Page 215 - Congress

Assembly poll results show 'Modi magic' remains strong in Hindi heartland

The assembly poll results on Sunday have delivered a ringing endorsement of the BJP's strategy centred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal and governance plank, quashing the Congress' hopes of revival in the Hindi heartland and boosting the impression that the ruling party is favourite to retain power for a third straight term in 2024. The BJP had taken the gambit of not projecting any chief ministerial face and built its campaign around grander narratives involving the Modi government's works despite misgivings in some quarters, as the five state polls came months after the Karnataka elections where a similar strategy came unstuck. A big win in Karnataka had fuelled the Congress' hopes that it had finally found a counter-punch powered by local leadership and welfare guarantees to put the BJP on the defensive but Sunday's verdict makes it clear that the 'Modi magic' remains strong and can turn the tide in the states where it enjoys strong organisational presence. If anything, t

MP: Congress' Muslim candidates win from Bhopal's Central and North seats

The Congress' Arif Masood and Atif Arif Aqueel won the Assembly polls from Bhopal Central and Bhopal North, respectively, in Madhya Pradesh. Another Muslim leader from the Congress, Nafees Mansha, who had contested from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen after being denied a ticket by the grand old party, however, lost from Burhanpur. Masood defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's Dhruv Narayan Sing by a margin of 15891 votes from Bhopal Central, while Aqueel won against the ruling party's Alok Sharma by 26,987 votes from Bhopal North. In Burhanpur, Mansha garnered 33,853 votes, which was higher than the victory margin of BJP's Archana Chitnis against her nearest rival from the Congress Thakur Surendra Singh. Chitnis defeated Singh by 31,171 votes. As per an estimate, Muslims, at 50 lakh, constitute some 7 per cent of MP's population, and are mainly concentrated in Bhopal and the Malwa region.

Chhattisgarh Assembly election results 2023: Here's how leaders reacted

Rahul Gandhi "humbly" accepted the people's mandate as the Congress headed for electoral defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh

Gehlot submits resignation to governor after Cong's Rajasthan poll defeat

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot submitted his resignation to Governor Kalraj Mishra Sunday evening after his Congress party was defeated in the assembly polls. Gehlot reached the Raj Bhavan here and handed over the resignation letter to the governor. The BJP crossed the halfway mark in Rajasthan, winning 106 seats out of the 199 where assembly elections took place. According to the latest assembly poll results and trends available on the Election Commission website, the BJP won 106 seats and was ahead in nine. The Congress, which was hoping to buck the trend of the incumbent being voted out in the state every five years, bagged 60 seats and was ahead in nine. Polling in 199 of the state's 200 seats were held on November 25. The election in Sriganganagar's Karanpur seat was postponed due to the death of the Congress candidate.

Cong leader Chakravarty triggers 'South vs North' debate after T'gana win

Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty triggered a controversy Sunday with his remarks that the south-north boundary line is getting "thicker and clearer", as the party edged out the BRS in Telangana to register a second win in the southern region where the BJP is not in power in a single state. Chakravarty, however, deleted his post on X as it drew sharp reactions from various quarters, with BJP leaders accusing the Congress of promoting divisive politics. The Congress is facing defeat in three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh at the hands of the BJP. These went to assembly polls between November 7 and 30 along with Telangana and votes were counted on Sunday. "The South-North boundary line getting thicker and clearer!" Chakravarty, who is the chairman of the Professionals' Congress and the party's data analytics department, posted on X along with a picture captioned "South Vs North". These have been deleted. Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Karti ...

Rumblings ensue in INDIA bloc after Cong's poor poll show in 3 states

With the Assembly poll results in three states being a disappointment for the Congress, some rumblings have begun among the constituents of the INDIA opposition bloc ahead of their meeting on December 6, with many leaders alleging that the grand old party ignored others, but was unable to win elections on its own. While some opposition leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Janata Dal-United's K C Tyagi, have asserted that the Congress's poll defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will have no impact on the alliance, some other leaders from the bloc have pointed out that the grand old party had distanced itself from the coalition partners. Asked about the Congress's electoral performance, Pawar said, "I do not think it will have any impact on the INDIA bloc. We will be meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi (on December 6). We will speak to those who are aware of the ground reality. We will be able to .

Telangana results indicate continued dominance of Cong in south: Shivakumar

Crossing the majority mark of 90, the Congress has secured 63 seats in the 119-member Telangana Assembly, while the incumbent BRS has secured 40 seats, as per the latest trends

MP polls would've been different had Cong contested with INDIA allies: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that the outcome of the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections would have been different had the Congress shared some seats with constituents of the INDIA bloc. He also said the grand old party should revisit its outlook towards allies recalling that it was Kamal Nath who had opposed sharing of seats with Samajwadi Party during elections. Raut, however, added that the election results would not cause any rift among the members of the INDIA alliance. It is my clear opinion that the Madhya Pradesh elections should have been contested as INDIA alliance. Had some seats been shared with the alliance parties, such as Akhilesh's party, (Samajwadi Party), the Congress would have fared far better. His (Akhilesh's) party has good support in some areas, including some 10-12 seats known as the strongholds of the party. It was Kamal Nath who opposed sharing of seats with him (Akhilesh), he told reporters. Raut said the poll outcome has a lesson to le

It is with hope, firm resolve that we prepare for Lok Sabha polls: Congress

Suffering defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the Congress on Sunday recalled that 20 years ago it had lost the three states while winning only Delhi but bounced back in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, and said it prepares for the forthcoming general election with hope and a firm sense of resolve. The BJP tightened its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland with assembly victories in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while the Congress was set to oust the BRS from Telangana on Sunday, the three-one poll score setting the stage - and the mood -- for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Exactly 20 years ago, the Indian National Congress had lost the state elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while winning only Delhi. But within a few months, the party bounced back and went on to emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha polls and formed the government at the Centre." "It is with .

