Speculations are also rife that all the four state secretaries except Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, who is from North Bengal, might be replaced…reports Asian Lite News.
Considering the crucial Municipal Corporation elections likely at the end of this year, the BJP in West Bengal might go through a major organisational reshuffle just after the festive season. Preference is likely to be given to youth and pro-RSS leaders.
There are strong indications that the party which is struggling to hold back its own members particularly in South Bengal is likely to give more importance to the leadership from North Bengal where the saffron brigade has performed better.
Sources in the party indicated that the high command is not at all happy with the present performance of the arty and so they are willing to bring in young leaders which might give a different look to the party and so leaders who are close to RSS like Debojit Sarkar, Dr Indranil Khan, Loknath Chattopadhyay and Debtanu Bhattacharya might get important positions in the state committee.
Speculations are also rife that all the four state secretaries except Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, who is from North Bengal, might be replaced.
Highly placed sources in the party indicated that leaders like Tushar Ghosh, Debasree Chowdhury who have long association with RSS might come to the state committee.
The new state president of the BJP, Sukanta Majumdar will start extensive visits across districts after October 20, 2021. In the first round, he will conduct organisational meetings in 20 districts. Sources said that more than 50 per cent of district presidents will be changed.
Not only at the state level but the party is likely to make major changes in the district level too. There are 39 organisational districts which are headed by district presidents. Sources said that after the posts of the general secretaries, the posts of branch organisations of the party youth wing, peasants’ wing, women’s wing and minority wings, are extremely crucial. Sources said that the defunct district president will surely be replaced. And new faces from the young generation will be roped in there.
“All the changes will be as per the constitutional provisions. The new committee will be formed according to the advice of our central leadership. The final decision of the changes will be taken by the central leadership of the party only,” a senior party leader said.
As the corporation election is round the corner and so the party is concentrating on Howrah and Kolkata. The focus will be on Howrah and Kolkata, which are heading for municipal corporation elections. Sources said that the North Kolkata district president, Shibaji Sinharoy might be replaced by Sajal Ghosh and Indrajit Khatik might become the new south Kolkata district president.
The constituency management plan is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparations for the assembly polls…reports Shashi Bhushan
The BJP in Madhya Pradesh has implemented a ‘special constituency management plan’ for those assembly constituencies which the saffron party has frequently lost since 2013. There are around 35 such seats and the BJP has decided to pay special attention to these constituencies through its special management plan ahead of the next assembly election.
Party Madhya Pradesh in-charge P Murlidhar Rao told IANS that a special plan has been formulated for around 35 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh which the BJP has frequently lost since 2013. “In other words, these seats are difficult ones and to win these 35 seats we have started a special constituency management plan,” Rao said.
Explaining the plan, Rao said that a separate team has been looking after party work to strengthen the organization in these constituencies. An in-charge has been appointed and workers have been identified to take the fight ahead.
The constituency management plan is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparations for the assembly polls. “We have started preparing for the next assembly polls in 2023 and the 2024 general elections. We are working on territorial expansion of the party and focusing on increasing the vote share to 51 per cent. In the 2008 assembly polls, the BJP had got a 38 per cent vote share. In the last assembly polls in 2018, our vote share increased to 41 percent and now we are targeting to get 51 percent in 2023,” Rao said.
From December, the BJP Madhya Pradesh unit is launching a ‘vistarak’ campaign in which over 20,000 workers of the party state unit will collectively work for two lakh hours among the people at the booth level for organizational expansion.
“Each vistarak will work to strengthen the party at ground level by spending 10 hours per day for 10 days. In total 20,000 vistaraks will together work for two lakh hours for the party,” Rao added.
The Madhya Pradesh assembly elections will be held in November-December 2023. Since 2003, the saffron party has been in power in the state, except for 15 months between December 2018 to March 2020 when Congress leader Kamal Nath was Chief Minister.
In March 2020, Shivraj Singh Chouhan was again sworn as chief minister after the fall of the Kamal Nath led Congress government.
Besides promising all help to the family, he also assured that he would recommend a CBI inquiry into the Phoolan’s murder when his government is formed….reports Asian Lite News
Bandit queen turned politician, Phoolan Devi, is emerging as a one of a major poll issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
While the Nishad Party has been bending backwards to claim Phoolan’s legacy and the Nishad votes, the Vikassheel Insaan Party of Bihar has announced that every Nishad home should have a Phoolan statue.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday evening met Phoolan’s mother, Moola Devi in Jalaun district and sought her blessings. This was the first time that he had met Phoolan’s family.
