Page 119 - Lok Sabha Elections

Won't withdraw nomination papers, says rebel BJP leader Eshwarappa

Rebel BJP leader and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Saturday dismissed reports that he would withdraw his candidature for the Lok Sabha elections. Eshwarappa on Friday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. He will be contesting against BJP's sitting MP and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's elder son B Y Raghavendra and Congress candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar. The rebel leader said his aim is to "strengthen" Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Some people are spreading rumours that I will withdraw my nomination papers. Those who rally behind me, I would like to say, I will never betray and remain in the fray," Eshwarappa said addressing a press conference. Eshwarappa said he demonstrated on Friday that youth power, women's power and farmers' power were with him. The former deputy CM who had served as BJP state president has rebelled against the party after the denial of a ticket to his son K E Kant

This is not end of Farooq Abdullah's career, says NC leader Omar Abdullah

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his father Farooq Abdullah's not contesting the Lok Sabha polls does not signal an end to his electoral career. "With my father, I have learnt over time that you never say never, ever. So until the very last breath, and may God give him many more of them, do not ever write him off for anything," Omar told PTI. The National Conference vice president was responding to a question whether the senior Abdullah might stage a comeback when assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir. In response to a question about his sons - Zahir and Zameer -- being groomed for active politics, the former J-K chief minister said they have done nothing that warrants such a conjecture. "As far as my sons are concerned, what have they done? Have they made speeches, have they got mandates, have they done any active politics? As sons or grandsons, they help out wherever they are needed. We hosted a party (Iftar party), if they help as part of the

LS polls: Do not fall for words used by PM in his speeches, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked people on Saturday not to get carried away by the words used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches and to vote for change in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a poll rally in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar, she said elections should be fought on real issues and not on the basis of empty rhetoric. "Don't get carried away by the words used by Modiji in his election speeches. Before casting your vote, you should honestly ask yourself whether 10 years of the Modi government have really brought about a positive change in your lives," the Congress general secretary said. Ever-growing unemployment, uncontrolled inflation and paper-leak scams are the truths of people's lives and the BJP-led government is responsible for these as it has been in power for the last 10 years, she said. Gandhi also said people should ask Modi who is protecting the killers of resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari and the woman from Unnao in neighbouring Uttar ..

Congress to conduct caste census if voted to power: Rahul in Chhattisgarh

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said if his party is voted to power at the Centre, it will immediately conduct a caste census in the country. Addressing an election rally at Bastar village Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, he described the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as a fight between two ideologies involving those seeking to protect the Constitution and those out to destroy it. He also attacked the Narendra Modi-led government and said President Droupadi Murmu was prevented from attending the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya as she is a tribal, and it reflects the Bharatiya Janata Party's mentality. The rally was held in support of Congress' candidate from Scheduled Tribe-reserved Bastar Lok Sabha seat Kawasi Lakhma. "Modi ji has been trying to change the word 'adivasi'. We call you (tribals) adivasi, but they use the term 'vanvasi'. There is a huge difference between vanvasi and adivasi terms'," he said. The word 'adivasi' has a deep meaning. The word expresses ...

DMK hurt people's sentiments by insulting Sanatan Dharma, says Amit Shah

Senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday accused the DMK of 'hurting' the sentiments of the people by insulting 'Sanatan Dharma' and called upon the people to reject the Dravidian party in the April 19 Lok Sabha election. He said the DMK passed unsavoury remarks on the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The DMK party has hurt the sentiments of people by making insulting remarks on Sanatan Dharma. But on the other hand, the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi respected everyone and believed in unity, Shah said at the roadshow in Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency in support of the party candidate Pon Radhakrishnan. Shah, who addressed the cadres from his campaign vehicle, invoked the name of Lord Ram, before targetting the ruling dispensation. Hundreds of party cadres, invigorated by his visit, joined the BJP veteran in the road show from Mettukadai Junction, Thuckalay, to the Old Bus Stand in Kanyakumari. Shah greeted the cadres from his specially-designed veh

LS polls: Cong will get more seats than in 2019 elections, says Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday asserted that his party would get more seats in the ensuing elections than in 2019 and predicted that the INDIA bloc would secure a resounding victory in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In an interview with PTI, Chidambaram also said that neither Hinduism nor the Hindus were under any threat and it was the BJP's "calculated strategy" to paint the entire Opposition as "anti-Hindu" to project Modi as the "saviour of Hindus". He also described West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee as a "key player" in this election and said that her ability to hold the fort in the state will strengthen the INDIA bloc. "I cannot speak for all the states. I can confidently predict that the INDIA bloc will record a resounding victory in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, the two fronts (UDF and LDF) will share the 20 seats, leaving nothing to the BJP. In Karnataka and Telangana, the Congress governments are popular and Congress will get many more seats than

LS polls: BJP will not even win 200 seats, says Mamata Banerjee

Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees are "false", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the BJP will not even win 200 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at an election rally here, the Trinamool Congress supremo accused the BJP of destroying the country's Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. "The BJP will not even win 200 seats. What have they done for north Bengal? Do not fall prey to PM Narendra Modi's 'guarantees'. These are nothing but electoral jumla (false)," Banerjee said at the TMC's programme. The BJP-led NDA is aiming at crossing the 400 Lok Sabha seat mark in the upcoming elections. "You (BJP) have destroyed the country's Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," she alleged.

