Page 94 - Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha polls: BJP appoints election in-charges for 23 states, UTs

The BJP on Saturday appointed election in-charges and co-in-charges for 23 states and Union territories in view of the Lok Sabha polls this year. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde has been made the election in-charge for Bihar, while BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Jharkhand unit chief Deepak Prakash will be the co-in-charge, according to a party statement. Tawde is the BJP's in-charge for political affairs in Bihar. The BJP has appointed vice president Baijayant Jay Panda as the election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as that of Uttarakhand. BJP national vice president and Rajya Sabha member Laxmikant Bajpai will be the election in-charge for Jharkhand, the statement said. The appointments have been made by BJP president J P Nadda in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it said. BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been made the election in-charge for Haryana. BJP leader ..

INDIA bloc leaders slam BJP, Stalin stresses on unity to defeat BJP

Amid rumblings in the opposition INDIA bloc, its leaders on Friday stressed on the need to defeat the ruling BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls, with DMK chanting the unity mantra to achieve the goal. Top leaders of some of INDIA bloc constituents--Congress, DMK, the Left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi attended a "Democracy will win" conference organised by the VCK here. VCK, headed by Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, is a key ally of the DMK in Tamil Nadu. DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, leaders of the CPI (M) and the CPI, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, respectively and many others spoke at the well-attended conference which came amidst the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar appearing to be on tenterhooks with strong indications that JD (U) president and that state CM Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA. JD (U), Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, Congress and Left parties are the constituents of the ruling coalition in ...

2024 LS polls: 960 mn citizens, including 470 mn women, eligible to vote

Over 96 crore people, including 47 crore women, are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for which more than 12 lakh polling booths would be set up across India. Over 1.73 crore of those eligible to vote are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, according to Election Commission data. As many as 1.5 crore polling personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha. According to a 2023 letter sent by the EC to political parties, India had 17.32 crore registered voters in 1951, which rose to 19.37 crore in 1957. There were 91.20 crore voters in the 2019 polls. Out of the total voters registered in the electoral rolls, nearly 18 lakh are persons with disabilities. In the first Lok Sabha elections the voter turnout was recorded at 45 per cent. It was 67 per cent in the last parliamentary polls.

Nitish Kumar's INDIA exit buzz grows, Rahul Gandhi takes stock in Delhi

This came a day after the Trinamool Congres (TMC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled out any seat adjustment with the Congress in West Bengal and Punjab, respectively, in a big setback to the alliance

Keep filing FIRs, we will continue Nyay Yatra: Cong responds to Assam CM

"If you don't expect this from the most corrupt Chief Minister of the country, then what will you do?" Gogoi added

Budget Highlights: Space industry seeks PLI scheme, liberal FDI policy

LIVE updates: The central government focus is likely to be on controlling inflation and adjusting the fiscal deficit ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Catch all the budget-related live updates here

Rahul Gandhi to be arrested after Lok Sabha elections: Assam CM Sarma

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, against whom an FIR has been registered here on the charge of instigating violence will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. The Assam police suo motu registered the FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other leaders for wanton acts of violence here during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' on Tuesday. 'We have filed an FIR. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will conduct the investigation and he (Gandhi) will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections', Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme at Nazira in Sibsagar district. The Lok Sabha elections are due within a few months in the country. Director General of Police G P Singh said that the case has been transferred to the Assam CID for a thorough investigation through an SIT to be constituted by the Additional Director General of Police (CID). Sarma had instructed the DGP to register a case against Gandhi for provo

