Page 18 - Politics

BJP fields 71% of its sitting MPs in list of 195 Lok Sabha candidates

Includes mix of veterans and new faces, drops underperformers

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP announces 1st list, PM to contest from Varanasi

The ruling BJP on Saturday announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union ministers in the first list of 195 candidates. The list also included two former ministers as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota in Rajasthan. Union ministers whose names have been announced by the BJP in the first list of candidates include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Mansukh Mandaviya, Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arjun Ram Meghwal, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Munda and Smriti Irani. Announcing the list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the party is confident that it would form the government for the third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a much bigger mandate. He also said the party has been working on further expanding its footprint across states and also to strengthen the ruling National Democratic Alliance. The list includes 28 women

Seat-sharing talks smooth, no stalemate, will be signed soon: DMK's allies

Denying any glitches in seat-sharing talks with the ruling DMK, the Congress unit in Tamil Nadu and another ally, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, on Saturday said that a seat-sharing pact would be signed soon, amidst a stalemate in discussions. The allies also indicated that the parleys with the Dravidian major have been smooth. "Who said they (DMK) are unwilling to allot seats to us? The talks with the DMK are smooth and friendly. We will soon finalise the numbers," TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai told reporters here. When asked to specify the number of seats offered to the grand old party, Selvaperunthagai shot back saying all the 40 Lok Sabha seats (including the lone Puducherry constituency) in Tamil Nadu were the Congress seats and the party would fight the upcoming poll in that spirit. Asked if the DMK declined to allot the specific number sought by the Congress, he said his party's high command was in touch with the DMK leadership and the numbers would be finalised ...

Congress will provide MSP to farmers 'legally', says Rahul Gandhi in MP

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party will provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers legally if it came to power at the Centre. He was speaking at a public meeting in Morena after his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' entered Madhya Pradesh from Rajasthan. The BJP government at the Centre has waived loans of Rs 16 lakh crore of ten to fifteen industrialists but it is denying (legally guaranteed) MSP to farmers, he alleged. Farmer organisations in Punjab and Haryana are currently agitating for legally guaranteed MSP for crops. Gandhi also claimed that 73 percent people of the country including Other Backward Classes, Dalits and tribals do not have any representation in the government and various other sectors, and a caste-based census will ensure justice to them. Such a census will ensure equal participation of these communities in various sectors, the Congress leader said. Earlier in the afternoon, MP Congress president Jitu Patwari welcomed Gandhi and senior leader

Family-oriented politics marginalised after NDA regained power in Bihar: PM

"This is the condition of the family-oriented parties. The public is not ready to support them," added the PM

I will remain with NDA forever: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar assures PM Modi

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would remain with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forever. Speaking on the occasion of unveiling function of the projects worth Rs 21,400 crore in Aurangabad district by Modi, Kumar said, I am confident that the NDA coalition will win more than 400 seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls. I assure the PM that now I will remain in NDA forever. Kumar dumped the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and returned to his old ally BJP last month. We welcome you (the PM) in Bihar. Lots of developments are taking place in Bihar. I am confident that now things will move faster and Bihar will reach new heights of development. People of Bihar will now feel economically more empowered, said Kumar.

Jayant Sinha becomes second BJP MP to opt out of 2024 general elections

BJP MP Jayant Sinha on Saturdday said he has requested the party president J P Nadda to relieve him from direct electoral duties, joining the list of party leaders not contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a post on social media platform X, the MP from Jharkhand's Hazaribagh said he will continue to work with the party on economic and governance issues. The BJP is said to be contemplating giving tickets to several new leaders and some other sitting MPs also are understood to have told the party that they would like to focus on other organisational work. Earlier in the day, BJP's East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir also said he said asked the party to relieve him from political duties so that he can focus on his upcoming cricket commitments. Sinha, a former union minister, said he wants to focus his efforts on "combating global climate change in Bharat and around the world". "I have had the privilege of serving the people of Bharat and Hazaribagh for the past ten years. Moreover

BJP flags off vans in Goa to collect inputs for Lok Sabha poll manifesto

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday flagged off two vans in North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats to gather inputs from people for its poll manifesto. The flagging off ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, among others. "The vans will travel across the state and collect inputs from people for drafting the Lok Sabha poll manifesto of the BJP. More than 50,000 suggestions are expected to be collected. The BJP has fulfilled all its promises in the manifestos for the 2014 and 2019 LS polls," Tanavade said. The BJP's manifesto will be a "people's manifesto" and everyone, especially the youth, must give suggestions, CM Sawant said on the occasion.

Himachal: Retelling an old tale

The BJP in Himachal has its own problems. But it is not a party that sits around twiddling its thumbs

BJP's manifesto on defence

From an arms importer, India now ranks among the top 25 arms-exporting nations. BJP's 2024 manifesto must include a coherent policy to increase defence exports

Himachal Speaker reserves order on Cong's plea to disqualify 6 rebel MLAs

Himachal Pradesh Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday reserved his order on a Congress petition seeking disqualification of six party MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election. The six MLAs also face the possibility of disqualification on another count. Speaking in the assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said a whip was issued to the party MLAs to be present in the House during voting Wednesday on budget. But these MLAs defied it by staying away, he added. The minister asked the Speaker to take note of it. The Speaker said the matter is in his knowledge and he will take cognisance of it. The MLAs had cross-voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan during the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, leading to the defeat of their party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The Congress has accused the six MLAs of defying the earlier whip on the Rajya Sabha polls. Senior advocate Satya Pal Jain, who represented the six MLAs before the Speaker on Wednesday, h

Pakistan EC holds open hearing of SIC's plea on reserved seats' allocation

Another 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for minorities, and are allotted to the winning parties based on proportional representation

INLD Haryana president Nafe Singh Rathee shot dead in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh

Unidentified assailants shot dead the Indian National Lok Dal's Haryana unit president Nafe Singh Rathee in Jhajjar district on Sunday, according to a senior party leader. Rathee, a former MLA, was travelling in an SUV when the assailants, who were in a car, attacked him in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh town. INLD leader Abhay Chautala told PTI that Rathee was shot dead in Jhajjar district. He accused the government of failing to provide Rathee with security despite their being threat to his life, and demanded the resignation of the chief minister and the home minister. Police said the investigation in the matter was underway.

