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Kerala Politics

All three major political parties in Kerala upbeat  

Kerala will go to the polls on April 26. …reports Asian Lite News

Minutes after the Election Commission of India announced dates for the Lok Sabha polls, the three major political parties in Kerala (UDF, Left Front and NDA) have exuded confidence of their victory.

Kerala will go to the polls on April 26. The last date for filing of nominations in the state will be April 4. The scrutiny will take place on April 5 and last date for withdrawal of nominations is April 8.

In the 2019 general polls, the Congress led-UDF won 19 seats while the CPI(M)-led Left won one. State Congress president and sitting Lok Sabha member from Kannur who is seeking re-election said there is absolutely no doubt about the outcome as the Congress-led UDF will be victorious.

State CPI(M) secretary M. V. Govindan said the Left is already working hard in the field. “Our aim is to win all the 20 seats and we are ready for it. The fight in Kerala is between the Left and the Congress-led UDF. The BJP will not be able to open its account here,” said M. V. Govindan.

CPI(M)-led Left convener E. P. Jayarajan said people are “just gearing to vote for all the Left candidates as they know only if the Left candidates reach Delhi will, it be good for the state.” Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan said there is no doubt, they will win all the 20 seats.

“People are just waiting to express their ire against the Pinarayi Vijayan government for his “inept” governance as life has become really tough. We will explain this to the electorate,” said V. D. Satheesan. Veteran IUML legislator P. K. Kunhalikutty said, “By now itself, a few poll predictions have come and it is hugely loaded in favour of the Congress-led UDF candidates and that is the reality.”

State BJP president K. Surendran said it is just a matter of time as things are falling in place, and this time, the BJP is going to do exceptionally well.

Three-time sitting Congress Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, said the only problem is the delay in counting of votes as from now, we have to wait for more than two and a half months to know the future of our country.

“With regards to the election date, we do have adequate time from now till the counting date and things are looking very good,” said Shashi Tharoor.

Union Minister and BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Thiruvanathapuram, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said, “People are seeking a change as they have realised on how the BJP-led NDA government is performing in Delhi, and to experience that in this constituency, there has to be a BJP MP from here. Given my political experience, I think I am the right person.”

CPI(M) led Left and the Congress-led UDF have announced their candidates for the polls. While the BJP has announced 12 of their candidates and their ally BDJS four, another four more have to be announced. With the announcement of the polls, the model code of conduct has come into being.

ALSO READ: India goes to poll

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India News Kerala Politics

Kerala Govt to Move SC Against CAA

According to MHA, the applicants will be able to get information related to CAA-2019 by calling free of cost…reports Asian Lite News

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev on Thursday informed that the State government will challenge the Centre’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the Supreme Court, adding that it will pray to the apex court to declare the act as “anti-Constitutional”.

“Earlier, we had approached the Supreme Court, against the CAA. Our prayer was that it was against the basic structure of the Constitution. It is against the basic fundamental principles of the Constitution, and we pray to declare the CAA anti-Constitutional. Now we have decided to approach the Supreme Court again and we have a ligated advocate general to interact with our senior counsel in the Supreme Court and take proper action to approach the SC,” Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev told ANI.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday that helpline numbers will be launched soon to assist applicants for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019).

According to MHA, the applicants will be able to get information related to CAA-2019 by calling free of cost.

“Helpline numbers to assist applicants for Indian citizenship under CAA -2019 will be launched soon. Applicants will be able to get information related to CAA-2019 by calling free of cost from anywhere in India. The service will be available from 8 am to 8 pm,” MHA posted on X.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and said that a law cannot be formulated in the country on the basis of religion.

“This is not a matter restricted to political parties. This is a matter for the whole nation. Do you want to make 17 crore Muslims stateless? This is against the fundamentals of the Constitution. This won’t pass even the reasonable test,” Owasi said while addressing a press conference.

