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Presidential elections will be held in Venezuela on May 20 at the same time as municipal and regional elections. Contrary to claims from some who support Donald Trump’s “regime change” agenda in the oil-rich country that Venezuela is a dictatorship, these elections will be the 25th national election or referendum since 1998. Current President Nicolas Maduro is standing, along with opposition candidates. The most prominent of these is Henri Falcon.

PATNA: Even a brusque caution from senior minister Sarju Roy to have the renewal of mining rights to companies investigated by some professional agency for wrong-doing, as the existing procedures are violation of court orders, the Bihar government has preferred to sit idle an allow the scamsters to have an field day.

By turning all predictions about Karnataka upside down, the BJP has shown yet again how effectively it runs the party’s election campaign. Disproving the belief that there was no wave in favour or against any party or that the outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah had successfully countered the anti-incumbency factor, the BJP has demonstrated through its victory a remarkable rapport with the people. In contrast, Siddaramaiah was apparently living in an illusory world, secure in the belief that a lacklustre opponent like B.S. Yeddyurappa offered no real challenge.

The results of the Karnataka assembly elections have grim lessons for the opposition parties, especially the Congress Party led by Rahul Gandhi in determining strategy for the coming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.The BJP led by Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo has recorded a massive victory devaluing the Congress in this important southern state. This victory will give BJP a major boost in its coming campaign in the assembly elections in the three states-Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh by the end of the year. There is also a possibility that boosted by this victory, Prime Minister will prepone the Lok Sabha poll and hold it along with the assembly polls before the year end.

Weekly Round-Up of Major Decisions of the Courts in India as also Legal Policy Developments

Two recent decisions from the Supreme Court of India have emphasised consent at the centre of adult intimate relationships, irrespective of the marital status of the parties. In both cases, the Court focused on the personal freedom and autonomy of adult persons to live as per their desires with whomsoever they wanted to live with. Neither the State nor non-State actors like family have any right to interfere with such decisions, if made out of free will. In one case, the daughter of a politician from Karnataka was forced into marriage by her family, and she then filed a habeas corpus petition in the Court seeking necessary reliefs.

Everybody’s read the pebbles & thirsty crow story. However, this is the age of Social Media. So there’s a twist in the tale: The thirsty crow makes 69 trips to the river to get the pebbles to raise the water in the bottle to beak-level, but then it strikes: ‘Hey, why didn’t I just drink straight from the river?’ Similarly, if on May 15 both the Congress and the BJP fall short of majority and JD(S) becomes kingmaker or King, it might strike the voter: ‘Heck, why didn’t I just vote the JD(S) to majority!’

In just another three to four months’ time, the fate of India’s long preserved pride, Air India, the national carrier and ‘Maharaja’ of the sky, may be finally decided. Who’ll be the ultimate owner of the airline? It’s a multi-million-dollar question before Air Indians. The last date for intimating the qualified ‘Interested Bidders’ of the government stand has been extended from May 28 to June 15. The civil aviation ministry has issued a ‘corrigendum’ to its earlier ‘Expression of Interest.’ Its preliminary memorandum on March 28 proposed sale of up to 76 per cent stake in Air India along with management control to private entities.

As usual, if nothing else, drag the cow in. This time the cow’s hubby – Pashupati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Nepal on the eve of the Karnataka Assembly election’s voting day and visits the Pashupati Nath Temple in Sita’s Janakpur and the Opposition promptly cries foul; says PM Modi is flouting the Model Code of Conduct. “Why isn’t he talking about China?” asks CPI leader Atul Anjam. “The country is awash with cheap Chinese goods. Modi’s foreign policy is a failure.” Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah chips in with “God Idhar Bhi Hai. God Hamara Saath Hai. Congress Party will come back to power.”

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two gubernatorial snubs in two consecutive days. That has been the unenviable lot of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government ruling the State.