Ravneet Singh Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and the son of former Punjab minister Tej Parkash Singh….reports Asian Lite News
In a major setback to Congress, Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Ravneet Singh Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and the son of former Punjab minister Tej Parkash Singh.
Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah always ‘responded positively’ when he raised Punjab’s issues.
“I am thankful to PM Narendra Modi. I can say with confidence that PM Modi and Union Home Minister share a lot of love for Punjab and they wish to do a lot for the state,” he said.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister always took it positively whenever I raised the issues of Punjab. We want to take Punjab forward. When the country is benefiting, why should Punjab be left behind?,” Ravneet Singh Bittu said.
Bittu called on BJP chief JP Nadda after joining the party earlier in the day.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Bittu defeated Simarjeet Singh Bains from the Lok Insaaf Party by 76,372 votes. In 2014, he defeated the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Harvinder Singh Phoolka with a margin of 19,709 votes.
The BJP earlier this week announced its decision to contest the election in Punjab on its own after it severed ties with its long-time ally, Shiromani Akali Dal.
‘Congress will not weaken’
After Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in Delhi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Pargat Singh said that such actions will not weaken the Congress instead new faces will get a chance.
“I think Ravneet Bittu is against the politics of Rahul Gandhi. I am happy that he has gone to the side whose line he took. Congress will not weaken, instead, new faces will get a chance. Such people only love themselves, not Punjab,” Singh told ANI on Tuesday. (ANI)
Antony, a three-time Kerala Chief Minister and the longest-serving Defence Minister, said the aim of the Congress is to ensure that the BJP doesn’t return…reports Asian Lite News
Veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony on Tuesday termed the upcoming Lok Sabha polls “a life and death issue” for the party.
“The aim of the Congress is to ensure that the BJP doesn’t return… if it doesn’t happen, then our country is gone. Hence, our aim is to recover India, and so this election is a life and death issue for us,” said Antony, who is now leading a retired life in the state capital.
Antony, a three-time Kerala Chief Minister and the longest-serving Defence Minister, has largely withdrawn from public life ever since his son Anil Antony joined the BJP last year.
With Anil Antony fielded by the BJP from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency, Antony, asked if he would campaign for the Congress candidate there, said: “It all depends on my health condition”.
Tussle in Bihar seat-sharing
The INDIA bloc in Bihar has not been able to resolve its seat-sharing problems delaying the announcement of candidates.
The RJD has announced six candidates so far, and sources have said that it is finalising many more names without consulting others in the bloc.
Sources have also said that the Congress was demanding 10 seats in the state which has led to a disagreement with the RJD. However, Lalu Prasad, on the other hand does not want to repeat his “mistake” of giving 70 seats to the Congress in the 2020 Assembly election. The Congress performed miserably and won only 19 seats.
“There is no dispute between the RJD and Congress party, but the latter is demanding more seats in Bihar and not even explaining the details of the candidates. Without discussing the profiles of candidates, how can seat-sharing be possible? RJD national president Lalu Prasad Yadav is in Delhi and negotiation will take place with the top leadership of Congress,” said Shivanand Tiwari, the national vice president of RJD.
Sources have said that the Congress is eyeing Kishanganj, Supaul, Katihar, Darbhanga, Purnea, Aurangabad, Buxar, Patna Sahib, Begusarai and Sasaram.
The RJD has already announced its candidate, Abhay Kushwaha, from Aurangabad. The party is also likely to give the ticket to Bima Bharti from the Purnea Lok Sabha seat.
Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, the Bahubali leader and four-time MP, has claimed that he will contest Purnea seat at any cost. Pappu Yadav merged his party named Jan Adhikar Party in Congress on March 20 with the aim to contest from Purnea on the ticket of the grand old party. This is an alarm bell for the RJD.
While uploading a post on social media account X, Pappu Yadav said: “I would rather die but not leave Purnea and Congress party.”
Similarly Nikhil Kumar, the former Governor of Kerala and Congress leader has opened a front against RJD as well. He wants to contest the Aurangabad seat.
“It is not a good thing to make a one-sided decision. It is demoralising for the party workers. They should respect the coalition pact,” said Ashitnath Tiwari, spokesperson of Congress in Bihar.
1 MP, 2 MLAs: Congress Faces Do-or-Die Battle in UP
Uttar Pradesh was once considered to be the stronghold of the Congress party as the Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies have always sent Gandhi-family scions to the parliament.
However, Congress has been reduced to just one MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha and two MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly.
In the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the Congress faces a do-or-die battle in Uttar Pradesh as the party is low on confidence, lacks leadership and also faces a dearth of candidates.
The Congress currently has no representation in the legislative council of Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress secured 6.36 per cent of the votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The biggest setback in these elections was that senior party leader Rahul Gandhi had suffered a defeat in Amethi where union minister Smriti Irani emerged victorious in the last election.
