Page 178 - Lok Sabha Elections

74% of population getting nothing: Cong leader Rahul Gandhi in Chhattisgarh

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will enter Uttar Pradesh on February 16

Ashok Chavan resigns from Congress ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Chavan may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his resignation form Congress

UP leg of Rahul Gandhi's Nyay yatra cut short due to state board exams

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to reduce the duration of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh in view of the state board examinations for Classes 10 and 12, party members said on Monday. "Setting an example of sensitivity, Rahul Gandhi ji has given public interest a priority on many occasions. Keeping in mind the UP Board examinations starting from February 22, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will remain in Uttar Pradesh from February 16 to February 21," state Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said in a statement issued here. The yatra was earlier scheduled to remain in Uttar Pradesh till February 26. "Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had cancelled his rallies in Bengal out of concern for the people during the COVID-19 period," the spokesperson said. Elaborating on the schedule of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, Awasthi said it will enter the state through Varanasi on February 16, and then reach Amethi on February 19 via Bhadohi, Prayagraj and Pratapgarh. On

BJP's CAA pitch is 'chunavi jumla' for Lok Sabha elections, says Congress

Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday alleged the BJP's CAA pitch is a "jumla" (empty promise) with an eye on Lok Sabha elections. The Congress' reaction came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be issued before the coming Lok Sabha poll, and the process to grant Indian nationality to the beneficiaries will start soon after. "The BJP is stoking the discussion on CAA only because the general elections are approaching. The party wants to influence voters. It is just another 'chunavi jumla'. The CAA was passed a long time ago, but its implementation has been brought up now for political reasons only," Chennithala told reporters in Mumbai. He alleged the BJP wants to drive the political discourse on religious lines. "A discussion on CAA is being pushed for this very reason. It is a fact that some BJP-ruled states are against the implementation of the CAA," the Congress leader ...

Bharat Ratna given to Karpoori Thakur for Bihar votes in LS polls: Uddhav

The Narendra Modi government has conferred Bharat Ratna on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur to get votes from the eastern state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday. Addressing a gathering of Shiv Sena workers here, Thackeray claimed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was the forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had opposed Thakur's decision to give 26 per cent reservation to backward classes in government jobs. "But now the BJP wants votes in the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar so announced the Bharat Ratna for him posthumously. I am happy his (Thakur's) work is being acknowledged after so many years," Thackeray said. The BJP announced Dr S Swaminathan's name for the Bharat Ratna but has failed to implement the recommendation made by a commission headed by him on increasing farm income, Thackeray further said. People can see through this hollowness, Thackeray claimed. The Union government announced five names for the Bhara

Amit Shah to discuss LS poll strategy with Karnataka BJP leaders today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to formulate the party's strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls during his meetings with the state leadership on Sunday, Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra said. He also said the meeting is likely to discuss facing the polls together with alliance partner JD(S), with proper coordination between workers and leaders of both parties at the ground level and may also deliberate on the number of seats to be given to the regional party. Shah arrived in the "palace city" early today and is scheduled to take part in meetings with state BJP core committee members and leaders of the party's Mysuru cluster later in the day. He is also expected to visit Sutturu near here to attend Sutturu Jathra (fair) and visit Chamundeshwari temple on Chamundi hills. "The meeting will see participation of 120 leaders from Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies. Also there is a meeting with state BJP core committee, where discussions will be he

Switching sides won't impact INDIA; Mamata still part of alliance: Pilot

Amid some INDIA bloc constituents switching sides to the NDA, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the opposition alliance is "strong" and the BJP is attempting a "frantic rejig" of the political landscape as it is worried over the collective strength of the coalition. In an interview with PTI, Pilot also said West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is very much part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and expressed confidence that a way forward will be found in seat-sharing talks with her party. He also said the BJP talking about 370 seats for itself and 400-plus for the NDA was more of "bravado and rhetoric" than a practical assessment on the ground. As the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra travels through Chhattisgarh, the AICC general secretary in-charge of the state dismissed suggestions that the yatra was adversely affecting the poll preparations of the party and asserted that talks for seat-sharing with allies were ..

White Paper presented by Centre exposed Congress, says Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur, during a visit to Dharamshala, said "The White Paper has exposed the Congress...Family was important for Congress. The policies of Congress have caused great harm to the country...

Post TMC-Cong break up, BJP bets on Ram Mandir, CAA for 35 LS seats in WB

Struggling to gain political traction on issues of corruption, the West Bengal BJP is shifting its focus to emotive topics such as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in a bid to achieve its target of securing 35 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats from the state. The BJP's strategy is buoyed by the decision of the Trinamool Congress to contest alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, breaking away from the INDIA bloc in the state. This move has raised hopes within the saffron camp of consolidating anti-TMC votes, a trend evident in the party's surge from a 17% vote share in 2014 to 40% in 2019, resulting in 18 Lok Sabha seats. Despite facing internal strife and electoral setbacks since its defeat in the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP's attempts to capitalise on corruption allegations against the Mamata Banerjee government have fallen short. With a target of winning 35 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is now banking on emotive issues lik

DMK forms war room in Tamil Nadu ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Earlier, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, an 11-member election manifesto preparation committee was constituted in January this year, under the leadership of DMK MP Kanimozhi

