Category: Politics

Amit Shah addressed back-to-back election rallies in Odisha ahead of the third phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls on May 25.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday suggested that Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is 77 years old, should retire due to his “advanced age and health issues”. It prompted Congress veteran P Chidambaram to take a swipe at the home minister, asking if he was hinting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is 73 years and seven months old.

Amit Shah was addressing back-to-back election rallies in Odisha ahead of the third phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha on May 25. Amit Shah said the ongoing polls are to make Narendra Modi the prime minister for the third term and restore Odisha’s glory, which has been “destroyed” by the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government.

Promising that the Bharatiya Janata Party will make a young Odia-speaking ‘bhumiputra’ the CM if the party is voted to power in the state, Amit Shah said, “Naveen babu is not keeping well, as a result of which 1.5 lakh government vacancies are not being filled up. If we form the government, we will make appointments to these posts.”

Reacting to the home minister’s speech, former Union minister Chidambaram on Wednesday posted on X, “When Mr Amit Shah said that Mr Naveen Patnaik should retire because of ‘advanced age’ (77 years) was he throwing a hint to Mr Narendra Modi (73 years, 7 months) — in case the BJP formed the government?”

“It seems that Mr Amit Shah will be the happiest person if the BJP did not form the government and he, not Mr Modi, will sit as the Leader of the Opposition!” Chidambaram added.

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When Mr Amit Shah said that Mr Naveen Patnaik should retire because of “advanced age” (77 years) was he throwing a hint to Mr Narendra Modi (73 years, 7 months) — in case the BJP formed the government?

It seems that Mr Amit Shah will be the happiest person if the BJP did not…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 22, 2024

Chidambaram’s swipe at Amit Shah apparently stemmed from Delhi chief minister Kejriwal’s repeated claims that Modi would retire from politics once he attains 75 years of age in 2025, in accordance with the saffron party’s rules. Arvind Kejriwal has also claimed that the prime minister is seeking votes for Amit Shah as his successor.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amit-shah-advises-naveen-patnaik-to-retire-congress-says-hinting-at-pm-narendra-modi-101716349231719.html

LS polls: Ghazipur landfill, parking major issues in East Delhi constituency, say voters

New Delhi, Inadequate parking space, unauthorised colonies and Ghazipur landfill are among the key issues for residents of the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency which may play a role in deciding the fate of the candidates in the polls.

Crime in some of the areas is also a concern for the voters in the constituency.

BJP’s Harsh Malhotra and A and INDIA bloc candidate Kuldeep Kumar are in a direct contest in the constituency, which has 21,20,584 voters.

Vimal Singh, a resident of Kondli, said that parking and water are key issues which the people of the area are facing.

“Parking is a main problem of the area. We do not have a proper parking space here. Water supply also gets affected in the area on a regular basis. Besides, our area does not have clean parks where kids can play.

“During monsoon, the roads get filled with water creating troubles for commuters. Heavy traffic near Kalyanpuri is also an issue where commuters get stuck during peak hours,” Singh said.

Suraj Kumar, a resident of Ghazipur, said that they want their MP to work for giving them relief from the smell and pollution caused due to the landfill site.

“We want relief from this landfill. The foul smell continuously emanating from the site is irritating. The supplied water also stinks several times. The smell and pollution increase due to the nearby meat markets,” Kumar stated.

The East Delhi constituency has big marketplaces like Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, and Krishna Nagar, as well as residential areas such as Vivek Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Mandawali, Surajmal Vihar, Preet Vihar, and Trilokpuri.

Federation of Lajpat Nagar Traders’ Association general secretary Kuldeep Kumar said that the lack of basic facilities is a major concern for shoppers in the market.

“A number of women come from different parts of the city and also from neighbouring towns for shopping. The market does not have clean washrooms for them. The electricity wires are hanging.

“This area was earlier part of the New Delhi constituency. However, it has now become part of the East Delhi constituency. We demand that our marketplace should be shifted to the New Delhi constituency again,” Kumar said.

The seat saw a three-way fight in 2019 polls when Gautam Gambhir was fielded by the BJP, Arvinder Singh Lovely by the Congress, and Atishi by the Aam Aadmi Party . Gambhir won the seat by getting over 55 per cent votes.

In 2014, BJP’s Maheish Girri became the MP from the seat, while A’s Rajmohan Gandhi was the runners up and former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit’s son Sandeep Dixit was at the third position.

While pollution is a problem for the Anand Vihar and Ghazipur areas, the residents of Kalyanpuri, Trilokpuri, and Mandawali areas are more concerned about crime.

Mayur Vihar resident Rohini Kaul said, “The maintenance of parks in the area should be done in a regular manner. The drains are also not covered well here.”

The constituency also has some unauthorised colonies. Residents of such colonies said that everyone talks about getting their colonies regularised, but nobody works for the betterment of such settlements.

“We want basic amenities, including water and clean streets. The issues of slum dwellers always remain on top priorities for the politicians during the polls. However, nobody works for us after winning the elections,” Mohammad Asad, a resident of an unauthorised colony, said.

In his priorities, INDIA bloc candidate Kuldeep Kumar has listed out the issues of law and order, freeing encroached land and working to remove the Ghazipur landfill site with more vigour.

“There is the North Campus and the South Campus of Delhi University but no East Campus. Getting an East Campus will be his prominent demand. Working to get better connectivity through Metro will be another priority,” he had said earlier.

BJP candidate Harsh Malhotra recently told PTI that a mega hospital on the lines of AIIMS in the trans-Yamuna area and flats to slum dwellers will be among his priorities, if he wins the elections.

“We will try to build a central government’s hospital on the lines of Safdarjung or AIIMS in east Delhi as private hospitals are very expensive and everyone cannot afford it. I think this is very important.

“My aim would be to provide flats to the people living in slums under the Prime Minister’s ‘jahan jhuggi wahan makan’ scheme. With this scheme, they would get better homes, roads, and drinking water for a better life,” Malhotra, a former EDMC mayor, had said.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ls-polls-ghazipur-landfill-parking-major-issues-in-east-delhi-constituency-say-voters-101716354157339.html 

With the Lok Sabha Election now in the penultimate phase, a controversy of sorts has erupted involving Mamata Banerjee and the Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS), after the West Bengal chief minister has alleged that some of the monks were working for the BJP.

In the last three days, Banerjee again targeted a prominent monk of the BSS and blamed him for the riots at Beldanga in Murshidabad during Ram Navami processions last month.

Banerjee later clarified on Monday at a public rally in Bishnupur constituency in Bankura district, “I am not against Ramakrishna Mission. Why should I be against an institution and show disrespect? Even I paid a visit to Maharaj (former head of the RKM) when he was ill. I have only talked about one or two people. Bharat Sevashram Sangha does great philanthropic work for the people and they also love me. I only mentioned one name and he is Kartik Maharaj. He did not allow our agents in polling booths. Two days before the election in Murshidabad, he incited a riot in the district. That’s why I took his name,” as quoted by The Indian Express.

Swami Pradiptananda, also known as Kartik Maharaj, the head of BSS’ Beldanga unit, has sent a legal notice to the Trinamool Congress supremo, seeking an unconditional apology within 48 hours.

“…call upon you [Banerjee] to forthwith address the press and issue an unconditional apology and retract your virulent and malafide statement within 48 hours from receipt of the instant notice and cease and desist from making further similar statements against my client defaming and maligning my client,” Pradiptananda’s counsel Billwadal Bhattacharyya said in the notice, as mentioned by Hindustan Times.

Pradiptananda told media, “In my legal notice, I stated that the CM’s false accusations have caused reactions among monks and devotees. (In the notice, I asked her to) provide proof for the allegations she made. Otherwise, she should issue an unconditional apology.” He claimed Banerjee’s comments were highly libellous and demanded a reply within four days, failing which he would take legal action.

BSS, however, has distanced itself from the remarks made by Swami Pradiptananda. Swami Biswatmananda, principal secretary of BSS headquarters, said as quoted by The Times of India, “The order respects Banerjee for the work she does for the poor.” Pradiptananda’s statements were made in his personal capacity and were “not endorsed” by BSS. “This should not have been said. It is unfortunate. No permission was sought from us (BSS headquarters). We will inquire into it,” he said.

WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?

During his protest, Pradiptananda said, “All parties have cordial relations with me. Even TMC leaders have come to meet me. So did Congress and BJP leaders. In Beldanga, a section of people considers me to be their guardian. There is no politics in it.”

He criticised Banerjee for not addressing a communally divisive statement made by her party MLA Humayun Kabir. “I have the right to protect my religion,” he added.

At a rally on Saturday in Hooghly’s Jayrambati, the birthplace of Sarada Devi, wife of Sri Ramakrishna, Mamata had referred to Kartik Maharaj, and said “I do not consider him a monk as he is directly involved in politics and is ruining the country. I used to respect the Bharat Sevashram Sangha a lot”.

Banerjee also accused some members of the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) working for the BJP. She went on to say members of the Ramakrishna Mission got their “instructions from Delhi”. “Some monks of the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi,” Banerjee said as quoted by The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused Banerjee of “bad-mouthing” and “threatening” ISKCON, RKM, and BSS to protect Muslims and infiltrators, calling them TMC’s vote bank.

“…the chief minister is bad-mouthing our great organisations and maligning them under pressure from hardcore Muslim outfits to secure votes. TMC is insulting Bengal’s heritage and culture. They repeatedly use vulgar words against Ram Mandir [in Ayodhya]. Would not you reply to TMC’s appeasement politics with your votes,” Modi said at a rally in Bankura.

ABOUT RAMKRISHNA MISSION

While the Ramakrishna Mission was established in 1897 by Swami Vivekananda, who has been adopted by the RSS as one of its icons, the Sevashram Sangha was founded in 1917 by monk Pranabananda Maharaj and is best known for providing humanitarian relief across the country during natural calamities.

Although Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are legally and financially separate, they are closely inter-related in several other ways and are to be regarded as twin organisations. Their headquarters is called Belur Math, located in Belur, West Bengal.

With the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh and across the country nearing their final stages, the battle between parties and contestants is growing fiercer. At a time like this, the seemingly changed political stances of two strongmen of UP politics assume importance, especially when it comes to Pratapgarh and Jaunpur, two Lok Sabha seats that will have voting in the sixth phase of the polls on May 25. However, some analysts call it “Thakur politics” more than anything else.

Ahead of the fifth phase of the polls held on May 20, the announcement by Kunda MLA and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) chief Raghuraj Pratap Singh, popularly known as Raja Bhaiya, of maintaining a neutral stance stirred up the state’s political landscape. Advising his supporters to vote as they saw fit, Singh refrained from endorsing any specific candidate or party, a surprising move given his recent meeting with union home minister Amit Shah in Bengaluru, which had led to speculation about his potential support for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Singh’s absence from Shah’s stage during the Kunda rally and his non-commitment to the BJP were unexpected, say observers.

The Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) has not fielded any candidates in the Lok Sabha elections, yet Raghuraj Pratap Singh’s influence, particularly in Pratapgarh where polling will take place on May 25, remains significant. The prominent Thakur leader of Poorvanchal has been continuously elected as MLA from the Kunda seat since 1993, underscoring his deep-rooted sway and the necessity for any political party to consider his position and following in the region.

Singh in fact launched a scathing attack on union minister Anupriya Patel over her last week’s “Raja-Rani” remark, stating that it’s Jan Sevaks (public servants) and not Rajas (kings) who are born from electronic voting machines (EVMs).

“Kings and queens have ceased to be born. Na raja rahe, na rajwade rahe; desh ko azad huye 70 saal se upar ho gaye. EVMs produce public servants who represent people for five-year terms, after which the public decides whether the representative has to be given another chance or not by pressing the EVM button,” said Raghuraj Pratap Singh.

His statement came after Apna Dal (Soneylal) national president Anupriya Patel on Saturday, without taking any name, targeted Singh for his decision to stay neutral in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

During a public rally in Pratapgarh’s Kunda, which falls under the Kaushambi parliamentary constituency, Patel said that this was a golden opportunity to break the illusion of self-proclaimed kings “who think that Kunda is their fiefdom”. “In a free country, only the voter is all-powerful. The task of making kings and paupers is in the hands of voters,” she had said while campaigning for the BJP’s Kaushambi candidate Vinod Sonkar at Manikpur Military Bagh area.

On the other hand, former MP and strongman politician Dhananjay Singh’s wife Shrikala Reddy Singh recently met union minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, which fueled speculation about her joining the BJP. Dhananjay Singh, influential in Jaunpur, has already publicly declared his support for the BJP. Initially, Shrikala Reddy Singh was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party as its candidate for the Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency against the BJP’s Kripashankar Singh. However, the BSP replaced her with incumbent MP Shyam Prasad Yadav on the last day of filing nominations, creating ripples in the electoral dynamics.

Source: https://www.news18.com/elections/ups-strongmen-netas-and-their-thakur-politics-power-up-final-phases-of-lok-sabha-polls-8899627.html

Mr Patra, the BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, landed in a row in Odisha on Monday after he told a local news channel that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He later described it as a “slip of the tongue.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra, who was in the soup for his ‘controversial’ remarks relating to Lord Jagannath, cleared the air around his statement, saying that he was apologetic for his ‘slip of the tongue’, and that he would offer penance in the name of Lord Jagannath as an apology.
Mr Patra, the BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, landed in a row in Odisha on Monday after he told a local news channel that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He later described it as a “slip of the tongue.”

Speaking to ANI about the remark Monday night, Mr Patra said, “Today one of my statements has become controversial. It was when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow came to an end in Puri and I was giving out bytes to several media channels.”

“I had given out bytes to almost 15-16 channels wherein I was repeating that Prime Minister Modi is an ardent devotee of Maha Prabhu Jagannath Ji. Even as the Chief Minister of Ahmedabad and even before that, PM Modi used to regularly visit and offer prayers at Lord Jagannath temple there in Ahmedabad,” Mr Patra said.

Adding further, Mr Patra said, “I was repeating the same to every channel when a media person came to me for a byte. It so happened that amid a lot of people, hot weather, and noise, I unknowingly said just the opposite of what I had been saying all along. I mistakenly said that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi.”

“This is not possible; no person in his right mind can say that God is a devotee of any human being. The mistake happened unknowingly while giving out bytes to a channel. I agree that the sentiments of some people have been hurt due to my statement, but even the lord forgives a person for committing a mistake unknowingly,” said Mr Patra.

He further clarified, “It was never my intention to commit this mistake, but still because Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and I am an ardent devotee just like the hundreds and thousands of Odias, I feel I should convey my apology and offer penance to the Lord for a ‘slip of the tongue’ that occurred unknowingly.”

“Hence, I have decided to observe fasting as an apology,” said Mr Patra.

BJP candidate Sambit Patra inadvertently kicked off a row on Monday after he mistakenly said that “Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of PM Modi.”

“Lakhs of people have gathered to see Modi. Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Modi, and we are Modi’s family. This is an unusual sight, and I am not able to control my emotions. I think it is a historic day for all Odias,” Mr Patra said.

He made the remark while speaking to reporters during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election and the second phase of the Odisha Assembly election.

Mr Patra’s accidental remark drew sharp criticism from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who called it an ‘insult’ to the Lord.

“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Mr Patnaik wrote in a post on the microblogging site X.

The Lord is the greatest symbol of Odia Asmita, Mr Patnaik added.

“I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate, and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this, you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by the people of Odisha for a very long time,” the chief minister wrote.

In his clarification addressed to Naveen Patnaik, Mr Patra said, “Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue ..we all have “slip of the tongue sometimes”.. Thanks and Pranam!”

Congress also attacked Mr Patra for his remark relating to Lord Jagannath and sought an apology.

Prime Minister Modi held a roadshow in the holy city of Puri on Monday morning along with BJP candidate Sambit Patra.

Mr Patra had lost the election in 2019 to Pinaki Mishra of the BJD. This time he faces Congress’ Jaya Narayan Patnayak and BJD’s Arup Patnaik.

Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-leader-sambit-patra-expresses-regret-over-his-remark-on-lord-jagannath-5709225

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) wrote to the Union Home Ministry alleging the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received more than Rs 7 crore foreign funds in contravention of The Act of Foreign Contribution Regulation (FCRA), official sources said on Monday.

The federal probe agency attributed the findings to some documents and emails it recovered during a drugs-linked money laundering probe against former Punjab AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and some others.

Khaira was arrested by the ED in 2021 shortly after a probe was launched into the case. He has since joined the Congress party.

Quoting sources, a PTI report said that the ED found that the AAP received overseas donations of about Rs 7.08 crore and they allegedly “mis-declared and manipulated” the identities and nationalities of the foreign donors apart from some other details.

The probe agency also informed the MHA about the verified names of the donors, their nationalities, passport numbers, amount donated, mode of donation and bank account number of the receiver, billing name, address, phone numbers, email, time and the date of donation and payment gateway used, the sources added.

Some fundraising events hosted by the AAP through its overseas wing volunteers in the USA and Canada between 2015 and 2016 are reported to have been made in alleged violation of the FCRA, the agency further told the ministry.

Alleging violations in a particular instance, the ED also informed the MHA that the names of some Canada-based people and their nationalities had been “concealed” in the party’s financial records to “hide” the foreign donations being made to the party into its Indian bank account.

A senior official said cases of FCRA violations are probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the home ministry can write to it seeking an investigation into these charges made by the ED.

