17th Lok Sabha and 4 State Election Schedule announced

The Indian Election Commission has at last declared the poll schedule of the much anticipated 2019 elections to the Indian parliament and to the legislative assemblies of four states. The announcement of schedule and dates by the E C has been receiving wide criticism from many people and political parties except the BJP and its stakeholders. 

The Election Commission of India is an independent autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India. In the past it has been performing accordingly. But there is wide criticism these days that the government run by Modi in India has been swallowing all the autonomous institutions like the CBI, RBI, etc and the present acts of the ECI also point towards this allegations. At a time when the whole country was mourning the huge loss of life of our brave soldiers, prime minister Modi was busy conducting election rallies and announcing poll promises and welfare sops before the declaration of the election schedule and 'model code of conduct' came into effect.

The Lok Sabha Election Schedule 2019:

The Loksabha elections will be held in 7 lengthy phases across the country. Voting in the country will commence on April 11 and end on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. 

Phase 1 (April 11) 

Andhra Pradesh: 25 seats 
Arunachal Pradesh: 2 seats 
Assam: 5 seats 
Bihar: 4 seats 
Chhattisgarh: 1 seat 
Jammu and Kashmir: 2 seats 
Maharashtra: 7 seats 
Manipur: 1 seat 
Meghalaya: 2 seats 
Mizoram: 1 seat 
Nagaland: 1 seat 
Odisha: 4 seats 
Sikkim: 1 seat 
Telangana: 17 seats 
Tripura: 1 seat 
Uttar Pradesh: 10 seats 
Uttarakhand: 5 seats 
West Bengal: 2 seats 
Andaman and Nicobar: 1 seat 
Lakshadweep: 1 seat 

Phase 2 (April 18) 

Assam: 5 seats 
Bihar: 5 seats 
Chhattisgarh: 3 seats 
Jammu & Kashmir: 2 seats 
Karnataka: 14 seats 
Maharashtra: 10 seats 
Manipur: 1 seat 
Odisha: 5 seats 
Tamil Nadu: 39 seats 
Tripura: 1 seat 
Uttar Pradesh: 8 seats 
West Bengal: 3 seats 
Puducherry: 1 seat 

Phase 3 (April 23) 

Assam: 4 seats 
Bihar: 5 seats 
Chhattisgarh: 7 seats 
Gujarat: 26 seats 
Goa: 2 seats
Jammu and Kashmir: 1 seat 
Karnataka: 14 seats 
Kerala: 20 seats 
Maharashtra: 14 seats 
Odisha: 6 seats 
Uttar Pradesh: 10 seats 
West Bengal: 5 seats 
Dadra Nagar Haveli: 1 seat 
Daman & Diu: 1 seat 

Phase 4 (April 29) 

Bihar: 5 seats 
Jammu and Kashmir: 1 seat 
Jharkhand: 3 seats 
Madhya Pradesh: 6 seats 
Maharashtra: 17 seats 
Odisha: 6 seats 
Rajasthan: 13 seats 
Uttar Pradesh: 13 seats 
West Bengal: 8 seats 

Phase 5 (May 6) 

Bihar: 5 seats 
Jammu and Kashmir: 2 seats 
Jharkhand: 4 seats 
Madhya Pradesh: 7 seats 
Rajasthan: 12 seats 
Uttar Pradesh: 14 seats 
West Bengal: 7 seats 

Phase 6 (May 12) 

Bihar: 8 seats 
Haryana: 10 seats 
Jharkhand: 4 seats 
Madhya Pradesh: 8 seats 
Uttar Pradesh: 14 seats 
West Bengal: 8 seats 
Delhi: 7 seats 

Phase 7 (May 19) 

Bihar: 8 seats 
Jharkhand: 3 seats 
Madhya Pradesh: 8 seats 
Punjab: 13 seats 
West Bengal: 9 seats 
Chandigarh: 1 seat 
Uttar Pradesh: 13 seats 
Himachal Pradesh: 4 seats

