The second list of the party featured nine candidates….reports Asian Lite News
Hours after releasing its first list of 16 candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday released its second list.
The second list of the party featured nine candidates.
Mayawati-led BSP has fielded Hembabu Dhangar from Hathras, Kamal Kant Upmanyu from Mathura, Pooja Amrohi from Agra, and Ram Niwas Sharma from Fatehpur Sikri.
Satendra Jain Sauli has been fielded from Firozabad, Sarika Singh Baghel from Etawah, Kuldeep Badauria from Kanpur, Rajesh Kumar Dwivedi from Akbarpur and Surendra Chandra Gautam from Jalaun.
Unlike the 2019 elections, when it was in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the party is contesting the elections alone this time.
In its first list, the BSP has nominated Mazid Ali from Saharanpur, Shreepal Singh from Kairana, Dara Singh Prajapati from Muzaffarnagar, Vijendra Singh from Bijnor, Surendra Pal Singh from Nagina, Mohammad Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Zeeshan Khan from Rampur, Shaukat Ali from Sambhal, Mujahid Hussain from Amroha, Devratt Tyagi from Meerut, Praveen Bansal from Baghpat, Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr, Abid Ali from Aonla, Aneesh Ahmed Khan alia Phool Babu from Pilibhit, and Dodram Verma from Shahjahanpur.
The BSP contested nine of these seats in 2019, winning four – Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina and Amroha. The SP fielded candidates in the other five last time, winning three, while the RLD lost both the seats it contested. Here are the takeaways from the list:
Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19.
Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.
Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.
The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively.
Kesineni Sivanath represents TDP, while elder brother Kesineni Srinivas, formerly with TDP, now stands for YSRCP candidacy….reports Asian Lite News
Two brothers are pitted against each other in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency for the May 13 elections.
Kesineni Sivanath is contesting on the ticket of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) while his elder brother Kesineni Srinivas, who was till recently with TDP, is the candidate of ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
The fight between two businessmen brothers has generated political heat in Vijayawada, known as the political capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Popularly known as Nani, Srinivas was elected twice to Lok Sabha from Vijayawada on TDP ticket. He was keen to score a hat-trick but TDP President and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu decided to field Sivanath, who is popular as Chinni.
It was in early this year that Nani himself revealed that Naidu had decided not to give ticket to him this time. He assured that he will abide by the leader’s directions.
However, supporters of the two brothers clashed when Naidu appointed Chinni as constituency in-charge in place of Nani.
A few days later Nani quit the TDP and after a meeting with Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy joined YSRCP. The ruling party lapped up the opportunity to cash in on the chinks in Kesineni family and also TDP to declare Nani as its candidate.
Chinni, who worked in TDP under the shadow of his elder brother for long, opened up and started targeting him after the latter made serious allegations against Chandrababu Naidu.
Chinni said he never had any aspirations to compete with his brother. “He had distanced himself from the party and cadres. He never bothered to participate in party programmes including Mahanadu,” said Chinni explaining the reasons that led to Nani being denied re-nomination.
Chinni claimed that despite several complaints, Chandrababu Naidu gave Nani the opportunity for two terms. Nani should have been grateful to the TDP chief but he resorted to mudslinging against Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh, said the younger brother.
While Nani slammed Chandrababu Naidu for creating rift in the Kesineni family, Chinni claimed that there have been disputes in the family since 1999.
Chinni said he never spoke about what happened within the family but he was forced to speak out due to the allegations made by his brother. Chinni revealed that he left the family’s travel business to Nani by taking a very meagre share.
Nani entered politics by joining Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) floated by popular actor Chiranjeevi in 2008.
“Despite differences, I supported him when he joined PRP and abruptly left it by making serious allegations against Chiranjeevi,” said Chinni. He also claimed that he facilitated his meeting with Chandrababu Naidu at that time and helped him join TDP.
Amid the war of words, Chinni predicted that Nani would lose the election by a margin of 3 lakh votes.
With TDP having an electoral alliance with the BJP and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party, Chinni is likely to have an edge in the battle.
Nani and Chinni belong to the well-known family of businessmen in Vijayawada. Their grandfather Kesineni Venkaiah had started the first inter-city bus transport service in Andhra in 1928. Nani had established Kesineni Tours & Travels in 1992, which became one of the largest transport operators in South India. He later diversified the business with Kesineni Group, which is into intercity transportation, logistics and hospitality.
Chinni is the CEO of Kesineni Developers, a leading construction company. He has also been actively involved in politics.
