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Srinagar: 22 more candidates file nominations on last day

Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring…reports Asian Lite News

The Srinagar Parliamentary constituency is buzzing with political fervour as 39 nominations have been submitted for the upcoming elections on May 13, according to an official announcement made on Thursday.

On the final day for filing nominations, 22 candidates presented their papers to the Returning Officer. Notable among them, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) formally submitted his candidacy, with Salman Sagar standing as his covering candidate.

Other contenders include Hakikat Singh from the National Panthers Party-Bhim, Rakesh Handu from J&K National United Front, Amir Ahmad Bhat from Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), and Qaiser Sultan Ganai, who is the covering candidate for DPAP.

Additionally, a diverse array of candidates from various parties joined the fray, including Ashiq Hussain from Rastriya Jan Kranti Party, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat from Gana Suraksha Party, Suraya Nissar from the National Republic Party of India, and Farooq Ahmad Bhat from the National Youth Party.

Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring.

Earlier, on Wednesday, PDP’s Waheed Parra and Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir had already submitted their nominations.

With scrutiny of nomination papers set for Friday, candidates have until April 29 to withdraw their names from the race. The constituents will cast their votes on May 13 during the fourth phase of the elections, with the results scheduled to be announced on June 4.

Mega voter awareness program

The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized a mega voter awareness program under SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) at Tulip Garden in Srinagar.

The awareness program aimed to educate citizens about the importance of voting, voter registration processes, and electoral participation.

SVEEP is the flagship program of the ECI for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India. It is a multi-intervention programme that reaches out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors, and voters about the electoral process to increase their awareness and promote their informed participation.

Polling in Udhampur was held on April 19 (Phase 1), while Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar, and Baramulla will poll on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission held a meeting with concerned agencies to understand the developing weather situation and constituted a task force to review the impact of heat waves and humidity before each polling phase for any concerning developments and mitigatory measures.

The poll body held a meeting with concerned agencies and also discussed measures to mitigate any risk due to hot weather conditions during the Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, was attended by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Head of Department, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and DG Meteorology, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Commission directed MoHFW to issue necessary instructions to health authorities in states to prepare for and extend assistance in case of heatwave conditions affecting election operations. The Commission will hold a separate review with state CEOs to ensure adequate arrangements at polling stations, including shamiyana, drinking water, fans, and other assured minimum facilities, etc., as per its existing advisory dated March 16, 2024. (with inputs from agencies)

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1202 candidates in fray for Phase II

Over 15.88 crore voters will be determining the fate of 1202 candidates in the second phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections…reports Asian Lite News

Over 15.88 crore voters will be determining the fate of 1202 candidates in the second phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.

The second phase of polling will be held in 88 constituencies across 13 States/Union Territory. With weather conditions predicted to be within normal ranges, voters can cast their votes comfortably. For convenience for voters, meticulous arrangements have been made at all polling stations including facilities, to deal with hot weather conditions, according to the Election Commission.

The second phase of polling was to be held on 89 seats but it has been deferred to May 7 in Betul in Madhya Pradesh due to the death of the BSP candidate.

According to the ECI, over 15.88 crore voters will be voting in the second phase which includes 8.08 crore male electors, 7.8 crore female electors and 5929 third-gender electors.

A total of 4553 flying squads, 5731 static surveillance teams, 1462 video surveillance teams and 844 video viewing teams are keeping surveillance round the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters across the 1.67 lakh polling stations, as per the ECI press note.

The ECI further said that webcasting will be done in more than 50 per cent of the polling stations along with deployment of micro-observers in all polling stations.

Key issues ranging from unemployment, violence against women, economic development, long-pending grievances of farmers, crisis funds and inflation were among the most highlighted across the country.

While, topics that led the debates in the country included Ram Temple, Sanatan Dharma, GST, Caste Census, OBCs and reservation, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Five seats, namely Karimganj, Silchar, Mangaldoi, Nawgong and Kaliabor, out of the total 14 will go to polls in Assam on Friday.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Anurag Goel on Thursday assured that sufficient commissioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT). He also requested the voters to be cautious of the “unnecessary narratives” about EVMs.