Akhilesh was on the first leg of his ‘Samajwadi Vijay Yatra’ when he took time off to meet Moola Devi who wished him success in the coming elections.
Besides promising all help to the family, he also assured that he would recommend a CBI inquiry into the Phoolan’s murder when his government is formed.
It may be recalled that it was Mulayam Singh Yadav who had withdrawn cases against Phoolan Devi in 1994 and later, ensured her entry into politics.
In 1996, Phoolan Devi became an MP from the Mirzapur Lok Sabha constituency in eastern Uttar Pradesh and was re-elected in 1999.
In 2001, she was shot dead outside her Delhi residence.
The former MP was popular among the Most Backward Castes (MBCs) in Mirzapur and other parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Phoolan Devi was born into the Nishad community in 1963 in the Ghura Ka Purwa village of Jalaun district.
The SP’s backward caste wing recently tried to install her statue in Raebareli but was not given permission.
The VIP leaders had also made similar attempts but were denied permission.
The move to eulogise Phoolan Devi is seen as an attempt to consolidate the votes of the Nishad community and set up Phoolan as an icon in the community.
Her life in the ravines is being touted as a result of oppression by upper caste and the Behmai massacre, in which she reportedly gunned down 20 Thakurs, was her way of avenging her humiliation by the Thakur community.
According to the report, there are 24 regional parties who declared a part of their income as remaining unspent for 2019-20 while 18 parties spent more than the income collected during that year…reports Asian Lite News.
A total of 42 regional parties collected Rs 676.326 cr or 77.03 per cent of their total income from voluntary contributions including donations, contributions and Electoral Bonds for the financial year 2019-20, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR).
Under the voluntary contributions, political parties collected 50.97 per cent or Rs 447.498 cr of their income from donations through Electoral Bonds while other donations and contributions amounted to Rs 228.828 cr or 26.06 per cent for the financial year 2019-20, said the report. However, the total income of the 42 regional parties for the financial year 2019-20 was Rs 877.957 cr.
The income of the top 5 parties with the highest total declared income including the TRS, Shiv Sena, YSR Congress, TDP and BJD amounted to Rs 516.482 cr, 58.83 per cent of the total income of the political parties analysed collectively in the report. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has reported the highest income of Rs 130.46 cr, 14.86 per cent of the total income of all the parties analysed, followed by the Shiv Sena with an income of Rs 111.403 cr, Yuvanjana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party with an income of Rs 92.739 cr, TDP with Rs 91.53 crore and BJD with Rs 90.35 crore. Altogether 42 regional parties garnered an income of Rs 877.95 crore while only 14 parties, including TRS, TDP, YSR Congress, JD(U) and RJD, got donations through Electoral Bonds.
Out of 39 parties from the 42 political parties whose data is available for both the financial years, 23 parties have shown an increase in their income from the financial year 2018-19 to the financial year 2019-20 while 16 parties have shown a decline in their income during this period. The AIADMK reported the highest increase in its income of Rs 61.506 cr followed by the DMK and the AAP which declared a total increase of Rs 38.557 cr and Rs 30.337 cr respectively, between FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20, said the report.
According to the report, there are 24 regional parties who declared a part of their income as remaining unspent for 2019-20 while 18 parties spent more than the income collected during that year. “TDP, BJD, DMK, SP, JDS, AJSU, JVM-P, INLD, PMK, MGP, GFP, SDF, MNF, AIFB, NPF, JKPDP, IPFT and MPC are the 18 regional parties that declared spending more than their income. BJD has declared spending highest amount of Rs 95.78 cr or 106.01 per cent more than its income,” quotes the report.
The total declared expenditure of the 42 regional parties for the financial year 2019-20 was Rs 742.535 cr. The top 5 parties that have incurred the highest expenditure are the BJD which had spent Rs 186.13 cr or 25.07 per cent, followed by the TDP which spent Rs 108.84 cr or 14.66 per cent, SHS which spent Rs 98.379 cr or 13.25 per cent, DMK which spent Rs 71.038 cr or 9.57 per cent and SP which spent Rs 55.692 cr or 7.50 per cent of the total expenditure.
