Page 194 - Congress

LS polls: Cong makes key appointments in Himachal, Jharkhand, TN, and J&K

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) appointed President for two disitricts in Himachal Pradesh and State Chairman, State Co-Chairman and State Co-Coordinator for Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday ahead of Lok Sabha polls.In an official statement released by the party on January 30, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said, "Congress President has approved the proposal of the appointment of Suman Bharti as the President of the Hamirpur District Congress Committee (DCC) and Ses Ram Azad as President of Kullu DCC with immediate effect."In another press release, K C Venugopal stated that the AICC has approved the proposal of the appointment of Chairmen, Coordinators and Co-Coordinators of Social Media Department of Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committees with immediate effect.The Jharkhand list includes Gajendra Kumar Singh as State Chairman, Nalin Mishra, Sanjay Kumar and Prashant Pandey as State Co-Coordinator and ...

Cong Telangana unit authorises party high command to finalise RS candidates

The Pradesh Election Committee of the Congress' Telangana unit on Tuesday passed a resolution authorising party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections to fill three vacancies from the state. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said a unanimous resolution was passed authorising Kharge and the Congress' Central Election Committee to finalise the candidates. The meeting, attended by Deepa Dasmunshi -- the All India Congress Committee's (AICC) Telangana in-charge -- and other leaders, discussed the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha elections and finalised an action plan, he said. Elections will be held to fill three vacancies in the Rajya Sabha from Telangana. Reddy -- who is also the Congress' Telangana unit chief -- said applications from probable candidates for the Lok Sabha polls will be accepted at Gandhi Bhavan, the party's headquarters in the state. Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress is like

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Congress hires DDB Mudra for publicity campaign

In 2019, the Congress hired advertising agencies Percept, Silverpush, and Nixon Advertising, while in 2014, it turned to Dentsu India

BJP's Manoj Sonkar beats AAP-Cong candidate to win post of Chandigarh mayor

BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar on Tuesday defeated AAP's Kuldeep Kumar, who was fielded as part of an alliance with the Congress, to win the post of mayor in the Chandigarh mayoral polls. Sonkar polled 16 votes while Kumar secured 12. Eight votes were declared invalid. Councillors of INDIA bloc parties AAP and Congress protested as soon as the results were announced. From Delhi, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of "cheating". The newly elected mayor will hold the elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. As part of the alliance, the AAP was contesting for the mayor's post while the Congress has fielded candidates for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. The polls, being held following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, assume significance with opposition INDIA bloc members Congress and AAP joining hands, even though they are yet to agree on seat-sharing in Punjab. The BJP has 14 councillors in the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal ...

Highlights of the day: 2 killed in clash between ethnic groups in Manipur

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Congress slams govt over UGC 'dereservation' row, demands to sack chairman

Stepping up attack, the Congress on Monday demanded the dismissal of UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar over the draft guidelines for "de-reservation" of posts in higher education institutions, with party leader Rahul Gandhi alleging it was a "conspiracy" to end the reservation given to SC, ST and OBC categories. The party had on Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the UGC's draft guidelines proposing that any vacancy reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates can be "declared unreserved" if enough candidates from these categories are not available. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, however, has clarified that not a single post will be de-reserved and there is no scope for ambiguity about reservations after the introduction of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi claimed it was an attempt by BJP and RSS to "eliminate" the participation of deprived sections and the party demanded that Kumar should .

Lone seat vacant on Nadda's term expiry can go to Sonia or Priyanka: Cong

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh on Tuesday said the lone Rajya Sabha seat falling vacant on expiry of six-year term of BJP national president JP Nadda on April 2 can go to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. "We would discuss the matter with senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the seat could go to them if they are willing," Singh said when asked about sending their names from the state. Sonia Gandhi contested from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 general election. Priyanka Gandhi is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha at present. "The names of Sonia Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can be considered if they so desire," she told mediapersons here in reply to a question on the sidelines of a function to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 76th death anniversary. Following declaration of schedule for the elections to 56 Rajya Sabha seats, including one in Himachal Pradesh, search has be

India's human capital systematically decimated under Modi govt: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the state of India's human capital is being "systematically decimated" by the Modi government by lowering the spending on the social sector. "The Modi Government's 'anyay kaal' spends less on education and healthcare," he said in a post on X while tagging a report that the government's expenditure on health and education has remained low in the last five years. "The state of India's human capital is being systematically decimated by lowering social spending. Crores thrown on publicity cannot ensure 'Viksit Bharat'. 2024 is the year to reclaim welfare and justice. We shall ensure Nyay," Kharge said. The Congress has been targeting the Modi government on social sector spending and have accused the government of reducing their budgets.

