NEW DELHI // The anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal’s party pushed ahead on Sunday with preparations to contest India’s general election, just days after he resigned as Delhi chief minister.
Mr Kejriwal’s upstart Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its first 20 candidates in the election due by May, including those who will stand against the two main political parties.
“This is our first list of 20 clean candidates and we will be putting out more lists to contest from different parts of the country in the days ahead,” said Manish Sisodia, a senior AAP leader.
The move comes less than 48 hours after Mr Kejriwal resigned as chief minister of Delhi, along with his cabinet, when the two main parties combined to thwart his efforts to introduce a new anti-corruption bill.
Mr Kejriwal quit only 49 days after his party took power in the capital, following a stunning breakthrough in the Delhi state election in December that highlighted widespread public anger with the political establishment.
The move leaves Mr Kejriwal, a former anti-graft campaigner, clear to lead his party into battle against the ruling Congress and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The list of AAP candidates includes activists and professionals who quit their jobs in sectors such as the law, industry and media to join the new party.
The BJP and Congress had on Friday blocked Mr Kejriwal’s move to introduce the anti-graft bill, a key promise in the Delhi election, into the state assembly. They described it as unconstitutional.
Donations to the AAP’s election campaign have swelled dramatically since then, Indian media reported.
The party surprised many observers by winning 28 seats in Delhi’s 70-member assembly in December.
During its brief stint in power, Mr Kejriwal unveiled a series of headline-grabbing initiatives, including a hotline aimed at stemming rampant corruption among police and bureaucrats.
After shunning the usual official car and instead taking the subway to his swearing-in ceremony, Mr Kejriwal then slashed electricity costs and announced free water supplies.
But while his elevation was initially widely welcomed as a much-needed shock to the system, the former tax inspector has since come in for criticism over a series of stand-offs with the authorities.
The self-styled “anarchist” staged a sit-in on the pavement near the national parliament last month, triggering chaos in the city centre, as part of a push to be given greater control over Delhi’s police force.
* Agence France-Presse
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
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Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
Company%20Profile
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