62% of income for 7 national parties came from donations
More than 62 per cent of the total income of seven national parties came from donations through Electoral Bonds amounting to Rs 2993.826 cr for the financial year 2019-20 with no identity disclosed to the public.
As per the data shared by the SBI in response to ADR’s RTI application, Electoral Bonds worth Rs 3429.5586 cr were redeemed by parties in the financial year 2019-20. Out of this, a total 87.29 per cent were received by four national parties — Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, All India Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, said the ADR report. The total amount of Electoral Bonds declared by the national and regional parties for the financial year 2019-20 so far is Rs 3441.324 cr. The difference in the amount declared by political parties and data on Electoral Bonds redeemed received from SBI could be due to the manner in which parties report in their audit report. For example: AAP declared donations from electoral bonds under the head “Others (Electoral Bonds/Electoral Trust),” added the report.
The most common and popular source of income for the national and regional political parties for FY 2019-20, according to the ADR report, are donations through Electoral Bonds which have emerged as the most popular channel of donations to parties in the last two years. The report says, “It is to be noted that the JMM party has declared the name of the donor who donated Rs 1 crore through Electoral Bonds in its contribution report for FY 2019-20, however, this income through electoral bonds has not been declared by the party in its audit report, FY 2019-20. This raises the question as to whether political parties are aware of the donor’s identity who made contributions via electoral bonds, as can be seen in this case.”
During the financial year 2019-20, out of the 42 regional parties, the JDS, SAD, JVM-P and LJP declared receiving a total income of Rs 14.884 cr from the sale of coupons. Of all regional parties that have submitted their audit reports, 14 parties namely the TRS, TDP, YSR-C, BJD, DMK, SHS, AAP, JDU, SP, JDS, SAD, AIADMK, RJD and JMM have declared receiving donations through Electoral Bonds worth Rs 447.498 cr, which is 50.97 per cent, says the ADR report.
The most common and popular items of expenditure for regional parties for the financial year 2019-20 are election expenses, general propaganda and administrative, general expenses. Janata Dal Secular (JDS) has declared membership fees and other fees under the grants, donations, contributions for the FY 2019-20, as per the report.
“Let the by-elections get over first, then only we will discuss this subject (caste-based Census). Till then, leave it,” Kumar said…reports Asian Lite News.
The stand of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar against the BJP over caste-based Census seems to have softened a bit in view of the upcoming by-elections in the state.
By-elections to Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan Assembly segments will be held on October 30. The counting will take place on November 2.
Nitish Kumar was challenging the BJP a week ago, claiming that caste-based Census is his priority. However, when the media asked about his stand on the issue now after the ‘Janta Darbar’ on Monday, the Chief Minister said that the matter would be taken up after bypolls.
“Let the by-elections get over first, then only we will discuss this subject (caste-based Census). Till then, leave it,” Kumar said.
The JD(U) is contesting in both Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan with outside support from the BJP. As a result, the ruling party cannot afford to lose the supporters of the BJP and RSS, which might be a reason for Nitish Kumar’s latest stand on the issue.
“We will call all the parties next month for a meeting wherein we will discuss this issue (caste-based Census). Whatever decision we take in this matter will be in the interest of all the parties,” Nitish Kumar said.
The Centre recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court wherein it refused to conduct caste-based Census in the country.
Last month, Nitish said that the caste census is necessary but the decision has to be taken by the Central government.
“The earlier caste-based census was conducted 90 years ago in 1931 during the British period and we have been following the same since then. This is not right. We should have to conduct a fresh caste census,” said Nitish Kumar, who returned in the afternoon after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 10 leaders of different political parties, on Monday to the demand.
“The Prime Minister listened to each and every delegation member on Monday. All political parties have one view to conduct caste based census in the country. I am hopeful that the Prime Minister will consider our point of view,” he said.
The Bihar government had written to the Prime Minister on August 4, requesting him to give time so that an all-party delegation can meet him and put their point of view on this issue, a day after Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav suggested this course to Nitish Kumar.
She asked her party leaders and workers to reach out to the people and effectively convey the party’s points, besides strongly countering any vicious propaganda…reports Asian Lite News.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has urged party cadres to campaign aggressively and counter the BJP-RSS propaganda fearlessly on social media platforms.
