Page 95 - Lok Sabha

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 ...

AAP holding talks on LS seat from Goa with INDIA bloc partners: Kejriwal

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday indicated that it was keen on contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Goa, with its national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying his party was holding talks on a seat in the coastal state with INDIA bloc constituents. Goa has two Lok Sabha constituencies - North Goa and South Goa. However, Kejriwal did not specify which of the two seats the AAP was eyeing to contest. "AAP is discussing a Goa seat as a part of the INDIA alliance. We will come back to you once something is decided. Whatever discussion that takes place, do vote for INDIA alliance candidate in the Lok Sabha elections," Kejriwal said while addressing a public meeting in Benaulim assembly segment in South Goa. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan, Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak, AAP's Goa unit chief Amit Palekar, MLA Venzy Viegas were also present on the occasion. Kejriwal further said that AAP has been doing "kam ki rajneeti" (politics of work). "No on

SC rejects plea seeking quashing of order on Rahul Gandhi's LS membership

The Supreme Court on Friday took a stern view on the filing of "frivolous" petitions and dismissed with a cost of Rs 1 lakh a plea seeking the quashing of an August 7, 2023, notification that restored the Lok Sabha membership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Lok Sabha notification restored the membership of Rahul Gandhi following an apex court order staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his 'Modi' surname remark. The top court had on August 4, 2023, stayed his conviction in the defamation case. Gandhi represents Wayanad in the Lower House of Parliament. The plea filed by Lucknow-based Ashok Pandey came up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta. The bench observed that Pandey had not appeared before it despite the matter being called twice for hearing. It also referred to two previous orders passed by the court on separate petitions filed by the petitioner. The bench noted that the top court had dismissed those petitions with costs o

Kumaraswamy meets Shah, Nadda in Delhi, discusses seat sharing for LS polls

Karnataka JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda in the national capital and discussed preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Kumaraswamy's son and JDS youth wing state president Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and former MP Kupendra Reddy were also present in the meeting held at Shah's residence in Delhi on Wednesday. "The Home Minister and Nadda had a discussion with the JD(S) leaders for more than 45 minutes on state politics, seat sharing and the issue of alliance," Kumaraswamy said in a statement. The former chief minister had said Shah told him that he would discuss the process of JD(S) officially joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and seat allocation after the completion of the consecration of Rama temple in Ayodhya in the presence of Nadda. The leaders were unanimous that the NDA should win all the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state and Narendra Modi should once again become the PM. S

Cong launches website to seek people's suggestions for LS poll manifesto

The Congress launched a website and an email ID on Wednesday, inviting suggestions from the public for its manifesto for this year's Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a press conference here, P Chidambaram, who heads the Manifesto Committee of the Congress, said the party is holding consultations and seeking suggestions from the public for the manifesto. He said the manifesto for the Lok Sabha election will be a "people's manifesto". "The present exercise is to receive suggestions from the members of the public. This will be a people's manifesto. So it is important to gather as many suggestions as possible in the few weeks available to us," Chidambaram said. "We want to involve the people of India in making the manifesto. We hope people from every walk of life will give their suggestions. We appeal and invite you to give suggestions you would like to be incorporated in the manifesto to make it a people's manifesto," he added. The former Union minister said at least one consultation will

2,000 Congress, AAP workers join BJP in Gujarat ahead of Lok Sabha polls

More than 2,000 workers and office-bearers of the opposition Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the ruling BJP in Gujarat on Tuesday, said the saffron outfit. They were inducted into the BJP at a function held at the ruling party's state headquarters in Gandhinagar. Those who joined the BJP from the Congress included former Leader of Opposition in Rajkot district panchayat Arjun Khatariya, Rajkot district president of Seva Dal Kishorsinh Jadeja and four members of Rajkot district panchayat - Shardaben Dhaduk, Mira Bhalodia, Gita Chavda and Gita Chauhan -- among others, said a release by the saffron party. These local leaders from Rajkot as well as north and central Gujarat joined the ruling fold in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil. Welcoming the newly-inducted members, Paatil said everyone should help Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his endeavour to strengthen India and Gujarat, the release said. "As

