Page 216 - Bjp

INDIA bloc will win all 39 seats in TN, says Cong leader P Chidambaram

The former union minister's son, Karti Chidambaram, is the Congress' sitting MP from Sivaganga and he is pitted against the BJP's Devanathan Yadav and A Xavierd of the AIADMK

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Tracking voter pulse, one station at a time

Each train carriage became a microcosm of democracy, echoing with the voices of passengers from all walks of life - and trains of thought

Lok Sabha elections 2024: First phase of voting in West Bengal begins

Polling in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri seats began on Friday, an Election Commission official said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding 56.26 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise. A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik, are in the fray in the three constituencies. Voting is taking place at 5,814 polling stations, of which 2,043 are in Cooch Behar, 1,904 in Jalpaiguri and 1,867 in Alipurduars. All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs. The poll body has declared 746 polling stations as sensitive, including 391 in Jalpaiguri, 196 in Cooch Behar and 159 in Alipurduars. The EC has deployed 112 companies of central forces (one company comprises 100 personnel) and 4,500 state police personnel in Cooch Behar, which is more than the other two constituencies that have rem

Economic management: The one thing Biden could learn from PM Modi

While India's economy might be posting impressive growth numbers, employment and wages haven't kept up

Battleground 2024: In Bengal's tea belt, climate and politics boil over

As BJP, TMC fight for dominance, tea gardens hope for a change in the weather and, perhaps, their fortunes

Highlights of the day: AAP MLA Amanatullah arrested in Delhi Waqf Board-linked money laundering case

Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here

India can take action against terrorism even across border: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that India possesses the capability to counter terror activities by taking action across the border, if required. "If anyone tries to encourage terrorist activities in India, we have the power to deal with it here and, if required, take action even on the other side of the border," the minister said. Singh made the statement here while criticising the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF for having sought proof of the cross-border airstrike in 2019 carried out by Indian defence forces on terror camps across the border. Addressing a poll rally organised by the BJP-led NDA in the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, he dubbed the questions of the Congress and the Left as "anti-national in nature", and said the people in the country are aware of that. Senior Congress leader Kodikkunnil Suresh is the UDF candidate in Mavelikkara, where CPI's C A Arun Kumar is contesting as the LDF candidate, and the NDA is represented by Baiju Kalashala

Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara: A Congress citadel which BJP wants to breach

As Kamal Nath's grip on Chhindwara weakens, the BJP intensifies its efforts to dismantle the Congress stronghold in Madhya Pradesh

Caste arithmetic, ex-CMs and BSP make for a riveting contest in Haridwar

For the past two elections, BJP stalwart and former Union minister (as well as ex-Uttarakhand CM) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been winning the Haridwar LS seat

India seems to be moving from Cong to BJP-dominated system: US expert

India appears to be transitioning from a Congress-dominated system to one controlled by the BJP but it is yet to be seen whether the party can penetrate South India or not, an eminent American expert has said, as he joined a debate whether overwhelming power to a single entity can be a concern for the health of democracy. Ashley J Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment think-tank, observed that the ruling party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per latest opinion poll trends, seems to be headed for a third consecutive term. If the opinion polls are correct, Prime Minister Modi will be elected likely with a comfortable enough majority to dominate politics for another five years, Tellis said at a panel discussion on India in Modi's Third Term on Wednesday. Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University, and Ashok Malik, a partn

BJP instigated violence during Ram Navami celebrations in WB, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the BJP instigated violence during Ram Navami celebrations in the state. She claimed that the violence in Murshidabad district was "pre-planned" and accused the saffron party of orchestrating it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. A blast happened near a procession in Murshidabad's Shaktipur area on Wednesday, injuring a woman, police said. "Everything was pre-planned. The DIG of Murshidabad was removed a day ahead of Ram Navami so that you (the BJP) can carry out violence," she said at an election rally in the Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency. The chief minister also claimed that goons associated with the BJP roughed up police personnel in the district. The BJP, meanwhile, alleged that stones were pelted at a Ram Navami procession in Rejinagar area of the district.

