Page 183 - Lok Sabha Elections

After Nitish Kumar resigns as CM, BJP hints at NDA govt formation in Bihar

Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar handed over his resignation to Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna on Sunday

'INDIA bloc should introspect,' Shobha Karandlaje amid turmoil in alliance

The Congress Leader in Lok Sabha said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has been at the receiving end of several challenges since the beginning

Bihar CM seeks time to meet Governor today amid reports of resignation

Notably, the Bhartiya Janata Party will also hold a meeting with its MLAs and MPs in Patna at 9 am today to chalk out the strategy over the latest political situation in the state

Cong to shortlist names of Chhattisgarh LS candidates in 10 days: Pilot

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) will shortlist names of candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh within 10 days, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said. Pilot, who is the Congress' Chhattisgarh in-charge, was speaking to reporters on Saturday after attending the party's state screening committee meeting for the Lok Sabha polls due in a few months. In the 2019 polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won nine of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while two went to the Congress. "Names of the candidates will be shortlisted by the AICC after a discussion within 10 days. The announcement of names will be done soon so that they get enough time for campaigning," Pilot said, adding that an elaborate discussion on the subject took place in the screening committee meeting. The Congress' vote share did not decline in the 2023 state assembly polls (compared to the 2018 elections), he claimed. The BJP won the Chhattisgarh assembly polls held last year by securing 54 s

LIVE: BJP meeting underway in Bihar as political uncertainty continues

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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to tender resignation by Sunday morning: Report

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the Mahagathbandhan' government, is likely to tender his resignation by Sunday morning, a source close to the CM said on Saturday. Talking to PTI, the source, who requested anonymity, said though the possibility of resignation by late Saturday evening could not be ruled out, "it would definitely take place by Sunday morning". He also said prior to putting in his papers, Kumar, the JD(U) president, will hold a customary meeting of the legislature party. The source said government offices like the secretariat have been asked to remain open on Sunday "in view of hectic activity expected during the day", which may see a new government with the BJP's support. Meanwhile, at a party meeting, state BJP leaders stopped short of making a formal announcement of support to the JD(U) chief in the event of his pulling out of the Mahagathbandhan'. Requesting anonymity, BJP sources said instructions have been received from the top leadership to put on

Will make all efforts to keep INDIA bloc united, says Congress prez Kharge

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said his party expects that those who have the desire to protect the country's Constitution and democracy, will definitely not take any hasty steps, amid indications that JD(U) was planning to revert to the BJP-led NDA. He said the Congress will make all efforts to keep the INDIA bloc united, while maintaining that he has no clarity as to what is in the JD(U) leadership's mind. Responding to a question on the possibility of JD(U) going out of the INDIA alliance, Kharge said, "Are they (JD(U)) going out? I have not got any information about it so far. I have written a letter to them (JD(U) leadership) and have tried to talk to them. I don't know clearly what is in their minds." There are strong indications that JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was planning to quit the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state and revert to the BJP-led NDA. Some JD(U) leaders like K C Tyagi have claimed that the INDIA bloc is on the ver

Lok Sabha polls: BJP appoints election in-charges for 23 states, UTs

The BJP on Saturday appointed election in-charges and co-in-charges for 23 states and Union territories in view of the Lok Sabha polls this year. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde has been made the election in-charge for Bihar, while BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Jharkhand unit chief Deepak Prakash will be the co-in-charge, according to a party statement. Tawde is the BJP's in-charge for political affairs in Bihar. The BJP has appointed vice president Baijayant Jay Panda as the election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as that of Uttarakhand. BJP national vice president and Rajya Sabha member Laxmikant Bajpai will be the election in-charge for Jharkhand, the statement said. The appointments have been made by BJP president J P Nadda in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it said. BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been made the election in-charge for Haryana. BJP leader ..

Alliance with Cong off to a good start on 11 LS seats in UP: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said his party's alliance with the Congress is "off to a good start" with 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and elections are due in April-May. "Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. 'INDIA' team and 'PDA' strategy will change history," Yadav said in a post in Hindi on 'X'. The development comes at a time amid strong indications that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA. Kumar had joined hands with RJD, founded by his former arch-rival Lalu Prasad, in August 2022 after he severed ties with the BJP. The longest-serving CM of Bihar, thereafter, embarked upon a drive to bring together all parties across the country to take on the BJP that culminated in the formation of the opposition bloc .

With LS polls nearing, Amit Shah to hold key meetings in T'gana on Jan 28

The BJP's preparations in Telangana for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections will begin with Union Home Minister Amit Shah attending three key meetings at Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar on Sunday. Shah would attend the election management committee meeting of Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha constituency at 1.30 PM, followed by a polling booth committee meeting of Karimnagar at 4 PM and a convention of professionals of Secunderabad constituency at 6 PM in Hyderabad, BJP sources said on Saturday. The Mahabubnagar event would be a closed-door event, they said. Shah, who had visited the state on December 28, 2023, had set a target for the party to win at least 10 seats and secure a 35 per cent vote share in Telangana in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP had won Secunderabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad constituencies out of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in the 2019 polls. In the recent Telangana Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP won eight out of the total 1

