Page 1205 - Politics
BJP redraws poll strategy for Bhopal as Cong fields Digvijaya
The Congress' move to nominate party veteran Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh seems to have prompted the BJP to revisit its strategy to ward off any eventuality and retain its bastion of the last three decades in the high-stake elections. The BJP's worry stems from the fact that the Congress had won three out of eight assembly segments in Bhopal constituency in the assembly elections held last year. In remaining five seats, the BJP witnessed a slide in its margin. Bhopal constituency is spread over eight assembly segments, namely Berasia, Bhopal Uttar, Narela, Bhopal Dakshin-Paschhim, Bhopal Madhya, Govindpura, Huzur and Sehore. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has been holding this seat since 1989. Officially, the BJP has dismissed that Digvijaya Singh could pose any challenge to the party in the constituency. However, if a BJP leader to be believed, the party is working on a "plan B" over selection of candidates. According to rumours in ...
Karti Chidambaram in new Congress candidates list
The Congress on Sunday released its ninth list of 10 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, including Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, from Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu.
Modi, Rahul firm up narratives in election criss-cross (Dangal 2019)
They have different styles of campaigning and have adopted different strategies to woo voters in the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi are the lead campaigners for their parties, but have followed a diverse trajectory in reaching out to people ahead of the crucial polls.
NEDA to exist despite many alliance partners fighting polls
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav Sunday said the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) will "continue" to exist despite many of its constituents contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections separately. The NEDA is a "development alliance" and it will "continue" to exist, Madhav told a press conference here. "We are very confident that after the polls, all these parties will together support the new government to be formed by the NDA," the BJP leader said. The most important NEDA member, to contest the elections separately, is Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma-led NPP. The NPP has decided to put up candidates in all the 25 constituencies of the region. The other NEDA allies that are fielding candidates against the BJP are the IPFT in Tripura and the MNF in Mizoram. "In some seats, our NEDA partners after due diligence decided to contest separately. We welcome their decision. "Electorally they wanted to have their candidates for some seats. Good luck to ...
BJP announces names of nine more Lok Sabha candidates
The BJP on Sunday released a list of its nine more Lok Sabha election candidates, taking the total number of names announced by it to 306. Six candidates are for Chhattisgarh and one each for Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Telangana. The party had earlier announced that none of its nine sitting Lok Sabha members from Chhattisgarh will be fielded in the polls, a move aimed at any perceived anti-incumbency they may have after the saffron party suffered a big defeat to the Congress in the assembly polls. Putting to rest speculation on whether former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh will be fielded from his home constituency Rajnandgaon or not, the BJP named Santosh Pandey its candidate from the seat. It has fielded Jyoti Nand Dubey from Korba, Arun Saw from Bilaspur, Vijay Baghel from Durg and Sunil Soni from Raipur in the state.
Bringing back IAF pilot from Pakistan was a major diplomatic success: Sushma Swaraj
Bringing back captured Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan in just two days was a major diplomatic success for India, said External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj here on Sunday."A day after the airstrike, Pakistan retaliated and shot down one of our planes. We also shot down their plane. They captured our soldier. Bringing back captured IAF pilot in just two days is a major diplomatic success for India," Swaraj said while addressing 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha' here.She said that accountability is a major principle of democracy. "If you seek votes after making promises, the next time you go back to seek votes, give an account of your promises and then seek votes," she said."As far as the national security is concerned, you have seen when the Uri attack happened, we retaliated with the surgical strike. When the Pulwama attack happened, we took revenge with the airstrike," Swaraj said."When the UPA government was in power, a major terror attack happened in ...
Trump's son-in-law's WhatsApp habits worry experts
Ignoring national security concerns, Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, has been using WhatsApp to communicate with foreign leaders and conduct government businesses, which has been worrying cyber experts in the US.
Ahmed Patel attacks Modi for flip-flop on Pakistan
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his flip-flop policy on Pakistan and his questioning the patriotism of opposition leaders, saying that describing ideological opponents as sympathisers of terrorism also amounts to "treason".