LS polls will be end of dynastic politics: BJP on Kharge's election remark

Hitting back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his "last election" barb, the BJP on Tuesday said dynastic politics under the garb of democracy is coming to an end in the country and emergence of true democracy is in the offing. Kharge on Monday had expressed apprehension that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy, and "If Narendra Modi wins another election, there will be dictatorship in the country. The BJP will rule India like Putin in Russia." Slamming Kharge for the remarks, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Dynastic politics under the garb of democracy is coming to an end, and they are wondering what will be their future". "Whether it is Abdullah and Mufti families in Jammu and Kashmir, or Badals in Punjab, Hooda family in Haryana, all of them lost elections. Ashok Gehlot's son also lost, Akhilesh Yadav's wife lost election, in Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter lost election... or the biggest symbol of ..

K'taka Cong chief denies reports of Sonia being offered RS seat from state

Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Tuesday dismissed as false and speculation some media reports which claimed that former party President Sonia Gandhi may be offered a Rajya Sabha seat from the State, and clarified that no such discussions have taken place. There have been reports in a section of media that Sonia Gandhi may not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, and she may be given a Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka. "All such information is false, no such discussions have happened. You (media) are writing such speculations, no such discussions have happened," Shivakumar, also the Deputy Chief Minister, said in response to a question on such reports. Sonia Gandhi had won the1999 Lok Sabha elections from Ballari in Karnataka, defeating veteran BJP leader late Sushma Swaraj. Meanwhile, Shivakumar hit out at BJP and JD(S) for the row over removal of Hanuman flag flying from the 108-ft flagstaff at Keragodu village in Mandya district. Such things are being done to create

Modi's guarantee a jumla, real issues are unemployment, inflation: Priyanka

Hitting out at the Centre over people seeking jobs in Israel, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said talk of five trillion dollar economy and Modi's guarantee are just a "jumla" with the real issue in the country being that of unemployment and inflation for which she claimed the BJP government has no solution. The Congress general secretary shared a video on X which showed people queuing up for a recruitment drive to send workers to Israel. In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said, "If there is a war situation anywhere, then first of all we rescue our citizens from there and bring them back to our country." "But today unemployment has resulted in such a situation that the government is not even saving thousands of helpless youth from taking the risk of going to war-torn Israel," she said. "This shows, that talk of things like '5 trillion dollar economy', 'two crore jobs annually' and 'Modi's guarantee' during elections is just jumla (rhetoric)," she said. Why are the yo

Those who glorify Godse will not be allowed to define idea of India: Cong

On Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary, the Congress on Tuesday asserted that the true tribute to the father of the nation would be to not let the "flame of truth and harmony" be extinguished in the "storm of hatred". The party also said that those who glorify Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse should not and will not be allowed to define the idea of India. In a post on 'X', Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cited a quote of Mahatma Gandhi, "The enemy is fear. We think it's hate but it is fear." "On Martyrs Day, we pay our respects to Bapu, the moral compass of our nation. We must pledge to fight against those who seek to destroy his ideals based on 'sambhav' and 'sarvodaya'," Kharge said. "Let us do everything to protect the India of 'unity in diversity' and ensure justice, equality and fraternity among our people," he said. In a post on 'X' in Hindi, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that on this very day, the ideology of hatred and violence had snatched away

Lok Sabha polls: Rahul to address rally in Bihar on 2nd day of Nyay Yatra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Tuesday address his first rally in Bihar ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, seeking to pick up the threads for the opposition INDIA bloc which has been tattered with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's exit. Gandhi's rally in Purnea district falls on the second day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra's march across the state where it made an entry through Kishanganj district and made a night halt at adjoining Araria. According to Congress legislature party leader in Bihar, the rally will also be addressed by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge who has also invited other leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc to share the stage. Also likely to be present is young leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who hails from the state's Begusarai district and is known to stir the crowds with his oratory. The Congress' oldest and most important ally in the state, the RJD, is likely to be represented by a representative of its de facto leaders Lalu Prasad, the founding president, and his son .

