Page 5 - Bjp Mlas

Women candidates of BJP, Cong heat up LS poll campaign in Guj's Banaskantha

Banaskantha is the only Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat where both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress have fielded women candidates. Two-term MLA Geniben Thakor of the Congress will take on BJP's Rekha Chaudhary, an engineering professor making her poll debut, in the upcoming parliamentary polls. Thakor defeated the then Gujarat minister and senior BJP leader Shankar Chaudhary in the 2017 assembly polls and Swarupji Thakor of the saffron party in 2022. Known for advocacy of women's rights, Thakor had in 2020 said "rapists must be burnt alive rather than being handed over to police," after the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Gujarat. She was one of the 17 Congress candidates who managed to bag seats in the 2022 Gujarat assembly polls, which were won by the BJP with a record mandate. Rekha Chaudhary's grandfather Galbabhai Chaudhary founded the Banas Dairy, which procures milk from 4.5 lakh farmers every day, an initiative which has ope

BJP's Locket Chatterjee accuses TMC supporters of accosting her vehicle

BJP's Hooghly Lok Sabha seat candidate Locket Chatterjee on Saturday accused Trinamool Congress supporters of accosting her vehicle. The TMC denied having any role in the incident, claiming that common people were protesting her alleged absence from the constituency, from where she is contesting to win for the second consecutive term. The incident took place at Bansberia in Hooghly district, where she went to attend a religious ceremony. "Suddenly, some outsiders attacked the vehicle, common people were not there. I could come out of there with the help of my security personnel," she said. Dismissing her allegations, a local TMC leader said, "Common people were protesting her absence from the constituency. The TMC does not have anything to do with the incident.

Poll officials remove banners put up by Patidar body in support of Rupala

Several banners put up by a Patidar outfit backing Union minister and BJP candidate for Rajkot Lok Sabha seat Parshottam Rupala were removed by poll officials in Gujarat's Rajkot city on Friday, citing the model code of conduct. The banners emerged on Thursday amid a row over alleged offensive remarks made by Rupala that have angered the Rajput community, also known as Kshatriyas. Though Rupala, a Patidar, has already apologised, the Kshatriya community has threatened to launch a nationwide stir ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and vote against the BJP if he is not replaced as the candidate. The banners had a photo of Rupala hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the message: I am with Hindutva, I am with BJP, I am with Narendra Modi, I am with Parshottam Rupala. Members of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had put these banners in the Ambika Township area of the city on Thursday night, said local PAAS convener, Meet Bavaria. We had put up the banners in support of Rupala Since

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress set to contest fewest seats since 1951

The decrease in the number of candidates was mainly because of the party conceding seats to its allies

Sonia Gandhi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, 12 others sworn in as RS members: Checklist

Sonia Gandhi took oath as a member of the Upper House from Rajasthan, and Vaishnaw was sworn in as a member of the same house from Odisha

Centre extends security to ex-judge Gangopadhyay, ex-TMC MP Arjun Singh

Gangopadhyay has been granted security under the 'Y+' category, while Arjun Singh has been given security under the 'Z' category

Sandeshkhali violence: TMC accuses BJP of misusing central probe agencies

The BJP and TMC on Tuesday engaged in a verbal duel over arrested TMC leader and Sandeshkhali strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, with the saffron party leveling accusations of human trafficking and drug peddling against Sheikh, and the TMC alleging a conspiracy by the BJP of misusing central agencies against the party. At a press conference, BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay claimed that Sheikh was involved in trafficking drugs from Afghanistan and humans from Myanmar and Bangladesh, with significant financial transactions linked to these activities. Sheikh, suspended by the TMC, was arrested by the state police on February 29. He and his associates are accused of land-grabbing and sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali. Chattopadhyay alleged that Sheikh had connections with several high-ranking TMC leaders, including ministers, and had never faced consequences for his actions until now. "From illegally carving out bheries (private fisheries) to trafficking of human and drug

