Page 89 - Lok Sabha

Ghulam Nabi hints at not contesting LS polls, says will campaign for DPAP

Senior political leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday indicated that he would not be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as he would be campaigning for the candidates of his newly formed Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidates. Azad, who has refrained from contesting Lok Sabha elections after his defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, asked his party men to gear up as 2024 would be the election year for Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Nagrota, Azad, who resigned from Congress after decades of association, also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the issues of agitating farmers "once for all" as the protest is neither good for the government nor the farmers. "Parliament election is 100 percent taking place on its time and I can only guess about the assembly polls (in J&K) as I have no contact with the Election Commission or government. But it (assembly elections) has to take place as the Supreme Court has set .

LS polls: Cong hopeful of winning in coastal K'taka region, says Shivakumar

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar on Saturday said there are chances of his party winning this time in the coastal belt in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. Addressing reporters, Shivakumar, who is here to participate in the state-level party convention of workers ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls, said there is potential for change in politics, and there are visible changes in the attitude of people in the coastal areas. "We are holding the state-level convention this time in Mangaluru as we perceive chances of winning from this region," Shivakumar, who is the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, said. He said that the issues of unemployment and business stagnation in coastal Karnataka will be addressed by the ruling Congress. Shivakumar said the BJP had failed to take up development works in the region though they have been representing the Dakshina Kannada constituency for a long period. Congress has plans to introduce innovative ideas

If there's any such thing, will inform you: Nath to media on switch to BJP

Amid speculation that he could cross over to the BJP, senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath arrived in the national capital Saturday afternoon and said if there would be any such thing, he would inform the media first. In his brief interaction with reporters, he asked them not to get excited. Asked if he is joining the BJP, Nath said, "If there would be any such thing, I would inform you first." When a reporter asked if he was not denying a possible switch, Nath said, "It is not about denying, you are saying this, you people are getting excited. I am not getting excited, this side or that side, but if there would be any such thing, I would inform you first." Over the past few days, Nath had been on a tour of his bastion Chhindwara, from where he had been an MP for nine terms. His son Nakul Nath won the seat in the 2019 polls, even as the BJP swept the remaining 28 seats in the state. Asked about the speculation that Nath could cross over to the

Land given to Railways for commercial sites still undeveloped: Parl Panel

The Public Accounts Committee of Lok Sabha in its report has found that the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) failed in its objective to develop railway land sites for commercial use due to various reasons. In the report, presented to the Lok Sabha, the Committee said that it reviewed 17 sites out of 49 entrusted to RLDA by the Indian Railways in 2007 and noted that none of them were developed till 2017. It added that out of 49 sites, only 40 were commercially viable. The Committee, chaired by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, selected the subject Development of Railway Land for Commercial use by Rail Land Development Authority which was based on the Comptroller of Auditor General's (CAG) report laid in the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2018. According to the report, Indian Railway has 43,000 hectares of vacant land out of which it entrusted 49 sites to RLDA from 2007 to 2017 for commercial development to generate revenue. The Committee observed that Audit reviewed the development of 17 sit

Revamped SEZ law unlikely before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections

The commerce department had sought the Union Cabinet's nod to bring amendments in the existing SEZ Act, 2005 late last year

Highlights: Paytm shifts nodal account to Axis Bank from Paytm Bank

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Looking forward to first LS battle; party will decide seat: Mos IT

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is among the ministers not renominated to the Rajya Sabha, on Friday said he is raring to contest his first Lok Sabha polls and looking forward to "an even more exciting phase" in his political career. One needs to be extremely responsible and a very grassroots politician to be a Lok Sabha member and "I am deeply fortunate" that the prime minister and the BJP leadership considered him worth of it, the technology entrepreneur-turned-politician said. He said the constituency or the state from where he will fight the elections, due in April-May, will be decided by the party. "...I'm certainly looking forward to what I believe will be an even more exciting phase in my political career," the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship told PTI in an interview. "I'm deeply fortunate that our prime minister and my home minister and my party president have said that they think me worthy enough or qualified enough

