Page 86 - Lok Sabha

List for LS candidates in K'taka to be announced shortly: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Congress' list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state would be announced in two-three days and there is no "major controversy" with respect to their selection. He said the nominees will be finalised based on the opinion of the party's local leaders. "In two to three days Congress list may also get released. Tomorrow the central election committee is meeting. Karnataka candidates will also be finalised and announced in two to three days," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Karwar. "There is no major controversy. This time we are deciding on the basis of the opinion given by district in-charge Ministers, observers, MLAs, defeated candidates, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members, block committee presidents and district presidents," the Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar said in Hubballi the list would be finalised after Thursday's meeting in the ...

Congress to give final shape to manifesto for LS polls, to focus on justice

The Congress is likely to wind up internal deliberations for giving final shape to the party manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and is likely to come up with some innovative measures like an apprenticeship scheme to deal with unemployment. The party's manifesto committee, which is headed by former finance minister P. Chidambaram and has senior leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, among others, is likely to wind up discussions on the manifesto on Tuesday. The key members of the panel met at the party headquarters on Tuesday afternoon and gave final shape to the document. The key members of the panel also met here on Monday. "The committee will hold the last round of talks before finalising the party manifesto today and will make its final recommendations," a sources said. The 50-page document will be presented before the party top leadership and then the Congress Working Committee for final approval. Among those who participated in the ...

Highlights: Cong, BRS have an alliance built on basis of scams, says PM

Countdown to Lok Sabha elections 2024 highlights: Catch all the latest updates on the buzz surrounding the Lok Sabha polls today

Day after quitting Cong, Guj leaders join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party. The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others. State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves. Modhwadia and Der resigned on Monday, expressing anguish over the party's decision to "boycott" Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January. Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. One of the senior-most and most influential opposition leaders in Gujarat, Modhwadia, 67, was associated with the Congress for nearly 40 years. He had also served as the leader of the opposition and as the state unit president. ...

No place for violence in polls, bureaucracy must be impartial: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said strict instructions have been issued to the West Bengal bureaucracy to ensure a level playing field for all political parties, and asserted that any form of violence will not be tolerated during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Kumar, addressing a press conference here, said the goal of the Election Commission is to ensure a free, fair and violence-free elections in the state. "There is no place for fear or intimidation in elections. Partisan approach of the bureaucracy will not be tolerated; we have made this clear," he said. Kumar said sufficient number of central forces will be deployed in West Bengal, and it will be done in an impartial manner. "The SPs have been repeatedly told that if there is any complaint of intimidation, they should take immediate action. They have assured us that it will be done. If they don't act, we know what needs to be done to make them act. Police officials have been instructed to be impartial an

Obscene video: Won't contest election till proven innocent, says Rawat

A day after an obscene video allegedly involving him surfaced on social media, BJP MP Upendra Singh Rawat who has been fielded again by the party from Barabanki on Monday said he will not contest any election till proven innocent. He also demanded an investigation into the matter. In a post on X in Hindi, Rawat said, "A fake video of mine generated by deepfake AI technology is being made viral, for which I have lodged an FIR." He said he has requested the party president to get it investigated. "I will not contest any election in public life until I am proven innocent," the first-time MP said. An obscene video purportedly involving Rawat emerged on social media, police said on Sunday. The video surfaced a day after the BJP fielded him as its candidate from the Barabanki Lok Sabha seat. On the basis of a complaint by MP's personal secretary Dinesh Chandra Rawat, a case has been lodged against an unknown accused, Kotwali police station in-charge Aditya Tripathi had said. It was a

NDA partner RLD declares candidates for Bijnor, Baghpat in UP for LS polls

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which formally joined the NDA last week, declared its candidates on two seats - Bijnor and Baghpat - from Uttar Pradesh for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The senior National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner BJP had announced 51 candidates from the state on Saturday. According to a post on X, Chandan Chauhan will be RLD's candidate from Bijnor and Dr Rajkumar Sangwan from Baghpat constituencies. While Chauhan is a sitting MLA of the party from Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar, Sangwan is a senior leader and national secretary of the party. He has been associated with the RLD since the time of Chaudhary Ajit Singh. In the previous elections, BJP's Satyapal Singh had won from Baghpat, defeating RLD chief Jayant Singh while BSP's Malook Nagar had won Bijnor. There is, however, no clarity on the number of seats RLD will be getting to contest in the alliance. On Saturday, Jayant Singh had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda and ..