LS polls: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan alleges 'BJP touch' in Cong actions

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged on Tuesday that the actions of the Congress bore a distinct 'BJP touch,' which became particularly evident in the unfolding details of the electoral bond scam. Addressing an election meeting organised by the CPI(M)-led LDF at Perinthalmanna in this district, Vijayan, a veteran Marxist leader, described the electoral bond allegations as a "mega scam" and alleged that the BJP played a key role in it. "The Electoral Bond is a mega scam that unfolded under the watch of the BJP government at the Centre. Initiated by the BJP, the party amassed Rs 8,251 crores through such bonds. However, the BJP cannot be solely blamed; Congress is also complicit, having secured Rs 1,951 crore," the CPI(M) leader said, continuing his attack against his party's INDIA bloc partner. In his speech, Vijayan outlined the communist parties' stance on the electoral bond issue, crediting the legal battle spearheaded by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at the .

Advised to join BJP or be prepared to be arrested in a month, claims Atishi

Senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Tuesday claimed a person close to her said that she should join the BJP or be prepared to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate within a month. At a press conference here, Atishi claimed that besides herself, three Aam Aadmi Party leaders -- Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Durgesh Pathak and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha -- would also be arrested. The Delhi minister claimed that she was told that in the coming days, the ED would conduct raids at her residence and that of her relatives. The BJP has been rattled by the success of the INDIA bloc's Ramlila Maidan rally on Sunday and has realised that sending Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to jail would not lead to the disintegration of the AAP, she asserted. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested on March 21 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy of his government, was on Monday sent to judicial custody till Apr

Pashupati Paras calls on Nadda, says will 'support NDA' in LS polls

As part of the deal the NDA clinched with Chirag earlier, his party is to contest five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar

LS polls: Congress targets PM Modi on issue of development in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government has "failed" to make any meaningful improvements in Uttarakhand, claiming the state has been plagued by rampant unemployment, unprecedented out-migration, crumbling infrastructure, and a deteriorating law and order situation in recent years. The opposition party's attack came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Uttarakhand. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that PM Modi is visiting the city of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. "We hope that the PM will take this opportunity to address three key questions about why his government has failed to make any meaningful improvements in the state," Ramesh said and listed the questions on X. "The BJP government has been disappointingly ineffective in addressing Uttarakhand's biggest challenges of unemployment and migration. In 2021, an RTI revealed that 5 lakh people have migrated out of the state in the last 10 years - and the rate of migration is only increasing,"

Congress mayor from Kamal Nath's home turf Chhindwara joins BJP

In another setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, its leader and Chhindwara mayor joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Monday morning. Vikram Ahake, the mayor of Chhindwara, joined the BJP in the presence of MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state party chief VD Sharma in state capital Bhopal. Last week, Kamlesh Shah, the Congress legislator from Amarwada in Chhindwara district and a close associate of party stalwart Kamal Nath, had joined the BJP. Chhindwara, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 19, is the home district of former state CM Nath. Nakul Nath, the lone Congress winner in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, has filed his nomination papers from Chhindwara, which his father Kamal Nath has represented for nine terms in Parliament. The BJP has fielded Vivek Bunty Sahu from this seat. Kamal Nath is currently the MLA from the Chhindwara assembly seat. His wife Alka Nath was elected from the Chhindwara Lok

India needs to become economically self-reliant in next 10 years: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India needs to become economically self-reliant in the next 10 years so that the nation is not impacted much by global factors. Speaking on the 90th anniversary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Prime Minister also said a lot of work will be generated for everyone once the BJP-led NDA assumes office for the third term in June. "We have to increase India's economic self-reliance," he said. Modi said the banking sector has become profitable and credit growth has been increasing because of efforts taken by his government and the RBI in the last decade. He further said the gross NPAs of public sector banks, which was around 11.25 per cent in 2018, dropped to less than 3 per cent by September 2023. The "twin-balance sheet" problem is now a thing of the past, Modi said, adding that banks are now registering a credit growth of 15 per cent. The RBI has played a significant role in all these accomplishments, the Prime Minister added.