Sensing defeat in LS polls, Congress standing by Naxals for votes: BJP

The BJP on Thursday alleged the Congress is advocating for Naxals for votes as it has sensed its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Wednesday described Naxals killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh as "martyrs" and raised questions over the action against the extremists. Security personnel gunned down 29 Naxals in Kanker, Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, in the biggest encounter ever in the state which has been facing the Naxal menace for the past three decades. "We have seen a very important operation in Chhattisgarh in which 29 Naxals were eliminated by security personnel. It was indeed a big achievement for the security forces," Poonawalla said. "Instead of welcoming the action by the security forces, the Congress has done what is expected of them. However, it is unthinkable that it claimed that the Naxals

Lok sabha polls: Home Minister Amit Shah holds mega roadshow in Ahmedabad

Union Home Minister Amit Shah embarked on a roadshow on Thursday morning in Sanand town of Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. Shah, while standing on a specially-designed vehicle, greeted the people and BJP workers who gathered in large numbers on the route - from the APMC Chowk to Nalsarovar Chowk. Ahead of the roadshow in Sanand, Shah in a post on X said, "Today I will appeal to my brothers and sisters of Gandhinagar Lok Sabha Constituency to make BJP victorious and give their blessings to Modi ji so that he becomes Prime Minister once again to make the country No. 1 in every sector and to make Gandhinagar one of the most developed Lok Sabha constituencies in the country." The senior BJP leader, who is seeking re-election from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency for a second term, will file his nomination papers on Friday, state party spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said. This is one of the three roadshows to be

LS polls: BJP refuses to mention minorities' in its manifesto, says Owaisi

Alleging that the BJP has hatred towards minorities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the saffron party even refused to mention the word "minorities" in its manifesto, instead saying it as "marginalised". Owaisis said AIMIM's alliance in Uttar Pradesh with Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (K) will continue even in the Assembly polls and the party will support Prakash Ambedkar in Akola and Anand Ambedkar in Amaravati in Maharashtra. "I have seen the BJP's advertisement on April 17 in various newspapers. Please see when they talk about giving loans or help to start a business from the government, it says ST and OBC. The BJP is even refusing to mention word minorities forget about Muslims. The word minorities is mentioned in the Constitution of India and the BJP has a great hatred for the word M," Owaisi told PTI videos on Wednesday. "They have not mentioned the word minorities. They say scholarships will be given to marginalised communities," he said. He claimed that there are highest numb

Rahul Gandhi has no courage to contest from Amethi, says Rajnath Singh

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Thursday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after his defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, he does not have the courage to stand from there this time. Singh said Gandhi, following his defeat, migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh. "However, I have heard that the people of Wayanad have decided not to make him their MP," he claimed while speaking at an election meeting in the Pathanamathitta Lok Sabha constituency to garner support for BJP candidate Anil K Antony. Singh also said that while various space programmes and projects were being launched in the country, "the launching of Congress' young leader has not happened for the last 20 years". "The Congress party's 'Rahulyaan' has neither been launched nor has it landed anywhere," he said taking a dig at the Congress MP from Wayanad. During his speech, Singh praised Congress stalwart A K Antony and called him a disciplined and principled person whose honesty and integri

BJP nominates Union Minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat

2024 Lok Sabha Elections: BJP releases 13th list with one candidate name, nominating Rane against Shiv Sena (UBT)'s MP Vinayak Raut

BJP fires up campaign in Tamil Nadu as state prepares to vote for LS polls

Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank that also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month starting from March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu is the most keenly watched constituency

Lok Sabha Polls Phase-I: 102 constituencies in play, 8 ministers in fray

Here's a list of constituencies, incumbent parties, key candidates, and voter turnout in the 2019 General elections

ED searches, assets attachment, convictions rose exponentially under BJP

Searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the anti-money laundering law rose by 86 times while arrests and attachment of assets jumped by around 25 times in the ten years since 2014 compared to the preceding nine-year period, according to official data. An analysis of the data by PTI for the last ten years, between April 2014 and March 2024, against the nine years from July 2005 to March 2014 presents a picture of the federal agency's "intensified" action under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The PMLA was enacted in 2002 and implemented from July 1, 2005, to check serious crimes of tax evasion, generation of black money and money laundering. While the opposition parties have alleged that the ED's action during the last decade was part of the BJP-led central government's "oppressive" tactics against its rivals and others, the Union government and the ruling party have asserted that the agency is independent and its investigations

General elections: Campaigning ends for 102 seats going to polls in phase 1

The election campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded at 3 pm today in the North East, and in other areas, it ended at 6 pm