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Lok Sabha polls highlights: Congress finalises names of candidates for WB

Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest news: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to General Elections here

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Sonia Gandhi with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi at the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting for the selection of candidates for Rajasthan Assembly elections (Photo: ANI)

Sonia Gandhi with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi at the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting for the selection of candidates for Rajasthan Assembly elections (Photo: ANI)

In the CEC meeting, Congress finalised the names of candidates for 12 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal.

Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra today stated he has spoken to JD(S) leadership after consulting his party's high command. JD(S) had expressed its unhappiness over the seat sharing issue for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Pashupati Kumar Paras resigned as union minister a day after the BJP's seat-sharing deal with estranged nephew Chirag Paswan. The NDA dumped Pashupati Paras who heads one faction of the Lok Janshakti Party and has five MPs in the present Lok Sabha. In June 2021, Pashupati Paras, who is Ram Vilas Paswan's brother, had rebelled against the leadership of Chirag Paswan and with four other LJP MPs quit the party splitting it into two factions.

A day after the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) said that it has decided to  tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2024 General Elections, both the parties are set to have a seat-sharing talks in Tamil Nadu. News agency PTI reported that Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai and the PMK president will be meeting at PMK founder Ramadoss' house Tuesday morning for the seat-sharing agreement. PMK leaders are expected to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting at Salem, they added. The names of the candidates will be announced by PMK founder Ramadoss on Wednesday, the party's general secretary said. "PMK decided to ally with the BJP. Regarding constituencies and candidates, PMK founder Ramadoss will make an announcement the day after tomorrow," PMK General Secretary Vadivel Ravanan.

Alleging that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was working like a political wing of the BJP, the AAP said that the ED's charges against it and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding excise policy were "blatantly false and frivolous." The ED alleged in a statement on Monday that  Kavitha and some others "conspired" with top AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to get favours in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy by paying Rs 100 crore to the political party that rules Delhi. Kavitha was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from Hyderabad. "On earlier occasions too, ED has released such blatantly false and frivolous statements which show that instead of being a neutral investigative agency, it is working like a political wing of BJP," AAP said in a statement.

7:14 PM

In the CEC meeting, Congress finalised the names of candidates for 12 Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal

4:54 PM

MNS entry will strengthen 'Mahayuti', bolster its prospects in Maharashtra polls: Maha minister Bhujbal

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal today stated if Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) joins the BJP-led 'Mahayuti', it will increase the strength of the ruling alliance and bolster its chances in the state assembly and local body polls. The 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) consists of the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

 

4:53 PM

Congress distributing cookers to lure voters in Bangalore Rural LS segment: HD Kumaraswamy

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy today alleged that the Congress was distributing cookers to lure voters in Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment. He demanded deployment of paramilitary forces in the constituency to ensure fair election.
4:38 PM

Former CM Abdullah questions govt over non-conduct of J-K assembly polls together with LS elections

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah today asked if the Central government cannot hold assembly and Lok Sabha elections together in Jammu and Kashmir, how can it conduct simultaneous polls across the country. "When the CEC addressed a press conference, he said the ECI and all political parties are ready for polls, but the current administration (in J-K) put hurdles, saying they need more security forces," Abdullah stated.

4:26 PM

LIVE update: MCD removes over 60,000 posters and banners after code of conduct comes into force

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has removed a total of 60,587 posters, banners, hoardings and small boards from across its 12 zones in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in force for the 2024 General Elections. The civic body has taken down the highest number of posters 12,143 from its Shahadara North zone, followed by 11,680 from Shahadara South zone and 4,359 from South zone.

3:31 PM

Ex-Indian ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu joins BJP

Former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the BJP on Tuesday. Sandhu joined the party in the presence of its general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh. He could be fielded in the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar in Punjab
2:33 PM

Lok Sabha polls: Country fervently demanding change, says Congress chief Kharge at CWC meet

"The country is fervently demanding a change. The guarantees currently being touted by the present government would have the same fate as that of the 'India Shining' slogan of 2004," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said in his address at the CWC meet.
2:31 PM

BJP finalises seat-sharing deal with PMK in Tamil Nadu

The BJP today clinched a seat-sharing deal with the Dr S Ramadoss-headed Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the April 19 General Elections, allotting 10 seats to the regional party.
2:29 PM

News update: Jharkhand MLA Sita Soren, Shibu Soren's daughter-in-law, joins BJP

Legislator Sita Soren, the daughter-in-law of party president Shibu Soren, had earlier in the day resigned from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) saying that she has been “isolated by the party and family members”. 
1:40 PM

Seat-sharing arrangement issue with JD(S) will be resolved: State BJP chief BY Vijayendra

With JD(S) expressing its unhappiness over the seat sharing issue for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra today stated he has spoken to its leadership after consulting his party's high command.
12:58 PM

MNS chief Raj Thackeray arrives at Union Home minister Amit Shah's residence in Delhi

12:09 PM

News update: Sita Soren resigns from JMM membership

Sita Soren, legislator and sister-in-law of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, has resigned from the membership of JMM.
12:05 PM

'Ab jinka nahi ho raha hai voh batayein': Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary on seat-sharing in Bihar

 "NDA's seat-sharing had been done yesterday. 'Ab jinka nahi ho raha hai voh batayein'. BJP & NDA is ready to win all the seats in Bihar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," says Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary.
12:01 PM

Raj Thackeray going to Delhi is not surprising: NCP

"Raj Thackeray going to Delhi is not surprising because for a long time he was giving feelers about his closeness to the BJP. So I think going there he's only trying to save his party, probably save himself also because in the past also there has been an inquiry on him. Some agencies have been questioning him. So maybe those questions have cropped up again. If you see his party has dwindled in the state of Mumbai. So I think he must be trying to salvage whatever is left behind of his party and also trying to safeguard himself," says Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto.
11:49 AM

News update: RLJP chief Pashupati Kumar Paras resigns as union minister

Earlier, the NDA dumped Pashupati Paras, the estranged uncle of Chirag Paswan who controls a faction of the Lok Janshakti Party. In 2021, the 71-year-old  had split the LJP and was rewarded with a berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

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First Published: Mar 19 2024 | 9:33 AM IST

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