Vijayawada was once a stronghold of the Congress party. Though TDP had bagged the seat in 1984, 1991 and 1999, the Congress party was a key force. However, public anger over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 led to the grand old party being wiped out and Vijayawada was no exception.
In 2014, Nani won the Vijayawada seat, defeating his nearest rival Koneru Rajendra Prasad of YSRCP by a margin of over 74,000 votes.
In July 2018, Nani on behalf of his party had moved a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the NDA government. During his speech on the motion, he had slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.
In 2019, Nani’s margin of victory came down to 8,726 in 2019. Prasad V. Potluri of YSRCP had finished runner-up.
Vijayawada was one of the only three Lok Sabha seats (out of 25 in the state) won by the TDP in 2019.
Vijayasai Challenges TDP-BJP-JSP Alliance Spl Status
YSR Congress parliamentary party leader V. Vijayasai Reddy has challenged the TDP-JSP-BJP coalition to promise to the people of Andhra Pradesh in their manifesto that the Central government will give Special Category Status to the state for 10 years.
The Rajya Sabha member on Sunday took to ‘X’ to throw a challenge to the tripartite alliance. “But they would not do so because they want their alliance more than the progress of AP,” added Vijayasai Reddy. He urged people to vote for a party that puts Andhra Pradesh first.
Vijayasai Reddy is YSR Congress candidate for Nellore Lok Sabha seat.
Through another post, the YSR Congress leader claimed that some elite private schools are lobbying in support of TDP. “Apparently, there is a strong lobby of some elite private schools supporting TDP. After the success of Nadu-Nedu, these hundreds of private schools are not able to charge parents high fees. They’re looking for revival at the cost of Govt Schools,” he wrote.
Nadu Nedu is a programme being implemented by the YSR Congress government to improve learning outcomes and decrease the dropout rate in all government schools by taking up various measures including upgradation of school infrastructure.
Simultaneous elections to the 175-member state Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to be held on May 13.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has formed an alliance with the BJP and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party to take on the ruling YSR Congress.
In 2019, YSR Congress had wrested power from TDP with a landslide majority, winning 151 Assembly seats. It also bagged 22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats.
The party has fielded veteran actor Arun Govil, who played the character of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut….reports Asian Lite News
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its fifth list of 111 candidates for Lok Sabha elections, including 13 names from Uttar Pradesh and 19 from West Bengal.
The party 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.
The party has fielded veteran actor Arun Govil, who played the character of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayan’ from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.
In UP, the BJP dropped Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and allotted the seat to former Congress leader Jitin Prasada.
Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has been once again fielded from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The party has fielded Raghav Lakhanpal from Saharanpur, Sarvesh Singh from Moradabad, Atul Garg from Ghaziabad, Satish Gautam from Aligarh, Anoop Valmiki from Hathras, Survijay Singh Shakya from Badaun, Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar from Bareily, Ramesh Awasthi from Kanpur, Rajrani Rawat from Barabanki and Arvind Gond from Bahraich.
Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.
Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.
The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively.
In West Bengal Tapas Roy is the candidate for Kolkata Uttar, Dilip Ghosh for Bardhaman-Durgapur, and Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who recently resigned as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, will contest from Tamluk.
Agnimitra Paul is all set to contest the Medinipur seat, while Ashim Kumar Darkar will contest from Bardhaman Purba.
Other names of the candidates from West Bengal include Jayanta Roy from Jalpaiguri, Raju Bista from Darjeeling, Kartivk Paul from Raiganj, Dhananjay Ghosh from Jangipur, Amrita Roy from Krishananagar and Arjun Singh.
The party has named Arup Kanti Digar from Arambagh, Kabir Shankar Bose from Sreerampur, Arun Uday Paul Chowdhury from Uluberia, Debashree Chaudhary from Kolkata Dakshin, Adhok Purkait from Mathurapur, Rekha Patra from Basirhat, Swpan Majumdar from Barasat and Shilbhadra Dutta from Dum Dum.
In Bihar, the party has fielded Union ministers RK Singh from Arrah, Nityanand Rai from Ujiarpur, and Giriraj Singh from Begusarai. Former Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Saran, Radha Mohan Singh from Purvi Champaran, and Ram Kripal Yadav from Pataliputra also figure on the list.
