Page 186 - Lok Sabha Elections

Doesn't matter if you're small state, feel equal: Rahul Gandhi in Nagaland

Nagaland has an area of 16,579 square kilometres with a population of 19.79 lakhs, according to the 2011 Census. It is the fourth-smallest state in the country in terms of area

INDIA bloc will sweep Chandigarh municipal polls: AAP leader Raghav Chadha

The INDIA bloc will sweep the Chandigarh municipal polls and the win will be the curtain raiser for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha said on Tuesday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress -- both INDIA bloc members -- forged an alliance on Monday for the January 18 mayoral polls in the Union Territory. Chadha told a press conference here that he was sure that the INDIA bloc will defeat the BJP in the elections in Chandigarh. "The Chandigarh municipal polls will be the first big face-off between the BJP and the INDIA bloc. It will set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said. Under the alliance arrangement for the mayoral elections, the AAP will fight for the mayor's seat while the Congress will contest the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor. The INDIA bloc was formed by opposition parties, including the Congress, the AAP, the TMC and the Samajwadi Party, to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumes from Nagaland on Day 3

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed on the third day from Kohima in Nagaland in the early hours of Tuesday

Lok Sabha polls: Mayawati's BSP opts to contest alone jolt to INDIA bloc

The BSP supremo also categorically denied reports in a section of the media about her retirement from politics and stressed that she will continue to strengthen the party till her last breath

LIVE news: US-owned ship struck by missile off Yemen in Gulf of Aden

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LIVE: Rahul Gandhi reaches Nagaland with Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' updates: Rahul Gandhi's Yatra will cover 110 districts in 67 days, before reaching its conclusion in Mumbai. Catch all the latest updates on 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' here

Strength of next govt's mandate to influence fiscal consolidation: Moody's

Moody's Investors Service on Monday said the strength of the next government's mandate following parliamentary elections this year will influence the medium-term trajectory for fiscal consolidation and governance in India. It said a moderation in economic conditions in the US and the persistence of subdued growth in the euro area in 2024 will further dampen demand for goods produced in Asia Pacific and curb global commodity prices, but large emerging markets like India will be able to mitigate the impact. Moody's in its 2024 outlook for APAC sovereigns said that the forthcoming elections, particularly those with greater likelihood of leadership transitions, including Indonesia, pose a degree of policy uncertainty as governments seek to manage key geopolitical relationships, especially regarding China and the US, current economic and fiscal strains, and longer-term commitments toward addressing climate change. The prevalence of social risks amid political transition could undermine .

Nadda launches BJP's 'Ek Baar Phir Se Modi Sarkar' wall writing programme

Nadda initiated the writing programme by outlining the party's symbol (lotus) on a wall along with the slogan 'Ek Baar Phir Se Modi Sarkar' written below

Rahul Gandhi interacts with people on second day of Cong's Nyay Yatra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began the second day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Sekmai here on Monday and interacted with the people who had lined up along the route to greet him. Starting the yatra in a custom-made Volvo bus, Gandhi also walked for some distance meeting people and enquiring about their problems. Several people, mostly women and children, had lined up along the yatra route and cheered on Gandhi as his bus made its way along several busy areas here. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Day 2 of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra began bright and early at 7:30 am with the traditional flag hoisting by Seva Dal at the campsite. PCC President of Manipur @meghachandra_k hoisted the flag." "The yatra will move from Sekmai to Kangpokpi and then Senapati in Manipur before finally halting in Nagaland at night," he said. The yatra began Sunday from violence-hit Manipur with Gandhi asserting that the party will present a new vision for India that will

Congress Prez Kharge, Rahul Gandhi extend wishes on 76th Army Day

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday extended their wishes on the 76th Army Day

Pharma industry seeks incentives for R&D, conducive policies in Budget

The pharma industry has sought fiscal incentives to promote research and development (R&D) in the sector, as it is likely to reach USD 400-450 billion market size by 2047. In a statement, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said there is a high risk, long gestation period and low success rate in research, and therefore, there is a need for continuous investments. "The budget 2024-25 should outline conducive policies that provide benefits in terms of both direct and indirect taxes and also facilitate ease of doing business for the pharma companies," Jain noted. The interim Budget is scheduled to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. Jain said the domestic pharma industry is at the cusp of change. "The Indian pharma sector aims to achieve USD 120-130 billion by 2030 and USD 400-450 billion by 2047. To achieve this vision, the Union Budget 2024-25 should accelerate the pace of innovation and R&D," he added. The announcement

SP to form 'PDA' cadre for backward caste workers ahead of LS polls

Reviving its presence at the grassroot level to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, the Samajwadi Party is preparing cadre comprising people from the backward, Dalit and minorities at the booth level in Uttar Pradesh. The 'PDA cadre' will include 10 people from the backward castes. The PDA acronym given by party president Akhilesh Yadav means 'Picchde' (backwards), Dalits and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities) and the party feels that following the PDA agenda will help it in countering the BJP. "We are preparing a PDA cadre at all the booths in the state. The process for the same has started and frontal organisations of the party are working on it. The plan is to including ten influential people of PDA on each booths in the state," a senior party leader told PTI. Once the cadre is ready, the party headquarters here will have all the details of the people in it and the can be utilised to spread the message of the party and also counter any propaganda against it, he said. This PDA cadre

