Page 138 - Lok Sabha Elections

Cong to release manifesto on Apr 5; hold rallies in Raj, T'gana next day

The Congress will release its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections here on April 5 with its top leaders addressing mega rallies in Jaipur and Hyderabad the next day. "After vast deliberations with people from across the country, the Congress will be releasing its vision document, the manifesto, on 5th April at AICC headquarters. Subsequently, we will hold two Mega Rallies on 6th April - in Jaipur and Hyderabad," AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said in a post on X. In Jaipur, he said, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will release the manifesto and address mega rallies. "Rahul ji will also be addressing the manifesto launch mega rally in Hyderabad. Our focus has always been on giving the country a welfare oriented, pro-development vision and that will be presented to the people for this election as well," Venugopal also said. The party's election manifesto will focus on 'Paanch .

BJP urges EC to file FIR against TMC leader for 'casteist slur' on PM Modi

BJP has asked the Election Commission to lodge an FIR against Piyush Panda and ban his campaigning for the remainder of the election period for his alleged derogatory remarks

Lok Sabha polls: SDPI extends support to Congress-led UDF in Kerala

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), on Monday extended its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told the media that the UDF has not reached any understanding with the SDPI. SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi, who met the media here, said after considering all factors, the party has decided to support a secular front -- the UDF. "In Kerala, we have decided to support the Congress-led UDF which is spearheading the anti-BJP bloc," Moulavi told the media The SDPI leader said the party has not fielded any candidates in Kerala but has 18 candidates in various parts of the country. "Our Constitution is being challenged. The BJP is bringing in laws to provide citizenship on the basis of religion. Uniform Civil Code is planned, which will affect the diversity of the country

No coercive action against Cong over tax demand notices: I-T dept to SC

The Income Tax department on Monday told the Supreme Court that it will not take any coercive action against the Congress over the tax demand notices of approximately Rs 3,500 crore in view of the Lok Sabha elections. A bench of Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Augustine George Masih recorded the statement of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the I-T department, that no precipitative action will be taken in the prevailing circumstances till the final adjudication of the matter. The bench posted the Congress' plea against the tax demand notices for July. At the outset, Mehta said, "I want to make a statement in this matter. The Congress is a political party and since elections are going on, we are not going to take any coercive action against the party." The department is not commenting on the merit of the matter and all rights and contentions should be left open, he said. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Congress appreciated the gesture, terming it

BJP files EC complaint against TMC for posting private info of Rekha Patra

TMC is accused of targeting Sandeshkhali victim and BJP candidate Rekha Patra, sharing her private information on social media

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All things to know about phase six of polls

Lok Sabha elections phase six will be conducted on May 25 in seven states and Union territories on 57 constituencies. Notably, Delhi will go to polls in this stage

Katchatheevu row: Why 2015 & 2024 RTI replies 'different'? asks Oppn leader

Katchatheevu row: Shiv Sena (Uddhav camp) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday demanded the MEA to explain the "discrepancies" in the two RTI responses

LS polls: Congress leaders discuss candidates for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Top Congress leaders on Monday discussed the names of Lok Sabha candidates for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi along with senior party leaders from the respective states were present during the central election committee (CEC) meeting at the AICC headquarters. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh PCC chief Y S Sharmila were present during the separate meetings, besides AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. CEC members Madhusudan Mistry, Amee Yagnik and K J George were also present at the meeting. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will begin on April 19.

LS polls: Liquor shops to remain closed for 3 days from April 17 in Pondy

All liquor, toddy, arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor will remain closed for three days from April 17 in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions in view of Lok Sabha polls slated to be held on April 19 in the union territory. A notification of the Puducherry State Gazette said that the Lieutenant Governor has issued an order directing closure of the shops, clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor to ensure "fair and peaceful polls in the Union Territory". The notification also said that all these shops and restaurants, bars and clubs would also remain closed on June 4 on account of counting of the votes. Another notification from the government said that as Kerala goes to the polls on April 26, all liquor, toddy and arrack shops and also clubs, bars and restaurants serving liquor would remain closed in Mahe region from April 24 to 26 to ensure fair peaceful polls and on June 4, the day of counting of votes. Mahe is an enclave of Puducherry in ..

LS polls: Katchatheecvu issue rekindles contention between DMK-AIADMK

The emotive issue of Katchatheevu, a tiny island ceded to Sri Lanka by the Indian government in 1974 has always been a bone of contention between late Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa and the latter even vowed to retrieve the islet as a part of addressing the fishermen's issues. The uninhabited island was ceded in 1974 when the then Prime MInister Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan area under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement with her counterpart Srimavo Bandaranaike, aimed at resolving the maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait. Further, another agreement signed in 1976 restricted the fishermen of both the countries from fishing in the other's exclusive economic zones. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday training his guns against the Congress and its ally DMK, in power at the Centre and the state, respectively then, the issue has now assumed centre stage in the poll season, just days ahead of the April 19 general election in Tamil Nadu. T