AAP LEADER ATISHI REACTS TO ALLEGATIONS BY ED

AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi on Monday accused the BJP of orchestrating the allegations made by the ED. “This is not ED but BJP’s action,” she said, calling it yet another conspiracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defame Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Source: https://www.news18.com/india/ed-alleges-over-rs-7-crore-foreign-funding-to-aap-writes-to-mha-seeking-fcra-probe-8897743.html

The teacher has been booked for violating the election model code of conduct, after an FIR lodged by the district education officer.

Muzaffarpur: A government school teacher in Bihar has been arrested and sent to jail for allegedly telling children in his class ‘nobody should vote for Modi’, an official said on Sunday.

According to Muzaffarpur SSP Rakesh Kumar, the teacher has been booked for violating the election model code of conduct, after an FIR lodged by the district education officer.

DEO Ajay Kumar Singh said teacher Harendra Rajak’s conduct was brought to his notice by family members of a number of students of the government secondary school at Amrakh in Kurhani block.

“A written complaint was submitted by the family members that children were being told by the teacher that nobody should vote for Modi since foodgrains unfit for human consumption were being distributed under the free ration scheme,” the DEO said.

He added, “a number of boys and girls from the class also confirmed that Rajak had been saying such things inside the classroom. Prima facie it was a violation of model code of conduct which forbids any government employee from trying to influence poll outcome by speaking for or against any political party. Hence, the FIR was lodged against the teacher for needful action.”

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-bihar-govt-school-teacher-jailed-for-saying-nobody-should-vote-for-modi-inside-classroom-3029144

A man has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Etah after his video of voting eight times for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went viral. The state’s chief election officer has issued orders to suspend all the members of the polling party from the station.

The arrested youngster has been identified as Rajan Singh, a resident of the village of Khiriya Pamaran in Etah district.

According to officials, the incident was reported in Farrukhabad parliamentary constituency, and action was taken after the video went viral on social media on Sunday.

Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, posted about it on social media platform X.

Responding to Yadav’s post, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said an FIR of the incident was registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act, 1951, in Nayagaon police station in Etah district.

“The person appearing to be voting multiple times in the video has been identified as Rajan Singh, son of Anil Singh and resident of village Khiriya Pamaran. He has been arrested,” the CEO said.

The official also said instructions to “suspend and institute disciplinary proceedings” against all members of the polling party have been issued.

“⁠Repoll has been recommended to the ECI in the polling station concerned. ⁠Strict instructions to rigorously follow the procedure regarding identification of the voters have been issued to all District Election Officers of the remaining phases in UP,” the post reads.

The 2.20-minute video was posted by Yadav around 4 pm on Sunday. Yadav said that the ECI should take action if it feels that what is happening is wrong.

Later, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also posted and reacted on the same.

Minutes later, the official posted on X that cognisance of the circulating video had been taken. “Concerned District Election Officer has been directed to take prompt and effective action.”

Source: https://www.news18.com/elections/man-arrested-after-video-of-him-voting-eight-times-in-ups-etah-goes-viral-polling-officials-suspended-8896741.html

Alice Stewart, a veteran political adviser and CNN political commentator who worked on several GOP presidential campaigns, has died. She was 58.

Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outdoors in the Belle View neighborhood in northern Virginia early Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, and officers believe a medical emergency occurred.

“Alice was a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN,” Mark Thompson, the network’s CEO, said in an email to staff Saturday. “A political veteran and an Emmy Award-winning journalist who brought an incomparable spark to CNN’s coverage, known across our bureaus not only for her political savvy, but for her unwavering kindness. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such an extraordinary loss.”

Stewart started her career as a local reporter and producer in Georgia before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, to be a news anchor, she told Harvard International Review. She went on to serve as the communications director in then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office before assuming a similar role for his presidential run in 2008.

She also served as the communications director for the 2012 Republican presidential bids of former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and then former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, also a former CNN commentator. Most recently, Stewart was the communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 GOP presidential campaign.

“Alice was wonderful and talented and a dear friend,” Cruz said in a post on X. “She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply missed.”

CNN hired Stewart as a political commentator ahead of the 2016 election, and she appeared on air frequently to provide insight on the political news of the day, including as recently as Friday on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“We always invited her to come on my show because we knew we would be a little bit smarter at the end of that conversation,” Blitzer told Jessica Dean on “CNN Newsroom.” “She helped our viewers better appreciate what was going on and that’s why we will miss her so much.”

CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash, who knew Stewart for nearly two decades after first meeting her when Stewart worked for the Huckabee campaign, remembered her Saturday as “somebody who told it straight.”

“One of the many reasons why she was so valuable to us on our political panels … is because she brought that experience,” Bash added. “She brought that understanding of how Republican politics, Republican campaigns work and she never, ever did it with anything other than a smile.”

Speaking about her role as a commentator for the network, Stewart told Harvard Political Review in 2020 that she brings “a perspective that I think CNN appreciates.”

“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice yet an independent thinker,” Stewart said. “I’m not a Kool-Aid drinker; I’m not a never-Trumper, and I didn’t check my common sense and decency at the door when I voted for (Trump).”

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Saturday remembered Stewart as “someone that believes that politics was about making friends and not creating enemies.”

He shared with CNN that Stewart “was one of the first ones to call me and encourage me” after he suspended his presidential campaign earlier this year, and that they spoke just last week “about the mess that we see in our politics today.”

“She was trying to change that and we’ll miss her,” Hutchinson added.

Stewart was a co-host of the podcast “Hot Mics From Left to Right,” alongside fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona.

“I just can’t believe that she’s gone,” Cardona said on “CNN Newsroom,” adding that the two were going to record an episode of their podcast Saturday. “I want everyone to know what a special person she was, especially in this industry. As you know, today’s politics can be indecent and so dirty, and Alice was just such a loving, shining light.”

Source : https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/18/politics/alice-stewart-cnn-commentator-dies/index.html

After a late-night hearing on Saturday, a Delhi court sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar to five days in police custody in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. The Delhi Police arrested Kumar earlier in the day and his anticipatory bail plea was subsequently observed as becoming “infructuous”.

Kumar was later produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal who sent him to five-day police custody. Police, through their counsel, had sought seven-day custody of Kumar to question him in connection with the assault case. It is alleged that Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, assaulted Maliwal at the CM’s residence on May 13 morning.

They said Kumar did not provide the password of his mobile phone to the investigating agency and had also informed that his phone had been formatted in Mumbai due to some malfunctioning in the device. Police said before being formatted the data of a mobile phone had to be cloned and Kumar was required to be taken to Mumbai for retrieving the data. The accused’s presence was also needed when his mobile phone was opened by an expert, they said.

In response, Kumar’s counsel Rajiv Mohan said neither was there any record of Maliwal’s visit to the CM’s residence before May 13 nor did she clarify the reason for registering the FIR only on May 16. The FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station. He said that Maliwal visited the CM’s residence without an appointment and that the Delhi Police was distorting facts.

The advocate said neither did Maliwal seek any medical aid after calling the emergency helpline number 112 nor did the station house officer prepare any medical sheet after meeting her. Mohan alleged that Maliwal was politicising the issue of having suffered injuries and was also giving statements to the media. He said that Kumar’s mobile phone was not required for investigation as Maliwal had nowhere alleged about threatening on phone or WhatsApp calls. When the grounds of arrest are “not justified”, there is no question of police custody, the advocate had argued.

Home Minister is said to have directed party cadre to mobilise support for those candidates who have the potential to defeat nominees of NC and PDP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah wound up his two-day Kashmir visit on Friday.

During the trip, he discussed the recent healthy voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat and sought feedback on the party’s preparations for the upcoming elections in the Anantnag, Baramulla seats, as well as for the Assembly polls scheduled later this year in J&K.

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti alleged that local Pahari officers were being “coerced by Mr. Shah to support the BJP’s proxy parties in Kashmir”. The BJP has not fielded candidates in any of the three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley.

Mr. Shah, who arrived here on Thursday evening, left for New Delhi on Friday morning. “It was an apolitical visit by the Home Minister. However, it was discussed [during his meetings] that the voting witnessed on May 13 in Srinagar was heartening. It showed that the people of Kashmir have reposed faith in Parliament. The Opposition parties described the abrogation of Article 370 as a wrong move and even rejected the Supreme Court judgment in this regard. However, the voter turnout shows that the people have accepted it and showed faith in Parliament that abrogated it,” BJP general secretary Sunil Sharma said.

He said the Home Minister also reviewed the measures to “further upscale the voting turnout in the Baramulla and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats”. “He (Mr. Shah) put thrust on encouraging people to come out and vote in upcoming phases,” Mr. Sharma said.

Sources said Mr. Shah gave directions to the party to galvanise support in favour of those candidates with potential to defeat the nominees of the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr. Shah addressed the upset party workers who were in favour of fielding candidates in the Lok Sabha election in Kashmir. He asked them “to start preparations for the Assembly election”, which is due before September this year as per the Supreme Court order.

Various delegations meet Shah
“A Pahari delegation met the Home Minister. The community, which fought against the Congress and the NC for their demands, expressed gratitude for granting it the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The community will come out and cast their vote and take a decision on their own wisdom. Will they vote for those who opposed their ST status?” Mr. Sharma said.

A delegation of local Sikhs also met the Home Minister. The Sikhs, sources said, demanded “a special employment package”. The delegation also demanded ST status for Sikhs living in Kashmir.

Senior BJP leaders, including Darakshan Andrabi, Hina Bhat, Sofi Yousuf, Altaf Thakur, Dr. G.M. Mir, Ali Muhammad and Bilal Parray met the Home Minister. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chug was also present.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/amit-shahs-kashmir-visit-focuses-on-uptick-in-voter-turnout-strategy-to-keep-regional-parties-at-bay/article68187624.ece

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that even though the people of the INDIA bloc claim that they will remove CAA, “no one can do it”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi challenged the INDIA Alliance on Thursday, asserting that the Opposition bloc would never succeed in erasing the ‘Citizenship (Amendment) Act’ (CAA) from the country’s framework.

Addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalganj ahead of Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections, Modi asked, “Koi maai ka laal paida hua hai jo CAA ko khatam kar sakta hai? (“Has anyone been born from a mother who can repeal the CAA?”

“Nobody can remove the CAA. Modi has removed their veil of fake secularism under the garb of which they tried to do vote-bank politics and made Hindus and Muslims fight each other,” Modi said.

The prime minister emphasized that even though the people of “the INDIA Alliance” claim that they will remove CAA, “no one can do it”.

“Jo bhi taakat ikathi karni hai karlo, mai bhi maidan me hun, tum bhi maidan me ho…aap CAA nahi mita paoge (gather all the strength you want, I am here, you are also here. You won’t be able to repeal CAA),” Modi challenged INDIA bloc leaders.

He accused parties such as the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of spreading lies about the CAA.

“They tried their best to burn the country, including UP, in riots. Even today, people of this INDI alliance say that Modi has brought the CAA, and the day he goes, the CAA will also be removed. I must tell you that nobody can remove CAA,” Modi reiterated.

The Prime Minister went on to say that “these (Congress) people climb the stairs of power taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi, but they don’t remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi.”

“Mahatma Gandhi had himself ensured these people (minorities living in neighbouring countries) that they can come to India whenever they want,” PM Modi said.

He added, “In the last 70 years, thousands of families took asylum in India to safeguard their culture and religion. However, the Congress never bothered to think about them because they were not Congress’ vote bank.”

PM Modi’s statement came after the first set of citizenship certificates under the CAA was issued to 14 people.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/elections/koi-maai-ka-laal-paida-hua-hai-jo-pm-modi-blasts-india-bloc-over-will-remove-caa-remark-lok-sabha-election-2024-11715850330236.html

Union home minister Amit Shah has called the Supreme Court’s decision to grant interim bail to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case as “not a routine judgement”, saying many believe that “special treatment” has been given to the AAP convener.

In an interview to news agency ANI, he said he believes that the top court’s decision to grant bail to the Kejriwal to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections is not a routine judgement. “I believe this is not a routine judgement. A lot of people in this country believe that special treatment has been given,” he told ANI’s Smita Prakash.

In a direct message to the Delhi CM, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain till 2029. “…and Arvind Kejriwal, I have bad news for you… even after 2029, PM Modi will lead us,” he said, in response to Kejriwal statement that Modi will retire at the age of 75 as is the “norm” in the BJP.

The BJP leader also commented on the allegations made by AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, that she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar. “Right now, he (Arvind Kejriwal) is stuck in another issue, let him get free from that, then let’s see what happens,” he said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/politics/not-routine-judgement-many-believe-special-treatment-amit-shah-on-kejriwals-bail-8891634.html

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said her party will extend support to the INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee asserted that her party would back the Opposition INDIA bloc from “outside” to form a government at the Centre.

The statement comes weeks after Mamata Banerjee stated, “There is no INDIA alliance in West Bengal. I played a key role in the formation of the opposition alliance INDIA. Even the name of the alliance was given by me. But here in West Bengal, the CPI (M) and Congress are working for the BJP.”

She reiterated her earlier remark on Wednesday, saying, “Do not count on the CPI(M) and the Congress in Bengal. They are not with us, they are with the BJP here.”

Mamata Banerjee attacked the BJP, calling it “a party full of thieves”. She said that the party would fail to achieve its ambitious electoral target of “400 paar”.

“BJP is claiming that it will win 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre. We will extend our support so that in (West) Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem… and those who work in the 100 days’ job scheme, also do not face problems,” the Chief Minister said.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha/story/mamata-banerjee-vows-outside-support-for-india-bloc-2539653-2024-05-15

With Shiv Sena divided, BJP faces a challenge to retain seats this election as MVA is set to give it a tough contest in 4 seats. In 2019, BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won all 6 Mumbai seats.

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show in the Ghatkopar area Wednesday, the first such roadshow by the PM in Mumbai. The roadshow, which started around 8 pm from Shreyas Cinema on LBS Road in Ghatkopar, is set to cover 2.5 km and end at Gandhi market.

The roadshow is significant as it precedes polling on six seats in Mumbai 20 May. Among these six seats, the BJP has the most chances of winning the Mumbai North seat, which BJP’s Piyush Goyal is contesting, while the party also hopes to win the Mumbai North East seat.

The remaining four seats, Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North Central, and Mumbai North West, will see a close contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), formed by the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray), and the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

The BJP, which contested the 2019 election with the Shiv Sena, faces a “formidable challenge” in this election, said political analyst Abhay Deshpande. “After the split in the Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray not being with the BJP, it’s a formidable challenge. Plus, the combination of Maha Vikas Aghadi is getting stronger,” he said.

In 2019, things were different. “All seats were last time won by the BJP and its ally (Shiv Sena). None had gone to the Opposition. So, the BJP wants to retain them and is now showing off its might in this last leg,” Deshpande added.

For his roadshow, Modi has chosen Ghatkopar, an area with a predominantly Gujarati population. Deshpande said that he thinks Modi, taking into account the recent polarisation between the Marathi and Gujarati voters in the constituency, is holding the roadshow in Ghatkopar to “avoid any split in the vote bank and minimise the damage”.

BJP has replaced incumbents in all three seats it’s directly contesting — Gopal Shetty with Piyush Goyal, Manoj Kotak with Mihir Kotecha, and Poonam Mahajan with Ujjwal Nikam — in Mumbai North, the Mumbai North East, and Mumbai North Central, respectively. Its alliance partner, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is contesting the remaining three seats. It has fielded Yamini Jadhav in Mumbai South as incumbent Arvind Sawant is now with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and incumbent Rahul Shewale in Mumbai South Central while replacing Gajanan Kirtikar with Ravindra Waikar in Mumbai North West.

According to BJP leaders, Modi’s roadshow will impact polling not just in Mumbai but also the other seats in Maharashtra. “The atmosphere is all charged up. It is not about one particular constituency or Ghatkopar, but we had to do his roadshow somewhere in Mumbai, and we chose Ghatkopar. This will have an impact everywhere, all across the remaining seats in the state,” said BJP MLA Ram Kadam from Ghatkopar.

On Friday, PM Modi, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, will also be holding a rally at Shivaji Park, Mumbai.

Source: https://theprint.in/politics/modis-1st-roadshow-in-mumbai-bjp-makes-show-of-strength-days-before-all-6-seats-go-to-polls/2086680/

Pakistani MP Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that while the world is reaching the moon, “in Karachi today, innocent children are dying by falling into open gutters”.

Pakistani MP Syed Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday drew parallels between India’s and Pakistan’s achievements during his speech at the National Assembly. He said the world is reaching the moon, “but today, in Karachi, innocent children are dying by falling into open gutters”.

“On the same screen, there’s this news that India has reached the Moon, and just after two seconds, a news flash says a child was killed after falling into an open drain in Karachi…,” Kamal, a leader of Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), said in his speech.

The MQM-P leader posted a video of his speech during the National Assembly session on Facebook on Wednesday. A few snippets of his speech video went viral on social media on Wednesday. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Mustafa Kamal’s remarks were in reference to India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission in August last year. With Chandrayaan-3, India scripted history by becoming the first country to soft-land on the Moon’s south pole.

Pakistan MP lauds India’s education system
Kamal went on to claim that “2 crore 62 lakh children are not going to school in Pakistan”. While hailing India’s education system, he said, “If India is booming and excelling today, it is because of the education it imparted to its people…”

“Our neighbouring India – 30 years ago, it taught its citizens those things which the world needed. Today, Indians are CEOs of 25 top Global Companies…Today, there are loads of global investments in India,” Kamal said.