Priyanka, who is taking back-to-back meetings during her five-day stay in Lucknow, said it was essential to counter the anti-Congress propaganda being carried out on the social media by non-Congress parties.
She asked her party leaders and workers to reach out to the people and effectively convey the party’s points, besides strongly countering any vicious propaganda.
Without naming any party, she said that the non-Congress rule in the past 32 years in Uttar Pradesh, had taken the state on the path of decline.
Though she did not name any political party directly, her reference to the BJP, SP and BSP was obvious as she referred to 32-year rule of non-Congress parties that had taken the state on the path of decline.
“We need to bring out the truth,” she said referring to campaigns based on spreading hatred and lies.
Priyanka, who has been taking meetings mostly at Kaul House, where she is staying, is expected to spend five days a week -Mondays to Fridays – in Lucknow.
She will launch the Congress campaign with a rally in Varanasi in the second week of October, after ‘Pitra Paksh’ ends.
The Congress is also preparing to launch ‘Pratigya Yatras’ on four different routes on October 17. Through these yatras, party leaders had been asked to convey the promises the party proposed to make to the people in the 2022 Assembly elections.
The party proposes to hold a rally at Meerut on October 20 and a mega public rally is likely to be held in Lucknow on November 19, the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi.
आज उप्र कांग्रेस के सोशल मीडिया विभाग के योद्धाओं से संवाद किया।
सोशल मीडिया के योद्धा पूरी ताकत से भाजपा सरकार के झूठ का पर्दाफाश कर रहे हैं और उनकी दमदार व ऊर्जावान उपस्थिति से उप्र में कांग्रेस पार्टी बदलाव की एक महत्वपूर्ण आवाज बनकर उभर रही है। pic.twitter.com/8VJmVZipO9
An aggressive campaign to reach out to the people by going door to door is likely to be launched after the Lucknow rally.
As the Congress has launched micro plans for every assembly constituency.
The party has given indications that the first list of candidates will be out by the second week of October. A preliminary meeting of the screening committee was also held on Thursday.
A number of delegations have also met Priyanka and these include delegations of weavers, banjara, Rajbhar and Nishad communities.
Sources said that both the leaders discussed several issues, including national security, farmers’ agitation and the current political situation in Punjab…reports Asian Lite News.
Amid speculation of him joining the BJP, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday evening. The meeting lasted for around an hour at Shah’s official residence here.
However, Singh’s media advisor Raveen Thukral had then denied the former meeting Shah and BJP chief J.P. Nadda, saying he’s on a personal visit to Delhi to meet ‘some friends’.
On Wednesday, Singh tweeted after the meeting with Shah: “Met Union Home Minister @AmitShah in Delhi. Discussed the prolonged farmers’ agitation against #FarmLaws & urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with repeal of the laws & guarantee MSP, besides supporting Punjab in crop diversification.”
Sources said that both the leaders discussed several issues, including national security, farmers’ agitation and the current political situation in Punjab.
There is also speculation that Singh, who was recently asked to resign as Punjab Chief Minister by the Congress leadership, may join the saffron party or float his own outfit. The BJP is ready to welcome him, saying Singh is a nationalist and all nationalists are welcomed in the party.
“Amarinder Singh is nationalist to the core and he always stood for nationalist issues. Apart from his political agenda, he always stood for nationalist issues. All nationalists are welcome to meet the Home Minister. On one hand, the Congress has insulted a nationalist solider and on the other, it inducted a member of ‘tukde tukde gang’. Our doors are open for all the nationalists,” BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh said.
The BJP leaders, however, are tightlipped about Singh joining the party. A party leader said that the decision, if any, will be taken by the central leadership and it will be communicated to everyone at an appropriate time.
When asked whether Singh will join the BJP, the party’s national general secretary and Punjab in-charge Dusyant Gautam said, “Let’s see. All those who talk in the national interest are welcome to join the party.”
Sources said that the main agenda of discussion during Wednesday’s meeting was the ongoing farmers’ protest in the Punjab.
“Singh can play an important role in pacifying the farmers, who are protesting for almost a year against the three farm laws. He can also convince them to end the ongoing protest,” the sources said.
“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added…reports Asian Lite News.
