Kerala

Kannur (Ker), Apr 23 (PTI) An unusual "visitor" in a polling booth in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, held up voting for a brief while Tuesday.

A small snake was found inside a VVPAT machine in a booth at Mayyil Kandakkai in the constitutency, which is witnessing heavy polling, triggering panic among officials and voters.

However, the reptile was soon removed and voting continued.

Pulpally/Mananthwady(Ker), Apr 20 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanaka Gandhi Vadra Saturday lashed out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there has never been a "weaker government" and "weaker Prime Minister" than the incumbent ones.

Priyanka, who is in Wayanad, where her brother and party chief Rahul Gandhi, is contesting besides Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, sought to know whether suppressing the voice of those who criticise the government's policies amounts to nationalism.

Sulthan Bathery(Ker), Apr 17 (PTI) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday reached out to the people of Wayanad, saying he did not want to make false promises,but was committed to resolving their issues after hearing their "heart and soul".

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he was not here to tell his 'Mann Ki Baat' but to understand the difficulties, including the night travel ban, man-animal conflicts and lack of medical facilities, being faced by the people here.

Pathanapuram (Ker), Apr 16 (PTI) Hitting out at the Sangh Parivar, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the country was "under attack" from the BJP and RSS, who want to suppress all voices other than their own.

Addressing an election rally at the St Stephen college grounds here in Kollam district, Gandhi said India should be ruled by people of the country and not just one ideology or person.

Thiruvananthapuram, April 14 : Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement 'that  if one chants Ayyappan's name in Kerala will be put behind bars, is utter lie.

The prime minister is trying to mislead the country in the name of Sabarimala. Modi must protect the dignity of Prime Minister. While addressing massive public meetings of LDF in various centers in Kollam district Pinarayi said that  Modi is trying to insult the people of Kerala.  Pinarayi also said that the Election Code of Conduct should apply to the Prime Minister.

Kochi, Apr 11 (PTI) The Kerala High Court Thursday granted conditional bail to the BJP's candidate for Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency, Prakash Babu, arrested in a case related to an alleged attack on a woman devotee in Sabarimala temple last November.

He was sent to jail on March 28 by a court in Ranni in Pathanamthitta district in connection with the case.

Granting bail to Babu, Justice Alexander Thomas directed him to appear before the investigating officer on the second and fourth Saturdays every month after the Lok Sabha elections for four months.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities charged a Roman Catholic bishop on Tuesday with repeatedly raping a nun in her rural convent, a case that helped make the sexual abuse of nuns a major issue in the church.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal was charged with rape, illegal confinement and intimidation, said Hari Sankar, a district police chief in the southern state of Kerala, India’s Catholic heartland.

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 11 (PTI) A Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader was attacked by BJP workers at Parassala in the district, police said on Monday.

The SFI leader sustained serious injuries in the late Sunday night attack, they added.

Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists were arrested in connection with the incident on Monday, the police said.

Thiruvananthapuram/Kottayam, Mar 11 (PTI) The Election Commission Monday warned political parties in Kerala not to use the Sabarimala temple matter as a campaign issue, drawing a sharp reaction from the BJP which termed the directive "illogical."

With the poll dates being announced, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena said "citing or invoking" religious propaganda on the "Sabarimala issue" would be a clear violation of the model code of conduct.

Kochi, Mar 6 (PTI) Kerala BJP general secretary K Surendran Wednesday moved the high court seeking to withdraw his election petition challenging the victory of UDF nominee P B Abdul Razak from Majeshwaram constituency in the 2016 assembly polls by 86 votes.

If the court allows the plea, it will pave the way for a bypoll to the constituency as Razak died in October last year.