Polls 2019: Will Request Rahul to Continue as Cong Chief, Says HDK
Catch all the live updates on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections here.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections ended with a thumping victory for the BJP-lead NDA, as it managed to outperform itself as compared to 2014. The NDA secured 353 seats, while the UPA managed just above 90.
Catch all the live updates here.
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Ashok Gehlot’s Team Rebuts Charge he Campaigned for Son at Party’s Cost
Rajasthan chief minster Ashok Gehlot had spent only a fraction of his time to campaign in Jodhpur for his son Vaibhav Gehlot, officials considered close to the CM claimed on Tuesday to counter allegations that his pre-occupation with his son’s campaign led to the Congress’s devastating loss in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the western state, less than six months after the Congress wrested power from Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government.
(Hindustan Times)
Meeting of Janata Dal(United) Office Bearers to Be Held
Meeting of Janata Dal(United) office bearers to be held at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's residence later today.
(Source: ANI)
Rajasthan Congress Executive Committee to Meet
The state executive of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee will meet to endorse the CWC resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as party chief and steer the party out of its current state, a top party leader said.
(Source: PTI)
TMC Govt Is Being Run by Police and CID Pressure: Rahul Sinha, BJP National Secretary
(Source: ANI)
RJD MLAs and MLCs to Meet at Rabri Devi's Residence in Patna
RJD MLAs and MLCs to meet later today at Rabri Devi's residence in Patna. Meeting will be chaired by Tejashwi Yadav.
(Source: ANI)
Naveen Patnaik Takes Oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha
Naveen Patnaik takes oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha. This is his 5th consecutive term as the Chief Minister.
(Source: ANI)
Delhi Pradesh Congress Leaders to Meet Party President Rahul Gandhi Later Today
Delhi Pradesh Congress leaders to meet party President Rahul Gandhi later today.
(Source: ANI)
PM Modi Congratulates Naveen Patnaik
(Source: ANI)
Meeting Underway Between Karnataka CM and Other Leaders
Meeting underway between Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy,Deputy CM G Parameshwara, Congress State Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister DK Shivakumar, Congress leader KC Venugopal and Former CM Siddaramaiah.
(Source: ANI)
Congress Workers Demonstrate Outside Party Office
Congress workers demonstrate outside party office urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress President.
(Source: ANI)
Jaitley Asks PM to be Excused From New Govt
(Source: Twitter/ @arunjaitley)
Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Kanimozhi Resign as Members of Rajya Sabha
BJP President Amit Shah, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad & DMK Leader Kanimozhi have resigned as Rajya Sabha members.
They have been elected from the parliamentary constituencies of Gandhinagar, Gujarat and Patna Sahib, Bihar and Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, respectively.
(Source: News18)
I Will Speak to Him, He Should Not Resign: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy
Karnataka CM, HD Kumaraswamy on Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s resignation said, “I will meet him tomorrow and speak to him. He should not resign.”
(Source: ANI)
Rahul Firm on Quitting, Workers Urge Him to Take Back Resignation
The uncertainty in the Congress continued to prevail on Wednesday with its chief Rahul Gandhi sticking to his offer to resign, even as some party workers sat on a hunger strike outside his house to convince him against quitting, reported PTI.
The Congress workers were detained by the police and let off subsequently.
Delhi Congress leader Vijay Jatan and some workers, who sat on a hunger strike outside Gandhi's Tughlaq Lane residence, said their demand was that the latter should take his resignation back because the party needed his leadership.
Rajasthan Congress Urges Rahul to Continue as Party Chief, Passes Resolution
Avinash Pande, Rajasthan Congress in-charge said, “Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has passed a resolution, requesting Rahul Gandhi to continue as the party President,” reported ANI.
Former Cong MP Hanumantha Rao Urges Rahul to Continue as Party Chief
Amid reports that Congress president Rahul Gandhi is insistent on stepping down from his post in the wake of party's rout in Lok Sabha polls, former MP V Hanumantha Rao Wednesday urged him to continue to lead the party in times of difficulty.
Rao, a senior Congress leader who had served as PCC president in undivided Andhra Pradesh, also said Gandhi should listen to all sections of partymen to know the views of all.
"I feel it is not justified for our leader Rahul Gandhi to say that 'I cannot continue, you have someone else' (as president) due to the pain of losing recent Lok Sabha elections," Rao told reporters in Hyderabad.
Delhi CM Wishes Speedy Recovery, Healthy Life to Ailing Jaitley
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wished a speedy recovery and a healthy life to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to excuse himself from being included in the new government at the Centre citing his illness.
Kejriwal praised Jaitley for his affection and warmth while wishing him good health.
"Wish @arunjaitley ji speedy recovery and a healthy life. I have known him since many years and despite political differences, I have always found him to be affectionate and warm," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said in a tweet.
DMK Member Sworn in as MLA in Pondy
A DMK member, who won the recently held bypoll to Thattanchavady constituency, was sworn in as member of the Puducherry assembly, at a function here Wednesday.
Officiating Speaker V P Sivakolundhu administered the oath of office to K Venkatesan.
Rajasthan Cong Executive Committee Meet Begins
The Rajasthan Congress' executive committee meeting began at the party office in Jaipur on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president Sachin Pilot, Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande and other leaders are present in the meeting.
