Page 144 - Lok Sabha Elections

LS polls: Prakash Ambedkar's VBA not to ally with MVA, releases first list

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday announced candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, signalling that the outfit will not ally with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Addressing a press conference here, Ambedkar accused the MVA allies - Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT) - of trying to use his outfit to promote dynastic politics. Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, announced the names of eight candidates for the phase of elections, including himself from the Akola constituency. "They (the MVA parties were trying to use VBA for promoting dynastic politics which we have tried to resist," Ambedkar said. The VBA fielded Sanjay Kevat from Bhandara Gondia, Hitesh Madavi from Gadchiroli, Rajesh Bele, Vasant Magar from Buldhana, Prakajkta Pillewar, Rajendra Salunkhe from Wardha, Khemsingh Pawar from Yavatmal-Washim. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have announced candidates for most of these seats. He alleged

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi, Amit Shah among star campaigners of BJP in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath are among the 40 star campaigners who would canvass for the BJP in Bihar during the Lok Sabha elections. In the list, the party also named its chief JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, Giriraj Singh and Nityanand Rai, besides Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav. Among the state leaders who found a place on the list are Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Renu Devi, Mangal Pandey, Prem Kumar, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and Sushil Kumar Modi. The BJP on Sunday announced candidates for 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It dropped three incumbent MPs, including Union Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey. Choubey, who was elected from Buxar for the second consecutive term in 2019, has been replaced by Mithilesh Tiwari, a former MLA. All the remaining 14 candidates are sitting MPs, who will seek re-election from their respective seats.

VBA chief Ambedkar meets Maratha activist Jarange; discusses LS polls

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar held a meeting with Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange in the wee hours of Wednesday over the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra's Jalna district. The meeting, which lasted more than one hour, took place at Antarwali Sarati village where Jarange resides. The development assumes significance as Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, was eyeing to seal a poll pact with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance for the April-May general elections. Ambedkar arrived in Antarwali Sarati village shortly after Tuesday midnight. Talking to reporters after their meeting, Ambedkar said, "Lok Sabha polls are just round the corner. We held talks over the elections." When asked whether the VBA plans to contest the election with Jarange, Ambedkar said, "We will let you know at the appropriate time." Jarange urged members of the Maratha community to seek opinion from people on the idea of fielding one independent ..

Lok Sabha polls: Law minister of conflict-torn Manipur gets BJP ticket

Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh will replace the sitting MP and Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who represents the Inner Manipur constituency since 2019

Shiv Sena (UBT) releases list of 17 candidates for Lok Sabha elections

Senior party leaders Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant, and MP Gajanan Kirtikar's son, Amol Kirtikar, are among the prominent names announced

YSRCP chief Jagan to begin election campaign from today in Andhra Pradesh

The poll campaign temperatures are set to spike in Andhra Pradesh with YSRCP supremo and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy kicking off canvassing for the forthcoming elections with a 21-day bus tour named 'Memanta Siddham' (We are all ready), on Wednesday from Idupulupaya in Kadapa district. The bus tour will be Jagan's first election campaign post the announcement of the legislative assembly and Lok Sabha polls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 16. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is also busy with election campaigning. He has already completed two days of campaigning in Kuppam, his home constituency. Likewise, Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan has also scheduled his election campaign to take off from Anakapalli on March 30. The actor politician is contesting the legislative assembly election from Anakapalli constituency. The simultaneous polls for 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the results will be declared on June

AAP conducts 'Thali Bajao campaign', raises slogans to 'free Kejriwal'

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy 2022, which was later scrapped

LS elections: BJP releases list of 40 star campaigners for Madhya Pradesh

BJP has announced all the 29 candidates for the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress party has announced only 10 candidates till now

Will not fight LS polls, son Deepender likely to contest: Bhupinder Hooda

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of him contesting the Lok Sabha elections and said a discussion was on within the party about fielding his son Deepender Singh Hooda from the Rohtak seat. "There is no intention that both of us will fight. I am also the Leader of the Opposition (in Haryana) and the Assembly polls are nearing. So I don't have any intention (to fight the parliamentary election)," the former Haryana chief minister told reporters in Rohtak. Replying to a question, the senior Congress leader said discussion is on within the party about fielding Deepender Singh Hooda from the Rohtak parliamentary seat. He said that he does not have any intention to fight the Lok Sabha polls when Deepender enters the fray. The final decision on the matter will be taken by the party, he added. Bhupinder Singh Hooda said if senior party leaders, Randeep Singh Surjewala or Kumari Selja, decide to fight the Lok Sabha polls "we will be happy". Notably,