Opportunism for power at its peak: Digvijaya on Nitish's return to NDA

A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ditched the Mahagathbandhan and the opposition bloc INDIA to form a new government with the BJP, Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh claimed that "opportunism" for power was at its peak. JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday resigned as the chief minister of Bihar, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance and the opposition bloc INDIA, and formed a new government with the BJP, which he dumped less than 18 months ago. Kumar's latest crossover, his fifth in a little over a decade, capped days of high political drama and blame game. It is also seen as a big setback for the opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Asked about Kumar's move, Digvijaya Singh told reporters here, "Opportunism is at its peak and it is for power. All are opportunists, whether he is (Prime Minister) Modi ji, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah ji or Nitish ji." They have nothing to do with the religious or

Nitish's decision to join NDA correct, taken for Bihar's development: Min

JD(U) president Nitish Kumar's decision to join the NDA is correct and taken at the right time for the development of Bihar, BJP ally and Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale said on Monday. Kumar took oath as the chief minister of Bihar for a record ninth time on Sunday after a dramatic volteface, ditching the 'Mahagathbandhan' and the opposition INDIA bloc, and forming a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. Talking to PTI, Athawale said the opposition terming Kumar as "Paltu Ram" (one who switches sides) is not justified. "Nitish Kumar's decision is correct and he has taken it at the right time for the development of Bihar. This is a challenge to the Congress," he said. "He has joined the NDA to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We all welcome him," the RPI (A) chief said. On the opposition calling Kumar an opportunist, Athawale said, "He is not an opportunist but the Congress is." Kumar on Sunday had .

Assam CM should look at his own house, don't be too smart: Digvijaya

Notably, Assam CM Sarma on Sunday took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi saying wherever he (Gandhi) goes, Congress will lose there and he (Rahul Gandhi) is so arrogant

Speed dating by Nitish and why the BJP embraced him

It is quite likely that Kumar expects to benefit as member of the NDA from the religious fervour built by the inauguration of the Ram temple, Centre's welfare schemes and PM's larger-than-life persona

'Aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar'?: Congress slams Nitish, says people will reply

The Congress on Monday took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with another chameleon barb and 'aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar' jibe at him, a day after the JD(U) leader's latest volte-face in Bihar. Kumar on Sunday resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance and the opposition bloc INDIA, and formed a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Girgit ko bhi karni padi naye rang ki khoj, ye shoorveer badalte hain itne rang roz (Even the chameleon had to search for a new colour as these 'warriors' change so many colours everyday)." Speaking with reporters in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Ramesh said, "What can I say? I said yesterday 'aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar'. Nitish Kumar gives a tough competition to a chameleon." Ramesh swipe was a word play on the ...

Our workers not happy with clash with TMC at ground level: Jairam Ramesh

In the states, we can fight, like in Kerala, where we fight with the leftists. We keep fighting with each other, but if we do not fight at the national level, we will have to find some similar formula

'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' to enter Bihar, brings Rahul to state after 2 yrs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will on Monday reach Bihar through Kishanganj, a district with a heavy Muslim population which is also a party stronghold. Gandhi's Bihar tour comes a day after the Congress was left high and dry with former ally Nitish Kumar, the Bihar chief minister, making a return to the BJP-led NDA. This is Gandhi's first visit to Bihar since the assembly poll campaign of 2020. Gandhi is scheduled to address a public meeting in Kishanganj, followed by a big rally in the adjoining district of Purnea on Tuesday and another one in Katihar a day later, according to Congress legislature party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan. He will be leaving for West Bengal on Thursday via Araria district and will return to Bihar a few days later via Jharkhand, said state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh. According to leaders of the state Congress, the party's alliance partners in Bihar like RJD president Lalu Prasad and CPI(ML)-L general secretary Dipanka