“The second phase of elections in Assam will be conducted in 5 parliamentary constituencies. 9,133 polling stations have been set up and more than 77 lakh voters are going to vote, almost equal number of males and females. We have done sufficient commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs. One thing that I would like to request the electors to be cautious about is the unnecessary narratives going around about EVMs,” the Chief Electoral Officer told ANI.

In Bihar, too five seats will be polling tomorrow out of the total 40, which are Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka.

Kishanganj District Magistrate Tushar Singla urged the voters to participate in the “festival of democracy” and increase the voter turnout.

“All the EVM dispatch has been done. All the facilities have been ensured at every polling booth. The awareness programs have been conducted for the voters. We expect the voters to participate in the festival of democracy and increase our voter turnout,” Tushar Singla told ANI on Thursday.

As per the ECI press note, polling time in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar extended till 6 pm to facilitate voters in hot weather conditions.

Three seats namely Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Kanker out of the total 11 will be voting tomorrow in Chhattisgarh

On poll preparations, Rajnandgaon IGP Incharge, Deepak Jha said, “There are four districts in Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency. Forces have come in according to the demand of the four districts. 60 companies of CAPF, paramilitary and we have also received forces from Madhya Pradesh. They have all been deployed.”

The polling is held in a single seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir in the second phase.

Ahead of the polling, a Mega Voter Awareness Program under SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) was organized at Tulip Garden in Srinagar on Wednesday. The awareness program aimed to educate citizens about the importance of voting, voter registration processes, and electoral participation.

On arrangements for Lok Sabha elections, Kengoo Zuringla, Ukhrul District Collector in Manipur said, “We are getting all the polling personnel ready and we are distributing their EVMs. We are distributing their polling materials. We already have the security arrangements for them.”

“We are very happy that our Ukhrul district is able to conduct such exercise to ensure that every person, every citizen of our country has the right to express, to be able to choose a leader which is of their own desire. So, this time, we have four candidates from the outer Manipur parliamentary constituency. A total of 145 polling stations are there in the Ukhrul district,” she said.

Out of the total 28 seats, 14 seats will go to the polls in Karnataka on Friday namely Udupi Chikamagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikballapur and Kolar.

While all 20 seats will voting in the second phase in Kerala. These include Kasaragod, Kannur, Vatakara, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ponnani, Palakkad, Alathur, Thrissur, Chalakudy, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Mavelikkara, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Attingal and Thiruvananthapuram.

On preparation for the Lok Sabha elections, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said, “We have 25,231 polling booths which are ready to welcome all the voters tomorrow morning at 7 am. 70 per cent of the polling parties have reached the booths today.”

“We have made elaborate arrangements for the comfort of the voters who come there. There will be an orderly queue management system. We will have volunteers managing the queues. There will be separate queues for elderly people. There is drinking water and toilet facilities. For our friends who are physically challenged, we have ramps on all the booths. We have wheelchairs,” he said.

“We are ready as far as security is concerned. Police forces also have been deployed. There are about 1700 vulnerable and critical booths spread across all the statistics in the state. Vulnerable and critical booths, we have special facilities. We have cameras both inside and outside the booth and also central paramilitary forces deployed,” the Chief Electoral Officer added.

In Madhya Pradesh, out of the 29 seats, six will be voting in the second phase namely, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hoshangabad.

On the preparations, Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said, “There are polls in 6 constituencies tomorrow. There are around 13,000 polling booths. 1 crore 11 lakh voters will cast their votes. Looking at the heat, there are sheds, water, waiting rooms and chair facilities. Around 2500 booths fall in the category of sensitive. We have made special arrangements for them. More security forces have been deployed there.”

Out of the 48 seats, voting will be held in eight seats in Maharashtra in the second phase. Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani will go to the polls tomorrow.

13 seats namely Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran out of the total 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight out of the total 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, namely Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura and Bulandshahr will go to the polls on Friday.

