Page 17 - Maharashtra Assembly Elections

BJP lost in Maharashtra where PM held rallies during LS polls: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the BJP lost 10-12 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where its top leader addressed poll rallies. Modi is on a campaign trail in the state on Tuesday, addressing election rallies at Chimur in Chandrapur district, Solapur and Pune. "It is the right of the prime minister to address election rallies. There is no need to pay much attention to it," Pawar told reporters here. "But keep one thing in mind, the prime minister addressed 16 rallies during the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP lost 10-12 seats where he addressed rallies. So, let him come," the former Union minister said in response to a question on the prime minister's rallies scheduled for Tuesday. In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, the BJP's number of seats came down to nine from its 2019 tally of 23. Pawar dismissed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's charge of promoting caste-based ...

Congress' 'shahi parivar' believes it was born to rule India: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that has always been the mentality of Congress' 'shahi parivar' that it was born to rule the country. That is the reason that after Independence, the Congress never allowed Dalits, backward classes and Adivasis to progress, Modi said, addressing a rally at Chimur in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district ahead of the November 20 state assembly elections. The Congress gets annoyed with (the topic of) reservations. In the 1980s, when Rajiv Gandhi led the party, it published an advertisement raising questions over the special rights enjoyed by Dalits, backward classes and Adivasis, Modi said. This old advertisement has been shared on social media, he said. It reflected that party's anti-reservation attitude, he added. The huge crowd here shows that the BJP-led Mahayuti will retain power in Maharashtra with a massive majority, the PM said. The BJP's Sankalp Patra poll manifesto will be a guarantee for Maharashtra's development, Modi said. On ..

Rahul Gandhi's rally at Chikhli in Maharashtra cancelled amid flight glitch

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's election rally scheduled to be held at Chikhli in Buldhana district of poll-bound Maharashtra was cancelled on Tuesday after his flight from Delhi faced a technical glitch. Gandhi was expected to address the public meeting at Chikhli for Congress candidate Rahul Bondre at 12.30 pm. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha issued a video statement, in which he specified the reason for the cancellation of the rally. "I was supposed to come to Chikhli today, but due to technical glitches in my flight I could not come. I apologise for that. I was supposed to address a public rally and interact with soybean farmers. Soybean and cotton farmers are facing big problems," he said. "I know that the BJP government does not give appropriate prices to soybean and cotton farmers. We will try to find a solution for your problems as soon as the INDIA bloc government comes to power," he added. Party sources said Gandhi's flight could not take off from the Delhi ...

Raut alleges huge money distribution ahead of Assembly polls, questions ECI

Taking a jibe at the ECI, Raut asked why only the vehicles and planes of opposition leaders are being checked

Cong complaints against BJP's ad portraying it against SC, ST, OBC quotas

A Congress delegation on Monday took up with the Election Commission eight complaints regarding Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly polls, including a "communal" image posted by the BJP depicting reservations being taken from SCs, STs and OBCs and given to members of a minority community. The opposition party claimed that all the eight complaints raised by it were found "valid" by the poll body. "We raised some serious concerns with the Election Commission. These matters were discussed today. All the eight complaints raised by the Congress were found valid by the Election Commission," Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil, who led the delegation, told reporters outside the EC office here. In his memorandum to the EC on Monday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited the said image posted on the BJP's X handle with the caption -- "Congress-led MVA's game of appeasement is ON... Vote wisely, Maharashtra". "The image in the post falsely depicted an individual ..

Maharashtra assembly election: MVA unveils manifesto - Here are the key highlights

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) manifesto, named 'Maharashtranama', in Mumbai on November 10. Watch the video to know the key highlights.

Supriya Sule accuses BJP of corruption, propagating 'distorted history'

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Monday claimed the ruling BJP and its allies were steeped in corruption and accused them of insulting Maharashtra's icons and propagating "distorted" history. Speaking to reporters here ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, Sule said the BJP and its partners have nothing today to talk about the opposition. "In the last elections, issues like corruption were raised by them. Today they are not doing anything because they themselves are completely engulfed in corruption and the BJP and its allies do not have anything to talk against us," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati said. On the Mahayuti's claims that the opposition MVA has copied the ruling alliance's schemes like Ladki Bahin and put them in its manifesto, Sule said it was the Congress and NCP which provided the biggest loan waiver to farmers during their tenure in power. It was the Congress and NCP which had given a price guarantee for the agriculture produce, she ...

Maharashtra elections: Congress accuses Mahayuti of spreading hate in state

The Congress on Monday accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra of deliberately infusing "hate and poison" into its poll campaign and attempting to "disturb communal harmony in the state." Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the campaign revealed the "sick mindset" of the BJP. "The Mahayuti, led by the BJP, has only one agenda in its campaign. It is simply and only to polarize society on the basis of religion and to disturb communal harmony in the state. Such an awful campaign reveals its sick mindset," Ramesh wrote in a post on X. "The campaign is full of hate and poison deliberately being injected. But the people of Maharashtra will reject this type of campaign decisively on Nov 20th," the Congress leader added. Ramesh said that the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is campaigning in Maharashtra on basic issues of daily concern to the people, such as the acute distress of farmers and women, the increase in the prices of essential commodities, and .

