Sachin Pilot

Pilot slams BJP's 'PoK pitch' as 'rhetoric'; ploy to divert attention

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday slammed as "election rhetoric" the BJP's recent 'PoK will be part of Jammu and Kashmir' pitch and asked what stopped it from taking steps to realise that goal when it had a full majority government for 10 years. The Congress general secretary, who has been campaigning extensively for the current round of assembly polls, also exuded confidence that the Congress may break all previous records to get a larger number of seats than ever before in Haryana. In an interview with PTI, Pilot said the Congress could get more than a two-thirds majority in Haryana and claimed the top BJP leadership was showing a lack of interest in campaigning, having sensed the reality on the ground. He said despite attempts by many forces to create a sense of confusion in the Kashmir Valley and in Jammu, the Congress-National Conference's collective campaign will ensure they form a government with a comfortable majority. Asked about Yogi Adityanath's remarks last week th

Sachin Pilot claims BJP tampering with Constitution, reservation policies

Congress leader and in-charge of Chhattisgarh Sachin Pilot on Sunday. criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged attempts to tamper with the Constitution and reservation policies. He also commented on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's recent statement about his resignation from the Chief Minister's post .Regarding Kejriwal's announcement that he will resign from his position in two days unless the public declares him 'honest,' Pilot said, "It is their (people of Delhi) decision whom they will announce as the Chief Minister. The Congress party is ready for every challenge... We will form the government in Haryana and J & K."Pilot also spoke about the BJP's handling of constitutional matters and reservation. He said, "Reservation is given to the people. I am surprised to see the history. After tampering with the constitution and reservation recently, who asked why 400 MPs were needed in the Lok Sabha, the public has answered that further attacks will not work. The

Sonia, Kharge pay homage to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on death anniversary

Other Congress leaders like P Chidambaram and Sachin Pilot also paid their respects to the former prime minister in the national capital

LS polls: The electoral litmus test for Rajasthan's CM Bhajan Lal Sharma

With opposition branding Sharma as 'Parchi CM', party stalwarts in the backseat. He has got lot to prove. With BJP sweeping last two elections, anything less than a perfect score would raise eyebrows

Sachin Pilot comes out in support of Ashok Gehlot's son ahead of LS polls

Having buried the hatchet with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot says moving on was in the best interest of the party and stressed he would "100 per cent" campaign for his senior colleague's son Vaibhav who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Jalore. In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, the Congress general secretary said a redux of the 2004 election when the party won the polls despite the India Shining campaign of the NDA is very much on the cards. "Repeat of 2004 is very much possible given the circumstances, given the unrest among most people. What you don't see in the media is the real sentiment on the ground. This politics of jumlas and overconfidence (by the BJP) has its limits," Pilot said earlier this week. Asked how he has been able to shake off his past differences with Gehlot and the former Rajasthan CM's 'nikamma-nakara' jibe at him in 2020, Pilot said, "I saw no advantage in replying in t

Main contest in North India will be between BJP, Congress: Sachin Pilot

On Rajasthan MP Rahul Kaswan jumping ship and joining the Congress ahead of elections, Pilot said it is a good thing that current BJP MPs have joined their party

Congress' CEC finalises about 40 more candidates for LS elections

Top Congress leadership on Monday discussed over 60 seats in five states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Assam and finalised the names of about 40 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Sources said the party has decided to field former chief minister Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath once again from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara and Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav from Jalore in Rajasthan. Speculation was rife about both Kamal Nath and his son Nakul switching over to the BJP ahead of the polls. Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot are unlikely to contest, with the former's son entering the poll fray and the latter having responsibility of Chhattisgarh as AICC general secretary, the sources added. The Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, met at the party headquarters to finalise candidates, days after the party released its first list of 39 candidates for the polls. Among the seats that were discussed at the meeting ..

ED being used for character assassination of Opposition leaders: Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday alleged the Centre was using probe agencies like ED for "character assassination" of opposition leaders and crushing their voices. He also attacked the government over unemployment in the country. "95 per cent of cases the ED has registered are against Opposition leaders but the conviction rate is just one per cent. This means the ED (Enforcement Directorate) is being used for character assassination and crushing the voice of Opposition," the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister told reporters. He said protests by farmers in north India underline the problem of policy and intention of the government. "Country's assets have gone into the hands of select people because of the policies of the government," Pilot added.