Citizenship (Amendment) Act aims to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants – including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians – who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Chennithala to Lead Polls Campaign in Kerala

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India News Kerala Politics

Chennithala to Lead Polls Campaign in Kerala

The Congress will contest 16 seats in Kerala, while the rest of the four seats will be contested by the constituent parties…reports Asian Lite News

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday appointed senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala as the chairman of the Congress’s Lok Sabha election campaign committee in Kerala.

In a statement, the AICC said that the Congress president has approved the proposal for the appointment of Chennithala as the chairman of the campaign committee of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee for the upcoming general elections with immediate effect.

The Congress will contest 16 seats in Kerala, while the rest of the four seats will be contested by the constituent parties, announced Kerala Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan after the party’s Central Election Committee meeting on Thursday.

Prominent among them are AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and CWC member Shashi Tharoor. Kerala has 20 parliamentary seats.

Chennithala’s appointment coincides with the Congress’s decision to once again nominate Rahul Gandhi for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress has fielded all the sitting MPs except T N Prathapan in Thrissur.

The constituents of the Congress-led UDF will contest the four other seats, with the Indian Union Muslim League fielding candidates in two segments and Kerala Congress (Joseph) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) each fielding one.

The party-led UDF had won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The number decreased to 18 after the Kerala Congress (M), which won the Kottayam seat, switched over to the CPI(M)-led LDF before the 2021 assembly polls.

Notably, Congress on Friday released its first list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha constituencies.

The names have been announced for Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana and Tripura.

MLAs Battle in Vadakara

The Vadakara Lok Sabha seat in Kerala will see a direct battle between two sitting legislators from the traditional political rival fronts.

Pitted against one another are former Health Minister and senior CPI-M legislator K.K.Shailaja (Mattanur assembly constituency) and Congress candidate – the sitting legislator Shafi Parambil (Palakkad assembly constituency).

The Congress high command has decided to shift the sitting Congress Lok Sabha member K.Muraleedharan to Thrissur.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Muraleedharan won with over 84,000 votes.

K.K.Rema, now a legislator who won an assembly seat in the district with the support of the Congress-led UDF is leading the campaign of Parambil.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s candidate managed to win 80,000 votes.

Though Shailaja was the first to hit the campaign trail, the massive reception given to Parambil on his arrival in the constituency to begin his campaign has sent shockwaves to the CPI-M camp.

Poll officials suspended

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer has ordered the suspension of two poll officials after a voter in Beypore town of Kozhikode district was found with three voter identity cards.

The Kozhikode District Collector has been directed to suspend one Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and one booth level officer.

This decision comes in the wake of the discovery of three voter ID cards issued to a single individual in Beypore.

The individual in question, Shahir Shahul Hameed, a resident of Beypore, was found to possess three separate voter ID cards. Shahir, who had a voter ID card, submitted his application two more times (on September 23 and December 1, 2023) and received the additional cards.

Shockingly, each application was accompanied by different identification documents – Aadhaar for the first, and Passport for the second.

Furthermore, it was disclosed that Hameed had declared his name to be absent from the voter list in his applications.

As a result, one Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and one booth level officer have been suspended by the Kozhikode District Collector under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in accordance with directives from the Chief Electoral Officer.

Additionally, the individual found in possession of the duplicate voter ID cards may face imprisonment of up to one year under the same Act.

A show cause notice was issued to the Kozhikode Collector, demanding an explanation for the lapses in oversight.

Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said that after preparing the draft voter list, all District Collectors have been directed to carry out strict examination through EROs and BLOs to find out whether names have been added to the voter list by submitting false applications in the same manner. (ANI/IANS)

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India News Kerala Legal

SC Urges Centre to Ease Borrowing Conditions to Kerala

The court remarked to the Centre that they can be slightly liberal, give a one-time package as a special case and apply more rigid conditions in future budgets….reports Asian Lite News

The Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested the Centre to be liberal and give a one-time package as a special case to Kerala, subject to harsher conditions than other states.

A bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan’s suggestions came while dealing with the matter relating to Kerala’s plea against Centre over financial matters.

The court remarked to the Centre that they can be slightly liberal, give a one-time package as a special case and apply more rigid conditions in future budgets.

