Daily Bulletin: Maharashtra governor invites Shiv Sena to stake claim to form govt; Odd-Even restrictions lifted in Delhi for Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations; day's top stories

Maharashtra governor invites Shiv Sena to stake claim after BJP expresses inability to muster up numbers

The Congress party got into a huddle on Sunday night after the BJP declined to form a government in Maharashtra and the Shiv Sena claimed it will have its chief minister in the state.

All Congress legislators from Maharashtra reached Jaipur on Sunday and were holding a discussion on the possibility of a Sena-led government. Senior party leaders were also attending the meeting, Congress sources said.

Senior party leader Ahmed Patel is also likely to reach Jaipur. After the meeting, Congress leaders are likely to discuss the issue with the top party leadership in Delhi.

The sources said NCP chief Sharad Pawar may also meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday, to discuss the possibility of the two parties supporting a Sena-led government.

However in Maharashtra, the Pawar-led party said the Sena will have to walk out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance first to discuss having its support.

Hours earlier, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari asked the Shiv Sena to “indicate the willingness and ability” of the party to stake claim to form government in the state. The BJP had declined to form a government in the state.

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The Sena, the second-largest party in the 288-member House with 56 MLAs after the BJP (105), has time till 7:30 pm on 11 November, to stake the claim.

The role of the Congress (44 MLAS) and the NCP (54 MLAs) is crucial now.

Odd-Even restrictions lifted in Delhi for Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations on 11, 12 November

The Odd-Even rule in Delhi, enforced to combat air pollution, will remain suspended on 11 and 12 November in view of the celebrations for Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.

Delhi Chief Minister  Arvind Kejriwal had made the announcement regarding the suspension of the rule on Friday, after receiving requests from various delegations.

“As Sikhs were demanding relaxation in the Odd-Even scheme, the government has decided that the scheme will not apply on 11 and 12 November in the light of celebrations of 550th Guru Nanak Dev ji anniversary,” ANI reported him as saying during a press conference.

On Tuesday, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot had said that a delegation led by MLA Jarnail Singh had made the request to suspend the restrictions for Guru Nanak Jayanti. Some other delegations had also met them over the same issue, he said.

The Odd-Even rule, which commenced in Delhi on 4 November, will continue till 15 November. Under the scheme, non-transport vehicles having odd or even digits of registration number are allowed to ply on odd and even dates respectively, from 8 am to 8 pm.

Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns after losing backing of security forces

Bolivian president Evo Morales resigned Sunday, caving in following three weeks of sometimes-violent protests over his disputed re-election after the army and police withdrew their backing.

“I resign my post as president,” the leftist Morales said in a televised address, capping a day of fast-moving events in which many ministers and senior officials quit as support for Latin America’s longest-serving president crumbled.

The streets of La Paz immediately exploded in celebration, with jubilant Bolivians setting off firecrackers and waving the country’s red, yellow and green flag.

The main opposition candidate in the election, former president Carlos Mesa, said Bolivians “have taught the world a lesson. Tomorrow Bolivia will be a new country.”

Cuba and Venezuela, longtime allies of the leftist leader, as well as Brazil’s leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, denounced a “coup”.

Morales — a former coca farmer and Bolivia’s first indigenous president — was declared the winner of the October 20 presidential election a narrow margin, giving him a controversial fourth term, having first taken power in 2006.

Tis Hazari court clash: Lawyers’ strike to continue today as meeting with Delhi Police, Anil Baijal fails to bring resolution

The lawyers’ strike would continue on Monday as a meeting, held on the orders of the Delhi High Court after the lawyers-cops clash, between the members of all district courts associations, representatives of Delhi Police and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday failed to bring out any resolution, the coordination committee general secretary said.

However, police said during the discussion at the Lt Governor’s residence, it was explained by them that since the judicial inquiry is underway, further action should be taken against any of the alleged persons only on the basis of the outcome of the inquiry.

The L-G also appealed to both police and lawyers to continue holding talks to resolve the issues amicably, they said.

The lawyers of all the six district courts in New Delhi boycotted work for five consecutive days and had decided to suspend it for the time being and join work from Monday. Lawyers in six district courts are abstaining from work since 4 November, protesting against the clash.

Mamata Banerjee to conduct an aerial survey of affected area around West Bengal after Cyclone Bulbul makes landfall

After cyclonic storm ‘Bulbul’ created havoc in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced that she will conduct an aerial survey in affected areas around Namkhana and Bakkhali to take stock of the situation on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, she said, “Due to the severe cyclonic storm Bulbul, I have decided to postpone my North Bengal visit in the coming week. Instead, tomorrow I would take an aerial survey of the affected areas around Namkhana and Bakkhali.”

Due to the severe cyclonic storm ‘Bulbul’, I have decided to postpone my North Bengal visit in the coming week. Instead, tomorrow I would take an aerial survey of the affected areas around Namkhana and Bakkhali.(1/2)

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 10, 2019

The West Bengal chief minister would also meet the local officials at Kakdwip and will hold a discussion on rehabilitation measures of the cyclone-affected people.

“Later, I would take a meeting at Kakdwip with the administration to review the relief and rehabilitation measures of the cyclone-affected people. I am also planning to visit the cyclone-affected areas of Basirhat of North 24-Parganas on 13 November 2019,” she said in another tweet.

Apart from these areas, the damage was also done to South 24 Parganas region due to the speedy winds by the Cyclonic storm Bulbul. Many trees were uprooted and roads were blocked forcing the administration to carry out road clearance work.

In the morning today, several NDRF officials with the chain saw machines were seen cutting the fallen trees and making efforts to clean up the blocked roads.

Aramco’s much-awaited IPO to start on 17 November 

Saudi Aramco’s much-anticipated initial public offering will begin on 17 November, the company’s prospectus said, without revealing the size of the stake sale or the pricing range.

The 658-page document, released just before midnight on Saturday, said the final share price will be determined on 5 December–a day after the subscriptions close–in what is expected to be the world’s biggest IPO.

After years of delays and false starts, Aramco officials last week announced a share sale on the Riyadh stock exchange for the world’s most profitable company, which pumps 10 percent of the world’s oil.

The prospectus said the state giant will sell up to 0.5 percent of its shares to individual investors while it has still not decided on the percentage for larger institutional investors.

With inputs from agencies