While voting will be held in three seats namely Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat in West Bengal. There are a total of 42 seats in the state.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 61 of the 88 seats that will go to polls in the second phase.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 24 seats and other parties namely, BSP , CPM and NPF won 3 seats.

Voting will begin at 7 am tomorrow and will conclude at 6 pm. The Lok Sabha election is being held in seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)

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Congress Releases Third List of Candidates

The list consists of 56 candidates for eight states and Union Territories including Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Puducherry….reports Asian Lite News

Congress released the third list of 56 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, fielding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from West Bengal’s Berhampore, which he has been representing since 1999.

While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law, Radhakrishna, will contest from the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka.

The list consists of 56 candidates for eight states and Union Territories including Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Puducherry.

Congress has again fielded Chowdhury from Berhampore, setting up the much-anticipated clash between the veteran Congress leader and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, who has been fielded by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.

In Rajasthan, the party has named Sunil Sharma from Jaipur, Sangeeta Beniwal from Pali, Umeda Ram Beniwal from Barmer, Urmila Jain Bhaya from Jhalawar-Baran and Kuldeep Indora from Ganganagar.

The party, however, will fight in alliance with the CPI-M on the Sikar parliamentary seat in the state.

The party has announced the candidates for eight seats in West Bengal.

In Karnataka, it has fielded Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi, Radhakrishna from Gulbarga (SC), Vinod Asooti from Dharwad, former Rajya Sabha member M Rajeev Gowda from Bangalore North, Sowmya Reddy from Bangalore South and Mansoor Ali Khan from Bangalore Central, among others.

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki has been fielded from Arunachal West.

In Gujarat, the party has named Congress Legislative Party leader in the Gujarat Assembly Amit Chawda from Gujarat’s Anand, while Sonal Patel from Gandhinagar, Prabhaben Taviyad from Dahod (ST) and Nilesh Kumbani from Surat, among others.

With this, the party has declared a total of 138 candidates for the polls.

Earlier, the Congress had released its second list of 43 candidates from four states. Sitting Lok Sabha MP and former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son Gaurav Gogoi will be contesting from Jorhat constituency in the state.

‘Dynasty’ candidates in Karnataka

 The Karnataka Congress on Thursday announced the names of 17 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, polling for which will be held in two phases in the state.

A committee, headed by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, is yet to finalise the candidates for Kolar, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapur, Chamarajanagar and Bellary constituencies.

The Congress had on March 8 released its list of seven candidates.

The second list of 17 candidates announced by the party include the children of five state Cabinet ministers. This distribution of tickets has emerged as a topic of debate among party members regarding the choice of candidates with political backgrounds.

Most of the tickets have been allocated to “dynasty” candidates to face the BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka.

BJP leader Basanagowda Patil Yatnal criticized the Congress for prioritizing dynasty politics over nurturing grassroots workers within the party.

“The Congress party is known for favouring dynasty politics over providing opportunities for its grassroots workers,” said BJP Leader Basanagowda Patil Yatnal.

A detailed examination of the list reveals the inclusion of several candidates with significant political lineage and financial backing. 

These include Priyanka Jarakiholi, daughter of Satish Jarakiholi, a prominent figure in the Belagavi region, who secured a ticket from Chikkodi despite it being her debut in elections. 

The powerful “Jarakiholi family” in the Belagavi region already holds many key posts in Karnataka. Priyanka Jarakiholi whose father is Satish Jarakiholi a Cabinet Minister for PWD, has been given a ticket from Chikkodi. It’s her first election, and she has received a Lok Sabha ticket.

The Belagavi ticket has been given to DK Shivakumar-backed Cabinet Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s son, Mrinal, who is entering politics with a Lok Sabha ticket.

Rajshekhar Patil, a former minister, who was demanding a Lok Sabha ticket from Bidar, has been overlooked and instead, the Congress party has given a ticket to Sagar Khandre, the son of Karnataka Cabinet Minister Eshwar Khandre.

