Page 135 - Congress

Our guarantee to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said it is its guarantee that it will give special category status to Andhra Pradesh, as promised by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, if it comes to power. The reiteration of Congress' promise made in its 2024 manifesto assumes significance amid reported efforts by the INDIA bloc to win over the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which was leading on 16 seats in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP is currently part of the BJP-led NDA. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "INDIA will finish the unfinished business of 2014: On Feb 14th 2014, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh pledged special category status to the new state of Andhra Pradesh for 5 years. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu countered by saying BJP if elected to power will extend it for 10 years. Two months later Narendra Modi, in the holy city of Tirupati, repeated the promise." "For the past 10 years the outgoing Modi government did nothing," he said. It, in fact, abolished the very policy of special category .

BJP should focus on development, instead of communalism: Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who won a fourth consecutive time from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, on Tuesday said that the poll results were a lesson for the BJP that they do better when they go on other tracks, like development, instead of communalism. Tharoor said that the poll results were also a "serious message by the electorate to the BJP that their kind of governance needs to improve colossally". The Congress leader said that the saffron party will be able to appeal to voters in Kerala only if it goes beyond the "classic sort of north Indian BJP template". "... I always felt that the BJP was hitting a ceiling in Kerala because of the communalism embodied in their messaging. That when they go on other tracks they do better. Whether it was the development track that Rajeev Chandrasekhar espoused here or the conscious outreach to minorities and for sure by Suresh Gopi. "When you go beyond the classic sort of north Indian BJP template, only then can you appeal to vot

BJP failed to tackle issues like inflation, unemployment: Bhupinder Hooda

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said that farmers' plight, Agnipath, unemployment, law and order, and inflation were key issues which the ruling BJP failed to address. As the Congress appeared set to wrest five Lok Sabha seats from the ruling BJP in Haryana, Hooda said that he had been saying "there is a wave blowing in favour of the Congress". "You asked me about exit polls predicting most seats to the BJP, to which I said wait for the actual poll results on June 4," the Congress veteran said. Haryana is known for "jai jawan, jai kisan, jai pehalwan". "But what did they (BJP) do. They brought Agniveer (Agnipath scheme), which faced opposition from the youth. They did not redress farmers' issues. And everyone knows the treatment that was meted to our wrestler daughters, who had to protest (at Delhi's Jantar Mantar)," he said. Hooda said that unemployment increased in the state during the BJP rule while the law and order situation also deteriorated. H

Financial markets were given artificial booster dose by exit polls: Cong

As financial markets went for a tumble on Tuesday after the trends of the Lok Sabha poll results showed that the BJP was not getting a majority on its own, the Congress said the markets were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls and have now turned turbulent. The Congress also recalled the words of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 to say that the party is committed to an orderly and healthy development of the financial markets that reflect the fundamentals of the economy. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government provided a fear-free and intimidation-free 10-year period (2004-14) for the private sector that helped the country achieve its highest GDP growth. "Financial markets that were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls are turbulent today. In this context, it is wise to recall the words of Dr Manmohan Singh on May 17th 2004, the last occasion on which the markets were faced with

Who ordered you to slow down Lok Sabha election results, Congress asks EC

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questions Election Commission on delays in vote counting

PM Modi must take moral responsibility and resign: Congress on LS polls

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Jairam Ramesh said that the INDIA bloc's better-than-expected performance was a sign that it was time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign from his post

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In Amethi, Smriti Irani trails Congress worker Kishori Lal

In 2019, Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi from the seat, considered to be one of the strongholds of the grand old party

Election trends show moral defeat for PM Modi, he should resign: Congress

With latest trends showing the BJP falling below the majority mark, the Congress on Tuesday said it has become clear that it will be a staggering political and decisively moral defeat for Narendra Modi and he should resign and head to the Himalayas. Counting of votes are underway for the Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party but not getting a majority on its own. "He used to pretend that he was extraordinary. Now it has been proved that the outgoing prime minister is going to become former. Take moral responsibility and resign. This is the message of this election," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X in Hindi. He said on December 3, 2016, in Moradabad, the "outgoing" Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said - "What at the most can they do to me? What can they do? I am a faqir (poor man), I will just pick up my bag and leave". "Do you remember this statement of yours, outgoing prime minister? The time has come. Take your bag an

LS polls 2024: BJP leads in 10 seats in Chhattisgarh, Congress ahead in 1

The BJP has maintained an impressive lead in 10 out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, as per trends available so far. The Congress has managed a lead only in the Korba seat where its sitting MP Jyotsna Mahant, wife of the incumbent leader of opposition Charandas Mahant, was leading by a margin of 8,304 votes over the BJP's influential woman leader Saroj Pandey. Counting of votes began at 33 centres at 8 am on Tuesday, and postal ballots were counted in the first half an hour. In the high-profile Rajnandgaon seat, Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was initially leading, was trailing by a margin of 33,512 votes against the BJP's sitting MP Santosh Pandey. BJP's influential leader, Brijmohan Agrawal, was leading by a significant margin of 2,04,684 votes against Congress' Vikas Upadhyay in the crucial Raipur seat. In Durg, BJP's sitting MP Vijay Baghel was ahead against his nearest rival, Rajendra Sahu of Congress, by 1,82,933 votes. In the Naxalite-h

BJP leading in all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi: Election Commission trends

