Page 203 - Congress

Congress sets up election committees for 8 states ahead of LS polls

The Congress has set up election committees for several states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, besides a political affairs committee for Madhya Pradesh. The move comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls slated this year. "The Congress president has approved the proposal of the constitution of Pradesh Election Committees of Rajasthan, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura, and Pradesh Election Committee and Political Affairs Committee of Madhya Pradesh, with immediate effect," an official communication from the party said. Rajasthan PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra was appointed the chairman of the Pradesh Election Committee in the state. The committee has as its members former chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Mohan Prakash, C P Joshi, Harish Choudhary, Ramlal Jat, Pramod Jain Bhaya, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Mamta Bhupesh, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Murari Lal Meena, Ashok Chandna,

Cong will win all seats in Haryana in upcoming LS polls: Deepender Hooda

"Lord Ram belongs to everyone. Ram is our adorable ideal and we are his children. The BJP should not politicise the Ram Temple consecration ceremony," Hooda said

Congress concludes the 18-day 'Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra' in Lucknow

The Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of putting the country under Emergency and called on the people to unite against the BJP government, as it concluded its 18-day Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra here on Saturday. The Yatra started from western UP's Saharanpur on December 20. "The way the Modi government of the centre is playing with the Constitution and has set up an emergency in the country, the time has come to stand against him," Avinash Pandey, National General Secretary of the Congress, said in a statement. Pandey, the newly made party in-charge of UP, also called on people to join Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra, which will start from January 14 and traverse the swathe of the country from Manipur to Mumbai. The party workers on the last day of the 'UP Jodo Yatra,' walked from Rakab Ganj in Lucknow to the martyr memorial, where they concluded the rally. State Congress President Ajay Rai, who was involved in the entire yatra, said the campaign would not have been possible ..

Cong blames EVMs, internal sabotage for rout in MP polls at review meeting

Most of the 164 nominees of Congress who lost the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls last November on Saturday blamed EVMs for the poor show against BJP at a review meeting held here, a leader said. Some contestants claimed "internal sabotage" was the reason for the drubbing and demanded strict action ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP swept the state assembly elections to retain power by winning 163 seats out of 230, reducing the Congress tally to 66. About 164 defeated contestants of Congress attended the marathon meeting which lasted for nearly six hours chaired by MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari, one of the candidates who contested unsuccessfully. Many of them said the "EVM issue" should be raised nationwide and those in the state Congress unit responsible for the sabotage should be dealt with an iron hand if the party wants to put up a good show in the Lok Sabha elections, said the party leader, who had lost the elections, after attending the meeting. "Majority of the defeat

INDIA bloc to decide in 10-15 days on who will hold which post: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said leaders of INDIA parties would take a decision within 10-15 days on allocation of posts in the opposition bloc, remarks that come amid speculation that the alliance could pick a convener ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference, he also said that all other matters including seat-sharing of the INDIA bloc would be resolved soon, with party sources indicating that this is likely to be concluded by the month-end. Kharge said the Congress is working on all the 545 Lok Sabha constiutencies and has appointed observers for all the seats, but which party will contest which seat and how many will be decided soon after consultations with all constituents of the opposition alliance. Asked on how many seats the party would contest, he said, "We have already finalised parliamentary observers for all the constituencies... We will go and assess in each Parliamentary constituency." "Ultimately, when INDIA alliance is the

Rahul chose Manipur to launch Nyay Yatra due to concern about state: Cong

Congress spokesperson Mahima Singh on Saturday said party leader Rahul Gandhi has chosen Manipur to launch the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' due to his concern over the situation in that state. She also alleged that the BJP is not bothered about the problems faced by people, and it is only concentrating on headline management. "The BJP, wherever it is in power, is concerned with headline management and people's issues have been sidelined," Singh, also the in-charge of communication and media coordination in Assam for the yatra, told reporters here. "Look at Manipur, the situation remains volatile. Rahul Gandhi was among a handful of national leaders who went and spent time there. That is why he has chosen Manipur to start this yatra," she said. More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured due to the ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur since May last year. The Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-to-Maharashtra yatra, which will begin on January 1

'Open heart' for Cong, but ready to go solo in Bengal if needed: TMC

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday said it has an "open heart" for the Congress regarding seat-sharing in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections, but it was also prepared to go solo if the talks fail. Speaking to PTI, TMC's leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay said what local Congress leaders are thinking about the sharing of seats is immaterial as the final decision will be taken by the top brass of the two parties. "Our leader Mamata Banerjee has already said that we have an open heart for the Congress. Now, what they will do is up to them. Whether there will be an in West Bengal will be decided by Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee. What local Congress leaders think is immaterial," he said. The comment comes two days after state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party won't beg for seats from the TMC. Another senior TMC leader, who refused to be named as he is not authorised to speak on the issue, said the party was open to having an alliance in West Bengal but

Cong slams govt over impact of Chinese imports on Gujarat steel MSMEs

The Congress on Saturday cited a media report, which claimed that 30-35 per cent of the MSMEs in the stainless steel sector in Gujarat have shut shop, to attack the government over what it said was a "massive flood" of imports from China. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared the media report on X which quoted Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) president Rajamani Krishnamurti as saying that Indian stainless steel players are bearing the brunt of heavy influx of cheaper Chinese imports, causing almost 30-35 per cent of medium and small businesses in Gujarat to shut shop between July-September last year. Ramesh said, "80% of the nation's MSMEs in the stainless steel sector are in Gujarat alone. Of these 35% shut shop between July and September 2023. Many others are barely managing to survive. The reason? There's a massive flood of imports from China, the country to which the PM has given a clean chit and a country with whom, reportedly, we no longer expres

Cong appoints Alka Lamba women wing's chief, Varun Choudhary to head NSUI

The Congress on Friday appointed former Delhi MLA Alka Lamba as its women's wing chief, replacing Netta D'Souza. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also appointed Varun Choudhary as the head of the party's students' wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI). Lamba, who has been appointed as the president of the All India Mahila Congress, had been named as a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet last year. Lamba, who started her political career at a young age, was elected as the president of the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) as an NSUI candidate in 1995. In 2014, she quit the Congress and joined AAP but returned to the grand old party in 2019. She was elected an MLA from Chandni Chowk Assembly constituency in 2015. The party appreciates the contributions of outgoing All India Mahila Congress President Netta D'Souza and outgoing NSUI president Neeraj Kundan, a Congress statement said.

