Elections Highlights: CPI To Go Solo In Jharkhand, Parts Ways With I.N.D.I.A Bloc
Lok Sabha Polls 2024 Highlights: Follow this space for all the latest updates on the upcoming 18th General Elections from all across the country.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Sunday parted ways with the opposition bloc INDIA, announcing that it will contest in eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections. "The CPI has no representation in the Lower House of Parliament from Jharkhand. We have decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls on our own," CPI state secretary Mahendra Pathak told PTI. "The BJP has announced its candidates, but the Congress and the 'Mahagathbandhan' have not yet held any talks on seat-sharing. So, we have decided to go solo," he said.The decision was taken at the party's state executive committee meeting here, he said. The CPI will field its candidates in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Koderma, Chatra, Palamu, Giridih, Dumka and Jamshedpur Lok Sabha constituencies.Names of the candidates will be announced after March 16, Pathak said. (PTI)
"It doesn't matter whether it's INDIA bloc or any other party, citizens of this country have made up their minds to make (Narendra) Modi the PM for the third time with a huge majority. We will secure victory in over 400 seats. Lotus will bloom in Uttar Pradesh by securing victory in all 80 seats," said BJP leader Jaiveer Singh earlier today. (PTI)
Mumbai MLA Ravindra Waikar on joining Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, "I'm here because I want to do work for my constituency & a lot of people's demands are pending...All work will done only when you are in government and people elect you because you have to do work. The central government & state government are working very well..." (ANI)
Uddhav Thackeray aide and Mumbai MLA Ravindra Waikar joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, PTI reported.
TMC leader Kirti Azad said on the announcement of his candidature from West Bengal's Durgapur, “I have received lots of love and support from the people of Durgapur, and we have to see that TMC wins here. The country is going through a big turmoil currently. The ground reality is different from what is being projected and BJP is going to have a tough time in getting even 250 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.” (PTI)
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari launches campaign in North East Delhi for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi says, "A few days before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, Election Commissioner Arun Goel, whose tenure was till 2027, resigned yesterday. He is the same Election Commissioner who was appointed by the BJP, and when his appointment challenge reached the Supreme Court, the Top Court even asked what was the tearing hurry?... To defend his (Arun Goel) appointment, the BJP-led central government approached SC, and today the same person has resigned. The entire nation is asking one question, what did the BJP-led central government tell him to do that made him (Arun Goel) resign?.." (ANI)
“INDIA bloc looks fine from the outside but it is hollow from the inside,” says Union Minister Giriraj Singh (PTI)
Addressing a public gathering here today, Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan said, "If Jagan doesn't instil fear, why is Chandra Babu Naidu afraid and forming alliances?". Further, he said that Chandra Babu Naidu deceived the public of the state. He is zero, and if he forms alliances with parties, the final result will also be a big zero.
"Contrastingly, looking at Chandra Babu Naidu's cycle, it's rusted with no tyres, seeking support from other political parties. No one remembers Chandra Babu and his welfare schemes. His foster son will unquestionably follow Chandra Babu Naidu's instructions. If Chandra Babu Naidu asks Pavan Kalyan to push the cycle, he will comply. In the year 2014, Chandra Babu Naidu has released a manifesto which was not fulfilled," the Andhra Pradesh CM said, as quoted by ANI.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor says, "...I've served the people of Thiruvananthapuram for 15 years. They know me and have seen my service. It's not as if I've got anything to be ashamed of in my track record. I've been consistently available and attended to all the major issues...Well, it's always been a three-cornered fight here because I took the seat from the LDF. They had won it two times before me and then in the last two times, the BJP came second. So we have to take both candidates seriously...I'm very confident that I would prevail." (ANI)
“Politically, this (Lok Sabha) election will be predominantly bipolar (in West Bengal) between BJP and TMC. Congress only has existence in few patches, otherwise, they don’t have any hold on the ground”: West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar (PTI)
Two election commissioners are likely to be appointed by March 15 to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel, sources said on Sunday. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Law Minister and DMK leader S Regupathy on Sunday asserted that his party has no links whatsoever with Jaffer Sadiq, the prime accused in an international drug trafficking case being investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The DMK also warned of legal action against those who attempt to link Sadiq with either the party or its leaders.
Speaking to reporters, Regupathy said "the BJP regime has now deployed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to besmirch the DMK regime after misusing the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax department and the Central Bureau of Investigation for that purpose." "After the DMK assumed office in 2021, the state government has taken swift action against drug peddling and this has been lauded by courts," he said.
"Today, they (Centre) are thinking of intimidating the DMK through the NCB."
