Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, and actor-turned-politician Arun Govil are among the key candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls with BJP's Hema Malini, Om Birla and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking a hat-trick of wins from their respective constituencies, reported news agency PTI. Staggered over seven stages, the first phase of the elections held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories saw a voter turnout of around 65.5 per cent. Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: Rahul Gandhi seeking re-election In the second phase of Lok Sabha polls on Friday, polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. Rahul Gandhi is the sitting MP from Wayanad in Kerala and is seeking re-election. He is pitted against CPI's Annie Raja and BJP's K Surendran. In the 2019 election, Gandhi secured victory by a substantial margin of more than 7 lakh votes against his closest rival, CPI's P P Suneer. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor is hoping to retain the Thiruvananthapuram seat for the fourth time. He is pitted against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar from the BJP and CPI's Pannyan Raveendran. Malini, who has represented the Mathura constituency since 2014, is contesting against Congress' Mukesh Dhangar while Om Birla, a two-time MP from Kota, is facing Prahlad Gunjal from the Congress party. Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: Union minister Shekhawat eyeing a third win Union minister Shekhawat is eyeing a third win from the Jodhpur seat while Congress candidate Karan Singh Uchiyarda would look to put a spanner in the works of the BJP candidate. Tejasvi Surya, the sitting MP for Bangalore South and the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), will face Congress' Sowmya Reddy. Former chief minister of Chhattisgarh and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel is contesting from Rajnandgaon, a stronghold of the BJP for over 30 years. Baghel is pitted against BJP's Santosh Pandey, who won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections succeeding Abhishek Singh, the son of former Chief Minister Raman Singh, also from the BJP. Replacing three-time MP Rajendra Agarwal, who has been holding the Meerut seat since 2004, Arun Govil, famous for portraying Lord Ram's character in Ramayan TV series, is making his electoral debut against BSP's Devvrat Kumar Tyagi and SP's Sunita Verma. Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: BJP leader Virendra Kumar Khatik eyeing a fourth win In Madhya Pradesh, BJP leader Virendra Kumar Khatik is eyeing a fourth win from Tikamgarh. The Congress has fielded a new face, Pankaj Ahirwar, from the constituency. In 2019, Khatik defeated Congress' Kiran Ahirwar by a margin of over 3.48 lakh votes. The contest for the Alappuzha seat in Kerala has turned into a prestige battle for the Congress with All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal's return to the Lok Sabha poll fray after 2014 as the party looks to wrest the only seat it lost to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in its landslide 19-1 victory in Kerala in the 2019 polls. Venugopal has not lost any major election in his career. He won the Alappuzha Assembly seat thrice in a row in 1996, 2001, and 2006 and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Alappuzha in 2009 and 2014. In 2019, he did not contest after the party elevated him to the post of the AICC general secretary. Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi in the fray Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi is also in the fray from Thrissur against K Muraleedharan of Congress and VS Sunil Kumar of CPI(M). Sukanta Majumdar, incumbent BJP MP from Balurghat in West Bengal is seeking re-election. He is pitted against Biplab Mitra of the Trinamool Congress and Joydeb Siddhanta of the Revolutionary Socialist Party. (With inputs from PTI)
25 April,2024 02:32 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asserted that a Maharashtra Bhavan will be built in Jammu and Kashmir and with the Centre's support, no one will dare to oppose it. Speaking at a rally in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Wednesday, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde claimed that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has opposed the construction of the Maharashtra Bhavan in Kashmir. "The state government has received land in Kashmir for building the Maharashtra Bhavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are with us. So no one will dare to oppose it," Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said. CM Shinde last year requested Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for a land parcel to construct the Maharashtra Bhavan to provide accommodations and facilities for tourists and officials from the state visiting the Valley. The Maharashtra cabinet last month approved a proposal to construct the Maharashtra Bhavan, clearing the decks for the first state-run guest house to come up in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370. The Union Territory administration's revenue department has identified land measuring 20 kanals (about 2.5 acres) in the Ichgam area of central Kashmir's Budgam district, close to the Srinagar airport, for the guest house, officials earlier said. The sanction was accorded after the Maharashtra cabinet approved the purchase of 2.5 acres to construct the guest house. CM Shinde also attacked the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and said when the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was in power in Maharashtra, many projects were stalled which have now been restarted by the ruling dispensation. He also said that Union minister Shah did not give any word to Thackeray over power-sharing agreement in the state. Shah and Shinde were in Amravati to campaign for BJP's Lok Sabha poll candidate Navneet Rana.
