Page 76 - Lok Sabha

Assembly elections: BJP releases list of 10 candidates for Andhra polls

The BJP has fielded Navneet Rana from Amravati in Maharashtra and Govind Karjol from Chitradurga in Karnataka

LS polls: Sonia Gandhi, Kharge among star campaigners of Congress in MP

Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have been named as star campaigners of the party among 40 others for Madhya Pradesh which will vote in four phases in upcoming general elections. Polling for the 29 constituencies is scheduled to be held in the first four phases starting April 19. The Congress is facing the challenge of political relevance in the central state in view of the near wipeout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when it could win just one seat- Chhindwara. The party was further decimated in the assembly elections held in November 2023. The names of former MP chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh also figured in the list along with former MP Congress presidents Arun Yadav and Kantilal Bhuria. Former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, respectively, also figure on the list. The list names eight legislators, including Madhya Pradesh leader of the opposition Umang Singhar.

Kejriwal's arrest will benefit AAP electorally in Lok Sabha polls: Atishi

Delhi minister Atishi on Wednesday said the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will benefit the AAP electorally in the Lok Sabha polls as the party is getting a lot of sympathy. In an interview with PTI, Atishi termed the arrest of Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case as an attack on democracy that was "never seen before" in the democratic history of the country. "The good thing is that it has benefited us electorally," she said, adding before the arrest of Kejriwal, the result of Lok Sabha polls was a forgone conclusion as people were of the view that the BJP was going to win. "But after Kejriwal's arrest, the level of public sympathy has gone up for us. There is just one sentiment that the BJP has gone one step too far. So, I would feel it has benefitted us electorally," Atishi told PTI. She said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls have become a 'People vs BJP' election. "This election has become a very different kind of electio

Lok Sabha polls: 38 candidates file nomination for first phase in Assam

Altogether 38 candidates, including Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, have filed their nominations for the first phase polls scheduled on April 19 in Assam, an election official said. On the last day of filing of nominations on Wednesday, 26 people filed their papers and they include sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi in Jorhat, Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in Kaziranga and MLA Ranjit Dutta in Sonitpur. The constituencies going to the polls in the first phase are Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Kaziranga. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied Gogoi and Tasa during their nomination filing at Jorhat and Golaghat and exuded confidence that both the candidates would win their respective seats and help Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead the nation for the third consecutive term. He said that the massive support for Gogoi is reflective of the love and faith people have in the Prime Minister and 'I am sure that he will win by a

LS polls: Congress likely to announce candidates for 4 Jharkand seats

The Congress is likely to announce the names of its candidates for Ranchi, Lohardaga, Khunti and Hazaribag Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday, a senior party leader said. The names are likely to be announced after the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting in New Delhi. "The names of the candidates for Ranchi, Lohardaga, Khunti and Hazaribag Lok Sabha seats are likely to be announced today. We are going to participate in the meeting in Delhi, and the final list is likely to be issued after the CEC meeting and the screening committee meeting this evening," Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam told PTI before leaving for Delhi. He said a final decision on seat sharing among the INDIA bloc allies is also likely to be taken during the day, and accordingly the names of candidates will be announced. Leaders of the INDIA bloc said that a seat-sharing agreement has been finalised for all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. As per the agreement, the Congress would .

LS polls: EC's notice to Supriya Shrinate, crisis in K'taka Cong. 10 points

Lok Sabha elections: Amid the political row over campaign conducts and remarks, the last day to file nominations for Lok Sabha elections phase one ends today

EC issues show-cause notices to Ghosh, Shrinate for remarks targeting women

The Election Commission on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to BJP leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for their offensive remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kangana Ranaut respectively. Ranaut has been fielded by the BJP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Lok Sabha seat for the parliamentary elections. Their remarks were "undignified and in bad taste", the Election Commission (EC) said. The poll panel said that prima facie, the two remarks were violative of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties to maintain dignity during electioneering. The two have been asked to respond to the show-cause notices by March 29 evening.

LS polls: Prakash Ambedkar's VBA not to ally with MVA, releases first list

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday announced candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, signalling that the outfit will not ally with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Addressing a press conference here, Ambedkar accused the MVA allies - Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT) - of trying to use his outfit to promote dynastic politics. Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, announced the names of eight candidates for the phase of elections, including himself from the Akola constituency. "They (the MVA parties were trying to use VBA for promoting dynastic politics which we have tried to resist," Ambedkar said. The VBA fielded Sanjay Kevat from Bhandara Gondia, Hitesh Madavi from Gadchiroli, Rajesh Bele, Vasant Magar from Buldhana, Prakajkta Pillewar, Rajendra Salunkhe from Wardha, Khemsingh Pawar from Yavatmal-Washim. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have announced candidates for most of these seats. He alleged

Lok Sabha polls: Law minister of conflict-torn Manipur gets BJP ticket

Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh will replace the sitting MP and Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who represents the Inner Manipur constituency since 2019

