Page 29 - Indian National Congress

Raut disappointed with MVA seat-sharing delays, criticises Congress leaders

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday expressed disappointment over the delay in the seat-sharing talks among MVA partners and claimed that Maharashtra Congress leaders are not capable of making decisions. Talking to reporters, Raut said Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have reached a consensus on 200 of the 288 assembly seats. The Rajya Sabha member said he spoke to Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Mukul Wasnik and the party's Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Friday morning over seat-sharing. The Sena (UBT) leader said he would also speak to top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi later in the day. The pending decision should be expedited. Very little time is left. Maharashtra Congress leaders are not capable of making decisions. They have to send the list to Delhi frequently and then discussions happen. The decision will have to be taken at the earliest, Raut said. Late on Thursday evening, Maharashtra Congress president

Congress stronghold Konkan turns into a battleground for Sena vs Sena

Maharashtra's coastal belt, stretching from Mumbai to the southernmost district of Sindhudurg, was once a Congress citadel, but the party lost ground to the undivided Shiv Sena over the years. The coastal Konkan belt's economy was known to be dependent on money orders sent from Mumbai, where most of its residents migrated for work and business after Maharashtra achieved statehood in 1960. But the situation is no longer the same. The region accounts for 75 of the total 288 state assembly seats, including 36 in Mumbai, and is expected to play a key role in deciding which coalition ruling Mahayuti or opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) governs Maharashtra after the November 20 polls. Former CM and BJP Lok Sabha MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Narayan Rane, who hails from the picturesque region, told PTI that Konkan has now become self-sufficient, thriving on exports of fish, mangoes and cashews. "Youths are embracing entrepreneurship. Infrastructure has also expanded with enhanced air a

Manipur Congress slams BJP for 4-year delay in holding ADC elections

Manipur Congress alleged the BJP government in the state of being "anti-tribal" and "anti-hill" people for not holding autonomous district council (ADC) elections for the last four years. Manipur has six autonomous district councils. State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra in a post on X said, "The BJP government is anti-hill people, anti-tribal as this BJP government has deliberately chosen not to conduct ADCs elections for the last 4 years." Keisham also lashed out at the resolution passed by the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) under the Manipur Legislative Assembly on October 14 stating that the committee following a threadbare discussion unanimously resolved to "recommend to the government of Manipur to conduct the long pending Autonomous District Councils election as soon as possible." The committee also informed that in order to run the administration of the ADCs, a committee consisting of 20 members for each ADC shall be constituted of whom 18 shall be elected from former A

Maharashtra polls: Congress' first list likely on Oct 20; BJP's in a week

The power struggle between the two coalitions, Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi, and among the six parties within the alliances is expected to shape an interesting election battle in Maharashtra

Maharashtra elections: Coastal belt's 75 seats crucial for power shift

The serene coastal belt of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, offers an interesting backdrop for a showdown between Mahayuti and MVA alliances in the next month's assembly elections, especially between two rival Shiv Senas. The most urbanised and industrial region, including the Mumbai metropolitan area, sends 75 MLAs to the assembly and 12 members to Lok Sabha. The coastal Konkan division in Maharashtra, spread from Sindhudurg to Mumbai, also covers Palghar, Thane, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Voting will be held on all 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra on November 20 and results will be declared on November 23. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Mahayuti alliance of Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP, bagged seven seats. The BJP triumphed in Palghar, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Mumbai North, while the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar, had a face-saver in Raigad where its leader Sunil Tatkare retained his seat. In the upcoming polls, former Union Minister Narayan Rane, who won the ...

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Gehlot, Baghel among Congress' poll observers

Maharashtra elections: The Congress has named former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik and AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande as state election senior coordinators

Punjab Cong seeks postponement of panchayat polls amid irregularities

The Punjab Congress has sought postponement of the panchayat polls slated for Tuesday, alleging irregularities in the nomination process and also apprehending irregularities during the counting of votes. A delegation of the Congress, led by leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly and senior party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday met the Punjab State Election Commissioner here and urged that the polls be deferred by three weeks. Elections to 13,229 gram panchayats are slated to be held on October 15. Speaking to reporters after the meeting here, Bajwa said the delegation has requested the state election commissioner to postpone the panchayat elections by three weeks. He alleged that "massive irregularities" were committed during the nomination process as nominations of many opposition-back candidates were "wrongfully" rejected. Many candidates were not given no-objection certificates (NOC) required during the nominations filing, he alleged. Many people, whose nominations w