LS polls highlights: Had apologised to PM, says Pragya after ticket denied

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the latest updates on the Lok Sabha polls 2024 here

Gujarat Cong working president Ambarish Der quits party, set to join BJP

In a setback to the opposition Congress ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, its Gujarat unit working president Ambarish Der resigned from the party on Monday and said he will join the ruling BJP on Tuesday. Just ahead of his announcement, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters that during a meeting held on Sunday night, the party's disciplinary committee suspended Der from all party posts and as primary member of the Congress for a period of six years for his "anti-party activities". Notably, Gohil's statement came immediately after local TV channels aired visuals of Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president CR Paatil visiting former MLA Der's residence in Ahmedabad in the morning. Within minutes of Gohil's announcement of the Congress' action, Der called a press conference at his residence, saying he was not aware when he was suspended by the party and announced he will join the BJP at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. Der told

Sandeshkhali case: Eye on 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP sees an opening

TMC firefights the allegations of land grab, forced conversion of land, and sexual exploitation with the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan

BJP President J P Nadda to arrive on Monday for two-day visit to Karnataka

BJP national president J P Nadda will be on a two-day visit to Belagavi from Monday to hold many public and organisational programmes, the party said on Sunday. Nadda will reach Sambra Airport, Belagavi in Karnataka on Monday at 08.30 pm. Soon after his arrival, Nadda will hold the core committee meeting of Chikodi, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura parliamentary constituencies in Kakati, Belagavi at 09.00 pm. The BJP president will address the booth karyakarta sammelan at on Tuesday 11.15 am at Kiwad Ground, Chikodi. At 02.15 pm Nadda will interact with beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Swanidhi Yojana at ITC Welcome Hotel in Belagavi. After this, he will interact with intellectuals at Jirge Auditorium in Belagavi at 05.15 pm, the party said.

PM Modi to unveil development projects worth over Rs 19,600 cr in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crore in Odisha on March 5. The prime minister will unveil the projects from a function in Chandikhole in Jajpur district, an official statement said. March 5 also happens to be the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik, after whom the ruling BJD is named. Following the official programme, he will address a rally of the BJP in Jajpur, considered a stronghold of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The PM will inaugurate Indian Oil Corp's mono ethylene glycol project at the Paradip Refinery. He will also inaugurate a 344-km-long product pipeline from Paradip in Odisha to Haldia in West Bengal. He will also inaugurate 0.6 mmtpa LPG import facility at Paradip. Modi will dedicate to the nation four-laning of the Singhara-Binjabahal section of NH-49, four-laning of the Binjabahal-Tileibani section of NH-49, four-laning of the Balasore-Jharpokharia section of NH-18, and four-laning of the ...

LS Polls: BJP seeks to woo farmers, poor under GYAN campaign in UP

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh will be seeking to increase its vote count through its campaign GYAN Ghareeb, Youth, Annadata, Nari by taking its work among the young, poor and farmers, and women. The campaign has been forged in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to party workers in the state to increase the vote count in each booth by 370 votes a cue to remind people that it was the BJP government which enabled the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Modi had earlier in February claimed that BJP will cross the 400-mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. There are more than 1.60 lakh booths in the state with an average of 950 voters registered in each of them. According to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, about 15.29 crore people are expected to exercise their franchise in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. According to BJP's election strategists, if each booth increases its vote count by 370, it will amount to 6 crore more votes for the ..

LS polls: EC full bench arrives in West Bengal to oversee preparations

The full bench of the Election Commission (EC) arrived in West Bengal on Sunday to oversee the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, officials said. During the three-day visit, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioner Arun Goel will meet representatives of all political parties in the state, and hold a meeting with district magistrates and superintendents of police, they said. It will also meet Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab, and is also slated to hold a meeting with Chief Secretary BP Gopalika and DGP Rajeev Kumar. The visit is primarily aimed at taking stock of the law and order situation in the state, and overseeing the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls, officials said.

