Page 89 - Lok Sabha

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

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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

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 ...