The court also suggested giving the special package to Kerala by March 31 subject to harsher conditions than other States. For the existing States you will be liberal next time, the court remarked

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned Kerala’s suit the matter before the Supreme Court on Tuesday and apprised the court that Centre is not releasing any money to the tune of 19000 crore.

The court suggested the Centre and Kerala to try and work out.

The court said that it will hear the matter tomorrow.

Earlier the Supreme Court had directed the Kerala Govt to hold a meeting with Centre and state officials to resolve the financial issues arising between them.

Earlier in its affidavit, the Kerala Government said that the Central Government accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total debt or outstanding liabilities of India.

In an affidavit, the Kerala Government said that the Centre can’t control the debt of state and the justification put forth by the Union Government to control the borrowings of the Kerala State are fallacious, exaggerated and unjustified.

Responding to the notes filed by the Attorney General, Kerala Government made submission and said, “The Central Government accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total debt or outstanding liabilities of India. All the states put together account for the rest (approximately) 40 per cent of the total debt of the country. In fact, the Plaintiff State accounts for a miniscule 1.70-1.75 per cent of the total debt of the Centre and the States put together for the period 2019-2023.”

Kerala’s financial health and debt situation have attracted adverse observations from successive Finance Commissions (12th, 14th and 15th) as well as the CAG and it is one of the most financially unhealthy states as its fiscal edifice has been diagnosed with several cracks, Attorney General said in a note submitted before the Supreme Court.

Responding to Kerala’s government suit, the Centre in its affidavit, apprised the Supreme Court that Kerala has been one of the most financially unhealthy states, and its fiscal edifice of Kerala has been diagnosed with several cracks.

The Attorney General for India has filed a written note in the suit filed by Kerala Government where he said that debt of states affects the credit rating of the country.

The note was filed in response to the Kerala Government petition against Centre’s alleged interference in states’ finances and said that due to such interference the state is not able to fulfil the commitments in its annual budgets.

In a suit filed by Kerala government, it stated that state government deals with the executive power conferred on the Plaintiff State under Article 293 of the Constitution of India to borrow on the security or guarantee of the Consolidated Fund of the State in alignment with the fiscal autonomy of the Plaintiff State as guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution.

Kerala Government, through its petition, said Centre through the Ministry of Finance (Public Finance-State Division), Department of Expenditure letters dated March 2023 & August 2023 and by amendments made to Section 4 of the Fiscal Responsibility and

Budget Management Act, of 2003 sought to interfere with the finances of the state by imposing a net borrowing ceiling on the State.

The Kerala government said that such interference with the finances of the state was caused by imposing a net borrowing ceiling on the plaintiff state in the manner deemed fit by the defendant union, which limits borrowings from all sources, including open market borrowings. (ANI)

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Tharoor confident of winning polls

This is the first time that Chandrasekhar has been fielded for Lok Sabha polls. He also served as a national spokesperson of the BJP…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that he has served the people of Thiruvananthapuram for 15 years and he is “very confident” of winning the Lok Sabha seat again.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Tharoor added.

Notably, BJP has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Tharoor.

This is the first time that Chandrasekhar has been fielded for Lok Sabha polls. He also served as a national spokesperson of the BJP.

“This is the campaign I look forward to, the campaign I will start very shortly. I will confront the vital issues of the people of Trivandrum,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.

Congress released its first list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. The names have been announced for Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana and Tripura.

Of the total 39 candidates announced, 16 are from Kerala, seven from Karnataka and six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana. Two from Meghalaya and one each from Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Lakshwadeep. The list was released after the party held its Central Election Committee meeting on Thursday.

The BJP has already released its first list of 195 candidates. The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Shashi Tharoor Warns of 1M Youth Exodus

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India News Kerala

BJP intensifies battle in Kerala

The party is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to appeal to diverse voter segments….reports Asian Lite News

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.

While the BJP is confident that its strategy will play out as planned, the two major traditional players in the state politics– the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF believe that it will not help the saffron party secure even a single seat.

Disregarding the criticism and doubts raised by the Left front and the Congress, the BJP’s state general secretary George Kurien said that the people of Kerala no longer have any trust in either of them which is why they will vote for the saffron party.