Sanjay Jaiswal will contest from Paschim Champaran, Ashok Kumar Yadav from Madhubani, Pradeep Kumar Singh from Araria, Gopal Jee Thakur from Darbhanga, Raj Bhushan Nishad from Muzaffarpur, Janardan Singh Sigriwal from Maharajganj, Mithilesh Tiwari from Buxar and Shivesh Ram will fight from Sasaram.
The party has fielded K Surendran against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi from Kerala’s Wayanad. TN Sarasu will contest Alathur, KS Radhakrishnan from Ernakulam and G Krishnakumar from Kollam.
The BJP announced the names of its candidates for 18 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha while dropping four sitting MPs from the list. The nominees for Cuttack, Jajpur and Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituencies are yet to be named by the party.
The party has fielded Dharmendra Pradhan from the Sambalpur seat, and Baijayant Jay Panda has been fielded from Kendrapara. Similarly, the party has fielded Aparajita Sarangi from Bhubaneswar, Jual Oram from Sundargarh, Sambit Patra from Puri, and Pratap Sarangi from Balasore.
The BJP which earlier announced going solo in Odisha, named Pradeep Purohit from Bargarh, Anant Nayak from Keonjhar, Naba Charan Majhi from Mayurbhanj, Avimanyu Sethi from Bhadrak, Rudra Narayan Pani from Dhenkanal, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from Bolangir, Malvika Keshari Deo from Kalahandi, Balabhadra Majhi from Nabarangpur, Bibhu Prasad Tarai from Jagatsinghpur, Anita Subhadarshini from Aska, Pradeep Panigrahy from Berhampur and Kaleram Majhi from Koraput.
Dempo Industries executive director Pallavi Dempo is the first woman candidate in BJP’s poll history in Goa who will contest Lok Sabha elections on the party ticket from South Goa.
The BJP had won this constituency only twice since 1962.
South Goa constituency, spread across 20 assembly segments, had changed hands among the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party, United Goans Party, and Indian National Congress. The BJP won this seat in the 1999 and 2014 elections but could not retain it.
Former Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal, who resigned from the grand old party earlier in the day will contest from the Kurukshetra constituency. In Haryana, Ranjit Chautala will contest Hisar while Mohan Lal Badoli from Sonipat and Arvind Kumar Sharma will fight from Rohtak.
The party also announced two names for Himachal Pradesh, naming Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut from Mandi and Rajeev Bharadwaj from Kangra.
The BJP had earlier nominated Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur and Suresh Kashyap from Shimla as its candidates.
In the general elections of 2009, Virbhadra Singh, and in the by-elections of 2013 and 2021, Congress candidate Pratibha Singh was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Mandi seat.
In the parliamentary elections of 2014 and 2019, BJP emerged victorious with Ram Swaroop Sharma being elected as the Member of Parliament on both the times. However, in 2021, Ram Swaroop Sharma tragically passed away by suicide. Subsequently, in the 2021 by-elections, this seat went to Pratibha Singh of the Congress. Currently, out of the four Lok Sabha seats, BJP holds three.
In Rajasthan, Manju Sharma has been fielded from Jaipur, while Mahima Vishweswar Singh from Rajsamand, Bhagirath Chaudhary from Ajmer, Rao Rajendra Singh from Jaipur Rural, Shubkaran Choudhary from Jhunjhunu and Priyanka Balan from Ganganagar.
Dinesh Chandra Nepal will contest the Sikkim seat.
Aroori Ramesh will fight from Telangana’s Warangal while Tandra Vinod Rao from Khammam.
Vanlalhmuaka will contest from Mizoram.
The BJP announced three names for Maharashtra, naming Sunil Baburao Mendhe from Bhandara-Gondiya, Ashok Mahadev Rao Nete from Gadchiroli-Chimur and Ram Satpute from Solapur.
In Karnataka, Jagdish Shettar will fight from Belgaum, Raja Amareshwara Naik from Raichur, Vishweshwar Hedge Kageri from Uttara Kannada and K Sudhakar will contest from Chikkballapur.
The party has also dropped ex-Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde from Uttara Kannada constituency.
The BJP announced the names of three candidates in Jharkhand, including Sita Soren – former JMM MLA and sister-in-law of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren – from Dumka (ST) constituency.
The party on March 2 announced that sitting MP Sunil Soren, who had defeated JMM president Shibu Soren in the 2019 polls by a margin of 47,590 votes, will seek re-election from Dumka.
In a blow to the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, three-term MLA and elder daughter-in-law of party patriarch Shibu Soren, Sita Soren joined the BJP on March 20 citing “isolation” and “neglect” by JMM since the death of her husband Durga Soren in 2009.
