Page 66 - Lok Sabha

BJP's Lok Sabha poll campaign gets a big boost from western praise

More to the point, last year's G-20 summit in New Delhi seemed to showcase a parade of world leaders lining up to praise India

MCC nodal officer issues warning to Shashi Tharoor over 'unverified claims'

Tharoor claimed that Chandrasekhar was offering money to voters and religious leaders in exchange for votes

Highlights of the day: Iran risks 'uncontrollable regional escalation', warns G7

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

LS polls: Amit Shah to campaign in violence-hit Manipur on Monday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will campaign in ethnic strife-torn Manipur on Monday, besides visiting Tripura and Rajasthan to garner support for BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, sources said. Shah will address a rally in Imphal seeking votes for Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, the education minister of the northeastern state who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) candidate from the Inner Manipur constituency in the upcoming election. The seat is currently held by BJP leader and Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha segment has 32 Assembly constituencies across the conflict-scarred Imphal valley. Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023 after a tribal solidarity march was organised in the state's hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since then, more than 220 people have been killed in the continuing violence. The BJP has not fielded any

LS polls: BJP to expand Vande Bharat, bullet train projects, says PM Modi

Coming down heavily on the corrupt leaders, the Prime Minister said that strict action will continue against the corrupt

LS election: Unemployment, better infra dominate poll battle in TN's Trichy

Behind its image of an alluring urbanscape surrounded by farmlands, Tiruchirappalli has its own cup of woes. Rising unemployment, farmers' difficulty in stepping up exports, and the issue of acquiring land for the airport project are among the numerous issues that dominate the election this April 19 in Tiruchirappalli, a major hub connecting the southern districts, and even the delta districts. The perennial Cauvery water crisis and lack of export prospects loom large on the face of farmers. And summer is invariably the time when the Cauvery river water level dwindles. According to N Selvam, a farmer from Tiruchirappalli, ryots and even small entrepreneurs find it difficult to obtain export licences owing to the tedious procedures including furnishing a plant quarantine certificate for exporting the vegetables. The quarantine certificate must mention the pesticides and chemical fertilisers used. This would not be possible as many farmers utilised pesticides and chemical fertilisers

Andhra CM Jagan Reddy injured in stone pelting incident in Vijayawada

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was on Saturday injured after stones were pelted by unknown persons during the YSRCP chief's election campaign in Vijayawada, his office said. The chief minister suffered a small cut on the left side of his temple above the eye during his Memanta Siddham' (we are all ready) election canvassing bus tour. "The stone struck the CM while he was acknowledging the crowds as part of his bus tour at Vivekananda School Centre in Singh Nagar, Vijayawada," said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). The stone hit Reddy at a very high velocity and officials are suspecting that it could have been launched from a catapult, prompting the people standing around him atop the bus to wipe his forehead with a handkerchief initially. Immediately, the chief minister was administered first aid inside the bus by a doctor. Reddy was seen being attended to by a doctor inside the bus and also grimacing from pain. However, unfazed by the stone

It's 'King' versus 'Queen' in Mandi as Cong fields royal against Kangana

The stage is set for a battle royale in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Lok Sabha seat as the Congress on Saturday pitted state minister Vikramaditya Singh, the titular king of the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr, against BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut. Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh is the son of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh, the sitting MP from Mandi and the Congress' state unit president. Historically, the Mandi constituency has favoured scions of erstwhile princely states, electing royals in 13 out of 19 elections, including two bypolls since 1952. Vikramaditya Singh, the two-time MLA from the Shimla (rural) assembly segment, is not new in the parliamentary constituency as his father and mother each won the seat thrice. In the 2021 Lok Sabha bypoll to the seat, Singh had campaigned extensively for his mother. Even before his candidature was announced, Vikramaditya Singh was involved in a spat with the actor-politician of ...