25 April,2024 02:08 PM IST | Amravati | mid-day online correspondentBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda on Wednesday fired a fresh salvo at Congress leader Sonia Gandhi stating that she had shed tears for terrorists killed in Batla House encounter in 2008. While campaigning in Bihar's Madhubani ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, Nadda said, "During the Batla encounter, terrorists were killed and their (Congress) leaders said that Sonia Gandhi cried. She cried for terrorists. What is your relation with traitors? What is the reason behind your sympathy? What do you like in them?" On September 19, 2008, the Delhi Police carried out an operation in the national capital to arrest Indian Mujahideen terrorists in hiding in which Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma and two Indian Mujahideen terrorists Atif and Sajid were killed. The BJP president said that the Congress and its allies always stand in support of those who are anti-national and "weaken" the country. "They (Congress) stand with those and sympathise with those who weaken the country. This is the arrogant alliance, the INDI alliance. Will you support them?" Nadda said. Earlier in the day, while addressing a rally in Bihar's Khagaria, Nadda said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the "definition of politics" during his tenure and now elections are fought on issues of "Vikasvaad" (development). "PM Modi has changed the history, culture and definition of politics. 10 years ago, elections used to happen based on who belonged to which caste, which area, upper class or lower class, from this bank of the Ganga or that bank, whether from the hills or the plains. There used to be vote bank politics. Elections used to happen based on caste, religion...But in the last 10 years, PM Modi finished all these things and now elections happen based on 'Vikasvaad'," Nadda said. The BJP president boasted that the way the nation prospered in the 10 years of PM Modi's tenure that all sections of society got strengthened woing to PM Modi's policies. "When we talk about 'Vikas' we can also say that the way the nation prospered in the last 10 years, the way villages, poor, depressed, oppressed, backward, women, youth, our farmers got strengthened is all due to the policies of PM Modi," Nadda said. Polling was held in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls at Bihar's Jamui, Nawada, Gaya, and Aurangabad on April 19. The state, with 40 Lok Sabha seats, will also witness polling in all the remaining six phases of the general elections. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 08:40 AM IST | Madhubani (Bihar) | ANIContinuing his sharp attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged that the party "hates the country's constitution, hates identity of India" and is preparing to cut the quota of SCs, STs and OBCs and to implement reservations based on religion. Addressing a rally in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, PM Modi accused the Congress of having a hidden agenda of "inheritance tax" and alleged that the party "wants to snatch your property". He said that Congress was working against the constitution by giving religion-based reservation. "Today, such a truth of Congress has come out that stunned the countrymen. Our constitution clearly prohibits reservation based on religion. BR Ambedkar himself was against this but Congress has taken a dangerous resolution and to complete this they are continuously trying to fool people and play their own game. Congress has given reservations in Andhra Pradesh based on religion in 2004. In their manifesto for the 2009 and 2014 elections, they have promised religion-based reservations... Congress is preparing to cut the quota of SC, ST and OBC and to implement reservations based on religion," he said. PM Modi referred to the LIC slogan to attack the Congress. "'Congress ka mantra hai-Congress ki loot, jindagi ke sath bhi loot, jindagi ke baad bhi loot. Congress hates the country's Constitution. They hate the identity of India and hence they are working on all those projects that weaken the Country and its stature... The Congress who said lord Ram is an imaginative figure, have rejected the invitation of 'Pran Pratistha'," he alleged. PM Modi alleged that Congress wants to impose a tax on the inheritance received from parents "Congress has now made another revelation. Their hidden agenda has come out. Congress says that it will impose an Inheritance Tax...Congress says it will also impose a tax on the Inheritance received from parents. Congress will take away almost half of your property that you have accumulated through your hard work and want to give it to your children...Congress has no idea about India's family values," he alleged. "Congress want to snatch your property. They will do an x-ray as their leader is saying and will look at what is there in your locker and at home... Be it jewellery or 'mangalsutra' of women, Congress will search for everything and then they will snatch it and redistribute it... If you have two homes, one in the city and the other in the village, Congress will take one. If you have two cars, they will take one, Congress has announced this. After snatching all these things from you, they want to give it to their 'vote bank'," he added. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh later said that the word 'redistribution' does not appear in the Congress Nyay Patra. "It has, however, appeared before in the BJP's election manifestos," he said in a post on X. He also refuted Bharatiya Janata Party's claim that Congress aims to impose inheritance tax in the country. "The Congress has no plan whatsoever to introduce an inheritance tax. In fact, Rajiv Gandhi abolished Estate Duty in 1985," he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 08:35 AM IST | Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) | ANIThe Congress on Wednesday announced the names of its candidates for three Lok Sabha and six assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh. KBR Naidu will contest from the Narsapuram Lok Sabha constituency, SK Basheed from Rajampet and M Jagapathi from Chittoor, according to an All India Congress Committee (AICC) press release. For the assembly elections, G Tirupathi will contest from Srungavarapukota, G Anji Babu from Bapatla and C Chandra Paul from Sattenapalle. Shaik Jelani Basha will contest on a Congress ticket from the Kurnool assembly seat, M Khasim Vali from Yemmiganur and PS Murli Krishnaraju from Mantralayam. The Congress also replaced its candidates for Cheepurupalli, Vijayawada East, Tenali, Kondapi and Markapuram assembly constituencies. The party is contesting the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls, which are being held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, in an alliance with its INDIA bloc partners the CPI and the CPI(M). With the latest announcement, the alliance partners have declared candidates for all Lok Sabha and assembly seats in the state, Jagna Goutham, working president of the Congress' Andhra Pradesh unit, told PTI. Elections for the 175-member assembly and the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh will be held on May 13. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 08:33 AM IST | Amaravati | PTIElectronics Corporation of India Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd have refused to disclose the names and contact details of the manufacturers and suppliers of various components of EVMs and VVPATs under the RTI Act citing "commercial confidence", according to RTI responses from the PSUs to an activist. Activist Venkatesh Nayak had filed two identical Right To Information applications with the ECIL and BEL, seeking the details of the manufacturers and suppliers of various components used in the assembling of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPATs). The VVPAT is an independent vote verification system which enables electors to see whether their votes have been cast correctly. The ECIL and the BEL, public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Defence, manufacture EVMs and VVPATs for the Election Commission. Nayak also sought a copy of the purchase orders for the components from both PSUs. SC reserves verdict on cross-verification The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) after taking note of answers to queries it had raised before the Election Commission. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta sought answers from an official of the poll panel to five questions related to the the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), including whether the microcontrollers fitted in them are reprogrammable. Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas, who had earlier made a presentation to the court on the functioning of EVMs, was summoned by the bench at 2 pm to answer the queries. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:45 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesDelhi Cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday had a 30-minute-long meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar, saying he has asked people to not worry about him. Bharadwaj said he met Kejriwal in the 'mulakat jangla' and had a converstaion with him over the phone. "I had a half-an-hour meeting in the 'mulakat jangla'. He said that people should not worry about him. He said he is strong and he will continue his fight with the blessings of the people of Delhi," Delhi minister told reporters after the meeting. The 'mulakat jangla' is an iron mesh which separates the inmate from the visitor in a room inside the jail. A visitor and an inmate can talk to each other by sitting on different sides of the mesh. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:43 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesAmid mounting opposition pressure, the Election Commission is learnt to have started examining complaints against a speech made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajasthan in which he suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims. The Congress and the CPI-M had separately urged the poll panel against Modi's speech on Sunday. Modi on Sunday suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources. Sources said EC has started examining complaints against the speech made by the prime minister. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit out at the Congress, saying the “vote bank-hungry” party wanted to implement reservation on the basis of religion. Addressing a poll rally in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district in Chhattisgarh, he also alleged that the Congress wanted to impose inheritance tax in the country and snatch the assets and rights of people and their children. Some forces want a “weak” government of the Congress and “INDI” alliance to be in power in the country as they thought that if India becomes ‘atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant), their shops will be shut, he said. “Today, when I have come to Surguja, I want to present the Muslim League thinking of the Congress in front of the country. When their manifesto was released, on the same day I had said, and saying today also that the Congress manifesto has the imprint of Muslim League,” Modi said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh) | AgenciesCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying those who call themselves ‘deshbhakt’ are scared of the ‘X-ray’ of caste census but “no force” can stop it. Addressing the ‘Samajik Nyay Sammelan’ here, Gandhi said he is not interested in caste but in ‘nyay’ (justice) and asserted that it is his life’s mission to ensure justice for the 90 per cent of the population against whom injustice has been done. “As soon as our government is formed, the first thing that would be done is a caste census,” Gandhi said. He said the Congress manifesto talks about the X-ray and the income inequality created by Modi. Modi has transferred R16 lakh crore to select business people and the Congress is going to return a small amount to the 90 per cent of the population, he said. “We have calculated what we felt is justice and that help should be given, we put it down in the manifesto,” he said of the party’s guarantees mentioned. Taking a swipe at the media for dubbing him a “non-serious” politician in the past, Rahul cited his involvement with MGNREGA, Land Acquisition Bill, Bhatta Parsaul movement and Niyamgiri Hills matter. ‘Don’t sensationalise Pitroda comment’ The Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from Sam Pitroda’s “inheritance tax” remarks, saying sensationalising them are attempts at diverting attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “malicious” poll campaign. Pitroda, the president of the Indian Overseas Congress, had talked about the inheritance tax law in the United States and referred to the “redistribution of wealth” issue. Sam Pitroda has exposed Cong: BJP The BJP on Wednesday launched an all-out attack on the Congress over Sam Pitroda’s “inheritance tax” remarks, alleging he has exposed the party’s “nefarious design” of taking away common people’s wealth and property. The BJP’s accusation came after Pitroda, the president of the Indian Overseas Congress, talked about “inheritance tax in the United States” on the Congress’ “redistribution of wealth” issue. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:38 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesUnion Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said if people vote for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, their votes will go to the patriots, who want to establish a ‘Ram Rajya’ in the country and not to the anti-nationals, who want dynastic politics to thrive. Shah was addressing a public meeting at Amravati to campaign for BJP’s Amravati Lok Sabha seat candidate Navneet Rana and Wardha candidate Ramdas Tadas. Urging people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shah said, “Your vote will go in favour of patriots and not anti-nationals. It will be in favour of those who want to establish a Ram Rajya and against those who indulge in dynastic politics. Every vote in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go towards exterminating terrorism and Naxalism in the country and making India the third largest economy in the world.” “Congress kept the Ram temple issue pending for 70 years. But within five years (of coming to power), PM Modi solved the issue and performed the temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya,” he said. Shah attacked Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “insulting” Lord Ram by skipping the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration ceremony despite being invited. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2024 07:33 AM IST | Amravati | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
