Page 172 - Lok Sabha Elections

Nirmala Sitharaman, Jaishankar to contest LS polls, says Pralhad Joshi

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has said Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, it has not been decided yet as to where they will contest from, he added. "It is appearing in the media. More or less it is final that they (Nirmala Sitharaman and Jaishankar) will contest the Lok Sabha elections. It has not been decided yet from where they will fight, whether it is in Karnataka or some other state," Joshi, who holds the Coal and Mines portfolio, told reporters here on Monday. To a question whether it will be Bengaluru, Joshi said, "How can I answer when nothing has been finalised?" Union Finance Minister Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar are Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka and Gujarat respectively.

More than 10,000 people have applied for BJD tickets for LS, Assembly polls

More than 10,000 people have applied for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly elections which will be held simultaneously, a senior party leader said. The Odisha Assembly has a strength of 147 MLAs while there are 21 Lok Sabha MP seats in the state. "More than 10,000 people, including many professionals, have applied for party tickets for the coming polls", BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das said in a post on X. "We strongly believe that BJD is moving towards a historic victory in this election with the blessings of 4.5 crore people of Odisha", Das said. The BJD leader claimed that the people of Odisha have already made up their minds to install Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister for the sixth consecutive time. "The BJD is all set to register a massive victory in the upcoming elections", Das claimed. The BJD leader claimed that all the national-level survey reports in recent years have found Naveen Patnaik as the number o

AAP's Political Affairs Committee to meet to discuss LS poll candidates

The PAC is the party's highest decision-making body and is headed by AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

2024 Lok Sabha playbook: BJP may field new faces to beat anti-incumbency

Party sources said the BJP is in talks with a top Hindi movie star to contest from Delhi's Chandni Chowk seat

'Investment boom': PM Narendra Modi flags off Rs 41K cr rail works

Says consumption rose by 2.5x in 10 years, talks of India's achievements

A deep threat to election integrity

Deepfakes pose a daunting challenge for India and, if not tackled, they could undermine the 2024 elections

Our third term will begin in June: Modi exudes confidence ahead of LS polls

Modi made the remarks while virtually speaking at the launch of railway infrastructure projects worth around Rs 41,000 crores across the country

BJP hints at ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda's induction after his wife's switch

Madhu Koda's wife Geeta, the lone Congress MP from the state, joined the BJP in the presence of its state unit chief Babulal Marandi earlier today

Banks, post offices to help ECI step up voter education ahead of LS polls

Lok Sabha elections: The initiative is part of the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s ongoing efforts to increase electoral awareness across the country

Madhu Koda's wife Geeta Koda, lone Congress MP in Jharkhand, joins BJP

Geeta Koda represents the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand, which she won on a Congress ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Ahead of LS polls, EC ropes in banks, post offices to spread awareness

The Election Commission on Monday roped in banks and post offices to spread voter awareness as part of its efforts to increase voting percentage in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The poll panel has often expressed concern over urban and youth apathy with many registered voters not turning up at the polling stations to cast ballot in the previous elections. Over 30 crore of the 91 crore electors did not cast their ballot in the previous parliamentary polls. The Election Commission (EC) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two prominent organisations -- the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and the Department of Posts (DoP) -- to amplify its voter outreach and awareness efforts ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The initiative, the poll panel said, is in continuation of its efforts to enhance electoral awareness in the country. The EC had recently signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education to formally integrate electoral literacy into the educational curriculum of

CBI probe to be ordered into killing of INLD's state chief: Haryana min Vij

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday assured the Assembly of a CBI probe into the killing of the Indian National Lok Dal's state chief Nafe Singh Rathee. Rathee and a party worker were killed by unidentified assailants in Bahadurgarh near Delhi on Sunday. The attack, which came weeks before the Lok Sabha elections, drew sharp reactions from opposition parties, which alleged a breakdown in law and order in the BJP-ruled state. "If the House is only satisfied with a CBI probe, then I assure the members that we will hand over the case to the CBI," Vij said in the Assembly. Earlier in the day, the Speaker admitted an adjournment motion on law and order as the opposition Congress raised the issue of Rathee's murder and demanded a probe into the incident either by a high court judge or a high court judge-monitored CBI investigation. Soon after the Question Hour, Congress members raised the issue and demanded a discussion on law and order.