The cadres sunk into the realms of despair and the party’s vote share plummeted to a mere 2.33 per cent in the 2022 UP legislative assembly polls.
Any further decline in the party’s performance in the upcoming elections will result in no representation for the Congress from Uttar Pradesh, a state that has sent nine prime ministers to the Lok Sabha.
The Congress faces the challenge of working out political equations and evaluating winnability as it selects its candidates for 17 out of 80 seats it is contesting in alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The foremost challenge for the Congress is not only to defend Rae Bareli but also to increase its tally in Uttar Pradesh.
The party is yet to announce candidates for two key parliamentary (Amethi and Rae Bareli) constituencies. It is not yet known if a member of the Gandhi family will contest these seats.
Sonia Gandhi was the only Congress candidate who won in Uttar Pradesh in 2019. She got 55.78 per cent votes in Rae Bareli. Rahul Gandhi with 43.84 per cent votes lost to Smriti Irani in Amethi five years ago. Irani won with 49.69 per cent votes.
Sonia Gandhi has since taken the Rajya Sabha route to parliament through Rajasthan.
Congress fortunes have been going downhill since 2009 when the party won 21 seats.
It won only two seats in 2014 and one in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Of the 17 seats given to the Congress for the 2024 election, the party had won only six in 2009 — Rae Bareli, Amethi, Kanpur, Maharajganj, Jhansi and Barabanki.
The Congress, so far, has named candidates for three of the six seats – Alok Mishra in Kanpur, Tanuj Punia in Barabanki and Pradeep Jain Aditya in Jhansi.
Initial reports say that Congress candidates in Saharanpur (Imran Masood) and Amroha (Danish Ali) have taken an early lead and with the caste arithmetic favouring them, they could help the Congress increase its tally.
A former UPCC president, who spoke to IANS on condition of anonymity, said that the problem is that no one in UP is there to guide the candidates or address their problems.
“The UPCC President Ajay Rai is a candidate himself. Besides, there is no direction to the campaign. All other parties have their campaigns ready but our candidates are groping in the dark,” he said.
With every electoral arithmetic pitted against the grand old party, can Congress do the impossible and revive its tally in an all-important state of the country?
Highlighting the party’s core values, Sukhbir Singh Badal emphasised the priority of principles and issues over political numbers….reports Asian Lite News
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal, reiterated the party’s steadfast commitment to principles over mere political calculations, stating that unlike some national parties, the Shiromani Akali Dal is more than a political entity as “it is a 103-year-old movement with a clear vision and unwavering principles”.
While talking to the media, Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Tuesday, “Shiromani Akali Dal is not just a political party driven by number games, unlike some national parties. We are a 103-year-old movement with a clear vision and we have always stood by and for principles. That will continue to be our goal. The Shiromani Akali Dal core committee has already made our position and priorities clear.”
Highlighting the party’s core values, Badal emphasised the priority of principles and issues over political numbers. He stated, “For us, it is principles above politics and issues above any political numbers.”
Furthermore, Badal underscored the Shiromani Akali Dal’s historical role in championing the rights of farmers and its commitment to their welfare.
“We are the largest democratic representative organisation of farmers and have always led the fight for their rights from the front and introduced historic measures in government for their welfare. Our party stands by high principles and is committed to safeguarding Panth and Panjab,” Sukhbir Singh Badal said.
Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party leader Daljit Singh Cheema announced the date of the party’s core committee meeting, stating that the party will primarily focus on the strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“The core committee meeting is going to happen on March 22 at the party head office in Chandigarh. The election strategy of the Parliamentary elections will be finalised. Furthermore, the political situation of the state where everything happening at the national level will also be thoroughly discussed in the core committee,” said Daljit Singh Cheema.
Earlier, on a day the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) named s candidates for 8 of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal denied reaching any alliance with the BJP but did not entirely rule out the possibility of a tie-up in future.
The Akalis were partners of the BJP earlier in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and the two even contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state together but failed to come up with the goods.
However, seeking to dispel rumours that the two parties could be costing up again ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and might even announce a seat-sharing deal in Punjab, the SAD chief said neither his party nor the BJP has any knowledge of an alliance in the state.
Claiming that such speculations were only confined to social media platforms, he said his party was keen to continue its tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the state.
The SAD snapped ties with the BJP and exited the NDA in September 2020 over the contentious farm laws of the Centre. The laws, however, were repealed later in the face of farmer protests. (ANI)
Surat, Dec 01 (ANI): A polling official applies inedible ink on a voter’s finger after casting vote for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections, at a school, in Surat on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
100% Webcasting of Polling Stations in Punjab
Aiming to make electoral process more efficient and transparent in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said that they are closely monitoring the election process through 100 per cent webcasting of poll stations.
