Congress Finalizes Names of Candidates for 12 Lok Sabha Seats in West Bengal

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Candidates are being finalized, manifestos are being crafted, and alliances are being forged for the upcoming crucial battle. The Election Commission has announced the schedule for Lok Sabha elections. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases – April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

Simultaneously, assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will be held on April 19, and in Andhra Pradesh on May 13 while state polls in Odisha will be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. 

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‘Candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi to be Announced in Day or Two’:  Former CM Uddhav Thackeray 

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said that the names of the candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi will be announced in a day or two. 

Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray says, "The names of the candidates of Maha Vikas Aghadi will be announced in a day or two...The candidates who were sent from here as MLAs and MPs betrayed the same people who made them win. Those who left us are spreading rumours that I have left Bala Saheb's ideology. I have not left Hindutva. There is a difference between our Hindutva and BJP's Hindutva. Our Hindutva is nationalist. Spreading hatred against other religions is not our Hindutva..."

‘We will win a total of 13 seats,’ Assam Minister Exudes Confidence in NDA 

On upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika says, "The election results for BJP and NDA are going to be very positive in Assam. Out of 14 seats, 11 seats are final for us... We will win a total of 13 seats... We will win 80% of the votes from the tea gardens... We will win in Jorhat with 2 lakh votes... Sonowal will win by 4 lakh votes..."

Election Commissioners  Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Calls on Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar 

Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, called on the Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas today.

Punjab Police, Central Forces Conduct Flag March in Amritsar Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls 

Punjab Police along with central forces conduct a flag march in the Ranjit Avenue area in Amritsar ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

'K'taka’s BJP is in control of one family, and we are protesting against this', says Former Deputy CM KS Eshwarappa

Former Deputy CM KS Eshwarappa slammed the BJP by stating that the saffron party is sidelining the leaders who have done a lot of work for the party. 

“Karnataka’s BJP is in control of one family, and we are protesting against this. All those people who are talking about Hindutva have been sidelined. Whether it is CT Ravi, Pratap Simha, Basangouda Patil Yatnal, Sadananda Gowda, or anyone else, those who speak about Hindutva are being sidelined. They are all leaders, who have done a lot of work for the party," said Eshwarappa while talking about his decision to contest as an Independent candidate from Shivamogga seat.

ECI Notifies Category of Electors for Purposes of Facility of Voting Through Postal Ballot as Absentee Voters on Essential Services 

Election Commission of India (ECI) notifies the category of electors mentioned therein for the purposes of facility of voting through postal ballot as absentee voters on essential services; allows voting by postal ballot for authorised media persons on election duty.

Congress Finalizes Names of Candidates for 12 Lok Sabha Seats in West Bengal 

Congress party has decided names of candidates for 12 Lok Sabha Seats in West Bengal in a meeting that took place on Tuesday evening. 

JD(U) Gen Secy Fatmi Quits, Speculations Rife He May Go Back to RJD 

JD(U) national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Tuesday resigned from the party, triggering speculations that the former Union minister might be eyeing a return to the RJD.

Sadananda Gowda Likely To Announce Next Move Tomorrow 

Former Chief Minister and Bangalore North MP D V Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said that he would announce the decision regarding his next move tomorrow. 

On Monday, Gowda stated that the he may leave BJP as he had received offers from the Congress party. 

There is speculation that Gowda may contest elections on a Congress ticket. 

BJP Lodges Complaint with State Election Commission Against Congress for Violating Model Code of Conduct 

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Monday stated that the BJP has lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission alleging that forms to get Rs 1,500 per month are being filled in the offices of the block development office and panchayats to attract the voters by the Congress.

Distributing and filling forms with the photographs of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct enforced for the Lok Sabha polls and we have asked the Election Commission to take cognizance of the complaint, Thakur told PTI. 

This is the first complaint of the violation of the Model Code of Conduct in the state after the Lok Sabha elections were announced on March 16.

The Himachal Pradesh government had issued a notification on Thursday to give Rs 1,500 monthly to women in the age group of 18 to 59 years. On March 4, the chief minister had announced that a sum of Rs 800 crore would be spent on the initiative, benefitting more than five lakh women annually.
 

