foulwolfearthquake-blog

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Aamby Valley to be handed over to receiver within 48 hours, orders SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Maharashtra police to hand over the possession of the luxury township Aamby Valley to the official liquidator of the Bombay High Court within 48 hours. A Bench of chief justice Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi and AK Sikri directed the liquidator to conduct the auction process afresh under the guidance of the companies judge in Mumbai and a judge of the Bombay High Court. The move came after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) filed a contempt petition saying the

Economy News India

Sahara group had obstructed the court-ordered auction process by writing to the Pune police to take over the premises on account of a lockout. The Rs 37,000-crore property was put up for auction last month by the apex court after the group failed to submit the sum due to Sebi in a seven-year-old case. In that case, two Sahara group firms Sahara Housing Invest and Sahara India Real Estate had raised over Rs 24,029 crore by issuing bonds to some 29.6 million investors. In 2012, the SC upheld a Sebi order holding this illegal and directing refund with interest. 

Though the group has deposited around two-thirds of the principal sum, the total due with interest has crossed Rs 40,000 crore according to Sebi estimates. Group chief Subrata Roy, who spent around two years in jail for failing to submit the dues, is currently out on parole. In a letter addressed to the Superintendent of Police Pune (Rural) with copies marked to Additional chief secretary, the group had claimed that the Supreme Court order had brought its business to a standstill as no real estate transaction was happening and that it was forced to issue a lockout notice.

 It said the resort was going through its “worst-ever” phase. Claiming that it feared a law-and-order situation due to the impending lockout, it requested the police to take over the property, spread over thousands of acres off Lonavla in the Pune-Mumbai highway. Sebi counsel Arvind Datar argued that the letter was written on September 28, six days before the auction process was completed and called it an “orchestrated attempt”.

 Since the police took over the property, the auction got derailed, the regulator said.  “News reports had said that there were two interested buyers. But because of the Sahara letter and the police takeover, they backed out,” Datar told the court. Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Sahara, said the regulator’s claims were incorrect and pleaded the court to provide an opportunity to explain his position. Questioning why the letter to the police was written, judge Misra said, “Our order is violated. We don’t intend to hear you today.”

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Merger with Bharti Airtel gives an easy exit route to Tata Tele: analysts

Analysts have given a thumbs-up to the Tata Teleservices – Bharti Airtel deal, as they feel the move provides an exit route to the already bleeding Tata-owned company. As on March 31, 2017, the combined debt of Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML) stood at Rs 34,089 crore, excluding deferred payment liabilities to the government for spectrum, according to a CRISIL report.

 Also Read: Highlights of the deal

 “The development is positive – both for Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices. By running the show, Tata Teleservices would have continued to bleed on the financial front. The deal will ensure further losses are arrested. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel stands to gain subscribers,” said A K Prabhakar, head of research, IDBI Capital.

 Also Read: Tata Teleservices lenders to recast loans, take haircut

 The telecom industry is undergoing a consolidation and there will be only a handful of players, such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Jio (RJio) from the private segment and MTNL, BSNL from the public sector space, left at the end of the India Company News process that will operate on a pan India basis, analysts say.

  “We expected consolidation to happen in the sector and that’s exactly what’s happening. This might continue going ahead as well, as we still have one weakling existing in the telecom services provider in the form of Reliance Communications (RCom). Tata Tele was the other one. That said, it remains to be seen how the merger evolves going ahead for Bharti Airtel in terms of business strategy,” says Gaurang Shah, Head Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

 Also Read: Will take tough call on Tata Teleservices this fiscal: N Chandrasekaran

 On Thursday, TTSL gained 10% on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at Rs 4.4. Over the past week, the shares have been on a downward spiral after reports suggested that the company is likely to shut down its operations this month. It had hit a 52-week low of Rs 3.7 on October 11. Bharti Airtel on the other hand, closed 1% lower at Rs 399 levels on the NSE.

 Also Read: Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra), RCom, Dena Bank hit 52-week lows

 Going ahead, Prabhakar expects the overall profitability for the sector will also improve over the long run given the consolidation. “That said, the merger will be a long drawn process where their tower business will be separated and then the wireless business will get merged into Bharti Airtel,” he says.

 Till the time we have pricing / tariff war in the telecom sector, Shah of Geojit says, investors should not be excited as far as the earnings are concerned.

 “We have a reduce recommendation on Bharti Airtel; on Idea we have a buy call depending on what valuation emerges for the merger with Vodafone; we are also positive on Reliance Industries (RIL) that controls Reliance Jio (RJio),” he says.