Kalicharan Singh will fight from Chatra, Dulu Mahato to go to polls from Dhanbad.
The BJP in its first list of Lok Sabha election candidates had named 11 nominees from Jharkhand including four new candidates – former Congress parliamentarian Geeta Kora (Singhbhum ST constituency), Rajya Sabha MP Samir Oraon, Tala Marandi and Manish Jaiswal.
There are 14 parliamentary constituencies in Jharkhand and as per the seat-sharing arrangement between the BJP and the AJSU Party, the Giridih seat has been left for the AJSU Party.
BJP released its list of six Lok Sabha candidates contesting from Andhra Pradesh.
Former Chief Minister of composite Andhra Pradesh Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy will contest from Rajampet Lok Sabha seat, while BJP Andhra Pradesh State president Daggubati Purandeswari will contest from Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, Kothapalli Geeta will contest from the Araku (ST) LS seat, while Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma will contest from the Narsapuram Lok Sabha seat.
C.M. Ramesh, who switched loyalties from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to BJP soon after the 2019 elections, will contest from the Anakapalli LS seat. Velagapalli Vara Prasad Rao, will contest from Tirupati LS seat. Earlier, he won from the same constituency on the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) ticket in 2014. Later, he entered the Andhra Pradesh Assembly as YSRCP’s Gudur MLA. BJP A.P. office-bearer Srinivasa Varma will contest from the Narsapuram LS seat. Present Narsapuram MP Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju, who won on a YSRCP ticket in 2019, hoped that TDP, BJP or JSP would field him as a candidate for the seat. He, however, did not join any of these political parties but addressed the TDP-JSP meeting at Tadepalligudem.
From Gujarat’s Vadodara, Hemang Yogeshchandra Joshi will be the party candidate while Bharatbhai Manubhai Sutariya will contest Amreli. Rajesh Chudasama has been fielded from Junagadh, Chandubhai Chhaaganbhai Shihora from Surendranagar, Shobhnaben Mahebdrasinh Baraiya from Sabarkantha and Haribhai Patel from Mahesana.
The parliamentary elections for the 543 constituencies will be conducted in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)
VK Singh Not to Contest in 2024 Polls
Union Minister VK Singh announced on Sunday that he would not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In a tweet from his official account on X, VK Singh stated, “I have made a difficult but thoughtful decision. I will not contest the 2024 elections. This decision was not easy for me, but I have taken it from the depths of my heart. I want to channel my energy and time into new directions where I can serve my country in different ways.”
The former Army General further explained his rationale, emphasising his desire to redirect his energy and time towards new avenues of serving the nation.
“I have dedicated my entire life to serving this nation as a soldier. For the past 10 years, I have tirelessly worked towards fulfilling the dream of making Ghaziabad a world-class city. Along this journey, I am grateful for the trust and love I have received from the citizens of the country and Ghaziabad, as well as members of the BJP. This emotional bond is invaluable to me,” the tweet read.
The tweet further added, “I sincerely thank all of you for being my companions on this journey. Your love, support, and belief have always inspired me. Going forward, I will continue to serve the nation and all its citizens, just in a new capacity.”
The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will commence in seven phases starting April 19. Various parties have declared their initial lists for the elections, which will conclude on June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 303 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) managed to secure only 52 seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 282 seats, while the INC secured only 44 seats.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) held a meeting of its Central Election Committee on Saturday to decide the names of the candidates from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The list, which was likely to be announced on Sunday, will include candidates from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. The decision was made during a three-hour Central Election Committee meeting attended by key BJP leaders on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Brijesh Pathak, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, among others.
As per party sources, in Uttar Pradesh, 10 names were discussed and finalized. Out of the total 24 seats left to announce, 10 were discussed and are expected to be announced in the fourth list.(ANI)
A sizeable section of Muslim votes is preparing to split in favour of BJP which is bound to be an added advantage for the party…reports Asian Lite News
History shows that a division in Muslium votes in Uttar Pradesh has invariably worked to the advantage of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are no different.
The only difference this time is that a sizeable section of Muslim votes is preparing to split in favour of BJP which is bound to be an added advantage for the party.
Muslims account for 19 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population and their voting behaviour is likely to define the outcome on around 24 Lok Sabha seats, having a 20-50 per cent Muslim population.
