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Kerala state ministers, top Congress and BJP leaders filed their nomination papers on Saturday for the upcoming Assembly polls. Several state ministers, including P Rajeev, V Sivankutty, R Bindu and P A Mohamed Riyas as well as CPI(M) leaders K K Shylaja and Kadakampally Surendran were those from the LDF who filed their nominations, from Kalamassery, Nemom, Irinjalakuda, Beypore, Peravur and Kazhakootam constituencies, respectively. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Nemom), former Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan (Kazhakootam) and several other candidates of the saffron party filed their nominations accompanied by chief ministers from party-ruled states like Rajasthan and Gujarat. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma accompanied Chandrasekhar and Muraleedharan when they filed their nominations, while the party candidate from Thrissur, Padmaja Venugopal, was accompanied by Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel. From the Congress, KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, senior party leader
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being the "B-team of BJP". Vijayan made the accusation during an interview with PTI videos. In response to a query regarding Rahul's recent remark that central agencies have arrested or called for questioning other opposition leaders in the country, except the Kerala CM, the Marxist veteran accused the Congress leader and his party of acting as the "B-team" of the BJP. "Some people don't learn even if they see or experience something. They are not normal people. They are a rare phenomenon. That is something that happens to those who are normally incapable of grasping things. Rahul Gandhi falls into that category," the CM alleged. He said that Rahul had made serious allegations against former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, but the court rejected all those accusations and gave the AAP leader a clean chit. "It was a heavy blow to the face of the Congress leadership, includ
The BJP on Saturday announced the names of two more candidates for the April 9 Assembly elections in Assam, fielding Krishna Saha from Dalgaon and Jiban Gogoi from Sissibargaon, party sources said. On Thursday, the BJP released its first list of 88 candidates for Assam, fielding Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari, and sitting BJP MP Hitendra Nath Goswami against state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat. The Cabinet ministers who have been renominated from their seats include Ajanta Neog from Golaghat, Ranoj Pegu from Dhemaji (ST), Rupesh Gowala from Doomdooma, Binal Borah from Tingkhon, Pijush Hazarika from Jagiroad (SC), Jayanta Malla Baruah from Nalbari, Ashok Singhal from Dhekiajuli, Krishendu Paul from Patharkandi and Kaushik Rai from Lakhipur. Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who recently joined the BJP, will contest from Dispur and Bihpuria, respectively. Among the other recent entrants from the Congress, Sashi Kanta Das has been fielded
The BJP on Saturday released its third list of 11 candidates for the Kerala Assembly Polls, fielding Karamana Jayan from Thiruvananthapuram. According to the list, Raveendranath Vakathanam will join the fray from Puthuppally, KR Rajesh from Chavara, R S Arun Raj from Chadayamangalam, and V Ratheesh from Peerumade seat. Vivek Gopan will contest from Aruvikkara seat, TN Suresh from Kovalam, and S Rajasekharan Nair from Neyyattinkara seat. The party has fielded Ajimon from Mavelikkara seat, BS Anoop from Chirayinkeezhu, and Pandalam Prathapan from Adoor seat.
With nine days left for the filing of nominations for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election to commence, the seat-sharing parleys in the AIADMK-led NDA has entered a crucial phase and the lead party of the bloc is likely to retain about 170 seats, party sources said on Saturday. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's New Delhi visit on March 19 has finalised the numbers and the party is likely to retain about 160 to 170 seats out of the 234 Assembly constituencies in the state. "This is to ensure that the AIADMK obtained a majority on its own to form the government," a senior party leader said. The party requires a simple majority of 118 MLAs to form the government on its own. Palaniswami, who heads the NDA in the state, has already set a target to win 210 seats and is being projected as the chief ministerial face of the bloc. The BJP is likely to be allocated 30 seats, up by 10 than the number it contested in the 2021 Assembly election, while the PMK (Anbumani) is likely to
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who heads the ruling NCP, on Saturday said she has forwarded the resignation of Rupali Chakankar, who stepped down as the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for further action. Chakankar on Friday tendered her resignation after facing flak from the opposition parties over her association with rape-accused 'godman' Ashok Kharat. Chakankar, who is also the NCP women's wing chief, submitted the resignation letter to Sunetra Pawar on Friday. Prior to that, Chakankar met CM Fadnavis, who asked her to resign, sources said. In a statement, Sunetra Pawar said Chakankar decided to step down in view of the prevailing situation and the ongoing inquiry into the arrest of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat. "Chakankar has tendered her resignation considering the current circumstances and the investigation underway. To ensure that the probe is conducted in a fair and transparent manner, I h
A man died after allegedly getting trapped in a lift at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata on Friday, sparking a political storm ahead of the Assembly elections, with the opposition BJP alleging negligence and demanding a murder probe. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari termed the death "murder" and held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also heads the health department, along with Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam and hospital authorities, responsible. "I have documents with me... they intentionally killed (the man) using a lift that was being repaired. A case of murder should be immediately registered," Adhikari told reporters while campaigning in Purba Medinipur. According to the victim's family, the man, in his early 40s, got stuck inside the elevator when it suddenly malfunctioned. They alleged that the lift was under maintenance, had no operator on duty, and was not properly secured. A senior hospital official said the man was ..
The BJP on Thursday released its first list of 88 candidates for the Assam assembly polls, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari seat. The party named former Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi as its candidate from Dispur assembly seat. Bordoloi joined the BJP in the presence of Sarma and other party leaders here on Wednesday. According to the list, Bhupen Kumar Borah, who also joined the BJP recently after leaving the Congress, will contest from Bihpura seat. Madhavi Das will enter the fray from Birsing-Jarua, Jyotsana Kalita from Chamaria and Nilima Devi from Mangaldai. The first list of candidates was finalised by the BJP's Central Election Committee at its meeting presided over by party president Nitin Nabin here on Wednesday evening. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other members of the BJP poll body. BJP Assam unit chief Dilip Saikia was also present at the meeting.
After Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi joined the BJP, his son Prateek announced that he won't contest on a Congress ticket from Margherita in the upcoming assembly polls. In a letter to Congress president and chairman of the Central Election Committee Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, Prateek said he would continue to remain a party member. Following his father's decision to join another party, it would not be appropriate for him to continue as a Congress candidate from Margherita, Prateek said in the letter, which was shared with reporters on Thursday. "With utmost respect and a deep sense of responsibility towards the party, I wish to convey my decision to withdraw my candidacy from the Margherita Assembly Constituency," he said. Prateek asserted that he will continue to work for the party in whatever capacity the leadership deems appropriate. His father, a Congressman for over five decades, had resigned from the grand old party on Tuesday and joined the BJP the next day.
The BJP on Thursday released the second list of 39 candidates for the Kerala Assembly polls, fielding former state BJP president and former Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajasekharan from Aranmula seat. The party named CC Mukandan as it's candidate from Nattila seat. Deepak Puzhakkal will contest from Tanur seat and Aswinini ML from Kasaragod, according to the list released by the BJP. Pathmasree M will contest from Manjeri constituency and Renu Suresh from Kongad seat. BJP had earlier released the names of 47 candidates in its first list.
Describing the BJP as a marginal player in Kerala polls, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that the party is not even likely to have a significant enough influence to be a kingmaker in the state and at best can only "break their duck" in the assembly. In an exclusive interview with PTI before embarking on the campaign trail for the Kerala polls, Tharoor emphasised that the contest will primarily be between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF). "It is not a triangular contest, for the BJP is a zero-seat party in the assembly. From zero, if they go to one or two or three, they will be extremely proud and happy, and they will congratulate themselves on a great win. That is the situation the BJP is in," Tharoor said. "They (BJP) are not even likely to have a big enough footprint to be a kingmaker in the state. It is going to be between the LDF and the UDF, there are no doubts about that," the Thiruvanathapuram MP said. However, he .
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the EC, alleging that senior administrative and police officers were being transferred ahead of the assembly polls at the behest of the BJP. She warned that the poll body and the saffron party would be responsible if any untoward incident happens in the state. Addressing reporters while announcing the Trinamool Congress candidate list for the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee questioned the timing of the changes in key administrative posts, particularly ahead of Eid. "Why are senior officers being transferred just before Eid? Are there plans to trigger riots before elections?" she said. The chief minister alleged that the list of officers who were transferred was prepared at the BJP's office and the decision was merely implemented by the Election Commission. She further alleged that some officials from outside West Bengal had been brought in to assist the BJP in the electoral ...
BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Congress party's Karamvir Singh Boudh have been declared elected to two Rajya Sabha seats in keenly watched elections as developments unfolded over allegations of violation of vote secrecy. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in a late-night press conference, congratulated both the leaders on their win. Calling the elections interesting, Saini slammed the Congress, accusing it of holding its MLAs captive and transferring them to different places, referring to the shifting of Congress legislators from Himachal Pradesh. "I have seen for the first time that Congress did not trust its MLAs", he claimed. The Congress is "finished", and it has "no future", Saini said. The chief minister also lashed out at the INLD for abstaining from voting and said it acted as a "B team" of the Congress. The INLD indirectly supported the Congress, he claimed. Replying to a question on the Independent candidate, Saini said, "How could they stop anyone from contesting th
Union Minister George Kurian and former Union ministers Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan are among the 47 candidates announced by the BJP in its first list for the Kerala Assembly elections. Fielding a mix of senior leaders and new faces as it prepares for the April 9 polls, the party is hoping to end its electoral drought in the state, where politics has traditionally been dominated by the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF. Among the prominent names in the list are Kurian, Chandrasekhar and Muraleedharan, along with senior leaders K Surendran, Sobha Surendran, P C George, Padmaja Venugopal, P K Krishnadas, former director general of police R Sreelekha and filmmaker Major Ravi. Chandrasekhar will contest from the Nemom Assembly constituency, while Muraleedharan has been fielded from Kazhakkoottam, both key constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram district. Nemom is the only constituency in Kerala that has so far been won by the BJP, when O Rajagopal won the seat in the 20
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said he is confident that the BJP will return to power in Assam under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with the "largest ever mandate". Addressing the youth convention of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) here, Shah urged the people to give another mandate to the BJP and assured them that "every infiltrator will be sent out of India". His comment comes on a day when the Election Commission (EC) announced that the Assam assembly elections would be held on April 9 and the counting on May 4. "I am confident that the BJP will again form a government in Assam with the largest ever mandate and power of the youths," he said. In the current 126-member assembly, the ruling BJP's strength is 64, while its allies AGP has nine MLAs, UPPL has seven, and the BPF has three members. ''The Congress gave shelter to infiltrators, but the BJP government is determined to identify each one of them and drive them out of the country," Shah
As the BJP prepares for the West Bengal assembly elections in its bid to challenge the ruling TMC, several leaders, such as Suvendu Adhikari, are expected to play key roles in shaping its high-stakes campaign. From securing just about 4 per cent vote share in the 2011 assembly elections to emerging as the principal opposition with over 38 per cent vote share in 2021, the BJP has significantly expanded its political footprint in West Bengal. The party at present has 12 Lok Sabha MPs and more than 65 MLAs in the state. Some of the prominent faces of the party who are likely to fight the elections are as follows, Suvendu Adhikari: Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari remains one of the BJP's most prominent leaders in the state and is expected to play a central role in the upcoming elections. A former TMC leader who joined the BJP ahead of the 2021 polls, Adhikari gained national attention after defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, one of the mos