President prorogues both Houses after Budget session of Parliament

Apart from the financial agenda of the government, the two Houses also passed bills related to Jammu and Kashmir

EC on tour of states to review preparations for Lok Sabha elections

The Election Commission (EC) will resume its review of states' preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls with a visit to Odisha later on Thursday and complete the process in Jammu and Kashmir on March 13, sources said. In January, the Commission reviewed the preparations in Andhra Pradesh, where Lok Sabha and assembly polls will be held together. The Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and comprising Election Commissioner Arun Goel will be in Odisha Thursday night, the sources said. Besides Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will see simultaneous parliamentary and assembly polls. The panel will also be touring West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, besides other states. It will visit Jammu and Kashmir on March 13, the sources said. The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has a provision for a legislative assembly but is under central rule. The Supreme Court had last year asked the EC to hold assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir by Septem

NC in talks with Cong for 3 LS seats, is part of INDIA bloc: Omar Abdullah

The National Conference is a part of the INDIA grouping and will continue to be, party leader Omar Abdullah clarified on Thursday and said it is in talks with the Congress for an arrangement in three of the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Omar Abdullah's statement came shortly after NC chief Farooq Abdullah told reporters that the party would contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and possible assembly polls in the Union Territory on its own. "We were a part of the INDIA alliance and we still are. Things have been taken out of context. The main idea of the grouping is to defeat the BJP for there is no point in sailing in two boats," Omar Abdullah said with his father, Farooq Abdullah, by his side. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the union territory next week, he said, "We will also get to know how much development has happened in Jammu and Kashmir." He said the prime minister should start his theory of one nation, one election from Ja

National Conference will contest Lok Sabha elections alone: Farooq Abdullah

Abdullah was earlier this month summoned by the ED in connection with a money laundering case about the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association

Sonia Gandhi to miss LS polls, sends emotional message to Rae Bareli voters

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday informed voters of her Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age issues. In an emotional message to the constituents of the segment she has represented since 2004, the 77-year-old also threw subtle hints of a possible entry of a member of her family from the Rae Bareli segment. "I am proud to say that whatever I am today, I am because of you and I have always done my best to honour your trust. Now on account of health and age issues, I will not contest the next Lok Sabha election," she said in the message. "After this decision, I will not have the opportunity to serve you directly but my heart and soul will always remain with you. I know that you will stand by me and my family in future, just as you have in the past," she said in the message written in Hindi. The message to the voters comes a day after the former Congress president filed her nomination for

Ex-min Baban Gholap resigns from Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of LS, state polls

Former Maharashtra minister Baban Gholap resigned from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday, ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha and state assembly polls. Gholap, who represented the Nashik Road-Deolali assembly constituency for five consecutive terms, had in September last year resigned as the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) but it was not accepted. In a one-line letter to Thackeray on Thursday, Gholap said he has resigned from the post of 'Shiv Sainik'. He posted the letter on X. He has not yet disclosed plans about his future political journey. Gholap was apparently unhappy over being removed as the party's liaison chief for the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency last year and former MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure joining the Sena (UBT). As the liaison chief for Shirdi Lok Sabha seat and an influential leader from the region, he was hopeful of getting a ticket from there in the upcoming general elections, but that might not materialise with Wakchaure's entry, according t

Electoral Bond Scheme: Rs 16,518 crore collected till date, Centre told LS

Electoral Bonds scheme verdict: On Thursday, the Supreme Court struck down the scheme and called it 'unconstitutional'

Two BJP members maintained perfect attendance in outgoing 17th LS

BJP members Mohan Mandavi and Bhagirath Choudhary have earned the unique distinction of not missing a single sitting of the 17th Lok Sabha, which held a total of 274 during its term. Coincidentally, the two first-term members got seats adjacent to each other in the House. "I do the job assigned to me with utmost responsibility. I represent Kanker, a tribal region of Chhattisgarh, and had attended the House even during the COVID-19 pandemic," Mandavi said. According to data shared by PRS Legislative, Choudhary (MP from Ajmer in Rajasthan) and Mandavi clocked a 100 per cent attendance during the 17th Lok Sabha, which on an average witnessed 79 per cent attendance during its tenure. Mandavi said he and Choudhary had seats next to each other in Lok Sabha. BJP member from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh Pushpendra Singh Chandel was the most active member in Parliament having participated in 1,194 debates in the 17th Lok Sabha, followed by Kuldeep Rai Sharma (833 debates) from Andaman and Nic