TDP MPs clocked highest average attendance in 17th LS, AAP's lowest

The Lower House held 273 sittings, the fewest for a full-term Lok Sabha; 240 bills tabled, 222 saw the light of the day

LS polls: Number of veterans thinning faster amid rise in total candidates

Veteran numbers decline amid rising number of total candidates

The secondary sex

Parties should have given the election ticket to more women

Union minister Rijiju files nomination from Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency. Rijiju filed his papers at Aalo, the headquarters of West Siang district, election officials said. The Union Minister of Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries was accompanied by Chief Minister Pema Khandu and MLAs Kento Jini and Nyamar Karbak. Arunachal Pradesh will have simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the first phase on April 19. The northeastern state has two Lok Sabha seats and 60 assembly constituencies. I appeal to the people to participate in the electoral process peacefully, Rijiju told reporters after filing his nomination. Former chief minister and president of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Nabam Tuki, also filed his nomination from the Arunachal West seat. Counting of votes for the assembly polls would take place on June 2, and for the Lok Sabha elections on June 4.

EC asks K'taka poll officer to act on complaint by Deve Gowda on freebies

The Election Commission has directed the chief electoral officer of Karnataka to take "immediate appropriate action" on a complaint filed by JD (S) president H D Deve Gowda that Congress MP D K Suresh was allegedly planning distribution of freebies and the state poll machinery failed to take swift action. In a letter to the state CEO, the EC asked him to take action keeping in mind the provisions of the model code of conduct and relevant laws, and sought a compliance report at the earliest. The EC letter was sent out on March 21 based on a complaint of former prime minister Gowda to the poll panel. The JD(S) leader has alleged that the state election machinery failed to take swift action to prevent the "corrupt activities" in the Bengaluru (Rural) Lok Sabha seat. He alleged that the freebies were removed from a godown as the field machinery failed to take appropriate action. "...there is not only dereliction of duties by the concerned officer but the officers are afraid of taking

Lok Sabha polls: Cong's Nakul Nath files nomination from Chhindwara in MP

Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the last general elections in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from his traditional Chhindwara constituency, which his father and former chief minister Kamal Nath represented for nine terms. Accompanied by his wife and parents, including former MP Alka Nath, Nakul submitted his papers to the returning officer in Chhindwara. Before that, the senior and junior Nath worshipped at the Lord Hanuman temple in the town. His supporters also took out a rally, which was attended by state Congress president Jitu Patwari and the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar. Of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP, the BJP in 2019 had won 28, barring Chhindwara. The saffron party has fielded its district unit president Vivek Bunty Sahu against Nakul Nath. Though the Chhindwara seat has been the bastion of the Congress, with the grand old party losing elections here just once, BJP is channelling all its energies to wrest this seat this time. In 20

LS polls: Congress-Kangana row boils, BJP's solo bet in Punjab. Updates

Lok Sabha polls: The BJP has intensified its attack on the Congress over the objectionable remarks on Kangana Ranaut, made via the social media account its spokesperson Supriya Shrinate

Tale of two crossovers

Many ethical, competent corporate leaders aspire to join public life today. However, the transition to politics is far from easy

LS elections: Amid MVA seat-sharing talks, Sharad Pawar meets Uddhav

With consensus eluding Maha Vikas Aghadi on an agreeable seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha polls, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Monday met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence in suburban Mumbai. Pawar was accompanied by Jayant Patil, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was also present at the meeting held at Matoshree, the private residence of Thackeray. Notably, the deadline for filing nominations for the five seats going to polls in the first phase on April 19 is just two days away. The talks assume significance as MVA is yet to declare a seat-sharing formula and candidates for the first phase, apparently due to overlapping claims on certain seats. One of the MVA members, Congress, has so far declared 12 candidates for Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to Lok Sabha, in seats where there is no tussle with its alliance partners, whereas Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) are yet t

LIVE: Congress releases sixth list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest news: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to General Elections here

SDF releases Sikkim's LS, state polls list; fields Bhaichung Bhutia

Former Sikkim Chief Minister and SDF supremo Pawan Kumar Chamling will seek election from Poklok-Kamrang seat in Namchi district while former India footballer Bhaichung Bhutia will contest from Barfung constituency for the state Assembly election, the party announced on Monday. The opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) announced the names of 30 candidates for the state assembly election and for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Himalayan state. Chamling, a five-term former chief minister shifted to the Poklok-Kamrang seat from his sitting Namchi-Singhithang seat to avoid a contest with Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang's wife Krishna Kumari Rai who has entered the fray from there. Former India footballer Bhaichung Bhutia will contest from the Barfung (BL-Reserved) seat, while MG Bhutia has been given ticket for Yuksom-Tashiding (BL-Reserved) seat. Elections to the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat in the Himalayan state will be held simultaneously on April ...