Page 85 - Lok Sabha

Amit Shah holds late-night meeting with Maha CM, Dy CM on LS seat-sharing

Deliberation on seat-sharing formula within the alliance in Maharashtra was made, sources said

LPG price cut is election driven, says Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi

Chaturvedi pointed out that the price of LPG cylinders has increased significantly in recent times and a nominal rate revision

Kejriwal, Mann launch AAP's LS poll campaign in Delhi, lashes out at Centre

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Friday launched the AAP's Lok Sabha elections campaign with the slogan "Sansad mein bhi Kejriwal, toh Dilli hogi aur khush haal". The AAP is a member of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, which has pitted itself against the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls that are likely in April-May. Launching the campaign at the AAP's headquarters in the national capital, Kejriwal lashed out at the BJP, the Centre and the Delhi Lt Governor for allegedly stalling the works of his government and appealed to the people to give their blessings by ensuring victory for all seven candidates of the AAP-Congress combine in Delhi. The AAP is contesting from four of Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats while the Congress will field candidates from three. "I have made all efforts to serve the people of Delhi who are my family, without considering myself as the chief minister," Kejriwal, the AAP's national ..

Congress first list of candidates out

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Kerala's Wayanad again, the party announced on Friday as it released its first list of 39 candidates. Watch the video to know more.

PM Modi pledges $15 bn spending splurge as Lok Sabha elections near

Modi's spending projects come days before the election announcement, after which he will not be not be allowed to try to pull in voters with big schemes

SC to hear Mahua Moitra's plea on Monday against her expulsion from LS

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea moved by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will hear the plea, in which the court had earlier refused to grant interim relief to Moitra, who had sought permission to attend the Lok Sabha proceedings till the final adjudication of her plea. The top court had, on January 3, sought the Lok Sabha secretariat's response while observing that one of the issues that arises is with regard to the jurisdiction of courts and power of judicial review in the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Lok Sabha secretary general, had urged the court not to venture into the internal matter of discipline of another sovereign organ of the State. He had said Parliament can internally manage disciplinary issues involving its members through its in-house procedures that are not amenable to a judicial review and hence, Moitra'

It would be privilege to contest upcoming Lok Sabha elections: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, whose is among the high run ministers in the Modi government that are being speculated for contesting upcoming general elections, on Friday said he is ready to take the plunge but it is for the party to decide on the issue. Goyal, son of former BJP treasurer Ved Prakash Goyal, has been a three time Rajya Sabha member and if nominated, this will be his first Lok Sabha contest. In an interview to PTI, he said it would be a privilege to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but a decision in this regard has to be taken by the BJP party leadership. On whether he would like to contest the elections from Maharashtra, he said it would depend upon the party. Goyal holds three portfolios - commerce and industry, textiles, and food and consumer affairs. At present, the minister is a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra. "Of course, I am very excited, I am looking forward to a decision being made by the party leaders and I do hope that I (will) get an opport

Despite legislative progress, gender issues still on margins: Experts

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the discourse surrounding women's issues has garnered renewed attention with the slogan of 'Nari Shakti' but several activists are apprehensive that the core concerns of women may again get subdued in the broader economic and political debates. There is a need for political parties to prioritise gender-sensitive policies, not merely as token gestures but as integral components of their core agendas, Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI) said, criticising the "marginalisation" of women's issues within the broader electoral discourse. "To truly empower women and address their unique concerns, it is imperative that political parties and leaders integrate gender-sensitive policies into their core agendas and manifestoes as a priority. "This includes not only increasing women's representation in political spaces but also ensuring that their voices are heard and acted upon in decision-making processes," she ..

BJP, TDP have decided to work together for upcoming polls: Ravindra Kumar

Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP K Ravindra Kumar claimed on Friday that the BJP, the Jana Sena and his party have decided in principle to work together for upcoming polls and the modalities are being worked out. A day after TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu held deliberations with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief J P Nadda, Kumar told PTI that preliminary discussions have taken place for the "purpose of alliance" for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls, which are held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh. "In principle the BJP, TDP and Jana Sena have decided to work together," he added. Jana Sena president and actor Pawan Kalyan was also part of the discussions that went on for more than an hour and a half at Shah's residence here on Thursday night. Sources said the number of seats the BJP will get in such an alliance remains a sticking point. Andhra Pradesh has 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly constituencies. The top leade

LS elections 2024: DMK finalises seat-sharing with allies VCK, MDMK

The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Friday finalised seat-sharing agreements with allies VCK and MDMK, repeating the 2019 pact with both parties. While the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) was allotted two seats, both reserved constituencies, the Vaiko-led MDMK was given one by the alliance's lead partner. In 2019, MDMK was also given one Rajya Sabha seat. The founders of VCK and MDMK, Thol Thirumavalavan and Vaiko, respectively, finalised and signed the seat-sharing agreement with DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin at the ruling party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, here. Thirumavalavan told reporters that the party will contest from Chidambaram and Villupuram, the two seats it represents in the current Lok Sabha. Thirumavalavan was elected from Chidambaram five years ago. The party had sought at least three seats, including a general category one, but settled for two reserved constituencies considering the political situation in Tamil Nadu and India and keeping in mind th