“For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, CCTV surveillance will be ensured inside all 24,433 polling booths, apart from it cameras will be installed outside 1884 polling stations in all 13 constituencies where there are three or more polling stations,” he said.
Sibin C said that they have introduced a revamped NextGen District Information System for Elections (DISE) this time.
“It will be used to manage all aspects of elections, from collecting data of polling staff to scheduling rehearsals, randomizing polling staff and counting staff. This modernization aims to make elections more efficient, transparent, and secure,” he said.
The CEO said that this web-based application is utilized to integrate available employee data from other applications using APIs/CSV/Excel files.
“It will also assist in managing staff shortages after the initial stage by deploying additional staff,” he said.
CEO Sibin C also said that live streaming from flying squad vehicles (FSV), and static surveillance teams are monitoring violations of the model code of conduct during election process.
“The poll activity management system (PAMS) used for deploying polling parties and updating voting information, such as the commencement of polling and the status of voter queues at closing hours, has also been revamped to enhance the efficiency of election-related activities. The mobile app will provide real-time data,” he said.
The CEO further said that other innovative initiatives by the Election Commission of India, including the Voter Helpline APP, providing citizens with convenience in finding their names in the electoral roll, submitting online forms, downloading their digital photo voter slip, filing complaints, and receiving replies on their mobile app.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 52 seats.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 282 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to get only 44 seats. (ANI)
Aatral Ashok Kumar’s net assets amount to Rs 583.48 crore, making him a prominent figure in the electoral race..reports Asian Lite News
Aatral Ashok Kumar, the AIADMK candidate for the Erode Lok Sabha constituency, emerges as the wealthiest contender in Tamil Nadu’s upcoming general elections slated for April 19, based on the affidavit he submitted to the Election Commission. Kumar’s net assets amount to Rs 583.48 crore, making him a prominent figure in the electoral race.
His wife, Karunambika, who is the daughter of BJP MLA Dr. C Saraswathi from Modakkurichi in Erode district, possesses assets valued at Rs 69.98 crore, as stated by Kumar in his affidavit. The couple collectively holds Rs 10 lakh in cash, along with 10.1 kg and 10.6 kg of gold respectively.
Kumar’s movable assets are valued at Rs 526.53 crore, while his immovable assets, acquired and inherited, amount to Rs 56.95 crore. Meanwhile, Karunambika’s movable assets are worth Rs 47.38 crore, accompanied by immovable property valued at Rs 22.60 crore. Notably, neither of them carries any liabilities.
A resident of Erode aged 53, Kumar is a founding member and director of The Indian Public School (TIPS) and Amex Alloys Private Limited. Additionally, he established educational institutions such as TIPS School of Architecture, TIPS School of Management, TIPS College of Arts and Science, and TIPS Global Institute.
Educationally, Kumar holds a degree in electrical engineering from Coimbatore and pursued further studies in the United States, obtaining a Master’s from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and an MBA from the University of Indianapolis, Indiana. His professional journey includes stints at multinational corporations like Microsoft and Intel before returning to India to contribute to the education sector.
MDMK Erode MP on ventilator
Erode MP A. Ganeshamurthy, who attempted suicide after allegedly consuming insecticide, at his residence continued to be on ventilator support on Monday, said his relatives here.
The hospital has not released any medical update on him so far. The sitting Lok Sabha MP from the constituency was rushed to a hospital on Sunday.
The 76-year-old MDMK leader was, according to his close relatives, in acute mental stress after the DMK front denied him the seat.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections he won the seat with a margin of 2,10,618 votes by defeating his nearest AIADMK rival, G.Manimaran.
However, in the upcoming elections MDMK founder leader, Vaiko, pushed for the candidature of his son, Durai Vaiko, and ensured that MDMK got the Tiruchi seat instead of Erode.
The DMK front has fielded a youth leader, K.E. Prakash from Erode instead of Ganeshamurthy.
Prakash is considered to be close to Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs and son of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
MDMK leader and son of Vaiko, Durai Vaiko, who is the party candidate from Tiruchi Lok Sabha seat, paid a visit to the private hospital in Coimbatore and met Ganeshamoorthy. However Durai Vaiko did not speak to the media after the visit.
A close relative of Ganeshamurthy told IANS that Vaiko had not informed him about changes, including the denial of ticket.
Udhayanidhi Reacts to PM’s ‘Sleepless’ Remarks
Tamil Nadu Sports Minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “sleepless” remarks and asserted that the DMK party is not going to sleep till the party sends PM Modi and the BJP back home in the Lok Sabha elections.
