VHP leaders may be arrested: Swami
The government proposed to take this step if the VHP failed to call off the Ram mandir agitation in view of the grave situation prevailing in Gujarat.

Naidu urges the PM to stop karsevaks
About 300 karsevaks who were proceeding to Ayodhya were detained at Secunderabad railway station.

POST-POLL SCENARIO
Uttar Pradesh
Shastri to decide on government in 5 days
The Uttar Pradesh governor said he had asked Mulayam Singh to submit a list of MLAs supporting him.

Mayawati elected BSP Legislature Party leader
All the 98 party MLAs were present at the time of the election. They were brought to the venue -- the Indian Social Institute in New Delhi -- amid tight security.

Mayawati guards her flock
In 1996, as many as 19 of the BSP MLAs were weaned away by Rajnath Singh, who was then state BJP president and was working towards cobbling up a majority for Kalyan Singh.

Punjab
Akalis raking up communal issues: Punjab CM
Amarinder Singh made these remarks when his attention was drawn to the SGPC's decision to raise a memorial to commemorate Operation Bluestar

Manipur
SPF strength rises to 35 in Manipur assembly
Congress nominee Chaltonlien and MSCP candidate T Baite were declared elected from Tipaimukh and Singhat assembly constituencies respectively.

Uttaranchal
Uttaranchal: Cong leaders resign; swearing in deferred
At least 16 newly elected Members of Legislative Assembly led by Hira Singh Bisht, a legislator from Rajpur, met Sonia Gandhi asking her to reconsider the decision to nominate Tiwari as the chief minister.

Rawat makes his peace with Tiwari
Though crestfallen, the Uttaranchal Congress chief said he was wholeheartedly with Sonia Gandhi's decision to appoint the veteran.

OTHER REPORTS
Grammy for Pandit Ravi Shankar
The renowned sitar player got the award for his album Full Circle/Carnegie Hall 2000.

Court issues notice to Vikas Yadav's father
The Delhi high court also ordered the Delhi Police to provide security to Neelam Katara, whose son has been allegedly killed by Yadav, and her immediate family.

Maharashtra HSC,SSC exams postponed
The state education board took this decision in view of the Maharashtra bandh called by the VHP in protest against the Sabarmati Express incident.

Jaya withdraws petition challenging governor's power
Jayalalithaa had filed a petition challenging then Tamil Nadu governor M Chenna Reddy's decision to grant sanction for her prosecution, when she was the chief minister, in two corruption cases.

No going back on CNG as fuel for Delhi transport: SC
The Supreme also criticised the Mashelkar report on auto fuel policy.

Forensic expert Pritam Phatnani is dead
With his passion for forensic pathology and legal medicine, Phatnani was much sought after for his legal expertise by medical researchers as well as senior police officers.

Subhas Ghising's attacker killed in encounter
Kumar Thapa, who had tried to murder the Gorkha National Liberation Front president, was killed in an encounter with police in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

Opposition parties plan to challenge Goa governor's decision
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar, however, has welcomed the opposition move, claiming that it will put all wrong interpretations to rest.

Punjab CM lauds police for fighting militancy
Amarinder Singh said the previous government did not lend `due support' to the officials who did a `great service'.

COLUMNS
State budgets need equal focus
'While the states have proposed a number of measures to expedite fiscal consolidation, their success will depend upon the political will of the government concerned,' says Arvind Lavakare.

Why the BJP needs a Laxman
'The BJP has lost the first Test -- the assembly polls. It is in the middle of the second Test -- the Budget session. Will it come out fighting for reform or retreat again? Remember that there is a third Test -- the fourteenth general election,' says T V R Shenoy.

February 27, 2002

TOP STORIES
59 killed in attack on Sabarmati Express
Following the incident, large-scale violence and stabbings were reported from Godhra town, Ahmedabad and Baroda.

Keep karsevaks out of Ayodhya: Govt to UP
The Union home ministry has also banned the movement of stone pillars and other construction material by the VHP.

Vajpayee cancels Australia visit
The prime minister was concerned about the VHP's threat to go ahead with temple construction in Ayodhya and the attack on the Sabarmati Express.