The Samajwadi Party-Congress seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha elections may have raised expectations in the alliance that it will consolidate the Muslim vote and fortify the INDIA bloc’s position in at least 24 Muslim-dominated constituencies out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
However, as elections draw near, the BSP and AIMIM are set to force a split in Muslim votes.
A popular saying in Uttar Pradesh goes thus: ‘Pehla bhai (read Muslim), Phir Sapai (SP) aur uske baad Congress-I.’
This explains the Muslim voting pattern in the state.
The BSP, in a shrewd move, has fielded five Muslim candidates out of seven unofficially announced so far.
They include Aqil Ahmed Patta from Kannauj, a seat considered a stronghold of SP. Patta had joined BSP a few months ago, after crossing over from SP.
The other Muslim candidates are Irfan Saifi from Moradabad, Anish Ahmed Khan aka Phool Babu from Pilibhit, Majid Ali from Saharanpur and Mujahid Hussain from Amroha. The party had won Amroha and Saharanpur parliamentary seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“There are many more Muslim candidates on the way but we need to wait for the list,” said a party insider.
The AIMIM is also preparing to field candidates in about two dozen seats having a sizeable Muslim population.
It is amply clear that more than winning the seats themselves, the AIMIM and BSP are keen to defeat the INDIA constituents (SP and Congress).
The leaders of both, BSP and AIMIM, are aware that a division in Muslim votes will give the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) an advantage.
However, there is also a perceptible change in the Muslim mood in Uttar Pradesh and the community is no longer as hostile towards the BJP as it used to be.
The ban on triple talaq and the benefits of welfare schemes initiated by the Modi and Yogi governments that have reached Muslim women, have led to a change in perception.
Afsha Zaidi, a home maker said, “In the past 10 years, the BJP has not harmed us in any way. In fact, we have benefitted under the Modi regime. I do not see anything wrong in voting for BJP — In fact, I will vote for Modi this time.”
BJP’s ‘Shukriya Modi Bhai Jaan’ that reached out to Muslim women, was also highly successful and elicited a good response.
If Muslims vote for large numbers in the UP Lok Sabha polls – as is expected — it could finally break the myth of Muslim voting pattern in the state
The Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha seats include Saharanpur (29.6 per cent), Muzaffarnagar (27 per cent), Bijnor (28 per cent), Nagina (28 per cent), Moradabad (28 per cent), Rampur (42 per cent), Sambhal (22 per cent), Amroha (32 per cent), Meerut (23 per cent), Sitapur (24 per cent), Kairana (23 per cent ), Bareilly (23 per cent), Pilibhit (19 per cent), Shahjahanpur (21 per cent), Bahraich (23 per cent), Shravasti (28 per cent), Dumariaganj (26 per cent) and Lucknow (23 per cent).
The list also includes Kanpur (19 per cent), Bulandshahr (19 per cent), Baghpat (18.8 per cent), Ghaziabad (16 per cent), Aligarh (19 per cent) and Azamgarh (16 per cent).
Election Has to be Fought at Booth Level
At a Holi Utsav programme in the national capital on Sunday, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that workers have to visit every booth and fight at the booth level to achieve the target of winning 400 seats in the parliamentary polls.
Addressing party workers on this occasion, Smriti Irani said, “Wherever there is PM Modi, a win is confirmed. To work for the organization and society is the identity of every BJP worker. It is the responsibility of every worker to visit the booth and to associate every vote with the ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ to achieve the target of 400 seats in the parliamentary polls. The election has to be fought at the booth level. The percentage of votes in favour of BJP should increase in every booth compared to the previous Lok Sabha polls.”
She further said that the Supreme Court has observed that those who came to power in AAP used liquor companies to make policies.
“Policies were made by liquor companies, which had never happened in the past. The Supreme Court has itself said that former deputy CM Manish Sisodia is involved in Rs 338 crores liquor policy scam. When Arvind Kejriwal was presented in court, it is on record that he was involved in funding the elections for an amount of Rs 45 crore. Kejriwal had demanded for Rs 100 crores to use it in elections. BJP Karyakartas have to ensure that AAP workers don’t try to use unfair means in booths,” she added.
Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan was also present on the occasion.
AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.
Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the chargesheets filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the party. (ANI)
The AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami introduced all the candidates at the Tiruchi rally….reports Asian Lite News
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) kickstarted the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign from Tiruchi on Sunday.
The party, which was in an electoral tie-up with the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly polls, snapped ties in September 2023.
