Page 113 - Lok Sabha Elections

This election is to punish those who are against Constitution, says PM Modi

Launching a blistering attack on the opposition bloc INDIA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said this election is to punish those who are against India's Constitution and opposing the Centre's efforts to make the country a Viksit Bharat'. He also accused the opposition leaders, including those of the RJD and the Congress, of playing politics with the Constitution. Speaking at an election rally in Bihar's Gaya district, the PM said, This election is only to punish Ghamandia' (arrogant) alliance leaders. It is to punish those who are against the Constitution and opposing the Centre's initiatives to make India a Viksit Bharat'. Bihar's former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi is contesting from Gaya as an NDA nominee. The PM said this election is for 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Viksit Bihar'. "The Congress and its partners are resorting to lies in the name of the Constitution just to abuse me. The NDA respects the Constitution..even Babasaheb .

LS polls: Kejriwal, his wife, Sisodia among AAP's star campaigners in Guj

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, all of whom are behind bars, have been named by the party as star campaigners for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat. Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are also among the list of 40 star campaigners, whose names have been submitted by the party to the Election Commission. Other prominent names on the list are AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak. Names of Rajya Sabha MPs Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal are missing from the list. Chief Minister Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with a Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged in Tihar jail. Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the AAP is contesting two -- Bharuch and Bhavnagar -- as part of the INDIA bloc, while its ally Congress is contesting the remaining 24. The A

LS polls: Cong will raise tea workers' wages in Assam, says Priyanka Gandhi

Leading a roadshow in support of party candidate Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat district of Assam, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said daily wages of tea garden workers will be hiked if the opposition alliance wins the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a huge crowd while taking part in a roadshow here, she claimed the ruling party also wants to "change" the Constitution and if that happens, the common people of the country will suffer the most. "When I came to Assam and visited tea gardens before assembly polls 2-3 years ago, I had promised to raise the wages if Congress formed the government. But you chose BJP and the wages were not raised from around Rs 250. "I am again telling you that our manifesto has guaranteed to increase the wages of tea garden workers if we form the government at the Centre," Vadra said. She also claimed that the ruling party will "change" the Indian Constitution if it returns to power for the third term and the common people will suffer t

Not found it correct to take step that could overlap legal process, says EC

Amid allegations by opposition parties that the government was misusing probe agencies to target its leaders, the Election Commission on Tuesday asserted that while it remains committed to protecting level playing field and campaign entitlement of parties and candidates, it has not found it correct to take any step that could overlap or overrun the legal judicial process. In a statement, the poll authority said it was guided by constitutional wisdom when presented with "live situations" involving political persons which have been under active consideration and orders of the courts based on criminal investigations. "While the Commission remained unwaveringly committed to protection of level playing field and campaign entitlement of political parties and candidates, it has not found it correct to take any step that could overlap or overrun the legal judicial process. Several political parties from the INDIA bloc had approached the poll panel, accusing the government of using probe ...

Kerala CM asks PM to do introspection about UP's development rankings

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the LDF government in Kerala over various issues, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday countered all the charges and urged him to do a self-introspection about the development index of the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. He further said while levelling intense allegations about Kerala, the PM should look into the accolades the state had been bestowed upon by the union government led by him. To substantiate his point, the CM listed a handful of national rankings ranging from the Niti Ayog's sustainable development index to health and poverty indexes in which the state ranked top. The Left veteran said his government had not easily obtained these recognitions. "All these recognitions were not received from the wayside," he told reporters here. Even amidst the "political witch hunt", the Centre has been forced to recognise the state as it stands too high to be ignored, Vijayan added. "It will be good for the Prime Minister, who is ...

BJP believes in winning hearts; 'lotus' will bloom: Amit Shah to Kashmiris

The BJP believes in winning the hearts of people which will ultimately lead to the 'lotus', his party's poll symbol, blooming across the Valley, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, rejecting rival parties' charge the BJP was more interested in the land of Kashmir than the welfare of its people. While reaching out to the youths of Kashmiri, he slammed the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP, alleging these parties were responsible for fake encounters and incidents of firing on the youth in the Valley. But the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, restored peace and ensured development after the abrogation of Article 370 by putting an end to terrorism, stone-pelting and Pakistan-sponsored strikes, he said. The BJP's rival parties have asked people not to vote for the BJP and its "proxies", claiming the ruling party was more interested in the land of Kashmir than the welfare of its people. "I want to clear the misgivings being created among ..

Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi, calls him instrument of rich

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him an instrument of a few rich businessmen in the country. Gandhi alleged that Modi's job was to distract people from the real issues in the country, protect the richest businessmen in India and "forgive their bank loans". "PM Narendra Modi is the instrument of five or six of the biggest, richest businessmen in India," the sitting MP from Wayanad contended. He claimed that Modi has given around Rs 16 lakh crores to 20-25 people in the country. "But he does not talk of the issues farmers are facing in the country, the unemployment or the price rise," Gandhi said while speaking to party supporters, workers and the huge crowd that turned up for his roadshow from Kodiyathur in this district. On the electoral bonds issue, he said the bonds were a form of extortion carried out by PM Modi. Accusing the BJP and the RSS of trying to destroy and change the Constitution, he said that this was

PM should look in mirror first: WB CM on corruption allegations against TMC

Demanding a white paper on the investigations conducted by central teams in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that PM Narendra Modi who accuses her TMC of corruption should look in the mirror first. Addressing an election rally at Moinaguri in Jalpaiguri district, Banerjee said it was the TMC which is fighting the BJP in the state, while the CPI(M) and Congress were working with it. "BJP had sent 300 central teams to Bengal to investigate the allegations of corruption but they didn't find anything. Now, PM Modi needs to answer the people of Bengal, what happened to the MGNREGA funds? Poor people worked under the scheme but were not paid," she said, demanding a white paper into the investigations. "The PM says TMC is a corrupt party. He should look in the mirror first. His party is filled with dacoits," she added. Banerjee called the BJP an "anti-Bengali party", and alleged that it was "planning to drive out" tribals, Dalits and OBCs in the "garb of NRC".

