Page 12 - Elections In India

LS polls: BJP gains ground as TMC struggles in Adhikari's backyard Kanthi

The future of the Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal appears to be volatile on account of the dual and opposing factors of the BJP sharply gaining political ground and the TMC desperate to retain its sway over voters. While the BJP looks emboldened by its recent rural poll successes and the Adhikari family's defection to the saffron camp, the TMC seems to be counting on its grassroots connections and the state's welfare schemes which the party believes have attained last-mile connectivity with the electorate. Located in Purba Medinipur district, the Kanthi seat exemplifies dynasty politics through the influence of the state's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, whose family members have held key political positions in the past and continue to wield substantial power in the region, poll watchers believe. The poll results would, hence, serve as a litmus test for the endurance of political dynasty and durability of the Adhikari family legacy, revealing whether their suppor

LS polls: Battle for Ranchi seat draws Congress, BJP in close contest

Congress' Yashaswini Sahay is pitted against a formidable rival in the form of the BJP's Sanjay Seth

Rajnath slams Kejriwal's 'work from jail', targets over Maliwal's assault

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a poll meeting here in the national capital, saying he has disappointed the people of Delhi by insisting on running his government from jail. Singh who held a roadshow in support of North West Delhi candidate Yogendra Chandolia also asserted that the BJP-led alliance will win over 400 seats and that Narendra Modi will return as prime minister for a third time in a row. "It has happened for the first time in the history of India that a jailed chief minister has asserted that he will run the government from there. We have heard about work from home, work from office but it is the first time that we are witnessing work from jail. Kejriwal has disappointed the people of Delhi," Singh said. The defence minister also lashed at Kejriwal over the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at his residence. "A woman was beaten in the 'sheeshmahal' (a reference to Delhi CM's official residence) a

Cong govts 'majboor sarkar', Modi dispensation 'majboot sarkar', says Nadda

BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday said that Congress' governments at the centre were "majboor (helpless) sarkar" while the Narendra Modi dispensation is a "majboot (strong) sarkar". Addressing election meetings in the national capital, he lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the foundation of the Aam Aadmi Party. "They lied on every occasion." Referring to the alleged assault of AAP MP Swati Maliwal, the BJP chief said, "This incident (Maliwal's assault) somehow came to light and that is why it grabbed our attention. We don't know how many such incidents have taken place with others." "Kejriwal was silent for four days and has been shifting the microphone from one side to the other which clearly shows his dual character," the BJP chief said. Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested on Saturday for allegedly assaulting Maliwal at the chief minister's residence. The AAP has claimed that Maliwal was "blackmailed" by the BJP to become part of the ...

People want change as lives have become miserable under BJP: Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday claimed that people of the country want a change as their lives have become miserable under the BJP government due to unemployment and price rise. Addressing a press conference here, Khera said, "During election campaigning, I have visited 18 states besides Odisha and found that people everywhere are very angry as they are being harassed on all fronts, hence they want a change." People's complaints are similar everywhere, that petrol prices have increased from Rs 70 to Rs 100 in the last 10 years and LPG prices have increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100, he claimed. Farmers, women and youth have been the worst affected during the 10 years of Modi government, Khera said. On Sambit Patra's remark, he said, "Arrogance has crossed all limits as the BJP candidate from Puri says that Lord Jagannath is a 'bhakt' (disciple) of PM Modi." He asserted that the INDIA bloc will come to power at the Centre and the BJP-led NDA is on the backfoot everywhere in t

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Modi govt won't return to power, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday claimed the Modi government will not retain power and asserted that the INDIA bloc will form the government at the Centre on June 4 after the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll results. Kejriwal was addressing a road show for INDIA bloc candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in North East Delhi constituency. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent me to jail and I am returning from there directly. I missed you people a lot in the jail. Modi tried a lot to kept me inside the jail, but due to Bajrang Bali's blessings I came out," Kejriwal said. The entire country has made up their mind that on June 4, the Modi government is not coming to power, he said. "Acche din aane wale hai, Modi ji jaane wale hai," the CM said, adding that on June 4, the INDIA bloc is going to form government. The AAP chief further said that he was thinking why the prime minister put him in jail. "I am a very small person. My party is also very small and we have government in o

