Page 73 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: SP, Congress didn't want Ram temple in Ayodhya, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Samajwadi Party and the Congress were not in favour of the Ram temple being constructed in Ayodhya. Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarnagar to seek votes for BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Shah said it was the Narendra Modi government that honoured people's sentiment and built the temple. He also said that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has stopped the migration of people from western Uttar Pradesh by improving the law and order situation and it is the criminals who are now leaving the state. "Akhilesh Yadav ji's party (SP) and the Congress never wanted the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya. The Congress kept the issue of Ram Janmabhoomi stuck for 70 years but Modi ji won the case, performed bhoomi pujan and also the consecration of Ramlalla," Shah said. Criticising the INDIA bloc, he said, all those who were part of the opposition alliance were involved in scams. "Those part of the arro

Sachin Pilot comes out in support of Ashok Gehlot's son ahead of LS polls

Having buried the hatchet with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot says moving on was in the best interest of the party and stressed he would "100 per cent" campaign for his senior colleague's son Vaibhav who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Jalore. In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, the Congress general secretary said a redux of the 2004 election when the party won the polls despite the India Shining campaign of the NDA is very much on the cards. "Repeat of 2004 is very much possible given the circumstances, given the unrest among most people. What you don't see in the media is the real sentiment on the ground. This politics of jumlas and overconfidence (by the BJP) has its limits," Pilot said earlier this week. Asked how he has been able to shake off his past differences with Gehlot and the former Rajasthan CM's 'nikamma-nakara' jibe at him in 2020, Pilot said, "I saw no advantage in replying in t

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress launches 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee' campaign

The Congress party will distribute guarantee cards to 80 million families, ahead of the general elections

LS polls: Jalgaon MP Unmesh Patil joins Sena (UBT) after BJP denied ticket

Unmesh Patil, the BJP MP from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra who failed to get the saffron party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, joined the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday. Patil joined the Sena (UBT) at 'Matoshree', the residence of party head and former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Mumbai, along with his followers. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said Patil joining the party will bolster its prospects in Jalgaon and north Maharashtra and make its path to victory easier. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has replaced Patil with Smita Wagh in the Jalgaon parliamentary constituency. Patil met Raut here on Tuesday, sparking speculation about his future political move. The BJP is fighting the Lok Sabha polls, to be held in five phases in Maharashtra from April 19 to May 20, as part of the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar as its two other

Lok Sabha polls: EC to meet officials to assess security along borders

Election Commission will hold a meeting with top state and Union territory officials and central agencies guarding the borders on Wednesday to assess the security along the borders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. During the meeting, scheduled to be held at the Election Commission headquarters here, the law-and-order situation and vigilance along the borders in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be reviewed. Officials from states and Union Territories are scheduled to join the meeting through video conference. India shares borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and China.

Lok Sabha polls: PM-Modi led NDA to win most votes in UP, shows survey

PM Modi is banking on strong economic progress and Hindu nationalist policies to return to power for a record third term

Lok Sabha polls, phase 1: 7 women among 80 candidates in Uttar Pradesh

Among the 80 candidates in the fray for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, just seven or 8.75 per cent are women, according to official data. The figure is lower than the first phase of the 2019 general elections when 12 of the 91 contenders or 13.18 per cent were women. However, none of those female candidates were victorious. Of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, eight -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. Kairana, Moradabad and Saharanpur have two female candidates each and Muzaffarnagar has one. Bijnor, Pilibhit, Rampur and Nagina do not have any female contenders, the Election Commission website showed. In Kairana, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Iqra Choudhary while Priti Kashyap is representing the Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party. Ruchi Vira is the Samajwadi Party nominee and Sadhna Singh is an Independent candidate in Moradabad. In Saharanpur, .