Oppn parties stage protest against CAA ahead of PM's visit to Assam

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Assam on Friday on a two-day visit, opposition parties staged a protest in Kaliabor in Nagaon district against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The sit-in by the 16-member United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) was held near Kaziranga, where the PM is scheduled to spend the night after reaching the state in the afternoon. UOFA spokesperson and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi said the protest was initially slated for Saturday but was held a day before at the request of Ahom community organisations. "The prime minister will be unveiling a statue of Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. As such, the community requested us to change the date of the protest. Hence, we organised it a day earlier," Gogoi told reporters at the demonstration site. He maintained that the CAA is a threat to the identity of the Assamese people, and they will continue protesting it. State Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, participating in the protest, said, "T

Congress in Kerala in quandary as stalwart Karunakaran's daughter joins BJP

The decision of Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of former Kerala chief minister and Congress stalwart late K Karunakaran, to join the BJP has left the grand old party in a quandary in Kerala before the Lok Sabha polls. Padmaja officially joined the BJP at a function held at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. The saffron party has suggested that it marks the decline of the grand old party. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran termed Padmaja's decision as "cheating and betraying" the party and a "breach of confidence". He added that there were no reasons for Padmaja to leave the party and it was a "wrong and unfortunate decision". The KPCC chief said that he himself had taken many decisions to protect her interests, but she disregarded all that to leave the party and join the BJP. "Nevertheless, as she is the daughter of the late K Karunakaran, we still have love and respect for her," he said. Emotionally reacting to the development, K Muraleedhara

TDP chief Naidu to meet BJP leadership over possible pre-poll alliance

Amid buzz that the Telugu Desam Party may join the NDA, its supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday left for New Delhi from Hyderabad, and is expected to meet the senior BJP leadership to finalise an alliance and seat-sharing formula in Andhra Pradesh. This is Naidu's second visit to Delhi to meet the BJP leadership in the run-up to the Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. AP BJP chief D Purnadeswari is already camping in the national capital. "This visit will be to finalise the alliance with the BJP, if possible. As there is not much time left for election notification, we want to get a clarity on the alliance," TDP sources told PTI. Naidu is expected to meet Amit Shah later Thursday, the TDP sources said. Further, the source noted that Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan is also expected to leave for New Delhi tonight to team up with Naidu to finalise the alliance and the seat-sharing formula. Recently, the TDP and Janasena combine partially announced a list of 119 seats and n

LS polls highlights: Cong's poll body meets to finalise candidates

Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest news updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Cong's poll body meets to finalise 1st list of candidates for LS elections

The top leadership of the Congress is attending a meeting in the national capital on Thursday to finalise the party's candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, as well as other senior leaders who are part of the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) were present at the meeting. Finalising candidates for Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur, among others, is expected to be discussed during the meeting. The Congress has not declared any candidate so far. Last week, the BJP came out with its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress sources said the party is likely to declare its first list of candidates soon to enable the candidates to start their poll campaign. Speculation is rife over Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's from Rae

LS polls: Cong to hold discussion on candidates for 10 States in CEC meet

According to sources, the states of Chattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur will be put for discussion

NDA will win 22 of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Northeast: Assam CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asserted that the ruling BJP-led alliance will win 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Northeast in the upcoming elections. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said only three of the 14 seats in Assam are "uncertain at the moment". "The NDA will win 22 of the 25 seats in the Northeast. Barring Assam, we hope to win all seats in other states of the region," he added. The convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional arm of the NDA, asserted that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are "simple elections" for the ruling front and it will win the polls without any difficulty. "This time, development is the only issue. Enormous works have been done to improve the overall infrastructure of the region," he added.

Highlights of the day: Adani Enterprises acquires Le Marche Duty Free

News updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

GDP vagaries in election years: There are valid explanations for variations

But, in an election year, questions will be raised whether non-economic factors are at play

LS polls: Congress will revoke CAA if voted to power, says Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday asserted that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 will be repealed if the party comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur, which has been witnessing ethnic strife since May last year. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Khera said, The cut-off date of 1971 is sacrosanct for Assam. But CAA will take it away and 2014 will be the cut-off date." He was referring to the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, for granting Indian citizenship to people entering Assam from Bangladesh, according to the Assam Accord. Under the CAA, the Modi government wants to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The Congress will repeal the CAA if voted to power, Khera said. There were massive protests in some par