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav Exudes Confidence in Mainpur Voters 

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav exuded confidence in Mainpuri voters and termed the place as the ‘Karmabhoomi’ of veteran leader Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav says, "Our party has complained to the Election Commission regarding (the district and police officers of Mainpuri)...Mainpuri is the Karmabhoomi of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and the people have always seen him as a family member, so elections will be good here...''

Preparations in full swing in Odisha Ahead of Elections

Odisha ADG (Law & Order) said that elections in Odisha will be held in four phases.

Talking to ANI, he said, “We are fully prepared. The first thing is the deployment of manpower. The groundwork has already been done. We have 34 police districts and two GRPs. So accordingly, the force is being distributed. The Home Ministry has given us 75 companies of CAPF... CAPF has not been deployed in 11 districts, but we are hopeful that very soon we will get the next consignment and we will deploy it. In the meantime, we have already deployed our state armed police force to maintain public confidence...”
 

Parliamentary elections will be held in four phases in Madhya Pradesh 

 Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan on Tuesday apprised that the Parliamentary elections will be held in four phases in the Madhya Pradesh.

He added that the first phase of polling will be held on April 19 for six parliamentary constituencies. 

The second phase of polling will be on April 26 for seven constituencies, the third phase is on May 7 for the eight parliamentary constituencies, and the last phase on May 13, he further added.  

We have a total of 29 constituencies, he stated. 

Opposition INDI alliance only targets Hinduism, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday kept up the attack on the INDIA bloc over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Shakti' remark, saying the opposition alliance displayed its "ill-intention" by declaring to destroy it.

The opposition alliance, of which the Congress and the DMK are key constituents, repeatedly insults Hinduism but never targets any other faith, he said, addressing the rally in Salem. 

PM Modi Holds Rally in Tamil Nadu, Breaks Down During Speech 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets emotional while addressing a rally at Salem in Tamil Nadu as he remembered Former State BJP president late K.N. Lakshmanan and Ramesh. He recalled their contribution towards the expansion of BJP in the state.

Jailed AAP Leader Sanjay Singh Takes Oath 

jailed AAP leader Sanjay Singh took oath as Rajya Sabha member on Tuesday, March 19, following court's order. 

Understanding BJP's Push in Palakkad 

PM Modi received a rousing welcome as he kicked off his mega roadshow in Kerala's Palakkad to gather support for BJP-led NDA. Palakkad seems crucial for the BJP as the party has seen an increase in its vote share from the Palakkad constituency in the Lok Sabha polls with its candidate Krishnakumar C securing 21.24 per cent of the total votes polled from here in the 2019 general elections.

PM Modi Receives Rousing Welcome in Palakkad

In a mega south push, PM Modi held a rally in Palakkad where he was accompanied by Kerala BJP president and Palakkad Lok Sabha candidate. The PM's cavalcade with Modi standing on an open roof vehicle heavily decorated with flowers commenced the roadshow at around 10.45 am from Kottamaidan Anchuvilakku and proceeded towards the Head Post Office in the town.

Thousands of people, including BJP supporters with flowers, garlands, party flags, placards of Modi and wearing party hats, lined both sides of the around one kilometer roadshow route. As the roadshow proceeded along the route, shouts of 'Modi', 'Bharat mata ki jai', 'Modiji swagatam' and 'Modi ki jai' were heard from the people gathered on both sides of the road.

PM Modi Holds Mega Rally in Kerala 

PM Modi is holding a mega rally in Kerala's Palakkad on Tuesday. People in large numbers have gathered to witness the roadshow of Prime Minister Modi in Palakkad.

 PM Modi's roadshow in Palakkad is a part of the BJP-led NDA's attempt to boost support for its candidates from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls set to be held in the state on April 26.

PM Modi is Our Candidate For All Lok Sabha Seats: Vij 

“For all Lok Sabha seats, our candidate is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, we have started campaigning everywhere. No matter who is the candidate, it is Narendra Modi who is fighting,” said former Haryana minister & BJP leader Anil Vij. 

