Page 7 - Bjp Mlas

LS polls: Two sides of same coin, says Congress on possible BJP-BJD tie-up

The Congress on Thursday said it has always been stating that the BJD and the BJP are two sides of the same coin and whatever opposition the two show to each other in Odisha is merely "shadow boxing". The Congress' assertion comes amid buzz over a tie-up between the BJP and the BJD for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "We've always been saying that the BJD and the BJP are two sides of the same coin. The BJD has always supported the BJP in Parliament and whatever opposition the two show to each other in the state is merely shadow boxing." "The cat appears to be emerging out of the bag!" he said. Although there was no formal announcement regarding a pre-poll alliance between the ruling BJD and the Opposition BJP in Odisha, leaders from both parties have hinted at a mutual tie-up before the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. While BJD leaders held a marathon meeting at Naveen Niwas, the residence of Chief Ministe

List for LS candidates in K'taka to be announced shortly: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Congress' list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state would be announced in two-three days and there is no "major controversy" with respect to their selection. He said the nominees will be finalised based on the opinion of the party's local leaders. "In two to three days Congress list may also get released. Tomorrow the central election committee is meeting. Karnataka candidates will also be finalised and announced in two to three days," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Karwar. "There is no major controversy. This time we are deciding on the basis of the opinion given by district in-charge Ministers, observers, MLAs, defeated candidates, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members, block committee presidents and district presidents," the Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar said in Hubballi the list would be finalised after Thursday's meeting in the ...

Delhi HC to pass order on plea by BJP MLAs against suspension today

The Delhi High Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday on petitions filed by seven BJP MLAs from the city challenging their indefinite suspension from the Legislative Assembly for interrupting Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's address at the start of the Budget session. Justice Subramonium Prasad reserved the order on the pleas on February 27 after hearing the counsel for the suspended legislators and the Assembly. The seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs -- Mohan Singh Bisht, Ajay Mahawar, O P Sharma, Abhay Verma, Anil Bajpai, Jitender Mahajan and Vijender Gupta -- moved the court last month challenging their suspension from the Assembly till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee. The pronouncement is scheduled to take place at 2:30 pm. The MLAs had contended that their suspension till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee was in violation of the applicable rules. The Assembly authorities had, on the other hand, assu

Day after quitting Cong, ex-MLA Modhwadia and Ambarish Der join BJP

Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party. The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others. State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves. The two leaders resigned on Monday expressing anguish over the party's decision to "boycott" Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January. Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit the Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. Days before Der and Modhwadia quit Congress, the party's Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the ruling BJP along with his son and a large number of supporters. Modhwadia, who represented the Porbandar ..

Pragya Thakur says BJP MLA running illegal liquor shop, demands his removal

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur has accused her party legislator Sudesh Rai was running a liquor shop illegally in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district and expressed concern over the safety of women and girls. She has also demanded Rai's removal from the MLA's post. When contacted, Rai told the mediapersons to themselves inquire into Thakur's allegations. Thakur, who has been denied renomination from Bhopal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, on Monday night said she was on a visit to areas under her constituency to launch development works when some girls came to her at Khajuria Kala and complained a liquor outlet was being run in front of their school. "The girls were sad and teary-eyed, they complained that people gather at the liquor shop, make comments on them. They told me they are not safe and anything can happen to them. Some women said people enter their houses after consuming liquor," the BJP leader added. She claimed a police sub-inspector who was present th

BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil writes to Fadnavis citing threats from allies

Maharashtra BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil has written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing some functionaries of "ally partners" in his home turf Indapur tehsil of Pune district of using foul language against him and threatening not to allow him to move freely in his former Assembly constituency. Patil is a former MLA from Indapur who was defeated by undivided NCP's candidate Datta Bharne in the 2019 state elections. Post-split in the Sharad Pawar-founded outfit, Bharne is now with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is an ally of the BJP in the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition in the state, 'Mahayuti'. "The Maha alliance (Mahayuti) government in Maharashtra is working properly under your guidance. However, I am being targeted in my own tehsil (Indapur) by functionaries of ally partners, who are making baseless remarks and using foul language against me in political congregations," claimed the former state minister in the letter posted on ...