Meet Sunil Kanugolu, the poll strategist behind Congress' win in Telangana

Poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu has yet again proven to be the man with the Midas touch, plotting the Congress' amazing turnaround in Telangana months after being the architect of the grand old party's return to power in Karnataka. Starting with Prashant Kishor's I-PAC, Kanugolu was largely credited for shaping the Congress' win in Karnataka and was later accorded Cabinet rank in the Siddaramaiah government. This time, Kanugolu along with PCC chief A Revanth Reddy formed a formidable pair to chalk out the Congress' strategy to pull down the K Chandrashekhar Rao-led BRS government that was eying a third term in the southern state. The Congress was headed for victory in Telangana while it was staring at crushing defeats in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Kanugolu had also made forays in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh following a directive from the party's central leadership but regional satraps Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath reportedly were not on

BRS poor show linked to anti-incumbency and shifting of voter sentiments

Factors such as anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of BRS in the Telangana Legislative Assembly election on Sunday. Despite the towering image of BRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, along with the party's extensive grassroots network and welfare programmes, the perceived inaccessibility of its leaders contributed to the growing anti-incumbency sentiments. Additionally, the opposition projection of what they called the BRS family rule in the state further exacerbated this sentiment. The party's decision to renominate most of the 119 MLAs did not yield the desired results either. The BRS has dominated Telangana politics since the state's formation in 2014 and had a significant presence even in undivided Andhra Pradesh since 2001. While the BRS government introduced various welfare schemes, its alleged failure to fulfill key election promises, including providing housing for the poor, ensuring ...

Abusing Sanatan Dharma is reason behind Congress' defeat: Political analyst

He attributed talking about the OBC census, especially in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where it was not a factor as the secong reason for Congress' defeat

Cong unable to win on its own, everyone should strengthen INDIA bloc: JD(U)

The Janata Dal (United) took a swipe at the Congress on Sunday following its rout in three Hindi heartland states, saying it is clear that the main opposition party is unable to win on its own. JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi said the results of assembly polls in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are a defeat of the Congress and a win for the BJP, noting that the opposition INDIA bloc was missing in the elections. The Congress never invited or consulted any of its allies in the INDIA bloc even though socialist parties have historically had a presence in these states, he said, attacking the party's leadership of calling off a proposed rally on the opposition alliance in Bhopal in the run up to the elections. "It is very necessary now for everyone to strengthen the INDIA bloc. If the alliance meeting was called a couple of months earlier, it would have been good," he said. A meeting of the INDIA bloc has been called on December 6.

Congress will fulfil Telangana people's aspirations: Revanth Reddy

Thanking senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and AICC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, TPCC chief Revanth Reddy on Sunday said it is the party's responsibility to fulfil Telangana people's aspirations after forming the government in the state. Speaking to mediapersons, he said the Congress's victory is dedicated to Telangana martyrs. He welcomed the BRS Working President's wishes to the Congress party on its victory, and said he expects the BRS's cooperation in giving good governance to the people. It is a people's mandate. We need not (do) a postmortem. Everything goes well, then only you will get that magic number. The simple point is that they (people) wanted to change. They wanted to defeat KCR. They have defeated KCR. That's all, he said. He thanked Congress allies in the polls, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi, for their support. He said the Pragathi Bhavan, the official residence of the chief minister will be renamed 'Praja Bhavan' once the Congress forms the government.

Rajasthan election results: CM Ashok Gehlot concedes defeat to BJP

The incumbent chief minister may hand in his resignation to the governor of Rajasthan on Sunday

Rajasthan polls: Assembly Speaker CP Joshi loses Nathdwara seat to BJP

Congress candidate and Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi lost Nathdwara seat to BJP's Vishvaraj Singh Mewar by a margin of 7,504 votes. Vishvaraj Singh, member of erstwhile Mewar royal family and a descendent of great Rajput king and warrior Maharana Pratap, secured 94,950 votes. He joined the BJP in October and contested the election for the first time and defeated Congress stalwart Joshi, a five-time MLA and former Union minister.

We respect people's mandate: Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Dotasra

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Sunday said that the party respects the people's mandate and would continue to work for them. He also said that the party would convene a meeting of elected legislators in Jaipur on Tuesday. "I am informing all elected legislators. On Tuesday, we would convene a meeting of legislators in Jaipur," Dotasra told reporters as rival BJP was headed for a win in Rajasthan. "We respect the people's mandate and will continue to work for the people," he said.

Congress' performance in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan disappointing: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the party's performance in the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh was disappointing and added it would overcome the "temporary setbacks" and prepare fully for the Lok Sabha elections along with INDIA bloc partners. He thanked the people of Telangana, where the party is on course to dislodge the BRS from power and form the government. He said the party put up a spirited campaign in all these four states and acknowledged the efforts of lakhs of Congress workers. "I thank the people of Telangana for the mandate we have received from them. I also thank all those who voted for us in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Our performance in these three states have no doubt been disappointing, but with determination, we reaffirm our strong resolve to rebuild and revive ourselves in these three states," he said in a post on X. "We will overcome temporary setbacks and prepare ourselves fully for the forthcom

Red diary, Mahadev app case result in Cong defeat in Raj, Chhattisgarh & MP

Analysts considered these polls as a semi-final for the Lok Sabha polls to be scheduled in 2024, the results bring happy note for the BJP

Chhattisgarh Assembly election results 2023: Who is leading at 3:30 pm?

Chhattisgarh Assembly elections results 2023: The trends for all 90 seats are out, according to ECI data. Here's how the trends look at 3:30 pm