Page 92 - Lok Sabha Elections

Modi's 'factory of lies' won't work forever, says Congress chief Kharge

Rejecting the BJP's claims that the Congress' election manifesto resembled that of the Muslim League, party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday asserted that "Modi's factory of lies" won't work forever. Addressing an election rally at Kayakuchi in Barpeta district of Assam, he said unemployment is a big problem in the country and that 65 per cent of educated youths have no jobs. "The INDIA bloc will surely come to power and stop the BJP. Modi's BJP will be decimated. Once our government comes to power, we will control price rise and our focus will be on poor people. We will fill up 30 lakh vacancies in government departments," he added. Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'sardar (leader) of liars', Kharge charged him with lying about providing two crore jobs annually, bringing back black money to the country and giving Rs 15 lakh to each citizen, and doubling farmers' income. "Modi's 'factory of lies' won't last forever. He even called the Congress manifesto Muslim League'

Congress-led INDIA bloc plans to have five PMs in 5 years if elected: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted the Congress-led INDI alliance, saying it is mulling to have five prime ministers in five years if voted to power. Addressing a rally at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, Modi said the opposition bloc cannot even reach a three-digit figure or "at the doorstep of forming a government, but has plans to have one prime minister every year if they get a chance". "In Karnataka, Congress has planned to rotate the post of the chief minister by handing it to the deputy chief minister after 2.5 years. They had this arrangement in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan as well," he said. Modi said the Congress wants to extend the "Karnataka model wherein Muslims were inducted in the 27 per cent quota for OBCs", in the entire country. "The Congress-led alliance has vowed to murder social justice," he said and accused the Congress of stooping low for appeasement and vote bank politics. "Congress wants to change the Constitution and rob Dalits, OBCs of quota

Sunita Kejriwal holds maiden poll roadshow, says nobody can break Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is a "sher" (lion) and nobody can break him, said his wife Sunita Kejriwal as she held her maiden Lok Sabha poll roadshow in support of the AAP's East Delhi candidate on Saturday evening. Standing through the sunroof of a vehicle, Sunita Kejriwal greeted voters in the Kondli area of East Delhi constituency with folded hands. She said the Delhi chief minister was jailed because he built schools, provided free electricity and opened Mohalla Clinics. "We will vote to remove dictatorship and save democracy," Sunita Kejriwal said. With Arvind Kejriwal behind bars in a money laundering case, his wife will spearhead the AAP's poll campaign and hold roadshows, including one in West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday, according to party leaders. Sunita Kejriwal will also campaign for AAP candidates in South Delhi and New Delhi constituencies as well as in Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, the party leaders said.

EC orders re-polling at one booth in Chamarajanagar LS segment in Karnataka

The Election Commission said on Saturday that re-polling will be conducted at a polling station in Hanur which falls under Chamarajanagar Parlimentary Constituency in Karnataka on April 29. In a letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer, the EC stated that on the basis of reports submitted by the Returning Officer and General Observer for Chamrajnagar Parliamentary Constituency and after taking all material circumstances into account, the Commission hereby declares under appropriate sections of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that the poll taken on April 26 at the polling station no 146, Government Lower Primary School, Indiganatha, 221- Hansur Assembly Constituency of Chamarajanagar Parlimentary Constituency, falling under Chamarajanagar district to be void. The letter further stated that April 29 has been fixed as the date for a fresh poll at the polling station in accordance with the Commission's instructions. The polling will be held from 7 am to 6 ...

