1. Modi quits Vadodara LS seat, retains Varanasi
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today quit his Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, choosing to retain Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP recorded a landslide victory bagging 71 of the 80 seats in the recent elections.
ii. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also elected from two seats in Uttar Pradesh, has quit from his pocket-borough Mainpuri and has retained Azamgarh.
iii. Under rules, a member who has been elected from two Lok Sabha constituencies, has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the declaration of result. With Lok Sabha results out on May 16, the deadline was to expire today.
iv. Parliament sources said the resignation of the two leaders had been received and was under process.
v. The Prime Minister had won Vadodara with a near record margin of 5.7 lakh, which was the biggest in this Lok Sabha polls. BJP has won all the 26 seats in Gujarat.
vi. In Varanasi, Modi was challenged by the Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, whose entry into the fray had turned it into one of the most keenly watched battles of these elections. In the end, however, Modi’s nearest challenger Kejriwal was swept away when he lost by more than 3.7 lakh votes.
2. AAP's senior leader Damania quits party posts
i. Activist-turned-politician and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader from Maharashtra, Anjali Damania who unsuccessfully contested against former BJP president Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat has quit party posts. AAP leader Mayank Gandhi said, she has only quit party posts.
3. Russia assures America that it will not invade Ukraine
i. Russia has assured America that it will not invade Ukraine, with the US warning that continued aggression would isolate the country further and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure.
ii. US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who made a call to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu yesterday, also emphasised that any diplomatic engagement must include the government of Ukraine.
iii. Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby said, Hagel repeated his call for an end to Russia's destabilising influence inside Ukraine and warned that continued aggression would further isolate Russia and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure .
iv. According to Kirby, Shoygu reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine to Hagel.
4. India secure World Group Play-offs berth in Davis Cup Tennis
i. India today secured a World Group Play-offs berth in Davis Cup Tennis, as it defeated hosts South Korea, 3-1 in the second round of the Asia Oceania Group-I tie at Busan.
ii. Needing just one win from 2 Reverse Singles matches on the final day of the tie, Somdev Devvarman defeated Yong-Kyu Lim, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to take India to the World Group Play-offs. The other Reverse Singles match was scheduled to take place between Sanam Singh and Hyeon Chug.
iii. In the lone Doubles match yesterday, the duo of Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni prevailed over Hyung-Taik Lee and Lim Yong-Kyu in four sets to give India a crucial 2-1 lead.
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today quit his Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, choosing to retain Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP recorded a landslide victory bagging 71 of the 80 seats in the recent elections.
ii. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was also elected from two seats in Uttar Pradesh, has quit from his pocket-borough Mainpuri and has retained Azamgarh.
iii. Under rules, a member who has been elected from two Lok Sabha constituencies, has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the declaration of result. With Lok Sabha results out on May 16, the deadline was to expire today.
iv. Parliament sources said the resignation of the two leaders had been received and was under process.
v. The Prime Minister had won Vadodara with a near record margin of 5.7 lakh, which was the biggest in this Lok Sabha polls. BJP has won all the 26 seats in Gujarat.
vi. In Varanasi, Modi was challenged by the Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, whose entry into the fray had turned it into one of the most keenly watched battles of these elections. In the end, however, Modi’s nearest challenger Kejriwal was swept away when he lost by more than 3.7 lakh votes.
2. AAP's senior leader Damania quits party posts
i. Activist-turned-politician and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader from Maharashtra, Anjali Damania who unsuccessfully contested against former BJP president Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat has quit party posts. AAP leader Mayank Gandhi said, she has only quit party posts.
3. Russia assures America that it will not invade Ukraine
i. Russia has assured America that it will not invade Ukraine, with the US warning that continued aggression would isolate the country further and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure.
ii. US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who made a call to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu yesterday, also emphasised that any diplomatic engagement must include the government of Ukraine.
iii. Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby said, Hagel repeated his call for an end to Russia's destabilising influence inside Ukraine and warned that continued aggression would further isolate Russia and result in more diplomatic and economic pressure .
iv. According to Kirby, Shoygu reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine to Hagel.
4. India secure World Group Play-offs berth in Davis Cup Tennis
i. India today secured a World Group Play-offs berth in Davis Cup Tennis, as it defeated hosts South Korea, 3-1 in the second round of the Asia Oceania Group-I tie at Busan.
ii. Needing just one win from 2 Reverse Singles matches on the final day of the tie, Somdev Devvarman defeated Yong-Kyu Lim, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to take India to the World Group Play-offs. The other Reverse Singles match was scheduled to take place between Sanam Singh and Hyeon Chug.
iii. In the lone Doubles match yesterday, the duo of Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni prevailed over Hyung-Taik Lee and Lim Yong-Kyu in four sets to give India a crucial 2-1 lead.
