Page 28 - Madhya Pradesh

Highlights: Oppn missed chances; BJP may win 300 LS seats, says Prashant Kishor

LIVE updates: PM Modi's Madhya Pradesh campaign ahead of LS polls, AAP leaders to sit on a day-long fast at Jantar Mantar, and more. Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Khajuraho LS seat candidates being pressured to withdraw from poll: Cong

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was pressuring some of the candidates in the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat to withdraw from the poll fray. The BJP, however, termed the allegations as baseless and said such claims were a cover-up for the internal conspiracies of the opposition INDIA bloc. The Congress has given the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat to the Samajwadi Party (SP) as part of the seat-sharing agreement among the INDIA alliance constituents. The nomination form of SP candidate Meera Yadav, however, was rejected by the Returning Officer on Friday as she had failed to sign at one place and also submitted an old voters' list copy. After the scrutiny, 14 candidates are in fray in this seat, including sitting MP and BJP state president VD Sharma. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Patwari claimed the All India Forward Bloc candidate RB Prajapati, a former government officer, met him and said he is being pressured through differ

126,000 people joined BJP in MP on Sat; 258,000 in 3 months: Mishra

About 1.26 lakh people joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, a senior party leader claimed here. More than 2.58 lakh people have joined the saffron party in the state over the past three months, and most of them were from Congress, said former minister Narottam Mishra. "Over 1.26 lakh people including members of Congress, social organisations and others joined the BJP today," he said. Notably, the saffron party celebrated its foundation day on Saturday. "More than 90 percent of those who have joined the BJP are from Congress, and the rest are from social organisations, retired employees and officials, and people from different walks of life," said Mishra who heads the BJP team responsible for new entrants. They were influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personality, leadership, the development works carried out by his government and nationalism, he said. Earlier in the day, three-time former Congress MLA from Ghatiya (Ujjain ...

3 killed, 26 injured as bus carrying SAF jawans collides with car in MP

Three persons were killed and 26 others injured when a bus carrying Special Armed Forces (SAF) jawans overturned after colliding with a car in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district early on Saturday, police said. One of the jawans sustained serious injuries and has been referred to Nagpur in neighbouring Maharashtra, an official said. The accident occurred around 1 am near Dhanagadha village on the Seoni-Mandla State Highway, some 50 km from the district headquarters. A bus carrying personnel from the state police's 35th Battalion of SAF from Mandla to Pandhurna (Chhindwara) collided with a car with five occupants including its driver, Keolari police station in-charge Chain Singh Uikey told PTI. Kanhaiya Jaswani (75), Niklesh Jaswani (45) and driver Purushottam Mahobia (37) who were travelling in the car were killed in the accident, he said. The deceased were residents of Mandla. Two other car occupants, who suffered injuries, are being treated at Keolari Government Hospital. Those ...

ASI continues survey at Bhojshala complex in MP's Dhar for 13th day

For Hindus, the Bhojshala Complex is a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), while for Muslims, it is the site of the Kamal Maula mosque

PepsiCo to invest Rs 1,266 crore to set up new facility in Madhya Pradesh

The Ujjain-plant will be crucial for PepsiCo's beverage production in India, enabling the company to meet the rising demand

SC refuses to stay 'scientific survey' of Bhojshala complex in MP's Dhar

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay "scientific survey" of the Bhojshala complex, a medieval-era structure which both Hindus and Muslims claim as their own in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, but said no action should be taken without it permission on the outcome of the ASI survey. Hindus consider Bhojshala, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected 11th century monument, to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim community call it Kamal Maula Mosque. Under an arrangement made by the ASI on April 7, 2003, Hindus perform puja in the Bhojshala premises on Tuesdays, while Muslims offer namaz in the complex on Fridays. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and P K Mishra issued notices to the Centre, Madhya Pradesh government, ASI and others on the plea filed by Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society challenging the March 11 order of the MP High Court on scientific survey. "Issue notice returnable in four weeks. In the interim, no action should be