He said this while emphasising that a large segment of Pakistan’s youth can be an “opportunity” as well as a “threat” to the country. He said universities in Pakistan have been “industries” that produce “jobless” youth. “This is because we are not teaching them what is demanded in the world,” the MQM-P leader said.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/congress-narendra-modi-india-alliance-pakistan-atom-bomb-mumbai-attack-mani-shankar-aiyar-farooq-abdullah-11715592236236.html

In a video message, Shyam Rangeela claimed that out of the 55 candidates vying for the seat, the forms of 36 nominees met rejection.

The affidavit of Comedian Shyam Rangeela, who had filed a nomination to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat was rejected by the Election Commission on Wednesday. In a video message, Mr Rangeela claimed that out of the 55 candidates vying for the seat, the forms of 36 nominees met rejection, while the affidavits of 15 candidates, including PM Modi and Congress pick Ajay Rai, sailed through the scrutiny process.
Mr Rangeela has alleged a series of hurdles in the nomination process, claiming he was barred from submitting his papers on time. His accusations extended to the District Magistrate’s office, where he alleged being unfairly singled out and denied assistance during the filing process.

“Today, the District Magistrate told me that there was some issue with my documents and that I did not take the oath. They did not let the lawyers go in with me and called me alone. My friend was beaten up. Modiji may act and cry, but I don’t want to cry here,” Mr Rangeela said.

“27 nominations were submitted yesterday and 32 were rejected today, I feel like laughing at the Election Commission, should I laugh? Or should I cry?” he added.

The response from the official Varanasi District Magistrate’s account attempted to justify the rejection, citing deficiencies in Mr Rangeela’s affidavit and failure to comply with procedural formalities.

“Your nomination paper was scrutinised in your presence and you were informed about the deficiencies. Your nomination paper has been cancelled because the affidavit submitted by you was incomplete and you did not take the oath/affirmation, a copy of the order of which has also been made available to you,” Varanasi District Magistrate S Rajalingam wrote on X.

Formerly a staunch supporter of PM Modi, Mr Rangeela had said that the circumstances have evolved over the past decade, prompting his decision to contest against the Prime Minister from Varanasi.

“In 2014, I was a follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I shared many videos supporting the Prime Minister. Videos were also shared against Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal. Seeing them, one could say that I will vote only for the Bharatiya Janata Party for the next 70 years. But the situation has changed in the last 10 years. I will now contest against the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate,” he had announced.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2024-laugh-or-cry-comedian-after-nomination-rejected-from-pm-modis-seat-5673546

Kangana Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, filed her nomination from Mandi today.

Kangana Ranaut is sure. And says so is everybody else about Prime Minister Narendra Modi returning to power for a third straight term.
“It has not happened in the history of our democracy where polling is underway, votes are yet to be counted, yet everybody knows PM Modi is coming back… Everyone is waiting for him to take oath for the third time, Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, told NDTV on Tuesday.

PM Modi, accompanied by a galaxy of leaders from party and alliance partners, filed his nomination from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh earlier today.

Varanasi will vote in the seventh and final phase of this election – on June 1. In the 2019 poll, PM Modi won by nearly 4.8 lakh votes, a big jump from the 3.72 lakh winning margin five years earlier.

Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, also filed her nomination today. Downplaying her nomination on the same day as the Prime Minister’s, she called it a “small coincidence” and a “good omen” for her.

“There were two good muhurat days, depending on your chart. I was suggested 10 and 14, and I chose 14 because I am number 5. And I thought I should go with number 5. Luckily, today our PM also filed his nomination. A good coincidence for me. I will say it is my lucky charm. I am thrilled. Even if it’s a small coincidence, it’s a good omen for me,” said the actor, making her electoral debut.

The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress, as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family.

Ms Ranaut will square off against Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh, the son of late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

“I have been fortunate to have a very successful film career. Probably, I am the only one to have come from a rural area and make it so big in the film industry. I am quite optimistic that I learn the job pretty soon and will be able to do something significant,” she said about her priorities.

“Sabka saath, sabka vikas is our agenda. From airport to railways to coonnectivity…going to work on overall development,” she added.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/votes-yet-to-be-counted-but-they-know-pm-modi-is-coming-back-kangana-ranaut-5662744

Some retired justices had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to a platform for a debate on the key Lok Sabha election issues.

The BJP on Monday deputed its Yuva Morcha Vice President Abhinav Prakash to take on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for a public debate. In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka BJP leader Tejasvi Surya said that it will be “an enriching debate between a political scion and a common youngster”.

The announcement came a day after some retired justices had written to former Congress Chief Gandhi and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week inviting them to a platform for a debate on the key Lok Sabha election issues. Rahul Gandhi accepted the invitation and also said the nation expects the Prime Minister to participate in it.

However, the BJP turned down the debate invitation, stating that Rahul Gandhi did not have credentials even within the Congress and hence, the Prime Minister had no reason to debate with him.

In his letter, Surya said, “Dear Rahul Gandhi Ji, BJYM has deputed Abhinav Prakash, National Vice President of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha, as a BJYM’s representative for the upcoming debate”.

“We eagerly anticipate your acceptance, setting the stage for what promises to be a historic debate between the scion of a political dynasty which has ruled India for the longest time since independence and a commoner representing the new India of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” it added.

The BJP nominee from Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, in his letter, also pointed out that Abhinav Prakash is a young and educated leader from the Pasi (SC) community, who are around 30 per cent, in Rae Baraeli.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha/story/rahul-gandhi-modi-debate-challenge-bjp-abhinav-prakash-congress-mp-tejasvi-surya-elections-2538574-2024-05-13

The National Commission for Women on Monday said it will be sending an inquiry team to look into the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and also send a formal letter to the Delhi Police to send an action taken report in the matter.

“MP Rajya Sabha Smt Swati Maliwal reportedly assaulted at Delhi CM’s residence. The National Commission for Women (NCW) vows action, demanding justice from Delhi Police and sending an inquiry team. Perpetrators must be held accountable. NCW will be sending a formal letter to Delhi Police to send an ATR in this matter in 3 days,” the NCW said in a post on X.

Maliwal, the AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP and former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), went to the Civil Lines police station and alleged that a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal assaulted her on the chief minister’s directions at his official residence. Police have not yet received a formal complaint.

She alleged that Bibhav Kumar from Kejriwal’s personal staff attacked her, sources told CNN-News18. The police said the first call came around 9.34 am following which the AAP leader came to the police station and said she will later file a formal complaint in the matter.

“We received a PCR call at 9:34 AM wherein the caller said that she has been assaulted inside the CM residence. Accordingly, local police & SHO responded to the call. After some time, MP Swati Maliwal came to the police station civil lines. No complaint was given by her. In this matter, no complaint has been received till now,” said DCP (North) Manoj Meena.

“Lady caller is saying that I am at CM residence. He instructed his PA to attack me,” read the police register entry, accessed by CNN-News18.

WHO IS BIBHAV KUMAR, KEJRIWAL’S CLOSE AIDE?

Voter turnout in the ongoing fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls in 96 seats across nine states and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir stood at approximately 40.32 per cent by 1 pm. Simultaneous polling is also taking place in all the 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 28 Assembly seats in Odisha. The main focus of Monday’s high-voltage polls is on West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, where big ticket candidates like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury are in the fray. Meanwhile, polling for the Srinagar seat marks the first major election in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370. Follow Indiatoday.in for live updates.

Lok Sabha polls Phase 4: PM Modi thanks people for voting, says ‘mandate is with NDA’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the end of the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections that the mandate is “with the NDA for a strong, stable and development-oriented government”.

In a post on X, he said, “I thank the people who have voted today. It is abundantly clear that the people’s mandate is with the NDA for a strong, stable and development oriented government. In every part of India, NDA candidates are securing massive support. INDI Alliance is not even in any discussion among people.”

Notably, three more phases of the Lok Sabha are still pending and are scheduled on May 20, 25 and June 1. The counting of votes for the elections will take place on June 4.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/lok-sabha-election-2024-phase-4-voting-live-updates-voter-turnout-percentage-2538331-2024-05-13

‘I have to go back to jail after 20 days. If you choose jhadu (AAP’s symbol), I won’t have to go back to jail,’ the Delhi chief minister said.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow in Delhi on Sunday said if people choose Aam Aadmi Party on May 25, he won’t have to go back to jail. Accompanied by his Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal held a roadshow in Moti Nagar in support of party’s New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Somnath Bharti.

“I have to go back to jail after 20 days. If you choose jhadu (AAP’s symbol), I won’t have to go back to jail,” the chief minister said.

The AAP national convenor is out on interim bail till June 1. He has to surrender on June 2.

“They sent me to jail because I worked for you. The BJP does not want that work of Delhi people are done,” he said.

Kejriwal alleged that his insulin injections were stopped for 15 days inside TIhar jail. “If I went back to jail, the BJP would stop your work, free electricity, degrade schools and shut down hospitals and mohalla clinics,” he charged. He also asked people to vote for Bharti since he would be available for people in need even at odd hours.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-if-you-choose-aap-on-may-25-i-wont-have-to-go-back-to-jail-cm-kejriwal-at-roadshow-3019299

Delhi excise policy case: The Supreme Court rejected a petition demanding the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as the Delhi chief minister because of his arrest.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition demanding the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as the Delhi chief minister because of his arrest in the excise policy case. The apex court said it is a matter of propriety, but there is no legal right seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister following his arrest.

The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta also said it is up to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to act if he wants to but “we will not interfere”. The bench also pointed out that the petitioner who approached the Supreme Court, Kant Bhati, was not the petitioner before the Delhi high court.

“What is the legal right? Why should we go into all this? On propriety you may certainly have something to say but no legal right. Let the LG take action if he wants to….we are not inclined,” Live Law quoted Justice Khanna as saying to the petitioner.

“We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment. The Special Leave Petition is dismissed,” the bench dictated the order.

On April 10, the Delhi high court had rejected this PIL while imposing a cost of ₹50,000, being of the view that it was aimed at gaining publicity. It was noted that the petitioner pursued the petition despite being aware of three orders passed by the court denying identical prayers.

The Supreme Court ruling comes days after it, on Friday last week, granted interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal for campaign in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 till June 1, saying since the matter related to the validity of his arrest was still under consideration.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-rejects-plea-seeking-removal-of-arvind-kejriwal-as-delhi-chief-minister-101715580958554.html

In a video that has now gone viral, Tenali’s YSR Congress Party MLA A Sivakumar is seen approaching the voter and slapping him across the face.

Hyderabad: In a brazen show of VIP culture, an Andhra Pradesh MLA slapped a voter, reportedly after he had objected to the legislator jumping the queue at a polling booth in Guntur district this morning.
In a video that has now gone viral, Tenali’s YSR Congress Party MLA A Sivakumar is seen approaching the voter and slapping him across the face. The voter returns the blow, and the MLA’s aides join him in launching an all-out assault on the voter. Other voters waiting for their turn are seen trying to stop the assault as the MLA’s aides keep hitting the voter. In the 10-second video, no security personnel can be seen intervening to rescue the voter.

It is not clear what exactly happened before the exchange of blows began, but the MLA’s attack on the voter has come under strong criticism on social media.

Andhra Pradesh’s 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats are voting today. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party government is up against an alliance of the BJP and the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party.

TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagi told NDTV said the incident captures the ruling party’s desperation “because they know they are losing”. “This is ridiculous. The retaliation by the voter shows that people are not going to tolerate this nonsense anymore.”

YSR Congress Party MLA Abdul Hafeez Khan has said they are reviewing the viral video and alleged a conspiracy to defame the ruling party. On its social media handles, the party has shared visuals of its injured supporters and workers and alleged that TDP members had attacked them.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/video-mla-from-jagan-reddys-party-slaps-voter-in-polling-queue-he-hits-back-5651591

Soon after Congress accepted the invitation for a public debate on the Lok Sabha elections 2024 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tejasvi Surya asked who is Rahul Gandhi that the Prime Minister should debate with him.

Raising questions on Gandhi scion’s rank within Congress and in the INDIA bloc, BJP’s Yuva Morcha national president said Rahul Gandhi should first get himself declared Oppoistion’s Prime Ministerial candidate before inviting Modi for a debate.

“Who is Rahul Gandhi, that PM Modi should debate with him? Rahul Gandhi isn’t even the PM candidate of the Congress Party, let alone the INDI Alliance. Let him first get himself declared as Congress’s PM candidate, state he will take accountability for his party’s defeat, and then invite PM for a debate. Until then, we are ready to depute our BJYM spokespersons to take him on in any debate,” the Bengaluru South MP said in a post on X.

RAHUL ACCEPTS THE INVITATION FOR DEBATE WITH PM MODI

The reaction came after Rahul Gandhi formally replied to a letter by two former judges and a senior journalist inviting him and the PM to be part of a public debate.

Lauding the initiative, Gandhi on Saturday said he or party chief Mallikarjun Kharge would be pleased to participate in such a discussion and expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also take part.

“It would be a positive initiative for the major parties to present their vision to the country from one platform for a healthy democracy,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

He also added that the nation expects Modi to participate in the debate.

Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP of raising the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric to win the elections and asserted that the people don’t want the polls to be contested on the basis of religion and caste.

Why is Pakistan being discussed when elections are taking place in India and the unemployment rate here is at a 45-year high, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked on May 10 as she hit back at the BJP on the row over Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks.

She also asked the ruling party to fight the polls on real issues.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Ms. Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP of raising the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric to win the elections and asserted that the people don’t want the polls to be contested on the basis of religion and caste.

“People are saying you’ve (the BJP) won two elections on religion and now move forward from that,” the Congress general secretary said.

Questioned on the row over Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks, Ms. Priyanka Gandhi asked why the issue is being discussed now when the statement is an old one.

“I ask when was the statement made? … If it is an old statement, then why are we discussing it today? Secondly, I want to ask, where are elections taking place, in India or in Pakistan? They are taking place in India. So why are we discussing Pakistan?” she told PTI during her campaign trail in Amethi for the party’s candidate Kishori Lal Sharma.

Ms. Priyanka Gandhi also questioned why discussion is not taking place on rising unemployment in India, which is the highest in the last 45 years, and on the high inflation due to which “people go to the market and return without buying half the things they wanted to”.

“If they (people) have to get treatment done, they feel worried. Why is this not being talked about? Farmers are suffering, unable to earn, everything has become expensive, from diesel to farming materials. Why is this not being discussed? Why are labourers being exploited and do not get enough wages?,” she asked.

Mr. Aiyar’s remarks on Pakistan sparked a row on May 10, with his party quick to dissociate itself from the comments while the BJP latched on to those, accusing the grand old party of being an apologist for Pakistan and the terrorism emanating from its soil.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/congress-general-secretary-priyanka-gandhi-vadra-interview-on-may-10-2024/article68161015.ece

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Congress accusing the then ruling party of not taking any action after the attacks of 26/11 over fears that their vote bank will shift.

The prime minister, while addressing a rally in Odisha’s Kandhamal, further said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have struggled for decades because of Congress’ “weak mindset”.

“India will never forget the times when the country used to suffer frequent terrorist attacks and the Congress leaders would sit with the perpetrators of terrorism,” he said.

PM MODI REACTS TO MANI SHANKAR AIYAR’S ‘RESPECT PAKISTAN’ REMARK
PM Modi further reacted to Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “India should respect Pakistan because it has atom bomb” remark saying the grand old party tries to instil fear in their own countrymen.

“Time and again Congress try to scare its own country. They say ‘sambhal ke chalo Pakistan ke pass atom bomb hai. Ye mare pade log, desh ke man ko bhi maar rahe hain’. They talk about Pakistan’s bomb, but the condition of Pakistan is such that they don’t know how to keep it and they are looking for a buyer to sell their bombs but no one wants to buy them as people know about the quality,” he said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/politics/didnt-act-against-pakistan-after-26-11-attack-because-pm-modis-fresh-attack-against-congress-8885989.html

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has raised doubts over the surgical strikes by Indian Air Force (IAF) in Pakistan’s Balakot after the Pulwama attack in February 2019, saying nobody knows if something like this has taken place.

Reddy further flagged the “failure” of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) over the Pulwama incident, in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed. His remarks came after similar comments by Congress leaders over the Pulwama attack.

“…For Modi, everything is politics, everything is about winning elections. So, Modi’s thinking is not right for the country. So, the country needs to be without BJP, without Modi now. They answer everything with ‘Jai Sri Ram’. Pulwama incident is a classic example. They have failed. What is the IB doing? What is the Intelligence network doing? Modi ji attempted political benefit from the surgical strike after Pulwama incident,” Reddy said.

My question to him is – What are you doing? Why did Pulwama incident happen? Why did you let it happen? What are you doing about internal security? Why did you not use agencies like IB, R&AW? It is your failure…Nobody knows to date if a surgical strike actually took place. So, internal security is Congress’ responsibility. We are not ready to leave the country in just anyone’s hands,” the Congress leader further said.

Source: https://www.news18.com/politics/nobody-knows-if-surgical-strike-telangana-cm-fires-fresh-salvo-bjp-says-he-is-giving-clean-chit-to-pak-8885932.html

Arvind Kejriwal visited the Hanuman Temple in Delhi’s Connaught Place and hold a roadshow in South Delhi.