To fulfill the party’s desire to make inroads in the state and secure seats in double digits, as revealed by the PM during his most recent visit to Kerala, the BJP has fielded candidates who were best suited and “fit” for the job, Kurien said.

“We felt that they were the most fit, the best suited candidates to contest from Kerala,” he said in response to a query as to why the party fielded Union Ministers of State Muraleedharan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Gopi and Anil.

Gopi, Muraleedharan and Chandrasekhar will contest from the Thrissur, Attingal, and Thiruvananthapuram constituencies, respectively, while Anil Antony has been fielded from the Pathanamthitta constituency.

Explaining why Gopi has been nominated from Thrissur, Kurien said that he had managed to triple the party’s vote share last time when he contested from that constituency.

“Similarly, in Attingal and Thiruvananthapuram too, we have seen an increase in the party’s vote share,” he said.

Antony’s son was also the correct choice, the BJP leader said.

Terming the BJP’s preparations as “gimmicks” Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan said it indicated the saffron party’s “lack of confidence to fight the battle politically” as they have realised they are not going to get any political ground in Kerala based on their ideology.

“That is why they are running after people from other parties or actors. But they are thoroughly mistaken, as Kerala is a very political state, and for that very reason, the people will not accept such gimmicks,” he said.

With regard to the nominations of the two Union Ministers, Muraleedharan and Chandrasekhar, the Congress MLA said neither was going to make a difference.

“They both tried their luck earlier, but none of them could make an impact in Kerala,” he said.

CPI leader P P Suneer too, was of the same view as Kuzhalnadan that the BJP’s plans to make electoral gains in the upcoming LS polls are bound to fail.

“There is no possibility of their strategy working out in Kerala. It might work in north India, but not here,” he said.

He said that people in Kerala are very political and would not be swayed by film stars like Gopi.

When it was pointed out that the actor managed to triple the party’s vote share in Thrissur in the 2019 LS polls, Suneer said that was because of his novelty factor.

“It was the same when Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad last time. Five years have gone by. There have been a lot of issues since then,” he said.

“There is no way the vote share would increase this time,” he added.

Regarding the fielding of the central ministers, Suneer said their presence would not influence voters as they have not done anything for Kerala.

“The PM only made back-to-back trips to the state and announced some projects, but did nothing to benefit the public. His visits are only for publicity,” the CPI state assistant secretary said.

Suneer also said that the recent defection of Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of late Congress stalwart and former Kerala CM K Karunakaran, to the BJP will not benefit the saffron party and has only served to spoil the public’s faith in the Congress.

“The LDF will benefit from it,” he added.

Kuzhalnadan said that it was unfortunate that she moved to the BJP.

“But we will get over it. Karunakaran’s son, K Muraleedharan, has decided to contest from Thrissur. It is a strong reply to the BJP.

“Padmaja going to the BJP will ultimately damage them politically,” the MLA from Muvattupuzha contended.

Regarding the recent statement of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan that the defections from Congress will erode people’s trust in them, Kuzhalnadan said the Marxist veteran was trying to shift attention from the corruption allegations he was facing.

Kurien on the other hand said that the Congress and the Left Front, being the political rivals of the BJP, will always say that the saffron party will get no seats in Kerala.

“But the people will prove them wrong,” Kurien said.

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Thrissur set to witness a triangular fight

All three main political parties have named their candidates and the election campaigns are also underway….reports Asian Lite News

Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, will witness a triangular fight between CPI-M, Congress and BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Although the poll dates have not been announced, however, all three main political parties have named their candidates and the election campaigns are also underway.

The ruling Left has named the former Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar; the BJP has named the popular actor Suresh Gopi; while the Congress has decided on K. Muraleedharan, who is the sitting member from the Badagara Lok Sabha constituency in Kozhikode district.

The sitting Thrissur MP of the Congress T.N. Prathapan won the 2019 polls with 93,633 votes defeating CPI leader Rajaji Mathew Thomas.

