Page 67 - Lok Sabha Elections

'PM Modi won't be replaced after 75': Shah's response to Kejriwal's remark

Top BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue to lead the country post 2024 Lok Sabha polls and hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for claiming the PM was seeking votes for Shah to make him his successor, citing the 75 years age 'rule'. There was nothing written in the BJP's constitution on any such age ceiling, Shah told reporters here. There was no confusion in the BJP over the matter. Shah was responding to Kejriwal's claim that Modi was asking for votes for the Union Home Minister to make him PM as the prime minister would turn 75 next year. "I would like to tell Arvind Kejriwal and company and the whole Indi alliance, Modi becomes 75, there is no need for you to feel happy. It is not written anywhere in BJP's constitution. Modi will complete the term and will continue to lead the country. There is no confusion in BJP on this," Shah told reporters here. Kejriwal had charged that Modi is asking for votes for Shah. "These .

LS elections: PM Modi on 'One nation, One leader' mission, says Kejriwal

A day after his release on interim bail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging he was on a "One nation, One leader" mission to impose "dictatorship" by putting all leaders from opposition behind bars and "politically finishing off" those in the BJP. Addressing a gathering at the AAP headquarters here on Saturday, the party supremo said that PM Modi is asking for votes for Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming that the latter will be Modi's successor after he "retires" on turning 75. He asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be part of the next government at the Centre and will get full statehood for Delhi. "In the last 20 hours after release from jail, I talked to poll experts and people, and got to know the BJP is not going to form the government," Kejriwal said. Ahead of restarting his election campaign, Kejriwal along with his wife Sunita and Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann offered prayers at the Hanu

Why didn't PM take action if Ambani, Adani were sending black money: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning why did his government not take any action if, as per his allegation, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani were sending black money to the grand old party. Addressing an election rally in Bihar's Samastipur, Kharge asserted that Modi could become the prime minister of India only because Congress fought for its Independence. "PM Modi says we are silent on Ambani and Adani, we are not... I am asking why did his government not take any action if, according to his allegation, we received black money from these industrialists? Is it because they themselves received black money?" Kharge alleged. Recalling the contributions of Congress for the country, he said former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the unity of the country and Indians got the right to exercise franchise due to struggles of Mahatma Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad, among

LS polls: Rahul Gandhi calls PM Modi 'puppet king' of 'tempo billionaires'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "puppet king" of "tempo billionaires". Continuing his attack on Modi over his remarks on the Congress receiving "cash loaded in tempos" from "Adani and Ambani", the former Congress president shared on X some excerpts from his speech at an event in Lucknow on Friday. "Narendra Modi is not a prime minister, he is a king. A 'puppet king' whose strings are in the hands of 'tempo billionaires'," Gandhi said also said in the post on X in Hindi. At the Lucknow event, Gandhi had accused the prime minister of attacking the Constitution, and said he is a "king". "Modi ji is a king... He is not the prime minister, he is a king. He has nothing to do with the Cabinet, Parliament or the Constitution. He is the king of the 21st century and is the front for two or three financiers who have the real power," Gandhi had said at the event. At a poll rally on Wednesday, Modi had accused the Congress of

People like Kejriwal, Sisodia, Jain never welcome in BJP: Anurag Thakur

Amid a recent influx of opposition politicians into the BJP, Union minister Anurag Thakur said that while the party continues to attract rivals, it will never accept Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who are facing serious charges of corruption. Hours after Kejriwal was released from jail on interim bail in the liquor scam case, Thakur said in an interview with PTI late Friday that Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal has not been absolved of the charges against him and will have to return to jail after June 1 and face trial. He also accused Kejriwal of "crushing" the Constitution by not resigning from his post despite being in jail pending trial on serious charges in the liquor excise policy case. Thakur said people of the country have seen his alleged corruption and will not support him anymore as he stands exposed before them now. Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court and came out of Tihar Jail on Friday evening and sought people's ...

PM Modi should learn courage, determination from Indira Gandhi: Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election speeches as "hollow talk", and said he should imbibe qualities like courage and determination from former PM Indira Gandhi. Speaking at a rally here to drum up support for Congress candidate Gowaal Padvi from the Nandurbar Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, a day after PM Modi addressed a public meeting in this tribal-dominated constituency, she accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not respecting the culture and tradition of adivasis (tribals). "All that Modiji speaks is 'khokhli baatein' (hollow talk) that does not carry any weight. Yesterday, he said he respects Shabri. So why was he silent when several Shabris suffered atrocities in Unnao an Hathras? Why didn't he raise a finger when women wrestlers were on the streets protesting against the harassment, but the BJP gives ticket to the son of the accused person," she said referring to BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is ...

