Page 58 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: BJP's Hindutva regressive, our Hindutva is reformist, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday attacked the BJP claiming its Hindutva is "gaumutradhari" (regressive), while his party's Hindutva was reformist. Addressing a rally in Kankavali in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg district, his second this week, Thackeray accused the Centre of "looting" Maharashtra. He said when INDI alliance comes to power, he will ensure the lost glory of the state is reclaimed. "BJP's Hindutva is gaumutradhari. Our Hindutva is reformist," Thackeray said. His remarks come after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's blistering attack at Ratnagiri earlier in the day. Shah had asked if the chief of the "nakli" Shiv Sena can mention freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar in his speeches. "What are you as Shiv Sena chief if you are ashamed of taking Savarkar's name. You are running a 'nakli' Shiv Sena. The real Shiv Sena is with (Chief Minister) Eknath Shinde," Shah said in a swipe at Thackeray. Hitting back, Thackeray said BJP founder Syama Prasad ...

Supreme Court tells ED it may consider giving Kejriwal bail due to polls

Supreme Court asks Enforcement Directorate's lawyer to be ready to address this issue when the case is heard on May 7

Why India's voter turnout is low and improving it will be complicated

Its numbers trail those of several developing countries like Indonesia and Brazil

'Daro mat, bhago mat': PM Modi on Rahul Gandhi's nomination from Raebareli

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for nominating Rahul Gandhi from the Raebareli constituency instead of Amethi

Would want a Gandhi to contest the seat, says Cong's Amethi bet KL Sharma

Congress's Amethi candidate Kishori Lal Sharma on Friday said he would rather a Gandhi fight from the seat, but he cannot refuse the party's order which asked him to fight the election. Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded by the Congress from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat a longstanding bastion of the Gandhi family, breached in 2019. "Even today, I want the Gandhi family to contest the election from Amethi. But I consider it my duty to accept the order given by the family," Sharma told PTI at the Gauriganj Congress office here. "I have always been a 'sevak' of the Gandhi family and whatever responsibility the Gandhi family has entrusted to its sevak, I will fulfil it," he said. After days of suspense, Congress on Friday fielded Sharma, a representative of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and before them, Rajiv Gandhi, in Amethi, as its candidate for the seat. Sharma is scheduled to visit the Collectorate later in the day and file his nomination papers before ...

Amethi to not have contender from Gandhi family for first time in 25 yrs

Uttar Pradesh's Amethi has long been synonymous with the Gandhis and it would be the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member will not be contesting election from the Lok Sabha seat. Considered a citadel of the Gandhi family since its creation as a constituency in 1967, Amethi has been represented by a Gandhi family member for about 31 years since then. The Congress fortress was breached in the last general election in 2019 when BJP's Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi by more than 55,000 votes. This time, Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat, while Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Sharma was the key person who looked after the two prestigious constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis. The last time a non-Gandhi was in the fray from the constituency was in 1998, when Satish Sharma, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, contested the polls but lost to the BJP's .

LS polls: PM Modi to address rally, undertake roadshow in Jharkhand today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Jharkhand and undertake a roadshow in Ranchi on Friday, a party official said. The PM is scheduled to visit the West Singhbhum district on Friday where he will address an election rally 'Maha Vijay Sankalp Sabha' at Tata College Ground, Chaibasa, from 3 pm and seek votes for party candidates in two Lok Sabha constituenciesSinghbhum and Khunti, both are scheduled tribe (ST) reserved seats, he said. The party has fielded sitting MP Geeta Kora, who recently switched to BJP from Congress, from the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat and Union Minister Arjun Munda from the Khunti seat. After the rally, the PM is scheduled to arrive at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport in the evening and will undertake a roadshow till Raj Bhawan amid heavy security deployment. During the roadshow, BJP workers, leaders and common citizens will greet him at various locations along the route, including Hinoo Chowk, Birsa Chowk, DPS Chowk, Argora Chowk, BJP ...

Rahul Gandhi to contest LS polls from Rae Bareli, KL Sharma from Amethi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement. Sharma was the key man who looked after the two key constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis. The two will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

LS polls: Rahul Gandhi likely to contest from Rae Bareli constituency

Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat vacated by his mother while a loyalist of the Congress leader could be fielded from Amethi, sources said on Thursday, with the party still to announce its nominees for the constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Friday is the last date of filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections. When asked, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh only said that the deadline for filing nomination papers is 3 pm on May 3. The sources said the party has started making preparations for the nomination filing in both the seats, which have been traditionally held by members of the Gandhi-Nehru family. Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi who has become a member of the Rajya Sabha, they said. The BJP on Thursday announced Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Deo Sai looks to maintain Raigarh momentum

For the 2024 elections, BJP has fielded Radheshyam Rathiya against Congress' Menka Devi Singh

LS polls: Former Punjab MLA from Congress Dalvir Singh Goldy joins AAP

A day after quitting the Congress, former MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy on Wednesday joined the AAP in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. Goldy resigned from the Congress days after he expressed his "displeasure" over denial of party ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. While welcoming Goldy into the party fold, Mann described him as a a hardworking youth. "We welcome him along with his supporters," he said. In his resignation letter to the Congress' Punjab chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Goldy had said that he was "upset" by the state leadership and resigning from the party's primary membership. Former MLA from the Dhuri assembly seat, Goldy was a ticket aspirant from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat for the coming Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress named three-time MLA Sukhpal Khaira from the Sangrur parliamentary seat. On April 16, Goldy had expressed his "displeasure" over denial of party ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat and had urged the party