ATTACK ON SABARMATI EXPRESS
Police makes thirty-five arrests
Two companies of the Rapid Action Force and one company of the State Reserve Police have been deployed at Godhra to guard against further outbreak of violence.

We will not remain silent spectators: VHP
The organisation insisted that it would not change its plan to construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

Attack was premeditated: BJP
'No words are strong enough to condemn this mass killing,' party president Jana Krishnamurthy said.

Survivors stunned, speechless
Relatives of the dead cried inconsolably and those of the injured threw themselves in embrace when their dazed kin got off the train in Ahmedabad.

VHP calls for bandh in Maharashtra, Rajasthan
At least 15,000 Ram sevaks are to leave from Maharashtra for the purna-ahuti yagna at Ayodhya in the first week of March.

RAM TEMPLE ISSUE
Govt won't hesitate to take action: Advani
Referring to the VHP's ultimate over the Ayodhya issue, the home minister said that the outfit had embarked on a course of action fraught with danger.

VHP rejects appeal to postpone stir
'Let them (the prime minister and the government) now appeal to the religious leaders', VHP leader Giriraj Kishore said.

Sangh leaders meet prime minister
Vajpayee asked them to postpone the ongoing movement in Ayodhya in view of the 'tense situation' prevailing in Gujarat following the attack on the Sabarmati Express.

Congress wants PM to take firm stand
'The intentions of the VHP are clear and they will go to any extent to unlawfully build the temple after March 15,' party spokesman Jaipal Reddy said.

UP govt fears terrorist attack in Ayodhya
'We have received reports about possible attacks by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba on the devotees who are thronging to Ayodhya,' Principal Secretary (Home) Naresh Dayal said.

Situation under control: UP officials
Principal Secretary (Home) Naresh Dayal and DGP R K Pandit visited the town and sent a report to the Centre before Prime Minister Vajpayee's all-party meeting on Tuesday.

VHP announces muhurat for shifting pillars
The temple construction would begin in an amicable atmosphere, VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore said.

Thackeray slams PM's appeal to defer movement
The Shiv Sena leader said it was surprising that someone could even dare to ask for the temple movement to be stopped.

POST POLL SCENARIO

Uttar Pradesh
Mulayam stakes claim to form govt
The Samajwadi Party leader met Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and staked his claim.

Governor to take his own time on Mulayam's claim
`It would have been better if he had submitted a list, but never mind, I will examine it and take a decision within the parameters of established democratic norms,' Vishnukant Shastri said.

Issue directive to UP governor: Opposition requests President
They want the governor to invite the Samajwadi Party to form the government in UP.

Mulayam trying to buy support: MP
Rashid Alvi of the Bahujan Samaj Party said the Samajwadi Party leader had the backing of a prominent business house in his attempt to become chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the third time.

Uttaranchal
N D Tiwari to be chief minister
He was chosen by party president Sonia Gandhi to head the Congress Legislature Party in the state.

All but Rawat welcome Tiwari's appointment
The senior Congress politician said he would take the oath of office in the next two or three days and form his Cabinet in consultation with the high command.

Rawat's supporters protest against Tiwari
The workers put up roadblocks in front of the Congress headquarters in Dehradun and burnt effigies of the chief minister-designate.

Punjab
Amarinder Singh sworn in chief minister
The 60-year-old Congress leader is the 21st chief minister of the state since independence.

Manipur
Ibobi Singh new CLP leader
The Congress-led four-party Secular Progressive Front, with 33 MLAs in the 60-member House, is now set to form the government in the state.

SPF stakes claim to form government
The four-party group is likely to be invited after the declaration of results in Singha and Tipaimukh constituencies on Thursday, sources said.

Jammu Bypoll
National Conference declared winner
The EC went into the records after various opposition parties, including the Congress and the BJP, complained of electoral malpractices.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
Pakistani airman guns down six colleagues
The incident took place after a fight broke out between a group of airmen playing a board game.

US military plane shot at in Pakistan
Police launched an investigation and has detained two people on suspicion.

Nepalese security forces kill 28 Maoists
They also recovered bombs and weapons, which were used during the attacks in Achham district recently.