Switching sides won't impact INDIA; Mamata still part of alliance: Pilot

Amid some INDIA bloc constituents switching sides to the NDA, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the opposition alliance is "strong" and the BJP is attempting a "frantic rejig" of the political landscape as it is worried over the collective strength of the coalition. In an interview with PTI, Pilot also said West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is very much part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), and expressed confidence that a way forward will be found in seat-sharing talks with her party. He also said the BJP talking about 370 seats for itself and 400-plus for the NDA was more of "bravado and rhetoric" than a practical assessment on the ground. As the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra travels through Chhattisgarh, the AICC general secretary in-charge of the state dismissed suggestions that the yatra was adversely affecting the poll preparations of the party and asserted that talks for seat-sharing with allies were ..

2024 LS polls should be fought on people-centric issues: Sachin Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Saturday said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections should be fought on issues related to the people and that he has requested the party high-command to allow people with clean image to enter the fray. He said the opposition INDIA bloc wants to do engage in issue-based politics. "I want this election to be fought on issues. The problems people are facing in their everyday lives, a roadmap to resolve the problem. It should be discussed," he told reporters in Tonk. Pilot said the panel of candidates for 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state has been prepared in the recent party's screening committee meeting in Delhi. The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister also said the final decision on this will be taken by the central election committee of the party. "It is expected that a decision will be taken soon," he said. Pilot said he has requested the party that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, new people and those with clean image should be given a chance as this

Congress could have won Rajasthan polls with little more effort: Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday said his party could have won the Rajasthan Assembly polls if they had made some more efforts, adding that differences between him and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot had been ironed out and they did not impact the poll results. Speaking at the Lokmat National Conclave here, Pilot said the Congress gave a good fight in Rajasthan. However, he regretted that they did not win. "I felt in Rajasthan we had a very good chance. We made a lot of effort. But if we would have done a bit more, like changed the tickets... 17-18 out of 25 sitting ministers lost the election. If we would have picked different candidates, perhaps the performance would have been better," he said. Pilot, who was the deputy chief minister in Rajasthan and was removed from the post after a fallout with Gehlot, said he and the former chief minister have discussed the issues that were there, and they did not affect the election. Asked if Gehlot needs to be changed as a face fo

Highlights: PM to launch BJP's campaign for LS from MP's Jhabua on Feb 11

News updates: From CM Champai Soren's floor test in Jharkhand assembly to Iran leveraging UK bank account to covertly move money, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Cong to shortlist names of Chhattisgarh LS candidates in 10 days: Pilot

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) will shortlist names of candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh within 10 days, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said. Pilot, who is the Congress' Chhattisgarh in-charge, was speaking to reporters on Saturday after attending the party's state screening committee meeting for the Lok Sabha polls due in a few months. In the 2019 polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won nine of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while two went to the Congress. "Names of the candidates will be shortlisted by the AICC after a discussion within 10 days. The announcement of names will be done soon so that they get enough time for campaigning," Pilot said, adding that an elaborate discussion on the subject took place in the screening committee meeting. The Congress' vote share did not decline in the 2023 state assembly polls (compared to the 2018 elections), he claimed. The BJP won the Chhattisgarh assembly polls held last year by securing 54 s

Priyanka replaced as Cong in-charge of UP, Sachin Pilot gets Chhattisgarh

The Congress on Saturday appointed Sachin Pilot the general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh and Avinash Pande the general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, replacing Kumari Selja and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, respectively. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will now be a general secretary "without any assigned portfolio", according to a statement issued by the Congress. The appointments come two days after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), party's highest decision-making body, which was chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Pilot, a former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, replaces Kumari Selja, who has now been given the charge as general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand, the statement said. Congress leader GA Mir is the general secretary in-charge of Jharkhand with the additional charge of West Bengal, it said. Deepa Dasmunshi has been appointed the general secretary of Kerala and ...

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This action is inappropriate: Pilot hits out at BJP over suspension of MPs

A total of 143 MPs--97 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha--have been suspended so far for creating a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses

LIVE: Cong holds meeting to review party's performance in Assembly polls

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LIVE news: Revanth Reddy to take oath as Telangana CM on December 7

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Rajasthan Congress meeting to decide on Leader of Opposition in Assembly

Rajasthan Congress MLAs will be convening a meeting on Tuesday in Jaipur to analyse the party's performance in the state Assembly elections and choose a LoP

Assembly elections highlights: BJP sweeps north, Congress takes Telangana

Assembly election results highlights: Bharatiya Janata Party has won a majority in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Congress crossed the halfway mark in Telangana