“PM Modi says DMK is unable to sleep. Yes, our sleep is lost until we send you home. We are not going to sleep till we make the BJP go home. The gas cylinder in 2014 was Rs 450 and now it’s Rs 1200. Since the election came, PM Modi has done drama and decreased Rs 100. After the elections, he will again increase the price of cylinders by Rs 500,” Udhayanidhi said addressing a campaign rally in Thiruvanamalai district.
The DMK leader said that last year, in December, during the time of Cyclone Michaung, PM Modi did not visit Tamil Nadu but since the elections are nearby, the Prime Minister is visiting the state.
“Our CM has sought funds for Tami Nadu post cyclone from the centre, but not even a single rupee has been given to us till now. In the next 22 days, our cadres will go to each and every house, take responsibility and make sure you all make DMK win,” he added.
He further said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would give petrol for Rs 75 and diesel for Rs 65.
“June 3 marks the 100th birth anniversary of (late politician and former chief minister) M Karunanidhi and June 4 is Lok Sabha election counting. We will give a gift by winning all the 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” said the DMK leader.
Earlier on March 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress and said that the ‘ghamandia’ alliance is afraid of the pace at which development is being undertaken by the present government in the country.
“The Congress and its ‘ghamandia’ alliance have problems with the inauguration of these development projects. They are sleepless because of these development projects. The Congress doesn’t have the strength to talk about development. When I inaugurate developmental projects, they call it the ‘Chunavi strategy’. Negativity, and only negativity, is the true characteristic of Congress,” PM Modi said.
On Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged the people to utilise their votes to elect a ‘humane Prime Minister’.
While addressing the voters in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli, CM Stalin said that the people’s vote will decide if someone who respects the state and not hate the Tamilians becomes the PM.
Voting for all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will be held in the first phase of the general elections on April 19.
In the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state.
In 2019, DMK won 23 Lok Sabha seats with a 33.2 per cent vote share, Congress bagged 8 seats with a 12.9 per cent vote and CPI won two seats in Tamil Nadu.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4. (ANI)
A BJP delegation, including Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and its general secretary Vinod Tawde, met the poll watchdog to highlight this “discrepancy”….reports Asian Lite News
The BJP has brought to light the issue of objectionable comments made by opposition leaders, such as Tamil Nadu minister Anitha Radhakrishnan, directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and has expressed concern over the lack of consequential action against such behaviour. The party has urged the Election Commission to take stringent measures independently to address violations of the poll code.
A delegation from the BJP, comprising Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and General Secretary Vinod Tawde, emphasised the inconsistent approaches of election officials across different states towards similar infractions by politicians. They noted that little action is taken against errant leaders in states like Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, all of which are governed by parties in opposition to the BJP.
Tawde highlighted the continuous “abuse” directed at PM Modi and the disparagement of women power and Indian culture by opposition leaders. He stressed the need for the Election Commission to take proactive measures, such as “suo moto action,” against any violations of the poll code, especially considering that the electoral process has just commenced.
The BJP delegation underscored instances where action was recommended against Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje for her contentious remarks against Tamils, while objectionable comments made by a Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader went unpunished. Additionally, they drew attention to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s comparison of PM Modi with Mughal king Aurangzeb, noting disparities in the responses of poll officials in different states.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to take decisive action in a timely manner, and they were assured that the matter would be addressed. The delegation, including leaders Om Pathak and Sanjay Mayukh, submitted a written complaint to the EC, specifically referencing Radhakrishnan’s alleged use of profanities against the prime minister during an election rally.
In their complaint, the BJP demanded that the Election Commission bar Radhakrishnan from further campaigning, instruct the DMK leader to issue an apology, and initiate legal action by registering an FIR. They also highlighted instances of insults to Indian culture and personal attacks by DMK leaders, including former Union minister A Raja, who stated that Tamil Nadu would not accept phrases like “Bharat Mata” and “Jai Shri Ram.”
Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh visits Jakarta, Indonesia.
BJP Drops Union Minister Ranjan in 6th List
A day before the last day for filing nominations, Manipur’s ruling BJP on Tuesday named state Education and Law Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh as its candidate for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which goes to polls in the first phase of the parliamentary elections.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee announced the name of the state minister, who replaces sitting MP and Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
Basanta Kumar Singh, 59, would contest against Congress candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Professor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, and the consensus nominee of the 10-party alliance in Manipur.
The son of former Union Minister Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, Basanta Kumar Singh was elected to the Assembly in the 2022 elections from Nambol constituency in Bishnupur district.
Chaoba Singh, a former state President of the BJP, is one of the architects of setting up the organisational base of the party in Manipur.
Party sources said that the BJP’s central leadership had asked Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to contest in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat but he reportedly declined.
“Biren Singh is a most popular leader among the Meitei and other communities. His presence in the state and to continue as Chief Minister is vital given the ethnic strife in Manipur,” a senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, told IANS.