Lok Sabha election: Nearly half of the Bengaluru voters give polls a miss

Despite EC's efforts to enhance voter participation, Bengaluru saw a notable drop in voter turnout during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with only around half of eligible voters casting their votes

Lok Sabha elections: Gopal Rai inaugurates AAP's 'war room' for Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party's "war room" for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi was inaugurated by senior party leader Gopal Rai on Saturday. The party has fielded candidates on four of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital while its INDIA bloc partner Congress is contesting three. The constituencies will go to polls on May 25, the sixth round of the seven-phase elections. The "war room", located at the AAP headquarters on DDU Marg, will have 12 teams for different purposes, Rai, who is the convener of the party's Delhi unit, said. While the AAP is contesting from East Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and New Delhi, the Congress from North East Delhi, North West Delhi and Chandni Chowk. In-charges have been appointed for the four constituencies and they will ensure that the AAP's poll campaigns are run in an organised manner, he said. Dedicated teams for logistics, campaign management, legal works, data management and analysis, and media and social media among others will ensure smoo

Allahabad HC grants bail to Dhananjay Singh, refuses stay on 7 yr jail

The Allahabad High Court on Saturday granted bail to former MP Dhananjay Singh but refused his plea to suspend or stay a seven-year imprisonment sentence passed by a district court in a 2020 kidnapping and extortion case. After the high court order, Singh will be released on bail but he cannot contest the election. The MP-MLA court in Jaunpur on March 6, sentenced Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2020 case of the kidnapping and extortion of Namami Gange project manager Abhinav Singhal. After hearing the criminal appeal filed by the former MP and his associate on April 24, Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh had reserved the order. This appeal was filed against the judgement passed by the special judge, Jaunpur MP/MLA on March 6. Singh's wife Srikala Reddy is contesting elections from the Jaunpur parliamentary constituency on the Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. Singh was reportedly preparing to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur seat

LS polls: Large number of Sikhs, including DSGMC members, join BJP

A large number of Sikhs, including members of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, joined the BJP on Saturday. Citing a host of measures taken by the government to help the minority community, BJP president J P Nadda on the occasion said if anybody has really worked for the community, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda also cited central government decisions such as the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, the FCRA registration for donations to the Golden Temple and the action against accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. He said the BJP highly regarded the contribution and sacrifices of the community for the country and will keep working for its welfare. The BJP has been in an overdrive to deepen its bond with Sikhs and is looking to put up a strong fight in the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, where they are in a majority. A number of well known Sikh politicians from the state have joined the party recently.

Make Modi PM for third time to end terrorism and Naxalism: HM Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said if Narendra Modi continues to be the prime minister for the third consecutive term, he would end terrorism and Naxalism from the country and also make India the world's third largest economy. He was addressing an election rally at Porbandar in Gujarat in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Mansukh Mandaviya. Shah said that when Article 370 was scrapped, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opposed the move, saying it would lead to a river of blood flowing in Kashmir. "In the last five years, let alone the river of blood, nobody even dared to throw a stone there. PM Modi worked to finish terrorism and Naxalism from the country. When Manmohan Singh was the country's prime minister, anyone could enter the country from Pakistan and blow up bombs," the senior BJP leader said. "When Pakistan carried out terrorist attacks in Pulwama and Uri, it forgot that Modi was the prime minister. Within 10 days, PM Modi carried out surgical and

Wait for few more days: Kharge on Cong candidates for Amethi, Rae Bareli

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said that the names of party candidates for prestigious Amethi and Rae Bareli seats in Uttar Pradesh will be announced in a "few days". Addressing a press conference here, he claimed that though the BJP says the corrupt must be put in jails, when leaders facing corruption charges join the saffron party, they are "put on the lap" and sent to Rajya Sabha or assembly. "You have to wait for a few more days... when the names of candidates come from people to me and I sign the notification, it will be announced," he said when asked about candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies. "Those questioning Congress leaders for changing constituencies must also tell me how many times have (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and (Lal Krishna) Advani changed their seats," Kharge said, when asked about the BJP criticising Rahul Gandhi for fighting the elections from Kerala's Wayanad instead of Amethi. In an apparent reference to Assam Chief ..