Andhra Cong charges Rs 25k donation for LS, 10k for Assembly from aspirants

Kicking off the poll process, the Andhra Pradesh Congress unit on Wednesday started accepting applications from candidates planning to contest the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to be held in a few months. According to Manickam Tagore, AICC in-charge for AP, following the footsteps of the Karnataka and Telangana Congress model, the Andhra Pradesh unit will charge Rs 15,000 as the "donation" from the aspiring candidates of the reserved category and Rs 25,000 for the rest, for Lok Sabha while it is Rs 10,000 for candidates (unreserved category) and Rs 5,000 for the reserved in case of assembly ticket. Applications will be accepted for the next two weeks, he said. Tagore further said all the applications will be processed through the Pradesh Election Committee and afterward it will go through the screening committee of the AICC. Then the list will be sent to the Congress Central Election Committee headed by President Mallikarjun Kharge. "It (Congress) is a democratic party. Therefor

Lok Sabha elections 2024: TMC to go solo in West Bengal; jolt to INDIA bloc

The Congress and the TMC are a part of the Opposition's INDIA bloc, a group of 28-non BJP parties, which aims to oust the Narendra Modi government in the Lok Sabha elections

We have broken barricades, but will not break the law: Rahul Gandhi

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was stopped from entering the city on Tuesday, triggering protests from Congress workers who broke barricades and raised slogans. Gandhi later addressed party supporters on the outskirts of the city, and said, "We have broken barricades, but will not break the law". The police, which had set up barricades at two places to prevent the Yatra from entering the city limits, had to use force to stop the Congress workers. Gandhi was earlier accorded a boisterous welcome as he tried to enter Guwahati and addressed some varsity students on the way. Addressing supporters, he said while BJP president J P Nadda took the same route, they were not allowed to travel on it. "You should not think we are weak. We have broken the barricades," he told his workers and supporters, calling them "babbar sher" (lion). "They have cancelled my programme at the university. My programme was cancelled, but the students heard me outside," he said. "Congress workers

JP Nadda inaugurates BJP party office in Gandhinagar ahead of 2024 polls

The BJP chief said that the party will not only emerge victorious but will also break its previous electoral record by a much larger seat tally

Left trying to control INDIA bloc's agenda, will not accept it: CM Mamata

Amid the internal discord within the INDIA bloc in the state over seat-sharing, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee asserted on Monday that the Left is striving to control the opposition bloc's agenda, underscoring that no one confronts the BJP as directly as she does. Addressing an all-faith rally in the city, the TMC leader expressed her unwillingness to accept the Left Front led by CPI(M) controlling the agenda of the INDIA bloc meeting. "I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it. This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years," she said. Banerjee remarked, "Despite such insults, I have adjusted and attended the INDIA bloc meetings." In an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being stopped in Assam from visiting the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Srimant Sankardeva, Banerjee remarked, "Just going to the temple isn't enough." She highlighted her

Bihar adds 1.2 mn voters in electoral roll released by state election body

The electoral roll also showed a significant increase of 779,360 number of young voters in the 18 to 19 years age group from 147,062 to 926,422

Women outnumber men by 67,028 in Manipur as final electoral roll published

Women outnumber men by 67,028 in Manipur, as the final photo electoral roll of the northeastern state published on Monday revealed. The final electoral roll also showed a drop of 31,231 voters as compared to the final roll of 2023. The number of voters in 2023 was 20,57,854 while it is 20,26,623 now, according to the final electoral rolls of the two years. "Manipur recorded 20,26,623 electors with 9,79,678 men, 10,46,706 women and 239 third gender voters as per the final rolls for 2024," Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Kumar Sha said in a statement. The total number of newly enrolled electors is 34,700 with 15,596 men, 19,095 women and nine third-gender electors. The names of 16,509 were deleted from the rolls during the revision period, the statement said. Imphal West district recorded the highest number of electors (3,81,005) followed by Imphal East district (3,23,844). Jiribam district has the least number of voters - 30,776, according to the statement.