Lok Sabha polls: Uttarakhand govt declares public holiday on voting day

The people of Uttarakhand will cast their votes in a single phase on April 19, according to the Election Commission of India

Public support in rally indicates BJP's victory: Tripura CM Manik Saha

The elections are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state

LS polls: No ticket for 12 of 20 MPs who won with highest margins in 2019

Only eight of the 20 MPs with the highest winning margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls have been re-nominated by their parties for the 2024 General Elections

Battleground 2024: Cong set to contest fewest Lok Sabha seats since 1951-52

With the latest list of candidates, the Congress has announced its contestants on 231 seats and is set to field its lowest-ever number of candidates for any general elections since 1951-52

BJP names 112 candidates for Odisha Assembly polls to challenge BJD

The BJP on Tuesday named 112 candidates for the Odisha assembly polls which will held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. The party's state unit president Manmohan Samal will contest from Chandabali while its former chief Suresh Pujari, an MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha, will fight from Brarajarajnagar. The Odisha assembly has 147 seats and the BJP has emerged as the main challenger to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal. Patnaik has been at the helm of the state since 2000. The BJP and the BJD were in talks for an alliance but the negotiations fell through over seat-sharing arrangement. The BJD and the BJP won 112 and 23 seats respectively in the 2019 polls in the state where the Congress is the third main party.

LS polls: EC appoints special observers to ensure level playing field

Election Commission on Tuesday appointed special observers for administrative, security and expenditure monitoring purposes in several states to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming elections. The special observers -- former civil servants with brilliant track record -- have been tasked with overseeing the electoral process with strict vigilance, particularly against the backdrop of challenges posed by the influence of money, muscle and misinformation, the poll panel said. Special Observers (General and Police) have been deployed in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar where the population is more than seven crore and also in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha where the simultaneous elections to the Assemblies are to be held, the poll authority said. Special Expenditure Observers have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, it said.

LS polls: Amit Shah interacts with JD(S) leaders for campaigning in K'taka

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a joint meeting with JD(S) and state BJP leaders, as the campaign of the alliance partners for the Lok Sabha polls is set to gain momentum in Karnataka. The meeting is being seen as a move by the BJP and JD(S) to have better coordination on the ground and thrash out potential issues of conflict. JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and some of his party's core committee members including its chief G T Devegowda, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, saffron party state President B Y Vijayendra and its General Secretary in-charge of elections in Karnataka Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, along with several other leaders from the two parties were part of the meeting. Kumaraswamy on Monday said he along with his party colleagues will apprise Shah and share feedback on poll situation in various constituencies across Karnataka ahead of Lok Sabha polls. "Preparations are going well in all constituencies. We don't want small minor issu

Pak defence min optimistic of improving ties with Delhi post elections

Most recently, India abstained from the adoption of a resolution on 'Measures to Combat Islamophobia' introduced by the Pakistan envoy at the UNGA

India will grow with growth of Odisha, says BJP's Dharmendra Pradhan

Pradhan is set to contest in the Lok Sabha polls from the Sambalpur constituency

Lok Sabha elections: MCD removes over 520,000 political ads in Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has removed 5,20,042 political advertisements from across its 12 zones in view of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, according to an official document. The advertisements were in the form of hoardings, posters, banners, wall paintings, signages and flags, it stated. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force on March 16 with the Election Commission (EC) announcing the schedule for the general elections. Delhi will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the seven-phase polls. Counting of votes is on June 4. The civic body has taken down 2,57,280 hoardings, 1,92,601 banners or wall paintings and posters, 40,022 removable signages and 30,139 removable flags, the document issued on Monday said. The action pertains to the EC's directives to take down all political advertisements from government, public and private properties in view of the MCC being in force till the elections conclude. According to the EC's order, any kin

Lok Sabha polls: SDPI extends support to Congress-led UDF in Kerala

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), on Monday extended its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told the media that the UDF has not reached any understanding with the SDPI. SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi, who met the media here, said after considering all factors, the party has decided to support a secular front -- the UDF. "In Kerala, we have decided to support the Congress-led UDF which is spearheading the anti-BJP bloc," Moulavi told the media The SDPI leader said the party has not fielded any candidates in Kerala but has 18 candidates in various parts of the country. "Our Constitution is being challenged. The BJP is bringing in laws to provide citizenship on the basis of religion. Uniform Civil Code is planned, which will affect the diversity of the country

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All things to know about phase six of polls

Lok Sabha elections phase six will be conducted on May 25 in seven states and Union territories on 57 constituencies. Notably, Delhi will go to polls in this stage

LS polls: Congress leaders discuss candidates for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Top Congress leaders on Monday discussed the names of Lok Sabha candidates for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi along with senior party leaders from the respective states were present during the central election committee (CEC) meeting at the AICC headquarters. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh PCC chief Y S Sharmila were present during the separate meetings, besides AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. CEC members Madhusudan Mistry, Amee Yagnik and K J George were also present at the meeting. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will begin on April 19.