Kumaraswamy accuses Congress MP of creating 'unnecessary' disturbance ahead of LS polls
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Congress Lok Sabha member SP Muddahanumegowda for "unnecessarily" creating disturbance in the state ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.Speaking to ANI, Kumaraswamy said: "We all are fighting unitedly but a few people are unnecessarily creating a disturbance for their personal gains." "It is Congress' responsibility to sort out its own issues," he said.On March 23, JDS confirmed that former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda will contest from Tumkur, one of eight Lok Sabha seats conceded to JDS as a part of the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress in Karnataka.His comments come a day after SP Muddahanumegowda filed his nomination as the Congress candidate from Tumkur seat. His move has jolted Congress-JDS coalition in Karnataka.On March 19, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy said the Congress and JDS will be fighting together in the impending Lok Sabha elections, in order to prevent the BJP from making strides in the ..
'Old photo': Sapna Choudhary denies joining Congress
Haryanvi artiste and popular stage performer Sapna Choudhary on Sunday denied joining the Congress and said her photograph with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, that went viral on social media, was an old one.
No conflict of interest between Cong and Gathbandhan in UP: Sr party leader Pradeep Mathur
Senior UP Congress leader Pradeep Mathur Sunday claimed that there is no conflict of interest between the Congress and the Gathbandhan (the anti-BJP alliance), and the main target is to defeat the BJP. "The main target of the Congress and the Gathbandhan (anti-BJP alliance) is to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, and both the parties are going for the same target. We have no conflict of interests. Our target is to defeat the Modi government and form a UPA government in Delhi," Mathur told PTI. Another important target for the party is to form a Congress government in UP in 2022, Mathur, a four-time MLA from Mathura, said. "We have our star general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra whose recent Ganga Yatra was a success," he added. Asked to comment on the recent remarks of Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had embarked on a picnic, the veteran leader said, "Prime Minister Modi is on a picnic virtually everyday. He spent most of the time in the last ..
Congress clears 10 more LS candidates; fields Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga
The Congress on Sunday released its ninth list of 10 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding former finance minister P Chidambaram's son Karti from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. Karti Chidambaram is facing trial in corruption cases, including the INX media money laundering case. The Congress list contains four candidates from Maharashtra, three from Bihar and one each in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir. Former NCP leader Tariq Anwar was nominated by the party for the Katihar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, which he currently represents. The party also fielded its former general secretary B K Hariprasad from the Bangalore South constituency in Karnataka. The others whose names have been cleared by the party's central election committee include Mohammed Javed from Kishanganj and Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh from Purnia in Bihar and Haji Farooq Mir from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, the party has fielded Hidayat Patel from Akola, Kishor Uttamrao Gajbhiye from ...
Modi to address two election rallies in Bengal on April 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two back-to-back election rallies in West Bengal on April 3, BJP leader Mukul Roy said on Sunday. Modi will speak at a public meeting at Siliguri in north Bengal around 1 pm, followed by another rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade ground at 3 pm on the same day, Roy told reporters here. "The party is fully prepared to hold the two election rallies of Modi on the same day. It is a historical day for the BJP to organise such big meetings of the prime minister back-to-back," he said. Roy asserted that no other party has shown the "courage" to hold two such meetings on the same day. Senior BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh would also visit West Bengal for campaigning before the general elections next month.
Modi doesn't need the PM's chair, the chair needs him: Maurya (Interview)
Asserting that Narendra Modi remains the first choice for the post of Prime Minister, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that Modi does not need the chair, but it is the chair that needs him.
CAIT slams Rahul's statement on abolishing GST
Traders' body CAIT Sunday criticised Congress President Rahul Gandhi's statement of abolishing GST if voted to power, saying he does not have a blue print of any alternative tax structure. The attempt of Gandhi for seeking political mileage making traders a scapegoat is deeply regretted and vehemently opposed by CAIT, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said. He said Gandhi should not do any politics using shoulders of the traders else traders are capable to give a fitting reply in forthcoming elections. The CAIT secretary general said Gandhi is opposing the GST "whereas he does not have a blue print of any alternate tax structure". Khandelwal demanded Gandhi should speak out the plans and programmes thought by the Congress party for traders and added that there must be a blue print of alternative tax structure before abolishing GST. While addressing a traders' conference in New Delhi, he said the Congress has ruled the country for a long
14 Lok Sabha seats in MP which Congress failed to win in last 15 years
The 15-year power drought ended for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh last year but the state has 14 parliamentary constituencies which the party is yet to win in the last a decade and a half. On the contrary, there are only two Lok Sabha seats in the state which the BJP failed to win in the same period. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won 27 of the total 29 seats except for Guna and Chhindwara constituencies, which were retained by Congress stalwarts Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath, respectively. Scindia has been representing Guna in the Lok Sabha since 2002 and has been MP from the seat for four straight terms. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has been the Chhindwara MP for 10 times and has been winning the constituency since 1980, except for in 1997 when the senior Congress leader lost to former chief minister and BJP leader Sundar Lal Patwa in a bypoll. The saffron party has failed to wrest the two seats from the Congress in the last 15 years. The 14 Lok ...