Reply to Cong leader's plea in 2 weeks: SC to govt on women's reservation

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to respond within two weeks to a plea by a Congress leader seeking immediate implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act-2023 so that one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be reserved for women before the general elections due this year. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta allowed the Centre time after its advocate Kanu Agrawal said the government needs some time to file a comprehensive reply. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for petitioner Jaya Thakur, said the court should issue a direction to ensure that the law can be implemented before the general elections. Justice Khanna said the court cannot pass a direction and this stage and asked Singh to wait for the Centre's reply. When advocate Prashant Bhushan said he wanted to file a petition on the issue, the bench told him his plea, being a fresh matter, can only be assigned to a bench by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. It posted the mat

Ram temple event: TMC, BJP to test political might as politics heats up

Months before the Lok Sabha polls, the TMC and BJP in West Bengal will evaluate their political prowess on Monday, aligning with the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya, with Mamata Banerjee slated to lead an "all-faith" rally seeking to project a counter-narrative to BJP's hindutva politics. The much-awaited Ram temple consecration will be held in Ayodhya on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the rituals, following which the shrine will be opened for the public a day later. The TMC, which has accused the BJP of trying to politicise a religious event by attempting to put up a "gimmick show" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, has announced to hold a mega all-faith harmony rally in the metropolis led by West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. The party will also hold similar rallies in every block of the state. The Bengal BJP, which has unsuccessfully demanded that the day be declared a holiday in the state, along with several other Hindu outfits, has .

Agreement, disagreement soul of Parliamentary democracy: Lok Sabha speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said agreement and disagreement form the soul of Parliamentary democracy and urged members to utilise the forum of state assemblies to articulate the hopes and aspirations of people. Addressing the newly elected members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, Birla said it was very important for dissent to be expressed within the established parameters of parliamentary dignity and decorum. "When it comes to national interest, all the Members should work collectively to achieve that goal without being guided by partisan politics," he said. Birla said the dignity of the Chair in the House was paramount and suggested that Treasury and Opposition must respect decisions of the presiding officer. "Respect for the Chair will strengthen people's faith in democratic institutions," he said. Birla advised the members to denounce the tactics of disruption and adopt the path of debate and discussion. "Fruitful debates in the House will pave the way to s

Talks of alliance with Congress for LS polls in progress: SP chief Akhilesh

Talks of an alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are in progress, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday. Talking to reporters at the SP headquarters here, he said several meetings have taken place in Delhi and more will be held soon. "We are in talks of an alliance with the Congress and a way will be found," said Yadav, whose SP, like the Congress, is part of the 28-member opposition INDIA bloc. The alliance, which also includes the TMC, the DMK and the AAP, was formed to take on the BJP in the general elections. Constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) are engaged in seat- sharing talks in different states. Yadav's remarks come a day after the SP and the Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) reached a seat sharing agreement in Uttar Pradesh for the polls. "The INDIA bloc should be strong. The question is not about which party gets how many seats but about winnability," he ...

Lok Sabha polls: BJP to run mass connect programme between February 4-11

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will run a mass connect programme between February 4 and 11, with its 30 lakh members expected to reach out to seven lakh rural polling booths and all urban booths during the period. The BJP has named its rural outreach "Gaon Chalo", with party president J P Nadda launching a workshop for its members on Saturday. He told them to spread the message about the numerous successes of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the last man, sources said. BJP members from its 37 organisational states attended the programme, with its leaders saying that similar training exercises will be held in its 988 organisational districts and 16,188 'mandals'.

AIFB will hold talks with leaders of 'INDIA' bloc on seat-sharing

The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) will hold parleys with the leaders of the INDIA Bloc on sharing seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, AIFB's vice president P V Kathiravan said on Saturday. A poll panel comprising senior leaders has been constituted today and it will commence the negotiations with the INDIA Bloc leaders especially DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, soon, he said. The panel would also engage other leaders of the alliance in the talks and on facing the poll, Kathiravan said in a release here. "We will urge the ruling DMK to allot us the Theni constituency where we are strong," he said. Meanwhile, the Central Committee of the AIFB which met here with its president Naren Chatterjee in the chair resolved to relieve G Devarajan from the post of national general secretary till a new general secretary is elected. Chatterjee will hold the additional charge of general ...