Polling starts for 124 LS seats on moderate note, 11 killed

New Delhi, Apr 16 (UNI) Barring stray incidents of violence in naxal-affected areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, polling began on a peaceful note for 124 Lok Sabha seats in 15 States and two Union territories with a moderate to brisk turnout of voters.
At least eleven people, mostly security personnel, were killed in Jharkhand and Bihar. Naxal attack reports were coming from Orissa too where several polling booths in the sensitive Malkangiri district were attacked and set ablaze by naxalites.

Polling began on a moderate note in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Northeast States, Uttar Pradesh and several other places.

In their bid to disrupt polling in Jharkhand, Maoists struck today killing at least nine people including seven BSF personnel and two civilians and injuring seven other jawans setting off a landmine explosion in Hesla forest area under Chandwa police station in Latehar.

In Gaya district of Bihar, Maoist guerillas went on a rampage, killing two policemen and injuring three, including a woman constable, in a daring attack on a polling booth under Aurangabad constituency in south Bihar.

According to police, despite the presence of adequate security personnel, a group of about 20 armed ultras raided polling booth number 244 at Sindupur village under Bankebazar police station, surrounded by forest, and shot dead one policeman and injured four others guarding the booth. Later, one policeman succumbed to his wounds.

As a result, polling remained suspended in the booth for sometime after the attack at around 0900 hrs.

Before fleeing, the extremists looted four rifles and several rounds of live cartridges from the security personnel.

They also decamped with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the booth resulting in the suspension of polling.

In Orissa, polling was repoprted peaceful in many ares barring Malkangiri district, where the extremists attacked the polling booths and burnt the EVM machines.

Polling was also reported peaceful in the strife-torn Kandhmal district, where the authorities had taken extra precautions and deployed nearly 19 companies of para-military forces and two companies of the rapid action force to ensure free and fair poll.

Official sources said except in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur districts, where the voters got panicky following the naxalite poll boycott threat, polling had picked up in rest of the districts in Southern and Western Orissa, where the voters were seen lined up before the polling booths.

Notwithstanding the naxalite threat, people in a large number in Kandhmal had arrived at the polling booths to cast their ballots.

‘Fourth Front’ will play spoilers for some main contestants: Pranab

Jangipur (Murshidabad):

Not ruling out taking its support again to form the government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that the ‘Fourth Front’ comprising SP, LJP and RJD would split secular votes.

They would play spoilers for the main contestants where they are not serious contenders, he said.

“They will clearly waste votes. That is their main objective,” the Congress leader said in an interview.

When asked to comment on reports that in the post-poll situation, the Congress might take their support, he said, “I do not know. It will depend on numbers. After all democracy is a game of numbers. What I can say is, we will get adequate number of seats. I can’t predict. We are fighting to win the elections.”

“Congress is contesting in enough constituencies to get adequate number of seats along with all the partners with whom we have seat sharing-arrangements like the Trinamool Congress in Bengal, NCP in Maharashtra, DMK in Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha led by Shibu Soren.

Pantaloon to realign companies, raise Rs1,500 cr in 2 months

Mumbai: Kishore Biyani’s Pantaloon Retail India intends to complete in the next two months legalities for its ambitious plans of raising Rs1,500 crore and realignment of group companies for expansion.
“Two months time is a good estimate (for the proposal’s completion),” a company source said here.
The Board of Directors of the BSE-listed firm met here yesterday and approved raising Rs367 crore through preferential allotment of shares and warrants.
It is believed that Future Group is in talks with Carlyle, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts for private equity funding of about Rs1,100-1,200 crore.
“We are looking to raise funds independently without diluting any stake,” the source said, without giving details.
In a major realignment exercise, the board proposed to rechristen Pantaloon Retail India (PRIL) as Future Market & Consumer Goods (FMCG), which will be the holding company for its multiple subsidiaries.
It is believed that Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar (its value retail segments) may be hived off into a separate entity called Future Value Retail, if they find a suitable partner.
“The proposed company – FMCG Ltd – will be the holding company for our two main subsidiaries, which will be created to focus on fashion and retail,” Future Group founder and CEO Kishore Biyani told PTI.
Existing companies like Future Capital Holdings, Future Media and Future Logistics will come under FMCG Ltd.
“No new subsidiaries (apart from fashion and retail) are being created,” the source said.
Pantaloon Retail India will sell 11 million shares at Rs183 — the firm’s closing price on last Thursday — for raising Rs201 crore, the company said in an emailed statement.
Another 4.1 million shares will be sold at the same price to Dharmayug Investments Ltd to bring in Rs75 crore.
Shares of PRIL yesterday closed at Rs184.70, higher by 8.04% over the previous close on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Second verdict in Nithari case expected today

The second Nithari verdict is expected on Wednesday at a special CBI court in Ghaziabad.Wednesday’s verdict is linked to the murder of 8-year-old Aarti who was allegedly kidnapped, attacked and killed by Surinder Koli. Koli is the domestic help of Moninder Singh Pander a businessman based in Noida. Pander is not an accused in this case as he had established that he was not present in Nithari when the murder is supposed to have taken place. While Surinder Koli has been charged in 16 cases, Pander has been charged in 6 crimes following directions by the CBI court to file charges against him. The CBI still has to file chargesheet in 3 cases. Both men have already been convicted and sentenced to death for the murder or Rimpa Halder, another minor whose remains had been found near the house the two men were staying at. On April 1, 2009, a court in Ghaziabad had said that it will give its verdict in the second trial in the Nithari killings case on April 15.