Everyone benefiting from govt schemes without any discrimination: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said everyone is benefiting from the schemes without any discrimination under the Narendra Modi government. He said a good government's priority is to serve all and exhorted the people to support the Modi government once again in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, stating that the double-engine government focuses on both development and the welfare of the poor, ensuring prosperity along with security, livelihood and respect for faith. According to a press statement issued by the state government, the chief minister performed the bhoomi-pujan and laid the foundation stone of the first Veterinary Science College of eastern UP at Tal Nador in Gorakhpur. The construction of this college, to be built on 80 acres, will cost around Rs 350 crore. Addressing the crowd, Adityanath said, "In the previous governments, people were troubled by goons and mafia. Only a few benefited from the

BJP's Asansol candidate Pawan Singh steps aside from Lok Sabha contest

Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh withdrew from the Lok Sabha poll contest from the Asansol seat in West Bengal on Sunday, a day after the BJP named him as its candidate from the constituency currently represented by the TMC's Shatrughan Sinha. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) was quick to mock the BJP by saying it surrendered the seat even before the commencement of the election campaign. In a post on X, Singh thanked the BJP leadership for his candidature but added that he would not be able to contest from Asansol "due to some reason". Though he did not specify the reason behind his decision, his candidature had drawn criticism from the TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal, which alleged that many of his songs were crude and depicted women, including those from the state, in a vulgar way. TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee shared Singh's post on X and said, "The INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AND POWER OF THE PEOPLE OF WEST BENGAL." TMC leader Santanu Sen alleged that the BJP spea

Agniveer scheme against youths of country, says Rahul Gandhi in Bihar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was neglecting 73 per cent of the country's population, which belongs to marginalised sections of the society. Addressing the 'Jan Vishwas Rally' organised by the RJD here, Gandhi, in an apparent reference to the BJP, alleged that "one party" was trying to create hatred among people but "we are offering 'nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat' (love in the market of hatred)". He alleged that injustice is being meted out to farmers, youths and downtrodden in the country. "The Centre is neglecting 73 per cent of the population that belongs to marginalised sections of the society," Gandhi said. Referring to the Agniveer recruitment scheme, the implementation of which saw protests in Bihar, the Congress leader asserted that the initiative was against the youths of the country. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking on the occasion, claimed that the INDIA bloc will win the maximum number of

LS polls: PM Modi to attend programmes in 12 states, UTs in next 10 days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend 29 programmes spread across 12 states and union territories over the next 10 days ahead of the likely announcement of the Lok Sabha polls. Officials said he will be visiting Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi. On Monday, he will unveil multiple development projects in Adilabad in Telangana and later visit the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) in Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. He will address public meetings in Adilabad as well as Chennai, the officials said. Modi will launch several projects in Sangareddy in Telangana on March 5 and address an event before travelling to Odisha where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of numerous development initiatives. He will then address a public meeting in Chandikhole in Odisha before travelling to West Bengal. On March 6, he will unveil development projects in Kolkata

BJP fields 71% of its sitting MPs in list of 195 Lok Sabha candidates

Includes mix of veterans and new faces, drops underperformers

Free and fair Lok Sabha polls would be ensured in J&K, says CEO Pole

Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole on Saturday said free and fair Lok Sabha polls would be ensured in the Union Territory. Pole reviewed the preparations for the polls in the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency in south Kashmir. "The notification for Lok Sabha polls would be issued in 10-12 days. Election is definitely a challenging task, but our officers are experienced. Our endeavour is to have a peaceful, transparent, free and fair election and improve the voter turnout compared to the last elections," Pole told reporters. Asked about the security arrangements, the CEO said the security environment has become better over the last few years but there were some challenges. "The challenges are still the same and so we have flagged the requirement for forces. The locally available forces and those who come from outside will be deployed according to the norms of the election commission whether it is on polling station duty or area domination or other duties. We will