LS polls: FIR against Dhanbad's BJP nominee for threatening ex-party leader

An FIR was lodged against BJP nominee for Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency and Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato for allegedly threatening the district president of Marwai Sammelan Krishna Agarwal for opposing his candidature, police said. Barbadda police station officer-in-charge Sunil Kumar Ravi told media persons on Sunday that on the basis of the complaint of Agarwal, an FIR has been lodged against Dulu Mahto and Prince Khan under sections 387(extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 109 (abetment) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Agarwal, a former BJP leader, in his complaint stated that Khan, an alleged extortionist, through an audio clip had threatened him not to protest the candidature of Mahato. The Marwari Sammelan president in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police also expressed apprehension that on the directive of Mahto, Khan and his henchmen might attack him and his family members. On Friday, Agrawal and Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy held a .

BJP unveils campaigners list for Lok Sabha polls, bye-elections in Tripura

The upcoming general polls are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26

Lok Sabha polls: BJP will win all 25 seats in Rajasthan, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday exuded confidence that the BJP will win all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan and the margin of victory will be much more than the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the country towards all-inclusive development. While speaking at a meeting with the representatives of various social organisations at a hotel here, Shah said the entire opposition is uniting to remove Prime Minister Modi, while on the other hand, PM Modi has only one slogan -- "development of the nation". "After independence, the Congress has worked to divide society. It has created four sores of corruption, casteism, nepotism and terrorism whereas PM Modi has freed the country from all these," he was quoted as saying in a statement from the BJP. Shah highlighted the consecration at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370, 33 per cent reservation for women and law on triple talaq as achievements of the Modi ...

Lok Sabha polls: DMK forces rival AIADMK to target BJP in Tamil Nadu

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami's soft approach towards the BJP seems to have given the edge to DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in making it a poll issue. Stalin's double barreled gun aims shots at both the AIADMK and the BJP, often provoking Palaniswami to become a vocal critic of the BJP. The narratives set by these two parties have narrowed down the poll battle between them and almost eclipsed the election campaign of other players such as the Congress, the left parties, Seeman's Naam Tamilar Katchi, though BJP state chief K Annamalai fires sharp barbs at the DMK. Palaniswami's argument that the need to criticise the BJP doesn't arise as the AIADMK parted ways with the saffron party does not hold water with the ruling dispensation. Faced by constant criticism, Palaniswami, who in the past has not been harsh in criticising his erstwhile colleague and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, is forced to respond. Nor has he been critical of V K

BJP fields BJD turncoat Bhartruhari Mahtab from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat

The BJP on Saturday nominated Bhartruhari Mahtab from the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat from where he was elected on a BJD ticket five years ago but joined the saffron camp this month. The saffron party also fielded Rabindra Narayan Behera, a former director of the National Informatics Centre, from Jajpur, a reserved seat for scheduled caste, while Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, associated with the Sangh Parivar for a long time, got a BJP ticket for the Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency. We are expecting a very good result in Odisha. A wave of change is seen in the state in favour of the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good work will be instrumental for the victory of our candidates in the state, Mahtab said after getting the BJP ticket. Mahtab, a six-time MP, had on March 22 resigned from the BJD and joined the BJP on Thursday. Panigrahi has been fielded from Kandhamal after Kharabela Swain, the BJP's candidate in 2019, refused to contest from the same seat. Swain was interested in the ...

LS polls: BJP president Nadda appoints CR Kesavan as national spokesperson

Lok Sabha elections will be held across seven phases beginning April 19. The counting of votes will take place on June 4

PM Modi to kick start Lok Sabha polls campaign in UP from Meerut on Mar 31

Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases