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Indian politician Arvind Kejriwal has won the readers’ poll for the 2014 TIME 100, TIME’s annual list of people who influenced the world this past year for better or worse. Celebrities like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Rihanna ranked high as reader favorites, but the poll turned into a competition between two men competing in India’s ongoing elections. Kejriwal, who leads the Aam Aadmi, or common man, party, received a total of 261,114 “yes” votes from readers; Kejriwal, a candidate for a Parliamentary seat, came to prominence as the leader of an anti-corruption movement in India. Narendra Modi, the controversial leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and frontrunner to become the country’s next Prime Minister, brought in 164,572 approving votes. Readers could also weigh in on whether figures should not be included in the TIME 100. Modi received 166,260 “no” votes, outnumbering his total “yes” votes. The poll’s winner was decided by raw number of “yes” votes. More than 3.2 million votes were cast in the poll. There were attempts to inflate the voting numbers, but only legitimate votes were tabulated for the final results. On Thursday, TIME will announce this year’s TIME 100 honorees, who are selected by the editors. Rounding out the top ten finishers after Kejriwal and Modi were singer Katy Perry, singer Justin Bieber, actor Laverne Cox, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, singer Beyoncé, actor Jared Leto, actor Lupita Nyong’o, singer Lady Gaga and music duo Daft Punk. Earlier this week, Cox and Bieber were battling for the poll’s top finisher. Cox, who appears in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” took to Twitter to encourage her fans to vote. http://time.com/73538/indian-politician-arvind-kejriwal-wins-time-100-readers-poll/

Arvind Kejriwal showed his resignation letter to supporters outside his party headquarters in Delhi Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned after an anti-corruption bill was blocked in the state assembly. Opposition politicians blocked the bill, which would have created an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption. They argued it was unconstitutional to introduce legislation that did not have the approval of the federal government. His anti-corruption party made a spectacular debut in recent elections. But correspondents say his refusal to seek prior approval for the bill is part of a power struggle unfolding between his local administration and the federal government. 'Unusual style' Mr Kejriwal, who spent 49 days in power, had been threatening to resign if the anti-corruption bill was blocked. He had also written to India's Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde asking him to withdraw a 2002 order making federal consent compulsory for laws introduced into Delhi's assembly. Addressing hundreds of supporters outside his party headquarters on Friday, Mr Kejriwal said his attempt to fight corruption by bringing in new legislation had been blocked by India's two leading parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "My cabinet has decided that we are quitting. Here is my resignation letter," he said. The bill was blocked by opposition Congress and BJP MPs in a chaotic session at the Delhi Assembly earlier on Friday. Later, as politicians tried to shout him down in the parliament, he said: "We need to look within us. People don't like politicians. I have read the constitution; nowhere does it say we need the centre's permission to table bills. "I will consider myself fortunate if I have to sacrifice the chief minister's post and my life to eradicate corruption." Mr Kejriwal, who has described himself as an anarchist, brought an unusual style to government, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi. The highlight of this was when he spent two nights in the open to press the federal government to grant him greater control over the city police. He is now expected to launch his party's campaign for the national elections due in the summer, our correspondent adds. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-26192983

Muktsar (Punjab), Jan 29 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday rejected a demand by his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal for setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Addressing the media in Goniana village in Muktsar district, 240 km from here, Badal said there was "hardly any need for it (SIT probe) as several earlier high level inquiries conducted on the matter have pointed towards the role of Congress leaders in this planned mass massacre of Sikhs". He said the "need of the hour was to take exemplary action against the Congress leaders involved in this dastardly act so that succour could be provided to the victim families". It was time to give justice to the victims instead of setting up another SIT, he said. Reacting sharply to a statement by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi that certain Congress leaders could be involved in the 1984 riots, Badal asked Rahul Gandhi what deterred the Congress and the union government from acting against the party leaders involved in the heinous act. Thousands of Sikhs were killed in various parts of India, especially in Delhi, in November 1984 in the aftermath of the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Badal said Rahul Gandhi owed an answer to the public about why the Congress leaders involved in the riots have not been punished so far. "Instead of taking any action against these tainted leaders, the Congress party has not only been protecting them but they were rewarded by the party with pivotal posts, which reflected the anti-Sikh stance of the Congress," the chief minister said. The names of Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and H.K.L. Bhagat (now deceased) had figured among those accused of instigating mobs during the riots. http://www.samachar.com/Badal-rejects-Kejriwals-demand-on-1984-riots-probe-ob3tKsagbfd.html What does this guy have to hide? Why can't he allow a fresh thorough investigation? Looks like his hands have more Sikh blood on them than we know of?!?!?!