The BJP is leading in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on Tuesday, according to trends on the Election Commission (EC) website. The BJP's Praveen Khandelwal was initially trailing the Congress' Jai Prakash Agarwal in the Chandni Chowk seat but has now moved ahead to secure a lead of 27,041 votes, EC data showed. The BJP's North-East Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari, who is pitted against the Congress' Kanhaiya Kumar, was leading by a margin of 73,781 votes. BJP West Delhi candidate Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is up against AAP's Mahabal Mishra, was ahead by a margin of 69,296 votes, and the BJP's North-West Delhi candidate Yogender Chandoliya was leading by 1,05,266 votes against the Congress' Udit Raj, the data showed. On the East Delhi seat, AAP's Kuldeep Kumar was trailing by a margin of 14,134 votes against the BJP's Harsh Malhotra. The BJP's Ramvir Singh Bidhuri was ahead by a margin of 63,675 votes against AAP's Sahi Ram Pahalwan from South Delhi, while in the New Delhi constituen

Chhattisgarh election result 2024: Will BJP repeat its near-clean sweep?

Chhattisgarh Lok Sabha election result 2024: In the high-stakes battle for Chhattisgarh, BJP has near-clean sweep in state, securing 10 out of 11 seats

Lok Sabha polls 2024: This is what the results look like at 2 pm on June 4

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 results: Counting for the General Elections began at 8 am on Tuesday. Early trends suggest a huge victory for the BJP-led NDA, while the INDIA bloc trails

Karnataka election result 2024: BJP win 17 seats, JD(S) 2, Congress 9

Karnataka Lok Sabha election result 2024: In the high-stakes battle for Karnataka, the BJP-led NDA secures 19 seats

India shining to INDIA shines: Why people are remembering BJP's 2004 slogan

Netizens are talking about 'INDIA shining', signalling the better-than-expected performance of the opposition's INDIA bloc

Lok Sabha results 2024: Early trends predict victory for BJP in Rajasthan

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The BJP is leading in 14 constituencies in Rajasthan, while the INDIA bloc is edging closer on 11 constituencies

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Congress leads in 7 seats in Punjab, AAP in 3

The Congress was leading in six Lok Sabha seats, while the AAP in four constituencies in Punjab, according to initial trends. The Congress was leading from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Patiala seats and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was leading from Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Sangrur and Bathinda seats, the trends showed. Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who was contesting as an independent, was leading from Khadoor Sahib seat, while Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, the son of one of the two assassins of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was leading from Faridkot seat. Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal was trailing from the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat against her nearest rival and AAP nominee Gurmeet Singh Khuddian in initial trends, according to the Election Commission. A three-time MP, Harsimrat was trailing by 490 votes, the EC website showed. Counting of votes for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and the lone Chandigarh seat began at 8

LS polls 2024: Election trends show moral defeat for PM Modi, says Congress

With latest trends showing the BJP falling below the majority mark, the Congress on Tuesday said it has become clear that it will be a staggering political and decisively moral defeat for Narendra Modi. Counting of votes are underway for the Lok Sabha elections, with BJP emerging as the single largest party but not getting a majority on its. Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said the exit polls have been completely exposed for what they were -- "a total sham." "Trends for all 543 seats are now available. The following have become clear: It will be a staggering political and decisively moral defeat for Mr. Narendra Modi," Ramesh said. He said it has also become clear that, "the exit polls that he orchestrated have been completely exposed for what they were--a total sham." Early tren

Lok Sabha polls 2024: This is what the results look like at 1 pm on June 4

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 results: Counting for the General Elections began at 8 am on Tuesday. Early trends suggest a huge victory for the BJP-led NDA, while the INDIA bloc trails

Bengal: TMC leading in 28 seats, BJP 11, Congress & CPM 1 each

The TMC raced ahead of its rivals, leading in 28 seats after several rounds of counting, while the BJP led in 11, Congress and CPI(M) in one each, according to the Election Commission website. TMC candidate and sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee is leading in the Diamond Harbour constituency over his nearest rival, BJP's Abhijit Das, by a margin of 115,933 votes. TMC's Hooghly candidate Rachana Banerjee was leading over her nearest BJP rival and sitting MP Locket Chatterjee by a margin of over 12,139 votes. TMC candidate and two-time MP Asit Mal was leading from Bolpur over her nearest rival, BJP's Piya Saha, by 6,010 votes. In Malda Dakshin, Congress candidate Isha Khan Choudhury was leading by 11,733 votes over her nearest BJP rival, Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury. In Jadavpur, TMC's Sayani Ghosh was leading by over 40,000 votes over her nearest BJP rival, Anirban Ganguly. In Malda Uttar, sitting MP and BJP candidate Khagen Murmu was leading by a margin of 11,119 votes over his nearest riv

INDIA bloc will win 295 Lok Sabha seats, says Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the INDIA alliance has surpassed the numbers predicted by the exit polls and claimed the opposition bloc will win 295 Lok Sabha seats. Speaking to reporters, Raut said the Congress, which barely got 50 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is now poised to bag 150 seats. Counting of votes was underway across the country on Tuesday for polls to the 543-member Lok Sabha. "The picture is that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will be ahead in Maharashtra and the INDIA alliance will win 295 (seats in the country)," Raut claimed. "The INDIA alliance has crossed the figures predicted by the exit polls and sprinted ahead. It will cross 295 seats," the Rajya Sabha member added. The Congress-led INDIA bloc was leading in 200 seats in the early trends, a performance that appeared much better than what was predicted in the exit polls.