LS polls 2024: AAP delegation meets EC over its LS polls campaign song

A delegation of senior AAP leaders on Tuesday met the Election Commission (EC) over the Delhi poll panel asking the party to modify its campaign song, and asserted that there was "nothing objectionable" in its lyrics. The party on Sunday had claimed that the commission has "banned" its Lok Sabha campaign song "Jail Ka Jawab, Vote Se Denge", but officials of the Delhi poll body had said the AAP was asked to modify the contents of the song since it violated EC's guidelines and advertising codes. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation included Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, national secretary Pankaj Gupta and senior leader Dilip Pandey. After meeting the EC, Bharadwaj said they told the commission that many objectionable hoardings had been put up by the BJP all over Delhi for about a month. "In these hoardings, opposition leaders, especially (AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal, have been shown in an objectionable manner through pictures. We ha

Rahul will be forced to take out 'Cong dhoondho yatra' after June 4: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying he started his party's campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra that will end with a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra,' suggesting that the party will get a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing an election rally here, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SP's Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing this may alienate their vote bank. "The 'shehzade' (prince) of 'ghamandia' INDI Alliance started his election campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra but on June 4 (counting day), it will end with a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra'," Shah said. "In the first two phases, Congress is nowhere, while Narendra Modi has made a century and taken a lead in the '400 race' (race to 400 seats)," he said. He said that this election is for ending terrorism and Naxalism and making India the third major economy globally. Shah hit out at the INDIA bloc partne

Modi govt wants country without dalits, backward communities: WB CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to marginalise the SCs, STs, and OBCs. Speaking at a rally in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra at Tehatta in Nadia district, Banerjee criticised the BJP government's 'falsehoods' about citizenship benefits for marginalised communities, warning that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) could jeopardise the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is lying about the benefits of UCC that it will help everybody. Instead, if UCC is implemented, it will put at stake the existence of SCs, STs and OBCs. BJP will destroy the constitution. But rest assured, we will not let it happen," Banerjee said. The TMC chief said for the past 10 years, the BJP has been spreading lies about Matuas and other backward castes getting citizenship through the CAA, which is a ploy to take away one's already existing bona fide citizenship rights and deport them to concentration camps. The ..

'PM Modi snatching away reservation and govt jobs', says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the BJP government is snatching reservations from Dalits, tribals, and backward classes by implementing 'blind privatisation'

29% candidates contesting in phase 3 have assets worth over Rs 1 crore

According to an ADR analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of all 1,352 candidates who are contesting in phase three, 244 (18 per cent) candidates have declared that they face criminal cases

Seek votes on performance, not through 'hate speeches': Kharge to PM Modi

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said when the elections are over, people will only remember him as the PM who indulged in "divisive and communal speeches filled with lies" to avoid an inevitable defeat. Kharge urged the prime minister to seek votes on the performance of his government over the last ten years instead of indulging in "hate speeches". The Congress president made the remarks in a letter to Prime Minister Modi in which he rebutted the attack and charges levelled against his party in the PM's letter to NDA candidates after the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Modi has asked the BJP-led NDA candidates in the Lok Sabha polls to spread awareness among voters about the Congress's intention to snatch "reservation from SC, ST and OBC communities and give it away to their vote bank". In a personal letter written to them, Modi also accused the Congress and its allies of having divisive and

Hearing in 2018 defamation case against Cong leader Rahul Gandhi postponed

Hearing in a 2018 defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remark targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah will now be held on May 14 as no judge was assigned to the MP-MLA court. According to Gandhi's counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla, the hearing was scheduled for Thursday but could not be held as a judge was yet to be assigned to the court. The MP-MLA court fixed May 14 as the next date of hearing in the matter, he added. The defamation complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra six years ago. Last December, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi. Subsequently, Gandhi halted his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20, appeared in the court and was granted bail. The complaint was filed here on August 4, 2018, against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Shah made at a press conference in Bengaluru in May that year during the Karnataka elections. The complainant referred to Gandhi's comment

TMC knew about school jobs scam before 2021 assembly polls: Kunal Ghosh

After his removal from the post of the TMC's West Bengal general secretary, Kunal Ghosh claimed that the party was aware of the school recruitment scam even before the 2021 assembly polls. The damaging statement from Ghosh, considered close to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, came amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, as the SSC scam has escalated into a significant issue in the polls. Ghosh was removed from the post hours after he shared a stage with a BJP Lok Sabha candidate and praised him on Wednesday. "The party was well aware of the fact that large-scale corruption and extortion in lieu of jobs was taking place in the school education department. The party was aware of it even before the 2021 assembly polls," he said in an interview with Bengali news channel ABP Ananda. Ghosh, who has been seeking more prominence for next-generation leaders and has been at loggerheads with the old guards in the TMC, said it was due to this "information about large-scale ...

49 Lok Sabha, 318 Assembly candidates withdraw nominations in Andhra: CEO

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena on Tuesday said 49 Lok Sabha candidates and 318 Assembly candidates have withdrawn their nominations for the May 13 simultaneous elections in the state. Consequently, the number of candidates contesting the 25 Lok Sabha seats got pruned to 454 and the 175-member Assembly to 2,387 candidates, the CEO said. "Following the withdrawal of nominations on Monday, April 29, 454 candidates will contest from the 25 Parliament constituencies and 2,387 from the 175 Assembly constituencies, said Meena in a press release. After the scrutiny of nominations on April 26, the Election Commission rejected 183 out of 686 Lok Sabha nominations and 939 out of 3,644 Assembly nominations. It accepted 503 Lok Sabha and 2,705 Assembly nominations which now stand at 454 and 2,387 after the withdrawals.