DEFENCE REPORTS
Navy to test India's first cruise missile
Trials of the missile developed in a joint venture with Russia are to be conducted from a Rajput-class destroyer in June or July.

Lt Gen Arjun Ray seeks retirement
He is the commander of the crucial 14 Corps guarding the Kargil, Siachen and Sino-Indian borders.

HAMID KARZAI'S VISIT
Afghanistan to eliminate radicalism: Karzai
Stomping out the menace is important for peace in the region, the Afghan leader said.

'India can help bring peace in Afghanistan'
Karzai said India, which has a major industrial base, could also provide technological assistance to his country.

REPORTS FROM STATES
Goa assembly dissolved
The BJP government may have suggested dissolution to pre-empt the plans of some disgruntled elements within the party to split and form an alternate government with the Congress.

Jaya, Karunanidhi patch up
The Tamil Nadu chief minister said she would offer issue-based support to the Centre.

Top Hizb militants gunned down in Kashmir
They were identified as Mohammad Maqbool Rather alias Jehangir and 'battalion commander' Fayaz Ahmed.

Twenty-four MCC activists surrender in Bihar
The government has announced a rehabilitation package that gives compensation to those Maoists surrendering to the police.

OTHER REPORTS
Govt drops proposal for federal probe agency
It, however, extended the purview of the Maharashtra Control or Organised Crime Act to Delhi.

Biennial elections for RS seats on March 27
Fifty-nine members of the Upper House will retire by May 26.

CRPF personnel awarded
The awards are in recognition of their gallant action while repulsing the terrorist attack on Parliament on December 13 last year.

February 26, 2002

TOP REPORT
Pak link in both Parliament attack and Mumbai blasts
The hand-grenades used in the Parliament attack and some of those seized in Mumbai in 1993, before they could be used, have a common origin - an ordnance factory in Pakistan.

Pakistan wants to discuss extradition treaty with India
A treaty could be negotiated between India and Pakistan under which neither would provide refuge to criminals from each other's country, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said.

Pak hints at extraditing Sheikh Omar: PTI
Pakistan denied that Pearl's murder was a manifestation of the severe reaction to President Pervez Musharraf's decision to ban militants and extremists and align with the US in its fight against terrorism.

TEMPLE CONTROVERSY
No temple without court verdict: Vajpayee
The prime minister as well as Home Minister L K Advani promised an all-party meeting that the government would see to it that the status quo is maintained at the disputed site.

VHP to go ahead with temple 'at all costs'
Giriraj Kishore, the VHP's senior vice-president, said Prime Minister Vajpayee had given an assurance on maintaining the status quo `only to become popular'.

Ayodhya issue rocks Parliament
The opposition wanted the prime minister to apprise Parliament of the actual position in Ayodhya in the backdrop of the VHP's threat to start the process of temple construction from March 15.

Devotees throng Ayodhya to attend VHP yagna
The yagna is described as a prelude to the commencement of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site where the Babri mosque once stood.

Centre, VHP head for confrontation on Ayodhya
But a section of the BJP strongly feels that the Samajwadi Party should be allowed to form the government in Uttar Pradesh and face the fallout of the VHP's deadline.

NEW ASSEMBLIES
Mulayam to stake his claim on Wednesday
The Samajwadi Party president, who was elected leader of the legislature wing, said he would prove his majority only on the floor of the assembly.

Apna Dal to support to secular govt in UP
'We will extend conditional and outside support,' party president Atiq Ahmad said.

Raja Bhaiya's fate hangs in the balance
Counting in his stronghold - Kunda and adjoining Bihar assembly constituencies in eastern Uttar Pradesh - has been suspended.

Amarinder to be sworn in as Punjab CM on Wednesday
Amarinder Singh was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party by party MLAs.

Cong cobbles together a coalition in Manipur
Along with the CPI, NCP and the MSCP, it has 31 MLAs in the 60-member House.

Rawat strong contender for Uttaranchal CM's post
All India Congress Committee general secretaries Gulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni on Tuesday submitted their report to the party high command in New Delhi.