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IIP recovers to 4.3% in Aug, retail inflation steady at 3.28% in Sept

Call it early signs of recovery or enhanced demand ahead of the festive season, the industrial output expanded to a nine-month high of 4.3 per cent in August, while consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation remained stagnant at 3.28 per cent in September. Food inflation declined to 1.25 per cent from 1.52 per cent.

 The index of industrial production (IIP) grew by 0.9 per cent in July, after de-stocking due to pre-goods and services tax (GST) jitters brought it down to a 48-month low. It had contracted by 0.1 per cent in June. The growth for July was revised down from earlier 1.2 per cent.

 It was not a low base effect which gave a push to the IIP in August this year, as the index rose by 4 per cent in the same month a year ago.

  This has belied fears of the GST impacting industrial production to a great extent. Its impact on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) India Business News growth would be difficult to ascertain at this point of time, because IIP is an index, whereas GDP takes into account value added.

 CPI rose to 3.38 in August from 2.36 in the previous month. Inflation had stood at 1.46 per cent in June.

 So, value added could be not as high as IIP for August. This suggests a broad level but for GDP growth, September numbers of the industrial production would be important as well. GDP also takes into account wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation for some segments.

 ALSO READ: Sept retail inflation at 6-month high on GST, public sector pay rise: Poll

 Cumulative growth of overall factory output for April-August, the first five months of the current financial year, was 2.2 per cent. This is much lower compared to the cumulative growth of 5.9 per cent during the corresponding period of 2016-17.

 Electricity and mining helped boost IIP growth in August. While mining rose 9.4 per cent against 4.5 per cent in July, electricity expanded 8.3 per cent against 6.6 per cent. Manufacturing, which constitutes more than three-fourth of the IIP, recovered to 3.1 per cent in August from a contraction of 0.2 per cent in July.

 However, not all segments of manufacturing showed growth. Still, 13 out of 23 sectors posted a fall in August, though this was a little better than 15 in July.

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Bharti gets Tata Tele for nothing; Rs 1,500-cr spectrum payout only cost

After taking Norwegian telco Telenor for virtually free earlier this year, leading operator Bharti Airtel has now acquired Tata Teleservices, taking consolidation to a new level in the stressed telecom sector.

 The cash-free debt-free deal,  which will bring in over 71 MHz of liberalised spectrum and add 40 million customers to the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company at a throwaway price, will also mean that the $103-billion Tata group India Company News won’t have to shut down its telecom business and worry about thousands of job losses. In its 149-year-old history, Tatas have never shut down a business.This merger deal is being seen as a face-saver for the Tatas.  

 ALSO READ: Merger with Bharti Airtel gives an easy exit route to Tata Tele: analysts

 With the acquisition of the Tatas’ wireless business, Airtel is getting a debt-free company while pushing its user base to around 321 million. The next largest telco in the country is Vodafone at a distant 208 million. However, once the Vodafone-Idea merger is completed, the total subscriber base would cross that of Airtel’s. Idea has 191 million users as of August. The consolidation in the sector is being seen as an outcome of the competitive tariff being offered by newcomer Reliance Jio, which has managed 128 million subscribers in just one year.    

  The other gains for Airtel is that it gets 178.5 MHz spectrum (of which 71.3 MHz is liberalised) in the 850, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands and right to use Tata’s existing fibre network. It may also emerge as the preferred telecom partner for the Tata Group, executives said.

 Tata Teleservices will have to pay off the accumulated debt at over Rs 34,000 crore (for TTSL and TTML together). The two companies made it clear that all the past liabilities and dues would be borne by the Tatas. Out of the total deferred spectrum cost for the Tatas at an estimated Rs 10,000 crore, around Rs 1,500 crore is likely to be picked up by Airtel. The remaining Rs 8,500 crore would be paid by the Tatas to the Department of Telecom, sources said.

 ALSO READ: Key highlights of Tata Tele-Airtel merger deal

 Of course, the 5,500-odd employees of Tata Teleservices would not lose their job, a risk they would have faced in case of a closure. There’s no estimate yet of how many employees will be absorbed in the new set-up.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel, said, “This is a significant development towards further consolidation in the Indian mobile industry and reinforces our commitment to lead India’s digital revolution by offering world-class and affordable telecom services through a robust technology and solid spectrum portfolio.” On completion, the proposed acquisition will further strengthen Airtel’s market position in several key circles, he added.

Bharti Board which met Thursday afternoon has approved this transaction.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, said, “We believe today's agreement is the best and most optimal solution for the Tata Group and its stakeholders. Finding the right home for our longstanding customers and our employees has been the priority for us. We have evaluated multiple options and are pleased to have this agreement with Bharti.”

