Page 179 - Lok Sabha Elections

LS polls: BJP to take 'White Paper' against Cong-led UPA to every state

The source told ANI that the BJP has firmed its strategy and electoral roadmap for the high-stakes Lok Sabha polls

FM Sitharaman tables 'White Paper', blames UPA for 'mountain of bad loans'

The 'White Paper' states that the UPA government failed miserably to facilitate economic activities and created hurdles that held back the economy

'Cannot afford any further delays in decision-making': AAP to INDIA bloc

AAP MP Sandeep Pathak expressed impatience with ongoing talks within the INDIA bloc, saying that he hopes the alliance will support the three candidates announced by the party

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: AAP declares candidates for 3 LS seats in Assam

The AAP On Thursday announced three candidates for as many seats in Assam for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and hoped that the INDIA bloc will allow them to contest from these constituencies. Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak announced the names of the three candidates - Manoj Dhanohar from Dibrugarh, Bhaven Chaudhary from Guwahati and Rishi Raj from Sonitpur. "We are partners of a mature and sensible alliance and we have full faith that the INDIA bloc will accept it. But winning elections is most important. We are beginning preparations for these three seats immediately," he said. Pathak rued that there is less time remaining for the polls and stressed that with time running out, it will become difficult to contest polls. "All things should be expedited. Talks have been going on for months but still there is no result. We are with the INDIA bloc in fighting against the Modi government. All the decisions on alliance should be taken immediately," he ...

BJP's 2-point programme to spread injustice, hatred, violence, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the BJP, alleging that the ruling party's two-point programme is to encourage injustice and spread hatred and violence. Gandhi was addressing a public meeting at Rengalpali village in Chhattsigarh's Raigarh district after his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' entered the state from Odisha. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming he was not an OBC by birth as his caste "ghanchi" was included in the Other Backward Classes list in 2000 in Gujarat by the then BJP government there. "The BJP's two-point programme is to encourage injustice and spread hatred and violence," Gandhi claimed. One year ago, the Bharat Jodo Yatra covered about 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir (in 2022-23) against the BJP's act to spread hatred and create an atmosphere of violence. Now the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has been started to seek justice for the people, he said. Reiterating his party's pitch for caste census, Gandhi said, "If Modi ji says ther

Nyay Yatra to go on two-day break after Odisha-leg: Jairam Ramesh

The Odisha leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, being spearheaded by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to be completed on Thursday, party leader Jairam Ramesh said

BJP failed to tackle inflation, jobs & farmers' issues: Maha Congress chief

The BJP-led government has failed to address issues like inflation, jobs and farmers' woes, said Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday and asserted that the credit for the Ram temple goes to crores of people who contributed to it. Addressing a press conference, he said people are fed up with the false promises made to them by the prime minister and there is a lot of resentment against the BJP. It will reflect in the upcoming elections, he claimed. Patole accused the government of looting money from the common people in the name of GST (Goods and Services Tax) and distributing it among its favourite businessmen. The government is promoting unemployment in the name of privatisation. It has allowed 100 percent FDI (foreign direct investment) in the defence sector and that has raised serious questions over national security, he said. China has breached the borders and captured Indian land, but the government remains mum over it, he alleged. The BJP is working on a system

BJP-BJD 'partnership' in Odisha, alleges Rahul Gandhi ahead of LS polls

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the BJP and BJD has a "partnership" in Odisha and the Congress has been opposing them to protect the interest of the people of the state. Gandhi resumed his 'Bharat Joda Nyay Yatra' in Odisha's steel city here. In a brief speech, he said: "As you know Naveen Patnaik and Narendra Modi run a partnership government in Odisha. They both have joined hands and work in tandem. I find in Parliament that BJD supports the BJP. The BJD people also disturb us at the instance of BJP". Gandhi claimed that it is the Congress party alone which has been opposing the BJD-BJP combine for the people of Odisha. Gandhi said: "I have come to Odisha to open a shop of love in the market of hatred. ('Nafrat ki bazaar me mohabbat ki dukan khulne aaya hu')". The Congress leader also came down heavily on Odisha's BJD government saying that as many as 30 lakh people from the state have migrated as labourers to other states for livelihood as the state government "was not

BJP striving to win a majority of 17 LS seats in Telangana: Kishan Reddy

Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy has said his party is striving to win a majority of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state, including the Hyderabad constituency held by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. Reddy, who visited Ameerpet village in Ranga Reddy district here as part of BJP's 'Gaon Chalo' (Go to villages) campaign, said the party has undertaken the programme in about 12,000 villages in the state. The BJP is getting an encouraging response from the people in Telangana in support of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added. "I am fully confident that we will give a tough contest in 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. We are making efforts to take on AIMIM candidate Asaduddin Owaisi in Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency. In the recent Assembly polls, our voting percentage increased considerably in the Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency and the Majlis (AIMIM) vote percentage has declined," he told reporters on ...