The AIADMK general secretary introduced all the candidates at the Tiruchi rally. It may be noted that for both the Dravidian parties — DMK and AIADMK — Tiruchi is considered lucky. Even a hardcore atheist and non-believer like former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, late K. Karunanidhi used to commence his campaign for the DMK from Tiruchi.
The first phase of Palaniswami’s campaign that begins from Tiruchi will conclude at Mayiladuthurai on March 31. He will cover Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Ramanthapuram, Kancheepuram, Sri Perumbudur, Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam.
Palaniswami in a short video on Sunday ahead of the commencement of his yatra said, “Beloved voters of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK‘s poll promises are a reflection of your thoughts and needs.”
In the video he also said that the party‘s manifesto panel had travelled across the state and met people and then prepared the manifesto.
EPS said, “The manifesto has been drafted to ensure that everyone gets everything.”
The AIADMK leader also said that the party manifesto has assured people that the party will stand for them in the Mekedatu and Mullaperiyar water issues.
He said that he was reaching Tiruchi to meet the people, raise their issues, and also requested them to support the AIADMK in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
Last week, AIADMK announced its final list of candidates for the upcoming Lok sabha elections.
While announcing list, AIADMK leader Edappadi Palaniswami said “For AIADMK there is no pressure. When MGR started the party and after MGR demise how Jayalalitha fought. Our party has faced everything. We will face everything legally.”
In the AIADMK list, Prem Kumar will contest from Sriperumbudur, S Pasupathi from Vellore, R Ashokan from Dharmapuri, M Kaliyaperumal from Tiruvannamalai, Kumara Guru from Kallakurichi, P Arunachalam from Tiruppur, D Lokesh Tamil Slevan from Nilgris, Singai G Ramachandran from Coimbatore.
Karthikeyan will fight on Pollachi seat, P Karuppaya from Trichy, Chandra Mohan from Perambalur, Babu from Mayiladuthurai, Panaguri A Xavier Dhas from Sivangangai, Sivasami Vedhanmani from Thoothkudi, Mutu Chozhan from Tirunelveli, Pasiliyan Nazret from Kanniyakumari and G Tamil Vendhan from Pondicherry.
Rani has been fielded fromVilavankodu for the Assembly by-election.
Earlier on Wednesday, AIADMK released its first list of candidates. Tamil Nadu’s main opposition also finalized a seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 with the DMDK.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami and DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth signed the seat-sharing agreement in Chennai on Wednesday.
In the AIADMK alliance the AIADMK will contest 32 seats, DMDMK will contest in 5 seats, SDPI in 1 seat and Puthiya Tamilagam in 1 seat, from Tenkasi constituency.
Tamil Nadu is voting on April 19 in a single phase of polling. During the 2019 general elections, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which comprised INC, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, AIFB, registered a landslide victory by winning 38 of the 39 seats.
Polling for the Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases across the nation from April 19 to June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.
Dhinakaran in Triangular Fight in Theni
The General Secretary of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and former Lok Sabha member from Periyakulam constituency, T. T. V. Dhinakaran is in a three-cornered fight in Theni, in south Tamil Nadu.
Of 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Theni is the only seat which the AIADMK-led NDA alliance won in the 2019 general elections. The 2019 polls in Tamil Nadu was swept by the DMK-led front.
In the ensuing general elections, DMK Theni North district Secretary Thanga Tamil Selvan is the party’s candidate, while V. T. Narayanasamy, who is Theni East Union Secretary of the AIADMK, will be their candidate for the seat.
In the 2019 general elections, it was P. Ravindhranath, son of former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam (OPS) who won from the Theni seat defeating senior Congress leader E. V. K. S. Elangovan.
With OPS as the most powerful leader in Theni and Bodinayakanur region throwing his weight behind AMMK candidate T. T. V. Dhinakaran, he seems to be having an edge in the elections.
In the 2019 general elections, Ravindhranath won the seat by a margin of 76,693 votes, defeating Congress leader Elangovan. Interestingly, AMMK candidate Thanga Tamil Selvan (present DMK candidate) received 1,44,050 votes.
Theni has a predominant Thevar population and OPS is highly respected in the commmunity. Dhinakaran has the backing of his aunt, V. K. Sasikala, former close aide of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who also has deep inroads in the Thevar community.
DMK candidate Thanga Tamil Selvan was earlier with AIADMK and was a three-term MLA from Andipatti seat. However, after the passing away of Jayalalithaa, he left AIADMK and joined AMMK.
The party fielded him during the 2019 general elections and he garnered 1,44,050 votes. He then left AMMK and joined DMK.