LS polls: Congress fields sitting Punjab MP Manish Tewari from Chandigarh

The Congress on Saturday fielded two-time MP from Punjab Manish Tewari as its candidate from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Veteran party leader and former MP Pawan Kumar Bansal was also in the reckoning for the seat. Tewari's candidature, along with 15 other candidates, was announced during a meeting of the Congress' central election committee in Delhi. A sitting MP from the Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Punjab, Tewari is a former union minister. He was elected as MP from Ludhiana in 2009. The names of Tewari, Bansal and Chandigarh Congress president Harmohinder Singh Lucky were doing rounds for candidature from the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency, currently held by BJP MP Kirron Kher. Tewari will face BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon in the electoral contest. The BJP on Wednesday named Tandon, the former Chandigarh BJP president, as its candidate, replacing incumbent MP Kher. Tewari won the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Anandpur Sahib seat, defeating Shiromani Akal

Rahul Gandhi's Tamil Nadu visit has trumped Modi's poll campaign: Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's single day campaign in the state has "beaten all the election trips" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state to seek votes. Referring to the April 12 meet addressed at nearby Coimbatore by him and Gandhi, Stalin said the turnout and the rally was magnificent like the movie "Baahubali", and the "total BJP was trumped," by a single public meeting. Further, the chief minister said Gandhi's single day campaign in Tamil Nadu has "beaten all the election trips" of Modi to the state to seek votes. "Rahul Gandhi has proven that Tamil Nadu people can be won over (ruled) only through love." Citing Gandhi's comment in Coimbatore that the Lok Sabha polls are an ideological battle, the DMK chief said he has been all along stating that the election is between the INDIA bloc -- committed to upholding social justice -- and the BJP front which is sowing seeds of "discrimination" in society. "Rahul Gandhi's spee

Model code violation case filed against BJP's Brij Bhushan Singh in Gonda

A case for violation of the Model Code of Conduct and prohibitory orders was on Saturday filed against BJP MP from Kaiserganj and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a senior official said. District Magistrate (DM) Neha Sharma said the MP visited several villages in the Katra assembly segment of his constituency under the Khargupur police station area with a convoy of about 25-30 vehicles on Friday without permission. As a result, in-charge of the flying squad team of the Katra market area Dr Nazmul Islam filed a case under relevant sections against Singh, Sharma said. The DM said restrictions under CrPC section 144 is in force in the district in view of the Lok Sabha elections ahead and that the district administration was committed to complying with the Model Code of Conduct. Strict action will be taken if anyone violates it, the official added. Police station in-charge Dinesh Singh said a case has been registered under relevant sections and the

AIMIM supports AIADMK in TN, pact to continue for Assembly elections too

The AIMIM on Saturday announced its support to the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha elections. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said on 'X' that the "alliance would also continue for the Assembly elections" in Tamil Nadu. "AIADMK has refused to ally with BJP and has committed to never allying with it in the future. It has also assured that it will oppose CAA, NPR & NRC. Therefore, AIMIM extends its support to AIADMK in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Our alliance will also continue for the Assembly elections," Owaisi said. Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats and elections will be held on April 19.

BJP supports reservations, Congress spreading lies: Amit Shah in Rajasthan

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused the Congress of spreading misconception that BJP wants to abolish quota for Dalits, tribals, and the Other Backward Castes. "I want to make one thing clear. Congress party is spreading misconception, especially among Dalit and tribal brothers, that BJP is going to abolish reservation," Shah said while addressing an election meeting in Harsoli (Alwar) in support of Alwar Lok Sabha candidate Bhupender Yadav. "Listen to me carefully. Be it reservation for Dalits, tribals or backward classes, BJP supports it. We will neither end the reservation nor allow anyone to do it," he said. "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi himself is the biggest supporter of reservation," he said and accused the Congress of being anti-OBC and cold shelving key reports on the issue of reservation. "Congress party is an anti-OBC party. The Congress Party did injustice to the backward classes for years. kept the Kaka Kalelkar report suppressed. Kept the Mandal ...

BJP to release its poll manifesto on Sunday, PM Modi to be present

The BJP will release its manifesto -Sankalp Patra - for the Lok Sabha polls on Sunday, with its planks of welfare and development besides a roadmap for 'viksit Bharat' expected to figure prominently in its election agenda. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders of the party are expected to attend the unveiling of the manifesto at the party headquarters that coincides with the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, a towering leader from the Dalit community and an architect of the Indian Constitution. As the BJP government has fulfilled most of its core ideological promises, including the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the repeal of Article 370, all eyes will be on how the ruling party's larger cultural and Hindutva agenda figures in the manifesto. Party sources said measures for the youth, women, farmers and the poor -- four "castes" Modi has often spoken about -- will be among the highlights of its poll pledges. The BJP had appointed a manifesto committee