Rahul affirms INDIA bloc unity amid political shifts ahead of LS polls

"Mamata (Banerjee) is very much part of the INDIA alliance and most of the other members who are part of the INDIA alliance are still members of the INDIA alliance," Rahul Gandhi said

Kharge approves formation of committees for Delhi Cong ahead of LS polls

"Arvinder Singh Lovely, who is also the Delhi Congress president will chair the Pradesh election committee," a statement released by Congress read

Congress should rethink on party's face: Sharmistha Mukherjee on Rahul

Citing the last two Lok Sabha polls, Sharmistha Mukherjee said that if the Congress is continuously losing under the leadership of a particular person, it needs to rethink its strategy

'PM Modi's 400-seat prediction raises doubts of rigging', says RJD MP Jha

Manoj Jha questioned unfulfilled promises made by the ruling party in 2014 and accused the government of being better at managing headlines than the country

Efforts to set up delimitation commission for Goa seats for ST quota: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that efforts are on to form a delimitation commission before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for reservation of some of the Goa assembly seats for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community members. Talking to reporters in Porvorim near state capital Panaji on Monday evening, Sawant said he would make detailed statement on the issue in the House on Saturday during ongoing budget session. As of now, no seat in the 40-member Goa assembly is reserved for the ST community, one seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) community. The ST community has been demanding that four out of the 40 seats in the Goa assembly be reserved for them during the 2027 state polls. The community members held a protest in Panaji on Monday after which the chief minister met a group of their leaders. "A delegation of the ST leaders met me. I have given them the assurance," Sawant said. He said the file on the issue of reservation of seats in the Goa assembly is pending

Revanth Reddy urges Sonia Gandhi to contest LS polls from Telangana

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi to contest from the state in the next Lok Sabha polls. Reddy, who called on Sonia Gandhi in Delhi Monday evening, brought to her notice that the Telangana Congress unit had passed a resolution urging her to contest from the state. The request to contest from the state is being made as people see her as the 'mother' who gave statehood to Telangana, he was quoted as saying in an official release here. Gandhi has responded by saying that a decision would be taken at an appropriate time, it said. Revanth Reddy, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, apprised her of the poll promises being implemented by his government. Out of the six poll 'guarantees' of Congress, free travel for women in state-run RTC buses and a health scheme of Rs 10 lakh for the poor are already being implemented, the Congress st

India's Interim Budget represents responsible fiscal management: USISPF

Commending Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her consistency and focus on growth in her interim Budget, a US-based India-centric business advocacy group has said that it represents a welcome statement of responsible fiscal management in an election year. The US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) also commend the government's continued focus on the trinity of infrastructure, inclusive growth, and fiscal prudence in line with growing US-India commercial ties. The interim Budget was presented on February 1 by Sitharaman. As an interim, pre-election budget with no major policy pronouncements, it represents a welcome statement of responsible fiscal management in an election year, the USISPF said in a statement. General elections are expected to be held in India between April and May. According to budget projections, the fiscal deficit for the upcoming financial year (2025) will narrow to 5.1 per cent and GDP growth will remain between 6-7 per cent GDP. On the expendi

Markets pricing in 400 seats for NDA in 2024 Lok Sabha elections: Analysts

The markets are already pricing in a victory for Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming general elections, and expect the alliance to achieve its 400-seat target, suggest analysts

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Rahul Gandhi-led march to enter Odisha today

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is scheduled to enter Odisha on Tuesday. Biramitrapur, a small industrial town in Sundergarh district through which the yatra will enter the state from Jharkhand, has been decked up with banners, cut-outs and hoardings of Gandhi. Senior state Congress leaders have gathered in Rourkela steel city, around 35 km from Biramitrapur, and there is a palpable enthusiasm among the people to have a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi, who is referred to as "former PM Indira Gandhi's grandson" by locals, the party's Sundergarh district president Rashmi Padhee said. Although the Biramitrapur assembly seat is now represented by the BJP, it had earlier elected Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha candidates. Gandhi is expected to reach Biramitrapur in the afternoon. After according a grand welcome to him, the state Congress will take charge of the yatra. It will move for around 10 km before a night halt in the Bija Bahal area. The next day, Gandhi will resume his

Cong's Tewari moves adjournment motion in LS to discuss India-China border

Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari has moved an adjournment motion in the Lower House seeking a discussion on the border situation with China on Tuesday

Alliance ka hi alignment bigad gya: PM Modi mocks cracks in INDIA bloc

The Prime Minister further said that Congress has recently learnt the work of an auto mechanic, so they should by now know what alignment is