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said it is the result of the jan seva (public service) being done by the double engine government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance that the entire country along with Lucknow is progressing by leaps and bounds.
Addressing the gathering at an event in his parliamentary constituency, Singh said, "Under the visionary leadership of the prime minister, the specialty of our government has been that we converted difficulties into opportunities. There was already a system running in the country which kept the common man away from the elite class and we removed this system." "If I talk about the infrastructure in the aviation sector, whereas in 2014 there were only 74 airports in this country, today their number has more than doubled to 149," he added. Singh said, "It was believed that airports or air travel were only for the upper class and the common man could not travel by air. Air travel served as a gap between the rich and the poor. We have bridged that gap through the regional connectivity scheme UDAN." (PTI)
Terming the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel as very surprising and shocking, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday demanded the Narendra Modi government to tell the reasons for his resignation.
Speaking to reporters here, the Hyderabad MP said: "...the Election Commission of India is likely to announce the schedule anytime after March 13 and just days before it, Election Commissioner (Arun) Goel has submitted his resignation. We don't know the reason why he resigned...it is very surprising and shocking. It would be better if he (Arun Goel) himself or the government would tell the reason behind the resignation ahead of the (announcement of the notification) for the Lok Sabha elections. The government should tell on what is the reason (for Arun Goel's resignation)." (PTI)
On Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's meeting with Congress, Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Avinash Pande says, "We had a meeting with Akhilesh Yadav. In the coming Lok Sabha elections, to ensure the victory of 80 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, all the plans and how we will hold the campaigns together, have been discussed. How we will strategies the upcoming election in Uttar Pradesh was also discussed..." (ANI)
Telangana BRS leaders including Godam Nagesh, Shanampudi Saidireddy and Seetaram Naik join BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said on TMC releasing its candidate list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“A new blow to the INDIA bloc has been dealt in West Bengal by TMC leader Mamata Banerjee. The TMC has unilaterally declared candidates for all the (Lok Sabha) seats and Congress was left behind.” (PTI)
Murshidabad, West Bengal: Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Chowdhury says, "If TMC wanted to honour Yusuf Pathan, they should've sent him to the Rajya Sabha instead of sending 'outsiders'... If Mamata Banerjee had good intentions for Yusuf Pathan, she would have asked alliance (INDIA alliance) for a seat for him (Yusuf Pathan) in Gujarat. But here in West Bengal, he is selected as a candidate to polarise the common man and to help the BJP, so that Congress can be defeated... Mamata Banerjee has proven today that none of the political parties of India should trust a leader like her... Mamata Banerjee is in fear that if I continue to be in the INDIA alliance, PM Modi will be unhappy. By separating herself from the INDIA alliance, she has sent a message to the PMO, don't be unhappy with me, I am not standing to fight against the BJP." (ANI)
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, "...Don't make a mistake this time. Don't get trapped to elect the Prime Minister; vote to elect your MPs. Elect an MP that works for you during tough times..."
"...It is the fight between 'dharma' and 'adharma'. We know that Pandavas won but Kauravas had everything...Pandavas had lord Krishna with them. What do we have with us? We are also very small but we have lord Krishna with us. Today, they (BJP) have all the power be it IB, CBI, ED and everything else. We have only our 'dharma' with us and this is the fight of 'dharma' and 'adharma'," he remarked. (ANI)
AAP Haryana president Sushil Gupta said on Hisar MP Brijendra Singh joining Congress.
"He (Birender Singh) was feeling suffocated when atrocities were being committed on farmers and women. Like his son (Brijendra Singh) has joined the Congress, I am confident that he will also take the right decision." (PTI)
With 40 Lok Sabha seats, Bihar is known for its significant role and position in Indian politics. As the fourth largest contributor in terms of seats in the Lok Sabha, the electoral politics of Bihar hold sway over the national outcomes. Thus, the state's elections holds the power to turn the tides of general assembly polls at any given time.
The Bharatiya Janata Party faced a blow on Sunday after MP Brijendra Singh joined the Congress party in Delhi in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Ajay Maken among others.
READ | In Major Blow To BJP, MP Brijendra Singh Joins Congress Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls
Here's what Shiv Sena spokesperson Anand Dubey said addressing speculations of discord, saying, "Sanjay Nirupam's exclusion from alliance discussions may stem from past electoral losses and a lack of party influence".
The BJP is intensifying its efforts to break its electoral dry spell in Kerala as the state braces for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
With a concerted focus on outreach, particularly towards the minority Christian community, the party aims to secure a foothold in the southern state.