The two companies – Bharti Airtel and Tata – have agreed to merge consumer mobile businesses (CMB) of Tata Teleservices and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra. As part of the deal, Airtel will absorb Tatas’ consumer mobile business in 19 circles. Goldman Sachs (India) Securities Private Limited is financial advisor to the Tatas.

The proposed merger will include transfer of all the customers and assets of Tata CMB to Airtel. It will also enable Airtel to bolster its strong spectrum foot-print with the addition of 178.5 MHz spectrum, according to a company statement.

 Tata and Airtel will work together to further explore other mutual areas of cooperation, that will be value accretive for both the Groups, the companies said in a joint statement.

 The employees of Tata will be demerged on the lines of the two businesses i.e. CMB and EFL (Enterprise and Fixed Line and Broadband), and post an optimal manpower planning will be moved to Airtel.

 Tata is also in initial stages of exploring the combination of its enterprise business with Tata Communications and its retail fixed line and broadband business with Tata Sky. Any such transaction will be subject to respective boards and other requisite approvals.

 Tata will retain its stake in the tower company Viom and will take care of the liabilities associated with it.

  The boards of Tata Sons, TTSL and TTML have approved this transaction. 

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GST reforms: Was govt response expedited by subtle hint from Mohan Bhagwat?

The changes to the rules governing the goods and services tax (GST), announced last Friday, have brought cheer to exporters as well as small traders and small manufacturers. But the question that arises now is why these corrective measures were taken only after trade and industry suffered pain due to procedural hurdles for over three months. 

 Why did the GST Council ignore the howls of protests from trade and industry right from the day the GST was rolled out? Or was the government response expedited by a subtle hint from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, who in his Dussehra address underlined the need for safeguarding the interests of small industries and small retailers, among others? And did senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s sharp criticism of the GST’s implementation problems play a role in the remedial steps that the government took last week?   Remember that exporters were complaining about the adverse impact of the proposed GST on them even before it was rolled out.

 It is, of course, a reflection of the commerce ministry’s failure that the exporting community’s plea for corrective steps could not make an impact either on the commerce ministry or the finance ministry. Merchant exporters have now been virtually freed from paying GST on the products and raw materials they procure for undertaking exports. Similarly, duty exemption on items imported for export production will continue and refunds of duties to exporters will be expedited within a time frame. Even though the GST Council has belatedly responded to exporters’ concerns, the uncertainty is not yet fully over. 

The relief for exporters announced last Friday is only an interim measure and will remain valid till March 2018. What happens after that is anybody’s guess. Exports cannot be grown in a situation of policy uncertainty. If exporters do not know what the duty structure or refund mechanism will be just about five months from now, the challenges of giving a leg-up to India’s exports will become even more daunting. GST reforms need not be an impediment for exports growth.

 On the contrary, the two should help each other. For small and medium enterprises (SME), the composition scheme can be used by any unit below an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore, compared to Rs 75 lakh earlier. This means relief for over 1.5 million entities which have already registered under the composition scheme. And now that the window for registering under it will remain open for six more months, expect more small enterprises to join the composition scheme that will allow them to file only quarterly returns and pay tax at the following rates: 1 per cent for traders, 2 per cent for manufacturers and 5 per cent for restaurants. In 2012-13, there were about 1.7 million small units with an annual turnover of between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

 That number may have increased to about 2 million now. So, the composition scheme may end up having 2 million taxpayers under it. Of course, they will not get the benefit of input tax credit (essentially refunds of taxes paid by them in the process of their buying goods or raw materials for the final sale), but this is hardly a problem compared to the freedom they will get from the hassles of monthly returns and matching of invoices to claim input tax credit. The government’s ambition to widen the tax net as much as possible is possibly the main reason for it to have ignored the evidence of its own data on small traders and manufacturers. The data for 2012-13 suggest that over 80 per cent of the turnover is accounted for by units with an annual turnover of over Rs 10 crore. This figure may have changed by now, but the trend would not be very dissimilar. This would also suggest that broadly 80 per cent of the GST revenues would be coming from the category of units with an annual turnover of over Rs 10 crore. In terms of the number of units, they account for only about two per cent of the total number of enterprises. 