Congress mayor from Kamal Nath's home turf Chhindwara joins BJP

In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its leader and Chhindwara mayor joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Monday morning. Vikram Ahake, the mayor of Chhindwara, joined the BJP in the presence of MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state party chief VD Sharma in state capital Bhopal. Last week, Kamlesh Shah, the Congress legislator from Amarwada in Chhindwara district and a close associate of party stalwart Kamal Nath, had joined the BJP. Chhindwara, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 19, is the home district of former state CM Nath. Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, has filed his nomination papers from Chhindwara, which his father Kamal Nath has represented for nine terms in Parliament. The BJP has fielded Vivek Bunty Sahu from this seat. Kamal Nath is currently the MLA from the Chhindwara assembly seat. His wife Alka Nath was elected from the Chhindwara Lok

Polls latest: Jaishankar on Katchatheevu row, Kejriwal's custody extended

Lok Sabha elections: Jaishankar slams the Congress on the Katchatheevu issue; Arvind Kejriwal's ED custody in the Delhi liquor policy case ends today, and other latest updates

Huge public participation in INDIA bloc rally, a warning to BJP: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the huge participation of people in the INDIA bloc rally held in New Delhi a day ago was a strong warning for the BJP. Addressing the media here, Vijayan also attacked the Congress party and said it was the steps taken by the grand old party which led the Enforcement Directorate to probe the Delhi liquor excise policy case. AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested recently by the ED in the liquor policy case. Aam Aadmi Party is part of the INDI Alliance. "The huge participation of people in the INDIA bloc rally held in Delhi on Sunday gives a strong warning for the BJP," Vijayan said. A day after 18 anti-BJP parties came together in New Delhi to protest against the arrest of Kejriwal, he said that the Congress should also learn a lesson from the rally. The grand old party should introspect on their stand when it comes to attacking non-Congress parties across the country, he said. "Steps taken by Congres

Congress hits out at PM Modi over his remarks on electoral bonds issue

The Congress on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the electoral bonds issue, claiming that while the corruption of his government had been known for a while, the setback is that there are now "hard numbers to prove it". Prime Minister Modi on Sunday rejected the suggestion that the electoral bond issue caused a setback to his government, saying no system is perfect and any shortcoming could be improved upon. In an interview with Thanthi TV, he also said those who are "dancing" over the matter will repent it. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked Modi over his remarks and charged, "Every single day the prime minister scales new heights of hypocrisy and plumbs new depths of dishonesty". "The prime minister has fully lied to the nation in his latest interview to a Tamil television channel. He claims that 'where funds have come from, how they are being used' is only known due to the Electoral Bond Scheme instituted by him," Ramesh said and p

LS polls: FIR against Dhanbad's BJP nominee for threatening ex-party leader

An FIR was lodged against BJP nominee for Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency and Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato for allegedly threatening the district president of Marwai Sammelan Krishna Agarwal for opposing his candidature, police said. Barbadda police station officer-in-charge Sunil Kumar Ravi told media persons on Sunday that on the basis of the complaint of Agarwal, an FIR has been lodged against Dulu Mahto and Prince Khan under sections 387(extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 109 (abetment) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Agarwal, a former BJP leader, in his complaint stated that Khan, an alleged extortionist, through an audio clip had threatened him not to protest the candidature of Mahato. The Marwari Sammelan president in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police also expressed apprehension that on the directive of Mahto, Khan and his henchmen might attack him and his family members. On Friday, Agrawal and Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy held a .

Gujarat BJP sees differences over selection of candidates in some LS seats

Differences have cropped up among BJP workers over the selection of candidates in some Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat even as senior party leaders have sought to address their concerns to maintain grip over the state. The Congress, however, claimed the internal differences could hamper the BJP's bid to repeat a clean sweep and win all 26 seats in the state for the third time in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. With differences over the selection of candidates in seats such as Amreli, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar and Vadodara, the BJP has been making every effort to resolve them by holding meetings with the disgruntled members. On Saturday, Kshatriya community leader Raj Shekhawat resigned from the BJP in protest against Union minister and Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Parshottam Rupala's remarks wherein he claimed that several Rajput rulers had collaborated with the British. Asserting that the community was being neglected by the BJP in ticket distribution, Shekhawat said, The party ..

Lok Sabha polls: No Sunny Deol from Punjab as BJP announces eighth list

In the eighth list, the party gave tickets to a number of turncoats like Bhartruhari Mahtab, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Sushil Kumar Rinku, and Preneet Kaur

Should I-T babus or voters decide the fate of the Congress?

It can be nobody's case that I-T Department must not do its job. However, blindly following bureaucratic rules cannot be allowed to tamper with democratic processes on the eve of the general election

BJP unveils campaigners list for Lok Sabha polls, bye-elections in Tripura

The upcoming general polls are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26

LS polls: In MP, Congress seeks donations on claims of frozen bank accounts

The Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday launched a "one note, one vote" campaign seeking donations to contest Lok Sabha elections claiming the party has run out of money since its bank accounts have been frozen by the BJP-led Central government. Speaking on the occasion, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said the move to freeze the bank accounts after the model code of conduct kicked in was aimed at financially weakening the party in the run-up to elections. The campaign was launched at the busy Roshanpura crossing. Congress candidates from Bhopal and Jabalpur, namely Arun Shrivastava and Dinesh Yadav, campaigned with boxes in their hands and sought one rupee from a voter, besides seeking votes for the party. Congress nominees from other seats in Madhya Pradesh also joined the campaign. Top Congress leaders, including its president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had earlier put the spotlight on their party's precarious finances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.