INDIA to resolve seat-sharing woes, victory assured in LS polls: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence on Tuesday that the seat-sharing issues among the INDIA bloc partners will be resolved and claimed that the coalition will defeat the BJP in this year's Lok Sabha polls. He also said there is mutual respect and affection between the leaders of the INDIA bloc, which he asserted is "an ideological formation" that is in opposition to the idea of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing a press conference here in Nagaland during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi said the status of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is "very good". "We are in conversation with our partners. The issue of seat sharing is being taken up. Those discussions are ongoing and I think they are going quite well. Let us see where those discussions end. "Broadly, a lot of those discussions are quite simple. They are not complex discussions and are relatively easy discussions to have. So I am quite

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumes from Nagaland on Day 3

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed on the third day from Kohima in Nagaland in the early hours of Tuesday

Will not contest Lok Sabha polls from Balasore, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said he will not contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Balasore seat in Odisha, putting speculations to rest. Speculations were rife that the BJP may field Vaishnaw, a Rajya Sabha MP, in the Balasore seat in the Lok Sabha elections. He was the district collector of Balasore as an IAS officer. "I will not contest from Balasore. We have Pratap 'Nana' here," he told reporters, referring to sitting BJP MP Pratap Sarangi, who is a former Union minister. The speculations were further fuelled by Vaishnaw's extensive visits to various places in Balasore and attending public programmes. He visited the Balasore railway station in the morning, and asked officers to write 'Baleswar', as the place is known in Odia, instead of 'Balasore' in signages. He also visited Jhadheshwar Shiv temple along with Sarangi. He donated an ambulance to the Balasore district hospital, and also went to the AIIMS satellite hospital nearby. Last week, when Vaishnaw vi

SP to form 'PDA' cadre for backward caste workers ahead of LS polls

Reviving its presence at the grassroot level to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, the Samajwadi Party is preparing cadre comprising people from the backward, Dalit and minorities at the booth level in Uttar Pradesh. The 'PDA cadre' will include 10 people from the backward castes. The PDA acronym given by party president Akhilesh Yadav means 'Picchde' (backwards), Dalits and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities) and the party feels that following the PDA agenda will help it in countering the BJP. "We are preparing a PDA cadre at all the booths in the state. The process for the same has started and frontal organisations of the party are working on it. The plan is to including ten influential people of PDA on each booths in the state," a senior party leader told PTI. Once the cadre is ready, the party headquarters here will have all the details of the people in it and the can be utilised to spread the message of the party and also counter any propaganda against it, he said. This PDA cadre

Parl breach probe: Narco test points Manoranjan was mastermind, says police

A day after the five accused in the Parliament security breach were brought back to Delhi following their polygraph, narco-analysis and brain mapping tests, a police source claimed that Manoranjan D was the mastermind behind the incident. Earlier, the police had said that Lalit Jha was the mastermind behind the December 13 incident. All six accused -- Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Amol Shinde, Neelam Azad, Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat -- were presented before the Patiala House court on Saturday which sent them to judicial custody, police officials said. According to police sources, except for Neelam, the other five accused were taken to Gujarat for a polygraph test on December 8. Sagar and Manoranjan have also undergone additional naro-analysis and brain mapping tests. Neelam had not given consent to undergo the tests before the court. So far investigations and interrogations have revealed that the accused had planned to send a message to the government. The accused have revealed tha

Not contesting Lok Sabha elections, I am 90 now: Ex PM Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Saturday said he will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in view of his age. The 90-year-old JD(S) supremo said he will campaign for candidates in the elections. "I am not contesting the elections. I am now 90. Whichever seats we get, wherever it is necessary, I will go there. I have some strength to talk and have memory power. With that I will campaign," Gowda said in a press conference. Regarding JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy contesting the Lok Sabha elections, the former prime minister said no decision has been taken yet. He said whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi says will be followed. Gowda praised Modi for taking 11-day intense penance before the installation of the Lord Ram idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said Modi has done lots of 'Punya' (virtues), which is why he will perform the consecration of the Ram temple with the utmost devotion and spiritual discipline. The fo

Cong's Nyay Yatra to begin from Manipur, focus on bread-and-butter issues

The Congress will begin the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the violence-hit Manipur on Sunday, in what is being seen as the party's bid to set the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and put the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will travel through 100 Lok Sabha segments in 15 states and the party believes it will prove to be as "transformative" as Gandhi's earlier cross-country march. The Congress has said that it is taking out the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as the government did not give it a chance to raise people's issues in Parliament and the initiative is aimed at re-establishing the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution. Though the Congress has stressed that this is not an electoral yatra, it comes at a crucial juncture as the party seeks to revive its fortunes after a poor showing in the last round of assembly elections. With the BJP focusin