Congress to come out with people-friendly manifesto, says DK Shivakumar

Taking a jibe at the BJP, he said that during the last 10 years, not a single scheme was launched that changed lives

I could have laid white paper on UPA's ten yr rule in 2014: PM Modi

PM Modi said that he avoided bringing it in 2014 fearing that the country would lose its confidence

LIVE: World's faith in India is continuously growing, says PM Modi

LIVE Updates: From the results of Pak general elections to BJP's white paper against Cong-led UPA's ten year rule, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

PM Modi has lunch with MPs from different parties at Parliament canteen

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lunch with some MPs belonging to different parties at the Parliament canteen on Friday. BJD leader Sasmit Patra, RSP leader N K Premachandran, TDP's K Ram Mohan Naidu, BSP's Ritesh Pandey and some BJP leaders, including Union minister L Murugan and Heena Gavit, were with Modi as they had lunch together. Parliament's Winter session ends on Saturday. It is the last session of Parliament before the Lok Sabha elections, expected in April-May.

Nadda to pep up TN BJP for LS polls during his Chennai visit on Feb 11

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J P Nadda will pep up the party's Tamil Nadu unit in facing the upcoming Lok Sabha election when he pays a day's visit to the state on February 11. He is likely to meet the Parliamentary Committee members in a close door meeting and assess the organisational preparedness for the poll, a senior leader said on Friday. Also, Nadda would address the party's rally in the evening, he said. As the party is gearing up for the Sunday rally, the police 'denied' permission to the BJP to take out a procession in the city citing traffic congestion. The saffron party is scouting for a venue. Another senior leader said that the venue for the rally to be addressed by Nadda will be finalised soon. "The national president would address the members of the Parliamentary committees which have been formed in facing the election. He is likely to suggest some strategies too," state vice president M Chakravarthy told PTI. Aiming to send more MPs to the ...

Nearly 970 million people eligible to vote in Lok Sabha polls, says EC

The Election Commission on Friday said nearly 97 crore Indians will be eligible to vote in this year's Lok Sabha elections. It also said over two crore young electors in age group of 18 to 29 years have been added in the voters' list. There has been a six per cent increase in registered voters from 2019, when the last Lok Sabha polls were held. "The largest electorate in the world - 96.88 crore are registered to vote for the forthcoming General Elections in India," the EC said. The gender ratio has increased from 940 in 2023 to 948 in 2024, the poll panel said. The Commission has put special emphasis on purity and health of the electoral roll along with disclosures and transparency in the revision of electoral rolls, an official pointed out. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had explained at a press conference in Pune the various tasks involved in revision of electoral rolls along with participation of political parties at every stage.

Poor in Rajasthan will continue to reap benefits of Cong's policy: Gehlot

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that the poor will continue to benefit from the Rajasthan Minimum Income Guaranteed Act implemented by his government. Gehlot in a post on X said that social security pension has never been the priority of the BJP but due to the Income Act implemented by the previous Congress government, there was an automatic increase of 15 per cent in social security pension in the vote on account presented in Rajasthan Assembly yesterday. State Finance Minister Diya Kumari had presented the vote on the state's behalf on Thursday. "The poor and the needy will continue to benefit from Congress' rights-based political philosophy," Gehlot said. "During the tenure of the Congress government in Rajasthan from 2008 to 2013, we had started a social security pension for the elderly, widows and disabled," he said. "The government changed in 2013 in the state. Despite rising inflation in the last five years, there was no increase in the social security pen

Budget Session: Discussion on 'White Paper' expected to rock LS today

It said the economy grew fast between 2004 and 2008 largely due to the "lagged effects" of the reforms of the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

AAP to meet on Feb 13 to decide on LS candidates' names for 3 states

The AAP will hold a meeting of its Political Affairs Committee on February 13 to decide on the names of the Lok Sabha candidates for Gujarat, Haryana, and Goa, a party source said on Friday. In a sign of exasperation over protracted seat-sharing talks with its INDIA bloc partner Congress, the AAP on Thursday declared party candidates for three Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. "The party's PAC will meet on February 13 to decide on the names of the candidates for Gujarat, Goa and Haryana," the source said. Aam Aadmi Party national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak announced party leaders Manoj Dhanohar, Bhabhen Chaudhary, and Rishi Raj candidates from Dibrugarh, Guwahati, and Sonitpur, in that order. Pathak, in a press conference at AAP headquarters here, said the party is left with little time ahead of the polls. Earlier, the AAP leaders had said that the party was in talks with the Congress over seat-sharing in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa. AAP national

Over 1.5 mn first-time voters in state for LS polls, says Rajasthan CEO

More than 15 lakh new electors in Rajasthan will vote for the first time in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta said on Thursday. A total of more than 5.32 crore voters are registered in the state for the general elections 2024. Of these, 2,74,75,971 are men, 2,53,51,276 are women, Gupta said. He said that 15,54,604 new voters aged 18-19 years have been added to the electoral roll after the recent state assembly elections who will exercise their franchise for the first time in the upcoming elections. A total of 616 persons of third gender are registered in the new voter list, he added. The CEO said during the Rajasthan assembly elections in November last year, over 5.6 lakh disabled voters and 11.72 lakh voters above 80 years of age were registered in the state, whose numbers have now increased to 5,72,965 and 12,85,960 respectively. Gupta added that information regarding integrated voter lists was given in a meeting with representat