Just a day after being granted interim bail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited a temple and will hold mega roadshows in the national capital later today. In his first public remarks after being released, Mr Kejriwal urged voters to “save the country from dictatorship”.
The Supreme Court has granted Mr Kejriwal bail till June 1 to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Arvind Kejriwal is a key leader in the INDIA alliance formed to compete against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the polls.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief was greeted by more than 1,000 exuberant supporters as he walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday evening. “We have to save this country from dictatorship,” he told the crowd. “I am fighting against it with all of my might.”

Today, he visited the Hanuman Temple in Delhi’s Connaught Place and hold a roadshow in South Delhi. The Chief Minister is also scheduled to hold a press conference later in the day at the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi.

The party is expected to project Mr Kejriwal in their poll campaigns nationwide now, with the fourth phase of polling scheduled to be held on on May 13.

Voting on all 7 Lok Sabha seats in New Delhi will be held on May 25.

A wave of jubilation swept across the INDIA bloc parties as the news of Mr Kejriwal’s release spread, with his AAP terming it a “triumph of truth”.

“Truth can be troubled but not defeated. The decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court is welcome. The dictatorship will end. Satyamev Jayate,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, also an accused in the money laundering case, said in a post in Hindi on X.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-to-hit-the-ground-running-mega-roadshow-planned-today-5637462

No victim has come forward to register a complaint against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna, and one woman complainant who reached out to the women’s body alleged that she was forced to register a fake complaint against the JD(S) leader, the NCW said on Thursday.

The timely submission of the Action Taken Report (ATR) by the concerned authorities reveal several significant findings, the NCW added.

According to the NCW, the ATR indicated the registration of two cases based on the complaints of sexual abuse by the victims, alongside an additional complaint filed for abduction by a relative. However, no victim has come forward to register a complaint with the commission in this case, it said.

“One woman complainant came to the commission to register a complaint against three individuals dressed in civil uniform, allegedly introducing themselves as Karnataka Police officials and forcing her to give a false complaint in this case,” the NCW claimed, PTI reported.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/twist-in-prajwal-revanna-sex-scandal-ncw-claims-woman-was-forced-to-file-false-case-article-109999685

This is the first time that any national party will be named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by any agency in a corruption case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will name Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an accused in a fresh chargesheet in the money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. This is the first time that any national party will be named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by any agency in a corruption case.

The central probe agency is also expected to name Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as an accused for the first time in the chargesheet. In the chargesheet, the ED will name Kejriwal the ‘kingpin’ and key conspirator in the liquor policy case.

The ED has claimed it has established a money trail linked to Kejriwal. Previously, the ED had claimed before a Delhi court that Rs 45 crore of the kickbacks received by AAP was used by the party during its campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections.

The agency is likely to file the chargesheet after the Supreme Court’s hearing on interim bail for Kejriwal on Friday. If the hearing continues through the day, then the chargesheet will be filed tomorrow, sources said.

Filing a chargesheet against an accused is mandatory within two months of arrest. Kejriwal will complete two months in judicial custody on May 21. He was arrested on March 21 in the liquor policy case and is presently lodged in Tihar Jail.

If filed, this will be the seventh chargesheet by the ED in the liquor policy case. The agency has arrested 18 people so far, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. Singh was granted bail last month.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/aap-to-become-first-national-party-to-be-named-as-accused-in-ed-chargesheet-in-corruption-case-sources-2537380-2024-05-10

No stranger to controversy, veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has triggered a fresh row by claiming that India should “respect” Pakistan because it has “atom bomb”. The statement has led to a massive outrage, with BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla saying that Congress’ love for the neighbour is never ending.

“Congress’ love for Pakistan is old. He’s the same Mani Shankar Aiyar who went begging to Pakistan to remove Narendra Modi as India’s prime minister. Many Congress leaders have been giving clean chit to Pakistan on 26/11, Pulwama and Poonch attacks. For them, the one who sends terrorists is respectable, while the Indian Army is ‘sadak ka goonda’,” Poonawallah said while lashing out at Aiyar.

“This is all because Pakistan has been continuously tweeting in support of Congress. So this thought is not just of Mani Shankar Aiyar, but the entire Congress. This is simply an experiment for vote bank amid ongoing polls,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ravi Kishan said that Mani Shankar Aiyar should get himself treated somewhere. “At a time when Pakistan is collecting food grains for itself and is facing food crisis, Aiyar wants to give them respect. He should get himself treated somewhere. This is not the India of Congress. Now, India is very powerful. This is the India of PM Modi,” he said.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is contesting against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram seat, said that the “ideology” of Rahul Gandhi’s Congress is “fully visible in these elections”. “Support to and from Pakistan, including offering to give up Siachen,” he added.

Source: https://www.news18.com/politics/mani-shankar-aiyar-controversy-news-india-respect-pakistan-atom-bomb-congress-bjp-watch-8884778.html

According to a January note by an American brokerage firm Adani Enterprises Limited “is at the core of everything India wants to accomplish”.

New Delhi: India is poised to become a 21st-century economic powerhouse, offering an alternative to China for investors looking for growth and for reducing supply chain risks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani playing a fundamental role in shaping the economic superpower the country will become in the coming decades, according to a CNN report.
The report says to spur growth, the Modi government has begun a massive infrastructure transformation by spending billions on building roads, ports, airports and railways.

It is also heavily promoting digital connectivity, which can improve both commerce and daily life.

“Both Mr Adani and Mr Ambani have become key allies as the country embarks on this revolution,” it said.

Worth $3.7 trillion in 2023, India is the world’s fifth largest economy, jumping four spots in the rankings during PM Modi’s decade in office and leapfrogging the United Kingdom.

“It is comfortably placed to expand at an annual rate of at least 6 per cent in the coming few years, but analysts say the country should be targeting growth of eight per cent or more if it wants to become an economic superpower. Sustained expansion will push India higher up the ranks of the world’s biggest economies, with some observers forecasting the South Asian nation to become number three behind only the US and China by 2027,” the CNN analysis said.

The Adani Group and Reliance Industries – the two sprawling conglomerates having valuations worth over $200 billion each – have established businesses in sectors ranging from fossil fuels and clean energy to media and technology.

“Investors have been cheering the duo’s ability to adroitly bet on sectors prioritised for development by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently campaigning for his third consecutive term to lead India. The South Asian country is poised to become a 21st-century economic powerhouse, offering a real alternative to China for investors hunting for growth and manufacturers looking to reduce risks in their supply chains,” the report said.

“As a result, these three men — PM Modi, Mr Ambani and Mr Adani — are playing a fundamental role in shaping the economic superpower India will become in the coming decades,” it added.

The report also pointed out that the kind of power and influence being enjoyed by the two Indian tycoons has been seen before in other countries “experiencing periods of rapid industrialisation.”

It said that both Mr Adani and Mr Ambani are often compared by journalists to John D Rockefeller, who became America’s first billionaire during the Gilded Age, a 30-year period in the last decades of the 19th century.

“India is in the middle of something that America and lots of other countries have already gone through. Britain in the 1820s, South Korea in the 1960s and 70s, and you could argue China in the 2000s,” said James Crabtree, the author of The Billionaire Raj, a book about India’s wealthy.

Mumbai, which is considered India’s financial capital, has the imprint of the two tycoons everywhere, from high-rise apartment buildings branded with Adani Realty to cultural institutions named after the Ambani clan, and even the international airport, which is operated by Adani.

“Some spaces need no names or bright labels, but their affiliations are just as obvious. Everyone in Mumbai knows who lives in Antilia — the personal skyscraper of Ambani and his family, which reportedly cost $2 billion to build and boasts a spa, three helipads and a 50-seat theatre. The 27-story building sits on a street dubbed ‘Billionaires’ Row,’ its jutting geometric architecture looming over the neighbourhood.”

The CNN report also mentions the grand pre-wedding celebration of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani in March this year, when billionaires and movie stars from around the world jetted to Jamnagar.

Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump were among the many high-profile celebrities in attendance. The three-day celebration, which saw performances by popstar Rihanna and magician David Blaine, transfixed India and further underscored Mr Ambani’s growing global clout.

Guido Cozzi, professor of macroeconomics at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, said these “conglomerates are very, very important and very well connected,” noting that both the Adani Group and Reliance Industries were founded years before PM Modi came to power.

“They are not typical stagnant monopolistic conglomerates. They are pretty dynamic,” Mr Cozzi said.

Not only are they playing “an important role” in building infrastructure, which helps “growth directly,” but the two business groups are also helping the country expand “indirectly” by boosting connectivity through digital innovation, he explained.

Reliance was founded by Mr Ambani’s father, Dhirubhai, as a small yarn trading firm in Mumbai in 1957. Over the next few decades, it grew into a colossal conglomerate spanning energy, petrochemicals and telecommunications.

Mukesh Ambani has not only upended India’s telecom sector in less than a decade but also become a top player in sectors ranging from media to retail.

The report says that Mukesh Ambani’s ambition and breathless pace of expansion is matched by Mr Adani, “…who now helms businesses ranging from ports and power to defence and aerospace”.

A first-generation entrepreneur, the 62-year-old began his career with diamond trading, before setting up a commodity trading business in 1988, which later evolved into Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).

According to a January note by American brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald, AEL “is at the core of everything India wants to accomplish.”

The company functions as an incubator for Mr Adani’s businesses. Many have been spun out and become leading players in their respective sectors. According to Cantor, the firm’s current focus on airports, roads and energy make it “a unique long-term investment opportunity”.

The report notes that while both the barons built much of their fortune from fossil fuels, they are now investing billions in clean energy. Notably, their green energy pivot comes at a time when India has set itself some ambitious climate goals.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-gautam-adani-mukesh-ambani-reshaping-india-to-become-economic-superpower-report-5619573

Shekhar Suman recently joined the BJP at Delhi headquarters and video of the actor from the press conference goes viral

Renowned actor and beloved television host, Shekhar Suman, made headlines as he officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party’s headquarters in Delhi on a momentous Tuesday, coinciding with the fervor of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. This move comes at a time when Shekhar is basking in the success of his acclaimed web series, Heeramandi, which has garnered widespread acclaim.

Having contested the Lok Sabha elections back in 2009 from Patna Sahib under the Congress banner, Shekhar faced a defeat against the seasoned actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha. Reflecting on his unexpected journey to the BJP, Shekhar expressed gratitude, remarking, “Till yesterday I did not know that I would be sitting here today because many things in life happen knowingly or unknowingly. I have come here with a very positive thinking and I would like to thank God that he ordered me to come here.”

Reports suggest that Shekhar had been awaiting the success of Heeramandi before taking this significant step into the realm of politics. Addressing speculations about his motives, the versatile actor-comedian asserted, “People might say that I had nothing else to do, which is why I joined politics. Heeramandi has now become a global hit.” His decision to align with the BJP comes amidst a wave of political transitions within the entertainment industry, exemplified by television actress Rupali Ganguly’s recent induction into the party.

Source: https://www.spotboye.com/trending/trending-news/shekhar-suman-joins-bjp-amid-ongoing-lok-sabha-elections-2024-says-i-have-come-here-with-a-very-positive-thinking/663a183bcf73121842d3369b

The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana landed in crisis after three Independent MLAs on Tuesday withdrew their support and announced they would campaign for the Congress party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana are going to polls in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 25.

The three MLAs — Sombir Sangwan, Randhir Gollen and Dharampal Gonder— wrote to Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya, stating they were withdrawing their support to the Saini-led government.

HOW NUMBERS STACK IN HARYANA ASSEMBLY AFTER 3 INDEPENDENTS WITHDRAW SUPPORT?

• Following Tuesday’s development, the BJP now has 40 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Assembly.
• BJP also has the support of two other independent MLAs – Nayan Pal Rawat from Prithla and Rakesh Daulatabad from Badshahpur and Haryana Lokhit party’s Gopal Kanda.
• With a total of 43 MLAs, the BJP is short of two from the halfway mark of 45.
• ⁠BJP, however, claims the unofficial support of 4-5 JJP MLAs saying it is actually at 47 and safe.
• The JJP MLAs haven’t announced support due to anti-defection law.
• On the other hand, the Congress has 30 MLAs, BJP’s former ally JJP has 10 MLAs and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has one.
• Another independent MLA Balraj Kundu from Meham, is yet to make his position clear.

CRISIS FOR NAYAB SINGH SAINI-LED BJP GOVERNMENT IN HARYANA?

The last No-confidence motion was brought in March 2024, wherein the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government had won the floor test by a voice note.

Since a gap of six months is needed before the next No-confidence motion can take place, the BJP denies any crisis to the present government.

Haryana Assembly elections are scheduled for October-November this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cast his vote in Ahmedabad in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid much fanfare.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cast his vote at a polling booth in Ahmedabad in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The single-phase voting for 25 seats in Gujarat is underway.

Dressed in a white kurta and saffron Nehru jacket, Modi arrived at the Nishan Higher Secondary School polling booth in Ahmedabad’s in Ranip locality, which falls under the Gandhinagar constituency, to cast his vote amid much fanfare. Security in Gujarat has been tightened over the high-profile presence of the prime minister and Home Minister Amit Shah, who is expected to his cast vote soon. Shah is contesting the polls from the Gandhinagar constituency.

Ahead of their arrival, preparations were underway at Nishan Higher Secondary School.

After coming out of the polling booth, Modi greeted people and interacted with people. He even gave his autograph to people who had gathered outside the polling booth.

“Today is the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. I appeal to everyone to cast their vote in this democracy. The election campaign will run for three to four weeks more. I always cast my vote here in Gujarat. Amit Shah is contesting the election from here as a BJP candidate. I came here yesterday from Andhra Pradesh and need to go to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana (today),” he said after he got his finger inked.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-prime-minister-narendra-modi-casts-his-vote-first-visuals-out

Voting begins at 7 am and concludes at 6 pm. The prevailing heatwave conditions and the lack of pre-monsoon rains have added to the challenges. Political parties have been requesting voters to turn up at the polling booths early to avoid the afternoon heat.

Heatwave conditions prevailing in most of north Karnataka have brought new challenges for good voter turnout in the constituencies where Lok Sabha elections are scheduled on Tuesday.

Of the 14 constituencies in the state going to polls on Tuesday, 10 had seen a drop in turnout in the 2019 general elections, compared to the 2014 numbers.

As per data from the election commission, the average turnout in the 14 constituencies went up by about 2 per cent to 68.65 per cent. A major part of this boost came from Bidar (63 per cent), Koppal (68.56 per cent) and Bellary (69.76 per cent), a significant improvement compared with the 51 per cent, 53 per cent and 53.3 per cent in 2014. Haveri, too, saw a 14 per cent increase, with 74.21 per cent of its electors turning up to vote.

However, the voter participation saw a major drop in three constituencies with Raichur slipping to 58.34 per cent from 77.7 per cent in 2014. It was followed by Gulbarga (-15 per cent) and Bijapur (-7.2 per cent). Other constituencies also saw dip in voter participation ranging from -0.5 per cent to -6.56 per cent.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) on Monday said that maximum temperatures are likely to be high on Tuesday.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/heatwave-poses-big-challenge-to-voter-turnout-in-14-ls-seats-today-3010850

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered prayers at the Ram temple in Ayodhya before holding a mega roadshow in the holy town. The Prime Minister’s first visit to Ayodhya since the consecration at the shrine on January 22 came two days ahead of the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

In a televised ceremony, Modi was seen prostrating before the Ram Lalla idol at the newly constructed temple. After paying obeisance to Lord Ram, PM Modi took to X and wrote, “At Ayodhya, prayed to Prabhu Shri Ram for the well being of my fellow 140 crore Indians.”

For PM’s visit, the entrance gates to the temple were decorated with flowers. Replicas of a bow and an arrow made using flowers were also seen at various places. According to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Ram Lalla seated in the temple wore a light pink attire on Sunday.

PM Modi later participated in a roadshow, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Amit Shah, seeking support for the sitting BJP MP from Faizabad, Lallu Singh and those contesting from the neighbouring districts.

People from different walks of life lined the road as Modi’s motorcade passed through.

Voting in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, under which the Ayodhya district falls, will take place in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

Earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister latched on to a slip of the tongue of Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav, saying that now the Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother is appealing to “make BJP win”.

Source : https://www.news18.com/elections/prayed-for-140-crore-indians-pm-modi-offers-prayers-at-ram-temple-holds-mega-roadshow-in-ayodhya-8878844.html

In the final hours of campaigning on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP stepped up the attack on the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies, while the Opposition leaders hit back in equal measure.

Campaigning ended on Sunday for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the run-up to which saw the Constitution and reservation issue dominating the poll discourse. With the first two phases registering a dip in voter turnout as compared to 2019, the question is whether the third phase will buck the trend.

While 94 constituencies across 12 states and Union Territories were scheduled to vote on Tuesday, the BJP has already won Surat in Gujarat unopposed, and the poll for Anantnag-Rajouri seat in Jammu and Kashmir has been deferred to May 25. However, polling in Betul in Madhya Pradesh, which was to be held in the second phase on April 26, was postponed to May 7 after the death of the BSP candidate.

In the final hours of campaigning on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP stepped up the attack on the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies, while the Opposition leaders hit back in equal measure.

Modi, who offered prayers at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and held a roadshow, addressed rallies in Uttar Pradesh where he lashed out at the “dynastic politics” of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, saying that while their leaders work to benefit only their own families, he was building a better future for the coming generations.

