Page 224 - Bjp

LS polls: Intense battle in Kannur as Cong, CPI(M), & BJP vie for dominance

The Northern Kerala constituency of Kannur is witnessing an intense battle between the Congress and the CPI(M), while the BJP is focusing on the newly registered young voters to make an impact in the seat. With 39 percent minorities, including Muslims and Christians, the voters often support the CPI(M)-LDF in most of the assembly seats falling under this Parliament constituency in the polls to the legislature, but the Lok Sabha constituency has often swayed towards the Congress-led UDF, hoping to replace the BJP at the Centre. The strong minority vote base is what helped the UDF win the seat as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is its major partner. The rubber farmers in areas like Irikkur and Peravoor, predominantly Christians, have also been a strong vote bank for the Congress. Hoping to retain the seat this time as well, the Congress has fielded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudhakaran here. Considering his candidature in the seat, Sudhakaran had recently ...

YSRCP leader criticises TDP-BJP alliance over steel plant privatisation

YSRCP leader, Botsa Satyanarayana, questioned how Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP can forge an alliance with the BJP without demanding to stop the privatization of the steel plant

Tajinder Singh Bittu calls on Nadda after ditching Congress for BJP

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed Bittu in the BJP fold saying that the work done under the leadership of PM Modi was more than what the Congress achieved in the 60 years

PM talks about 'Make in India' but wants Chinese goods in country: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that although Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about 'Make in India', he has "destroyed" MSMEs through demonetisation and GST as he wants Chinese goods to be sold in the country and billionaires profit from it. He also the BJP government has created "two types of martyrs" and asserted that if voted to power, the Congress will scrap the Agniveer scheme. At an election meeting here also attended by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the former Congress chief alleged that PM Modi worked with full vigour for 15-20 billionaires in the past 10 years. By diverting people's attention, the "entire wealth of India was handed over to these people. Narendra Modi ji has waived loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of the billionaires", he claimed. "They have waived the loans of 10-15 people. Narendra Modi ji has given lakhs of crores to the billionaires. Today, the situation is such that 22 people possess wealth equal to that of 70 crore Indians... T

Highlights of the day: Delhi records maximum temperature of 37.2 degrees Celsius

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Kejriwal stopped taking insulin months before his arrest: Tihar officials

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had stopped taking insulin months before his arrest and is on a basic anti-diabetes oral medicine, officials said on Saturday, citing a report by the Tihar jail administration to Lt Governor VK Saxena. In response, AAP leader Atishi said the report has "exposed" the BJP's "conspiracy". "At the behest of the BJP, a conspiracy is underway to kill Kejriwal in jail. The chief minister has been taking insulin for 12 years, what is the problem for the Tihar administration to give insulin to him?," she asked. The Delhi minister also claimed that Kejriwal used to take 50 units of insulin daily before he was sent to jail. Kejriwal -- who is under the care of a Telangana-based private doctor for diabetes -- stopped taking insulin a few months ago and, at the time of his arrest, he was on a basic anti-diabetes oral tablet called Metformin, the officials said, citing the Tihar report. During his medical check-ups in Tihar jail, Kejriwal told doctors that h

LS polls: Wayanad District Congress Committee general secy quits, joins BJP

The Congress party in Wayanad faced a setback on Saturday as its District Congress Committee general secretary resigned from the party and joined the BJP. Addressing the media after joining the saffron party, P M Sudhakaran said present MP and Congress candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, Rahul Gandhi, was inaccessible to even the district leaders of the party. "If he is inaccessible to me, imagine the situation of a common man. He was given five years. If we give another term, it will destroy the development prospects of Wayanad," Sudhakaran said. He also challenged Gandhi to announce that he will not contest from Amethi. Two other "prominent personalities" too joined the BJP today, the saffron party said in a release. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front has fielded senior CPI leader Annie Raja from the Wayanad constituency. The BJP has given the ticket to its state chief K Surendran in the high range constituency. Recently, the UDF convenor of Kottayam District, Sji ...

Powerful people in India, abroad joined hands to remove me from power: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said big and powerful people in India and abroad have joined hands to remove him from power. Addressing a mega public meeting here, he said, "Mothers and sisters have come in a large number here. Your struggle and the challenges you face to nurture your family, Modi has seen this in his house. These days big and powerful people in the country and abroad have united to remove Modi." "But, because of Nari Shakti and Maatru Shakti's blessings and Suraksha kavach (safety armour), Modi is able to move on fighting challenges." "Serving mothers, sisters and daughters and protecting them is Modi's priority," he said, listing out measures taken by his government for women's welfare in ten years, like supporting their self help groups and creating 'Lakhpati Didis'. Former Minister K Sudhakar is the BJP candidate from Chikkaballapur, while its alliance partner JD(S) has fielded M Mallesh Babu from the neighbouring Kolar. The prime minister said the fi

BJP may bring back electoral bonds after 2024 elections: FM Sitharaman

Electoral bond issue: Finance Minister Sitharaman said electoral bonds could be reintroduced with improvements for transparency and stakeholder consultations if BJP came back to power after the ongoin

BJP wants to continue loot: Cong on Sitharaman's remarks on electoral bonds

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP over Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's reported remarks that electoral bonds will be brought back after consultations, alleging that after looting Rs 4 lakh crore of public money, they want to "continue the loot." Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's attack on the BJP came after Sitharaman told the Hindustan Times that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intended to bring back electoral bonds in some form after consultations with all stakeholders if it is elected back to power after the 2024 general election. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has declared that if the BJP returns to power, they will bring back the Electoral Bonds that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional and illegal!" "We know that the BJP looted Rs. 4 lakh crore of public money in the #PayPM scam. Now they want to continue the loot," he alleged. Ramesh listed what he said were the "four methods of PayPM." "Prepaid Bribery - .