In 2019, the BJP managed to finish in second place in Thiruvananthapuram out of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

In January this year, Prime Minister Modi kick-started the campaign of Gopi in Thrissur and also addressed an all-women gathering.

Muraleedharan said that he is pleased to return to his hometown where he was born and his campaign will begin after visiting his house in Thrissur where his parents live.

“CPI-M and the BJP are hand-in-glove. Whatever happens, the Congress at no cost will allow the BJP to win in Kerala. Nemom assembly constituency is the best example. The BJP lost their only sitting seat in the Kerala Assembly which they won in 2016,” said Muraleedharan.

Muraleedharan, though he finished third, garnered sizeable votes pushing the BJP candidate to second place, making the incumbent State Education Minister V. Sivankutty win the Nemom seat.

With a very strong Catholic Christian community in Thrissur, Gopi appears confident and has tried his best to make inroads into the powerful domain of Catholic priests.

Sunilkumar, however, sits comfortably as all the seven assembly constituencies — that make up the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency — (four CPI-M and three CPI) are held by the ruling Left.

With Sunilkumar and Gopi already hitting the campaign trail and Muraleedharan beginning his on Saturday, Thrissur is set to witness what perhaps will be one of the most keenly contested triangular-fights in Kerala.

BJP is irrelevant in Thiruvananthapuram, says Raveendran

Pannyan Raveendran, Left Democratic Front’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, said that the main fight in the constituency is between the LDF and the Congress-led UDF.

“The main contest is between LDF and UDF. BJP is irrelevant in Thiruvananthapuram,” Pannyan Raveendran who won the constituency in 2005 told ANI.

Many observers belive that it will be a three-cornered fight in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha election with Congress, BJP, and CPI fielding strong candidates.

Congress’s Shashi Tharoor won the constituency in the last three elections consecutively.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandraskhekar has been fielded against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, which is being considered significant as BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 drew a blank in Kerala.

Soon after the BJP’s announcement of his candidature from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram constituency for the Lok Sabha polls, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Saturday said that he was honoured and happy.

“I’m very honoured and excited. After 18 years of public life and serving in Rajya Sabha, this is the first opportunity that I have got to contest in the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister, the Home Minister and our party president have chosen to field me as their candidate in the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram the state I belong to, the state my family belongs to,” Chandrashekhar told ANI.

“This is the campaign I look forward to, the campaign I will start very shortly. I will confront the vital issues of the people of Trivandrum,” he added.

Pannyan Raveendran also feels that the BJP-ruled Central government’s “withholding” of funds to Kerala will have a negative consequence for the BJP.

” The Centre financially squeezes Kerala by withholding funds and imposing economic sanctions. It is highly detrimental to Kerala. The Centre treats Kerala as an enemy country,” Raveendran said.

Congress, however, is not taking a stand against this Centre’s “injustice” to the state, he alleged.

He also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for contesting again from Wayanad where the main fight is between the Left and Congress, both the constituents of the opposition INDIA alliance.

“Rahul Gandhi came back to Wayanad because he couldn’t find any other constituency where he could be sure of winning. Rahul Gandhi has these kinds of immature approaches to many things,” he said.

“Congress is contesting in 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh. But Rahul Gandhi, who seemed to have gained some political strength after his Bharat Jodo Yatra, is now returning to Wayanad to contest,” Raveendran said.

He also said that senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister K Karunakaran’s daughter Padmaja Venugopal’s joining the BJP has no political consequence.

“The arrival of Padmaja Venugopal does not benefit the BJP. BJP does not get a single seat in Kerala,” Raveendran said. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Congress to Contest in 16 Kerala Seats

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Congress to Contest in 16 Kerala Seats

Allies Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is likely to contest on two, and one seat each will be given to Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (B)…reports Asian Lite News

The Congress will contest 16 seats in Kerala, while the rest of the four seats will be contested by the constituent parties, announced Kerala Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan after the party’s Central Election Committee meeting here on Thursday.

Kerala has 20 parliamentary seats.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is likely to contest on two, and one seat each will be given to Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (B), he said.