List of 17 States to hold polls in single phase:

Andaman Nicobar - 1st phase (11th April)
Andhra Pradesh -    1st phase (11th April)
Arunachal Pradesh -1st phase (11th April)
Chandigarh - 7th phase (19th May)
Dadra Nagar Haveli - 3rd phase (23rd April)
Daman & Diu - 3rd phase (23rd April)
Delhi - 6th phase (12th May)
Goa - 3rd phase (23rd April)
Gujarat - 3rd phase (23rd April)
Haryana - 6th phase (12th May)
Himachal Pradesh - 7th phase (19th May)
Kerala - 3rd phase (23rd April)
Meghalaya - 1st phase (11th April)
Mizoram -  1st phase (11th April)
Nagaland -  1st phase (11th April)
Puduchery - 2nd phase (2nd April)
Punjab - 7th phase (19th May)

1 State to hold polls in all 7 phases: 

Bihar

The State Assembly Election Schedule 2019:

Five states in India are also going to elect a new government in 2019. They are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir Odisha (Orissa) and Sikkim.

Out of these, elections are announced in all the 4 states except Jammu and Kashmir.

Bosnia Herzegovina's Embassy Authorized Visa Agency in Kerala

Medjugorje was a small, ordinary and insignificant village in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the eastern Europe until 1981. Since Blessed Virgin Mother Mary granted her historical apparition to 6 children on the Apparition Hill on 24th June 1981, it has started gaining popularity despite strong oppression and suppression by the then government and gradually became a center of Catholic Marian pilgrimage in these years. According to the available statistics, about 50 million people of different faiths from around the world have already visited this place and hundreds of thousands continue to make pilgrimage to this Holy 'land between mountains' every year even though the Catholic Church is yet to recognize and declare it officially a Global Marian Pilgrim Center (which is anticipated to happen in the near future). Madjugorje is the only place in the world where the Holy Mother continues to give her sacred apparitions and Messages in a fixed schedule every day/month for decades. 

There is a “Queen of Peace” statue at the first apparition site and another one in front of the St. James Church. Liquid has been found to drip miraculously from the statue of the “Risen Christ” near the Church. Consoling presence of Mother Mary (in disguise) and lingering fragrance is considered as the biggest miracle felt by most people who visited those places.

As numerous devotees and non devotees who visited Madjugorje reported occurrence of countless physical, mental and spiritual miracles in Mejjugory through Majjugory Matha, more and more people from countries like India are showing their desire to make a holy expedition to this blessed land. In order to facilitate the aspiring pilgrims to help process visa and other travel documents, the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina has officially chosen Indian's leading and reputed travel agents at Kochi by name 'International Associates' (Tours and Holidays) managed by Somasekharan K V as their official agents and accorded them authorization to deal with all necessary travel documents to visit Bosnia. 

Opening a recognized service center in Kerala's centrally located metro city Ernakulam is highly advantageous not only for the people of Kerala, but also those belonging to the South Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana and Karnataka to plan and get processed all their travel needs in a hassle-free way and for getting all related guidance and technical support. 

This great and remarkable initiative is the brain child of an NRI Business man by name Prince Cheriyavadayail who is the Managing Director of a reputed company in UAE namely GEFS who has also been socially and spiritually vibrant.

Address of Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy partner in Kerala:

Kerala B & H Friendship Foundation,
c/o International Associates Tours & Holidays,
V.E. Arcade, 40/291, 4th Floor,
Opposite Vyapar Bhavan,
Palarivattom, Kochi, Kerala.

Contact Phone numbers: 0484 - 4866363,  0484 - 2363626

E-mail: 
____________________________________________________________

Please Note: 

Holy Mother Mary's presence is reported everywhere in Medjugorje. Tens of thousands of devotees who visited Madjugorje have testified of Her apparition to them. They saw the Divine Mother in different forms. Even She was caught in cameras of many pious children. Please watch this video attentively.