Referring to himself and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said: “We don’t have children. We are working for your children.”

Modi also reiterated his charge that the Congress wanted to carve out a quota for its “Muslim vote bank”. “They (Congress) now want to do across the country what they did in Karnataka. They want to rob the reservation of SC/ST and OBC on the basis of religion,” he said.

PTI adds: In Telangana, addressing a rally at Nirmal under Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated his charge that Modi was against reservation. “Narendra Modiji is against reservation. He wants to take away reservation from you. The biggest issue before the country is increasing reservation from 50 per cent,” he said.

Rahul claimed that the ongoing general elections was between two ideologies in which the Congress was trying to safeguard the Constitution, while the BJP-RSS combine wanted to end it and people’s rights. He said the BJP leaders have said that if their party wins the elections, they will change and finish the Constitution. “If the Constitution is finished, reservation will end,” he said, adding that the BJP wants backward classes, Dalits and Adivasis to remain backward.

The reservation issue dominated the campaign discourse in the run-up to the third phase, as the NDA and INDIA bloc levelled charges and counter-charges. The Opposition continued its pitch that the BJP wanted to win more than 400 seats so that it could make changes in the Constitution and snatch away the reservation benefits of SCs, STs and OBCs. Modi countered with the argument that the Congress, if voted to power, would divert the SC, ST and OBC quota to its “Muslim vote bank”.

The stakes are significant for the BJP and its allies, which had, in 2019, won 75 of the 93 seats going to polls on Tuesday, while the INDIA bloc parties had won only 11. Four seats had gone to the undivided Shiv Sena, two were won by independents, and one by the AIUDF.

The BJP also pounced on Sam Pitroda’s comment that the US inheritance tax was an interesting idea, alleging that the Congress would redistribute property to its “vote bank”. The Congress, on its part, continued to promise a caste census and an ‘X-ray’ of resources to deliver justice to Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs.

Source : https://indianexpress.com/elections/constitution-quota-at-centre-stage-phase-3-of-lok-sabha-election-campaign-for-93-seats-ends-9310243

Rahul was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-rahul-gandhi-files-nomination-from-raebareli-3006380

Away from accusations of sexual harassment, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh organised a Dabdaba Pradarshan (Show of Strength) event in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj ahead of his son’s nomination for the Lok Sabha polls on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party. 500-700 SUVs were parked at a rally ground and more than 10,000 people took part in the nomination meet, including MLAs, MLCs, zila panchayat heads, BJP’s local leadership from nearby districts, and religious leaders from Ayodhya’s prominent akhadas on the dais.

Brij Bhushan, wearing a yellow kurta, an orange scarf, and dhoti was handling the arrangements with a microphone in his hand amid excited workers. He sat on a couch in the middle of the dais like a “king” while others had to make do with regular chairs. However, Brij Bhushan deliberately tried not to be the centre of attention and did not go near deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya or his son throughout the event and kept himself busy attending to the dignitaries and religious leaders. He also did not go for the filing of his son’s nomination.

“Five people were allowed to go. I was looking after the arrangements here while others have gone for the nomination filing,” he said on being asked about this. “I usually keep myself away from the limelight. I focus on the arrangements. There was no instruction to do so from anywhere; it is my routine practice.”

Brij Bhushan, a six-time MP, suffered a massive political setback due to sexual harassment allegations against him that saw some of the country’s top wrestlers hit the streets. The former president of the Wrestling Federation of India has denied the charges.

The BJP’s rivals had been attacking the party, arguing that while it says “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”, it then gives election tickets to people like Brij Bhushan. Reacting to this, he said, “I don’t want to name anyone but a senior Congress leader approached me and asked me to join the party, saying they would take a seat from ally Samajwadi Party and I could then contest, and there would be an impact on nearby constituencies as well. I am saying this with full responsibility.”

On the question of his role in the party since he will not be an MP anymore, he said, “Hoihi soi jo Ram rachi rakha (Whatever Lord Ram has written will happen). I used to contest elections, now I am managing one. I am in the position of a kingmaker now.”

He refused to answer questions regarding the cases against him, saying that the matter was in court.

Since Brij Bhushan’s arrival at the rally venue with a convoy of over 15 cars and till his exit, he was completely surrounded by workers. The programme ended only after he left.

Of his sons, while Karan Bhushan was being greeted by people, Prateek Bhushan, who is an incumbent MLA, was receiving guests like deputy CM Keshav Maurya and others.

Source: https://www.news18.com/elections/brij-bhushan-holds-show-of-strength-in-kaiserganj-with-700-suvs-and-10000-supporters-as-son-karan-gets-lok-sabha-ticket-8877246.html

Raebareli, the constituency was held by Sonia Gandhi who became a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli with the party announcing his candidature for the seat on Friday, the last day of filing nomination, the sources said.

As per the sources, Congress’ loyalist KL Sharma will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, the seat Rahul Gandhi lost in the 2019 general elections to BJP leader Smriti Irani.

Friday is the last date for filing nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

The Congress has not yet put out any official statement on its choice of nominees from Amethi and Raebareli, which were considered the party’s strongholds until the 2019 elections.

Raebareli, the constituency was held by Sonia Gandhi who became a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Traditional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru family

The party has won the Congress bastion in all but three Lok Sabha elections since 1951. Before Sonia Gandhi, former PM Indira Gandhi had won from Raebareli three times. The constituency also elected Indira’s husband and Congress leader Feroze Gandhi twice, in 1952 and 1957. A member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has not contested the seat just twice, in 1962 and 1999.

Both constituencies are traditional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru family, with its members holding these seats for decades.

Seat-sharing arrangement in the state

The Congress, which is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of the seat-sharing deal with the Samajwadi Party (SP), has announced candidates for all the seats barring Amethi and Raebareli.

Amethi is scheduled to poll in the fifth phase on May 20, with the last date for filing nominations scheduled on May 3.

Rahul’s defeat in Amethi, once considered a Congress ‘pocket borough’, at the hands of Smriti Irani in the 2019 polls was seen as a significant blow to the party’s national prestige.

Rahul represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019. His father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, was an elected member of Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 till his death in 1991. Sonia Gandhi contested elections from here in 1999 before passing the baton on to Rahul in 2004.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-rahul-gandhi-likely-to-file-nomination-from-raebareli-kl-sharma-from-amethi

Rangeela shared a video on ‘X’ where he said he is doing it to uphold the democratic freedom of the country’s electoral process. He was referring to the unopposed win for the BJP candidates in Surat and Indore after Congress candidates withdrew their nominations.

Shyam Rangeela (L) and PM Narendra Modi.

The holy town of Varanasi is all set to witness some excitement as it votes in the last leg of the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections on June 1. Also famous as the seat which BJP’s biggest face and country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has represented twice and is seeking a third time from, the constituency is all set to see comedian and ‘Modi comic’ Shyam Rangeela contest against the PM.

Rangeela, who rose to fame with his mimicry of politicians including Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi among others, confirmed announced on Wednesday on his social media handles the news. Rangeela shared a video on ‘X’ where he said he is doing it to uphold the democratic freedom of the country’s electoral process.

Rangeela was referring to the unopposed win for the BJP candidates in Surat and Indore after Congress candidates withdrew their nominations.

There is however, no confirmation as of yet whether the comedian will contest from any particular party or as an Independent.

“I have come here to share with you my mann ki baat. Yes, I am contesting from Varanasi and I am doing it to because we all saw what happened in Surat and Indore… I am afraid the same might happen in Varanasi. Even if one person wants to vote against someone, they should be able to do that, there should be an option on the EVM,” Rangeela said in Hindi on the video.

Rangeela said that his choice of seat will ensure that his voice reaches the people of Varanasi as it is a prestigious seat and said that people have shown him a lot of love and support since the news broke of him contesting in the Lok Sabha polls.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-comedian-shyam-rangeela-says-he-will-contest-against-pm-modi-from-varanasi-3003996

Accusing the state government of not taking action in this case purposely till the completion of polling of Lok Sabha elections in the Vokkaliga belt, Shah said the Congress government played politics even in this terrible crime and allowed him (Prajwal) to flee.

Charging that the Congress government in the state allowed Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna allegedly involved in sex videos and abuse of women to ‘flee’, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said those, who commit such acts (sexual abuse of women), should be given the harshest punishment and there should be no delay in it.

Shah was addressing a public gathering in Hubballi on Wednesday evening, campaigning for BJP candidate Pralhad Joshi.

“BJP cannot be with anybody who commits atrocity on women. We may be alliance partners, but our stand is clear. Those who commit such acts should be given the harshest punishment without making any delay,” he said.

Accusing the state government of not taking action in this case purposely till the completion of polling of Lok Sabha elections in the Vokkaliga belt, Shah said the Congress government played politics even in this terrible crime and allowed him (Prajwal) to flee. “The government is yours and steps have to be taken by you. Tell the truth if you (Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar) have courage. Because of you, those who committed heinous crimes fled,” he said.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/karnataka/bjp-cant-remain-with-those-who-commit-atrocities-against-womenamitshahon-prajwal-revanna-3003685

This incident has dented the reputation of the Gowda family, whose head HD Deve Gowda is a former PM. The JD(S), too, has been hit hard in their leader’s fiefdom of Hassan, which he has carefully built over the past 60 years

The moment polling ended in Karnataka’s Hassan Lok Sabha constituency last Friday (April 26), its sitting MP and NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna drove to the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and boarded a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt in Germany.

The next day, the police found out that he had fled the country the night before while the state government formed a special investigation team to probe serious charges of sexual predation against him. Only a few days before polling, sex videos allegedly featuring him and a number of women – young and old – surfaced on social media leaving the public in Hassan as well as the rest of the state shocked.

The Gowda clan made a feeble attempt to dismiss the horrifying images as fake, but there were not many takers. The video clips seemed to have hurt his re-election bid and a panicked Prajwal fled the country fearing serious backlash.

Reputation dented, JD(S) hit hard

This incident has dented the reputation of the Gowda family, whose head HD Deve Gowda is a former prime minister. The JD(S), too, has been hit hard in their leader’s fiefdom of Hassan, which he has carefully built over the past 60 years. Some of his party leaders and workers have gone to the police against his grandson, aggravating the situation.

The most unexpected and shocking response for the family has come from Prajwal’s uncle and former CM HD Kumaraswamy. Reacting to the incident, he welcomed the SIT and said: “Those who ate salt should drink water, this is the law of the land. If he has fled the country, the police will bring him back. I have nothing to do with this incident.”

His hyper-aggressive older brother and Prajwal’s father HD Revanna has so far kept quiet and is yet to come out of his home since voting day. His politically ambitious mother Bhavani Revanna has switched off her phone since the video clips surfaced.

According to the police, there are hundreds of video clips while dozens of women have come forward to lodge complaints against Prajwal. A majority of them have alleged that he sexually assaulted them using his political and money power.

It is well known that Deve Gowda himself worked the phones to save his grandson before he fled. Chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar expressed their shock over the revelations and assured a free and fair investigation into the matter.

The SIT is headed by additional director general of police BK Singh, and has two women IPS officers – Suman D Pennekar and Seema Latkar. A team headed by Singh is also credited with successfully cracking the sensational murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh a few years ago.

Source : https://www.news18.com/elections/prajwal-revanna-sex-scandal-karnataka-gowdas-fight-survival-anti-jds-environment-8870964.html

PM Modi to News18: “First of all, whoever understands the Constitution of India, whoever knows the federal structure of India, and whoever knows what is in whose jurisdiction, won’t ever say such things. Because this is not in their jurisdiction… I challenge the Congress party to hold a press conference and say they will restore 370.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an exclusive interview to News18 Network, challenged the Congress or state governments to bring back Article 370.

Responding to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi’s question on the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s claims that she won’t allow the enforcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Modi said, “First of all, whoever understands the Constitution of India, whoever knows the federal structure of India, and whoever knows what is in whose jurisdiction, won’t ever say such things. Because this is not in their jurisdiction. If Modi is the chief minister of a state, he can’t do such things. The central government will do what is in its ambit. A state government will do whatever is in its ambit. But fooling the people is a trend nowadays – to keep them in the dark. That’s why they keep saying anything at all.”

“Second, I challenge the Congress party to hold a press conference and say they will restore 370. They talk big about the Constitution. They talk about Babasaheb Ambedkar. They abuse us so much. But Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution was not applicable for the entire nation. For 70 years, the Indian Constitution was not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. There, Dalits are getting reservation for the first time [after the Article 370 move]. The Valmiki community is getting reservation for the first time. What are they talking about? Do they have the courage to hold a press conference and say, “We’ll bring back Article 370?” Can any party dare say that?” Modi said.

The Centre, in March 2024, announced the implementation of the CAA. The purpose of this bill is to give Indian citizenship to refugees of six communities (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis), who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The CAA was an integral part of the BJP’s manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While the government maintains the law is not against Muslims or will not take away citizenship of India’s Muslims, the exclusion of the community has led to criticism from the Opposition. The National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is in place in Assam, looks to maintain a record of citizens. Earlier, the Centre had said that those left out of the Assam NRC could get reprieve if they apply for citizenship under CAA.

Source : https://www.news18.com/elections/pm-modis-reply-to-opposition-challenge-any-party-to-bring-back-article-370-caa-not-state-subject-exclusive-8869619.html

Amid uncertainty from both seats, UP Congress requested the top leadership to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Saturday urged the top party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Amethi and Raebareli, respectively for the Lok Sabha polls, but no decision was taken at the meeting of the central election committee (CEC).

Sources said AICC in-charge of party Affairs in Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pandey and CLP leader in the state Aradhana Mishra urged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi to give tickets to both Rahul and Priyanka from the Uttar Pradesh seats.

During the meeting of the CEC chaired by Kharge, various members of the all-important panel also supported the views of the party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and left the decision on the top leadership, the sources said.

The sources said the decision on whether Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi or not will be taken in a day or two.

There is a speculation that Rahul Gandhi could be fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

The Lok Sabha candidates for the remaining five seats in Punjab were also discussed during the meeting of the CEC.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/up-congress-urges-party-leadership-to-field-rahul-gandhi-from-amethi-priyanka-from-raebareli-101714244877663.html

A purported video shows West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee boarding a helicopter. She tripped and fell as she moved ahead to take a seat.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slipped and fell while boarding a chopper in Durgapur, Paschim Bardhaman, on Saturday. She reportedly suffered a minor injury.

A purported video of the incident was shared by news agency ANI. The video shows Banerjee boarding the helicopter. She fell as she moved ahead to take a seat. Security personnel rushed to help her. She, however, continued with her journey to Asansol.

Earlier this month, Banerjee attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre over the Lok Sabha elections being held in the state in seven phases amid ‘scorching heat’. Her statement came after Union minister Nitin Gadkari fainted while speaking during a poll campaign in Maharashtra’s Pusad.

In March this year, Banerjee was hospitalised after suffering a major injury. She had sustained injuries including a deep gash on her forehead and a cut on her nose during the incident.

“Our chairperson @MamataOfficial sustained a major injury. Please keep her in your prayers,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had posted on X along with pictures of Banerjee bleeding from her forehead.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/trends/laapataa-ladies-on-netflix-kiran-raos-directed-film-captivates-audience-netizens-say-big-reality-check-to-society-11714269177437.html

Modi said the Congress wants to extend the ‘Karnataka model wherein Muslims were inducted in the 27 per cent quota for OBCs’, in the entire country.

Kolhapur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday targeted the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. alliance, saying it is mulling to have five prime ministers in five years if voted to power.

Addressing a rally at Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, Modi said the opposition bloc cannot even reach a three-digit figure or ‘at the doorstep of forming a government, but has plans to have one prime minister every year if they get a chance’.

“In Karnataka, Congress has planned to rotate the post of the chief minister by handing it to the deputy chief minister after 2.5 years. They had this arrangement in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan as well,” he said.

Modi said the Congress wants to extend the ‘Karnataka model wherein Muslims were inducted in the 27 per cent quota for OBCs’, in the entire country.

‘The Congress-led alliance has vowed to murder social justice,’ he said and accused the Congress of stooping low for appeasement and vote bank politics.

‘Congress wants to change the Constitution and rob Dalits, OBCs of quota benefits for religion-based reservation,’ he said.

Modi said the Congress had not only opposed the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya but also declined the invitation for its consecration.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi over wealth distribution, Modi said, ‘The Congress shehzade wants to search your wealth and distribute it to those who the party had said to have the first right on the country’s resources’.

‘The Congress wanted to impose inheritance tax and rob people of their inheritance. Such people shouldn’t get even a slight chance of coming to power,’ he added.

He said the NDA is leading 2-0 in the first two phases of Lok Sabha elections.

‘Kolhapur is known as a football hub. With the second phase of polling completed, I will say the NDA is leading 2-0 while the Congress alliance engaged in anti-India policies and politics of hate has scored two self-goals,’ he added.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-you-will-have-five-pms-in-5-years-if-congress-led-india-bloc-wins-poll-says-modi-2997883

Polling for the second phase began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm, with several states experiencing intense heat conditions.

In the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections that covered 88 seats across 12 states and a union territory, a voter turnout of 63.50 per cent was reported. The Election Commission (EC) stated that polling was mostly peaceful.

The tentative voter turnout figure at 8 pm was 63.50 per cent, which is expected to increase as reports from all polling stations are received. Additionally, voters arriving at polling stations until the end of polling hours were allowed to cast their votes.