The Koppal ticket has been given to Rajshekar Hitnal, who is the brother of MLA and Siddaramaiah follower Raghavendra Hitnal.

The Davanagere ticket has been allotted to Prabha Mallikarjun, who is Cabinet Minister SS Mallikarjun’s wife and daughter-in-law of senior Lingayat leader and MLA Shamanur Shivshankarappa.

The Bengaluru South ticket has been given to Soumya Reddy, who is Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter. She lost the 2023 assembly election from Jayanagar against BJP Candidate Ramamurthy.

The ticket for Bengaluru Rural has been given to DK Suresh, the State Congress President and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s brother.

The Shivamogga ticket has been given to former CM Bangarappa’s daughter, actor Shivaraj Kumar’s wife, and Cabinet Minister Madhu Bangarappa’s sister, Geetha Shivarajkumar.

The JDS stronghold Hassan Congress ticket has been allotted to Shreyas Patel, who is Puttaswamy Gowda’s grandson.

The Congress has chosen Samyukta Patil, daughter of Minister Shivanand Patil from Bagalkot.

Radhakrishna,who is Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law has been chosen to contest in Gulbarga.

Meanwhile, from Koppal, the party has fieled Rajshekar Hitnal the brother of Raghavendra Hitnal.

Prabha Mallikarjun, the husband of SS Mallikarjun, has been fielded from Davanagere.

“The list itself proves the agenda of the Congress ticket-sharing idea. It has nothing to do with social justice; it’s about the next generation entry of politically-backed families. Workers like us, who are working day and night, are still on the streets campaigning for them,” said a lady Congress worker who has been working in Congress for more than two decades.

The BJP leaders argue that this candidate list reflects the Congress’s inclination towards dynastic political legacies rather than promoting social justice or meritocracy within the party.

BJP spokesperson S Prakash denounced the list, alleging that it exposes the Congress’s false claims of championing social justice, asserting that it primarily benefits leaders’ relatives.

Criticizing the list of candidates, BJP spokesperson S Prakash said, “The list shows the fake narrative of the Congress, which dramatically talks of social justice. It’s only justice for their leaders’ sons, brothers, and daughters.”

The Congress in Karnataka, which desperately needs to win more numbers in the 28 Lok Sabha seats (having won just one seat from Bengaluru Rural (DK Suresh)), asked and consulted many ministers to contest. After their denial, it has fielded new-generation youngsters to Lok Sabha, giving responsibility to their families to win the seat.

“We need to have more numbers to raise a voice in parliament in favour of Karnataka. I wish all the best to all who got tickets,” wished CM Siddaramaiah.

On the other side, the BJP is also in a dilemma to win more seats from Karnataka to retain its old record. This time, JD(S) has also announced their support in 25 Lok Sabha seats except Kolar, Hassan, and Mandya, which JD(S) is demanding.

In many constituencies, the announced list has led to internal fights, creating significant tension within the BJP.

Mandhuswamy, a former minister who wanted a ticket from Tumakuru, has been passed over in favour of V Somanna, who lost in the Varuna and Chamarajanagar assembly constituencies in the 2023 assembly elections.

After the candidate for Bengaluru North was changed due to backlash against Shobha Karandlaje from Udupi-Chickamagalur, MP Sadananda Gowda announced his retirement from electoral politics. He expressed his unhappiness and stated that one family is controlling the BJP in the state, indirectly attacking BS Yediyurappa’s family.

KS Eshwarappa has become a thorn in the side of BS Yediyurappa’s family and the BJP from Shivamogga. He announced that he would contest independently against BY Raghavendra and stated that the BJP in Karnataka is under the control of one family, BS Yediyurappa’s family, and he wants to cleanse it.

Prajwal Revanna, son of MLA Revanna and grandson of HD Devegowda, is most likely to be fielded from Hassan, but BJP leaders and cadre have shown no interest in this and are opposing the decision.

Former two-time CM, JDS MLA, and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy is likely to contest from Mandya, as Sumalatha, a BJP-supported independent candidate, is likely to miss the ticket.

