Page 43 - Indian National Congress

LS polls: Cong aiming to win 50 seats to save its honour, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Congress is aiming to win 50 seats in the Lok Sabha elections to save its honour. Addressing an election rally here, Modi took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for not contesting from Amethi, the seat which he lost to BJP leader Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections. The prime minister said he had predicted that Gandhi would not dare to contest from Amethi and this has turned out to be true. "The further news is that to save its honour, the Congress has now launched Mission 50. The target of the Congress is to get 50 seats in the entire country by any means," he said. The BJP has fielded Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti from Fatehpur. She is pitted against the Samajwadi Party's Naresh Uttam Patel. Fatehpur goes to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

LS polls 2024: Foreign investors most short on India stocks since 2012

Modi is still widely expected to secure a third successive five-year term with the leader having predicted that his Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies will win more than 400 of the 543 seats

LS polls 2024: PM Modi should focus on development issues, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about development matters rather than other issues in his campaign speeches, and said "mutton-chicken", "Hindu-Muslim" are his words and not ours. His remarks came after Prime Minister Modi in an interview to News 18 said he won't be fit for public life if he starts playing the Hindu-Muslim card. "Why is the PM not seeking votes on the work he did in the last 10 years," he said at a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav here. On PM Modi's remarks that he has never discriminated between Hindu and Muslim, Kharge responded, "Had the prime minister not said mutton, beef, chicken, fish and mangalsutra. These words are not mine but his (PM's). "I am saying that leave these things, tell people about the work you did and seek votes on its behalf. They talk of mutton-chicken not us," Kharge said. The Congress chief asserted that the opposition INDIA bloc is in a strong position afte

LS polls: 7.5% dip in Indore LS seat turnout as Cong called for Nota

The voter turnout in Madhya Pradesh's Indore Lok Sabha constituency, where the Congress was out of poll race, has decreased by about 7.5 per cent compared to the 2019 parliamentary election, as per official data. While the BJP said voters in Indore did not like Congress' "negative appeal" to press the 'None of the Above' option on EVMs, the grand old party claimed no matter which candidate wins the Indore seat, NOTA will create a new national record. Polling in Indore and seven other Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh was held on Monday during the fourth and last phase of the general elections in the state. The Congress had urged voters to press the NOTA button on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination at the last minute and joined the BJP. An official at the district election office, quoting provisional figures, on Tuesday said out of the 25.27 lakh eligible voters, 61.75 per cent exercised their franchise on Monday. In t

Channi's remark on Poonch terror attack in violates MCC, says Punjab CEO

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C on Tuesday said that Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi terming the Poonch terror attack, in which an IAF soldier was killed, a "poll stunt" violated the model code of conduct. The Punjab chief electoral officer (CEO) has written to the Election Commission of India for further action on the matter. "According to a report of the Jalandhar District Election Officer, it (Channi's remark) is the violation of MCC (model code of conduct)," Punjab CEO Sibin C told PTI on Tuesday. One soldier was killed and four were injured as terrorists ambushed an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on May 4. Replying to reporters' questions on the attack on the IAF convoy, Channi had said, "These are all stunts, not attacks ('Yeh stuntbaazi ho rahi hai, hamle nahi ho rahe' ). Whenever elections are near, such stunts are performed to make the BJP win. There is no truth in it." "The BJP knows how to play with people's lives and

Lok Sabha polls fourth phase highlights: Voter turnout for assmebly polls reaches 62.7% by 7pm

Lok Sabha elections live: Voting is underway in 96 LS seats across 10 states. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha also have their assembly polls scheduled today

14.94% voting in Srinagar till 11 am, higher than 2019 total turnout

A 14.94 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Monday, higher than the overall turnout of the 2019 elections for the seat in Jammu and Kashmir, according to official figures. Voting started at 7 am in the constituency where polling is underway in the fourth round of the seven-phase general elections. The redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency has registered a poll percentage of 14.94 till 11 am, according to Election Commission figures. There are a total of 17.48 lakh eligible voters in Srinagar. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the total turnout for the seat was around 14.43 per cent, while in 2014, it was 25.86 per cent. This time, there was significant increase in turnout in most of the assembly segments of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. Kangan assembly segment recorded 22.68 per cent, Ganderbal 21.44, Chadoora 22.30, Chrar-e-Sharief 22.20, Khansahib 19.70 and Rajpora 20.86 per cent till 11 am. The turnout, .