Kerala's demographic landscape, with Muslims and Christians constituting a significant portion of the population, presents a formidable challenge for the BJP, perceived as a pro-Hindu party.
However, the party is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to appeal to diverse voter segments.
In a strategic move, the BJP has welcomed prominent Christian figures like Anil K Antony, son of Congress stalwart A K Antony, and seasoned Kerala politician P C George, into its fold.
Additionally, the party is leveraging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent visits to Kerala, emphasising developmental agendas tailored to the state's needs.
To bolster its electoral prospects, the BJP has strategically fielded two Union Ministers, Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan, alongside popular actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi.
The party's campaign slogan, 'Modi's guarantee', underscores its reliance on the Prime Minister's popularity and leadership.
'Modi's guarantee' will be the main catchphrase of the BJP's electoral campaign this time in Kerala, party leaders said. (PTI Input)
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday declared MP Supriya Sule as their candidate from Maharashtra’s Baramati Lok Sabha seat, as reported by news agency PTI. This comes amid speculation that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, could be fielded from there. Sule is a three-term MP from Baramati.
READ | Lok Sabha Elections: Sharad Pawar Declares Supriya Sule As Party Candidate From Baramati Seat
Jairam Ramesh announced Rahul Gandhi's itinerary, tracing historical landmarks, and unveiled the Congress party's commitments during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
The Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in Bihar is among the state's 40 constituencies that will be up for grabs. Currently held by BJP's Giriraj Singh, the region was once known to be a hotbed of Left Wing politics. It was even called the "Leningrad of Bihar", a reference to the Soviet-era city (now St Petersburg) where Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin heralded the Russian Revolution with the October Revolution.
READ | Begusarai Lok Sabha Seat 2024: BJP's Saffron Fight To Retain Power In 'Leningrad Of Bihar'
Election Commissioner Arun Goel has tendered his resignation just days before the anticipated announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Goel, whose tenure was set to continue until December 2027, stepped down from his position for reasons not immediately disclosed. President Droupadi Murmu has accepted his resignation, according to a notification issued by the law ministry.
READ | Arun Goel Resigns: Know How Election Commissioners Are Appointed
Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The reason of his resignation was not immediately known. Goel, a retired bureaucrat, was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He had joined the Election Commission in November 2022.
READ | Election Commissioner Arun Goel Resigns Ahead Of Lok Sabha Polls 2024
"There are three political ideologies in the country- communist, Gandhi-Nehru ideology which believes in communal harmony, and third is that of the RSS. Those who are leaving Congress for the BJP, I don't think it is about the ideology because had this been the case, they would have never joined the Congress in the first place. This is all about staying in power," Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told ANI on the party leaders who joined the BJP.
“Everywhere in the state, people are happy with the government led by CM Revanth Reddy. Every survey shows that Congress is going to win at least 14 seats from Telangana in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and we are very confident,” Telangana Congress campaign committee chairman Madhu Goud Yaskhi told PTI.
"The alliance between BJP, TDP, and JSP isn't just an alliance but rather a partnership between three stakeholders committed to serving Andhra Pradesh and the country. I'm confident that the people of AP will bless this alliance with a historic mandate to serve them. Together, we shall herald a golden era of growth and prosperity for our State. I'm pleased to rejoin NDA today," TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu posted on X.
Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned from his post ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Lok Sabha elections 2024: Here’s what National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said on disappointment expressed by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti over his party's decision to go solo in Kashmir. “The National Conference (NC) stands on its own feet and those three seats were won by the NC (in 2019), so why should she have a problem with it? She is also part of the (INDIA) alliance. So if the NC wins, then it is a win for the INDIA alliance.”
(PTI)
Lok Sabha elections 2024: “Lucknow is my parliamentary constituency; I keep coming here regularly. I have received immense love from the people here, and once again the NDA government is going to be formed at the center under the leadership of PM Modi,” said Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh on his arrival in Lucknow earlier today. (PTI)
Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, former Congress MP Ajoy Kumar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin arrived at the DMK office in Chennai for seat-sharing talks.
“I believe there is only one political platform (BJP) which can take the country and Uttarakhand forward. It has a vision which will be fulfilled under PM Modi’s leadership. Seeing the current situation, I think the BJP will lead this country forward for a very long time," former Congress leader Manish Khanduri told PTI.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a BJP delegation from Odisha met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and submitted a memorandum for free and fair elections, ANI reported.
"Our party national president N Chandrababu Naidu had a meeting with Amit Shah and JP Nadda along with Pawan Kalyan and came to an understanding that TDP is joining NDA and JanaSena is already part of NDA and will contest the upcoming 2024 elections in Andhra Pradesh in alliance," TDP leader Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar told ANI.