LS polls: Extremely difficult for Modi to form next govt, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday claimed that it will be "extremely difficult" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form the next government in the country. Addressing a press conference here, along with Bihar allies Dipankar Bhattacharya, who heads the CPI (ML) L, and Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD, Kharge also said the PM's speeches, of late, have been "devoid of the earlier spark". "I was addressing rallies in Andhra Pradesh when Modi was in adjoining Telangana. The bluster (abhiman') and pride (garv') that characterised his speeches in the past were missing, said Kharge. "After three phases of Lok Sabha polls, I can safely say it is going to be extremely difficult for Modi to become the PM again - a reason why he has given up speaking about achievements of his 10 years in power and is trying to create a Hindu-Muslim divide, the Congress chief alleged. He also slammed the PM for holding out an olive branch to former BJP ally in Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and NCP ..

Varun Gandhi's criticism of BJP govt cost him ticket, indicates Maneka

BJP leader Maneka Gandhi on Saturday indicated that her son Varun Gandhi's writings that were sometimes critical of the government may have cost him the party's Lok Sabha ticket from Pilibhit but asserted that he would do very well even without it. In an exclusive interview with PTI at her residence here, the former Union minister and BJP's Sultanpur candidate also said Varun Gandhi wants to come and campaign for her but a decision on that hasn't been taken yet. The Sultanpur seat in Uttar Pradesh goes to polls on May 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections. Polling was held in Pilibhit in the first phase on April 19. On Varun Gandhi being denied a ticket and if she felt bad as a mother, Maneka Gandhi said, "Well I can't say I was delighted but I am sure Varun will do very well even without a ticket." Asked about calls from Pilibhit that he should have been fielded from there this time also, she said, "Yes, he should have been there but the party has taken a ...

YSRCP, TDP, Janasena are 'B' team of BJP in Andhra, says Rahul Gandhi

Hitting out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and other opposition parties in the state, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said BJP stands for Babu (TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu), Jagan and Pawan (Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan). Addressing a poll rally in Kadapa, the Congress leader alleged the remote control of the three leaders is with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Invoking former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Rahul Gandhi said the former's footmarch across Andhra Pradesh was an inspiration for his Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Today Andhra Pradesh is run by the 'B' team of BJP. The BJP's 'B' team means B for Babu, J for Jagan and P for Pawan. Remote control of these three people is with Narendra Modi," Gandhi said, taking a dig at the three parties. He further said these leaders are under Modi's control as the latter has ED, CBI and other agencies. The Gandhi scion said Rajasekhara Reddy was like a brother to his father Rajiv Gandhi and both leaders shared a personal .

LS polls: Mehbooba Mufti accuses J&K admin of trying to 'fix' elections

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of trying to "fix" the Lok Sabha elections by "selectively targeting and harassing" her party and its supporters. Addressing a press conference at the PDP headquarters here, Mufti also alleged that the authorities have imposed restrictions for 48 hours from 6:30 pm on Saturday under Section 144 in Pulwama, which is part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat going to polls on Monday. "From 6:30 pm today, Section 144 has been imposed in Pulwama district which is unprecedented. It has not happened before that restrictions are imposed where the elections are to take place and that too till the time of the conclusion of the elections," she said. The PDP president said they were trying to "harass" the people so that they do not come out to vote. "Preparations are being made to do fraud in the elections. The election is being fixed," she added. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also alleged that her

LS polls: PM Modi's election speeches are hollow talk, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election speeches as "hollow talk" and accused him of using politics only with the aim of gaining power and not to serve people. She was speaking at a rally here to drum up support for Congress candidate Gowaal Padvi from the Nandurbar Lok Sabha seat, a day after PM Modi addressed a public meeting in this tribal-dominated constituency. "All that Modi ji speaks is 'khokhli baatein' (hollow talk) that does not carry any weight," she said. "Show me one picture of Narendra Modi visiting the house of an adivasi to understand their problems," Gandhi said. It is the duty of political leaders to respect your culture and tradition, she said, adding that the BJP does not respect the culture and tradition of adivasis. "President Droupadi Murmu, who belongs to the adivasi community, was not allowed to inaugurate the new Parliament building or participate in the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in ..