Farmers' loans will be waived after Cong comes to power, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said loans of farmers will be waived if his party comes to power at the Centre. Addressing a rally in Sakoli in Maharashtra's Bhandara district, he said the main issues plaguing the people of the country were unemployment and inflation, though these were ignored by the media. "Loans of farmers will be waived if the Congress comes to power. People are distressed due to unemployment and inflation. The situation is such that people earning just thousands and those making crores are paying the same GST," he said while attacking the NDA government at the Centre. Gandhi said his party would conduct a caste census after attaining power since it is important for the future of the country. Slamming the Centre's Agnipath programme, in which soldiers called 'Agniveers' are recruited for four years, Gandhi said it would be scrapped since "the Army was not in its favour". Attacking Modi, he said the prime minister, who calls himself an OBC, must tell ..

LS polls: Shiromani Akali Dal announces 1st list of 7 candidates for Punjab

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday announced its first list of seven candidates, fielding senior party leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra from Anandpur Sahib and Daljit Singh Cheema from Gurdaspur. Besides, the SAD also named former MLA N K Sharma from Patiala, former minister Anil Joshi from Amritsar, Bikramjit Singh Khalsa from Fatehgarh Sahib, Rajwinder Singh from Faridkot and Iqbal Singh Jhoonda from Sangrur seat. The list of candidates was announced by party leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a post on X. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the last phase on June 1.

BJD moves EC against Sambit Patra for distributing clocks with BJP symbol

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday moved to the Election Commission (EC) accusing BJP nominee for Puri Lok Sabha constituency Sambit Patra of distributing clocks adorned with the saffron party symbol, and his photograph to shopkeepers ahead of the polls. A BJD delegation led by Rajya Sabha Member Sulata Deo has submitted a petition to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha in this regard. "It has come to our attention that Sambit Patra and his campaign team have resorted to gross misconduct by distributing clocks adorned with the BJP logo, lotus symbol, and even Patra's photograph," the BJD alleged in its petition. Alleging this move of Patra is a blatant attempt to influence voters and also a clear violation of the model code of conduct, the BJD said, "We strongly condemn such reprehensible actions by Patra and his team. It is imperative that immediate and stringent action be taken by the EC to rectify this situation and ensure that the sanctity of the electoral process is ..

Won't withdraw nomination papers, says rebel BJP leader Eshwarappa

Rebel BJP leader and former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Saturday dismissed reports that he would withdraw his candidature for the Lok Sabha elections. Eshwarappa on Friday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency. He will be contesting against BJP's sitting MP and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's elder son B Y Raghavendra and Congress candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar. The rebel leader said his aim is to "strengthen" Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Some people are spreading rumours that I will withdraw my nomination papers. Those who rally behind me, I would like to say, I will never betray and remain in the fray," Eshwarappa said addressing a press conference. Eshwarappa said he demonstrated on Friday that youth power, women's power and farmers' power were with him. The former deputy CM who had served as BJP state president has rebelled against the party after the denial of a ticket to his son K E Kant

This is not end of Farooq Abdullah's career, says NC leader Omar Abdullah

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his father Farooq Abdullah's not contesting the Lok Sabha polls does not signal an end to his electoral career. "With my father, I have learnt over time that you never say never, ever. So until the very last breath, and may God give him many more of them, do not ever write him off for anything," Omar told PTI. The National Conference vice president was responding to a question whether the senior Abdullah might stage a comeback when assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir. In response to a question about his sons - Zahir and Zameer -- being groomed for active politics, the former J-K chief minister said they have done nothing that warrants such a conjecture. "As far as my sons are concerned, what have they done? Have they made speeches, have they got mandates, have they done any active politics? As sons or grandsons, they help out wherever they are needed. We hosted a party (Iftar party), if they help as part of the

LS polls: Do not fall for words used by PM in his speeches, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked people on Saturday not to get carried away by the words used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches and to vote for change in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a poll rally in Uttarakhand's Ramnagar, she said elections should be fought on real issues and not on the basis of empty rhetoric. "Don't get carried away by the words used by Modiji in his election speeches. Before casting your vote, you should honestly ask yourself whether 10 years of the Modi government have really brought about a positive change in your lives," the Congress general secretary said. Ever-growing unemployment, uncontrolled inflation and paper-leak scams are the truths of people's lives and the BJP-led government is responsible for these as it has been in power for the last 10 years, she said. Gandhi also said people should ask Modi who is protecting the killers of resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari and the woman from Unnao in neighbouring Uttar ..