Page 117 - Lok Sabha Elections

Making India a major product nation, employment boost top list of vows

The plan is to expand electronics manufacturing three times to become a major player in the global value chain

Cong releases fresh list, fields Kanhaiya from Delhi, Channi from Jalandhar

The Congress on Sunday issued another list of 10 candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Delhi and Punjab, tapping former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi for the Jalandhar-SC Lok Sabha seat. According to the list, the party has fielded veteran politician J P Agarwal from the Chandni Chowk seat and youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar from the North East Delhi seat. Kumar will be pitted against BJP's Manoj Tiwari, the sole BJP candidate not replaced in the national capital. For the North West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, the party announced the name of former MP Udit Raj. In Punjab, the party renominated its sitting MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla from Amritsar and Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib (SC) Lok Sabha seat. Former MP Dharvir Gandhi will be contesting from the Patiala Lok Sabha seat. His candidature comes mere days after he joined the Congress leaving the Aam Aadmi Party. The party has nominated its All India Kisan wing chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat and

Modi destroying democracy, no difference between him and Putin: Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday said there was no difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin while accusing the former of slowly destroying democracy in the country. Pawar was speaking to reporters at Akluj in Solapur district, where he visited the residence of former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil to discuss candidates for Madha and Solapur Lok Sabha seats. "Modi doesn't wish for anyone from the Opposition to get elected. Such a stance by the prime minister shows that there is no difference between him and Russia's Vladimir Putin, he said. The arrest of a serving chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) when the model code of conduct is in place shows that Modi is slowly destroying parliamentary democracy and the country is heading towards autocracy, Pawar said. In a democracy, like a ruling party, the opposition side is equally important, he said. When asked about the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha

Highlights of the day: Iran risks 'uncontrollable regional escalation', warns G7

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Paths to a political business cycle

Is there such a thing in India?

Authoritarianism, stifling Oppn makes polls as good as rigged: Jean Dreze

Lok Sabha elections as good as rigged: Development economist Jean Dreze

By Namita Tewari

(Eds: Updating, adding BJP reax)



Ranchi, Apr 14

LS polls: PM Modi holds massive road show in coastal city Mangaluru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a massive road show in this coastal city of Karnataka, waving at an enthusiastic large crowd along the route. Standing on a specially designed vehicle, Modi greeted the people gathered on the sides of the roads and on nearby buildings, many of whom were seen chanting 'Modi, Modi', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans, amid loud cheers and sounds of drum beat, in what appeared to be a festive atmosphere in several places. People showered flower petals as his cavalcade passed through the stretch from Narayana Guru circle to Nava Bharat circle in the city in Dakshina Kannada district, which is a BJP stronghold. The Prime Minister, who was wearing a saffron cap and holding a lotus symbol, was accompanied by Dakshina Kannada BJP Lok Sabha candidate Captain Brijesh Chowta and party nominee for neighbouring Udupi-Chikmagalur seat Kota Srinivas Poojary.

Lok Sabha elections: Samajwadi Party releases fresh list of 7 candidates

The Samajwadi Party on Sunday declared seven more Lok Sabha poll candidates for Uttar Pradesh, with the party fielding former MP Bhishm Shankar 'Kushal' Tiwari from Domariyaganj seat. With this, the Akhilesh Yadav-led party has announced the names of 57 candidates in the state, party leaders said. According to the list released by the SP on X, sitting MP from Shravasti and former BSP leader Ram Shiromani Verma has been fielded by the party from the seat. Besides, former MLA Laxminath alias Pappu Nishad has been named as party candidate from Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seat. The SP has also given the ticket to Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former close aide of BSP chief Mayawati. He has been made the SP candidate from Jaunpur, party spokesperson Rajpal Kashyap said. Ramashankar Rajbhar, a former BSP MP from Salempur, has been made the candidate by the SP in this election. He had represented Salempur in the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014. Apart from this, the SP has also fielded Amarnath Maur