Who will be the Next Prime Minister of India in 2019

As the time for the 2019 general elections in India is approaching fast, it has become the talk of the town and the most important matter of concern for the majority of population. People of not only India but also many other countries are closely watching the developments and waiting eagerly and anxiously for the outcome of Indian elections. The following are the common questions raised by the citizens of the country wherever they gather. Which political party will win more seats in the next general elections in 2019 and form the government in the center? Who will be the head of the next council of union ministers in Delhi? Who will be the next Prime Minister of India? Will it be Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi or a lucky person belonging to a less significant party supported by the united opposition?

India has witnessed many untoward incidents after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of India in 2014. The world has seen the law and order being handled by certain groups of people in India who belong to some right wing terrorist organizations of which even Narandra Modi was said to be an ardent member in the past. Many Indians feel that they have an actor prime minister who never acts sternly on these antisocial elements but often seen lamenting only during elections. Many concerned citizens of the country are of the opinion and are worried that the foundations of our constitution will be in great danger if things continue like this for some more time.

Many people are of the opinion that we have a government at the center that exists on self promotion and propaganda. People say that Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 by appointing several social media agencies that gave wide inflated and exaggerated coverage about Modi, Modi and Modi. As per the opinion of people, some corporate companies who got benefited greatly (or got assurance) from Modi's rule spent huge amounts for this social propaganda activities. Even senior leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha, and many others of BJP and some alliance partners of the NDA like Shiv Sena, share the same feelings and opinions. 

On the other side, the twosome Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, who are mocked and termed as "one-man show and two-man army" by none other than BJP's own M.P. Satrughan Sinha, are having overconfidence to turn things in their favor by hook or crook. They will use all their powers (and of the government departments) and resources to retain power in the center to accomplish their agenda which they could not complete fully, due to lack of majority in the upper house of the parliament and wide discontent from all quarters. 

The incumbent Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi is well known for his intolerance and 'special skill' in cornering leaders and persons who hold different views or opinions. By using the machinery of the state, he keeps many opposition leaders' mouth shut.The number of journalists, writers, thinkers and bloggers killed during his rule is similar to that of some erstwhile dictators' rule.

There is a talk about the opposition unity in India. But it appears nearly possible to materialize as the heads of each party (whether big or small or with one M P or many) dreams big for the top seat. While Rahul Gandhi is the Congress Party's candidate for the prime ministers post, leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Mayavathy, Sharat Pawar, Chandra Babu Naidu, K Chandra Sekhara Rao, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal, (and who not?) keep an eye on the top job. As Nitish Kumar who was a probable (more accepted) choice for the opposition's representative and to become the prime minister missed it by jumping over the other side. 

Though it is not the right time to predict the outcome of the 2019 general elections, there is no wrong in guessing things, even though anything may happen anytime.

You are welcome to add your comments below....

Irish people voted and chose to become killers?

The world has been keenly watching for the outcome of the Irish Referendum held in Ireland on 25th May, 2018. Both Pro-life and Pro-choice movements and activists across the globe have been waiting eagerly to know what the Irish people have chosen, whether death or life. The counting of votes are almost over and the result of the referendum is to be officially announced shortly. 

There is great jubilation in the pro-choice camp who opted for an amendment in the legislation facilitating 'abortion' and to 'legally murder' the little hapless human being (with life) created by God in the mother's womb itself. The victory of the pro-choice minded indicates how cruel and selfish the world has become. Even if the whole world favors abortion, killing a helpless life (who cannot even cry aloud) in the mothers womb is crueler and more severe than killing an adult. This is the unanimous opinion of all people who believe that God is the creator of each and every human being irrespective of any religious differences.