LS polls: Before 2014, women were not respected, says CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi prioritized women's welfare in his government's agenda in the past 10 years and claimed that before 2014, they did not get the respect they deserved. At the Nari Shakti Samvaad programme in Varanasi, he mentioned various initiatives of the Central government for empowering women and said that women across the country have expressed their gratitude and warmly welcomed these initiatives. "Before 2014, daughters and sisters in the country were unsafe and did not get the respect they deserved. They were harassed in the name of triple talaq and there was hesitation in giving them proper representation. "But, in the last 10 years, we have seen a changing India in which work has been done to inspire women to live a respectable and happy life," Adityanath said at the programme that was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is why PM Modi is getting the blessings of the women of the count

Our track record in creating jobs better than previous govts: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government's track record in creating job opportunities for youth is best compared to previous governments, as support to emerging sectors like space, semiconductor manufacturing and EVs as well as aid to startups, substantial spend on infrastructure and PLI schemes helped create more employment. Addressing criticism of not creating enough jobs in the economy, Modi in an interview with PTI said his government has worked with "a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to bring the best opportunities that the world has to offer at India's doorstep". "Our track record in creating more and more opportunities for our youth as compared to previous governments has been the best," he said. Listing out the initiatives that created more employment, he said a large number of recruitments have been done in government sector. "Lakhs of letters were given for recruitment in the central government offices in the last one year alone." To complement this, the ..

Lok Sabha polls Phase 5: Below 50% turnout till 3 pm, Mumbai lags behind

Lok Sabha polls 2024: West Bengal recorded the highest polling percentage till 3 pm at 62.72 per cent, followed by the Union Territory of Ladakh where 61.26 per cent voters had cast their votes

If INDIA bloc wins, will implement 'Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee': Cong

As the Siddaramaiah-led government completed one year in office, the Congress on Monday said it has successfully implemented all guarantees made to the people of the state and when the INDIA bloc inevitably gets the clear on June 4, the party will deliver by implementing 'Paanch Nyaya Pachees Guarantee'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said when the Congress makes guarantees to India's voters, it delivers. "It has now been one year of our government in Karnataka, where we have successfully implemented all guarantees made to the people. When the Congress and INDIA Janbandhan inevitably get the clear and convincing mandate of the people on June 4th, we will deliver again, by implementing our 'Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee'. Ramesh also gave a summary of the Karnataka government's guarantees which have been implemented such as 'Gruhalakshmi' under which every month, 1.21 crore women heads of the family receive 2,000 directly in their accounts from the government, combating ...

Congress didn't revoke Article 370 for appeasement politics: HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday attacked the Congress, saying the party did not revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir for appeasement politics. Addressing an election rally here, Shah reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and "we will take it back". The senior BJP leader also attacked the grand old party on the Ram temple issue, saying top Congress leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi did not take part in the temple's consecration ceremony to please its minority vote bank. Targeting Congress on Kashmir, he said "For appeasement politics, they did not revoke Article 370." The Congress did not revoke the article despite a rise in terrorism in the area, he said. "You all made Narendra Modi ji the Prime Minister for the second time, and on August 5, 2019, he scrapped the Article 370. And now our tricolour proudly flutters in Kashmir," he said. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is contesting the Karnal assembly bypo

Congress let national interest suffer in dealing with Pak, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at the Congress for "orchestrating endorsements" from Pakistani leaders for electoral gains and said the opposition party often let national interest suffer when it came to dealing with Pakistan. In an exclusive interview to PTI here, the prime minister also slammed the Congress for statements by its leaders questioning the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force in Balakot in response to the 2019 terror attack in Pulwama. "Well, politicians from Pakistan are entering the electoral discourse of India by endorsing the Congress party's 'shehzada'," Modi said in response to a question on Pakistani leaders commenting on elections in India. Former Pakistani minister Chaudhary Fawad Hussain had shared a video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on social media and praised him. "Perhaps the Congress party thinks orchestrating such endorsements will serve it well. That is how disconnected they are from ground realities. Further, it is also

Rahul, Akhilesh abandon rally in Phulpur due to 'stampede-like' crowd

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders were scheduled to address a joint meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh but left without giving speeches

Lok Sabha polls 2024: We fulfil our manifesto promises, PM Modi on UCC

Indicating implementation of the One Nation, One Election and Uniform Civil Code plans if he returns to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government fulfils promises made in the BJP's election manifesto. In an interview to PTI, the prime minister said he has added 25 more days to the 100-day plan for his next term to seek suggestions from the youth of the country on what they expect from the government immediately after coming back to power. Before the Lok Sabha elections were announced, Modi had asked all ministries to prepare a 100-day plan for implementation of projects for the next government. "And now, I have added 25 more days in this plan, where I would take the suggestions of India's Yuva Shakti. What they expect us to do the first thing after coming back to power? It is ultimately their expectations that I am here to fulfil and how they want the nation to develop," he said. Asked whether One Nation, One Election and a central law on UCC would be part of th