In some villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, Rajasthan’s Banswara and Maharashtra’s Parbhani, voters initially boycotted the polls but were later convinced by authorities to participate.

Polling for the second phase began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm, with several states experiencing intense heat conditions. The first phase of polling took place on April 19 in 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories.

Voting took place across all 20 constituencies in Kerala, 14 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. The voter turnout, at the conclusion of polling on Friday, stood at approximately 63 per cent, a decrease from the 65 per cent recorded in the first phase last week and the 68 per cent reported during the second phase in 2019.
2. According to Election Commission data, Tripura recorded the highest voting percentage at 79.46 per cent, followed by Manipur at 77.32 per cent. Uttar Pradesh recorded a turnout of 54.85 per cent, and Bihar recorded 55.08 per cent. The polling in the Tripura East (ST) constituency concluded peacefully with two polling stations reporting voter turnouts of over 100 per cent. This was attributed to the use of Election Duty Certificates (EDC), according to a statement by the Chief Election Officer of Tripura on Friday.
3. In Manipur, which has seen a heightened presence of security personnel during polling, the voter turnout was notably high at 77.32 per cent.
4. Uttar Pradesh’s voter turnout was 7 per cent less than the 62 per cent voting witnessed for the same seats in 2019.
5. In Kerala, the voter turnout stood at 70.21 per cent. The voter turnout in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala was recorded at 72.70 per cent.
6. In Madhya Pradesh, the voter turnout was recorded at 57.88 per cent.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2024-second-phase-tripura-highest-voter-turnout-up-lowest-top-points-101714178365750.html

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is contesting from the Guna-Shivpuri Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate.

A video of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s wife, Priyadarshini Raje Scindia, has taken the internet by storm, in which she can be seen interacting with local women.

The viral video depicts Priyadarshini Raje Scindia telling the local women, “Do your work yourselves.”

The video has drawn criticism from every quarter, with many social media users pointing out her rude behavior with local voters.

According to reports, the incident was captured on camera in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna, where Priyadarshini was seeking votes for her husband.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is contesting from the Guna-Shivpuri Lok Sabha seat as a BJP candidate.

The Scindia family is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Jyotiraditya’s victory. His wife and son are intensively campaigning for him by going from village to village.

During election campaign, a video of Priyadarshini Raje is going viral on social media. In the video, Prayadarshini Raje is seen sitting in a car, seemingly getting irritated while listening to some local women.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/khud-apna-kam-karna-sikho-jyotiraditya-scindiaa-wife-to-local-women-raising-water-issue 

Lok Sabha election 2024: Polling for Phase 2 is underway for 88 seats across 13 states and union territories on Friday, April 26.

Voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 is underway in 88 seats across 13 states and union territories on Friday, April 26. The polling began at 7am and will continue till 6pm.

The counting of 543 Lok Sabha seats votes and the result announcement will take place on June 4.

Initially, 89 constituencies were scheduled to go to polls on April 26. However, the Election Commission of India later announced that the voting in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul would not take place during the second phase due to the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.

Kerala has the highest number of constituencies as all 20 seats went poll on Friday, followed by Karnataka with 14 seats. The other states which are voting on Friday include Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, and Manipur. The poll for the Jammu parliamentary seat will also be held on Friday.

Lok Sabha election 2024: 5 about phase 2 polling

1. As many as 1,202 candidates, including 1,098 males and 102 females are in the fray. There are 8.08 crore male and 7.8 crore female voters among the electorates who will decide the fate of candidates. As many as 5,929 third-gender electors will also exercise their franchise in the second phase of polls.
2. According to the Election Commission of India, 34.8 lakh first-time voters are registered to cast their votes.
3. There are over 14.78 lakh registered 85 years old, 42,226 voters above 100 years and 14.7 lakh PwD voters for phase two who have been allowed to vote from the comfort of their homes.
4. Women, including security staff, will completely manage more than 4,100 polling stations, and over 640 polling stations by persons with disabilities (PwDs). Polling stations in all states and UTs except Bihar and Kerala have less than 1000 average electors per polling station.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lok-sabha-election-2024-88-seats-kerala-highest-5-facts-about-phase-2-polling-april-26-101714103186002.html

Kerala Lok Sabha Election 2024: Kerala goes to polls today with 194 contestants across 20 seats. Notable figures, including Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar vie for voter support amid heightened political fervour.

A total of 194 contestants in 20 Lok Sabha seats are vying for voters’ support as Kerala goes to polls on Friday, after over a month of fierce campaigns by the Communist Party Of India (Marxist)-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF), and the BJP-led NDA.

Several senior BJP and Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, and Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Kailash Choudhary and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, are in the fray in the 88 seats.

While Rahul Gandhi is seeking a second straight term from Wayanad, Chandrasekhar is pitted against three-time MP Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram.

BJP vs CONGRESS

Following the first phase polls in 102 seats on April 19, PM Modi has stepped up his attack on the Congress, accusing it of seeking to provide nationwide reservations to Muslims in the quotas meant for Other Backward Classes.

He also warned voters in his poll rallies that a Congress government at the Centre will snatch their assets, including women’s ‘mangalsutra’, to benefit those who are “intruders” and have more children, as he cited a speech by his predecessor Manmohan Singh to back his claim.

The Congress, in turn, has accused him of lying and spreading communal divide, claiming that he has been rattled by the BJP’s poor show and complaining to the Election Commission against him.

The BJP also has filed complaints against Congress leaders, including Gandhi, prompting the poll watchdog to issue notices to the presidents of the two parties seeking their replies.

Will the BJP’s drought in Kerala finally end and will a spike in political temperature following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attack on the Congress boost the turnout after a relatively muted voter enthusiasm, are some of the questions weighing on people’s minds.

POLLING IN KERALA
More than 2.75 crore voters are set to cast their votes as polling began at 7 am today.

The mock polls were conducted at 6 am in the presence of representatives of political parties to ensure that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were working properly, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Kaul told news agency PTI.

He also said that 30,238 EVMs will be used in the state for this Lok Sabha election, and if any of the machines fail, reserve ones will be provided by the respective sector officers.

To ensure a free and transparent election, a webcasting system has been put in place for live monitoring of all booths in eight of Kerala’s 14 districts, namely Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/lok-sabha-election-2024-kerala-elections-rahul-gandhi-shashi-tharoor-gajendra-singh-shekhawat-kailash-choudhary-rajeev-chandrasekhar-2531844-2024-04-26

PM Modi says Opposition party aims at snatching rights and properties; it has plans to implement a 15% reservation on the basis of religion by reducing quota of SCs, STs & OBCs, he alleges in three rallies

Doubling down on his attacks against the Congress’ promises on social justice and alleged wealth redistribution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 claimed that the “dangerous intentions” of the Congress were coming to the fore one by one.

Addressing poll rallies in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Modi reiterated his assertion that the Congress’ plan for social welfare and reducing inequality amounted to a “dangerous game” of wealth redistribution and “snatching people’s rights and properties”.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/pm-slams-congress-on-pitrodas-inheritance-tax-remark-says-its-dangerous-intentions-coming-to-fore/article68101582.ece

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are contesting the polls together, the former in 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state

The Congress’s decision to hold off on announcing candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli – the constituencies, both in Uttar Pradesh, are closely associated with the Gandhis – coupled with ill-timed comments have resulted in confusion and speculation.

In the case of Amethi, where Rahul Gandhi lost to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019 (she has already been announced as the party’s candidate and has been camping in the constituency), the expectation among local Congress workers is that his candidature will be announced again – perhaps over the weekend. Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad, which he represents, and which goes to polls on Friday. It is believed that Gandhi’s candidature from the Kerala constituency boosted the Congress’s prospects in 2019, helping the grouping led by it to win 19 of the state’s 20 Lok Sabha seats; analysts say the party may not want to affect this in any way by announcing Gandhi’s candidature from Amethi.

But the delay has resulted in speculation. On Wednesday, posters suggesting Robert Vadra, Gandhi’s brother-in-law, be given a chance this time came up in Amethi. While Congress leaders have accused the BJP of orchestrating this, it is a fact that Vadra, on April 4, said: “The people expect me to represent Amethi if I decide to contest elections.”

Meanwhile, in Rae Bareli, the expectation of the local Congress is that Gandhi’s sister and Vadra’s wife, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, will contest in the constituency that her mother, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi represented between 2004 and 2024. Sonia Gandhi is now a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.

That, in turn, has resulted in speculation that the BJP has not announced its candidate in the constituency because it could, if Gandhi Vadra contests, field her cousin and BJP leader Varun Gandhi against her. Varun Gandhi is the incumbent MP at Pilhibit but the party chose not to field him from there this time.

Varun Gandhi declined comment on the issue. District BJP president Buddhilal Pasi said he is not aware of any move to field Varun Gandhi. “The people of Rae Bareli want a local leader as the BJP candidate from the seat.”

The only constant in all this appears to be Irani, who has been campaigning in her constituency, and on Wednesday, reacted to the Vadra poster by saying “Jija ho ya saala, Amethi ka voter, Modi ka matwala”.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-congress-silence-on-rae-bareli-amethi-sparks-buzz-101714018794114.html

Study author tells Fox News Digital that findings are ‘warning tale’ about facial recognition technology

Researchers are warning that facial recognition technologies are “more threatening than previously thought” and pose “serious challenges to privacy” after a study found that artificial intelligence can be successful in predicting a person’s political orientation based on images of expressionless faces.

A recent study published in the journal American Psychologist says an algorithm’s ability to accurately guess one’s political views is “on par with how well job interviews predict job success, or alcohol drives aggressiveness.” Lead author Michal Kosinski told Fox News Digital that 591 participants filled out a political orientation questionnaire before the AI captured what he described as a numerical “fingerprint” of their faces and compared them to a database of their responses to predict their views.

“I think that people don’t realize how much they expose by simply putting a picture out there,” said Kosinski, an associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

“We know that people’s sexual orientation, political orientation, religious views should be protected. It used to be different. In the past, you could enter anybody’s Facebook account and see, for example, their political views, the likes, the pages they follow. But many years ago, Facebook closed this because it was clear for policymakers and Facebook and journalists that it is just not acceptable. It’s too dangerous,” he continued.

“But you can still go to Facebook and see anybody’s picture. This person never met you, they never allowed you to look at a picture, they would never share their political orientation … and yet, Facebook shows you their picture, and what our study shows is that this is essentially to some extent the equivalent to just telling you what their political orientation is,” Kosinski added.

For the study, the authors said the images of the participants were collected in a highly controlled manner.

“Participants wore a black T-shirt adjusted using binder clips to cover their clothes. They removed all jewelry and – if necessary – shaved facial hair. Face wipes were used to remove cosmetics until no residues were detected on a fresh wipe. Their hair was pulled back using hair ties, hair pins, and a headband while taking care to avoid flyaway hairs,” they wrote.

The facial recognition algorithm VGGFace2 then examined the images to determine “face descriptors, or a numerical vector that is both unique to that individual and consistent across their different images,” it said.

“Descriptors extracted from a given image are compared to those stored in a database. If they are similar enough, the faces are considered a match. Here, we use a linear regression to map face descriptors on a political orientation scale and then use this mapping to predict political orientation for a previously unseen face,” the study also said.

The authors wrote that their findings “underscore the urgency for scholars, the public, and policymakers to recognize and address the potential risks of facial recognition technology to personal privacy” and that an “analysis of facial features associated with political orientation revealed that conservatives tended to have larger lower faces.”

“Perhaps most crucially, our findings suggest that widespread biometric surveillance technologies are more threatening than previously thought,” the study warned. “Previous research showed that naturalistic facial images convey information about political orientation and other intimate traits. But it was unclear whether the predictions were enabled by self-presentation, stable facial features, or both. Our results, suggesting that stable facial features convey a substantial amount of the signal, imply that individuals have less control over their privacy.”

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ai-can-predict-political-orientations-blank-faces-researchers-fear-serious-privacy-challenges

Lok Sabha election 2024 phase 2: Voting for phase 2 of the general election, where 89 constituencies in 13 states will go to polls, will take place on April 26.

The second phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for April 26, following the initial phase held on April 19, which saw a turnout of approximately 64 per cent. This phase will cover 89 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 states, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jammu & Kashmir.

The first phase of the polling covered 102 constituencies of 21 states and union territories (UTs). Ten states and UTs were fully covered, while 11 states and UTs were partially covered.

Lok sabha election phase 2 timing and full schedule

Voting for the second phase of elections will start at 7 am and end at 5 pm on April 26. According to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) timetable, the third phase is set for May 7, the fourth for May 13, the fifth for May 20, the sixth for May 25, and the final phase for June 1. Vote counting will take place on June 4. The assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will be held on May 13.

Which constituencies will vote in phase 2?

LS polls phase 2: Who are the key candidates?

Wayanad in Kerala: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is standing as a candidate from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala. His opponents in this constituency include Annie Raja from the CPI and K Surendran, the president of the BJP in Kerala.

The veteran politician’s comment came after the BJP on Monday expelled him for a period of 6 years “for embarrassing the party”.

Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday said that he is not scared of any expulsion and was positive about his electoral prospects as an independent candidate from Karnataka’s Shivamogga constituency.

The veteran politician’s comment came after the BJP on Monday expelled him for a period of 6 years “for embarrassing the party”. BJP state disciplinary committee president Lingaraj Patil said in the expulsion order that Eshwarappa’s decision to contest as an independent candidate is “violation of party discipline.”

“I have decided to contest as a non-party candidate, I still have hope, I do not fear any expulsion. I will contest elections and win and will go back to BJP again. I have competed five times with the lotus sign,” Eshwarappa was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The decision to relieve Eshwarappa comes after he rebelled against the saffron party and said he is no longer with it and doesn’t fear any disciplinary action. The former BJP state unit President was miffed with his son KE Kantesh being denied a ticket from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat in the southern state, from where former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai is contesting.

Eshwarappa blamed former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and his son as well as Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra for his son Kantesh not getting a Lok Sabha ticket.

Source: https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/karnataka-lok-sabha-election-2024-i-do-not-fear-any-expulsion-says-expelled-bjp-leader-ks-eshwarappa-426487-2024-04-23

NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar said that no one in history can forget the contribution of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru but the prime minister (Modi) continuously criticises him.

NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar on Monday claimed former prime ministers worked to make a new India but PM Narendra Modi only criticises others and doesn’t speak about what his government had done for the people in the last ten years.
Addressing a campaign rally in Amravati for a Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate, Mr Pawar said former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s contribution to the country cannot be questioned.

He claimed some BJP leaders had spoken publicly about changing the Constitution and appealed to the people to not allow autocracy to take shape in India.

A high-profile poll battle is shaping up in the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency where the BJP has fielded Navneet Rana, the sitting MP who won the 2019 polls as an Independent candidate, against Balwant Wankhede of Congress.

Mr Pawar alleged PM Modi was trying to create fear and emulating Russian President Vladamir Putin.

Mr Pawar said he has come to apologise to the people of Amravati for the “mistake” he had committed in the 2019 elections by supporting the candidate (Navneet Rana).

“In the last elections, I had sought the support of people and made an appeal (to elect Rana). People elected the candidate I had appealed for. Time has come to amend that mistake,” he said.

Wankhede, who belongs to Congress, is contesting the election as a candidate of the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), and Congress.

“After Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, I saw the working of almost all PMs ranging from Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Narasimha Rao to Manmohan Singh. Their efforts were to make a new India, but the incumbent PM only criticises,” Mr Pawar said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sharad-pawar-alleges-pm-narendra-modi-trying-to-create-fear-emulating-vladimir-putin-5501660#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The nomination of Congress candidate was rejected after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Mukesh Dalal was on Monday elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat after all other nominees withdrew from the fray, over a fortnight before the state will vote on May 7 in the third phase of the general elections, making it the first electoral success for any political outfit in the ongoing polls.

The development came a day after nomination of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers. The party’s substitute candidate from the seat, Suresh Padsala, also had his nomination form rejected.

“As all the candidates who had successfully filed their nomination forms for the Surat Lok Sabha seat have withdrawn their candidature, Dalal has been elected unopposed. We have handed over the election certificate to him,” district collector cum returning officer Sourabh Pardhi told HT over the phone.

Voting for all 26 Gujarat constituencies was schedule for May 7, but with the result of Surat seat already out, polling will now be held on 25 seats.

“Surat has offered the first lotus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congratulations to Surat Lok Sabha candidate Mukeshbhai Dalal for being elected unopposed,” Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil said in a post on X.

The filing of nominations for the third-phase elections started on April 15 and continued till April 19. On Monday, which was the last date for withdrawal of nominations, a total of eight candidates withdrew from the poll fray, with Bahujan Samaj Party’s Pyarelal Bharti being the last one to do so around 2 pm, the poll officer said. Besides Bharti, four independents and three nominees from smaller parties also withdrew their nomination papers on the last day.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress leaders on Monday met the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners and demanded that the election process in Surat be restarted, alleging that “wrong and undue influence” was being exerted. “This is the case of no election by complete subordination of the democratic will of several contestants and several proposals. It is a case of patent bad faith and undue pressure,” Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters in Delhi.