Maharashtra polls 2024: Women voters and Maratha quota take centre stage

Maharashtra elections: Party splits, alliances, Maratha reservation, women-focused schemes, agrarian challenges, and unemployment are shaping the narrative of this high-stakes poll

Maharashtra elections 2024: School bus services stopped on November 19-20

Several schools in the state will serve as polling stations, and many teachers have been assigned election duties, resulting in a shortage of staff for regular classes

Our ancestors did jihad against Britishers, yours penned letters: Owaisi

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis over his "vote jihad" remarks, claiming the BJP leader's (ideological) ancestors wrote "love letters" to Britishers instead of fighting against them. During a public meeting here on Sunday, Owaisi also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Ek Hai to Safe Hai" slogan goes against the diversity ethos. Fadnavis on Saturday claimed "vote jihad" had begun in poll-bound Maharashtra, which should be countered by "Dharma yuddha" of vote. He had mentioned the BJP's narrow loss in Dhule Lok Sabha constituency. Countering him, Owaisi said, "Our ancestors did jihad against Britishers and Fadnavis is now teaching us about jihad. (PM) Narendra Modi, (Union minister) Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis together cannot defeat me in a debate." Owaisi claimed the "dharmayuddha-jihad" remarks amounted to poll code violation. "From where did 'vote jihad and dharmayuddha' come in democracy? You purchased MLAs; should

BJP Maharashtra manifesto promises $1 trn economy plan, focus on health

The party has also promised investment in various sectors, with the aim of making Maharashtra a USD 1 trillion economy by the year 2028

Gamble or gambit? BJP-led Mahayuti cobbling up non-Maratha caste coalition

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls saw sharp polarisation of Maratha and OBC votes across Maharashtra, particularly in Marathwada, where the BJP-led alliance could win only one of the eight seats

News highlights: Justice Sanjiv Khanna to be sworn in as 51st CJI on November 11

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Kharge targets PM for linking Constitution's red book with urban Naxalism

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for equating a "red book" of the Constitution with "urban Naxalism" and said the PM gave a similar copy in 2017 to then President Ram Nath Kovind. Addressing a press conference here after launching the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi 's (MVA) manifesto for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, Kharge also said his party's demand for a caste census is not to divide people, but to understand how various communities are placed at present so that they can get more benefits. Notably, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was trying to seek support from urban Naxals and anarchists by holding a red book in his hand. Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been displaying an abridged version of the Constitution in a red cover during his rallies. Kharge said the red handbook was only used for reference and it was

Mahayuti allies to decide on CM face after Maharashtra polls: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra will retain power with full majority and a decision on who will be the chief minister will be taken by the alliance partners after the state polls. Talking to reporters here after unveiling the BJP's manifesto for the November 20 state assembly polls, Shah expressed confidence that the Mahayuti will win the elections. All the three alliance partners - BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's NCP - have released their manifestos and after the elections, a committee of ministers from the three parties will be formed to prioritise the assurances given, Shah said. "At present, Eknath Shinde is the chief minister. After the elections, all the three alliance partners will decide on the chief minister," the senior BJP leader said. He said the Shiv Sena and NCP split because Uddhav Thackeray prioritised his son over Eknath Shinde while Sharad Pawar prioritised his daughter o

Husband vs wife, uncle vs nephew: Families battle their own in Maharashtra

Amid parties accusing rivals of promoting dynastic politics, the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls will see brothers, cousins and father-children in the fray, with members of the same family taking on each other in some seats. In one constituency, the battle is between husband and wife, while another seat has an uncle and nephew pitted against each other. In the high stakes battle of Pawars, debutant Yugendra Pawar, the candidate of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), will take on his uncle and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, representing the NCP, in Baramati seat. Ajit Pawar has won the Baramati assembly poll seven times and also once bagged the Baramati parliamentary seat. This is the second time that Baramati, the bastion of Pawars, will see a contest within the family. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the deputy CM's wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule in the Baramati parliamentary seat. In the neighbouring Karjat-Jamkhed, Rohit Pawar,

Cong amended Constitution, accuses BJP of planning to change it: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said Congress made amendments to the Constitution when in power, but makes an "emotional pitch" now that the BJP will make changes to it. Speaking at multiple campaign rallies in Wardha district of Vidarbha ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, Gadkari also said the BJP was a party of workers, while the Congress indulges in dynastic politics. "They make an emotional pitch that if the BJP gets 400 seats (in the Lok Sabha), the Constitution will be changed. They lie," he said at Deoli. As per the Supreme Court judgement in the Kesavananda Bharti case, the salient features of the Constitution cannot be changed, said the Union road transport and highways minister. The Congress government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi amended the Constitution, he said. "They changed the Constitution, and they blame us. The Janata Party rectified it. How many times was the Constitution amended during Indira Gandhi's tenure? But the Congre

BJP MP Ravi Kishan campaigns in Mumbai, asks for Bhojpuri community's unity

Kishan emphasized that the Bhojpuri community, which numbers over 50 million, should unite in Mumbai and vote for the BJP

Cong's samosa caucus has arrived in Maharashtra to trade lies: Smriti Irani

Former BJP MP Irani referred to the Congress group as the 'samosa caucus' and mocked them for their past actions and statements