Candidates with criminal background fail in Uttaranchal
Only former state transport minister Tilak Raj Behad, with 11 cases against him, won from the Rudrapur constituency in Udhamsingh Nagar district on a Congress ticket.

Elections 2002: Complete Coverage

PEARL MURDER CASE
US wants Pearl murder suspects extradited
However, it is moving cautiously as Pakistan had earlier said that terrorist suspects would not be extradited and would be dealt with by the country's judicial system.

Cops probing Pearl's murder get death threats
The first call was made the day before Pearl's kidnappers handed over a video cassette in which the journalist was shown beheaded.

OTHER REPORTS
Murder charges added to FIR against Vikas Yadav
This followed Ghaziabad police's confirmation that the charred and disfigured body found in Bulandshahar area was that of Nitish Katara.

BJP-TDP seize Hyderabad deputy mayor's post
The election was marred by controversy with the Congress and the MIM accusing officials of subverting the rules to allow ineligible MPs and MLAs to vote.

Gunmen open fire in Pakistani mosque, nine killed
Three gunmen drove to the mosque and sprayed bullets indiscriminately at a group of Shiite worshippers in Shah-Najam mosque in Pir Wadahi area, Rawapindi, reports said.

February 25, 2002

TOP STORIES
BJP rules out support to BSP in UP
BJP leaders and MPs are wary of joining hands with BSP leader Mayawati after having burnt their fingers badly on earlier occasions.

PM convenes all-party meet on Ayodhya issue
The meeting has been convened in the backdrop of the VHP's threat to start the process of Ram temple construction from March 15 at Ayodhya.

'BJP's UP defeat mandate against POTO'
Congress party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy made it clear that his would oppose any combination that would make an attempt to make a government in UP with the help of the BJP.

Jaya to be sworn in TN CM on Saturday
The swearing-in function will take place at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium.

National security is highest priority: President
K R Narayanan addressing a joint session of the Parliament said defence management reforms would be carried out to increase coordination among the three services and integration of military and civilian defence structures.

UP POST-ELECTION UPDATES
We overestimated our strength: Mahajan
'BSP has got the kind of voters who don't express their support publicly, but go to polling booths and vote for BSP', the Union telecommunications minister said.

Uttar Pradesh verdict a setback for Vajpayee
It is the first such significant political defeat that has hit the party since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power at the Centre in 1999.

Mayawati proves her mettle in UP
Her single-handed election campaign in Uttar Pradesh has pushed the Bahujan Samaj Party to 99 seats, 33 seats more than the 1996 tally.

Temple, allies fail to rescue BJP in UP
But by late evening, as news spread that consultations had begun in Delhi with a view to try to cobble together a BJP-BSP government, some life appeared to have returned to the party.

UP: SP bags 145 seats, BJP 107, BSP 97
Independents have bagged 26 seats, which would be crucial for any of the big three looking to form a government.

UTTARANCHAL POST-POLL UPDATES
Sonia to decide on chief minister
The front-runner for the post is state Congress chief Harish Rawat, though he did not contest the assembly poll.

Cong open on chief minister's issue
Significantly, state party unit president Harish Rawat, a front-runner for the top slot, is not an MLA.

Defeated candidate's wife commits suicide
Uttarakhand Kranti Dal president Diwakar Bhatt lost from the Devprayag seat in Tehri district.

PUNJAB POST-ELECTION UPDATES
Bhattal not to stake claim for CM's post
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, however, said, 'I will not accept any post of lower level'.

Badal elected SAD legislature party leader
Shiromani Akali Dal party general secretary Kanwaljit Singh said the focus would be to corner the Congress in the coming budget session of the assembly.

The pendulum swings again in Punjab
It is Kerala that has been talked of for its penchant to throw out the elected government every five years. Yet Punjab has, unnoticed, been doing pretty much the same thing.

BYPOLL UPDATES
Rigging alleged in Jammu bypoll; result withheld
The counting of votes was stopped after midnight on Sunday when candidates of the major parties and two independents walked out of the counting centres alleging rigging.