BJP demands deployment of CAPF only in Bengal during Lok Sabha polls

The BJP, in its representation to the full bench of the Election Commission (EC), on Monday demanded that only central armed police forces (CAPF) be deployed in West Bengal to ensure free and fair Lok Sabha polls in the state. A three-member delegation of the party met EC officials here and said that area domination exercise and route march must be carried out based on central IB inputs. The saffron party also demanded that the route march by CAPF personnel must be supervised by police observers, and not by the local police due to a "partisan role" of the West Bengal Police. The saffron camp said that "only CAPF and no force from any other states be deployed" during the general elections, the date of which is yet to be announced. Leaders of the state unit of BJP demanded that only CAPF personnel be deployed within 200 metres of polling booths. There should be "no deployment of home guards, civic volunteers or green police even for monitoring queues in front of the polling stations

Shah to visit Maharashtra on March 5, hold BJP's election meeting, rallies

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Akola, Jalgaon and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra on March 5 to take part in election-related meetings and programmes organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, its state unit chief said on Saturday. Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April or May this year. Shah will chair a meeting of the BJP's election management committee and its core committee in Akola at 11 am on Tuesday to discuss the Lok Sabha constituencies of Chandrapur, Buldhana, Akola, Yavatmal, Wardha and Amravati, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. After Akola, Shah will visit Jalgaon, where he will address the 'Maha Yuva Sammelan', a youth convention, at 2 pm, he said. The former BJP chief will then address a public rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 6 pm, he added. A day before Shah's visit, BJP president J P Nadda will address the youth at 'Namo Yuva Sammelan' in Nagpur on March 4, he said. "Around one lakh youth from Maharashtra

Five-time MLA Arabinda Dhali resigns from BJD, says will join BJP

Five-time MLA Arabinda Dhali on Saturday resigned from the ruling BJD, and said that he would join the opposition BJP. Dhali, the MLA of Jayadev in Khordha district, said he has sent his resignation letter to BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik via e-mail. He, however, did not mention any reason for his resignation. Dhali was first elected to the assembly from the Malkangiri seat in a by-election in 1992 on a BJP ticket. He retained the seat for two consecutive terms. He then joined the BJD, and was elected to the assembly from Jayadev in 2009. He also won the 2019 election from the seat. He was the transport and corporation minister in Patnaik's government. Last month, expelled BJD MLAs Pradeep Panigrahy and Prashant Jagdev also joined the BJP. Former state minister Debasis Nayak of the BJD also switched sides recently. The assembly elections in the state are slated to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls.

MP Gautam Gambhir asks BJP chief Nadda to relieve him of political duties

BJP Lok Sabha MP Gautam Gambhir on Saturday requested party president J P Nadda to relieve him of political duties so that he can focus on his upcoming cricket commitments. The parliamentarian from East Delhi also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him an opportunity to serve the people. "I have requested Hon'ble party president J P Nadda ji to relieve me of my political duties so that I can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments. I sincerely thank Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi ji and Home Minister Amit Shah ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people. Jai Hind!," Gambhir said on X.

Gadkari sends legal notice to Kharge, Ramesh for sharing 'misleading' news

Union minister Nitin Gadkari sent legal notices to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday for allegedly sharing misleading and defamatory news contents about him on X. Gadkari's lawyer, Balendu Shekhar, said his client was shocked to know about, hear and see the contents and posts from the official handle of the Congress on the microblogging platform. Kharge and Ramesh deliberately posted a 19-second video clip of Gadkari's interview given to "The Lallantop" web portal, concealing the contextual intent and meaning of his words, the lawyer said. The notice said a sinister act has been committed with the sole intent and ulterior motive to fan and create confusion, sensation and disrepute to Gadkari in the eyes of public. It said it was also a futile endeavour to create rifts in the solidarity of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is poised to win the trust of people in the upcoming general election under the leadership of Prime Ministe

No alliance with BJD in Odisha, says BJP state chief Manmohan Samal

BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal on Friday said there would be no alliance with any political party, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Following his return from the national capital, where he attended the party's election management committee meeting, Samal told reporters that the BJP will field its candidates in all 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly constituencies in Odisha. "It is a rumour being spread by some unknown force. We have no plans for any alliance with the BJD," Samal said.