Manipur has two Lok Sabha seats — Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur (reserved for tribals). Polling would be held in the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency in the first phase of polling on April 19, and Outer Manipur would go to polls in two phases – April 19 and April 26.
The Sena is confident that the BJP and independent legislator Ashish Jaiswal will work for Parwe to ensure his victory….writes Sanjay Jog
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is likely to drop Krupal Tumane, its sitting MP from Ramtek Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha, and field Congress MLA Raju Purwe, who joined the party on Sunday, instead.
The change stems from opposition from ally BJP to Tumane’s renomination, as well as an internal survey, which also cites his bleak prospects due to a lack of connection with the voters and among the allies.
The announcement is expected soon as the last date for filing the nomination is March 27 and the polling is on April 19 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Incidentally, the Congress has already fielded Rashmi Barve from Ramtek.
Parwe, who quit as the Congress legislator from the Umred (SC) constituency and joined the Sena in the presence of CM Shinde, is likely to get the ticket.
The party believes that Parwe will be in a position to woo the traditional voters of the Congress. Of the six Assembly segments in Ramtek, which include Umred, Karol is held by the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, Savner by the Congress, Hingana and Kamthi are with the BJP, and Ramtek is held by an independent.
The Sena is confident that the BJP and independent legislator Ashish Jaiswal will work for Parwe to ensure his victory.
“Party’s internal survey has been quite negative for Tumane if he is re-nominated. Recently, he had also told the senior leaders in the party that he may have to struggle to retain the seat. On top of it, the BJP has indicated its strong reservations over Tumane’s renomination. However, there is unanimity between the BJP, our party and the NCP of Ajit Pawar to make all efforts to win 45 plus seats in Maharashtra. Therefore, Tumane will have to be replaced,” a Sena leader said.
The leader added that Parwe is being considered for the Ramtek seat.
Another leader said that the BJP had staked claim over the Ramtek seat, citing Tumane’s poor track record as the MP in the last five years.
“The BJP had argued that the party with its strong organisational base is in a comfortable situation to win Ramtek. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule had sought that CM Eknath Shinde be generous over its claim for Ramtek seat. Moreover, its proximity to Nagpur where party veteran Nitin Gadkari is contesting for the third time in a row will be another advantage for the cadre and RSS workers to work in Ramtek also,” the leader said.
Shinde faction argued that by nominating Parwe, the party, along with the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, will be able to get support from Scheduled Castes which constitute 17.5 per cent of the electorate, followed by 11 per cent of Scheduled Tribes and over 65 per cent rural voters.
During the 2019 elections, Tumane won with 594,827 votes defeating his Congress rival Kishor Gajbhiye who got 468,738. In 2014, Tumane defeated Congress candidate Mukul Wasnik from the same constituency, bagging 519,892 votes against Wasnik’s 344,101.
The NCP has aggressively staked claims over 7 seats – Baramati, Raigad, Shirur, Satara, Parbhani, Dharashiv (earlier known as Osmanabad), and Buldhana….reports Asian Lite News
As the suspense over the seat-sharing agreement continues in Maharashtra’s ruling MahaYuti, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has convened a meeting with his Nationalist Congress Party legislators and office-bearers in Pune on Tuesday to discuss the Lok Sabha poll management strategy and division of responsibilities, including coordination with the BJP and the Shiv Sena.
The meeting will take place three days after Ajit Pawar, along with the party’s Executive President Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the seat-sharing arrangement.
The NCP has aggressively staked claims over 7 seats – Baramati, Raigad, Shirur, Satara, Parbhani, Dharashiv (earlier known as Osmanabad), and Buldhana. It had shown a desire to contest the Bhandara-Gondiya and Gadchiroli-Chimur seats too, but the BJP refused, citing the lack of adequate representation of NCP there, and renominated both its sitting MPs Sunil Mendhe (Bhandara-Gondiya) and Ashok Nete (Gadchiroli-Chembur-ST).
Of these 7 seats, the NCP, before its split, had won Baramati, Raigad, Shirur, and Satara, but now the party faction led by Ajit Pawar is keen to get three more seats.
Tatkare, who was elected in 2019 from Raigad, has already announced that he will contest from there again while Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar’s candidature has been declared from Baramati against sitting MP Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of NCP founder Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar’s cousin.
In Shirur, the party has decided to give the ticket to three-term MP Shivajirao Adhalrao, who will formally join the NCP, quitting the Shinde faction on March 26.
Adhalrao will once again be pitted against sitting MP Amol Kolhe who had defeated him in the 2019 elections.
Party spokesperson Umesh Patil confirmed that Ajit Pawar has convened a meeting on Tuesday at Pune.