“In Kerala we are contesting- 16 out of 20 seats. The rest of the four seats are being contested by our constituent parties. Today, the CEC has decided on the candidates for those 16 seats. Tomorrow, the AICC will announce the names of the candidates,” Satheesan told reporters.

When asked about speculation of K C Venugopal and Rahul Gandhi contesting from Kerala, Satheesan refused to answer saying he is not “competent” to announce the candidates.

Meanwhile, the Congress party’s second Election Committee meeting will be held on March 11 in the national capital to discuss the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge arrived at the party headquarters on Thursday for a Central Election Committee meeting to discuss candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

After the meeting, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said “We had the first central election committee regarding the parliament candidates. We finalised seats from Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Lakshadweep. The procedure is going on; a formal announcement will be made very soon.”

When asked if he will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that the spokesperson will speak.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, “It was a good discussion. Discussion was held on all the seats. As soon as CEC decides, you will be told. Whatever decision is taken AICC will brief.”

After the meeting, Congress leader Deepak Babaria said that the discussion was held and it was CEC’s opinion that a discussion should be held on March 11.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the chairperson of the committee and its members include former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

Karunakaran’s Daughter Joins BJP

In another setback to the Congress party ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls, Padmaja Venugopal, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary and late Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran’s daughter, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here in the national capital in the presence of party’s Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javdekar and several other leaders.

Venugopal said that she was not happy with the grand old party.

” I am so happy, A little bit tense because I stood with my party for so many years. For the first time, I am changing a party, because I was not happy with the Congress party for so many years. Especially, from the last assembly elections,” she said while addressing the media.

“I even sought an appointment from the central leadership, but they couldn’t give me one. My father had the same experience. He was also unhappy. So, that is why I took the decision,” she added.

Attacking the Congress party, Venugopal said that there is no “leadership” in the party.

“I didn’t ask for anything, rather I wanted to work peacefully. I believe that strong leadership should be there in each party. In the Congress party, there is no leadership. I have immense respect for Soniaji but I couldn’t see her. Because of the fact that she didn’t give me an appointment,” she said.

Padmaja Venugopal also heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that he is a strong leader.

“I believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modiji is a very strong leader; this is the sole reason why joined this party,” she said.

Meanwhile, Prakash Javdekar welcomed Venugopal to the party and asserted that the BJP would create history in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

“There is going to be a big churning in Kerala. I welcome Padmajaji. We are very happy. Our Prime Minister has given us a target and we are going to create history in the coming Lok Sabha polls,” Javdekar said.

Venugopal, in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, contested from Mukundapuram (now Chalakudy) but lost. She contested the Kerala Assembly elections in 2016 and 2021 but lost both times.

Venugopal has served as Congress vice-president and was recently appointed as the general secretary of the KPCC.

The BJP, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, drew a blank while the grand old party swept 19 out of 20 in the state.

The Lok Sabha polls are slated to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

ALSO READ-SC Directs Kerala, Centre to Settle Financial Disputes

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SC Directs Kerala, Centre to Settle Financial Disputes

The Attorney General for India has filed a written note in the suit filed by the Kerala government where he said that the debt of states affects the credit rating of the country…reports Asian Lite News

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Kerala government to hold a meeting with the Centre and state officials to resolve the financial issues arising between them.

The direction from the bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Vishwanathan came while hearing the Kerala government plea raising the grave financial crisis faced by the coastal state.

The court clarified that the meeting should be held positively to resolve the dispute and cautioned them not to bring politics into it.

The court also remarked that India’s economy is robust and recognised in the entire world.

Earlier in its affidavit, the Kerala government said that the central government accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total debt or outstanding liabilities of India.

In an affidavit, the Kerala government said that the centre can’t control the debt of the state and the justification put forth by the Union Government to control the borrowings of the Kerala State is fallacious, exaggerated and unjustified.

Responding to the notes filed by the Attorney General, the Kerala Government made a submission and said, “The central government accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the total debt or outstanding liabilities of India. All the states put together account for the rest (approximately) 40 per cent of the total debt of the country. In fact, the Plaintiff State accounts for a miniscule 1.70-1.75 per cent of the total debt of the centre and the states put together for the period 2019-2023.”