Ahead of polls, Indo-Nepal border sealed, movement closed: U'khand CEO

This time, we have got around 60 companies of paramilitary forces for elections. And we believe that we will conduct peaceful elections

BJP fields Abhijit Das Bobby against Mamata Banerjee's nephew: Details here

BJP fields seven candidates in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab in 12th list for Lok Sabha elections

LS polls: AAP names 4 Punjab candidates, fields Pawan Kumar from Jalandhar

All four candidates in the new list of the ruling party in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party, are currently members of Punjab's Legislative Assembly

Agnipath scheme 'insult' to those who dream of protecting country: Rahul

Hitting out at the Modi government over the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that this scheme was formulated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office and imposed on the armed forces. Gandhi said that as soon as the INDIA bloc's government is formed at the Centre, the Agnipath military scheme will be scrapped and the old permanent recruitment process be brought back. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The Agnipath scheme is an insult to the Indian Army and the brave youth who dream of protecting the country. This is not a scheme of the Indian Army but a scheme that was formulated in Narendra Modi's office which has been imposed on the Army." "Martyrs cannot be treated differently, every person who makes the supreme sacrifice for the country should be given the status of a martyr," he said. "As soon as the INDIA government is formed, we will immediately scrap this scheme and bring back the old permanent recruitment process," th

Kejriwal's wife likely to campaign for AAP in Gujarat after his arrest

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal is likely to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha polls, sources said on Tuesday. The party is likely to announce its list of star campaigners for Gujarat later in the day. "She is likely to campaign for AAP candidates in Gujarat," a party source said. Chief Minister Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody in Tihar. Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the AAP is fighting two -- Bharuch and Bhavnagar -- as part of the INDIA bloc, while its ally Congress is contesting the remaining 24 seats. The AAP has fielded Chaitar Vasava from Bharuch and Umesh Makwana from Bhavnagar. The Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7 and the last date for filing nomination papers is April 19.

Protecting Constitution and values paramount in LS poll: Kerala CM Vijayan

He said that in the coming election, his party's mission extends beyond defeating the Sangh Parivar

PM Modi will expedite action against corruption after Jun 4: Nadda in TN

BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday held a roadshow at Paramakudi in this district, in support of NDA candidate and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam, an expelled AIADMK leader, is contesting from Ramanathapuram as an independent candidate as part of the BJP-led NDA. Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 19. Lashing out at the ruling DMK in the state over alleged corruption, Nadda accused party people of being involved in "sand scam" (alleged illegal sand mining) and said DMK stands for "Dynasty, Money swindling and Kattapanchayat," (Kangaroo court). After June 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will expedite action against corruption and "all these people will be either in jail or bail," he said. At the end of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections in the country, counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. Nadda, who campaigned for Panneerselvam atop a specially designed vehicle, praised the latter as "a very senior leader who is experienced, mature

LS polls: 'Modi govt gave Bihar raw deal,' says Congress' Jairam Ramesh

The Congress attacked the Modi government on Tuesday over key issues of Bihar, and asked why has the state not been granted special category status as promised. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh hit out at the prime minister ahead of his poll rallies in Bihar. "Today's questions for PM Modi as he heads to Bihar: Why hasn't Bihar been granted Special Category Status as the PM had promised?" Ramesh said on X. When will the Modi government address the flooding of the Kosi river and what happened to the airports that the PM promised, he asked. "Jumla details below: After 10 years in power at the Centre, and 15 years in power in Bihar, why has the Modi Sarkar failed to deliver Special Category Status in the state? As per the Centre's own Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report, Bihar ranked as the poorest state in India, and 52% of the state's population lacks access to requisite health, education and living standards," Ramesh said. In 2013, the Raghuram Rajan Committee ...

Poll battle of 2 ideologies, people have faith in PM Modi's vision: Mandlik

Shiv Sena Lok Sabha member from Kolhapur Sanjay Mandlik on Tuesday said the upcoming Lok Sabha poll is a battle between two ideologies and people have decided to repose faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India. On his rival being Kolhapur royal family scion Shahu Chhatrapati who is making his poll debut on the Congress ticket, Mandlik in an interview to PTI said voters here see who is good for them irrespective of the candidate's stature. Mandlik, who is seeking a second Lok Sabha term from Kolhapur, also said people have seen in the last two years how Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, has worked for the development of Maharashtra. He was elected in 2019 on the 'bow and arrow' symbol of the undivided Shiv Sena. After a split in the party, Mandlik switched over to the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde. "This is a battle of two ideologies and vision. People trust the vision of PM Modi to make India a developed nation. In the Congress rule, we

BSP releases new list of 11 candidates in UP; fields Jamal against PM Modi

Mayank Dwivedi will contest the Banda seat and Khwaja Shamsuddin will contest from Domariaganj

Indian cinema's political canvas gets vibrant ahead of Lok Sabha elections

From Jagan Reddy to Savarkar, biopics and social narratives take centre stage

BJP's Sankalp Patra on UCC will create divisions, claims Chidambaram

The BJP's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election,released on Sunday, promises that it will implement UCC if it returns to power after the upcoming general elections