Ireland is the native place of many great Saints of the Catholic Church. The Irish people (and most European countries) were very spiritual and God fearing in the past. Almighty God Blessed the land (lands) abundantly and made it rich and prosperous. Unfortunately just like many other European Countries, growth and developments are making the citizens forget their Saviour and turn against their Creator. The number of godless people have increased and it is considered as one of the end-time signs. Victory for the evil!

In the near future one may be seeing the ungodly majority people of these developed countries demanding for referendums for making amendments in the constitutions to make them more selfish, sinful and live against the Will of God. They may even demand for a referendum to change the Patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick to some modern Hollywood actors or pop singers. Such growth in the number of immoral generation will surely test God's forbearance and invite HIS wrath. All who have faith in God, please pray for these countries.

Karnataka Election 2018 Results Announced: BJP to form Government?

(image courtesy: zeenews.india.com)

Once again proving all pre-poll and exit poll predictions, opinions and surveys wrong, BJP has managed to get the numbers to form the government in Karnataka. It appears as they have secured enough number of seats to form the government in Bengaluru without the support of any parties or individuals. In the event of BJP getting fewer seats less than the required number as the present position shows, they will 'buy' few MLAs from JDS or Congress who are ready to do anything for money, favor and positions. 

BJP's special skill in forming governments (contrary to the traditions) was earlier seen in 2017 after the elections in Goa and Manipur. Even though in those states the BJP was not the single largest party, they played tricky games and succeeded in forming the governments. In this regard the knack of the party is proven under the leadership of Modi and Amitshah.

The victory of BJP in Karnataka is considered similar to that of the result of the previous American Presidential Elections. By trying to grab power to rule Karnataka vidhan sabha, the safron party has sent a signal of warning to the 'secular minded' people of India that in the next general elections it will make total India under its lotus flag. The results of counting has literally stunned all parties concerned. Even the latest predictions of leading media and survey companies were turned aside as incorrect. The final position points to BJP winning sufficient number of seats to form government in the Karnataka legislative Assembly in May, 2018.

There is wide criticism and the number of people doubting in the authenticity of the poll results is high. There are many who think that the votes were 'bought' and the results are 'grabbed' using the power of the central government.

Latest and final numbers/statistics of party-wise seats/winners:

BJP: 104

Congress: 78

JD (S): 37

Others: 3

In the normal sense, BJP's 104 is not sufficient to make any claims to form government. Cong+JDS's 115 is politically and legally correct. However, we need to wait and watch what new game BJP is going to play this time... Chances are less for the saffron party to keep calm!

Many people are of the opinion that, had the Congress entered into an alliance with JD(S) before the elections, the results would have been very different. At least now if lessons are learnt, it is better. Unless the secular-minded people / parties unite keeping aside their differences, our country which has a rich and varied heritage and tradition will witness many unfortunate incidents and unforeseen developments in the near future. 

All Kerala Catholic Congress Celebrates Centenary

(image courtesy: syromalabarchurch.in)

The 'All Kerala Catholic Congress' (AKCC) which was founded in 1918 as 'Keraleeya Catholica Mahasabha' celebrated its 100th anniversary conference in Thrissur from May 11th - 14th, 2018. Major Arch Bishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry and many Catholic Bishops, priests and laity participated in the grand 4-days convention. The Catholic Congress which was founded by the fore-fathers of the Kerala Catholic Church was instrumental in many important historical agitations and social reform movements in Kerala. Even though AKCC is a community based political organization, as per the objectives of the founding fathers, it strives to safe-guard the secular values and works for strengthening religious and communal harmony.

The very idea of starting an organisation exclusively for the Malayalee Syrian Catholics took shape during the ‘Nalpathumani' ritual held in Mannanam in the central Travancore in 1905. It was first proposed by 'Nidhirickal Mani Kathanar' who was an important figure in the growth of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of Kerala. Later many meetings were held and subsequently the 'Keraleeya Catholika Mahasabha' was formed on the 30th April, 1918 at Changanacherry with Mar Louis Pazhayaparambil as its founding president.