Thus, focusing on these units would have made more sense for GST revenue collection purposes. In contrast, a relatively small proportion of about 3 per cent of turnover was accounted for by enterprises with an annual turnover of between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore. But they had a share of 18 per cent of the total number of enterprises that paid taxes. Allowing the composition scheme to cover units up to an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore, therefore made sense and should have been done even before the GST rollout. The question is: Should the threshold for the composition scheme be raised further to Rs 2 crore? The number of units with an annual turnover of between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore accounts for five per cent of the total tax-paying units, but their share in total turnover of such companies is only 3 per cent. 

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No firecrackers in Delhi-NCR this Diwali as SC bans sale until Nov 1

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that there will be no sale of firecrackers during Diwali, as it restored a November 2016 or

der banning the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi and National Capital Region.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri, while restoring the order, said: "We should see at least in one Diwali the impact of a cracker-free festivity."

However, the court said that the September 12, 2017 order lifting the ban on the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi NCR will be back into effect from November 1.

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We're all human: 'Nudge' theorist Richard Thaler wins economics Nobel

US academic Richard Thaler, who helped popularise the idea of "nudging" people towards doing what was best for them, won the 2017 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday for his work on how human nature affects supposedly rational markets.   Influential in the field of behavioural economics, his research showed how traits such as lack of self-control and fear of losing what you already have prompt decisions that may not have the best outcome in the longer term. 

   "I think the most important impact (of my research) is the recognition that economic agents are human and economic models have to incorporate that," Thaler, a professor at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, said in call broadcast at the Nobel news conference.

     Awarding the 9 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said: "Richard Thaler's contributions India Company News have built a bridge between the economic and psychological analyses of individual decision-making."

 "His empirical findings and theoretical insights have been instrumental in creating the new and rapidly expanding field of behavioural economics, which has had a profound impact on many areas of economic research and policy."  

 His work even earned him a glamorous foray into the movie business when he made a cameo appearance, alongside Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, in the 2015 movie "The Big Short" about the credit and housing bubble collapse that led to the 2008 global financial crisis.   "Well, I was pleased. I no longer will have to call my colleague Eugene Fama 'Professor Fama' on the golf course," he joked, referring to his University of Chicago colleague who won the prize in 2013. 

   "I think the most important recognition is that economic agents are human, and economic models have to incorporate that," he said.   Thaler is a professor at the University of Chicago - a school popular with the Nobel economics committee. Of 79 laureates so far, more than a third have been affiliated with the university's school of economics. 

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Reviving CV segment key to turning around Tata Motors' domestic biz

Tata Motors, the country’s biggest automobile company by revenue, sustained cumulative losses worth Rs 7,200 crore during the last three financial years in domestic business, which mostly fell under the tenure of former Chairman Cyrus Mistry. No wonder that his successor, N Chandrasekaran, has sharpened focus on turning around the company as a part of his group strategy.

 Within the company, Chandra’s priority is the domestic business as the luxury brand JLR is ‘doing well’. “We want to gain in commercial vehicles (CVs)... We want higher growth, higher market share and higher profitability. We are driving them very hard as we have lost all three. We have lost market share very significantly, we have suffered on growth and we have increased the cost structures. We are looking at all three – it’s a big priority and a massive programme is underway to look at each of these aspects,” Chandra told Economic Times in an interaction.

 The company has a 36.51 per cent share in the domestic medium and heavy bus segment while its share in medium and heavy trucks is 51 per cent (during H1, FY18). The share in light CV (passenger carriers) and goods carrier is 31 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. Siam data shows the company has lost share in each of these four segments since FY14 India Business News. For example, the share in medium and heavy trucks was over 58 per cent in FY14. Similarly, the share in LCV (goods carrier) was 49 per cent. From a leader in each of these segments, the company now leads only in medium and heavy trucks. Rivals like Ashok Leyland and M&M have taken away share and emerged leaders in certain segments.

 The CV focus is understandable since it brings about 80 per cent of the Rs 49,100 crore standalone revenues (FY17) and will play a critical role in bringing the standalone business back to black. “If I look at the domestic business what is it that is hurting us -- the drop in profitability in CV and the increase in loss in passenger cars,” Chandra said. He listed debt reduction, rigorous capital allocation, growth revival, market shares and margins of CVs as priorities for the company’s domestic business.

 The company is targeting a 5 per cent gain in CV market share through a host of launches and improvement in retail, especially in micro cities. It is also eyeing an improvement of more than Rs 1,500 crore in the bottom line at a standalone level. Guenter Butschek, chief executive officer and managing director at Tata Motors, referred to CV as the ‘backbone’ of the company in August and announced investment of Rs 1,500 crore to expand CV business.