Lok Sabha elections: BJP, AIMIM working hand in glove, alleges Digvijaya

Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has accused the BJP and the AIMIM of being hand in glove with each other, and sought to know the source of funding of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) instigates Hindus, while the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), headed by Owaisi, provokes Muslims, but they complement each other and work in tandem. Singh was addressing a gathering on Friday night at Susner under Agar Malwa district, falling under Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat. Singh is a Congress nominee from this seat. "Owaisi openly provokes Muslims in Hyderabad, the BJP provokes Hindus here. But I ask you where does the money come from to field Owaisi to cut the votes of Muslims? They always do politics together...They complement each other," Singh alleged. Singh alleged that democracy has been murdered in the country and people are being sent to jails. He said that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee rightly said the BJP has become a ...

LS elections: Cong questions PM ahead of his poll campaign in Tamil Nadu

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Tamil Nadu, the Congress posed several questions to him on Saturday, asking why is he so eager to privatise the Salem Steel Plant and why the ruling BJP has not set up a single educational institute in the southern state. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked Modi whether the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai is merely a publicity stunt. "Today's questions for the PM as he heads to Tamil Nadu: AIIMS Madurai: Premier institute or publicity stunt? Why hasn't the BJP set up a single premier educational institute in TN? Why was the PM so eager to privatise Salem Steel Plant," Ramesh asked in a post on X. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of giving "jumlas" (rhetoric), he said the saffron party proudly announced the establishment of the AIIMS, Madurai in the 2015-16 Union budget and for four years since the announcement, no action was taken. "Then just before the 2019 electi

Kerala CM attacking Rahul Gandhi to hide govt failures, help BJP: Congress

The opposition Congress in Kerala on Saturday claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was attacking the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi to hide his government's administrative failures and to help the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in the state. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said that for the past more than 30 days, Vijayan has been reading out the same speech attacking the Congress and Gandhi, while avoiding the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Satheesan said that the Congress has only one question to ask the Marxist veteran -- "how will you defeat communalism and fascism at the national level without us?" "The Congress is leading the INDIA bloc. If the Congress is destroyed or weakened, whom will it help? That is our question to Pinarayi Vijayan. So, you (Vijayan) are speaking against Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to help the BJP," he said. Satheesan, the Congress MLA from Paravur assembly constituency, also alleged that since the CPI(M)-led stat

EC takes care of electoral rolls, not me: Owaisi on bogus votes allegation

Rejecting BJP Hyderabad Lok Sabha candidate K Madhavi Latha's allegation of about six lakh bogus votes in the constituency, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said the Election Commission takes care of the issue of voters' lists. Owaisi, who is seeking re-election from Hyderabad constituency, wondered what his role was in the matter. The AIMIM leader said the process of addition of names and publication of final voters' list is carried out every year by the Election Commission which he does not head. He was responding to a query from reporters about Madhavi Latha's charge that Owaisi wins with the help of the six lakh bogus votes The allegation amounts to "abusing" the Election Commission, he added. "By speaking like this, you are insulting Hyderabad electorate, which includes brothers from backward class and Dalits, minority Muslims, Christians who are going out to vote. Because of their votes, every party is getting votes and AIMIM is successful," he told reporters. A

RJD's poll manifesto promises 10 mn govt jobs, Rs 1 L to poor 'sisters'

The RJD, the largest constituent of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, on Saturday released its election manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, promising 1 crore government jobs and Rs 1 lakh per year to "sisters" from poor families on Raksha Bandhan. Former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, while releasing the RJD's election manifesto 'Parivartan Patra', said the party is making 24 "jan vachan" (public promises) for the 2024 polls, and it will fulfill these commitments. "If the INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, the RJD will ensure that unemployed youth across the country get 1 crore government jobs... the process will start on Independence Day this year... it will be like 'berozgaari se azadi' (freedom from unemployment)," he told reporters. "Unemployment is our biggest enemy but the BJP leaders never talk about it. They had promised 2 crore jobs... but we deliver on our promises," he said. "On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan this year, we will start providing Rs 1 lakh annually to o

CSDS survey: Modi's popularity sustains, no anti-incumbency in LS polls

CSDS-Lokniti 2024 pre-poll survey revealed 34% respondents choosing Congress and its allies if the elections were held today, almost 46% opted for the NDA

Kukis, Meitis unite on one point - not right time for LS polls in Manipur

The Kukis and Meitis may be at loggerheads in Manipur but their thoughts on one point converge -- this is not the right time for Lok Sabha elections in the restive state. It has nearly been a year since ethnic violence broke out between the hill-majority Kukis and the valley-majority Meitis. It has not only killed over 200 people and displaced around 50,000 but also sharply divided Manipur along ethnic lines. Elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held on April 19 and 26. While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will go to polls on April 26. Living separately and refusing to co-exist in future, many members of both Kukis and Meitis communities ask - why elections at this time and what difference will they make? "Our demand is clear - we want a separate administration for the Kuki Zo community. For years the development has only been in the valley and not our areas and after what has ..