Source:https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bjp-candidate-wins-surat-lok-sabha-constituency-unopposed-after-8-contenders-withdraw-101713815849199.html

Lok Sabha elections 2024: “Manmohan Singh’s government had said Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally in Rajasthan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election speech in Rajasthan’s Banswara has raised a controversy over his references to Muslims, with leaders of the Opposition bloc INDIA calling the speech an attempt to divert attention from “real issues”.
“This ‘urban Naxal’ mindset, mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your ‘mangalsutra’. They can go to that level… The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom – Manmohan Singh’s government had said Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets,” PM Modi said at the rally on Sunday.

“Earlier, when their (Congress) government was in power, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children. It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this?” he said.

“Is it acceptable to you? Do governments have the right to confiscate your property which you have earned through hard work? The gold with our mothers and sisters is not for showing off; it is related to their self-respect. The value of their mangalsutra is not in gold or its price, but is related to her dreams in life. And you are talking about snatching it?” PM Modi said.

Fortifying PM Modi’s claim, the BJP posted a 22-second video of Dr Singh’s speech from December 2006. “The Congress doesn’t trust their own Prime Minister?” the BJP said.

PM Modi in the speech was alluding to a comment by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in December 2006 at a meeting of the National Development Council on fiscal priorities of the government. Then too, a huge controversy had broken out, after which the office of the then Prime Minister had issued a clarification on what it called a “deliberate and mischievous misinterpretation”.

According to the then Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Dr Singh had said, “I believe our collective priorities are clear: agriculture, irrigation and water resources, health, education, critical investment in rural infrastructure, and the essential public investment needs of general infrastructure, along with programmes for the upliftment of SC/STs, Other Backward Classes, minorities, and women and children.

“The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalised. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the overall resource availability.”

The PMO had said it would be seen from the above that the Prime Minister’s reference to “first claim on resources” refers to all the “priority” areas listed above, including programmes for the upliftment of SCs, STs, OBCs, women and children and minorities.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, reacting to PM Modi’s attack on Dr Singh, in a post on the microblogging website X said the Prime Minister now wants to divert the attention of the public from issues.

“After the disappointment in the first phase of voting, the level of Narendra Modi’s lies has fallen so much that out of fear, he now wants to divert the attention of the public from the issues. Trends have started coming regarding the immense support that Congress’s ‘Revolutionary Manifesto’ is receiving,” Mr Gandhi said in the post.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2024-pm-narendra-modi-invokes-manmohan-singhs-muslim-remark-to-jab-congress-party-rebuts-5492647#pfrom=home-ndtv_bigstory

In Rajasthan, PM Narendra Modi claimed that if Congress came to power, it would give people’s valuables to “those who have more children”.

Row over PM Modi’s Rajasthan rally: Several Opposition leaders, including Asaduddin Owaisi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his “redistribution of wealth” remarks targeting the Congress during an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday.

PM Narendra Modi claimed that if the Congress came to power, it would give people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.

Reacting to the prime minister’s speech All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi wrote on social media platform X (formally Twitter), “Modi today called Muslims infiltrators and people with many children. Since 2002 till this day, the only Modi guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes. If one is talking about the country’s wealth, one should know that under Modi’s rule the first right to India’s wealth has been of his wealthy friends. 1% of Indians own 40% of the country’s wealth. Common Hindus are made to fear Muslims while their wealth is being used to enrich others.”

Hitting back at the PM, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that in the history of India, no prime minister has lowered the dignity of his post as much as Modi.

“Today, Modi ji’s desperate speech showed that INDIA is winning the first phase. What Modi ji said is definitely a hate speech, but it is also a deliberate ploy to divert attention,” Mallikarjun Kharge said on Sunday.

Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that today, the prime minister did what he has got in the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

“Lying for power, making false references to things and making false allegations against opponents is the specialty of the Sangh and the BJP’s training,” the Congress chief added.

“Our manifesto is for every Indian. It talks about equality for all. Talks about justice for all. The Nyaya Patra of Congress is based on the foundation of truth, but it seems that the chair of the dictator like Goebbels is now shaking,” Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in Hindi on X.

Rahul Gandhi reacts to PM Modi’s speech
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also reached to the speech saying after facing “disappointment” in the first phase of voting, “the level of lies of Narendra Modi has fallen so much that he now wants to divert the people from the issues as he is rattled”.

The trends of immense support for Congress’ “revolutionary manifesto” have started emerging, Rahul Gandhi posted in Hindi on X.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/asaduddin-owaisi-congress-react-sharply-to-pm-modis-wealth-to-infiltrators-remarks-101713743576249.html

Nirmala Sitharaman has said in an interview that ‘we’ will bring back electoral bonds and it was also said in the interview that when electoral bonds were introduced, they were introduced for the sake of transparency.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal has criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intended to reintroduce electoral bonds.

The BJP intended to bring back electoral bonds in some form after consultation with all stakeholders if the party comes back to power in the 2024 general elections, Sitharaman told a newspaper. What electoral bonds brought in was transparency. What prevailed earlier was just free-for-all. We still have a lot of consultation to do with stakeholders. We have to see what we have to do to make or bring in a framework that will be acceptable to all, primarily retain the level of transparency and remove black money from the equation, Sitharaman said in an interview with a newspaper.

She also said that it has not yet been decided whether the Union government will seek a review of the Supreme Court verdict scrapping the scheme. Sibal, however, pointed out that the Supreme Court had, while scrapping the scheme, termed it unconstitutional.

On February 15, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding, calling it unconstitutional, and ordered disclosure by the Election Commission of the donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also hit out at the BJP over the restoration of the electoral bond scheme. We know that the BJP looted Rs4 lakh crore of public money in the #PayPM scam…. if they win and restore the electoral bonds, how much will they loot this time? he asked.

Nirmala Sitharaman has said in an interview that ‘we’ will bring back electoral bonds and it was also said in the interview that when electoral bonds were introduced, they were introduced for the sake of transparency.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/lok-sabha-elections-2024-fm-nirmala-sithraman-faces-flak-over-electoral-bonds

Home Minister Amit Shah, while conducting a roadshow in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on Friday evening, took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and mocked him over his earlier remarks that the removal of Article 370 will lead to turmoil in Kashmir. The BJP leader said that under Prime Minister Modi’s government, no one has the guts to throw a stone in the state.

The roadshow was held hours after voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections got over.

While addressing the rally, Shah said, “In Kashmir, (Peoples Democratic Party chief) Mehbooba Mufti and (Congress leader) Rahul Baba (Gandhi) used to say there would be bloodbath here once Article 370 is removed.”

He further said, “Rahul Baba, five years have passed (since the abrogation of Article 370). This is the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leave alone the talk of the bloodbath, no one has the guts to throw a stone there.”

Shah held a roadshow in support of BJP candidate from Udaipur Lok Sabha seat, Mannalal Rawat, in the city on Friday night. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma in an open vehicle and the roadshow was carried out from Delhi Gate chauraha to Surajpole chauraha.

In the roadshow of about one kilometer, the two BJP leaders greeted the workers and the public by waving hands.

Source: https://www.news18.com/politics/amit-shah-attacks-rahul-gandhi-over-kashmir-8859224.html

Voting for the 102 parliamentary seats across 21 states and Union Territories has begun along with polling for state assemblies of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Sikkim has 32 assembly seats while Arunachal is voting for 60 assembly constituencies.

“The 2024 Lok Sabha elections commence today! As 102 seats across 21 States and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers. I particularly call upon the young and first time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts and every voice matters! “the PM said in a post on X.

Voting for the 102 parliamentary seats across 21 states and Union Territories has begun along with polling for state assemblies of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Sikkim has 32 assembly seats while Arunachal is voting for 60 assembly constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took to X and explained the importance of day in an special appeal to first-time voters.

“It is an important day today, as the first phase of voting is taking place in the country. I appeal to all the voters who are voting in this phase to vote in large numbers because every vote of yours has the power to create a secure, developed, and self-reliant India,” the Home Minister said.

“Your vote is not only meant to determine the fate of a Lok Sabha or a candidate but also to shape a bright future for India. My appeal is to choose a strong and decisive leadership that has shown the determination to free the country from corruption, nepotism, and appeasement while fulfilling its promises,” he added.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2024-pm-modis-every-voice-matters-vote-in-record-numbers-request-to-voters-as-lok-sabha-polls-begin-article-109416846

Lok Sabha Election Phase 1 Voting: Backed by a high-octane campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the BJP is aiming to win 370 of 543 Lok Sabha seat, a steep rise from its score of 2019. The Prime Minister has set the NDA a target of 400.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha polls 2024 – billed by the BJP as a milestone to 2047 and the Opposition as a battle for democracy’s survival – began today. In the first of the 7-phase exercise, voting is being held in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories

Here are top 10 points on this big story:

The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is a campaign led by Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Its aim is to unite India through justice. The campaign seeks to understand the challenges and anyay faced by the poor, labourers, farmers, women, youth, backward classes, Dalits, tribals, and minorities and seeks to find a solution for them.

The Yatra was initiated due to the anti-people policies of the current Central Government, which have resulted in difficult times for every section of society and the country. Youth are struggling to find employment, and farmers are unable to make a living from their labor. A small group controls the country’s resources and government. The Constitution, designed to hear every citizen’s voice and protect their rights is being watered down, a fact evident in Manipur.

The aim of the Yatra is to find ways by which justice can be delivered to every Indian. Every woman should be respected, every youth should have opportunities for education and employment, every farmer should get the right price for his hard work and his crop, every laborer should get the right income, there should be provision of education and medicine for every citizen. The aim of this journey is to create an India where every section has a stake in resources and institutions.

The goal of the Yatra is to identify methods to deliver justice to every Indian. Every woman deserves respect, each young person should have access to education and job opportunities, every farmer should receive the right price for their hard work and crops, every worker should earn a suitable income, and every citizen should have access to education and healthcare. The purpose of this Yatra is to establish an India where all sectors have a share in resources and institutions.

During the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra, Rahul Gandhi not only met with lakhs of people but listened attentively to their concerns. He reached out to them, inviting some while visiting others. He interacted with families and groups alike. Based on these interactions, he has announced guarantees for farmers such as implementing MSP as per the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations, conducting caste census, and abolishing the 50% reservation limit.

Source: https://paanchnyay.com/?utm_source=New18English&utm_medium=ROSAllVoters&utm_campaign=INCMarch24Phase2&utm_term=DisplayBannersNaari1

Despite the crucial timing, no significant rally or public meeting featuring Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge has been organised in this region.

With just a day left for campaigning to end before the first phase of polls in Uttar Pradesh, INDIA bloc constituents, Congress and Samajwadi Party, have failed to coordinate a joint rally in western Uttar Pradesh. Scheduled for April 19, the first phase of voting encompasses eight seats in the state, with campaigning set to conclude on April 17.

Despite the crucial timing, no significant rally or public meeting featuring Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge has been organised in this region.

‘Yet to project a unified front’

A leader from the Samajwadi Party expressed disappointment, stating, “We have yet to project a unified front. A collective rally in western UP was imperative, considering its significance in the initial phase of polling. The absence of such an event underscores the lack of coordination between the allies, even at the grassroots level.”

While Akhilesh Yadav has addressed several rallies in western Uttar Pradesh, the absence of a joint rally with Congress leaders is conspicuous. However, there is a ray of hope for the Opposition as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to lead a roadshow in Saharanpur on April 17 in support of party candidate, Imran Masood, from Gol Kothi. Notably, Samajwadi Party leaders have decided not to participate in this roadshow.

The Congress, allied with the INDIA bloc in the state, is contesting only one seat in Saharanpur in this phase, where eight constituencies will go to polls. As the election fervour escalates, the lack of significant programmes in western Uttar Pradesh exacerbates the challenge.

Nevertheless, preparations are underway for Priyanka Gandhi’s forthcoming roadshow, as confirmed by Dr CP Rai, chairman of the Congress Party’s Media Department. Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are also expected to address a joint press conference in Ghaziabad on April 17.

Political analyst Rajesh N Bajpai stressed the importance of presenting a united front in electoral contests, highlighting the necessity for effective vote transfer. He noted the absence of joint rallies at the grassroots level and emphasised that voters often feel alienated in the absence of such unity.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/lok-sabha-election-2024-congress-samajwadi-party-miss-joint-rally-opportunity-ahead-of-uttar-pradesh-polls

Lok Sabha elections: Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Narendra Modi at a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Ghaziabad: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “the champion of corruption”. Reacting to PM Modi’s recent remarks on the scrapped electoral bonds scheme, Gandhi said it was the “biggest extortion scheme in the world”.

Addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the Wayanad MP alleged that PM Modi’s recent interview to ANI was “scripted and a flop show”.

“A few days ago, the Prime Minister gave a very long interview to ANI. It was scripted, but it was a flop show. The Prime Minister tried to explain electoral bonds in it. The Prime Minister said that the system of electoral bonds was brought for transparency, to clean politics. If this is true then why was that system cancelled by the Supreme Court. And secondly, if you wanted to bring transparency, why did you hide the names of those who gave money to BJP. And why did you hide the dates on which they gave you the money?,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The electoral bonds scheme was scrapped by the Supreme Court earlier this year. Last month, the court made the State Bank of India reveal the names of individuals and entities that bought electoral bonds.

“This is the biggest extortion scheme in the world. All the businessmen of India understand and know this and no matter how much clarification the Prime Minister wants to give, it will not make any difference. Because the entire country knows that the Prime Minister is the champion of corruption,” Rahul Gandhi added.

What PM Modi said on electoral bonds
In the interview, PM Narendra Modi had accused the Opposition of spreading lies on the electoral bonds scheme and said that “everyone will regret it when there is an honest reflection”.

PM Modi said the scheme was formulated with the aim of curbing black money in politics.

“There has been a discussion in our country for a long time that (through) black money is a dangerous game in elections. The play of black money in the country’s elections ends, this discussion has been going on for a long time. Money is spent in elections; no one can deny this. My party also spends, all parties, candidates spend and money has to be taken from people. I wanted us to try something, how can our elections be free from this black money, how can there be transparency? There was a pure thought in my mind. We were looking for a way. We found a small way, we never claimed that this was the absolute way,” he added.

PM Modi pointed out that out of the total donations made by the 16 companies which bought electoral bonds after action by probe agencies, only 37 per cent of the amount went to the BJP and 63 per cent to Opposition parties.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pm-is-champion-of-corruption-rahul-gandhi-claims-modi-interview-scripted-101713330652749.html

The 15-second clip shows two party leaders engaged in a physical altercation while a police officer attempts to intervene and calm the situation.

A video showing a clash between two BJP leaders has gone viral on social media. According to reports, the video captures an incident that occurred during a press conference held by Uttar Pradesh Minister Brijesh Singh.

The 15-second clip shows two party leaders engaged in a physical altercation while a police officer attempts to intervene and calm the situation.

It is noteworthy that on Monday afternoon, Minister Brijesh Singh arrived at the party district office in Amroha to conduct a press conference regarding the BJP’s manifesto. BJP leaders and workers were also in attendance. It is reported that shortly after the press conference concluded, a verbal altercation ensued between the district media coordinator Ramesh Kalal and district vice-president Krishna Kumar.

The situation quickly escalated to physical violence. Due to the commotion caused by the presence of district president Udaygiri Goswami and other party leaders, the situation became chaotic. Efforts were made to resolve the dispute by district secretary Rakesh Verma and BJYM district president Shubham Chaudhary from both sides.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/up-viral-video-brawl-erupts-between-bjp-leaders-during-minister-brijesh-singhs-press-conference-in-amroha

Accusing PM Modi of taking a soft stance against China’s aggression at the borders, he said, “Modi has betrayed Bharat Mata.”

Former Union minister and BJP veteran Subramanian Swamy launched yet another broadside at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the border dispute with China.

Accusing PM Modi of taking a soft stance against China’s aggression at the borders, he said, “Modi has betrayed Bharat Mata.”

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Subramanian Swamy wrote, “While Modi has betrayed Bharat Mata by crawling before China, along with his waiter monkey, thus losing 4065 sq Kms of Ladakh since 2020, hence BJP should distance itself from him and must strive to obtain a majority. Modi is a liability for the party’s credibility.”

In another tweet on the same day, he questioned why PM Modi is not ordering the prosecution of Rahul Gandhi.

In his tweet, Swamy leveled a serious allegation against former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. “Why is Modi not ordering the prosecution of Bambino alias Rahul Gandhi for organizing and participating in the gang rape by three other foreigners, of Youth Congress office bearer Sukanya, in Amethi in 2006? CM Adityanath should be having the files. Times Now had a video of her post-rape,” wrote Swamy.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/modi-is-liability-for-bjps-credibility-subramanian-swamy-asks-saffron-party-to-distance-itself-from-pm-over-border-issue-with-china

Raj Sud, 94, has voted in almost every election held in independent India, bearing witness to the eventful journey of a diverse, and now the world’s most populous, democracy over the last 76 years.

Nearly 970 million people are eligible to vote in India’s 6-week national election starting Friday, and the elderly homemaker has a clear favorite in the race.

Most polls have predicted a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party for a third straight five-year term.

“I like Modi very much. Modi is working honestly. And he is doing very good work and wants to make the whole country absolutely beautiful,” said Sud.

Modi is considered a champion of the country’s Hindu majority and has overseen rapid economic growth during his last two terms. But critics say he’s also undermined India’s democracy and its status as a secular nation with attacks by Hindu nationalists against the country’s minorities and a shrinking space for dissent and free media.