"The land of Uttar Pradesh nourished the Congress' political existence, today the same party has broken all relations with the state. First, by leaving Raebareli, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi through the Rajya Sabha went to Rajasthan. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is not showing courage to fight from Amethi, which indicates that in Uttar Pradesh and Uttar Bharat, they have no faith," BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told ANI.
Suspended YSRCP leader K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju told news agency ANI, "The alliance will be announced very shortly, maybe in the next 20-30 minutes. Everyone will be happy, including the party people."
Kunar Hembram, the BJP Member of Parliament from Jhargram, West Bengal, tenders his resignation from the party, attributing it to personal reasons.
(Input from ABP News reporter Neeraj Pandey)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Bihar on Saturday to inaugurate the memorial of a veteran BJP leader and address a public meeting of the party's OBC Morcha.
According to state BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma, upon arrival here, Shah will go to the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) on the outskirts of Patna.
"A park named after late Kailashpati Mishra has been developed on two acres of land donated by ATARI. The home minister will inaugurate the park and unveil a statue of the late leader," said the BJP spokesman.
Mishra was a senior leader of the Jana Sangh who served as a minister in the Bihar government headed by Karpoori Thakur, and later, became the BJP's first state president.
After the function, Shah will leave for Paliganj where he will address a public meeting to be organised by the BJP OBC Morcha. (PTI Input)
Former Union Minister and Congress leader Suresh Pachouri is likely to join BJP today in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, news agency ANI reported.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Friday set up a political affairs committee and pradesh election committee with Avinash Pande and Ajay Rai as their respective convenors.
The political affairs committee has 40 members and heads of all frontal organisations of UP Pradesh Congress Committees and AICC secretaries in-charge of the state.
The political affairs committee has Pande as the convenor with the likes of Ajay Rai, Aradhana Misra, Pramod Tiwari, Mohsina Kidwai, Nirmal Khatri, Salman Khurshid, Rajiv Shukla, P L Punia, Virendra Chaudhary and Rashid Alvi, among others.
The Pradesh Election Committee has Rai as its chairman and the likes of Aradhana Misra, Mohsina Kidwai, Salman Khurshid and Nirmal Khatri as its members, among others.
The committee has 39 members with heads of frontal organizations in UPPCC as its ex-officio members. (PTI Inputs)
Background
Lok Sabha Polls 2024 Highlights: Hello and welcome to this space brought to you by ABP Live. Follow this space for all the latest updates on the upcoming 18th General Elections from all across the country.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to release the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after March 13, sources told ABP News. ECI teams are actively inspecting election preparations in various states, and the assessment is expected to be completed by March 13. Click here to read the full report.
On Friday, the Congress released its first list of 39 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The party has announced its candidates for Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana, and Tripura.
The question of whether Rahul Gandhi will run for a second seat in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi remains. The Congress has stated that the remaining states will be discussed at the next meetings.
READ | Rahul Gandhi, Baghel, Venugopal, Tharoor In First Congress Candidate List For LS Polls 2024
Earlier on Friday, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener, launched his party's Lok Sabha campaign in Delhi with the slogan, "Sansad mein bhi Kejriwal, tabhee Dilli hogee aur khush haal" [Delhi will be more prosperous with Kejriwal in Parliament].
The AAP is contesting four of the city's seven Lok Sabha seats in collaboration with the Congress, which will run candidates for three. Both parties, which failed to win seats in the last two Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, are part of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a bloc formed to compete with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
READ | 'Fighting Against 7 BJP MPs Alone', Says Kejriwal AS AAP Kickstarts Campaign For LS Polls
Last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The BJP's first list features 34 Central government ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Smriti Irani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will run for Lok Sabha again in 2024, this time from Varanasi.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress formed a political affairs committee and a Pradesh election committee, with Avinash Pande and Ajay Rai serving as convenors, respectively.
The political affairs committee consists of 40 members, including the heads of all frontal organisations of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committees and the AICC secretaries in charge of the state.
Pande serves as the convenor of the political affairs committee, which also includes Ajay Rai, Aradhana Misra, Pramod Tiwari, Mohsina Kidwai, Nirmal Khatri, Salman Khurshid, Rajiv Shukla, P L Punia, Virendra Chaudhary, and Rashid Alvi.
Rai serves as the chairman of the Pradesh Election Committee, which also includes Aradhana Misra, Mohsina Kidwai, Salman Khurshid, and Nirmal Khatri.
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