17th Lok Sabha's last Budget session from January 31 to February 9

A brief Budget session of Parliament, the last of the 17th Lok Sabha, will be held between January 31 and February 9, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Friday. He said on X, "Interim Budget Session 2024, last session of Seventeenth Lok Sabha to be held from 31st January to 9th February, with the address of Hon'ble President to the Parliament. On 1st February, Hon'ble FM @nsitharaman ji will present the Interim Union Budget." The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Secretariates issued notifications regarding the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament on Friday. The new government, which will be sworn in after the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May, will present the full-fledged budget later. Since the term of the 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16, it is set to be the last session of Parliament before general elections are announced. In 2019, the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and voting was held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19.

LS committee likely to recommend revocation of 3 Cong MP's suspension

The privileges committee of the Lok Sabha is likely to recommend revoking the suspension of three Congress MPs after they expressed regret on Friday for their conduct during Parliament's winter session, when they had barged up to the speaker's podium amid protests by opposition members. Congress members Abdul Khaleque, J Jayakumar and Vijaykumar Vasanth were suspended from the Lok Sabha during the winter session and the matter was referred to the privileges committee. Sources said all three of them appeared before the committee headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sunil Kumar Singh on Friday and expressed regret for their behaviour. "They admitted to their mistake and expressed regret. All members present in the meeting believed that the matter should end with them expressing regret. We will recommend to the House the revocation of their suspension," a source said. This will pave the way for the three Congress MPs to attend the budget session starting from January 31. During

Participate in elections to reduce influence of dynasts: Modi to youth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described India's present-day youth as the most fortunate generation of the 21st century, poised to take the country to greater heights during 'Amrit Kaal', and urged them to participate in the electoral process to "reduce" the influence of dynastic politics. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 27th National Youth Festival here, Modi said dynastic politics has caused immense harm to the country and urged the youth to get themselves enrolled as voters as soon as possible. He also asked young people to stay away from drugs. India is the mother of democracy. If youth express their political views by casting their votes, the future of the country will be good. Better participation of youth in the democratic process will ensure a better future for the country, he said. First-time voters can bring new energy and power to India's democracy, he said. If you participate in active politics (and electoral process), you will be able to reduce th

'TMC not to hold meet with Cong alliance panel for seat-sharing in Bengal'

The Trinamool Congress will not send its representatives for any meeting with the Congress' national alliance committee on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections as it has already conveyed its position to the grand old party, TMC sources said on Thursday. The Congress panel has been holding seat-sharing talks with Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners from different states. TMC sources said the Congress contacted party leaders for such a meeting and has been conveyed that they are not keen on sending any representative for talks. They said the Trinamool Congress has offered two seats to the Congress -- the ones it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. West Bengal has 42 parliamentary constituencies. The Congress has said the offer is too low and difficult to accept. Any change in the offer can only be made by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, they said. The TMC is also looking at fighting from one seat in Meghal

Budget session of Parliament likely between January 31 and February 9

A brief Budget session of Parliament is likely to be held between January 31 and February 9, sources said on Thursday. President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of the two houses on January 31, they said. The government would present a vote-on-account or an 'interim budget' on February 1. The new government will present a full-fledged budget later. Since the term of the 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16, it is set to be the last session of Parliament before general elections are announced. In 2019, the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and voting was held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19.

Parliament breach case: Accused Manoranjan, Sagar Sharma undergo Narco test

Delhi Police suspects that Manoranjan D was the key mastermind of the conspiracy. It was on his request that Sagar Sharma breached Parliament security with him

INDIA parties should speed up seat-sharing in favourable states: Omar

INDIA bloc partners should speed up their seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha elections in states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Punjab where their prospects are better, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters here, he said such talks for the seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have not started yet. "We are a part of the INDIA alliance. We have a total of six seats including Ladakh and I do not think it will take us more than 15 minutes to take a decision on that. I want that wherever we have hopes of winning seats like in UP, WB, Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, TN, and Kerala, we should speed up the process of seat-sharing discussions," he said. Abdullah said the National Conference has also not started intra-party talks on its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May. Asked whether he would contest the elections, he said, "I have not had the opportunity to discuss this....