Exit polls point to Modi entry in Delhi - 2014 Lok Sabha election

Ab ki baar Modi sarkar — that's the unanimous verdict of several exit polls as far as the big picture is concerned, with all of them predicting either that the NDA would get a majority or would get very close to it. The polls also agreed that the BJP would get its highest tally ever — the range varying from a little over 200 to just under 300.

Most polls also predicted that the Congress would be reduced to its lowest ever tally, though one of them, the Times Now-ORG poll, put the party's tally at between 111 and 138 seats, which means it could do better than the 114 seats it got in 1999. Another common factor in the polls was that the AIADMK and Trinamool Congress are likely to emerge as the two largest regional parties with 20 or more seats each.

 

 While broadly agreeing on these trends, the polls were at sharp variance on the details. The Times Now-ORG poll suggested that the NDA would win 249 to 265 seats, which would leave it a little short of a majority though well within striking distance. At the other end of the range, the News 24-Today's Chanakya poll gave the NDA 340 seats, with the BJP alone winning 291 seats. If that comes true, it would be the first time after 1984 that any party would be winning a majority on its own.

The Congress' predicted tally too varies widely from a mere 57 in the News24 poll to a possible 138 in the Times Now poll. At 57, the Congress wouldn't just be reduced to a historic low, it would face its biggest crisis in post-Independence history.

Coming to the wide variance among pollsters, in Bihar, for instance, the Times Now-ORG poll gave the RJD no seats at all and the JD(U) 10 seats, while most other polls projected the RJD-Congress alliance as the primary challenge to the BJP and the JD(U) being squeezed out.

Similarly, in Karnataka, the Headline Today-Cicero poll suggested the Congress had a clear lead over the BJP and would win between 15 and 19 of the state's 28 seats. The News24 poll projected a diametrically opposite outcome with the BJP winning 20 seats in the state.

'Congress will be wiped out in Rajasthan'

In Rajasthan, the Headline Today and News24 polls predicted that the Congress could, at one end of the range of their projections, get completely wiped out, but the Times Now poll predicted that party could win 14 of the 25 seats in the state where it faced a rout in the assembly polls in December.

On AAP, most polls agreed that it would make its presence felt, in Punjab in particular, but yet again there was disagreement on just how well it would do. The News24 poll said the party could emerge as the single largest in Punjab, winning five of the 13 seats while others gave it no seats at all.

Exit polls have gone quite wrong on occasions, including most famously in 2004 when they predicted the NDA would form its third successive government. But they have also got it right on several occasions, including in the latest assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

   

 

Aashiqui 2' singer Ankit Tiwari in judicial custody till May 26

Mumbai:Bollywood playback singer Ankit Tiwari, who was arrested here on charges of allegedly raping his former girlfriend, was Monday remanded in judicial custody till May 26, his lawyer said.
"The prosecution sought his police custody as they wanted to recover Tiwari's mobile phone and some clothes. However, Railway Mobile Court Magistrate S.C. Jadhav granted the judicial custody," lawyer Nagesh Mishra told IANS.
Mumbai police arrested Tiwari May 8 and he was granted police custody till May 12, while his brother Ankur secured a bail.

The Tiwari brothers have alleged a conspiracy by their professional rivals after Ankit achieved nationwide fame with his popular numbers like "Sun Rahai Hai Tu" in the recent blockbuster, "Aashiqui 2" and other songs.
Soon after his arrest last week, Tiwari's family and Mishra contended that Ankit had not met the woman for over a year.
According to Mishra, Tiwari has been charged under Sections 376 (rape), 417 (cheating) and 493 (cohabitation by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage) of the Indian Penal Code.

At least 21 people were killed and 145 injured in Maharashtra

At least 21 people were killed and 145 injured after the engine and three coaches of Diva-Sawantwadi passenger train derailed on Sunday morning near Nagothane in Maharashtra's Raigarh district.

The mishap took place between Nagothane and Roha stations just outside a tunnel near Nidi village.

The injured passengers have been admitted in the local hospitals and rescue work is in process. (With inputs from agencies)

At The Los Angeles Alligator Farm, In The 1920’S, Some Shocking Photos Of People Posing With Alligators.

Located in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, Los Angeles, CA, the farm was both a major tourist attraction and an alligator farm from the year 1907 to 1953. It was a popular getaway for the local Angelinos. Admission fee was 25 cents and they got an opportunity to purchase various forms of reptilian trinkets that included rubber alligators.

 














The alligators ranged in size at the farm and were segregated according to size in several ponds. Visitors got a bit too close and personal with the alligators which is a bit scary. Despite the fact that alligators are opportunistic hunters who snatch anyone that gets too close to the water, these families let their toddlers wander too close to the reptiles and play with them! Their dogs also played with the fully-grown alligators, despite their unpredictability no matter how tame.

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There was a fence surrounding the entire property, but somehow students managed to use the alligators for fraternity pranks. Pledges were made by the students to steal alligators from the farm.

The alligators also managed to get field trips when rain flooded a reservoir nearby. Water would overflow into the farm and the alligators got an opportunity to swim in the Lincoln Park Lake. Others however, ended up in neighbor’s pools and backyards. Noise made by the alligators was another source of annoyance for the neighbors. 

 

Some of the alligators starred in movies like the Tarzan films and wrestled actors in stunts. Billy was the most famous among them and was the oldest in the farm. He appeared in numerous films in the years between 1910 and 1940. This was because he could open his jaw reliably when a piece of chicken was dangled above him. 

The farm eventually shut down when the annual attendance dropped below 50,000 in 1984. All animals were relocated to Florida, on a private estate.