Tiger zinda hai: Jairam Ramesh rejects BJP's claims of 2024 being done deal

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has rejected the BJP's claims that the 2024 poll results are a foregone conclusion, saying "Tiger zinda hai" and that the opposition bloc will repeat the history of 2004 when the saffron party was unseated from power despite its 'shining India' campaign. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh asserted that only a strong Congress can ensure a strong opposition and the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is an effort to strengthen the grand old party. On how the poll preparations will be handled by the party while also managing its east to west yatra, Ramesh said a party organisation is in place and Rahul Gandhi would be part of the campaign despite his preoccupation with the yatra. "The yatra will end by the time polls start. I expect the elections to start somewhere, maybe in first week of April by which time the yatra would have been over. Meetings can always be held on Zoom. I don't see it as a problem," he said, dismissing concerns that poll preparations may b

Rahul Gandhi to commence Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Sunday embark on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from violence-hit Manipur as the party looks to set the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls by putting the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice. A day before the yatra, the Congress asserted that the yatra is an ideological yatra and not an electoral one, and it was being taken out against the "anyay kaal" (period of injustice) of 10 years of the Narendra Modi government. The yatra will be flagged off from a private ground in Thoubal district, instead of Imphal, the party's initial choice. The state government had given the Congress conditional approval to flag off the yatra from the Palace Grounds in the state capital, restricting the number of participants. Therefore, the Congress decided to opt for another venue. The Thoubal district administration has also imposed some restrictions such as the duration should not exceed an hour and the number of ...

INDIA bloc leaders attend virtual meeting, focus on seat-sharing agenda

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar attended the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders via video conferencing in Mumbai

Ahead of LS polls, Delhi CM Kejriwal to be on two-day Goa visit from Jan 19

The party had drawn a blank in the 2017 Goa assembly polls, but won two seats in the 2022 elections

Cong's Nyay Yatra to begin from Manipur, focus on bread-and-butter issues

The Congress will begin the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the violence-hit Manipur on Sunday, in what is being seen as the party's bid to set the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and put the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will travel through 100 Lok Sabha segments in 15 states and the party believes it will prove to be as "transformative" as Gandhi's earlier cross-country march. The Congress has said that it is taking out the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as the government did not give it a chance to raise people's issues in Parliament and the initiative is aimed at re-establishing the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution. Though the Congress has stressed that this is not an electoral yatra, it comes at a crucial juncture as the party seeks to revive its fortunes after a poor showing in the last round of assembly elections. With the BJP focusin

17th Lok Sabha's last Budget session from January 31 to February 9

A brief Budget session of Parliament, the last of the 17th Lok Sabha, will be held between January 31 and February 9, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Friday. He said on X, "Interim Budget Session 2024, last session of Seventeenth Lok Sabha to be held from 31st January to 9th February, with the address of Hon'ble President to the Parliament. On 1st February, Hon'ble FM @nsitharaman ji will present the Interim Union Budget." The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Secretariates issued notifications regarding the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament on Friday. The new government, which will be sworn in after the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May, will present the full-fledged budget later. Since the term of the 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16, it is set to be the last session of Parliament before general elections are announced. In 2019, the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and voting was held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19.

Participate in elections to reduce influence of dynasts: Modi to youth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described India's present-day youth as the most fortunate generation of the 21st century, poised to take the country to greater heights during 'Amrit Kaal', and urged them to participate in the electoral process to "reduce" the influence of dynastic politics. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 27th National Youth Festival here, Modi said dynastic politics has caused immense harm to the country and urged the youth to get themselves enrolled as voters as soon as possible. He also asked young people to stay away from drugs. India is the mother of democracy. If youth express their political views by casting their votes, the future of the country will be good. Better participation of youth in the democratic process will ensure a better future for the country, he said. First-time voters can bring new energy and power to India's democracy, he said. If you participate in active politics (and electoral process), you will be able to reduce th

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to begin from pvt ground in Manipur's Thoubal

The Congress on Friday said that the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will be flagged off from a private ground in Manipur's Thoubal district on January 14, instead of state capital Imphal. Congress's Manipur president Keisham Meghachandra said that permission was sought to begin the yatra from the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal but the state government gave the go-ahead with certain conditions, forcing to change the venue at the last moment. "We had proposed to the state government on January 2 that Hapta Kangjeibung public ground in Imphal be allowed for flagging off the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. We had also announced that the Yatra will start from Imphal, and culminate in Mumbai," he said. "We met Chief Minister N Biren Singh in this regard on January 10 but were told that the permission will not be given. Later that night, an order was issued which gave permission for Hapta Kangjeibung ground but with a limited number of participants," he added. Meghachandra said that