LS polls: 2 former India hockey team captains fighting elections in Odisha

They have played captain innings in astroturf while representing the Indian hockey team, but this time they are trying their luck in the electoral battlefield in Sundergarh district, often referred to as the cradle of hockey in Odisha. They are Hockey India president and former Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Tirkey and ex-Indian hockey team captain Prabodh Tirkey. While Dilip Tirkey is the ruling Biju Janata Dal candidate for the Sundergarh (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, his junior and former India hockey captain, Prabodh Tirkey is the Congress candidate from the Talsara (ST) assembly segment also in Sundergarh district. Both the BJD and Congress have picked Dilip Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey in the electoral battle as Sundergarh is known as the cradle of hockey in the state and the game is very popular among the masses. According to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, "Hockey is a way of life in tribal-dominated Sundergarh where toddlers start walking with hockey sticks." Dilip Tirkey, 46, is

If work getting done without speaking, better to stay silent: Lakhimpur MP

As Pradan Baruah seeks a third consecutive term from Assam's Lakhimpur, the BJP leader puts up a brave face to the sobriquet of being a "silent MP", claiming that his constituency was on the fast-track of development, and "if by not even speaking in Parliament, so much is happening, it is better not to speak". Baruah claimed that even without using his "trump card" (of speaking in the House), he has ensured that core issues such as connectivity and flood control in the north bank of Brahmaputra, bordering Arunachal Pradesh, are being addressed. "It is only better if work is getting done without even speaking. I should save my trump card, then. Without even asking, we are getting everything. What can be better than that?" Baruah said in an interview with PTI here. According to data shared by non-profit organisation PRS Legislative Research in February this year, Baruah was among nine MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha who did not participate in any debate or discussion during the entire .

FIRs against Cong's LS candidate for poll code violation in Chhattisgarh

Police have registered two cases against senior Congress leader and the party's Bastar Lok Sabha seat candidate Kawasi Lakhma in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district for allegedly violating the model code of conduct through his alleged objectionable remarks, officials said on Saturday. While an FIR was registered against him at Mirtur police station for allegedly making an objectionable remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another case was registered at Kutru police station for his alleged statement against police and administration, a district official said. The cases were registered on Friday evening based on the complaints lodged by the district returning officer, he said. Lakhma, who represents the Konta assembly constituency in Sukma district and served as a minister in the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, has been fielded by the party in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat. Bijapur district falls in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency. As per the election official's ...

INDIA bloc will deliver sweet victory on June 4, says TN CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin on Saturday said the INDI alliance will deliver a sweet victory on June 4. Stalin who was pleasantly surprised over receiving Mysore Pak from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit to the state on Friday, expressed that he was touched by his brother's sweet gesture." The two leaders had addressed a poll rally in Coimbatore. Posting a video of Gandhi jumping over a road divider and rapidly walking towards a sweet shop in Coimbatore to purchase Mysore Pak for him, Stalin said in a post on the social media platform X quoting a couplet from Thirukkural on the possession of love: touched and overwhelmed by the 'sweet gesture' from my brother @RahulGandhi. On June 4th, #INDIA will surely deliver him a sweet victory! the DMK president said. In the video that went viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi could be seen jumping over a road divider, crossing the road and walking swiftly into a sweet shop. When asked what he w

TDP leader Lokesh Nara calls phone tapping a grave danger to democracy

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the YSRCP won with a thumping majority of 151 seats, while the TDP was confined to 23 seats

Lok Sabha polls: Garhwal's women voters laud BJP's 'pro-women' schemes

The passage of the women's reservation bill and the "pro-women" schemes might help the BJP's fortunes, but the delay in rehabilitating victims of the Chamoli disaster is concerning, women voters in Uttrakhand's Garhwal region have said. The high rate of unemployment in the region, the rising prices of essential commodities and the Agnipath scheme were some of the other troubling issues for the women voters ahead of Lok Sabha polls in the state. Rashmi Nautiyal, a resident of Chamoli district, said the participation of women in politics has increased over the last few years and they are learning to take a stand for themselves. "We have seen several women-oriented schemes being launched by the government here. As a result, women are getting a sense of participation in the polls," Nautiyal said. "Earlier, women used to follow male members of their family, however, now they are taking a stand for themselves," she added. According to official data, the Garhwal region has more than five