Page 13 - Politics

Cong's poll body meets to finalise 1st list of candidates for LS elections

The top leadership of the Congress is attending a meeting in the national capital on Thursday to finalise the party's candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, as well as other senior leaders who are part of the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) were present at the meeting. Finalising candidates for Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur, among others, is expected to be discussed during the meeting. The Congress has not declared any candidate so far. Last week, the BJP came out with its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress sources said the party is likely to declare its first list of candidates soon to enable the candidates to start their poll campaign. Speculation is rife over Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's from Rae

LS polls: Cong to hold discussion on candidates for 10 States in CEC meet

According to sources, the states of Chattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur will be put for discussion

One person's different stand doesn't mean family has split: Supriya Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule has said if one member of a large family takes a different stand, it does not mean there is a split within the family. She also noted that BJP leaders these days do not talk about alleged corruption of her party. Sule, however, did not name Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle and Sule's father Sharad Pawar last year to join the Shiv Sena-BJP government. "Our family has around 120 to 125 members, including small kids, and in such a big family, if one person puts forth a different opinion, it does not signify a split," Sule told reporters in Pune on Wednesday. "Our family is united and it will remain united forever," the Lok Sabha member from Baramati said. Asked about Union minister Amit Shah's statement that Sharad Pawar wanted to make her chief minister, Sule said she was thankful to Shah for "freeing the NCP of corruption". "Whenever he used to come to Maharashtra, he used to refer to the NCP as 'naturally co

PM Modi hits out at TMC over Sandeshkhali incident, party retorts

PM accused the West Bengal government of using all its might to save the "oppressor of women", a reference to suspended Trinamool leader and Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan

Former US ambassador Nikki Haley ends presidential campaign: Report

Haley's decision to suspend her campaign comes a day after Super Tuesday, when Trump beat her soundly in 14 of the 15 Republican nominating contests

Pak elections this year were less fair than two previous polls: Report

A Pakistan independent organisation on Wednesday stated that the latest general elections were less fair than the two previous polls and demanded an independent probe into the allegation of electoral fraud. The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) issued a report detailing its assessment of the recently concluded general election, expressing deep concerns over a decline in fairness. Overall, the quality of General Election 2024 has scored 49% which is not only below 50% score but is also lower than the overall score of the past two elections 52% for GE-2018 and 57% for GE-2013 indicating greater concerns about the quality of the most recent General Election, PILDAT said in its report titled General Election 2024 Records Lowest Fairness Score Since 2013'. These overall scores, particularly the steady decline in them since 2013, are emblematic of the weakening of the democratic processes in general and electoral system in particular in Pakistan and

UP Cabinet expansion: NDA partners with SBSP, RLD gets representation

Four new ministers were inducted on Tuesday in the Council headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as NAD partners SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar and RLD's Anil Kumar were administered the oath of office alongside two BJP leaders. They were sworn in as ministers by Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in the presence of Adityanath. Apart from SBSP's Rajbhar and RLD's Kumar, Dara Singh Chauhan and Sunil Kumar Sharma from the BJP are the new entrants into the state Cabinet, in what is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to consolidate its position in several regions of the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. While Rajbhar represents the Zahoorabad assembly constituency of the Ghazipur district, Anil Kumar is an MLA from Purkazi (SC) in Muzaffarnagar. Sunil Kumar Sharma is the BJP MLA from Sahibabad assembly constituency in Ghaziabad district. Dara Singh Chauhan is a member of the UP Legislative Council. This is the first Cabinet expansion in Adityanath's

ED attaches Rs 12 cr worth assets of former TMC member Shajahan Sheikh

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached over a dozen properties worth Rs 12.78 crore of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh including bank deposits, an apartment, and agricultural and fishery land in Sandeshkhali and Kolkata in West Bengal. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach these assets, the agency said in a statement. A team of ED officials was attacked by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 when they went to raid Sheikh's house at Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The strongman allegedly has close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, who is being probed by the federal agency in a money laundering case linked to the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal. Sheikh was arrested on February 29 by the West Bengal Police in the ED attack case, 55 days after he went underground following the alleged assault on the ED team. The TM

Congress to give final shape to manifesto for LS polls, to focus on justice

The Congress is likely to wind up internal deliberations for giving final shape to the party manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and is likely to come up with some innovative measures like an apprenticeship scheme to deal with unemployment. The party's manifesto committee, which is headed by former finance minister P. Chidambaram and has senior leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, among others, is likely to wind up discussions on the manifesto on Tuesday. The key members of the panel met at the party headquarters on Tuesday afternoon and gave final shape to the document. The key members of the panel also met here on Monday. "The committee will hold the last round of talks before finalising the party manifesto today and will make its final recommendations," a sources said. The 50-page document will be presented before the party top leadership and then the Congress Working Committee for final approval. Among those who participated in the ...

Day after quitting Cong, Guj leaders join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

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. Modhwadia and Der 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 Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat. One of the senior-most and most influential opposition leaders in Gujarat, Modhwadia, 67, was associated with the Congress for nearly 40 years. He had also served as the leader of the opposition and as the state unit president. ...

Calcutta HC judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay says he will resign on Tuesday

Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, whose rulings on various education-related issues in the state stirred political debates, said he will resign on Tuesday. Justice Gangopadhyay declined to comment on whether he intends to enter politics, stating that he would address all media inquiries after submitting his resignation. "I will resign from the post of Justice of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday," he told reporters outside his residence here on Sunday. Justice Gangopadhyay said he will submit his resignation to the President of India in the first hour on Tuesday, with copies sent to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. He has issued several directives instructing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe allegations of irregularities in the recruitment processes of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools.

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