WATCH: Sonia Gandhi's appeal to women days after BJP's 'mangalsutra' row

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday made a special video appeal to the women voters, urging them to support the party in the ongoing elections

Haryana crisis: Trust vote looms over Saini govt; what numbers say. Updates

The BJP govt in Haryana led by Nayab Saini is short of two MLAs in the 90-member assembly after three Independent MLAs withdrew their support to the govt

Highlights of the day: Delhi CM Kejriwal to hold meeting with AAP leaders on Sunday

From Jairam Ramesh hitting out at the BJP for giving a ticket to Brij Bhushan's SAon to the damage done by the dust storm in national capital on Friday, catch all the news from around the world here

YSRCP, TDP, Janasena are 'B' team of BJP in Andhra, says Rahul Gandhi

Hitting out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and other opposition parties in the state, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said BJP stands for Babu (TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu), Jagan and Pawan (Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan). Addressing a poll rally in Kadapa, the Congress leader alleged the remote control of the three leaders is with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Invoking former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Rahul Gandhi said the former's footmarch across Andhra Pradesh was an inspiration for his Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Today Andhra Pradesh is run by the 'B' team of BJP. The BJP's 'B' team means B for Babu, J for Jagan and P for Pawan. Remote control of these three people is with Narendra Modi," Gandhi said, taking a dig at the three parties. He further said these leaders are under Modi's control as the latter has ED, CBI and other agencies. The Gandhi scion said Rajasekhara Reddy was like a brother to his father Rajiv Gandhi and both leaders shared a personal .

All Opposition leaders will be behind bars if BJP wins LS polls: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that all opposition leaders, including his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav, will be in jail if the BJP wins the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing his party workers at the AAP headquarters here, Kejriwal asserted the BJP will not return to power and said the INDIA bloc will form the government on June 4. "In last 20 hours after release from jail, I talked to poll experts and people and got to know the BJP is not going to form the government," said Kejriwal. "The AAP will be part of the government at the Centre. We will get full statehood for Delhi," he added. Kejriwal charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asking for votes for Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "These people ask INDIA bloc about their face. I ask BJP who will be their PM? Modi ji is turning 75 on September 17 next year. He had made the rule that people aged 75 will be retired. They retired

LS polls: PM Modi's election speeches are hollow talk, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election speeches as "hollow talk" and accused him of using politics only with the aim of gaining power and not to serve people. She was speaking at a rally here to drum up support for Congress candidate Gowaal Padvi from the Nandurbar Lok Sabha seat, a day after PM Modi addressed a public meeting in this tribal-dominated constituency. "All that Modi ji speaks is 'khokhli baatein' (hollow talk) that does not carry any weight," she said. "Show me one picture of Narendra Modi visiting the house of an adivasi to understand their problems," Gandhi said. It is the duty of political leaders to respect your culture and tradition, she said, adding that the BJP does not respect the culture and tradition of adivasis. "President Droupadi Murmu, who belongs to the adivasi community, was not allowed to inaugurate the new Parliament building or participate in the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in ..

What is stopping govt from cancelling Revanna's passport, asks Congress

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday asked the government what is stopping it from cancelling the diplomatic passport of suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is accused of sexual abuse. The 33-year-old Hassan MP reportedly flew to Germany soon after the Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order a probe into the sexual allegations against him after scores of explicit videos and pictures went viral on social media. In a post on X, Ramesh questioned how Prajwal was allowed to escape. "What is stopping the PM from having the diplomatic passport to Prajwal Revanna cancelled? How and why was he allowed to flee the country like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Mehul Choksi were?" the Congress leader asked. Prajwal, the grandson of Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, has been accused of sexual assault after several videos allegedly featuring him with multiple wome