Kerala’s financial health and debt situation have attracted adverse observations from successive Finance Commissions (12th, 14th and 15th) as well as the CAG and it is one of the most financially unhealthy states as its fiscal edifice has been diagnosed with several cracks, the Attorney General said in a note submitted before the Supreme Court.

Responding to Kerala’s government suit, the centre, in its affidavit, apprised the Supreme Court that Kerala has been one of the most financially unhealthy states, and its fiscal edifice has been diagnosed with several cracks.

The Attorney General for India has filed a written note in the suit filed by the Kerala government where he said that the debt of states affects the credit rating of the country.

The note was filed in response to the Kerala government’s petition against the centre’s alleged interference in the state’s finances and said that due to such interference, the state is not able to fulfil the commitments in its annual budgets.

In a suit filed by the Kerala government, it stated that the state government deals with the executive power conferred on the Plaintiff State under Article 293 of the Constitution of India to borrow on the security or guarantee of the Consolidated Fund of the State in alignment with the fiscal autonomy of the Plaintiff State as guaranteed and enshrined in the Constitution.

Kerala Government, through its petition, said the centre, through the Ministry of Finance (Public Finance-State Division), Department of Expenditure letters dated March 2023 and August 2023 and by amendments made to Section 4 of the Fiscal Responsibility.

The Budget Management Act of 2003 sought to interfere with the finances of the state by imposing a net borrowing ceiling on the state.

The Kerala government said that such interference with the finances of the state was caused by imposing a net borrowing ceiling on the plaintiff state in the manner deemed fit by the defendant union, which limits borrowings from all sources, including open market borrowings. (ANI)

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Kerala’s FM Slams Centre’s Financial Curbs

The minister’s remarks came amid a legal battle between Kerala and the Union Government regarding the release of the state’s rightful share of tax revenue….reports Asian Lite News

Kerala’s Finance Minister K N Balagopal has strongly criticized the BJP-led Union Government’s financial policies, arguing that they pose a severe threat to cooperative federalism and transcending mere political rhetoric. In an interview with PTI, Balagopal emphasized the duty of the Central government to ensure equitable treatment for all states, calling attention to what he sees as systemic discrimination against Kerala.

For some time now, Balagopal has been vocal about what he perceives as unfair treatment of Kerala by the BJP-led Centre, a sentiment echoed by other non-BJP ruled states like Congress-ruled Karnataka. He underscored the broader implications of this financial discrimination, framing it as a fundamental issue of cooperative federalism rather than a mere political debate.

The minister’s remarks came amid a legal battle between Kerala and the Union Government regarding the release of the state’s rightful share of tax revenue. Balagopal expressed optimism about the upcoming Supreme Court verdict, hoping for a favorable outcome that would safeguard Kerala’s interests.

He criticized the Union Government’s stance in the Supreme Court, particularly their conditional offer to release funds contingent on Kerala withdrawing its lawsuit. Balagopal likened this to coercive tactics, stating that the people would not support a government that neglects the states’ interests and withholds rightful dues.

Balagopal emphasized the importance of equitable wealth distribution among states, commending the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala for championing this cause nationally. Despite facing financial constraints, Kerala has made significant strides in fiscal consolidation and state-owned tax collection, according to Balagopal.

However, he expressed frustration with the Kerala unit of the Congress, accusing them of undermining the LDF’s efforts to protect cooperative federalism. Balagopal warned that the people would hold the Congress accountable in the upcoming elections, highlighting the growing support for the LDF.

In Balagopal’s view, the LDF’s commitment to the people’s interests distinguishes it from the Congress, which he believes prioritizes political gains over the state’s welfare. He asserted that Kerala’s future generations stand to benefit from investments in infrastructure development, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the state’s rightful share in Parliament.

Despite financial constraints, Kerala remains resilient, with a robust state-owned tax collection system experiencing significant growth. Balagopal reiterated his faith in the LDF’s genuine intentions and expressed optimism about their prospects in the upcoming elections.

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