The JDS is also demanding a Lok Sabha seat from Kolar, stating favouritism towards the JDS in the Kolar constituency.

The Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka are scheduled to take place in two phases. The first phase, involving 14 constituencies, will be held on April 26. The second phase, also involving 14 constituencies, will take place on May 7. (ANI)

Himachal Candidates to be Finalised Soon

The State General Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, Rajneesh Kimta, on Thursday said that the Congress party will finalize the candidates for Lok Sabha in ten days. The party has kept options open for the return of rebel and disqualified legislators.

“In all four parliamentary constituencies, we received applications and all have been submitted to the Congress High Command. The names have been discussed in the screening committee meeting and very soon another meeting will be conducted in 10 to 12 days. The candidates will be finalized after the meeting of the central election committee,” said Rajneesh Kimta while speaking to ANI.

“As far as the BJP is concerned they are over-ambitious and in a hurry. They should not forget they lost in elections and also in assembly. We shall field the strong candidates and shall win all elections,” added Kimta.

On being asked on the announcement by the state party chief (Pratibha Singh) for withdrawal of candidature from the Mandi parliamentary he said that she will answer and there is no resentment among the party workers.

“I don’t know why she has said so because there is no one in the party who is annoyed. We have fulfilled the promises and delivered to every section of the society. We have managed during the disaster in the state. We have given a package of 4500 crore rupees to the people of the state despite not getting any support from the union government, added the State General Secretary.

The Congress leader further said, “We have implemented the Old Pension Scheme and provided an honorarium of 1500 rupees to the women. Also, support prices were increased and apple prices to the Farmers, there is no problem in the party. Our leaders are not denying and it’s good that Kaul Singh has advocated for young people.”

“Whatever situation has arisen in the disqualification of MLAs, the people have given a mandate against the BJP and if we have to go for a by-election, we shall win all. We are open to talks with the rebels to come back to power. Everything went well at the party. After Holi festival we shall organize a meeting of the coordination committee,” Kimta added further.

For four parliamentary seats, in Shimla SC constituency 16 Congress leaders have applied, for Kangra, 13 leaders have applied, for Hamirpur 5 congress leaders have applied to contest and for Mandi, three candidates have applied.

Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats — Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, and Kangra. The BJP had won all four seats in 2019. Later, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh snatched Mandi from the BJP in a bypoll necessitated in 2021 following the death of incumbent MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.

The bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, fallen vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLAs, will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1, state’s Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg said earlier. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)

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BJP’s poll body finalises 90 candidates

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national president JP Nadda, among others…reports Asian Lite News

The second meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) concluded here in the national capital late on Monday night, with the names of approximately 90 candidates being finalized for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

According to the party sources, names of about 90 candidates across seven states were finalized in the meeting which was held at BJP headquarters in Delhi. An official announcement on the same is expected by the party soon, they said.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national president JP Nadda, among others.

Union Ministers Anurag Thakur, Prahlad Joshi, Nityanand Rai, party MPs Sushil Modi, CR Patil, Telangana State President Kishan Reddy, Himachal LoP Jairam Thakur, Himachal in-charge Shrikant Sharma, Karnataka former CMs BS Yeddyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka state president Vijendra Yeddyurappa, Karnataka LoP R Ashok, Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla, and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel were also present.

As per the sources, discussions were held regarding the Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. However, due to ongoing coalition talks in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, there might be delays in finalizing candidate lists for these states, the sources said.

They said that discussions were held for all remaining 11 seats in Gujarat, and names for seven seats have been finalized.

Talks for the remaining five seats in Madhya Pradesh concluded with a consensus reached on four seats. Deliberations were held on candidate names for 25 seats in Maharashtra, eight seats in Telangana, and all 28 seats in Karnataka. However, sources said that JD(S) is likely to secure three seats in Karnataka. Additionally, discussions for all four seats in Himachal Pradesh also held, sources said.

Proposed alliances with parties like JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party, and others in Bihar, AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, JJP in Haryana, and BJD in Odisha have not yet finalized seat-sharing arrangements.