As expected the two-time Chief Minister of Goa and former Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro joined Trinamool Congress on Wednesday in Kolkata. Ten other Congress leaders also joined Trinamool along with Faleiro.
Flanked by Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, State Minister of Panchayat Subrata Mukherjee and the party MP Sougata Roy, Faleiro took the flag of the party from Banerjee and said that his primary job is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a press conference, Faleiro said, “I would like to quote the last testament of Mahatma Gandhi — the Father of the Nation. Just three days before his heinous assassination he had said — ‘Congress which is the oldest national political organisation and which have fought many battles in a non-violent way cannot be allowed to die. It can only die with the nation. A living organism ever grows or dies’.”
Expressing his profound happiness to join Congress, the seven-time MLA of Goa said, “My resignation is the beginning of the unification of the congress family. I have started my journey from the west coast and have reached the east. I am a Congressman and I have lived with that for the last 40 years. I have the same ideology, principles and programs that Congress has. When I am joining Trinamool Congress it is to fulfill my dream to bring the congress family together”.
“Today Congress family is fragmented. There is YSR Congress, Sharad Congress and Indira Congress. My dream is to bring the Congress family together,” he added.
“I will strive to consolidate Congress but before that my main mission is to fight the divisive policies, vengeance and the culture of intolerance of the BJP,” he said.
“Like the country Goa is also suffering because of the BJP. There is economic meltdown, administrative collapse and sharp unemployment. In Goa, 65 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line. The BJP has taken our country 45 years back,” the former veteran Congress leader said.
Before addressing the chief minister, Faleiro met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat in Nabanna. After meeting with Banerjee, Faleiro tweeted, “Meeting the Hon Chief Minister of Bengal, Smt @MamataOfficial with my compatriots. We pledge to protect the people of Goa against divisive and fascist forces. The fight for a new dawn in Goa begins today”.
Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala, Organisation General Secretary KC Venugopal and Bihar in-charge Bhakta Charan Das welcomed the two leaders into the party fold…reports Asian Lite News.
CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar who has joined the Congress said that he has joined the party to save the country’s democracy.
After joining Congress, Kanhaiya said, “I bow down to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. Some people want to destroy the culture and character of this country. When a fire breaks out in the settlement, only the bedroom cannot be saved. I want to join the most democratic party of this country. The Congress party holds the history of this country in itself.”
“Congress party is a big ship, if Congress party survives, Bhagat Singh’s dreams will survive,” he added.
On joining the Congress on Tuesday, he said, “I have joined the Congress Parivar… I have not come to save the party… whatever the party will do to save the democracy, I will work with it.”
“I fought against Congress in JNU elections. Individuals come and go is not bigger than the organization. But the way the Left party is fighting, it should increase the speed,” he added.
Dalit leader from Gujarat, MLA Jignesh Mevani also joined the Congress on Tuesday.
Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala, Organisation General Secretary KC Venugopal and Bihar in-charge Bhakta Charan Das welcomed the two leaders into the party fold.
Before joining the party, the two leaders met Rahul Gandhi at the Congress headquarters for about 30 minutes. During this, Kanhaiya Kumar filled up the primary membership form of the Congress party and Kanhaiya presented a photo of Gandhi-Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh to Rahul Gandhi.
Randeep Surjewala said: “Today is a special day for the Congress party. Kanhaiya and Mevani continuously raised their voice against the policies of the Modi government. They will work as one and one eleven against the Modi government.”
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “These two youths worked in a very revolutionary manner in the country. Congress party wholeheartedly welcomes Jignesh and Kanhaiya.”
At the same time, Bihar in-charge Bhakta Charan Das said, “On the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, both the leaders along with Rahul Gandhi garlanded him. Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani met Rahul Gandhi several times. It is hoped that both the leaders will unite with the Congress. Will act as a strong link. The land of Bihar is waiting for Kanhaiya.”
Jignesh Mevani has been the face of the Dalit movement in Gujarat. Before joining politics, he worked as a journalist, lawyer and Dalit activist. He has often been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies.
At the same time, Kanhaiya, who emerged from the students’ movement, also contested from Begusarai in the Bihar Lok Sabha elections but lost to BJP’s stalwart Giriraj Singh. However, Kanhaiya had caught the attention of the entire nation during his election campaign.