AAP-Congress alliance: Faisal Patel firm on contesting Bharuch Seat

Patel stated that he has no intention of exploring parties outside the Congress and hopes the party will reconsider the seat, which has been allocated to the AAP

There is strong opposition to BJP: Cong MP Gaurav Gogoi lauds 'Nyay Yatra'

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra-led by Rahul Gandhi, has given confidence that there is strong opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party."Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has given confidence that there is a strong opposition to the BJP. If there is anyone who is playing the role of opposition, it is Rahul Gandhi. The way BJP is targeting the opposition with IT & CBI, many opposition leaders are not able to do their work..." Gogoi said on Sunday.Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi resumed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Agra which was also attended by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.Meawnhile, Rahul Gandhi assured the farmers that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc comes into power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections this year, then it won't take "more than a minute" to implement legislation on the Minimum Support Price (MSP).Addressing a public rally in the Yatra, ...

Highlights: INLD Haryana Prez Nafe Singh, associate shot dead in Jhajjar

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No 'Mann ki baat' broadcast for 3 months in view of polls: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast will not be aired for the next three months in line with political decorum in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In the 110th episode of the programme, he said there is a possibility that the Model Code of Conduct will be enforced in March as it was done during the last polls as well, a reference to the expected announcement of the election schedule sometime next month. It is a big success of the programme that it has been kept away even from the shadow of the government during its 110 episodes, he said, asserting that the broadcast has been dedicated to the country's collective strength and achievements. "It is a programme of the people, for the people and by the people," the prime minister said. "When we meet the next time, it will be 111th episode of the Mann Ki Baat," Modi added, noting the auspiciousness associated with the number. What can be better than this, he said. The prime minister

Politics picks up pace in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of key elections

Political leaders are busy meeting party workers, holding rallies and conventions across the UT in the run-up to Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, writes Meraj Bhat

Lok Sabha polls: It may not be a cakewalk for Rahul, Congress in Kerala

In the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, LDF appears to be better placed than in 2019 and BJP is leaving no stone unturned to emerge as a challenger in the state

Talks going on with INDIA bloc partners on seat-sharing in J&K, says Cong

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Vikar Rasool Wani on Sunday said that talks are going on with INDIA bloc partners National Conference and PDP on seat-sharing in the Union Territory for the Lok Sabha elections. People will hear good news soon as talks with the NC and the PDP (on seat-sharing agreement) are going on and we will fight the parliamentary elections together, Wani told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Several political and social activists from the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch joined the Congress in presence of Wani and other senior leaders. My appeal to the people is to strengthen the Congress and our alliance partners so that all of their issues are resolved and J&K is pulled out of the prevailing crisis, he said. Accusing the BJP of destroying Jammu and Kashmir, he said, Only the Congress can mitigate the problems of the people, restore statehood, ensure protection of their rights over land and jobs, hold ...

SP chief Akhilesh joins Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Agra

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Agra on Sunday, days after the two parties reached a seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls. Party workers of the SP and the Congress raised slogans in their support as the two leaders, accompanied by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, waved at the crowd gathered here for the yatra. Attacking the government in his address on the occasion, Yadav said, "Today, farmers are standing against the government. The government is scared of the power of farmers. In the coming time, the BJP will be removed and the INDIA coalition government will give respect to farmers." He added that the BJP has not given the backward classes, Dalits and minority communities the respect they deserve. Senior Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh Pradeep Mathur was also present on the occasion. Earlier, the leaders paid floral tributes at a statue of B R Ambedkar in Agra.