Odisha has made up mind for change, difficult for BJD to survive: PM Modi

Eyeing major gains for the BJP in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he is witnessing a high intensity of anti-incumbency against the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal, making it very difficult for the regional party to survive. In the eastern state for another day of hectic campaigning, Modi told PTI Videos in an interview late Sunday that people have made up their mind for a change in Odisha, where the assembly polls are being held alongside the parliamentary elections. People will vote positively for the BJP in choosing a government at the Centre, he said, adding that a section of society will do negative voting due to the anti- incumbency for the state government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Modi said, "We will win the elections on the basis of people's faith. Even though we don't have a big face, we are still the second largest party in the Assembly. In Lok Sabha also, we have been at number two. My party has worked very hard in the last five years to reach ...

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 11 am?

In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 49 out of 543 constituencies went to polls in six states and two Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

'Broken' civic infra of Gurugram top agenda for Congress's Raj Babbar

Congress leader Raj Babbar here on Monday said he would work to fix the state of civic infrastructure in the constituency, which despite contributing a hefty sum to Haryana's coffers has been given a short shrift. Babbar, the Gurugram Lok Sabha candidate from Congress, said he would also press for the establishment in the Indian Army of an Ahir regiment, for which there has been a longstanding demand. "Raj Babbar is a candidate fielded by the Congress, but going by the huge response of the people and their overwhelming support for our party, it seems they are fighting this election," Babbar said at a rally. Despite the heat, which has risen sharply over the past week, Babbar said people are turning up in large numbers to Congress's rallies. Babbar was announced its candidate from Gurugram by the Congress three weeks ago. Of the 23 candidates in the fray, the former actor's main fight is with Union Minister and BJP's sitting MP, 74-year-old Rao Inderjit Singh. Babbar, 71, says tha

Tourist arrivals in Kashmir not accurate gauge of normalcy: Omar Abdullah

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday said tourism should not be linked to the security situation in Kashmir as tourist arrivals are not the right barometer of normalcy and this makes tourists a target. The situation in the Valley is "not normal", Abdullah told reporters after visiting polling booths in Budgam. The NC leader is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Baramulla, where voting is underway. "We have been saying that the situation (in Kashmir) is not normal. The militants have proved repeatedly that they can attack whenever they want to. Unfortunately, a politician, an ex-sarpanch of the BJP, lost his life and two tourists were injured (in terrorist attacks)," the NC leader said, referring to Saturday's twin attacks in Shopian and Anantnag. "I appeal to the government to talk less about normalcy because the situation is not normal and also talk less about tourism being an indicator of normalcy because when they link normalcy with tourism, they put

Lok Sabha polls: BJP, BJD in cahoots with each other, alleges Congress

The Congress on Monday claimed that the BJP and the BJD are in cahoots with each other and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on his party's association with the BJD. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Odisha. "Why have the Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers been poisoned under the Modi Sarkar? Why are Odisha's poorest being exploited through GST? Na-veen and Na-rendra are 2 sides of the same coin. Why is the PM lying about his party's 'relationship status' with the BJD?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh said the Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers pass through Cuttack on their way to the Bay of Bengal and ground reports speak of massive encroachment of the river bed, sand mining, garbage and debris dumping, and sewage outflow, causing the slow death of Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers. In 2019, the central government had committed to cleaning the Mahanadi "on the

LS polls: My own welfare lies in welfare of Constitution, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has credited the Constitution for the trajectory of his own life, asserting that even if one assumes he acts out of self-interest, his own welfare lies in the welfare of the Constitution. In an interview with PTI, Modi rejected the opposition's claim that he intended to change the Constitution and end reservation if the BJP-led NDA wins over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. It is the BJP, he stressed, which has given the maximum number of ministers from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC backgrounds. On the issue of Muslim reservation, he said it is wrong to combine the topic of quota on the basis of religion with the overall issue of reservation. The Constitution and its makers never wanted reservations on the basis of religion, he said. The prime minister added, "It is the Congress that has diluted reservations in many states, given it on the basis of religion, and insulted the Constitution. They also want to do it nationally. I have made it