On March 2, the BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will seek his third straight term in the Lower House from Varanasi.

Of the 195 candidates, 34 are ministers from the Center and States, while two are former chief ministers who are on the list.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held sometime between April and May this year. (ANI)

Several MP Congress leaders joins BJP

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress leaders, including former MLA Arunoday Choubey and Shivdayal Bagri, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in the state capital Bhopal on Monday.

According to the BJP Madhya Pradesh, the leaders joined the ruling party of the state due to their admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ideology and development initiatives as the driving force behind their decision.

CM Mohan Yadav, while addressing the party workers here said that the induction of Arunoday Choubey will lead the party to secure a significant victory in the Sagar parliamentary constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which are expected to be held in April-May this year.

Mohan Yadav further emphasized that all new members would receive respect within the BJP, emphasizing that it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s family.

“All those joining the party will get respect here because this is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s family. With ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas’, the strength of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s family is increasing every day. This time Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the slogan of crossing 400, together we will complete it. For the third time under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the country will develop rapidly in every field,” Mohan Yadav said.

State President Vishnu Dutt Sharma pointed out that prominent Congress leaders from various regions joined the BJP recognizing the increasing global prestige of India under PM Modi’s leadership.

“I assure you (new members of BJP) that all of you will feel like the family of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji here. Today, big Congress leaders from different areas of the state have taken membership of the party after being impressed by the policies of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The leaders joining the party realized that India’s prestige in the world is continuously increasing under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” Vishnudutt Sharma said.

Arunoday Choubey, who left Congress for BJP, explained his decision, citing his impression of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s policies.

“My ticket was filed from Congress, but I refused because I am impressed by the policies of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the increasing respect of India on the world stage. I served the Congress honestly for forty years, and I also got respect from the party, but the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the work of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji kept influencing me and today I joined the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Arunoday Choubey said.

Along with the Chief Minister, MP and State BJP President VD Sharma and former minister Narottam Mishra were also present. (ANI)

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2 SP candidates to contest from jail

The other SP leader, who will be contesting from behind the bars is Nahid Hasan from Kairana in Shamli district…reports Asian Lite News

Two Samajwadi Party candidates — Mohd Azam Khan and Nahid Hasan — will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from jail.

Mohd Azam Khan, SP MP, has been named as the party candidate form Rampur. Azam Khan has been in jail since February 2020 after multiple cases were lodged against him.

He has applied for bail in the Supreme Court and is awaiting decision. In the meantime, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam will campaign for him in Rampur.

Abdullah Azam is himself a candidate from the Suar Assembly seat and is presently out on bail.

“There is tremendous sympathy now for Azam Khan and his family, especially after the manner in which the Yogi Adityanath government went overboard in booking him in frivolous cases like buffalo theft, book theft, statue theft, goat theft, etc. While his family will lead the campaign for him, senior party leaders will also join him to ensure his victory,” said a senior SP leader.

The other SP leader, who will be contesting from behind the bars is Nahid Hasan from Kairana in Shamli district.

His nomination was accepted by the returning officer on Monday. The candidature of Nahid’s sister Iqra Hasan, who was tipped to contest if Nahid is not allowed, has also been accepted.

Nahid, the sitting MLA from Kairana, was arrested on January 15 by the UP Police. He was wanted in a case in which police had slapped the Gangster and Anti-Social Activities Prevention) Act on him for an incident that took place in February 2021.

He was produced in the MP/MLA court of Shamli and sent to jail for 14 days.

Soon after Nahid’s arrest, his London-returned sister, Iqra Hasan, started campaigning on her brother’s behalf.

Also, apprehending that ‘unfavourable circumstances’ might lead to rejection of his candidature, Iqra too had filed her nomination papers as an independent candidate.

“My mother and former MP Tabassum Hasan and brother Nahid were framed in false cases,” said Iqra who will continue campaigning for her brother.

Voting in Kairana will be held in the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, on February 10.

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