BJP starts registrations for Mar 31 event where PM will address 'Mai Bhi Chowkidar' supporters
BJP on Sunday started registrations for its March 31 program during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address people who have pledged support for his 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, from 500 locations in the country.Earlier, in a unique outreach with about 25 lakh security via an audio conference, the Prime Minister had said the Opposition party's 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' campaign had insulted all the watchmen of the country as the task of the 'naamdaar' (dynast) is to spread hatred."I want to apologise as some people in last few months for their vested interests have run a disinformation campaign against 'chowkidars'. It is unfortunate that the language of these people has hurt you," Modi said.Modi had urged his supporters to take the 'main bhai chowkidar' (I too am watchman) pledge. A day after kick-starting the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, the Prime had renamed his Twitter account to "Chowkidar Narendra Modi".Following in his footsteps Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ...
Guj LS Poll: BSP upbeat, Mayawati to address rally on Apr 17
The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has not got much electoral success in Gujarat, is planning to contest all 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Party chief Mayawati will address a rally here on April 17 and functionaries in the state are upbeat that it would give front line parties like the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress a tough fight. All 26 Gujarat Lok Sabha seats, currently held by the BJP, will go to polls on April 23. In 2014, the BSP fielded candidates on 26 seats but all of them lost. In the 2017 Assembly polls, it fielded candidates in 138 out of 182 seats, but failed to open its account despite Mayawati addressing rallies in Vadodara and Rajkot. In 2017, the party managed to poll 2.02 lakh votes and garner a poll share of 0.6 per cent. "The BSP will fight all seats on its own. Mayawati ji will address a rally in Ahmedabad on April 17. We have a large support base in Gujarat and we had recently won the civic polls in Chhotaudepur as well as several district and .
C'garh LS poll: Cong aims to sweep tribal seats to halt BJP
Bolstered by its stellar showing in the tribal-dominated seats in the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, the Congress is planning an even more effective encore for the April-May Lok Sabha elections. Party leaders said the plan was to dislodge the BJP from all four tribal-dominated Lok Sabha seats, out of grasp of the Congress since 2000 when the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Three of these seats, namely Bastar, Raigarh and Surguja, will see sitting Congress MLAs contesting the Lok Sabha polls. Kanker is the fourth Scheduled Tribe reserved Lok Sabha seat in the state. The BJP, which received a massive drubbing in the 2018 Assembly polls, is facing an uphill task to replace its sitting MPs in these four seats. "The strategy to field sitting MLAs in Lok Sabha polls is purely based on the winnability factor of the respective candidates and their activeness in the region. Besides, ground level feedback indicates they will win," state Congress general secretary ...
Is Congress paying price of its dynastic character?: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Sunday took a dig at the Congress leadership saying that the dynastic parties succeed on the strength of some generations but sink with the others and wondered whether the grand old party was paying the cost of its dynastic character. Nowadays, the minister said, some generic statements being frequently heard from Congress leaders are "What can I do? He just doesn't listen; Wait for the 24thof May, our politics will begin thereafter; I feel like quitting; Our campaign planning is lagging behind. I am told Uncle Sam has come to take care of it; Let's prepare 2024". "They (the dynastic parties) succeed on the strength of some generations of the dynasty. They sink with the others," Jaitley said in his blog ahead of the seven-phase general elections beginning April 11. Dynastic parties have one major drawback, the minister said adding, "if the current generation of the party is competent, charismatic and enjoys popular confidence, the dynast can pull-off ...