"In CV, we are in process to upgrade old fleet with new power train solutions. We have three main focus areas in CV. We need to improve our cost position. We have built up cost over the years and it needs to be right sized. This reduction will be across Tata Motors.Secondly, we will focus on volume and gain market share. From a revenue and profitability point of view its commercial vehicles (medium heavy duty trucks)…it is the focus point. This is the backbone that keeps Tata Motors going”, Butschek told Business Standard last month.

 But the passenger vehicle business, though one-fifth of revenue, is also getting attention. “Our cost structures are out of whack. Every single car and model is losing money. It's important to pick up volumes and try to become profitable”, says Chandra. Recent product launches, while they are doing well in volume, are unlikely to be making money for the company.

Products like the Tiago and Tigor and the recent compact SUV Nexon have all been launched at highly aggressive prices. In the passenger vehicle business, the investment of Rs 2,500 crore will be done on the Advance Modular Platform this year to develop two products.

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Cairn India to invest $4.6 bn in new oil & gas exploration projects

Cairn India, a unit of  Vedanta Resources Plc, will invest about 300 billion rupees ($4.59 billion) in oil and gas exploration projects off the country's east coast and in the onshore fields of Barmer in the west, its finance head said.

Sudhir Mathur expects all approvals for the projects to be in place by the end of this month, he told Reuters on Monday on the sidelines of the three-day India Energy Forum by Ceraweek in New Delhi that ends on Tuesday.

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NCP leaders in Arunachal dissolve party, merge with NPP

In a huge blow to Sharad Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday dissolved the party and merged it with the National People's Party (NPP) in the state.

 The dissolution of the NCP in this BJP-ruled the state came after NCP leaders alleged that NCP President Sharad Pawar showed "no keen and active interest" in Arunachal Pradesh.

  "We and supporters of the NCP have lost confidence with the NCP. None of the central party leaders, even Sharad Pawar, show any keen Political News  and active interest" or even visit the state, NPP spokesperson Nima Sangey Saling told IANS.

 "Arunachal is facing many issues, be it China's frequent claims over Arunachal or development issues. They (NCP MPs) never raise it in Parliament. Therefore, we decided to merge with the NPP," the former NCP Vice President stated.

 Saling said the NCP leaders in Arunachal merged with the NPP after assessing the party's performance in the Manipur election besides seeing "the NPP stand to protect the tribal interest and to ensure sustainable development".

 Meanwhile, NPP national President Conrad K. Sangma has appointed former NCP President Gicho Kabak as his party President in Arunachal Pradesh.

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BJP gets presence in Tripura house as six TMC legislators join

A month after Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress expelled its six Tripura legislators, they formally joined BJP on Monday in presence of ministers from the Union and Assam governments.

 Sudip Roy Barman, Ashish Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Pranjit Singh Roy and Dilip Sarkar, accompanied by hundreds of former Trinamool leaders and workers, joined at a meeting where Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and a host of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were present.

 "With the joining of six MLAs, for the first time, the BJP has not only got lawmakers in the house but also become the largest opposition group there," said Tripura unit President Biplab Kumar Deb.

  He expressed confidence that his party would win all the state's 60 assembly seats in the February 2018 assembly elections.

 On Saturday, the MLAs led by Barman met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi and finalised their entry into the party.

 Barman said: "We left Congress last year and joined Trinamool to strengthen Mamata Banerjee's hand to fight against the CPI-M led Left parties. But 'Didi' (as Banerjee is popularly known) has changed her stand and now become soft to the Left Front.

 "We have on a number of occasions told Mamata Banerjee not to see BJP as the enemy. Since student life, we are fighting Business Standard against the CPI-M, how can we change our stand now?"

 The six had resigned from the Congress in June last year and joined the Trinamool to protest the Congress' electoral alliance with the Left for the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections.

 They had, along with rebel Congress legislator Ratanlal Nath, also voted for National Democratic Alliance's Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

 A BJP leader said that Sarma, a former Congressman who joined BJP before the Assam elections and is convener of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance, facilitated these MLAs' entry into the BJP. "Ratanlal Nath will also join the BJP soon," he added.

 The Congress has already served a show-cause notice to Nath for "anti-party activities and meeting BJP leaders" and according to party sources, he may be expelled soon.

 Nath, however, has been evading queries about his joining the BJP though he has meeting its leaders, including Amit Shah, for the past several months.

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Edge of the seat Rajya Sabha contest likely in Gujarat today

After weeks of dramatic political developments, Gujarat looks set for an on the edge of seat contest in the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, which will decide among others the fate of Ahmed Patel, the influential political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

 It is after a gap of about two decades that a contest is happening in Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, where official nominees of major parties used to get elected unopposed after the BJP fielded a Congress rebel against Patel, who is seeking a fifth term.

