Page 111 - Lok Sabha Elections

JMM's Nazrul Islam apologises for making derogatory statement against PM

Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Nazrul Islam on Wednesday apologised for making a derogatory statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that his remark was not intended to hurt anyone. His apology came a day after the state BJP demanded Islam's arrest for the comment that the prime minister "would be buried 400-foot below" in the election, instead of winning 400 seats. During a political speech, I was speaking against the prime minister's claim of winning 400 seats. I intended to say that they (BJP-led NDA) would not get 400 seats and they will be out of power, Islam said in a video statement. The JMM central committee member said, I am an educated person and a professor. I cannot speak such words against the prime minister. But if, for some reason, my words have accidentally hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise. He made the remarks against Modi at a public meeting in Sahibganj on Sunday. The BJP's Sahibganj unit lodged a complaint with the police against Isl

Trinamool manifesto for elections: Here's what 'Didir Shopoth' promises

Mamata Banerjee promised to revoke the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and halt the National Register of Citizens

Will Rahul Gandhi contest from Amethi? Here's what the Congress leader said

There has been widespread speculation that Rahul Gandhi, who has already filed his nomination from Wayanad, will also contest from Amethi

Came with hope in 2014, trust in 2019, guarantee in 2024: PM Modi in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asserted that he went to people with hope in 2014, trust in 2019 and guarantee in 2024. Addressing an election rally at the Borkura ground here, he said that the birth celebrations of Lord Ram were being held in the temple at Ayodhya after 500 years with a 'Surya Tilak' ceremony. Earlier in the day, Modi greeted people on the occasion of Ram Navami on Wednesday and said Ayodhya is in incomparable bliss as this is the first time the festival would be celebrated there after the consecration of the Ram temple. 'We cannot join the celebrations at Ayodhya but let us participate in the event by switching on our mobile flashlights and offering our prayers to Lord Ram," the PM said at the rally. The prime minister said that free ration will be provided to all without discrimination for the next five years. Free treatment of up to Rs five lakh under the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme will be given to people aged 70 and above. Modi was here to campaign f

Watch: PM Modi playing traditional instrument during rally in Assam | Lok Sabha Election 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries his hands on a traditional instrument during his public rally in Nalbari, Assam.

DMK accuses federal agencies of phone tapping ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2024

DMK leader R S Bharathi said the ED and the CBI are illegally intercepting the telephones of party's candidates, frontline leaders, and their close relatives

Delhi: BJP aims 3rd consecutive sweep, AAP hopes to capitalise on sympathy

With the BJP looking to increase its vote share and sweeping Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats for the third consecutive time, the AAP -- contesting the polls in an alliance with the Congress -- hopes to use the "sympathy wave" for arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to break the saffron party's streak. Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) constituents Congress and AAP are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance in Delhi, paving the way for a direct contest with the BJP. The AAP has fielded candidates from four seats while the Congress is contesting from three constituencies. Both the BJP and the AAP-Congress combine have fielded high-profile candidates, setting the stage for a keen contest to gain electoral supremacy. Virendra Sachdeva, the BJP's Delhi unit chief, has said the challenge for the party this time is to increase the margin of victory. The Northeast Delhi seat, dominated by Purvanchalis and Muslims, will witness a key battle between two ..

Control of corporates has grown, farmers don't trust BJP manifesto: Tikait

Farmers do not trust the BJP's 2024 Lok Sabha poll manifesto, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said as he alleged that the party's government at the Centre is working at the behest of capitalists. India is being seen as a source of cheap labour and the control of corporates over the government has grown, he said, while asking farmer organisations to be strong to deal with issues and achieve their goals. "It is a gang of capitalists that has captured the political party," the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader said when asked about the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an interview with PTI. "We do not trust the manifesto. In 2014 as well, the manifesto said they would implement the Swaminathan Committee's recommendations. It has been 10 years now and the recommendations have not been implemented," he said. They are trying to fool the people, Tikait claimed and added that "they are using the A2+FL formula and stating that 'we have implemented the recommendations'". The A2

People of Kerala won't believe PM Modi's poll promises: Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that the people of the state won't believe the heap of promises showered upon them by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent election rallies. He accused the BJP government at the Centre of implementing RSS' agenda in the country and also hit out at the Congress for remaining silent on the controversial CAA in its manifesto. "People may be cheated once, but not repeatedly," he said while addressing an election meeting in Pattambi in Palakkad. "Narendra Modi came here (to Kerala) and showered several promises. But will any person ever believe this? They may be cheated once, but not repeatedly," Vijayan said. The Left veteran said the Modi government had come to power for the first time in 2014 following the discontent and anti-incumbency prevailing in the country against the then Congress-led UPA II government. "Modi and the BJP had then showered several promises before the people of the country who were unhappy under

Peace talks should never compromise core issues of Manipur: CM Biren Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday asserted that any form of peace talks between the warring communities should not compromise the territorial integrity of the state and must ensure the protection of the indigenous population. Speaking at the launch of the 'Sankalp Patra' at the BJP party office here, Singh said, "The peace talks should not compromise the territorial integrity of the state and the well being of our indigneous people. We will not accept peace negotiations that dilute these fundamental issues." He added, "During his recent visit, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had unequivocally said the BJP is committed to preserving the unity of Manipur." Singh highlighted Shah's acknowledgment of attempts by illegal immigrants to disrupt the demographic balance in the state, stating, "This fact is unknown to the opposition." Speaking on the contents of the BJP manifesto, Singh said whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi promises is always implemented. "Modi's compassi

LS polls: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to contest from two Assembly seats

BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will also contest from Kantabanji assembly constituency in Bolangir district of Western Odisha along with his traditional Hinjili seat in Ganjam district. This was announced by Patnaik himself on Wednesday while releasing the 5th list of nine candidates for the Assembly elections in the state. Patnaik in 2019 assembly elections had also contested from two seats. He won from both Hinjili and Bijepur assembly segment in Bargarh district of western Odisha. However, Patnaik later resigned from Bijepur and retained the Hinjili seat. The nine BJD candidates announced by Patnaik included six women and four turncoats. The party has dropped four sitting MLAs - Purna Chandra Baka (Chitrakonda), Kishore Chandra Naik (Kuchinda), Rajnikant Singh (Angul) and Samir Ranjan Dash (Nimapara).. Patnaik has also rewarded four turncoats and nominated them to contest the assembly polls. They were: Arundhati Devi (Deogarh), Dillip Kumar Nayak (Nimapar

LS elections: Poll strategists turn campaign makers in political war rooms

It is said elections are fought on emotions and they are an art more than science, but the rise of poll strategists would suggest otherwise

LS polls: BJP eyes hat-trick as Cong mounts challenge in Udhampur, Jammu

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gone full-throttle with a high-voltage campaign, while the Congress seems to have adopted a subdued approach as the parties gear up for a three-cornered contest -- scheduled on April 19 and 26 -- in the Udhampur and Jammu constituencies. In both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP secured the Udhampur and Jammu seats with Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore emerging triumphant, respectively. Now, seeking a hat-trick of wins in the two constituencies, the saffron party is vigorously working to fortify its support base. It, however, faces stiff competition from the Congress, which has nominated two-time MP Lal Singh in Udhampur and its working president Raman Bhalla in Jammu. Campaigning for the first phase draws to a close on Wednesday. The BJP's campaign in Jammu and Kashmir included rallies by top party leaders, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister

LS polls: 8 Union ministers, 2 former CMs, 1 ex-Guv in fray in first phase

Eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in the first phase of elections on April 19 when 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to polls. Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking a hat-trick of win from the Nagpur seat. In 2014, he had defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2019 by defeating current Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 2.16 lakh votes. Union minister Kiren Rijiju is contesting from the Arunachal West seat. The 52-year-old has represented the constituency thrice since 2004. Rijiju's main rival is former chief minister and present president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Nabam Tuki. Sarbanada Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is seeking a return to Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh in Assam. Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha member, was fielded from Dibrugarh after Union Minister of .

Lok Sabha polls: Here's why voting lasts six weeks in general elections

India's eligible voters, at 968.6 million, number more than twice the European Union's population of 448 million. The figure has grown 8 per cent since the 2019 elections

Shivakumar, a corrupt politician, don't need his certificate: Chandrasekhar

A day after senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar questioned the contribution made by Rajeev Chandrasekhar to the development of Kerala, the BJP leader on Wednesday hit back by saying he does not need the certificate of a "corrupt" politician who is out on bail. Chandrasekhar, who is facing off against Congress' Shashi Tharoor in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, said ever since he began his poll campaign, he has stated what he will do if he wins and will follow through on that. He further said in the next couple of days he would be releasing a vision document on bringing development and investment to the southern state. "Once I become an MP and a minister from here, for the next five years I will work to implement that vision document," Chandrasekhar, also the Union Minister of State for Information Technology and Electronics, told a TV channel. Regarding comments by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar against him, Chandrasekhar said everyone knows the Congress

Raghuram Rajan flags employment concerns amid India's growth momentum

Raghuram Rajan's remarks come at a time when unemployment remains a major issue in India, with a survey by Lokniti-CSDS revealing that 27% of voters consider it their top concern

LS polls: BJP's Tejasvi Surya faces stiff challenge in Bangalore South

BJP youth wing chief and current MP Tejasvi Surya, who is seeking re-election from the prestigious Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, is facing a spirited challenge from Sowmya Reddy of the Congress. The 41-year-old Sowmya, daughter of Minister Ramalinga Reddy, is a former MLA from Jayanagar here and lost the Assembly elections last year by a mere 16 votes. Spread across eight Assembly constituencies, Bengaluru South has been a BJP bastion since 1991. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP won five of them and Congress in three. In fact since 1977, Congress has won here only once when former Chief Minister late R Gundu Rao emerged victorious in the 1989 elections. A constituency with a significant Brahmin population, it had been represented mostly by members of the community. Hoping to turn the tide against the BJP, the ruling Congress in Karnataka has put all its might behind Sowmya with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar leaving no stone unturned to boost he

LS polls: Kamal Nath fighting lone battle to help son win Chhindwara

With many of his close associates leaving his side, it is virtually a lone battle for Congress stalwart Kamal Nath to help his parliamentarian son Nakul Nath win from Chhindwara for a second time amid the BJP's aggressive push to wrest the seat. Chhindwara is the only Lok Sabha seat in MP which the BJP lost in 2019. As the polling date of April 19 nears, campaigning in Chhindwara seems like a family affair for Naths. On the other side, a number of senior BJP leaders have visited the constituency to campaign for their party candidate Vivek Bunty Sahu in this prestigious seat in Madhya Pradesh's Mahakoshal region. The BJP won from Chhindwara against the Nath family only once in the last 44 years. Last year, Sahu was defeated by Kamal Nath in the assembly poll from Chhindwara. MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who has visited Chhindwara six times during the poll campaign, raised the issue of "local vs outsider". He termed Sahu a local, and Kamal Nath, who hails from a business family o

Lok Sabha polls: AAP invokes 'Ram Rajya' symbolism again, launches website

During the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had said his party had drawn inspiration from the "10 principles of Ram Rajya" for its rule in Delhi