BJP launches survey to assess winnability of candidates ahead of LS polls
Kolkata : Amid factionalism and hurdles in its mass outreach programme, the West Bengal unit of the BJP, which has set a target of winning over 23 of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, is carrying out a survey to assess the winnability of its candidates.
With more than 60-70 aspirants throwing their hats into the ring for one seat, especially in the northern and southern part of the state, the party is grappling with internal dissent over ticket distribution.
Several factions, including the ones led by leaders who switched to the BJP from the TMC, are staking claims to the same seat, forcing the state unit to seek an assessment of its candidates to meet its 23-seat target, set by the saffron party's national president Amit Shah.
"It is unprecedented that we have been receiving such a huge number of applications for some seats. Ten years back, we used to have a tough time convincing people to contest on our ticket," a BJP state unit leader said, adding that a section of leaders has appealed to the central leadership to ensure that old timers don't feel sidelined.
The state unit, in consultation with the central leaders, has roped in an external agency to assess its prospects in the Lok Sabha constituencies, he said.
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told PTI that a candidate list will be prepared based on inputs by the external agency and the party's senior leaders.
"We have launched both external and internal surveys to assess the winnability of seats and candidates. The survey will cover aspects such as a candidate's potential in winning a seat and his popularity. Based on inputs from the internal survey and the external agency, we will prepare our list," he said.
Asked about internal dissent, Vijayvargiya said the BJP is a disciplined party and once the names of candidates are announced, every member will work to ensure their victory in the elections.
According to sources within the party, the state unit will send names of at least three candidates for every Lok Sabha seat to the central unit, which would then take a final call on the matter.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed that the party is putting in equal efforts in all constituencies, notwithstanding its target of winning at least 23 seats .
"Our party president had given us a target of 23 seats, but if the elections are held in a fair manner, we are in a position to win at least 26 seats," Ghosh told PTI.
The state unit has already categorized the seats as 'A plus', 'A', 'B'and 'C' as per their prospects, according to another senior leader of the party.
"The classification of the constituencies into four categories was done on the basis of five criteria - BJP's organisational strength, the demographic situation (number of Muslims, Hindu and Hindu refugee population), its organisational weakness, the geographical location and the potential of the candidate," he said.
The party has kept Darjeeling and Asansol seats out of the survey's purview as it is confident of retaining them.
Of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Trinamool Congress bagged 34 seats in 2014, the Congress secured four seats, while CPI(M) and the BJP won two seats each.
"We have identified 18-20 seats in north and south Bengal, where our chances of winning is as high as 70-80%.
This study was done keeping in mind our performance in those seats in the last few elections," the BJP leader added.
However, despite all its efforts, the BJP is still scouting for answers over its "inability" to constitute booth committees at all polling stations in the state.
Shah, during its visit to Bengal in September 2017, had sought booth committee formation at 77,000 polling stations in the state, but the party has been able to achieve only 75 percent of the target so far.
"We have not been able to reach out to all the booths, especially the ones in minority-dominated areas. We have a support base, but no one is ready to man the booth committees fearing backlash by the Trinamool Congress. We hope things will change in the days to come," Ghosh said.
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Trump says Iran eager to make deal after Tehran dismisses ceasefire plan
Dubai, Mar 26 (AP): US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a deal to end the Iran war is near, after Tehran dismissed his 15-point ceasefire plan and issued its own sweeping demands to stop fighting as it launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries.
Two officials from Pakistan described the 15-point US proposal broadly, saying it included sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran's nuclear programme, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is normally shipped.
Iran issued its own plan via state TV, which includes a halt to killings of its officials, means to make sure no other war is waged against it, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities, and Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” Iran's foreign minister later told state TV.
Trump insisted at a Republican fundraiser Wednesday night that talks were underway with Iran's leaders.
ALSO READ: Iranian military mocks Trump's claim of US-Iran negotiations
“They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people,” Trump said.
The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, nearly 1,100 people in Lebanon, 20 in Israel and 13 US military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region.
Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest:
Iran's parliament working on bill to impose fees on ships in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's parliament is working on a bill to formalise the fees it is reportedly charging on some ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported.
ALSO READ: Pakistan ‘relaying messages’ between Iran and US for peace in West Asia: official
The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran's sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees”.