 The ruling BJP has fielded party chief Amit Shah, Union minister Smriti Irani, and Balwantsinh Rajput, who till recently was Congress' chief whip in the House, for the three RS seats.

  While its first two candidates will sail through, the BJP will have to manage extra votes to enable Rajput beat Patel.

 Ahmed Patel, who met Congress MLAs after Vidhan Sabha they returned from their Bengaluru sojourn, said he was confident of his victory.

 "This poll is not at all about anyone's prestige. I have full faith in my MLAs. Apart from these 44 (Congress) legislators, two of NCP, one of the JD-U would vote for me," Patel told reporters.

 These MLAs have now been hosted at a resort in Anand district.

 The Congress, which has been out of power in the state for over a decade-and-a-half now, was rattled by the surprise exit of party stalwart Shankarsinha Vaghela recently.

 It was jolted further when its six MLAs, including Rajput, a relative of Vaghela resigned from the Assembly. Three of them later joined BJP, setting off alarm bells for the party in Gujarat where Assembly elections are due later this year. The beleaguered Congress flew its 44 MLAs to Bengaluru to ward off any threat of "poaching" by the BJP.

 However, six of the 51 MLAs still in the Congress, apart from Vaghela, have not put their cards on the table. They were not among the MLAs packed off to Bengaluru.

 Vaghela, who resigned from the party and as the leader of the opposition, has not quit the House yet, giving the Congress a major cause for worry.

 The Congress had faced a major embarrassment in the presidential election when joint opposition candidate Meira Kumar could manage 49 votes when the party's strength then was 57.

 A candidate will require 45 votes for a straight win in the poll, and the BJP with 121 MLAs can secure easy victories for Shah and Irani. The party will be left with 31 surplus votes for Rajput, who will require the backing of rebel MLAs of the Congress and smaller parties to win.

 For now, Ahmed Patel looks like having the clear backing of 44 Congress MLAs, but even if none of them cross-votes or uses NOTA (None of the Above) option, the Congress candidate will require one additional vote for his victory.

 The Congress is also banking on the support of two NCP MLAs, and one each of JD(U) and Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP).

 However, NCP leader Praful Patel on Sunday said his party had not yet made up its mind on whom to support. The NCP and JD(U) MLAs had accompanied Patel when he filed his nomination.

 JD(U) MLA Chotubhai Vasava has been saying he will only support those who will give something to his constituency.

 Keeping his cards close to chest, Vaghela on Monday chose to maintain silence on his choice of candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, but said Congress nominee Ahmed Patel remained a "friend."

 "Each and every voter is the owner of his vote. The vote is the personal property of an MLA (for the RS polls). Therefore, I do not want to reveal whom I will vote for," Vaghela told reporters.

 The 77-year-old veteran said he was no longer in touch with the Congress and dismissed the talk that he was in contact with the BJP.

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Haryana stalking: BJP's incharge of Haryana rules out Barala's resignation

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Jain, in charge of the party's Haryana affairs, on Monday ruled out the resignation of its state unit chief Subhash Barala following the arrest of the latter's son in a stalking case in Chandigarh.

 "Subhash Barala has nothing to with the Vikas Barala case. The law is taking its own course. There is no reason for Subhash Barala's resignation," Jain said in a statement.

 Jain's statement ruling out Barala's resignation comes a day after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also said that the BJP state unit chief had "nothing to do with the incident".

  The Opposition has been mounting pressure seeking Subhash Barala's resignation on the issue.

 "Subhash Barala has nothing to do with Political News incident. It is an individual happening, the accused will face action once found guilty. This is my official stand, this was my stand yesterday and today also this is my stand. After this, on this issue, no question, no answer," Khattar had told reporters on Sunday.

 Subhash Barala had earlier said that he respects the law and the "truth" will come out through the judicial process.

 The son of Haryana's ruling BJP chief was arrested along with his friend for allegedly stalking a woman in Chandigarh.

 Both the accused, Vikas Barala (23) and Ashish Kumar (27), were released later on bail as they were booked under bailable sections of the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act, amid a major outcry.

 The incident came to light when the woman, around 28 years of age, called up the police on Friday night and complained that two youth were chasing her.

 Meanwhile, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar on Monday met the victim and her family at her residence in Chandigarh and assured her of support in fighting the case.

 A protest march was also taken out here over the incident.

 "We appreciate the brave girl for standing up to harassment by two men, one of them belonging to an influential family. The whole of Chandigarh stands by her side," said a citizen.