Lok Sabha elections: Punjab set for a 4-way contest as BJP-SAD talks fail

The SAD-BJP alliance could have been potent with the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government facing significant anti-incumbency

LS polls: Number of veterans thinning faster amid rise in total candidates

Veteran numbers decline amid rising number of total candidates

All women deserve dignity, says Kangana replies to Cong leaders' comments

Every woman, irrespective of her background and profession, deserves dignity, actor Kangana Ranaut said on Tuesday as Congress leaders' comments on Mandi from where she is contesting the Lok Sabha elections snowballed into a massive political row. Ranaut, who makes her political debut as a BJP candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, said she was particularly pained by the derogatory comments on the constituency that is often referred to as Chhota Kashi the world over. The Congress has been in the crosshairs after demeaning remarks on Ranaut and Mandi were posted on the social media handles of its leaders Supriya Shrinate and H S Ahir. The party has always believed there is no place for such language in public discourse and the matter should end with Shrinate clearing the air, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told reporters at the AICC headquarters. "Whatever be the profession of a woman, be it teacher, actress, journalist, politician or sex worker, all of them deserve dignity. I'm

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All you need to know about phase five polls

The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be conducted on May 20. A total of eight states and union territories will go to polls on that day

LS elections: TMC complains against BJP MP Dilip Ghosh for violating MCC

TMC moved the Election Commission after the BJP MP from Medinipur constituency, Dilip Ghosh, made personal remarks about Mamata Banerjee's ancestry, calling it a violation of the model code of conduct

'BJP is frustrated in Bengal. It is losing': TMC responds to 'father' jab

TMC Sushmita Dev stated that BJP MP Dilip Ghosh's remarks against CM Mamata Banerjee went against Indian politics & traditions, and reflected the party's double standards when it came to women

BJP releases 6th list of candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far announced its candidates for 401 seats for the elections to 543-member Lok Sabha

LS elections: Congress invites Varun Gandhi to join the party post-BJP snub

In its fifth list of candidates released on Monday, the BJP replaced the sitting Pilibhit MP with ex-Congress MP Jitin Prasad for the upcoming elections

EC asks K'taka poll officer to act on complaint by Deve Gowda on freebies

The Election Commission has directed the chief electoral officer of Karnataka to take "immediate appropriate action" on a complaint filed by JD (S) president H D Deve Gowda that Congress MP D K Suresh was allegedly planning distribution of freebies and the state poll machinery failed to take swift action. In a letter to the state CEO, the EC asked him to take action keeping in mind the provisions of the model code of conduct and relevant laws, and sought a compliance report at the earliest. The EC letter was sent out on March 21 based on a complaint of former prime minister Gowda to the poll panel. The JD(S) leader has alleged that the state election machinery failed to take swift action to prevent the "corrupt activities" in the Bengaluru (Rural) Lok Sabha seat. He alleged that the freebies were removed from a godown as the field machinery failed to take appropriate action. "...there is not only dereliction of duties by the concerned officer but the officers are afraid of taking

Lok Sabha polls: Cong's Nakul Nath files nomination from Chhindwara in MP

Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the last general elections in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from his traditional Chhindwara constituency, which his father and former chief minister Kamal Nath represented for nine terms. Accompanied by his wife and parents, including former MP Alka Nath, Nakul submitted his papers to the returning officer in Chhindwara. Before that, the senior and junior Nath worshipped at the Lord Hanuman temple in the town. His supporters also took out a rally, which was attended by state Congress president Jitu Patwari and the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar. Of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP, the BJP in 2019 had won 28, barring Chhindwara. The saffron party has fielded its district unit president Vivek Bunty Sahu against Nakul Nath. Though the Chhindwara seat has been the bastion of the Congress, with the grand old party losing elections here just once, BJP is channelling all its energies to wrest this seat this time. In 20

LS elections: Sarbananda Sonowal files nomination for Dibrugarh seat

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency in Assam, an official said. Sonowal, accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, filed his nomination papers before Returning Officer Bikram Kairi. Polling for the Dibrugarh constituency will be held on April 19 in the first phase of the general elections. Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats. Besides Sarma, Sonowal was accompanied by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora, United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) leader Promode Bodo, sitting BJP MLA and Union minister Rameswar Teli and state party president Bhabesh Kalita. Sonowal, the Union Minister for Shipping, Ports, Waterways and Ayush, who had represented the constituency in 2004 as an AGP candidate, will contest against United Opposition Front, Assam (UOFA) nominee Lurinjyoti Gogoi. Gogoi is also scheduled to file his nomination later on Tuesday. Braving inclement weather, BJP supporters ca