Rishi Sunak warns of 'toxic' culture in UK politics amid threats to MPs

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned against a growing toxic culture in politics amid reports of members of Parliament facing security threats over their voting intentions in the House of Commons related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The 43-year-old British Indian leader issued a statement on Saturday to condemn the hijacking of protests on the streets of the country by extremists to glorify terrorism. It came as a report in The Sunday Times' newspaper claims that three unnamed female MPs have been sanctioned additional security after concerns about their safety. "The explosion in prejudice and antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on the 7 October [2023] are as unacceptable as they are un-British. Simply put antisemitism is racism," said Sunak in his statement. "Legitimate protests hijacked by extremists to promote and glorify terrorism, elected representatives verbally threatened and physically, violently targeted and antisemitic tropes beamed onto our own Parliament ...

Body of Russian Oppn leader Navalny handed over to his mother, says aide

The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, an aide to Navalny said Saturday. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked everyone who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalny's body to his mother. Earlier Saturday, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in a penal colony.

Pakistan court defers indictment of Imran, Bushra in graft case till Feb 27

A Pakistani accountability court has deferred the indictment of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a Rs 50 million corruption case till February 27, according to a media report on Saturday. The court on Friday deferred the indictment of Khan and Bushra in the Al-Qadir Trust case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to take up appeals against their conviction in Toshakhana and the Cipher cases on February 26, the Dawn newspaper reported. Judge Nasir Javed Rana was hearing the proceedings of the case in Rawalpindi's high-security Adiala Jail where Khan, the 71-year-old founder of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is incarcerated. Bushra Bibi, 49, is imprisoned at Khan's Bani Gala residence in Islamabad after an accountability court sentenced the couple to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case. The Al-Qadir Trust case pertains to the settlement of 190 million pounds, about Rs 50 billio

Public discourse was on corruption before 2014, Modi changed it: Minister

The public discourse before 2014 was regarding corruption whereas a major transformation has happened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership with the country emerging as the fifth largest economy in the world now, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala said on Saturday. Rupala, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said PM Modi's promise is to make the country the third largest economy in the world during his third term. "If you recall the atmosphere 10 years ago, before 2014, you will come to know that corruption was the only focal point in election time. There was nothing else," he told reporters. Rupala was here to attend the Telangana BJP's ongoing 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' for the coming Lok Sabha polls. "Everyday (before 2014), news of a scam surfaced... 2G, 3G, coal, or something else. There was nothing else for discussion. People were fed up," he claimed. Under Modi, there has been a major transformation and the country has now emerged as the fift

Bulldozers demolish homes of innocent while guilty flee: Priyanka slams BJP

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that bulldozers are used to demolish homes of "innocent people" while the "guilty" escape unscathed. Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday joined the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which resumed its journey from Moradabad after a two-day halt for the march's final leg in Uttar Pradesh. She will accompany her brother as the yatra passes through Amroha, Sambhal, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Agra, concluding at Fatehpur Sikri on Sunday, the Congress said. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to join the yatra in Agra on Sunday, a development that comes after the parties reached a seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls. "The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed from Moradabad. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present. As the yatra moved through Moradabad, people from different walks of life greeted them," Manish Hindvi, a spokesperson for the Congres

Maharashtra politics a mess with party lines blurring: Raj Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said the politics of the state had turned into a mess and it was time people brought about a change. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Kalyan as part of his statewide tour ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the MNS chief also said meeting leaders from other parties did not mean alliances were being struck. There was speculation recently of the MNS joining the National Democratic Alliance after Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar met Thackeray in the latter's Shivaji Park home. The current political scenario in the state was like "chikkal" (wet, slippery mud) with party lines blurring and people must ensure politicians are held accountable for their deeds, Thackeray said. He also questioned the reliability of electronic voting machines and said polls must be held through ballot papers. Speaking about the Maratha quota issue, the MNS leader said the focus now was on caste-based politics rather than issues like drought, unemploym

Nitish return backfired, BJP knows temple not enough to win Bihar: CPI(ML)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's move to return to the National Democratic Alliance has "backfired" and the BJP's keenness to get the JD(U) back shows they realised Ram temple was not enough to win the state, CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya has said. In an interview with PTI, he claimed that since an alternative agenda centred around poverty and livelihood issues was shaping up in Bihar with the Mahagathbandhan in power, the BJP got scared and pushed to break the alliance. The CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary also sought to downplay the impact of Ram temple consecration in Bihar's electoral politics, saying people saw that the event was "politicised". Bhattacharya claimed that people have been saying that if Lord Ram was enough to win the polls then the BJP would not have needed Nitish Kumar. "Obviously the BJP knows this is not enough." "Ram Mandir will awe people... But the same people devoted to Lord Ram didn't like the politicisation of Ram temple at all,