Cong may not be unhappy with Gowda's victory
Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna is happy to get rid of a troublesome opponent and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to have a staunch anti-BJP ally of his stature.

Khagen Das wins West Tripura LS seat
The CPI-M candidate defeated his nearest rival Manik Deb of the Congress by a margin of 1,48,814 votes.

MANIPUR ASSEMBLY POLLS
Manipur voters punish party-hoppers
At least 19 sitting MLAs, including three former chief ministers, have been defeated.

Rishang Keishing loses Phungyar seat
The longest-serving chief minister and senior Congress leader was defeated by Manipur State Congress Party nominee Wungnaoshang.

Ex Manipur assembly speaker defeated
Sapam Dhananjoy of Nationalist Congress Party was defeated by Manipur State Congress Party candidate Bijoy Koijam by a margin of over 1000 votes in the Thongju assembly constituency.

Elections 2002: Complete Coverage

OTHER REPORTS
Vikas Yadav in judicial custody till March 11
'We will be seeking a police remand from the court on Tuesday so that we can question the duo in connection with the case', Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police A K Raghav said.

PIO card scheme to be restructured
'The government plans to institute annual awards for PIOs from next year onwards and the fees for the PIO card will also be reduced, President Narayanan said.

Govt to make two-child norm a policy: Thakur
The Union minister for health and family welfare said the government was also introducing a bill in this session of the Parliament to amend the PNDT Act (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act).

Parliament adjourned for the day
'Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned after condoling the deaths of former members.

SPECIAL
Thus returns Jayalalithaa Jayaram
'Amma' -- Mother -- is how Jaya is referred to in Tamil Nadu. The DMK's posters showing Karunanidhi as 'Daddy' may have been an attempt at wry humour -- but for a party that took birth in the womb of Tamil pride, 'Daddy' was political poison,' says A Ganesh Nadar.

INTERVIEW
'US is already playing a mediatory role in J&K'
'Despite General Musharraf's putative fondness for Scotch whiskey, Pomeranians and faulty English syntax, I do not know that he has the necessary qualities of head and heart to tackle some of Pakistan's most enduring woes.' Professor Sumit Ganguly on the Indo-Pak standoff.

COLUMNS
The true verdict
'The politician needs to scrawl 'You suck!' in large letters on his bathroom mirror, so that he can see it first thing every morning. It will remind him of what the electorate thinks of him today,' says Prem Panicker.

Where is the outrage?
Why's there so much sympathy for Daniel Pearl and none at all for Yusuf Ganai and Ram Naik? Where is the outrage about our own countrymen being slaughtered every day by Pakistani terrorists? I don't get it!' says Varsha Bhosle.

February 24, 2002

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
UP: SP bags 124, BSP 82 and BJP 77 seats
The Congress has bagged 22 seats, while others have bagged 26 seats.

Congress gets majority in Uttaranchal
The ruling BJP could win only 19 seats, as the results of all the 70 seats were declared on Sunday evening.

Congress romps home in Punjab
The party has won 62 of the total 117 seats. The ruling SAD-BJP combine has won 45 seats, while nine seats have gone to others.

Stability is prime factor: UP governor
Vishnu Kant Shastri said he would only consider those parties who adopt legal means in rustling up the required 202 legislators to form the government.

Rajnath accepts defeat, resigns
He said because of the fractured verdict, the state would witness political instability 'for months'.

Punjab CM Badal submits resignation
Governor Lt Gen J F R Jacob accepted the resignation and asked Badal to continue in the post till the new government assumes charge

Uttaranchal CM Koshiyari resigns
Governor Surjit Singh Barnala asked him to continue till alternative arrangements were made.

Congress shines in bypolls too
The Congress won resounding victories in the Punjab and Uttaranchal assembly election.

Congress bags 11 of the 31 seats declared in Manipur
The FPM with seven seats was a close second, followed by the BJP and MSCP, which won three seats each in the 60-member house.

THE VICTORS
Jyotiraditya wins Guna by 4.5 lakh votes
Jyotiraditya's victory margin is one of the highest ever in the country's parliamentary history.

Jayalalithaa wins Andipatti
She defeated her nearest DMK rival Vaigai Sekhar by a margin of over 41,200 votes.