Rahul could not contest from Amethi but speaking of forming govt: BJP

The BJP on Saturday made light of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's readiness for a debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it questioned his knowledge of issues and his standing, noting that he is neither the president of his party nor the leader of the opposition. Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also took a swipe at Gandhi over his claim that the opposition INDIA bloc will win the Lok Sabha polls, saying someone who could not file his nomination from Amethi is speaking about forming government at the Centre. "Phenomenon thy name is Rahul Gandhi," he said mockingly. Gandhi, who lost Amethi to Irani in the 2019 general elections, has this time been fielded by the Congress from Rae Bareli and is contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. Gandhi family aide Kishori Lal Sharma is taking on Irani in Amethi. Trivedi asked that in what capacity is Gandhi looking to debate with Modi as he is merely an MP of his party. In the Congress, one MP heads a

PM Modi, Odisha CM Patnaik two sides of same coin, says Jairam Ramesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are "two sides of the same coin", Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday, accusing the BJP and the BJD of being "in cahoots" with each other. Modi is on a two-day poll campaign tour of Odisha and will address three rallies in the state on Saturday. Lok Sabha and assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha. Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Ramesh said the Odisha party has bailed out the Modi government on a number of occasions in Parliament. "Na-veen and Na-rendra are two sides of the same coin. Why is the PM lying about his party's 'relationship status' with the BJD?" Ramesh said in a statement which he shared on X. He said the seat-sharing talks between the BJP and the BJD earlier this year only confirmed what was already known. "Despite officially claiming to be in opposition, the two parties are in cahoots with each other," Ramesh ...

Will win Amethi, Rae Bareli by 'big margin': Cong leader Bhupesh Baghel

BJP's Smriti Irani has carved her identity by opposing Rahul Gandhi but cannot do so in Amethi this time and will face defeat, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has said, exuding confidence that his party will win both the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats in Uttar Pradesh by "big margin" in the Lok Sabha polls. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who lost Amethi to Irani in the 2019 elections, has this time been fielded by the Congress from Rae Bareli and is contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. Gandhi family aide Kishori Lal Sharma is taking on Irani in Amethi. Both the seats have had close ties with the Gandhi family since Indira Gandhi contested and then Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have all fought the polls from either of these two constituencies, Baghel said. "They have familial ties with every household here. The decision (of fielding Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli) was of the high command and our leaders have already spoken about it. We are fightin

Congress won't win 50 LS seats, will not get Oppn party status, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed that the Congress will not win even 50 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and will not be able to get opposition party status after the polls. Addressing an election rally in Phulbani in Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat in Odisha, he asserted that a "double engine" government will be formed in the state and "a son or daughter of the soil who understands Odia language and culture" will be made the chief minister of the BJP government. Recalling the achievements of the previous BJP government at the Centre under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said that on this day 26 years ago, Pokhran tests had enhanced the image of the country across the globe. He also asserted that his government ended 500 years of people's wait by building Ram temple in Ayodhya.

LS polls: People of Odisha will create history in elections says PM Modi

Ahead of addressing three election rallies in Odisha on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the state will create a history in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The PM, who is set to address election rallies in Kandhamal, Bolangir and Bargarh Lok Sabha seats later in the day, took to X, saying, "It's clear that Odisha will create history in these elections!" He also attached some pictures of his road show in the state capital on Friday evening. Modi had on Friday night asserted that the BJP will sweep the Lok Sabha elections in both Odisha and West Bengal. Accusing the BJD government headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of being disconnected from the people, the PM claimed that a "deep emotional connect" has developed between him and the people of Odisha despite language differences. "Even during the era of rajas and maharajas, there was some connect between the rulers and the common man. This is grossly lacking now in Odisha," he alleged. Modi sa

Lok Sabha polls Phase 4: 96 seats go to polls on May 13; all details here

Lok Sabha polls: May 13 will witness another high-stakes poll battle in the fourth stage of Lok Sabha elections in 10 states and UTs of India. A total of 96 constituencies will go to polls on Monday