“The legislators and party functionaries will be present where the President is expected to announce poll management responsibilities,” he said.
Tuesday’s meeting is important as the legislators are restless over the time taken in the announcement of seat-sharing arrangement among the BJP, the NCP, and the Shiv Sena.
Some of the party legislators, during their interaction with Ajit Pawar and other senior leaders, had asserted that if the BJP, which has already announced candidates for 23 seats, leaves them only four seats, it may find it difficult to convince the cadres to remain in the party fold.
They had also warned of an adverse impact on the party’s prospects, not just in the Lok Sabha polls, but also in the state Assembly elections later this year.
However, Tatkare has assured that the party will reach an honourable seat-sharing agreement with the BJP. He also asked them to work in close coordination with the BJP and the Shiv Sena so that MahaYuti wins 45-plus seats in Maharashtra.
All the four candidates named on Monday are new faces….reports Asian Lite News
The Congress on Monday named four more candidates from Rajasthan for the Lok Sabha elections, including veteran BJP leader Prahlad Gunjal, who joined the party recently, from Kota.
The others are Ramchandra Chaudhary from Ajmer, Sudarshan Singh Rawat from Rajsamand, and Damodar Gurjar from Bhilwara.
The Congress has so far decided on candidates for 24 of the state’s 25 seats, of which it is contesting 22 and has left the Nagaur seat for Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and Sikar for the CPI-M.
It is yet to announce a candidate for the Banswara seat and this seat can be left for the BAP.
All the four candidates named on Monday are new faces.
Gunjal replaces Ramnarayan Meena and Rawat comes in place of 2019 candidate Devkinandan Gurjar. Meanwhile, the 2019 candidates from Ajmer and Bhilwara, Riju Jhunjhunwal and Rampal Sharma, respectively, have joined the BJP.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday, in its fifth list for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, had replaced its Jaipur candidate Sunil Sharma with former Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas.
The party has fielded its legislator Murarilal Meena from Dausa parliamentary seat in Rajasthan.
The Congress has named candidates for all 12 seats where elections will be held in the first phase — April 19.
Murarilal Meena’s wife Savita Meena, had contested the Dausa seat in 2019 on a Congress ticket, but she had lost the polls.
This time, Murarilal Meena has been made the candidate.
Congress candidate from Jaipur seat Sunil Sharma on Sunday offered to give up his candidature over the ‘Jaipur Dialogues’ matter.
Sunil Sharma was the target of Congress supporters on social media for being the director of Jaipur Dialogues forum, which backs the right-leaning ideology.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had also raised questions about giving a ticket to Sunil Sharma for his links with Jaipur Dialogues.
While, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its fifth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP has released the names of the candidates for the Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has been fielded from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, a stronghold of Congress.The party has also fielded veteran actor Arun Govil, who played the character of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election.
The Congress has announced names for 190 constituencies, while the BJP has announced names for 402 Lok Sabha seats so far.
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ajay Maken, Jairam Ramesh and others briefs the media, at AICC headquarters, in New Delhi, Thursday, March 21, 2024.(IANS/Qamar Sibtain)
Robert Bruce to Contest in Tirunelveli
The Congress on Monday in its sixth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls named Robert Bruce in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli constituency.
In Tamil Nadu, the party has already announced the candidature of Karti P. Chidambaram (Sivaganga), S. Jothimani (Karur), Sasikanth Senthil (Tiruvallur SC), MK Vishnuprasad (Cuddalore), B. Manickam Tagore (Virudhunagar), K. Gopinath (Krishnagiri) and Vijay Vasanth (Kanniyakumari) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP Vice President Nainar Nagenthiran expressed his gratitude to BJP National President JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP State President K Annamalai for announcing his candidature from Tirunelveli Lok Sabha constituency.
He assured that he would bring more schemes to Tirunelveli if he won from the constituency in the upcoming polls.
Nainar Nagenthiran said, “I am thankful to BJP National President JP Nadda, PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, BJP State President K Annamalai for giving me this opportunity. Since I was a minister, I have been trying to help the people of the district and they also love me irrespective of caste and religion. I will bring more schemes to this constituency. This is my promise.”
BJP on Thursday released a list of nine Lok Sabha candidates for Tamil Nadu fielding former Telangana Governor and party leader Tamilisai Soundarajan from Chennai South and party’s state chief K Annamalai from Coimbatore.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan will be in the fray from Nilgiris.
According to the list, senior leaders AC Shanmugam will contest from Vellore and Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanniyakumari.
Vinoj P Selvam will contest from Chennai Central, C Narasimhan from Krishnagiri, TR Paarivendhar from Perambalur and Nainar Nagendran from Thoothukkudi.
Soundararajan resigned from her post as Telangana Governor on Monday. This is BJP’s third list for Lok Sabha polls.