Modi bags Rajkot II seat
He defeated his nearest Congress rival Ashwin Mehta by a margin of more than 14,700 votes.

SP retains Mirzapur-Bhadohi LS seat
Phoolan Devi's younger sister Munni Devi, contesting on Rashtriya Kranti Party ticket, finished a poor fifth.

Amita Singh wins in Amethi
Amita Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party defeated her nearest rival Ashish Shukla (Congress) by a margin of 18765 votes.

THE VANQUISHED
Ex-Uttaranchal CM Nityanand Swami loses
State Sports Minister Narayan Singh Rana of the BJP lost to Jot Singh of the Congress from Mussoorie.

Nipamacha Singh loses to MSCP candidate
The former Manipur chief minister lost to Y Mani Singh, sources said.

Former Manipur CM defeated by state BJP chief
Meinam Bhorot defeated Radhabinod Koijam (Samata Party) by over 1000 votes.

Vikas Yadav defeated in Bisauli, UP
Vikas Yadav, an accused in the murder of a bureaucrat's son, Nitish Katara, lost in Bisauli assembly constituency in Budau district, Uttar Pradesh.

OTHER REPORTS
EC may rescind poll in Raja Bhaiya's fiefdoms
The Election Commission's observers filed a report pointing out that no other political party had been able to run a campaign in the constituencies of Kunda and Bihar.

Best-ever birthday gift for Jayalalithaa
It was her 54th birthday and the AIADMK leader had won the Andipatti bypoll by a record margin of 41,201 votes.

Elections 2002: Complete Coverage

February 23, 2002

WAITING FOR THE VERDICT
All set for counting of votes on Sunday
The results will decide the electoral fortunes of 2,500 candidates, including three chief ministers -- Rajnath Singh (UP), Prakash Singh Badal (Punjab) and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari (Uttaranchal).

Nobody is untouchable in UP: Rajnath
The UP chief minister met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday morning at the latter's residence to discuss the modalities of government formation in the state.

Another BJP minister, MP in the dock in kidnapping case
The police have named Rama Pati Shastri, Uttar Pradesh health minister, and Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, MP from Gonda, as suspects in the Sanjay Jhunjhunwala kidnapping case.

Elections 2002: Complete Coverage

ELECTION SPECIAL
'I will make my rival disappear'
O P Sharma, the Samajwadi Party candidate from the Govindpur assembly segment in Kanpur, has the audience spellbound with his magic tricks. Basharat Peer reports.

INTERVIEW
'No country should allow the distortion of its history'
Swadeshi doesn't mean that there should be no competition and your quality should be poor.' Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi holds forth on the elections, the economy and history.

REMEMBERING DANIEL PEARL
Pearl leaves lasting memories in Kerala too
The slain American journalist was a guest at a get-together at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club last year.

OTHER REPORTS
Pakistan warns US citizens of more attacks
All American missions and businesses should review their own security arrangements, a government official said.

Nepalese security forces kill 46 Maoists
The retaliation came at a day when a nationwide strike called by the rebels virtually closed down Kathmandu, the capital.

Fresh plague-like case reported, two still serious
Karamjit Kaur of Riond Khurd village on Punjab-Haryana border was admitted to PGIMER, Chandigarh, on Friday with symptoms similar to the killer disease.

Thackeray opposed to labour reforms
The National Democratic Alliance ally threatened to join hands with left wing trade unions in opposing the government decision to allow units employing up to 1,000 workers to retrench without permission.

UP verdict not to affect temple construction: Bajrang Dal
The outfit also asked the Muslim community to 'return' the three disputed shrines at Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.

NDA meet postponed to Tuesday
The meeting was to have discussed the strategy to be adopted for the Budget Session of Parliament.

MoD dismisses report of Laden hunt in J&K
The Ministry of Defence on Saturday described as rubbish a British newspaper report that American and British troops were in Jammu and Kashmir hunting for Al Qaeda militants, including Osama bin Laden.

Vikas Yadav, cousin arrested near Gwalior
The Yadav brothers were absconding ever since Katara, son of a senior bureaucrat, was reported missing from a marriage party where he danced with Bharati, Vikas's sister.