The name of the organisation was changed into 'All (Akhila) Kerala Catholic Congress' in 1931 and got involved actively in many social issues. AKCC's role was significant in organizing 'Malayali Memorial' and many other important social and political reforms in India. AKCC has been raising its voices for the welfare of the farmers and other socially and economically backward people. Even though it is a powerful organization, it keeps a wise distance from political parties (extend its open support only whenever time and need compel) and it will continue to uphold its secular values and fight against religious and communal parties and divisive forces.

The Centenary Convention was presided over by AKCC president Adv Biju Parayanilam. Centenary message was delivered by Mar Andrews Thazhath (Arch Bishop of Thrissur). Kottayam Arch bishop Mar Mathew Moolakkattu, Changanacherry Arch Bishop Mar Joseph Perunthottam and Kanjirapally Bishop Mar Mathew Arackal and AKCC legate Mar Remigius Inchananiyil also spoke on the occasion.

Centenary souvenir was released by the Curia Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Mar Sebastian Vaniyapurackal and Kothamangalam Bishop Mar George Madathikandathil received the first copy and inaugurated the distribution. Managing Director of Nedumbassery Air Port V J Kurian, Rashtra Deepika vice chairman Davis Edakkalathur, John Kachiramattom, Mohan Thomas, Prof K M Francis, Biju Parayannilam were felicitated in the convention.

Land gifting project to 100 homeless people and volunteering in 100 mission centers were announced by Rev Fathers Gio Kadavi and Varghese Kuthur respectively.

Buy Entry TICKETS Online for MUNNAR Neelakurinji 2018

(image courtesy:jumborooms.com)

'Munnar' hilly region that stretches in the western ghats in God's own country known as the 'Kashmir of the South' is gearing up to witness the rare natural phenomenon that occurs only once in 12 years. It is the en masse blooming of the 'Neelakkurinji' plants that are botanically called as 'Strobilanthes Kunthianus'. Travelers and nature enthusiasts from around the world rush to have an irreplaceable sight of the hills turning into blue and appearing as if they are covered beautifully with violet carpets. Even during every normal year Munnar attracts large number of tourists to enjoy its aromatic atmosphere, tealeaf cladded spectacular green mountains, and energizing climate. 

This time in 2018 the 'Neela kurinji blooming season starts in July and continues till October.

During the previous season in 2006, more than 5 lakhs Indian and international tourists visited Munnar, and the authorities are expecting double the number of travellers this time and are making elaborate arrangements for the safe and smooth conduct of the season. For reducing the long queues before the entry ticket counters and minimizing the troubles, online ticket vending facility through website is being introduced this time. This move will be convenient for the travellers. But the authorities are planning to charge Rs.150 for each online entrance ticket, against the counter ticket that sells at Rs.110. People are wondering why the difference in the price. Actually things or services that are sold online are expected to be cheaper as they require less staff and other facilities like office and furnitures.

The Kerala state forests and wildlife department which is in charge of the Eravikulam National Park, Rajamalai and other hilly sightseeing areas that lie in the forests, collects money for entering their territory and using them to take photos, videos or movies.

Click this website to Book entrance tickets online to Eravikulam National Park / Munnar: 

(Important: Online booking through website is to be done 48 hours prior to actual visiting. Otherwise tickets become invalid.)

Some tips for the travellers:

Entrance timings: 7.30 am to 4.30 pm

Video Camera fees 2018: Rs.300

Still camera fees 2018: Rs.35.

Best locations to watch: Eravikulam National park is the first. Rajamala, Devikulam, Mattupetty, etc are also best spots to see.

This is the golden time for the hotel and resort owners to reap huge profits. As most of them have already started advance booking.

Nearest Railway station to Munnar: Angamaly - 110 kms, 

Ernakulam Railway station - 130 kms.

Nearest Airport: Kochin international airport (Aluva) - 110 kms
                                     

(image courtesy: thehindu.com)