All 39 seats in Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.
During the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which comprised Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, AIFB, registered a landslide victory by winning 38 of the 39 seats.
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19.
Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast vote in the general election. (IANS/ANI)
The saffron party has chosen moderate leader Kageri over Hindutva firebrand Hegde for Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka…reports Asian Lite News
The BJP has chosen soft-spoken, moderate leader Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri instead of Hindutva firebrand and six-term MP, Anantkumar Hegde for the Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka.
Kageri, a senior BJP leader, served as a minister and Speaker in the Karnataka Assembly and this is the first time that he is facing a Lok Sabha election.
On the other hand, Hegde has represented the Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 general elections as a BJP candidate.
Though Hegde made all attempts to get the ticket, the BJP opted for Kageri and he will face former Congress MLA, Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar.
Hegde had gone on a whirlwind tour of the constituency and kicked up a storm by suggesting that the BJP would amend the Indian Constitution once it secured two-third majority in the Lok Sabha. The party had distanced itself from the statement and dubbed it as a personal remark by the leader.
Hegde also faced opposition from within the BJP as he remained unavailable for party workers and was suffering from a protracted illness.
On the other hand, Kageri is a non-controversial figure with a clean image and hence was preferred over him by the BJP.
Plus, Kageri was a six-time MLA till he lost the Assembly election in 2023 from the Sirsi seat against Congress candidate Bhimanna T Naik.
The Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat comprises Khanapur, Kittur, Haliyal, Karwar, Kumta, Bhatkal, Sirsi and Yellapur Assembly seats.
The Congress party had won five seats and the BJP emerged victorious in three seats in the 2023 Assembly polls.
Among the three MLAs, Sirsi BJP MLA, Shivaram Hebbar has distanced himself from party affairs and sources close to him say that he is all set to join the Congress party and he remained absent during the Rajya Sabha election.
A political heavyweight from the Congress party, RV Deshpande represents the Haliyal Assembly seat. The Congress has denied him a ministerial berth and he is miffed with the development.
The Congress is pinning its hopes on Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar, one of the most highly-educated female politicians. She is a doctor and an advocate. Her husband, Hemanth Nimbalkar is a senior IPS officer.
Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar represented Khanapur Assembly constituency in Belagavi District. She lost the seat to the BJP candidate Vithal Somanna Halgekar in 2023.
Hindutva poster boy Hegde had registered a landslide victory with a margin of 4.79 lakh votes in the Uttara Kannada seat in the 2019 general election.
The constituency is considered as the bastion of the BJP and the party is confident of registering a victory again with Kageri.
The Congress party is banking on guarantees and an educated woman candidate.
Jagadish Shettar
Victory Won’t Be Difficult in Belagavi: Shettar
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP Belagavi candidate, Jagadish Shettar, said on Monday that a victory won’t be difficult for the BJP in the Belagavi constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“The victory won’t be difficult for us. When the Late MP Suresh Angadi was the district president and I was the Leader of the Opposition, we had taken up the party’s organisational work in the constituency,” Shettar told media persons.
He said that the experience of working as the district in-charge minister for two times in Belagavi will also come in handy during the election.
Shettar said that the sitting MP, his relative Mangala Angadi, has promised to work for him in the election as well.
“The caste calculations won’t work in this election. Though I hail from Hubballi, I have grown as a state-level leader. If Hubballi is my ‘Janma Bhoomi’, then Belagavi is my ‘Karma Bhoomi,” he said.
“I have a close relationship with the voters and people of the district. The youth are more in numbers and they will not be taken for granted. We will win the confidence of all sections and win in the election,” he said.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, the former Karnataka chief minister said, “I am in regular contact with all fellow party workers and the people in Belagavi. This place holds a special place in my heart. I am confident of repaying the faith that the party has vested in me. I am hopeful of being elected an MP from the Belagavi district.”
Weighing in on the perceived dispute between Marathas and Kannadigas, Shettar said there are no differences between the two communities.
“Here, in Karnataka, the Marathas and Kannadigas are like brothers. There is no difference between the two communities. They all are Indians,” he added.
The BJP on Sunday released its fifth list of 111 candidates for Lok Sabha elections. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who recently returned to the party from the Congress, was fielded from Belgaum while former state minister K Sudhakar will contest Chikballapur.
Shettar, who quit the BJP and switched over to the Congress after being denied a ticket to contest last year’s assembly elections, returned to his old party in January.
Constituency watch: Tough battle for sitting Trinamool MP from Kolkata-Uttar to retain fort against former party loyalist…reports Asian Lite News
The contest in the Kolkata-Uttar Lok Sabha constituency which came into existence in 2009 after the orders of the Delimitation Commission will be interesting during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The sitting Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member, Sudip Bandopadhyay, is facing a tough challenge from one of his old party loyalists and six-time MLA Tapas Roy, who is contesting on behalf of the BJP.