AIADMK candidate V. T. Narayanasami is a local leader but the fight is between T. T. V. Dhinakaran and Thanga Tamil Selvan.
C. Rajeev, political analyst and Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies, while speaking to IANS said: “Tamil Nadu politics, as you know, is a combination of caste and ideology. In many seats, caste is dominant and even if the three candidates belongs to the same caste, the caste of the person heading the party becomes significant. In a seat like Theni, the Thevar community is predominant and a leader like OPS has a big clout. It was his clout and influence in Thevar vote bank that has led to the win of his son P. Ravindhranathan. This time T. T. V. Dhinakaran is having an edge and AIADMK candidate is not in the picture at all.”
As the election campaign gains momentum, these one-time BSP leaders are drawing up strategies to ensure the victory of their party over the BSP….writes Amita Verma
They had toiled day and night to build the party. They were handpicked by late Kanshi Ram for the Bahujan Samaj movement that he converted into a political campaign in 1984 when he formed the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Today, 40 years later, the foot soldiers of the BSP are leaders in other parties while the BSP is gasping for breath.
As the election campaign gains momentum, these one-time BSP leaders are drawing up strategies to ensure the victory of their party over the BSP.
Talking to IANS on condition of anonymity, one of the former BSP leaders said, “It is Mayawati who is solely responsible for reducing the BSP to a political nonentity. She strayed from the ideology of late Kanshi Ram, ignored those who subscribed to the party ideology and gave preference to outsiders. The loyalists naturally moved away and the party was reduced to its present position.”
Dinanath Bhaskar, one of the founding members of BSP and a close and trusted associate of late Kanshi Ram, was a minister in the first SP-BSP government in 1993.
As Mayawati moved to the centre stage of politics in the BSP in 1996, Bhaskar quit the party and joined the Samajwadi Party. In 2015, he walked out of the SP and joined the BJP. Today, he is a BJP MLA from the Aurai Assembly segment.
Raj Bahadur, once a state BSP president, was known for his proximity to late Kanshi Ram but in 1995 when Mayawati became chief minister for the first time, he moved away and later joined the Congress.
Dr Masood, was the education minister in the Mayawati government in 1993. Later he was expelled from the party and his political journey later took him to the SP, RLD and then Congress.
R.K. Chaudhary, one of the tallest BSP leaders during the time Kanshi Ram called the shots, was expelled from the BSP in 2001, called back later and shown the door again.
He then joined the Congress and is now with Samajwadi Party. He is the party’s candidate from the Mohanlalganj seat and will be challenging Union Minister Kaushal Kishore.
Om Prakash Rajbhar was one of the BSP’s foot soldiers in the early years. He left the party in 2001, joined the Apna Dal and now heads his own party — Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). He prides himself as a kingmaker in contemporary state politics and knows the art of remaining in the news.
Babu Singh Kushwaha, once a trusted lieutenant of Mayawati, fell out of favour when his name emerged in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in 2011. Today he heads the Jan Adhikar party and continues to work for his community.
Two senior BSP leaders, who faced Mayawati’s wrath for unexplained reasons in 2020, are Lalji Varma and Ram Achal Rajbhar. Today, both are senior members in Samajwadi Party and Lalji Varma is the party candidate from Ambedkar Nagar.
Former BSP Minister Inderjit Saroj is another leader who made his way from BSP to SP.
While SP has been the main beneficiary of exits from the BSP, the BJP has also gained leaders from Mayawati’s party.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak started his political career in the BSP and now is among the top state leaders in the BJP.
BJP Minister Jaiveer Singh also has his roots in the BSP.
Two former BSP ministers, Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Nakul Dubey, have found a haven for themselves in the Congress.
Congress keeps Benny Behanan, CPI(M) introduces C. Raveendranath, and BJP’s NDA nominates KA Unnikrishnan from its ally BDJS….reports Asian Lite News
A tough Lok Sabha poll battle has returned to Chalakudy constituency in Kerala after nearly a decade.
While the Congress has decided to retain Benny Behanan the sitting member, the CPI(M) has brought in former state Education Minister, C Raveendranath and the BJP-led NDA has fielded KA Unnikrishnan who belongs to its ally Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).
The last poll battle here was seen in 2014 when the CPI(M) sprang a surprise and fielded one of Malayalam film industry’s most liked and popular actors Innocent, who took on PC Chacko, a battle-scarred Congress veteran and sitting Lok Sabha member from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.