LS polls: In MP, Congress seeks donations on claims of frozen bank accounts

The Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday launched a "one note, one vote" campaign seeking donations to contest Lok Sabha elections claiming the party has run out of money since its bank accounts have been frozen by the BJP-led Central government. Speaking on the occasion, MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari said the move to freeze the bank accounts after the model code of conduct kicked in was aimed at financially weakening the party in the run-up to elections. The campaign was launched at the busy Roshanpura crossing. Congress candidates from Bhopal and Jabalpur, namely Arun Shrivastava and Dinesh Yadav, campaigned with boxes in their hands and sought one rupee from a voter, besides seeking votes for the party. Congress nominees from other seats in Madhya Pradesh also joined the campaign. Top Congress leaders, including its president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, had earlier put the spotlight on their party's precarious finances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Mahakal Temple fire caused by 'gulal' falling on camphor aarti: Official

The fire in Ujjain's Mahakal Temple on March 25 that left 14 priests and 'sevaks' injured was caused by 'gulal' falling on the 'kapoor' (camphor) aarti, a senior official said on Thursday quoting from a preliminary report. The blaze took place during 'bhasma aarti' at 5:50 pm in the 'garbha griha' of the renowned temple on Holi. "The probe committee has submitted its preliminary report. It has been found that gulal, which was not provided by the temple management, fell on 'kapoor' (camphor) aarti and caused the blaze. It was extinguished in four to five seconds but the intensity was such that several persons sustained 25-30 percent burns," Ujjain Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh told PTI. "The probe committee also found violations related to number of people inside the temple as well the quantity and kind of gulal. Security personnel were not in their assigned duty areas and some of the places were locked, which resulted in delay as time was spent unlocking them," the collector ...

BSP leader Ramlakhan Singh, Congress members join BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Former Lok Sabha member Ramlakhan Singh of the BSP, ex-Congress MLA Neelesh Awasthi, former legislator and Congressman Ajay Yadav, among others, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday as the saffron outfit continued to induct leaders from rival parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Welcoming them in the ruling party at a function here, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the BJP's family was continuously growing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "You all have joined the party after being inspired by the BJP's ideology and policies of Modiji. I welcome you," he added. This was the third time that Ramlakhan Singh has joined the BJP. In the past, he had left the BJP on two occasions and joined the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). He is a former BJP Lok Sabha member from Bhind. Over the last few months, Congress leaders are joining the BJP in droves in Madhya Pradesh. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has set a target .

ASI digs trenches at Bhojshala Complex in MP's Dhar for seventh day

The ASI team also started excavation inside the Bhojshala complex as a part of the survey

Mahatma Gandhi's bust damaged in Madhya Pradesh, police launch probe

Police have launched a probe after a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was found to be damaged in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district, an official said on Wednesday. The bust on the premises of the government college in Khilchipur town was vandalised on Tuesday, an official said. Some unidentified individuals damaged the bust, said Khilchipur police station in-charge Raghuveen Singh Dhakad, quoting the college principal. The police team reached the spot and launched a probe, he said. Footage of CCTV cameras installed on the college campus is being examined to identify the miscreants, he said.

LS elections: BJP releases list of 40 star campaigners for Madhya Pradesh

BJP has announced all the 29 candidates for the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress party has announced only 10 candidates till now

Lok Sabha polls: Cong's Nakul Nath files nomination from Chhindwara in MP

Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the last general elections in Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from his traditional Chhindwara constituency, which his father and former chief minister Kamal Nath represented for nine terms. Accompanied by his wife and parents, including former MP Alka Nath, Nakul submitted his papers to the returning officer in Chhindwara. Before that, the senior and junior Nath worshipped at the Lord Hanuman temple in the town. His supporters also took out a rally, which was attended by state Congress president Jitu Patwari and the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar. Of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP, the BJP in 2019 had won 28, barring Chhindwara. The saffron party has fielded its district unit president Vivek Bunty Sahu against Nakul Nath. Though the Chhindwara seat has been the bastion of the Congress, with the grand old party losing elections here just once, BJP is channelling all its energies to wrest this seat this time. In 20