Also in the fray is the former Congress Rajya Sabha member and veteran party leader Pradip Bhattacharya, who is contesting as the Left Front-supported Congress candidate.
The contest could have been another cakewalk for Bandopadhyay this time as well had Tapas Roy not filed his papers. However, the BJP fielding Roy against him had made things complicated for Bandopadhyay.
First, since the time tension between Bandopadhyay and Roy (then within Trinamool Congress) started surfacing, a number of ruling party leaders from Kolkata-Uttar publicly sympathised with Roy.
The outspoken Trinamool Congress General Secretary, Kunal Ghosh even then publicly accused Bandopadhyay of encouraging and nurturing factionalism within the party in Kolkata-Uttar. After Roy resigned from his membership of the Assembly and joined the BJP, Ghosh observed that had the leadership been serious the exit of Roy could have been prevented.
What made Roy’s joining BJP different from many others is that he had set a precedent of first resigning as a member of the Legislative Assembly as well as the general member of Trinamool Congress before officially joining the BJP even though his current term as an MLA was till 2026.
Roy had for quite some time been appealing to his own party leader not to neglect the issue of corruption and take disciplinary action against those indulging in corruption.
Second, barring a single-day ED operation at his residence in connection with the municipalities’ recruitment case, never ever has there been a single allegation of involvement in corruption in his long political career. Roy, who is always known for his humble lifestyle and amicable behaviour has claimed that the single-day ED operation at his residence was orchestrated by the leader of Trinamool Congress in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay.
While resigning from Trinamool Congress, Roy’s main grievance was that while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been so vocal in supporting the accused mastermind, Sheikh Shahjahan, in the attack on ED and CAPF personnel in Sandeshkhali, she had never raised her voice over the ED operations at his residence.
Following the ED raids at his residence, several leaders from the opposition camps, including BJP, Congress and CPI(M) said that corruption links with him are simply not true.
As Roy still has major followers within the Trinamool Congress, a silent revolt within the ruling party in favour of Roy can go against Bandopadhyay.
After being nominated, Roy said that his joining the BJP was not with any expectation but with a case which is to fight against corruption which he was unable to do while being in Trinamool Congress.
“There is no doubt that BJP is coming to power again in the country with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term. If I am elected, I will raise the issues of grievances of the people of West Bengal on the floor of the Parliament,” Roy said.
On the other hand, Bandopadhyay has hinted that this will be the last electoral battle that he is fighting. “I want to quit electoral politics like Lionel Messi after winning,” Bandopadhyay has said.
Another advantage for Roy is that he is much younger than both Bandyopadhyay and Congress candidate, Pradip Bhattacharya. While Roy is 67, Bandopadhyay is 75 and Bhattacharya is nearing his eighties.
Tripura CM Holds Door-to-Door Campaign
Gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday conducted a door-to-door campaign in Bamutia village in the Mohanpur subdivision of West Tripura district.
A huge crowd gathered in the Bamutia village to catch a glimpse of the Tripura Chief Minister, while he marched through the streets along with his supporters.
The Tripura CM was seen talking to the area’s residents about the different schemes run by the BJP-led government.
Earlier on Saturday, the Tripura CM expressed confidence in the BJP winning the Lok Sabha polls as there had been significant development in the state.
“We had only dreamt of trains coming here. Our dream was fulfilled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He started the Act East Policy. Now we take the train to come here. When I send photos to my children, I feel proud. Now Vande Bharat will start here. PM Modi fulfils whatever he promises. All his schemes will reach 100 per cent saturation point,” Saha said in his address in Dharmanagar.
Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency is one of the two constituencies in the state of Tripura in northeastern India.
In the 2019 General elections, BJP candidate Pratima Bhowmik won this seat with 573,532 votes, while Congress candidate Subal Bhowmik received 267,843 votes and CPM candidate Shankar Prasad Dutta received 171,826 votes.
Bhowmik was also elected to the Tripura Legislative Assembly in 2023 from the Dhanpur Assembly constituency, but later on resigned from the position to retain her Lok Sabha membership. Since 2016, she has also been a State General Secretary of the BJP Tripura unit.
For the 2024 elections, Bhartiya Janata party has named Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb as the candidate from the West Tripura district.
Earlier, the President of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, announced that major opposition parties, including CPIM, Congress, Gana Manch, All Tripura Peoples Party, CPI, and CPIML, had formed an alliance under the banner of the INDIA Alliance. This alliance aims to challenge the BJP government in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The 2024 General elections in Tripura will be held in two phases, on April 19 and April 26, to elect the two members of the 18th Lok Sabha. (ANI)
