Page 40 - Indian National Congress

Lok Sabha results 2024: Trends defy exit poll predictions as INDIA shines

Twelve prominent exit polls had predicted a clean sweep for the BJP, with a few predicting 400 seats forNDA, while most predicted over 350 seats. Trends at 9:40 am diverged from these predictions

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: This is what the results look like at 9 am

Lok Sabha 2024 results: Counting for the General Elections began at 8 am. , Early trends suggested a big NDA victory as the BJP-led alliance crossed the halfway mark, while the INDIA bloc trailed

Don't be intimidated: Kharge to bureaucrats ahead of Lok Sabha polls result

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote an open letter to the country's bureaucracy on the eve of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, urging officers to adhere to the Constitution and serve the nation without fear, favour and ill-will against anybody. "Do not get intimidated by anyone. Do not bow down to any Unconstitutional means. Do not be afraid of anyone and discharge your duties, based on merit, on this counting day," he wrote. "We owe it to future generations, a vibrant Democracy and a long-lasting Constitution, as penned by the makers of modern India," he said. The counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha polls will be held om Tuesday. "In this hope that India remains truly Democratic in nature, I extend good wishes to each one of you, and expect that our eternal ideals of the Constitution remain untarnished," the Congress chief said. In his appeal to all civil servants and officers, he said he is writing in his capacity of the Leader of the Opposi

Cong Chief Kharge, Rahul hold key meet with party's LS polls candidates

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi held a meeting on Sunday with the party's Lok Sabha candidates, legislative party leaders and state unit chiefs via video conferencing, and urged them to be alert and put in place measures to check any attempts of rigging on poll counting day, sources said. Kharge, Gandhi, party general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, along with other senior leaders, interacted with the party's Lok Sabha candidates and reviewed the preparations for the counting day on June 4. The meeting comes a day after exit polls predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Ramesh has said that the exit polls that came out Saturday evening are "completely bogus" and have been "orchestrated and masterminded by the man whose exit is inevitable and guaranteed on June 4". "These are all part of the psychological .

Exit polls 'bogus', 'deliberate attempt' to justify rigging: Congress

Terming the exit polls "bogus", the Congress on Sunday said they were a "deliberate attempt" to justify rigging of the elections and part of "psychological games" being played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for holding several meetings, including a long brainstorming session to review the 100-day agenda of the "new government", saying these were "pressure tactics" to send out a signal to the bureaucracy and the administrative structure that he is coming back. "These are mind games -- 'I am coming back, I am going to be the prime minister again'. He is sending a signal to the bureaucracy, the administrative structure of the country and we hope that the civil servants who have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuing a fair counting of votes will not be intimidated and not be frightened by these pressure tactics," Ramesh told PTI at the AICC headquarters

Cong will win at least 10 of 17 LS seats in Telangana: CM Revanth Reddy

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed confidence that the Congress will win at least 10 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state and that the INDIA bloc would form a govt at centre

LS polls highlights: 'Opportunistic INDI Alliance' failed to strike a chord with voters, says PM

Lok Sabha polls LIVE: The voting started at 7 AM and will continue until 6 PM. The results for the elections will be declared on June 4

Madhya Pradesh exit poll 2024: 5 surveys predict near-sweep for BJP-led NDA

Madhya Pradesh Exit Poll 2024: BJP expected to secure 59% of the vote share, Congress 32%

Congress takes a U-turn, says will participate in exit poll debates today

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had earlier said the Congress will not participate in today's exit poll debates and questioned the need of engaging in speculation to boost the TRPs of TV channels

Break silence on Prajwal Revanna's arrest, ensure justice: Cong to PM Modi

With sexual-abuse accused Prajwal Revanna's arrest, the Congress on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the matter and claimed that he has "failed" to provide justice to women in the last 10 years. Suspended Janata Dal (Secular) MP Revanna, facing sexual-abuse allegations, was remanded in police custody on Friday, hours after he was arrested by a Bengaluru Police team on his return from Germany. A special court in Bengaluru remanded him in police custody till June 6. Revanna was arrested in the wee hours of Friday by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), minutes after he landed in Bengaluru past midnight from Germany. He had left the country on April 27. Hitting out at Modi for "allowing" Revanna to flee in the first place, All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba said letting a "mass rapist" escape is "Modi ki Guarantee". Revanna, the member of Parliament from Karnataka's Hassan, has been arrested by the SIT constituted by the state government, she

2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections: Here's all you need to know

As voting is currently underway in the fourth phase of the Odisha Assembly polls 2024, here's a quick look at the assembly seats, polling dates and key candidates

Deal final blow to BJP govt which has become symbol of tyranny, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people on Saturday to vote in large numbers and deal a "final blow" to "this government which has become a symbol of arrogance and tyranny". Gandhi pointed out that the seventh and final phase of voting for the general election is being held on Saturday and claimed that according to the trends so far, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties is going to form the next government in the country. "I am proud that even in this scorching heat, all of you have come out to vote to protect democracy and the Constitution," the former Congress president said in a post in Hindi on X. "Even today, come out in large numbers and give your vote as a 'final blow' to this government, which has become a symbol of arrogance and tyranny," he said. The sun of June 4, when the poll results are scheduled to be announced, is going to bring a new dawn in the country, Gandhi added. Noting that this is the last phase of polling for

Rahul notches up 107 rallies, roadshows as LS polls campaign ends

In a campaign blitz to boost the Congress' chances in the Lok Sabha polls, former party president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra notched up a total of 107 and 108 public outreach programmes respectively, including rallies and roadshows. Rahul Gandhi campaigned for the Congress in Punjab on the last day of campaigning before the seventh phase of voting, while Priyanka Gandhi held a road show in Himachal Pradesh's Solan. As curtains came down on the poll campaigning, party sources said Rahul Gandhi participated in 107 rallies, roadshows, interactions and major campaign events. Priyanka Gandhi also ran a spirited campaign by taking part in 108 public meetings and roadshows, they said, adding that she also gave more than 100 media bytes, one TV interview and five print interviews during her marathon election campaign. Priyanka Gandhi camped in Rae Bareli and spearheaded the party's campaign there and in adjacent Amethi for about two weeks. While Rahul Ga

INDIA bloc's June 1 meet to discuss preparations for counting day: Kharge

The INDIA bloc will hold an informal meeting Saturday only to discuss the preparations for the counting day on June 4 and how its leaders and workers need to stay alert, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said. He said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has informed that she is busy with the polls that day and therefore, will not be able to attend. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here Thursday, Kharge said the meeting is being held for "our own sake" to train people and to give them information. "This is an informal meeting. In this, we will only discuss what kind of preparation we should have on the day of counting and how our people should be alert, whether it is about EVMs or the 17C form is used... Just for our own sake, we are holding this meeting to train our people and to give them information," he said. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also said the meeting is only for discussing about the counting preparations and the

LS polls highlights: PM Modi begins 'dhyan' at Kanyakumari Vivekananda Rock Memorial

LS polls LIVE: From Anurag Thakur's claim of BJP crossing 400 seats in the 7th phase to JP Nadda's claim of winning 30 plus seats in West Bengal, catch all the latest updates on elections here

Manmohan Singh alleges Modi lowered PM office's gravity with hateful words

Ahead of the final phase of Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, former PM Manmohan Singh has fiercely criticised the Centre for economic mismanagement and divisive political tactics

Cong set narrative with sharp campaign, put PM Modi on backfoot: Ramesh

The Congress set the narrative during the Lok Sabha polls with a sharp campaign that was devoid of "agar-magar, kintu parantu" and pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the "back foot", senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday. In an interview with PTI on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase elections, the Congress general secretary, in-charge communications, claimed that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will get a clear and decisive majority of the type it got in 2004. "After the first two phases, it had become clear to me and I am sure, clear to any unbiased, non-partisan observer, that winds of change are blowing. 'Dakshin mein BJP saaf, uttar mein BJP half' (wiped out in the south and reduced to half in the north)," Ramesh said. As the campaigning draws to a close, Ramesh said the first shot at creating a new narrative for the Congress was fired by Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The yatra was held between September 2022 a

Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi for raising '22-25 rajas and maharajas' in India

Speaking at an election rally in Bihar's Bakhtiyarpur, the Congress leader accuses PM Modi of favouring top industrialists like Adani and Ambani, alleging Modi's allegiance to them

Rahul Gandhi 2018 defamation case: Court to conduct hearing on June 7

An MP-MLA court here has fixed for June 7 hearing in the 2018 defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The defamation complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra. Gandhi's lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla gave an application in the court, saying the Congress leader was busy campaigning for Lok Sabha polls and needed time to appear before the court. Judge Shubham Verma fixed June 7 as the next date of hearing. Plaintiff's lawyer Santosh Kumar Pandey told the court that Gandhi is running away from the court. The court had issued a warrant against Gandhi in December last. Subsequently, the Congress leader had halted his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20 and appeared in court which granted him bail. The complaint was filed here on August 4, 2018, against Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru.

LS polls: If economy growing fast, why people not prosperous, asks Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at the BJP-led Centre on Sunday, asking why people have not prospered if the country's economy is growing at a rapid pace. Addressing her first Lok Sabha poll rally in Punjab in favour of Amar Singh, the Congress candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "speaking lies and making hollow promises to the public only to capture power". At another rally in Chandigarh, she countered the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) charge that the Congress is anti-Hindu, saying her party's philosophy is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, which has taught people about truth, love, harmony and non-violence. In Fatehgarh Sahib, the Congress general secretary urged people to ensure Singh's victory in the June 1 polls. Hitting out at the Modi government, she claimed that 70 crore youngsters are unemployed in the country and the rate of unemployment is the highest in 45 years. Gandhi said 30 lakh posts are vacan