Contenders for Medinipur face more resistance internally than from Oppn

Medinipur is probably the only Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal where both the prime contenders, the BJP and the TMC, seem more troubled with resistance from within than from the opposition outside. Should pollsters choose to add yet another layer of political complexity to the seat, there are those who view the battle for Medinipur as that taking place between current and former TMC supporters, roughly translated into followers of party supremo Mamata Banerjee and turncoat Suvendu Adhikari, with both rooting for candidates of their choice. What could have been a cakewalk for the BJP is now an arena where the fight is thrown wide open, with the saffron camp deciding to relocate popular sitting MP and former state party president Dilip Ghosh to Bardhaman-Durgapur, replacing him with the party's state Mahila Morcha president Agnimitra Paul as its candidate for Medinipur. Paul, a Kolkata-based fashion designer and sitting Asansol Dakshin MLA, has had a meteoric rise in the BJP since she w

Rahul could not contest from Amethi but speaking of forming govt: BJP

The BJP on Saturday made light of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's readiness for a debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it questioned his knowledge of issues and his standing, noting that he is neither the president of his party nor the leader of the opposition. Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also took a swipe at Gandhi over his claim that the opposition INDIA bloc will win the Lok Sabha polls, saying someone who could not file his nomination from Amethi is speaking about forming government at the Centre. "Phenomenon thy name is Rahul Gandhi," he said mockingly. Gandhi, who lost Amethi to Irani in the 2019 general elections, has this time been fielded by the Congress from Rae Bareli and is contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. Gandhi family aide Kishori Lal Sharma is taking on Irani in Amethi. Trivedi asked that in what capacity is Gandhi looking to debate with Modi as he is merely an MP of his party. In the Congress, one MP heads a

LS polls: People of Odisha will create history in elections says PM Modi

Ahead of addressing three election rallies in Odisha on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the state will create a history in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The PM, who is set to address election rallies in Kandhamal, Bolangir and Bargarh Lok Sabha seats later in the day, took to X, saying, "It's clear that Odisha will create history in these elections!" He also attached some pictures of his road show in the state capital on Friday evening. Modi had on Friday night asserted that the BJP will sweep the Lok Sabha elections in both Odisha and West Bengal. Accusing the BJD government headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of being disconnected from the people, the PM claimed that a "deep emotional connect" has developed between him and the people of Odisha despite language differences. "Even during the era of rajas and maharajas, there was some connect between the rulers and the common man. This is grossly lacking now in Odisha," he alleged. Modi sa

Lok Sabha polls Phase 4: 96 seats go to polls on May 13; all details here

Lok Sabha polls: May 13 will witness another high-stakes poll battle in the fourth stage of Lok Sabha elections in 10 states and UTs of India. A total of 96 constituencies will go to polls on Monday

LS polls: People of disputed Kotia to cast votes in both AP, Odisha

Armed with two voter cards issued by two states, over 5,500 electors of the disputed Kotia region are eligible to exercise their franchise in both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha elections in the fourth phase on May 13. Twenty-one of the 28 villages of the picturesque Kotia cluster are claimed by both states and a case over the dispute has been pending with the Supreme Court since 1968. Due to the dispute, residents of Kotia get the best of both worlds since they have Aadhaar and ration cards issued by both states and receive the benefits of schemes announced by the two governments. "I will vote in both states. While the Andhra Pradesh booth is nearer, the one established by Odisha for our village is at Ransingh, and to reach there we have to trek a few miles. Nevertheless, we will participate in polls of both states," Tamal Kanaya, a resident of Tadivalsa village, said. "We are not bothered about the dispute between the two states. We vote in both states because we benefit from the sche

How has population's religious composition changed? Many interpretations

Studies have pointed out that changes in population shares of different religions can be explained by differences in fertility

LS polls: Mayawati slams BJP for taking money through electoral bonds

BSP chief Mayawati on Friday slammed hit out at the BJP for taking money via "illegal" electoral bonds, and said both the saffron party and the Congress were responsible for "politicising" the central agencies. The Bahujan Samaj Party chief asserted that her party "did not take a single penny" through electoral bonds, which she said was declared illegal by the Supreme Court. "BJP has become a party of the wealthy but has done nothing for the poor, Dalits and backward classes," Mayawati said. "BJP has given hollow guarantees and it would be difficult for it to retain power at the Centre if the elections are held in a free and fair manner," she added. She went on to accuse the BJP and Congress both for politicising all federal investigative agencies. Mayawati also claimed that quota in government jobs for Dalits, tribals and other backward classes has not been filled in the past year. The former UP chief minister appealed to people to vote in favour of BSP candidates Rajesh Dwivedi

Lok Sabha polls: Will JDU's Lalan Singh be third time lucky in Munger?

Singh won from Munger in 2009 and 2019 but lost in 2014 to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) candidate. The JDU and BJP were allies in 2009 and 2019

MSME hub, temple town sound bells ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections

In temple town, Ram Mandir and road conditions become poll agenda for locals