No seat-sharing talks yet with AAP in Haryana: Cong's Bhupinder Hooda

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said there has been no seat-sharing talks with the Aam Aadmi Party in Haryana and it will happen only after some criteria are set. Asked whether the Congress was willing to share seats with AAP in the parliamentary elections, Hooda evaded the query by calling it a "hypothetical question". He was speaking to the media after the re-joining of former minister Nirmal Singh into the party. Singh, who had quit the Congress in 2019 to join AAP, rejoined the grand old party on Friday. To the question of whether Singh's action would affect the party's ties with AAP in Haryana, which is an ally of the INDIA bloc, Hooda said there has been no seat-sharing arrangement with AAP yet. "The INDIA alliance is a good and strong step, but there has been no decision yet on the seat-sharing between allies of the opposition bloc. In a democracy, both the ruling and the opposition sides need to be strong and this is the first step," he told .

INDIA bloc will win all 6 Lok Sabha seats in J&K, Ladakh: Congress leader

The INDIA bloc will win all six Lok Sabha seats in the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, senior Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki said here on Friday. Solanki, who was recently appointed the party's in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said the Congress high command would decide the number of seats the party would contest as part of the INDIA bloc. "A committee has been formed and has held meetings with leaders from here. Now the high command will decide," he said. He expressed confidence that the alliance will win all the six seats -- two seats of Jammu region, three of Kashmir valley and one of Ladakh. Highlighting the significance of Jammu and Kashmir, Solanki said, "Although J-K has six seats in Parliament and 90 in assembly, it is the most important state for its strategic and secular characters." He exhorted the party cadre to prepare for the upcoming elections.

Rajasthan: Over 40% voter turnout in Karanpur Assembly polls till afternoon

A turnout of over 40 per cent was recorded in Karanpur by early afternoon as polling took place for the Rajasthan assembly constituency where minister Surendra Pal Singh is contesting as the BJP nominee. The election for this seat was postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate and the then MLA Gurmeet Singh Koonar. The Congress has fielded Koonar's son, Rupinder Singh, from the seat. Surendra Pal Singh has already been inducted into the Rajasthan ministry after the BJP won the assembly polls, bagging 115 of the 199 seats where the elections were held. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said 40.45 per cent of voters had cast their vote till 1.30 pm. "Voters are coming to cast their votes amidst severe cold and fog," he said. The Congress has criticised the BJP nominee's induction in the ministry, terming it a violation of the model code of conduct. As per the rules, Kooner has six months to get elected to the assembly

EC refutes Congress' allegations on EVMs, says has full faith in their use

The Election body further stated that current EVMs in use in Indian elections are compliant with the extant legal framework created and strengthened by the successive Union Governments

Our talks on seat sharing almost done: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut

Congress top leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Thursday conducted meetings with the members of the party's Alliance Committee and Manifesto Committee

Congress to focus on just 255 seats in Lok Sabha elections, says report

2024 general elections: The Congress leadership stated that seat-sharing negotiations with INDIA partners would commence soon

Cong intensifies LS poll preparations, discusses manifesto & seat-sharing

Briefing about the Alliance Committee meeting, committee convener Mukul Wasnik said that in the meeting, a discussion regarding seat-sharing of Congress within the INDIA bloc was held

YSRTP chief Y S Sharmila calls on Sonia Gandhi after joining Congress

She merged the YSRTP with Congress in the presence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at the event held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here today

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to include Arunachal Pradesh

Rahul Gandhi's 66-day Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Imphal to Mumbai will traverse 110 districts of 15 states, including Arunachal Pradesh

Congress renames Rahul Gandhi-led yatra as Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

The Congress on Thursday renamed the Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-Mumbai yatra starting on January 14 as 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' which will travel through 15 states, including Arunachal Pradesh. This was announced by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh after a meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at the Congress headquarters here. Earlier it was named Bharat Nyay Yatra. Ramesh said the Congress invites all INDIA bloc leaders to participate in this yatra and pointed out that invitations were being sent out for it. He said the yatra of over 6,713 km will be covered in buses and on foot. It will cover 110 districts, about 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments. Ramesh claimed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would prove to be as transformative for politics as the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir did.

Kharge asks party workers to ensure Congress victory in Lok Sabha elections

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the BJP of raising emotive issues to hide its failures of 10 years and asked workers to get united to ensure the party's victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a meeting of party leaders from across the country, Kharge told them to sink their differences, not raise internal issues in the media and work as a team to ensure the party's victory. "The BJP is pushing emotive issues to cover up the failures of its government in the last 10 years. They deliberately involve Congress in every issue," Kharge said at the meeting. "We have to unite and give a befitting reply to the lies, deceit and wrongdoings of the BJP on grassroots issues in front of the people," he added. The Congress president also lauded Rahul Gandhi for undertaking the the Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and expressed confidence that his Bharat Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra will bring issues of social justice to centre of the nation