 A Congress worker also accused the Chandigarh police of acting under pressure in the stalking case to protect the accused.

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BJP-RSS unpopular, politically isolated in Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were "isolated" in the state with no support from the people.

 "The BJP and RSS is an isolated system in Kerala. They are trying to become a major political party but people (have) rejected them. That is a reality in Kerala," Vijayan told NDTV.

  A war of words has been going on between the BJP and the CPI-M, with the two blaming each other for the violence involving cadres of both the parties in the state.

 Congress MLAs on Monday Political Parties disrupted the proceedings of the state assembly over rising political violence involving the ruling CPI-M as well as the BJP and RSS.

 Vijayan accused the "BJP-RSS people" of propagating lies and said the government has appealed to all political parties "including BJP and CPI-M" to cooperate with the government's measures to maintain peace in the state.

 "People of Kerala are aware this is a malicious campaign... This is not a campaign against LDF (Left Democratic Front), this is against Kerala, the most peaceful state... The Congress is joining them for political gains," he said.

 "We have also appealed to all political parties to take utmost vigil to ensure that their followers are not indulging in violence. There may be criminal elements who have cut into all political parties," he said.

 Earlier, Vijayan told the assembly that violence had taken place in Kerala in the past also but this time "lies are being spread... with a purpose.

 "What must be noted is that the police have acted swiftly. They have taken into custody all the perpetrators involved in the attacks -- both at the state BJP office and those behind the killing of the RSS worker," he said.

 On radicalisation of Muslim youth in the state, Vijayan said the police with the help of central agencies was "closely watching the developments" and that religious fundamentalism would be defeated with the strength of secularism.

 "There are a few cases of young people absconding from their places and landing up in Afghanistan or some other countries. The police are taking stringent measures to prevent it with the support of central agencies including the NIA.

 "Police are closely watching the developments. In fact religious fundamentalism has misled these youngsters and trapped them. People should be vigilant about such tendencies... Because of the strength of secularism in Kerala we can face this and defeat them."

 Vijayan also defended his government's decision to ease the liquor licence norms in the state, saying a total ban was not in the interest of the state or the country.

 "There was no total ban on liquor in our state when we came to power. The UDF government limited bar licence only to five star hotels. We have decided to give licences to to foreign five star hotels too.

 "The Left parties in the LDF are not for total prohibition. Because nowhere in the country or the world it was successful. It will promote illicit liquor and drugs. The restriction will affect our tourism as well as hospitality in our state. We have eased norms," he said.

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Gujarat Rajya Sabha poll today: Major blow for Ahmed Patel, NCP to back BJP

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday announced it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat. This has come as a major blow to Congress, which had announced having the support of the NCP.

 NCP leader Kandhal Jadeja said that his party has decided to support the saffron outfit.

 "Our party has asked us to support BJP in tomorrow's RS elections," Jadeja said.

  However, Congress' Politics News candidate Ahmed Patel earlier in the day said that the NCP is extending its support to him.

 "The NCP has said that it will support Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat," Patel said.

 The Gujarat Rajya Sabha election is slated to be held Tuesday for three seats.

 The BJP has fielded party president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani and Balwantsinh Rajput.

 ALSO READ: Edge of the seat Rajya Sabha contest likely in Gujarat today

 The state has been witnessing political upheaval in the recent past. The political temperature in the state had risen when six Congress MLAs joined BJP. The Congress accused BJP of horse-trading and sent its 44 MLAs from Gujarat to Bengaluru since on July 29 to prevent their possible poaching by the ruling BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

 The Income Tax department raided Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort, which belonged to Karnataka's Energy Minister DK Shivakumar. The Congress alleged resort was raided because its 44 MLAs were staying there.

 All the Gujarat Congress MLAs returned back to the state earlier in the day.

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As he completes 3 years as BJP chief, Amit Shah prepares for future

Amit Shah was appointed the Bharatiya Janata Party president on 9 July 2014. The BJPs national council stamped its approval on the decision of its parliamentary board a month later on August 9, 2014. Shah, therefore, officially completes three years as the party chief on Tuesday, when he is, incidentally, also on the cusp of taking the next big step in his eventful political career.

 Shah is set to enter the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, which many in the party think is the precursor to his taking up more onerous responsibilities in the union council of ministers once he delivers an encore for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Shah was Modi’s home minister when the former was the Gujarat chief minister.

 Some within the BJP see Shah’s entry into the Upper House as the party’s succession plan. By entering Rajya Sabha, Political News would acclimatise himself with the workings of Parliament. This preparation would help him as and when he succeeds Prime Minister Modi, possibly when the latter turns 75 in 2025.