LS polls: K'taka BJP chief Vijayendra rubbishes 'dynasty politics' charge

Rubbishing criticism, especially from within the party, that he is a product of "dynasty politics", Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra said he has been appointed to the post based on his performance and commitment, and not just because he is the son of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa. His primary objective as the party president is to consolidate BJP's base pan-Karnataka, he said as he also asserted that people want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third term, and no factors including Congress government's guarantee schemes will come in the way of this. "I would have agreed with Eshwarappa or Yatnal's statements, if I had been appointed as the party President by Yediyurappa himself, but I'm president because of the decision of the national leadership, not by Yediyurappa," Vijayendra told PTI in an interview. Responding to senior party leaders K S Eshwarappa and Basangouda Patil Yatnal's repeated attacks on him accusing him of being a product of "dynasty ...

Will PM deliver on his 'promise' to put Ashok Chavan in jail asks Congress

The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and Parbhani. "Today's questions for PM Modi as he heads to Nanded and Parbhani: Will the PM deliver on his promise to put BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail? What is the BJP's plan to deal with Marathwada's worsening drought and water scarcity? Why has the Indian Railways performed so poorly in Nanded division," Ramesh said in a post on 'X'. Elaborating on what he dubbed as "jumla details", the Congress leader said the prime minister should revisit his words from his campaign in Nanded on March 30, 2014, when he launched a ferocious attack on Chavan -- "now the latest labaarthi of the 'BJP Washing Machine Yojana'". "The PM declared Chavan an 'Adarsh candidate', and said that 'the Congress is

Supplier of 'aatank' now struggling to get 'aata': PM Modi on Pakistan

Referring to Pakistan's high inflation rate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the nation which was a supplier of 'aatank' (terrorism) is now struggling to get 'aata' (flour)

PM Modi running 'school of corruption' in country, says Rahul Gandhi

The former Congress chief claimed that the prime minister was teaching chapters on how the collection of donations is done through raids and how contracts are distributed after taking donations

PM Narendra Modi to campaign in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengaluru and neighbouring Chikkaballapura district for the Lok Sabha poll campaign on Saturday. He will address mega rallies both in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura. Modi held mega rallies in Kalaburagi and Shivamogga last month. On April 14, he addressed a rally in Mysuru, during which he shared the dais with JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, and later held a roadshow in Mangaluru. According to the state BJP, the Prime Minister is scheduled to address a mega public meeting at Chokkahalli village in Chikkaballapura district at 2 PM, covering Chikkballapur and Kolar Lok Sabha constituencies, and later at 4 PM he will participate in a massive rally in Bengaluru's palace ground, covering Bangalore North, Bangalore South, Bangalore Central and Bangalore Rural segments. Bangalore -North, South and Central have been BJP's bastions, while Rural is represented by Congress' D K Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K ...

LS polls: Congress, Left have become ideologically bankrupt, says Nadda

BJP chief J P Nadda on Friday said parties within the INDIA bloc, such as the Congress and the Left, have become "ideologically bankrupt". He highlighted their fierce electoral battles with each other outside of Delhi while maintaining cordial relationships within the national capital to oppose the BJP. Apart from Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram, Nadda addressed election meetings in Palakkad and Kottayam as well. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a roadshow organised by the BJP-led NDA in Sulthan Bathery for its candidate K Surendran, the BJP chief cited the electoral battle between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and LDF's Annie Raja of the CPI in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. He pointed to this fight between the Congress and the Left parties to reinforce his claim, highlighting the apparent camaraderie among their top leadership in New Delhi despite the rivalry elsewhere. "The double standards and hypocrisy of Rahul Gandhi, the Indian National Congress, CPI(M), and CPI are visible h

LS polls: High turnout in first phase in Bengal raises hope for BJP, TMC

Both ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP hoped that the high turnout of 77 per cent recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in three constituencies in northern West Bengal will be in their favour. While the TMC exuded confidence that despite the BJP "terrorising" its activists, it will win by massive margins, the saffron party said that the "strong arm tactics" of the ruling party in the state failed under watchful eyes of central forces people "ignored intimidation and threats of TMC leaders". Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee said, "A large number of women voted in the three seats of north Bengal. This shows people, particularly women, have not been misled by the false propaganda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." He alleged that the BJP did not find polling agents in all booths in Alipurduars. BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said "strongarm tactics" of TMC leaders have been countered by ordinary people, including women. "The high voting percenta

Highlights: Israel warned US about drone strike on Iran, says Italian foreign minister

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LS polls Highlights: Nearly 60% polling till 5 pm in phase one, says EC

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the news updates on the announcements related to Lok Sabha polls here

Kept away from BJP, Congress as both cheated people: BSP chief Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday said her party stayed away from alliances led by the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress since both had cheated citizens. Addressing a poll rally here, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also claimed the BJP would struggle for victory in the Lok Sabha polls "if EVMs are not tampered". "The BSP did not ally with the BJP or Congress as both these parties have cheated people. Both their manifestos are weak. We are fighting the Lok Sabha polls relying on the strength of Dalits, tribals, Other Backward Classes and Muslims," she said. "After Independence, the Congress ruled the country and states with a casteist and capitalist approach. That party's words and deeds did not match," she added. Mayawati also said the BJP would struggle in the Lok Sabha polls since it had not fulfilled promises. "Even one-fourth of their guarantees have not been implemented. The BJP will not sail through easily in the polls if it is conducted fairly and E