Innocent shocked many by winning with a margin of over 13,000 votes.
After a few years, Innocent was diagnosed with cancer. After he went into remission the CPI(M) asked him to contest again in the 2019 polls, but this time the popular comedian did not have the last laugh and lost by over 1.30 lakh votes to Congress veteran Behanan.
After that loss, Innocent concentrated on his profession, but cancer got the better of him and he passed away on March 26, 2023.
With its prestige at stake, the CPI(M) decided to bring back Raveendranath, the soft spoken, retired college Professor, who is more known for being an educator than a politician.
His term as the Education Minister from 2016-2021 passed without any controversy.
However, the Congress appears confident, as four out of the seven Assembly segments in the Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency were won by Congress candidates in the 2021 Assembly polls, even though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan won a stupendous victory and became the first to retain office after a five year term.
The NDA appears to be equally confident that the ‘Modi Guarantee’ which is the key campaign point for them, will be able to tilt things in their favour. But it seems a tough ask as in the 2021 polls, their candidate managed to get just 1.28 lakh votes.
Xxx
CPI-M Ex-MLA Stays Loyal
A day after speculation surfaced that three-time former Kerala CPI-M legislator S. Rajendran might join the BJP, things appeared to have cooled down on Thursday with the Left leader confirming with top party bosses that he will not do anything that might put his party in duress.
The tongues started to wag that he might leave after he was spotted at the Delhi residence of senior party leader Prakash Javadekar in the national capital on Wednesday.
Rajendran, accompanied by some leaders from Tamil Nadu, called on Javadekar, who is the BJP state charge also.
“ The meeting was nothing political and I will continue with the CPI-M,” said Rajendran on Thursday at his residence in Munnar in Idukki district.
Sources in the know of things pointed out that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to him and he assured he will not do anything which will put the party in duress with the Lok Sabha polls round the corner.
Soon after Vijayan spoke, CPI-M state secretary M.V.Govindan had a conference call with Rajendran with Idukki district party secretary Vargheese also on line.
But Rajendran is understood to have informed the party that he might not be very active in the election campaign.
Rajendran had been one of the tallest CPI-M leaders in the Idukki district, where the backbone of the CPI-M is the large number of workers in the plantation sector. He had represented the Devikulam Assembly constituency for three terms since 2006 and was deeply upset when the party rejected his request for a ticket in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Following this, Rajendran was further peeved after his party ordered a probe against him and a two-member committee found him guilty of gross indiscipline and recommended that he be stripped of his party membership for a year.
Kerala Goes Green On Polls
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kerala on Thursday released a handbook on the ‘green protocol’ to be followed strictly by campaigners and election officials during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
All 20 seats of Kerala will go to the polls on April 26, in the second of the multi-phase Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul released the handbook “Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Green Protocol Compliance Doubts and Answers”, prepared in collaboration with the Suchitwa Mission and Haritha Keralam Mission.
It guides stakeholders on using eco-friendly materials during the electioneering to minimise polluting garbage being generated.
Significantly, the elections are being held when the state government is pressing ahead with a massive “Malinya Muktam Nava Keralam” campaign and a slew of other big-ticket schemes like the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWM).
The Election Commission of India has also issued instructions to use only nature-friendly materials for election-related activities. Propaganda materials using flex boards, plastic flag poles, polyester cloth, and similar polluting substances should be strictly avoided. Propaganda boards and banners should be made of cotton and paper.
Natural materials like ‘panampaya’ (palm leaf mats), ‘pulpaya’ (grass mats), palm leaves, reeds, bamboo, and areca nut leaves should also be used. Similarly, eco-friendly materials should be used to decorate election offices of political parties.
The District Election Officer will take action if prohibited materials are found to be used.
The handbook also asks campaigners to explore the possibilities of digital technology, which will reduce the use of non-degradable campaign materials significantly. It is also suggested that flower garlands, cotton shawls, books, and fruit baskets be given as gifts at receptions to candidates.
On the polling day on April 26, the protocol suggests polling officials should take care to avoid plastic items while setting up the polling booths.
The polling officials and agents should use steel plates and glasses instead of plastic products while consuming food and water. Eco-friendly plates and glasses should be kept at polling stations. The district administration should ensure that the voter slips are not left around the booths but delivered to the collection centres or handed over to scrap dealers.
After the elections, the local self-government bodies, political parties, the Haritha Keralam Mission, Suchitwa Mission and other voluntary organisations should remove the materials used for election campaigns and carry out cleaning activities.