CBI files 36 cases after drive to unearth black money
CBI sources said the raids were carried out after prima facie evidence that some officials had entered into criminal conspiracy and indulged in corrupt practices.

SLIDE SHOWS
Writers' Bloc
Images from the Neemrana retreat during the international festival of Indian literature.

Week's Images
A literary meet, a defence exhibition, the elections and more.

February 22, 2002

TOP REPORTS
Pak launches manhunt for Pearl's killers
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said Pearl's killers had defamed Pakistan and Islam by their acts and vowed to `liquidate' terrorists from his country.

BJP keeping all options open in UP
Most exit polls had predicted the Samajwadi Party to emerge as the single-largest group, BJP as the second major group and BSP in the third place.

DANIEL PEARL DEAD
'Senseless' killing shocks family
Danny's senseless murder lies beyond our comprehension. Danny was a beloved son, a brother, an uncle, a husband and a father to a child who he will never know,' the statement said.

India condemns Daniel Pearl's murder
`His murder is a crime and an act of terror,' external affairs ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao said.

Pak police received video of Pearl's slaying
A government spokesman said the tape containing scenes of Pearl in captivity and scenes of his murder by the kidnappers was received on February 21 around 11:00 pm.

Pak launches manhunt for Pearl's killers
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said Pearl's killers had defamed Pakistan and Islam by their acts and vowed to `liquidate' terrorists from his country.

AWAITING THE VERDICT
Akalis confident of forming govt in Punjab
However, most TV channels have predicted that the Congress would form the next government in Punjab.

BJP may be in trouble in Allahabad
The perceived highhandedness of the party's candidates and their `non-performance' is a constant refrain one hears in Allahabad.

Gorakhpur voters seek solution to problem of floods
Upping the ante is Samajwadi Party candidate Pramod Singh Tekriwal, a Vaishya who is also president of the Gorakhpur Traders Association. He has promised an export processing zone.

Elections 2002: Complete Coverage

SLIDE SHOW
Week's Images
A literary meet, a defence exhibition, the elections and more.

J&K RELATED REPORTS
2 of three abducted persons freed: PTI
Nizamuddin and Sandeep Singh, who were used as guides by militants, were released after a brief encounter with security personnel.

2 suspected Jaish militants killed: PTI
An encounter broke out when BSF personnel laid a cordon around a village about 30 km from Srinagar on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road to flush out militants.

RAM TEMPLE CONTROVERSY
Hussain persuaded PM to begin talks
The civil aviation minister persuaded Vajpayee to summon Hindu and Muslim leaders in a bid to resolve the thorny issue.

Sonia calls for all-party meet
The issue must be left to the courts, the Congress president said in a letter to Prime Minister Vajpayee.

VHP threatens Centre over Ayodhya issue
VHP leader Ashok Singhal said the government must return the land acquired by it if it wanted to remain in power.

PTI REPORTS
Nationwide anti-corruption raids by CBI
Nearly 500 sleuths of various wings of the country's premier investigating agency swooped on the premises of government officials suspected of corruption in almost every part of the country.

Vikas, Vishal get three days to surrender
In an application moved before a Ghaziabad magistrate through their counsel, the accused in the Nitish Katara abduction case claimed to be ill.

COLUMNS
Big black beauties in my home
'Those of you too young to remember LPs, or records are welcome to come gawk at my collection sometime. Prior appointment recommended. Bring a stock of suitable awe,' says Dilip D'Souza.

'Election is a necessary evil in UP'
'The election in Uttar Pradesh has seen a complete breakdown of political discourse. It is not about politics. It about caste and caste alone,' says Chandan Mitra.

NEIGHBOURHOOD
Lanka approves truce agreement: PTI
However, the LTTE is not going to be happy with the navy's demand for the right to interdict suspicious vessels to prevent the LTTE from using the truce to smuggle in arms shipments.

32 cops killed in Maoist attack in Nepal
The incident occurred just hours after Nepal's parliament voted for a three-month extension to a state of emergency first imposed in November to combat a violent Maoist rebellion.

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