BJP calls meeting of party MPs, MLAs, Cong leaders to meet in Purnea

Amid the turmoil in Bihar's ruling 'Mahagathbandhan', the opposition BJP has called a meeting of its MPs and MLAs on Saturday apparently to discuss the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According to BJP state unit chief Samrat Choudhary, the meeting will deliberate on the party's strategy for the general elections, the dates for which are yet to be announced. Asked about speculations that the BJP is set for another innings with Nitish Kumar's JD(U), Choudhary told reporters, "No such thing has been discussed at our level." The BJP leaders on Friday dropped major hints about Kumar's reported discussions with the party's senior leaders. Meanwhile, talking to reporters, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said, "No door is closed in politics. The door can be opened if needed." In a separate development, Bihar Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan has called a meeting of party MLAs and former legislators in Purnea at 2 pm on Saturday. He also denied reports that the meeting had anything to do w

AAP appoints social media coordinator, secretaries ahead of LS polls

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday appointed it state social media coordinator and 28 district social media secretaries for Delhi, in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ritik Gupta has been appointed as the state social media coordinator, the party said in its X post announcing the office-bearers. "The Party hereby announces the following office bearers for the state of Delhi. Congratulations to all," the party said in a post on X. The AAP has been appointing office-bearers in various capacities in the run-up to the high octane polls.

INDIA bloc leaders slam BJP, Stalin stresses on unity to defeat BJP

Amid rumblings in the opposition INDIA bloc, its leaders on Friday stressed on the need to defeat the ruling BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls, with DMK chanting the unity mantra to achieve the goal. Top leaders of some of INDIA bloc constituents--Congress, DMK, the Left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi attended a "Democracy will win" conference organised by the VCK here. VCK, headed by Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, is a key ally of the DMK in Tamil Nadu. DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, leaders of the CPI (M) and the CPI, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, respectively and many others spoke at the well-attended conference which came amidst the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar appearing to be on tenterhooks with strong indications that JD (U) president and that state CM Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA. JD (U), Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, Congress and Left parties are the constituents of the ruling coalition in ...

2024 LS polls: 960 mn citizens, including 470 mn women, eligible to vote

Over 96 crore people, including 47 crore women, are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for which more than 12 lakh polling booths would be set up across India. Over 1.73 crore of those eligible to vote are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, according to Election Commission data. As many as 1.5 crore polling personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha. According to a 2023 letter sent by the EC to political parties, India had 17.32 crore registered voters in 1951, which rose to 19.37 crore in 1957. There were 91.20 crore voters in the 2019 polls. Out of the total voters registered in the electoral rolls, nearly 18 lakh are persons with disabilities. In the first Lok Sabha elections the voter turnout was recorded at 45 per cent. It was 67 per cent in the last parliamentary polls.

Nyay Yatra being denied permission for rallies in West Bengal: Congress

West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said his party was facing problems in getting permission for organising some public meetings as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in West Bengal. Speaking to reporters in Siliguri, Chowdhury said the party wanted to organise public meetings in certain places, but due to school examinations, the permission was not granted. "In some places, we are facing roadblocks as we are not getting permission to organise public meetings, citing exams. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has faced problems in the Northeast, including Assam, and now it is facing problems in TMC-ruled West Bengal as well," he said. Speaking on the issue on Thursday night, Chowdhury had said that they thought they would get "relaxations" in some places in West Bengal for the public meetings but the administration "is saying that they can't give it". The Rahul Gandhi-led Yatra, which began in Manipur on January 14, entered West Bengal from Assam on Thursday, and

Budget 2024 LIVE: India Inc awaits FM's Budget for growth boosting measures

Union Budget 2024 Live Updates: The Interim Budget 2024 is set to be presented on February 1. Catch all the budget-related live updates here

Public sounds poll bugle for Modi, says PM ahead of Lok Sabha elections

PM Modi's remark came at the BJP event in Bulandshahr, which was meant to kickstart the saffron party's 2024 Lok Sabha campaign from western Uttar Pradesh

Hopeful of finding solution to seat-sharing impasse with TMC: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Thursday said the party is hopeful of finding a solution to the seat-sharing impasse with the TMC, a day after its supremo Mamata Banerjee made a surprise announcement of going solo in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal. Ramesh, while speaking to reporters at the Bagdogra airport here, maintained that the Congress cannot think of an INDIA bloc without Banerjee, as she is indispensable in the fight against the BJP in the country. "We all want Mamata Banerjee to be a part of the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' as our motto is common... If we want to defeat the BJP in Bengal and India, she is very much needed. Our leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have immense respect for Mamata ji," he said. "I don't want to make any running commentary on seat-sharing, but we want this impasse to end and we will find a solution," he added.

BJP launches 'Modi ko chunte hai' campaign for 2024 Lok Sabha election

JP Nadda, while addressing the NaMo Navmatdata Sammelan, conveyed this message on behalf of everyone to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Use of modern tech by EC in polls example for all democracies: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the use of modern technology by the Election Commission in the electoral process is an example for all the democracies of the world and hoped that its use will be enhanced in the future. She also appreciated the efforts of the poll panel in ensuring inclusive elections by enhancing the participation of women, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups. The president was addressing the 14th National Voters' Day event here. The Election Commission was established on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a republic. For the last 14 years, the EC's establishment day is observed as National Voters' Day. In the last 75 years, Murmu noted, the poll authority has organised 17 Lok Sabha elections and over 400 assembly elections. Describing the process of holding Lok Sabha elections as the biggest logistics exercise in the world, she noted that people voted in over 12 lakh polling stations with exercise being managed by 1.5 crore polling .