LPG cylinder may cost Rs 2,000 if BJP returns to power: WB CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that if the BJP returns to power at the Centre, the government would hike the price of cooking gas cylinder to Rs 2,000. The chief minister was addressing a gathering at a government programme here in Jhargram district. "If the BJP wins the elections, they may hike the price of a cooking gas cylinder to Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,000. Then again, we will have to go back to the old practice of collecting wood to light a fire," Banerjee said. She also gave an ultimatum to the BJP-led central government to complete building houses under the Awas Yojana by April-end, claiming that otherwise her government would start constructing them from May. On Tuesday, Banerjee had set a deadline of April 1 for the central government to complete building houses for the beneficiaries or else her government would build around 11 lakh houses for them. Referring to her government paying MGNREGA workers their due wages which were ...

PM chairs CEC meet in Delhi to finalise 1st list of candidates for LS polls

At the meeting, Party President JP Nadda along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and representatives and Chief Ministers of 16 states are present

BJP raises allegations of pro-Pakistan slogans in Karnataka Vidhana Soudha

Rajya Sabha member Syed Nasir Hussain has denied the allegations, clarifying that his supporters were chanting "Nazir saab zindabad" not "Pakistan zindabad"

Ram temple won't help polarise votes for BJP in LS polls: Ramakant Khalap

Congress leader and former Union minister Ramakant Khalap on Wednesday said the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya will not help in the polarisation of votes for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Talking to PTI, Khalap said the Congress is the oldest party and has acceptance across different sections of the people. It is "perfectly possible" for his party to win both the North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats in the coastal state, Khalap said, adding that he aspires to contest from the North Goa seat on Congress ticket. Though the Congress has only one MLA under the North Goa parliamentary constituency, the party has a huge following in the region, he claimed. The 76-year old leader had served as law minister in the central cabinet led by Deve Gowda. He had moved the women's reservation bill during his tenure as the Union law minister (in 1996-97). Khalap, who was earlier with the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP), is currently with the Congress. To a question perta

Himachal Assembly speaker suspends 15 BJP MLAs, adjourns House

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday suspended 15 BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, and adjourned the House. They were suspended for misbehaviour and shouting slogans in the House. "We are apprehensive that Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania might suspend the BJP MLAs so that the budget can be passed in the Vidhan Sabha," Thakur told reporters earlier in the morning. He said the Rajya Sabha election had made it clear that the Congress government was in minority and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The move comes a day after the BJP on Tuesday won the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi due to cross-voting by MLAs of the state's ruling Congress party.

After RS poll victory in UP, BJP says will win all 80 seats in LS elections

Buoyed by the victory of its all eight candidates in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP on Tuesday exuded confidence that it will win all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the elections due in April-May. Speaking to PTI Video, Sudhanshu Trivedi, one of the victorious candidates of the BJP, said, "It is a matter of immense happiness that all the eight candidates of the BJP have won. Definitely, this is an indication of the future. It will be 80 out of 80 (Lok Sabha seats) in UP, and 400-plus for NDA (National Democratic Alliance) nationally." To a question on some SP MLAs siding with the BJP, he said, "The SP should itself think about why such a situation has emerged." He said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav talks about "PDA" -- "pichhda" (backward classes), Dalit and "alpsankhyak" minorities -- but fielded "FDA" candidates -- filmstar, dynast and "afsar" (bureaucrat). Another victorious candidate of the BJP, former Union minister R P N Singh, also exuded ...

HC reserves order on BJP MLAs' pleas against suspension from Delhi Assembly

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the pleas by seven BJP MLAs challenging their indefinite suspension from the legislative assembly for interrupting Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's address at the start of the budget session. Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the parties to file short written submissions, if any, within two days. The court was hearing petitions by the BJP MLAs -- Mohan Singh Bisht, Ajay Mahawar, O P Sharma, Abhay Verma, Anil Bajpai, Jitender Mahajan and Vijender Gupta -- challenging their indefinite suspension from the assembly till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee. Earlier, the court had asked the privileges committee of the Delhi Assembly to hold off its proceedings against the suspended MLAs in view of the pendency of the matter before it. The MLAs, represented through senior advocate Jayant Mehta, had contended their suspension till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee was in ...

No cross-voting will be done: BJP hopeful to win Himachal Pradesh RS polls

Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, will be held today