Lok Sabha: Caste, defection, personal rivalry make BJP uneasy in Churu

The defection of two-time BJP MP Rahul Kaswan to the Congress has cast doubt on the BJP's stronghold in Churu, where the party has held consecutive power since 1999

Sanjay Singh meets Kharge, pitches for common minimum programme for 'INDIA'

AAP leader Sanjay Singh met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence here on Sunday and urged him to come up with a common minimum programme for the INDIA bloc in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Singh said he sought Kharge's support after he was released from jail and also told the Congress president how Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being treated in prison. Kejriwal is lodged in Tihar Jail after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged liquor scam in Delhi. The Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said as the leader of opposition in the Upper House of Parliament, Kharge "has been supportive of us and so I wanted to meet him after getting released from jail". "During the meeting, several issues were discussed. We discussed the issue of the (BJP-led) government misusing central agencies and the manner in which opposition leaders are being targeted. "I also informed him about how Kejriwal is being ..

LS polls: Amit Shah to campaign in violence-hit Manipur on Monday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will campaign in ethnic strife-torn Manipur on Monday, besides visiting Tripura and Rajasthan to garner support for BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, sources said. Shah will address a rally in Imphal seeking votes for Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, the education minister of the northeastern state who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate from the Inner Manipur constituency in the upcoming election. The seat is currently held by BJP leader and Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha segment has 32 Assembly constituencies across the conflict-scarred Imphal valley. Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023 after a tribal solidarity march was organised in the state's hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since then, more than 220 people have been killed in the continuing violence. The BJP has not fielded any

Ahead of LS elections, Gujarat govt transfers, promotes 35 IPS officers

The Gujarat government on Sunday promoted and transferred 35 Indian Police Service officers amid the code of conduct in force for the Lok Sabha polls. Important cities like Surat and Vadodara got new police commissioners due to the exercise. Vadodara police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot was made Surat police commissioner, while additional director general of police (administration), Gandhinagar, Narashima Komar replaced him. IPS officers Manoj Agarwal, K L N Rao, G S Malik and Hasmukh Patel were promoted from ADG to Director General of Police rank though they will continue to hold current posts, as per the government order. A total of 20 IPS officers have been promoted by the Gujarat government. Chirag Koradia, who was awaiting posting has been appointed as Inspector General (IG) of Police Border Range, while J R Mothaliya, who too was awaiting posting, will be new IG (Ahmedabad range). IPS officer Prem Vir Singh has been made IG (Surat Range). Tarun Duggal, deputy ...

Oppn lost power due to disunity; Congress need remedying: Amartya Sen

Noting that the Opposition in India has lost much of its power due to disunity, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said the Congress has many organisational problems that need remedying. In an interview with PTI, Sen said that a caste census might be an exercise to consider, but India needs greater empowerment for the underprivileged through better education, healthcare, and gender equity. The noted economist said he is "enormously proud" to be a citizen of a democratic country like India, but there is a need to "work harder to enhance the nation's democratic nature". Sen said the opposition bloc INDIA failed to gain much traction, with its important allies such as JD(U) and RLD walking out. When asked what the Opposition lacks in taking on the BJP, he said, "The Opposition in India lost a lot of its power due to its disunity. Unity would have given it much more strength." "Congress has many organisational problems that need remedying. The party's great past should inspire it," he said.

LS polls: BJP to expand Vande Bharat, bullet train projects, says PM Modi

Coming down heavily on the corrupt leaders, the Prime Minister said that strict action will continue against the corrupt

Will bring back Tatas to Singur if BJP comes to power: MP Locket Chatterjee

BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, who is seeking re-election from West Bengal's Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency, said the party will bring back the Tatas to Singur if elected to power in the state. "We are confident of victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. We anticipate securing more seats than our previous count of 18 in 2019. Once we win the polls comprehensively, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government will collapse in the state. After the BJP government comes to power, our first job will be to invite the Tatas to Singur, which falls under Hooghly constituency." The actor-turned leader, who had forayed into politics as a TMC member and joined the BJP in 2015 following differences, said, "Whenever I visit Singur, people urge me to help them get jobs. Mamata Banerjee has turned Singur into a graveyard of employment and economic activity." Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has betrayed both farmers and industries in the name of Singur agitation, she said. Singur, once known for multiple crop ...

Promises made by BJP remained promises only: Gehlot on its LS manifesto

Ashok Gehlot also claimed that the BJP will be changing the Constitution once it comes to power and this has created a sense of tension and fear in the country

LS election: Unemployment, better infra dominate poll battle in TN's Trichy

Behind its image of an alluring urbanscape surrounded by farmlands, Tiruchirappalli has its own cup of woes. Rising unemployment, farmers' difficulty in stepping up exports, and the issue of acquiring land for the airport project are among the numerous issues that dominate the election this April 19 in Tiruchirappalli, a major hub connecting the southern districts, and even the delta districts. The perennial Cauvery water crisis and lack of export prospects loom large on the face of farmers. And summer is invariably the time when the Cauvery river water level dwindles. According to N Selvam, a farmer from Tiruchirappalli, ryots and even small entrepreneurs find it difficult to obtain export licences owing to the tedious procedures including furnishing a plant quarantine certificate for exporting the vegetables. The quarantine certificate must mention the pesticides and chemical fertilisers used. This would not be possible as many farmers utilised pesticides and chemical fertilisers

BJP's Sankalp Patra seen as gold standard in world politics: Rajnath Singh

Union minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that the BJP has earned credibility among people by fulfilling its commitments, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees are seen as pure as 24 carat gold. Speaking at the release of the party's 'Sankalp Patra', Singh said the BJP's manifesto is seen as gold standard in the world politics. He cited a host of development measures taken by the central government besides the enactment of women's reservation law, repeal of Article 370 and the construction of Ram temple to assert that the ruling party has fulfilled its promises. Singh is the chairperson of the BJP's manifesto committee for the Lok Sabha polls. The committee received over 15 lakh suggestions, he said.

LS polls: Demand for pvt jets up to 40%; operators to rake in more profit

With politicians and political party representatives crisscrossing the country for the Lok Sabha polls, the demand for chartered planes and helicopters has jumped up to 40 per cent, and the operators are expected to net 15-20 per cent more earnings, according to industry experts. The hourly rates for chartered services have also spiked. The charge is about Rs 4.5 -5.25 lakh for an aircraft and around Rs 1.5- 1.7 lakh for a twin engine helicopter, they said. While the demand has surged compared to the normal times and previous election years, there is lesser number of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters available. Some of the operators are looking to take planes and helicopters on wet lease. "There is an increase in demand for helicopters and it is up to 25 per cent more in the election period compared to the normal period. The supply is less compared to the demand," Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI) President (Western Region) Captain Uday Gelli told PTI. Generally, political part

LS polls: 3 ex-CMs from NDA in poll fray heats up campaign scene in K'taka

Three former Chief Ministers from NDA are in the Lok Sabha race in Karnataka, heating up the campaign scene in the Congress-governed state. Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri), Jagadish Shettar (Belgaum) and H D Kumaraswamy (Mandya) joined a long list of predecessors who wanted to play an innings in national politics and many of them successfully as well. While Bommai and Shettar -- both Lingayats -- are from the BJP; Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga, is the JD(S) state President and son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, BJP is contesting in 25 and JD(S), which joined the NDA in September last year, in three. There have been a total of 23 Chief Ministers of Karnataka (known as Mysore state before November one, 1973) since 1947; 14 of them have also served as members of Lok Sabha, and two Rajya Sabha. Seven of them -- K C Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Veerendra Patil, Gundu Rao, S Bangarappa, Veerappa Moily and B S Yediyurappa -- shifted to ...