Govt plans $9 billion rooftop solar push amid looming Lok Sabha elections

Sluggish deployment of rooftop systems has cast doubt on India's target of almost quadrupling solar power generation capacity from 73 gigawatts by the end of the decade

EC team visits Sikkim, reviews preparedness for LS, Assembly polls

An Election Commission of India team headed by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma visited Sikkim and held meeting with state government officers to review the preparedness for Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls to be held later this year, an official said on Tuesday. The EC team held a meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP, Special DGP, Chief Electoral Officer, State Police Nodal Officer, Home Secretary and other senior officials. In the meeting, the overall preparedness of the state for the conduct of general elections was discussed in detail, he said. On Monday, the EC team also held a meeting with all District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to review the preparedness and plan of action of the district administration. All DCs and SPs made a detailed presentation on the matters relating to the electoral roll, printing of EPIC, identification of critical/vulnerable polling stations, availability and training of manpower, arrangements for establishment o

Odisha to give Rs 1,000 to PDS beneficiaries, interest free loans to youth

Ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the Odisha government on Monday decided to distribute Rs 1,000 one-time assistance to all ration card holders and provide interest-free loans up to Rs 1 lakh to 2 lakh youths of the state. The cabinet of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved a total of 26 proposals, including the distribution of Rs 1,000 livelihood assistance to 95.90 lakh PDS beneficiary families, state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told reporters after the cabinet meeting. The minister said that the public distribution system (PDS) beneficiary families face hardship in fetching different items for consumption due to the rise in market prices, which is why the one-time assistance would be provided. The government also decided to provide two jute bags of 20 kg and 10 kg capacity to each of the PDS families for their daily use, free of cost, Nayak said, adding that the fund requirement for procurement and distribution of the jute bag

BJP will win 370 seats, NDA more than 400 seats in LS polls: Amit Shah

Union Minister Amit Shah on Monday said there is no suspense in the people's minds on the outcome of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as the ruling BJP is set to win 370 seats and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will bag more than 400 seats. Shah also took a swipe at the Congress and said out of the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first five years went in filling up the "pit" dug by the opposition party, when it ruled the country, and another five years in laying the foundation (of development). "Make him (Modi) the prime minister for the third term and a magnificent building will come up on the foundation at a very fast pace," the senior BJP leader said here after launching Rs 1,950 crore development projects of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). "I was in Karnataka yesterday, and visited 11 states in January. There is no suspense in any state regarding the (outcome of the) Lok Sabha elections. There is a mood prevailing across the country that the

17th Lok Sabha records lowest number of sittings among full term govts

The 17th Lok Sabha that came to an end on Saturday had the lowest number of sittings among the Lok Sabhas that had a full term of five years, data compiled by think tank PRS Legislative Research showed. The 17th Lok Sabha had 272 sittings altogether over its five year tenure from 2019-2024. According to PRS, the 16th Lok Sabha had 331 sittings, while the 15th and 14th Lok Sabha under the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government had 332 and 356 sittings respectively. The 13th Lok Sabha had 356 sittings. The highest number of sittings in any Lok Sabha was recorded during the first Lok Sabha, which in its tenure from 1952 to 1957 had 677 sittings. The second and third Lok Sabhas had 581 and 578 sittings respectively. The fourth Lok Sabha, which was dissolved a year ahead of its scheduled time, held 469 sittings, and the fifth Lok Sabha which completed its full tenure had 613 sittings. The sixth Lok Sabha under the Janata Party alliance, which was in office from March 1977 to August 1979, ha