Political parties have tried to divide the voters, said financial consultant Dhiren Singh, 58, adding that “there will be a very subversive attempt to polarize them on the basis of multiple parameters.”

For the country’s 200 million young voters, the worries lie elsewhere. According to the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate stood at more than 7% in March.

“I’m very aware of the need to find stable employment, and I’ll be looking at each party’s track records and plans in that area before deciding who to vote for,” said Manya Sachdev, 22, a student and a first-time voter.

Another first-time voter, Ankita Jasra, said that going abroad is “more attractive” for students and “the skill and all the talents that India holds is going out to countries that are not ours.”

Many of New Delhi’s urban voters say corruption, lack of good governance and inflation are issues that need immediate attention but the opposition has failed to raise them effectively.

Riven by rivalries and political defections, an alliance of opposition parties has been further crippled by a series of arrests and corruption investigations of key leaders.

Ajay Jasra, 56, a service professional, said the opposition is “completely paralyzed” and “not doing the work of the opposition at all.”

Others, like Niranjan Kapasi, blame the entire political class for “manipulating the system by getting all the benefits with taxpayers’ money.”

“I’m completely disillusioned the way the politics is, the way they are fleecing us,” said the 89-year-old retired journalist.

One thing that New Delhi’s voters, cutting across age and political inclinations, agree on is a desire to clean up the political system and make it accountable.

Yoga instructor Ajay Sud, 63, said he would like to see more honesty and ethical behavior among the

politicians.

“I would like them to be more educated. And less corrupt,” said Dhiren Singh, a financial consultant.

Kuldip Chadha, 82, said that despite the scams and corruption scandals, elections in a democracy are all about hope for the future generations. “You want to see that your children, your grandchildren, they have a good way of living and how they can manage and how they can progress in an honest system.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/india-election-voices-photo-gallery-79038bb02d02679ec7cff91a4b30e1e9

AAP MP Sanjay Singh read out a message from jailed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who worked “like a son and a brother for the country and the people of Delhi”, sent out a message from Tihar hail. “My name is Arvind Kejriwal and I am not a terrorist,” Sanjay Singh said at a press conference.

“The three-time elected CM of Delhi is made to meet Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann through a glass. It is clear from this that the prime minister has a feeling of hatred against Arvind Kejriwal…,” claimed the AAP MP.

Sanjay Singh alleged that efforts are being made 24 hours to demoralise Arvind Kejriwal. “This is Arvind Kejriwal, he is made of a different clay… The more you try to break him, the stronger he will come back…Yesterday, CM Bhagwant Mann became emotional during the meeting. This is an emotional matter for all of us but it is a matter of shame for BJP and PM Modi,” the AAP MP alleged.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/my-name-is-arvind-kejriwal-and-i-am-not-a-terrorist-sanjay-singh-on-jailed-delhi-cms-message-101713243924982.html

Rahul Gandhi had said at an election rally that if Congress is voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, it would ensure that “poverty is erased in one stroke”.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 14) took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and termed him a “royal magician” over his remark to eradicate poverty “with a single stroke” and said the country doesn’t take him seriously. The Prime Minister said that what the Congress leader said was “laughable” and reminded that his grandmother had given the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ decades ago. Addressing a rally at Pipariya town in Madhya Pradesh’s Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency, Modi also targeted the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc over one of its constituents being in favour of nuclear disarmament and said they cannot protect the country.

Kanhaiya Kumar (37), who has served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, will take on Bhojpuri actor-singer and incumbent BJP MP Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi.

Kanhaiya Kumar (37), who has served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, will take on Bhojpuri actor-singer and incumbent BJP MP Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi when the capital city goes to poll on May 25.

In 2019, Kanhaiya Kumar contested on a Communist Party of India (CPI) ticket from Bihar’s Begusarai, wherein he had lost to Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh. Later, he joined the Congress in 2021.

Meanwhile, Manoj Tiwari is BJP’s two-time MP from North East Delhi seat after he defeated former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Additionally, Congress has fielded senior leader Jai Prakash Agarwal from Chandni Chowk. Agarwal will take on Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary Praveen Khandelwal, who is contesting on a BJP ticket, replacing two-time MP and former Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

The party has also fielded Udit Raj from North West Delhi. The BJP has fielded Yogendra Chandolia from the seat, replacing its sitting MP Hans Raj Hans.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/kanhaiya-kumar-north-east-delhi-charanjit-channi-jalandhar-sc-congress-list-of-candidates-2527157-2024-04-14

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its poll manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ with the tagline “Modi ki Guarantee”. The BJP’s 69-page manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ promises to cover transportation for common man- road, water or air.

Waterways 

The party, if returns to power, promises the expansion of water metro services across the nation, wherever feasible. It also promises improving the connectivity and networks of water-based public transportation. As of now, India’s first water metro is functional in Kerala’s Kochi.

“We will integrate inter-ministry initiatives like the National Waterway Project, Namami Gange, the National River Conservation Plan, Jal Marg Vikas Project and Arth Ganga, among others, to double the share of Inland Water Transport in transportation,” the manifesto promised.

Roadways

The party’s manifesto promises to take PM Gram Sadak Yojana “to the remotest areas” and improve remote areas’ access and connectivity to healthcare and other government services.

“We will focus on further improving safety on roads through a series of techno legal interventions, training and behavioural change to improve road safety,” party’s manifesto said, adding that it will increase fleet of EVs and push more EV charging stations.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/elections/water-metros-international-airports-gram-sadak-yojana-what-modi-ki-guarantee-promises-in-bjp-manifesto-article-109287229

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy sustained injuries on Saturday evening after stones were hurled at his convoy during an election campaign in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijaywada.

A group of miscreants started pelting stones at the CM’s bus during the rally which led him and another person to sustain injuries. The attack injured Reddy on his left eyebrow.

“The stone struck the CM while he was acknowledging the crowds as part of his bus tour at Vivekananda School Centre in Singh Nagar, Vijayawada,” said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The stone hit Reddy at a very high velocity and officials are suspecting that it could have been launched from a catapult, prompting the people standing around him atop the bus to wipe his forehead with a handkerchief initially.

The chief minister was administered first aid inside the bus immediately by a doctor.

However, unfazed by the stone pelting, he resumed his tour in the city, where he has been canvassing for nearly four hours.

Meanwhile, YSRCP leaders alleged that the TDP was behind this “attack”.

Political Leaders Condemns Attack

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his X account and wished for the Chief Minister’s speedy recovery and good health.

TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu also condemned the attack on the chief minister the rally on Saturday. Taking to X, he said, “I strongly condemn the attack on @ysjagan. I request the @ECISVEEP to initiate an impartial and unbiased inquiry into the incident and punish the responsible officials.”

BRS leader K.T Rama Rao strongly condemned the attack on the Chief Minister. Taking to his official X account, Rao said, “Violence has no place in democracy and I hope strict preventive measures are put in place by ECI.”

YSRCP leader Hafeez Khan also spoke on the attack on CM and said that TDP is behind this cowardly act because they cannot bear to see the massive response that CM Jagan is receiving during his Memantha Siddham Yatra in their so called bastions (Vijayawada).

Source : https://www.news18.com/politics/andhra-pradesh-cm-jagan-mohan-reddy-injured-bus-stone-pelting-vijayawada-rally-ysrcp-tdp-8850465.html

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that MLAs of the ruling Congress in the state were offered Rs 50 crore as part of ‘Operation Lotus’ ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP is trying to carry out ‘Operation Lotus’ in the southern state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In an exclusive interview with India Today TV’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, the Chief Minister claimed that the BJP “offered Rs 50 crore” to the MLAs of the ruling Congress to jump ship.

The response came after Siddaramaiah was asked about the BJP, alleging that the Congress government under him would collapse if the grand old party loses the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.

“They have been trying to break my government for the past year. Rs 50 crore was offered to our MLAs. They tried and failed,” Siddaramaiah told India Today TV.

When asked if it would be easier for the Congress-headed government to fall after the elections should they lose the same, Siddaramaiah staunchly dismissed it.

“Not possible. Our MLAs will not leave. Not a single MLA will leave our party,” the Chief Minister told Rajdeep Sardesai.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chief-minister-siddaramaiah-alleges-operation-lotus-in-karnataka-bjp-offered-rs-50-crore-to-mlas-2526677-2024-04-13

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded to charges made by BJP leaders that West Bengal has become a “safe haven for terrorists”. “What about Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, and Bihar. Are these places safe,” she asked

The arrest of two accused in the Bengaluru cafe blast case from West Bengal on Friday ahead of the Lok Sabha polls triggered a war of words between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the State.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was quick to respond to charges made by BJP leaders that West Bengal has become a “safe haven for terrorists”.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/arrest-of-bengaluru-blast-accused-from-west-bengal-triggers-war-of-words-between-trinamool-congress-and-bjp/article68058984.ece

Kanhaiya Kumar, who is presently in-charge of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections against Bhartiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh from Bihar’s Begusarai as a Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate.

Prime Minister Modi attacks Congress over claims that BJP will change Constitution if voted to power

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked the Congress over its accusations that the BJP will change the Constitution if voted to power for the third term, saying that the “Constitution can’t be abolished even by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar himself”.

Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Barmer, PM Modi said, “The people of the country talk of 400 seats (for the BJP) because for 10 years, you, the Congress, constantly tried to stop me from doing good work in Parliament and so the nation wants to punish you. It has made up its mind to wipe you out.” The rally was organised in support of the BJP candidate and Union Minister of State Kailash Chaudhary, who is contesting from the Barmer Lok Sabha seat.

“Aur jahan tak samvidhan ka sawal hai, aap maan ke chaliye, aur Modi ke shabd likh ke rakhiye, Babasaheb Ambedkar khud aa jaayein toh bhi samvidhan khatm nahi kar sakte hain (As far as the Constitution is concerned, keep Modi’s words in writing, if Babasaheb Ambedkar comes back himself, he too can’t abolish the Constitution). For the government, our Constitution is Gita, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bible and Quran,” he said.

In the past few weeks, the Congress has cited remarks by BJP leaders Anantkumar Hegde and Jyoti Mirdha to claim that the “BJP will change the Constitution if voted back to power”.

“The Congress, which has been discriminating against the brothers and sisters of SC/ST and OBCs for decades, is playing an old record today. Lying in the name of the Constitution has become a fashion for all the constituents of the INDI alliance whenever elections come. The Congress, which made Babasaheb (Bhimrao Ambedkar) lose the election, did not allow him to receive Bharat Ratna, and tried to destroy the Constitution by imposing Emergency in the country, is today resorting to lies in the name of the Constitution to abuse Modi,” the PM said.

He said it was his government which “for the first time started celebrating Constitution Day in the country – the Congress opposed it in Parliament – and developed the Panchteerth associated with Babasaheb. Therefore, there is a need to be cautious of the Congress and its INDI alliance, which insults Babasaheb and the Constitution”.

He reiterated that the Congress manifesto has an “imprint of the Muslim League”. Referring to the manifesto of Communist Party of India (Marxist), the PM said, “Now INDI alliance says we will destroy Bharat’s nuclear weapons and drown them in the river… Is it right for a country like India whose neighbours on both sides have nuclear weapons?”

The CPI(M) manifesto states that the party works for “complete elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons”.

“I want to ask the Congress, under whose instructions is your INDI alliance partner working? What kind of alliance is this which wants to disempower Bharat. On one hand, Modi is busy in making India a powerful nation, and on the other hand, the INDI alliance is announcing that Bharat will be weakened,” the PM said.

Attacking Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge once again over his remarks on mention of Kashmir in PM’s Rajasthan speeches, Modi said, “Jis Rajasthan mein, Kashmir mein janme Babosa Ramdev (a folk deity) ji ki ghar ghar pooja hoti ho, ussey poochhte ho ki Kashmir se kya rishta hai (In Rajasthan, where Kashmir-born Babosa Ramdev ji is worshipped in homes, you are asking what relation it has to Kashmir)?”

The Congress party pointed out that the PM confused Kashmir in Barmer, the birthplace of Baba Ramdev, with the Kashmir in J&K. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said, “In the race to build relationships everywhere, the Prime Minister turned Baba Ramdev-ji’s birthplace, Barmer’s ‘Undoo Kashmir’ village, into Jammu and Kashmir. O Ramsa Peer Baba, please forgive him.”

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/for-us-constitution-is-gita-bible-quran-even-babasaheb-cant-abolish-it-now-modi-hits-out-at-congress-9266959/

BJP Lok Sabha Candidate Kangana Ranaut advocates for giving new people a chance in politics and film industry. Criticizes INDIA alliance for indecisiveness and lack of political issues. Emphasizes on Ayurvedic lifestyle and the need for an airport in Mandi for tourism.

Hitting out at the INDIA alliance, BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut on Thursday said the INDIA bloc parties have no political issues to fight for.

She also said that new people should be given a chance in the politics.

In a post on X, Kangana Ranaut said: “New people and outsiders should be given a chance. In the film industry also, I had to struggle with dynasties. They (the INDIA alliance) are not able to decide on their candidate. They seem to be nervous and scared… They have no political issues left… I follow an Ayurvedic and Yogic lifestyle… We need an airport here for tourism…”

Reacting to Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s remarks that “who lives there” on Katchatheevu Island, Kangana Ranaut also said that due to such a thought process, development could not take place in the remote areas of the country under the Congress’ tenure.

“Nehruji’s thinking of calling ‘Aksai Chin a barren land’ is still alive in Congress. Digvijay ji’s statement regarding Kachchativu island reflects the same thinking. Due to this mentality, development could not take place in the remote areas of India under Congress rule…There will be no compromise with the geographical integrity of the country, and the country will definitely give a reply to those who have such thinking,” Ranaut wrote on X.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/lok-sabha-elections-kangana-ranaut-bjp-mandi-himachal-pradesh-bollywood-congress-11712831127366.html

Arvind Kejriwal arrest: Rajnath Singh accused the Opposition of misleading the people of the country.

New Delhi: Reacting to the Opposition’s charge that the BJP government at the Centre had misused agencies to get Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal arrested, defence minister Rajnath Singh wondered why courts didn’t grant relief to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief.

In an interview, Rajnath Singh accused the Opposition of misleading the people of the country.

“Even if it is assumed that Arvind Kejriwal went to jail because of us, why is he not getting relief? Have we taken control of the courts also? What are these people trying to say? Let them have the audacity to say we have captured courts also…is it possible?” Rajnath Singh told ANI.

Singh said the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Income Tax department were doing their jobs. He said if the Opposition thought their leaders were being jailed over baseless allegations, they could get protection from courts.

Rajnath Singh said if AAP leader Sanjay Singh could get bail, why other leaders weren’t able to get similar relief from courts.

“India has to be made corruption-free, this is the resolve of our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). If they (Opposition parties) feel that they have been framed, their leaders are in jail on baseless allegations, they can get protection from courts. If Sanjay Singh (AAP leader) can get bail, why other (party leaders) have not been able to get similar relief,” he told ANI.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh recently got bail in a money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in October last year.

His party colleague Manish Sisodia, however, has been languishing in jail over similar charges since February 2023. Several courts have dismissed his bail applications since his arrest.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajnath-singh-on-arvind-kejriwal-arrest-there-is-no-washing-machine-if-sanjay-singh-can-get-bail-why-not-101712880324632.html

Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar passed the order citing a 2007 case pending against Kumar.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/delhi/directorate-of-vigilance-terminates-services-of-arvind-kejriwals-private-secretary-bibhav-kumar-2973673

The Court said that Kejriwal, instead of using the meetings for discussing litigation strategy with his lawyers, was using it for giving directions to be passed on to the Water Minister.

A Delhi court on Wednesday rejected a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking permission to hold five meetings a week with his legal team instead of two meetings which he was allowed earlier.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue court said that Kejriwal, instead of using the meetings for discussing litigation strategy with his lawyers, was using it for giving directions to be passed on to the Water Minister.

“The Applicant has failed to satisfy this court that he has been using the two permitted legal meetings per week solely for the purpose of discussing the pending litigations with his counsels. The status report/note filed by the Investigating Agency indicates that the Applicant had dictated certain directions for being passed on to the Water Minister, to one of his lawyers (whose name he refused to disclose to the Investigating Agency) during the course of a legal meeting,” the Court noted in its order.

It thus appears that Kejriwal is not even utilizing the permitted two legal interviews per week with his counsel solely for discussing his pending litigation and has rather used the allotted time for purposes other than legal interviews, the Court concluded while dismissing the plea.

Kejriwal is currently under judicial custody in Tihar jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case connected to the Delhi excise policy scam.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and then produced before Judge Baweja, who initially remanded him to ED custody till March 28.

The ED’s custody over him was later extended till April 1. Thereafter, he was sent to judicial custody till April 15.

In response to Kejriwal’s application for five legal meetings a week, judge Baweja also noted that even Kejriwal had said that there are about 30-35 litigations regarding which he needs to have consultations and discussions with his counsels.

However, there does not appear to be any objective criteria for assessing whether five meetings with his lawyers per week would be sufficient to address the concern of the accused or that two meetings, which are permitted as per Jail Rules, would be sufficient, the Court said.

“In the absence of any such objective criteria for assessment, the prayer of the applicant for five legal interviews with his lawyers per week not only appears to be whimsical but also seems to have been made without any statistical basis or objective standards for assessment,” the Court said.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-court-rejects-arvind-kejriwal-plea-allow-5-meetings-jail-week-legal-team-instead-two