Candidates to Start Filing Nomination From March 22 

The nominations of BJP candidates in Uttarakhand for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will start from March 22. Along with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, central leaders are also likely to be present in the nomination of all the candidates, said the Uttarakhand BJP Unit. 

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan's Resignation Accepted

 President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignation of Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan as Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. President appoints CP Radhakrishnan, Governor of Jharkhand to discharge the functions of the Governor of Telangana and LG of Puducherry in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements are made, said the Rashtrapati Bhavan in a notification. Soundararajan is likely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Congress' Working Committee Meeting Begins

Congress' Working Committee meeting began in the national capital today. The Congress is likely to discuss the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. 

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is taking place at the AICC headquarters in Delhi in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, MP Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders including Manish Tewari, Alka Lamba, Kumari Selja among others. 

Congress' top decision making body is also expected to pass a resolution lauding former party chief Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started from Manipur on January 14 and ended in Mumbai on March 17.

BJP MLA Resigns From Assembly 

Vadodara Savli BJP MLA Ketan Inamdar has resigned from the post of MLA.

PM Modi to address rally in Salem, Tamil Nadu 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in this western town on Tuesday, a day after he held a well attended roadshow in nearby Coimbatore.         Alliance party leaders, including PMK founder S Ramadoss are likely to attend the public meeting. 

BJP Likely To Release Third List of Candidates Today 

BJP likely to declare remaining candidates for Lok Sabha elections by today evening. Candidates from key states like Bihar, UP, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha will be featuring in BJP's third list, said soources. 

BJP Finalises Seat-Sharing Deal With PMK 

The BJP on Tuesday clinched a seat-sharing deal with the Dr S Ramadoss-headed Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in Tamil Nadu for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, allotting 10 seats to the regional party

Raj Thackeray To Meet Amit Shah Today 

MNS chief Raj Thackeray is in the national capital and is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah today. Sources suggest that Raj Thackeray's MNS may join the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 

Tharoor Slams CPI, Says It is Playing BJP's Game in Thiruvananthapuram

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit out at the CPI on Tuesday, saying that it is ironic that the Left party which complains about Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad is "playing the BJP's game" in Thiruvananthapuram.The Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram said the only effect of the CPI's campaign against him in the constituency is to divide the anti-BJP vote, "and they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad".

Derek O’Brien Demands Supreme Court-monitored Polls 

TMC leader Derek O’Brien on Tuesday said the party wants Supreme Court-monitored Lok Sabha polls as BJP's tricks are "destroying" institutions like the Election Commission.The TMC party leader in Rajya Sabha wondered whether the BJP is so nervous of facing the people that it is turning the EC into "its party office".

Haryana CM Nayab Saini Offers Prayers Ahead of Karnal Rally 

Ahead of Karnal rally to helmed by BJP national president JP Nadda, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini offered prayers at Shri Nada Sahib Gurudwara in Panchkula. “Today BJP national president JP Nadda will begin the election rally in Karnal's Gharaunda. I came to seek blessings from Shri Nada Sahib. PM Modi has given the country a new direction, and done the work of bringing smiles to the faces of the poor. In these 10 years, the country's infrastructure has improved under the leadership of PM Modi,” said Saini. 

Ahmedabad East LS seat Congress Candidate Rohan Gupta Withdraws from Poll Fray

Congress candidate from Gujarat's Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat Rohan Gupta has said he has withdrawn from the contest due to his father's serious medical condition. Gupta is the Congress' national spokesperson and his name was in the list of candidates declared by the party on March 12.

Congress' Working Committee Meeting Today To Approve Manifesto 

As parties gear up for the Lok Sabha Elections, Congress will hold a meeting of its Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday to discuss the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. 

Congress' top decision making body is also expected to pass a resolution lauding former party chief Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started from Manipur on January 14 and ended in Mumbai on March 17.

PMK to announce seat sharing deal with BJP today

A day after the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) announced that it has decided to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, both the parties are slated to announce seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai and the PMK president held a meeting at PMK founder Ramadoss' house Tuesday morning regarding seat-sharing agreement. 

Following this, PMK leaders are expected to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public meeting at Salem. 

(Follow for live updates related to Lok Sabha Elections 2024)