Congress selling hatred in 'shop of love': Naqvi slams Kharge's remarks

Slamming Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's BJP is a "party of terrorists" remark, senior leader of the saffron party Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged on Sunday that the Congress is selling hatred in its "shop of love". Naqvi said the opposition party has become a "multinational distribution centre" of "certificates" labelling nationalists as terrorists and anti-nationals as nationalists. Kharge alleged on Saturday that the BJP is a "party of terrorists", as he hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent remarks that the Congress is being run by a "gang of urban Naxals". Kharge also accused those in the saffron party of "lynching and beating" people, and committing atrocities against the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Talking to reporters here, Naqvi said in its "depression of defeat", the Congress has become "hostage to hopelessness" due to its "habit of hate". The "dynasty's animosity and hostility" towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi is becomin

Mayawati opts to stay away from alliance with regional parties, NDA, INDIA

BSP chief Mayawati Friday announced her party will no longer form alliances with regional forces in Uttar Pradesh or any other state, citing unsatisfactory results from previous partnerships, and also continue to maintain distance from the BJP and Congress-led alliances. The decision was taken during a review meeting of the "bitter experience of the Haryana assembly election results and prior Punjab elections", the former four-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a series of posts in Hindi on social media platform X. "The BSP had consistently transferred its votes to alliance partners during elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states, but the inability of these partners to reciprocate had led to disappointing results, which demoralized party workers and hurt the party's movement," she said. She noted that it was important to protect the party cadres from further disappointment and damage to the "movement". "In this context, considering the bitter experience of the Haryana ...

Girls need real opportunities to lead, not just slogans: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday called for ensuring that girls have equal opportunities to lead and are included in decision-making processes, asserting that mere slogans cannot usher in real change. In a post on X on International Day of the Girl Child, Kharge said gender equality and justice are essential for achieving social, political, and economic progress. "This year's theme for #DayOfTheGirl is 'Girls' vision for the future' which conveys both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls' voices and vision for the future," he said. "We must ensure that girls have equal opportunities to lead by placing them at the forefront of change, amplifying their voices, responding to their needs, and including them in decision-making processes," the Congress president said. Mere slogans cannot usher in real change, he asserted. Kharge said it is vital to listen to girls, to invest in proven solutions that will accelerate progress towards

BJP mocks Congress by sending 1kg jalebi to Rahul Gandhi's home via Swiggy

BJP placed an order on Swiggy for delivering 1 kg of jalebis from Bikanervala in Delhi's Connaught Place to Rahul Gandhi's residence on Akbar Road

Why didn't they let me campaign actively: Selja on Haryana poll debacle

Senior Congress leader Kumari Selja has called for a thorough assessment of the reasons behind the "disappointing result" and demanded that those responsible be identified

Haryana result: Congress must reflect on strategy, says UBT Sena leader

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday also took a jibe at alliance partner Congress for its poor showing in the Haryana assembly elections

Rahul Gandhi reacts to Haryana poll outcome: 'Analysing unexpected result'

A day after the Congress party was left stunned due to the shock reversal of counting trends for Haryana election result, Rahul Gandhi said that the party was analysing the outcome

Mehbooba Mufti's PDP faces worst-ever poll results amid Congress-NC lead

J&K Assembly polls: The Congress-NC alliance surpasses the majority mark with 49 seats in J&K, while the PDP faces a significant decline, leading in just three seats as vote counting continues

Haryana polls: BJP MLA Anil Vij wins Ambala Cantt seat for 7th time

Haryana Assembly elections: After four hours of counting, trends showed that six-time BJP MLA Anil Vij was trailing slightly in Ambala Cantt, while Savitri Jindal was leading in Hisar.

Haryana elections: Bhupinder Hooda wins big; Congress faces shock reversal

If Congress wins, Bhupinder Hooda may emerge as the chief ministerial candidate in Haryana. Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala have also expressed their ambitions for the top post

Haryana results: Cong looking for excuse for its defeat in state, says BJP

The BJP on Tuesday made light of the Congress raising the issue of "unexplained slowdown" of the Haryana poll results on the Election Commission website as the opposition party's attempt to build excuses for its impending defeat in the state elections. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi asserted that the trends in the counting of votes have made it clear that the ruling party is heading for a "glorious, decisive and historic" mandate in Haryana and will notch up its best ever show in Jammu and Kashmir. Asked about the Congress writing to the EC over the "unexplained slowdown" which allows "bad faith actors to spin narratives" that undermine the process, he mocked the opposition party for raising such an issue. It is a factually incorrect position to take, he said, adding that counting agents of the Congress are also there at booths to witness the proceedings. "The Congress is merely making an excuse in the view of its impending defeat," the Rajya Sabha MP said. Noting that the ...

Haryana polls: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat wins from Julana by over 6,000 votes

Vinesh Phogat joined Congress ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections and decided to contest from Julana. She faces BJP's Capt Yogesh Bairagi and AAP's Kavita Devi, also a wrestler

Haryana election results: BJP in lead but slim margins keep contest tense

Haryana Assembly elections 2024: The margin between the BJP and Congress hovered between as low as 14 in Thanesar to 45 in Hodal seat