David vs Goliath: Congress fields rookie against BJP stalwart in Indore

The Congress has fielded Akshay Bam, a newbie in the poll arena from Indore Lok Sabha constituency, an unbreached BJP citadel for 35 years, against sitting MP Shankar Lalwani, who had won the 2019 contest by a huge margin of over 5.47 lakh votes. Bam (45), a businessman from the Jain community, has to shoulder a big responsibility of keeping the Congress cadre motivated in view of three former MLAs and several workers of the party joining the ruling BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Prominent among Congress defectors are Pankaj Sanghvi, Sanjay Shukla, and Vishal Patel. He faces sitting BJP MP Shankar Lalwani, 62, who had won the last contest against his Congress challenger Pankaj Sanghvi by possibly the highest vote margin in Madhya Pradesh. Indore is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh and is the cleanest city in India. The BJP holds all the eight assembly constituencies under the Indore Lok Sabha seat. The BJP has set a target to win the Indore constituency, the larges

ASI continues survey of Bhojshala complex; mosque body raises objection

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) continued the survey of the controversial Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district for the third day on Sunday. The Kamal Maula Mosque Welfare Society President Abdul Samad, one of the parties in the court, told reporters that he has submitted some of his objections to the ASI via e-mail on Saturday. "Our objection is that the ASI should not include in the survey the objects put up inside Bhojshala after 2003. I have sent my objections through e-mail," he said. Samad said three ASI teams were working inside the complex. "I am the only person from the (mosque welfare) society who is inside during the survey. My objection is that the ASI team should work at one place and not at three places," he said. On Sunday morning, a team of the ASI, accompanied by senior police and local administration officials, reached the disputed complex in this tribal-dominated district. Petitioners from the Hindu side - Ashish Goyal

Archaeological Survey team starts survey of Bhojshala complex in MP

A team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Friday began a survey of the controversial Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex situated in the tribal dominated Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex Friday morning. It was accompanied by senior local police and district administration officials. The Madhya Pradesh High Court, on March 11, directed ASI to carry out within six weeks a 'scientific survey' of the Bhojshala complex, a medieval-era monument that Hindus believe is a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) and the Muslim community calls Kamal Maula Mosque. As per an ASI order issued on April 7, 2003, Hindus are allowed to worship inside the Bhojshala complex every Tuesday, while Muslims are allowed to offer namaz at the site on Fridays.

Lok Sabha polls: BJP aims for 'clean sweep' in state, says CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday said a wave is prevailing in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country and the ruling BJP is aiming for a "clean sweep" in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged 28 out of the total 29 seats in MP and the Congress managed to win only one seat -Chhindwara. The state will this time have the parliamentary polls in four phases from April 19 to May 13 and votes will be counted on June 4. While the BJP has announced its candidates for all the 29 seats, the Congress has so far declared nominees for 10 seats. Talking to reporters in Jabalpur, CM Yadav said, "There is a wave prevailing in the country in favour of Prime Minister Modi." While the BJP has declared its candidates all for the Lok Sabha seats in the state about 10 days ago, the Congress is yet to find candidates for contesting elections, especially in big cities, he said. "There is tremendou

MP HC allows 20k students of 'unsuited' nursing colleges to write exams

The Madhya Pradesh High Court permitted around 20,000 students of "unsuited" nursing colleges to write their main examinations but said the privilege was a one-time measure and they would not get further benefits if they fail. Earlier, the HC had stopped students of nursing colleges, which were found to be running without infrastructure facilities or dispensaries across Madhya Pradesh, to write examinations. The relief from the division bench of Justices Sanjay Dwivedi and AK Paliwal came on applications filed by some students seeking nod to answer the exams. "The students of unsuited colleges shall also be permitted to participate in the examination, but this arrangement and benefit would be a one-time-measure and if they do not clear the examination, no further benefit shall be given to them", the bench observed. Law Students Association president and advocate Vishal Baghel told PTI around 20,000 students would be benefited by the order passed on March 11. The order was uploaded

Ahead of LS polls, Kamal Nath's close aide, other functionaries join BJP

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a close associate of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and some other functionaries of the opposition Congress joined the ruling BJP on Monday. The Bahujan Samaj Party's state in-charge also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Syed Zafar, a former Congress spokesperson, joined the BJP in Bhopal in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the party's state head VD Sharma. Zafar, a native of Chhindwara, was considered a close associate of Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath. As per his profile on X, he was currently holding the post of MP Congress general secretary. However, state Congress media department chairman K K Mishra said Zafar was not holding any post in the party at present. Earlier this month, there were speculations that Nath might switch over to the BJP, but he refuted such reports as "creation of media." Besides Zafar, MP Congress general secretary Maneesha Dubey, some other party leaders and B