  But Shah is currently busy plotting the downfall of Congress leader Ahmed Patel and is likely to allow party leaders to celebrate his three years as party chief after accomplishing the objective.

 Shah is one of three candidates that BJP has fielded in Gujarat. He is certain to win, as is Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani. Shah, however, is focused on ensuring the victory of the BJP’s third candidate – Balwantsinh Rajput.

 Until recently, Rajput was the Congress chief whip in the Gujarat assembly. He also counts Patel as his mentor. But is now the BJP candidate after he defected to the party last month. Rajput's win would result in the defeat of Patel, the political adviser to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. And, Patel’s defeat would be considered a defeat for the Congress chief.

 Patel's defeat might also be consistent with Shah and Modi’s objective of a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’, an India free of the Congress party. However, the energy that Shah has put into the plan suggests his motivation to be more than just political. Those who have known Shah closely, and helped him out in his hour of need, say the battle is personal. It is about wreaking revenge on those who Shah believes made him spend three months in jail in 2010.

 Shah looks at the Congress party, particularly those closest to the Gandhi family and some in the media, to have launched a witch hunt against him that first led to his imprisonment for three months and later a court designated him ‘tadi paar’, when he wasn’t allowed to enter Gujarat. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to his alleged role as the Gujarat home minister in the fake encounter killings of criminal Sohrabuddin Sheikh and others.

 “When you shoot at the King you need to ensure that you finish him off. For if the King lives, he is sure to come after you,” a senior BJP leader says of the Congress-led UPA’s efforts to “fix” Modi and Shah and how the two are now on a mission to sound the death knell of the Congress party.

 Shah was just 15-years-old when the BJP was founded in April 1980. Now, he is the party’s youngest, arguably its most successful and without a doubt its most ruthless president.

 In the last three years, Shah has scored several successes. The exact numbers have been disputed, but Shah has transformed BJP from a cadre based to a mass based party. The BJP claims itself to be the largest political party in the world with over 110 million members, which was accomplished during the second year of Shah’s tenure.

 The BJP has also expanded its footprint. It is no longer a party of the upper castes but can count on significant Dalit and OBC support base. It is also no longer the party of the middle classes. It has made ‘garib kalyan’, or welfare of the poor, a leitmotif of its ideology.

 The party has expanded beyond its traditional strongholds. It scored an unprecedented victory in Assam in 2016, and now has governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. It is preparing to put up a strong fight against the ruling Left Front in the Tripura assembly polls that are scheduled for early 2018.

 Shah led the party to unprecedented victories in Maharashtra and Haryana, both of which came when the party decided to sever its alliances with parties such as the Shiv Sena and Haryana Janhit Congress. The emphatic Uttar Pradesh victory has been the latest feather in Shah’s cap.

 There have been blips on the way. Shah’s first defeat was in February 2015, when a resurgent Aam Aadmi Party meted out an embarrassing defeat to the BJP in the Delhi assembly polls. By the end of the year in November, BJP lost in Bihar at the hands of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. BJP’s senior leaders, led by the likes of LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi launched a frontal attack on Shah in the aftermath of the defeat. They soon found that they were irrelevant to the party’s rank and file. Last month, Shah saw to it that Bihar Chief Minister Kumar was with the BJP again.

 According to his website amitshah.co.in, the last three years have been spent setting up party offices in 80 per cent of the country’s districts. He also kept the party rank and file galvanized and rejigged party structures to reflect the support that BJP has found among OBCs and Dalits.

 In three years, Shah has also travelled extensively. According to one estimate, Shah has travelled 560,000 km across the country. He has visited 315 districts.

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Facebook begins testing 'Stories' on desktop site after Instagram, Whatsapp

After the success of "Stories" feature on Instagram and WhatsApp, Facebook has begun testing the feature on its desktop site now.

 "Stories" are ephemeral posts that include photos or video that are visible for 24 hours before they disappear.

  According to a report in TechCrunch on Thursday, "Stories" feature on the desktop site is located on the right side, and a small question mark icon appears in the "Stories" module which explains the feature's purpose, when hovered over with your cursor.

 Instagram registered over 150 million "Stories" by its daily users in first five months. Now it has 250 million daily users, compared with Social Networking Snapchat's 166 million which first introduced the feature on the social media sites.

 According to Facebook, half of the businesses on Instagram created a story in the past month and Instagram's average usage has climbed to 32 minutes per day for those under 25, and 24 minutes per day for those 25 and up.

 Facebook has introduced "Stories" feature on all its platforms including Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook mobile.