India set to sign trade deal with Oman to expand its West Asia ties

India has agreed to reduce duties on some petrochemicals, aluminium and copper from Oman, while capping imports of such goods

LS polls: Varsity students keen to vote, say it's only way to change nation

First-time voters from higher education campuses of the city expressed their resolve to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls on grounds that the real issues' confronting the student community and society at large would otherwise remain unaddressed. They argue that turning their backs to the festival of democracy' would mean issues like stalemates in functioning of universities, recruitment scams occupying centre-space and basic needs of food, shelter and livelihood would be relegated to the political backburner. Ritushree, a first-time voter from Presidency University in central Kolkata, is determined to vote. She seeks a government free from religious exploitation and controversies surrounding educational institutions. A student of philosophy, Ritushree feels that the fundamental needs of food, shelter, and clothing are getting neglected in the poll discourse of parties. Despite the disillusionment, she believes in the importance of voting. "I believe my vote can bring

LS polls: Cong may discuss Amethi, Raebareli seats in today's CEC meeting

According to party sources, leaders of the UP Congress and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of UP, Avinash Pandey, have also been called for a meeting today

BJP eying anti-incumbency, Modi wave in Odisha to defeat BJD, says Tomar

The BJP will benefit from the anti-incumbency against the Biju Janata Dal government, which is in power for an unbroken 24 years in Odisha, and a strong Modi wave to dethrone Naveen Patnaik from the helm of the state, senior saffron party leader Vijaypal Singh Tomar claimed. In an interview with PTI, Tomar said, "There is anti-incumbency and people in Odisha have decided to change the BJD government this time. Similarly, there is a strong Modi wave across India, which has also been strongly felt in this state." Tomar claimed the BJP will win at least 16 out of 21 Lok Sabha in the state and 80 of 147 assembly seats here. On BJD leader V K Pandian, a close aide of CM Naveen Patnaik, Tomar, ostensibly referring to Pandian's Tamil background, said, "One man became super CM and is running the government as its de-facto chief. Is there any justification to this? So, this time, the BJP is not only fighting to make Odisha a developed state but also one for Odisha's pride." Once the BJP for

Lok Sabha polls: 77.35% turnout in second phase in 5 seats in Assam

An estimated 77.35 per cent of 77.26 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, election officials said on Saturday. The final polling percentage could be further revised as the compilation of figures is yet to be completed, an official said. Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.56 per cent, followed by 78.41 per cent in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar (SC), 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent in Diphu, they said. Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase. Assam Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya is pitted against Surya Kanta Sarkar of the Congress in Silchar, while BJP's Amarsing Tisso is contesting against Congress's Joyram Engleng in Diphu. Nagaon's sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is contesting against BJP's Suresh Bora, while Karimganj's BJP MP Kripanath Malla is pitted against Congress's Hafiz Ahmed Rashid Choudhury. In Darrang-Udalg

Separatist Amritpal Singh to fight Lok Sabha polls, confirms his mother

Separatist Amritpal Singh's mother Balwinder Kaur announced that her son has decided to contest Lok Sabha polls to fight the issues facing the Sikh community

Lok Sabha elections: Sunita Kejriwal to lead AAP's campaign in Delhi today

Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal's wife, will hold a mega roadshow in Delhi today in support of AAP's East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar

TDP will 'rebuild' Andhra, take it out of debt trap: K Ravindra Kumar

A senior TDP leader has said the priority of the party is to "rebuild" Andhra Pradesh and take the state out of the debt trap by getting rid of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National Coordinator (Election) and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedal Ravindra Kumar said Andhra Pradesh has suffered more losses during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government than during the creation of the two Telugu states in 2014 when resources were shared with Telangana. According to the state government data, the public debt of Andhra Pradesh has increased from 31.02 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2019-20 to 33.32 per cent in 2023-24 fiscal, indicating deterioration in the fiscal health of the state in the last five years. "Under the role of Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra CM) in the state, our party's priorities have changed. Our main priority is to get rid of Jagan Mohan Reddy and rebuild the state which has gone back 20 years," Kumar told PTI in an ...

Amritpal Singh to contest LS polls from Khadoor Sahib as Independent

The Pro-Khalistani leader is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Some of the most keenly watched contests

The once-in-five-year festival of democracy in the world's most populous nation has actors, sport stars and millionaires battling it out alongside the career politicians