“This is entirely natural, just as goods pay transit fees when passing through other corridors, the Strait of Hormuz is also a corridor,” he reportedly said.
“We provide its security, and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees.”
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway open to all shipping.
Imposing fees would end that and likely be strongly opposed by the Gulf Arab states, the United States and others.
ALSO READ: Indian deputy chief of mission meets lawmakers; India-US ties discussed
Emirati oil executive calls Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz economic terrorism
The comment by Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the massive state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., signalled the hardening rhetoric of the United Arab Emirates as the war nears its one-month mark.
“Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation,” al-Jaber said in a speech for an event hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington.
“It is economic terrorism against every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food. When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. No country can be allowed to destabilise the global economy in this way. Not now. Not ever.”
Sirens sound in central Israel
Sirens sounded about an hour after sunrise across a large swath of central Israel, including areas around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and in the occupied West Bank.
ALSO READ: Philippines president declares national energy emergency amid global fuel supply risks
Israel's military said early Thursday morning that Iran had launched missiles toward the country.
The first such alert of the day came after an unusually long lull of more than 14 hours.
Hezbollah rocket fire, however, remained constant overnight in northern Israel, and once reached the Tel Aviv area overnight.
Iran running a toll booth' regime in Strait of Hormuz, experts say
Iran is running a “de facto toll booth' regime” in Strait of Hormuz, controlling which ships come through and getting payment for their safe passage, a leading shipping intelligence firm said Thursday.
Lloyd's List Intelligence published an analysis highlighting Iran's practices through the strait.
It described vessels having to provide manifests, crew details and their destination to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The information goes to the Guard's “Hormozgan Provincial Command for sanctions screening, cargo alignment checks that currently prioritises oil over all other commodities, and for what is described as geopolitical vetting”, Lloyd's List said.
“While not all ships are paying a direct toll at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd's List said, referring to China's national currency.
Such payments likely would run afoul of American and European sanctions on the Guard, a key power centre within Iran that controls its ballistic missile arsenal and was key in suppressing nationwide protests in January.
Iran has not directly explained the process for ships to go through the strait, though a Foreign Ministry spokesperson appeared to acknowledge Tehran was receiving payments for some ships in an interview.
Fuel prices surge in Thailand
Fuel prices in Thailand surged Thursday after the government lifted a cap on diesel prices and reduced fuel subsidies.
The majority of fuel types rose by 6 baht (USD 0.18) per litre. Diesel prices jumped by about 18 per cent.
The increase is expected to hit the industrial and transportation sectors particularly hard and has raised concerns about a ripple effect on the cost of goods.
Videos and photos shared on social media showed long lines forming at gas stations after the price hike was announced late Wednesday night.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said earlier this week the government would allow fuel prices to adjust in line with global market rates, aiming to manage demand following a surge in panic buying.
Australia restricts some Iranians from travelling to the country
Australia has temporarily restricted some Iranians from travelling to the country for fear that they would be unwilling or unable to return to their homeland because of the war.
The restrictions apply from Thursday for six months to Iranian Visitor (Subclass 600) visa holders.
These visas have been issued to more than 7,000 Iranians who intend to visit Australia for tourism, business or to see family.
“When you get a sudden conflict like has happened with Iran, who have a large number of people who've been issued visas who, if they applied now, would in fact not be eligible,” Immigration Minister Tony Burke told Parliament on Thursday.
Authorities will use the six months to reassess visa applicants. An unknown number will be exempt.
Heavy strikes reported around Isfahan
Activists in Iran reported heavy strikes early Thursday morning around Isfahan, a city some 330 kilometres south of Iran's capital, Tehran.
The pro-reform newspaper Ham Mihan reported online about strikes in the area.
Isfahan is home to a major Iranian air base and other military sites, as well as one of the nuclear sites bombed by the United States during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.
The semiofficial Fars news agency, close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, described the attacks as targeting “two residential areas”, without elaborating.
Earlier, Israel's military said it had completed “a wide-scale wave of strikes” across Iran, including in Isfahan.
Latest reports of live fire
A missile alert sounded on mobile phones in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday morning.
Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted multiple drones over its oil-rich Eastern Province on Thursday morning.
Kuwait reported it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire early Thursday morning.
Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens early Thursday morning.
The United Arab Emirates air defences early Thursday also worked to intercept incoming fire.