The agenda of the meeting is to endorse a resolution passed by the Congress working committee, which refused to accept the resignation of the party president Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader said.
6 TMC MLAs, Ex-MPs Likely to Switch Sides Soon, Claim BJP Sources
Six legislators of the Trinamool Congress are likely to switch sides in a few days along with a few former MPs of the party, BJP sources claimed on Wednesday.
"Six TMC MLAs are likely to join us soon. Many more councillors of various municipalities are also in line. Just wait and watch," a senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity.
The leader said not just MLAs, a few former MPs of Trinamool Congress, are also in touch with the party and have expressed their desire to join BJP in its "fight against misrule of the TMC".
BJP's Bid to 'Poach' Lawmakers Shows Its Insecurity: NCP
With the BJP reportedly wooing some opposition MLAs to its fold, the NCP on Wednesday, 29 May, attributed the said attempts to the ruling party's doubts over its own Lok Sabha poll show and "insecurity" ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil told PTI that the BJP does not think the lead NDA took in 225 Assembly segments in the state during the just concluded Lok Sabha polls was "genuine" and hence, "poaching attempts" were being made.
N Chandrababu Naidu to Not Attend Jagan's Oath-taking Ceremony
TDP National President N Chandrababu Naidu to not attend swearing-in ceremony of YS Jaganmohan Reddy tomorrow. A TDP delegation will meet YS Jaganmohan Reddy at his Amaravati residence before the swearing-in ceremony.
RJD to Attend Opposition Meeting in Delhi to Discuss Poll Results, Says Tejashwi
RJD’s heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav said, “Congress party has invited us for the meeting in Delhi, where election results will be discussed. We are in touch with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and others. We will participate in the meeting there.”
Chandrababu Naidu Elected as TDLP Leader
TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was unanimously elected as the leader of the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) here on Wednesday.
A meeting of the TDLP, attended by the newly-elected MLAs and MPs of the party, was held at Naidu's residence.
The TDP, which ruled the state from June 2014, faced a rout at the hands of the YSR Congress Party in the just-concluded election to the state Assembly, winning just 23 of the 175 seats.
Sheila Dikshit Meets Rahul, Tells Him Not to Resign
Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit met Rahul Gandhi at his residence on Wednesday. She said, “I have given him the message that he should not resign. We want him to continue on his post, otherwise it will cause us pain. We have conveyed that to him.”
Rajasthan Cong Refuses to Accept Rahul's Resignation
The Rajasthan Congress executive committee on Wednesday passed a resolution, saying the party should not accept the resignation of its president Rahul Gandhi over the Lok Sabha debacle.
"The pradesh Congress executive committee accepts all those challenges, failures and shortcomings which led to this mandate,"AICC general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande told reporters.
Mamata to Participate in Tmc Sit-In Outside Naihati Municipality on 30 May
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take part in a sit-in demonstration organised by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) outside the Naihati municipality on Thursday to protest against the violence on party workers after the Lok Sabha poll results.
"Tomorrow, we will organise a sit-in outside the Naihati municipality in protest against our workers being rendered homeless by BJP goons. Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee will also participate in it," a senior TMC leader said on Wednesday.
Gehlot Should Resign: UP Deputy CM
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said on Wednesday that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should take the responsibility of the Congress debacle in the Lok Sabha election in the state and should resign.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader claimed that Congress' rout in the state reflected that the Gehlot government had lost the people's confidence.
AAP's Raghav Chadha Withdraws Plea Against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri
AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Wednesday withdrew from the high court here his plea challenging the decision of returning officer to accept the nomination papers of BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri, who won the Lok Sabha polls from South Delhi, and was granted liberty to file an election petition.
The petition came up for hearing before Justice A J Bhambhani who allowed the submission of Chadha's counsel to withdraw the petition with a liberty to file an election petition.
"The petition is dismissed as withdrawn," the judge said.
Raj Thackeray Meets Sharad Pawar
Amid speculation that his party could be part of Opposition's alliance for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, MNS chief Raj Thackeray met NCPpresident Sharad Pawar earlier this week, sources said.
The meeting, which took place at Pawar's residence here Monday evening, lasted about 45 minutes, NCP sources said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, members of the grand alliance of Opposition which contested the Lok Sabha polls together discussed plans for putting up a united front against the BJP-Shiv Sena during the assembly polls which are due later this year.
KCR to Attend Swearing-In of Modi, Jagan Reddy
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will attend the swearing-in ceremonies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and YSR Congress chief as Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Thursday, official sources said.
After attending the swearing-in of Reddy in the morning, Rao will leave for New Delhi to be present at the oath-taking ceremony of Modi in the evening, they said here Wednesday.
Will Request Rahul to Continue as Cong Chief: Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday he would request Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress president during his visit to New Delhi to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in as prime minister.
Kumaraswamy joins the bandwagon of other leaders, including M K Stalin (DMK) and Lalu Prasad (RJD), who have urged Gandhi to not quit.
"I will request him (Rahul) to continue. Tomorrow I will be meeting him," Kumaraswamy told reporters when asked about Gandhi's decision to resign as Congress president after the Lok Sabha poll washout.
Maha Cong Meet Tomorrow to Take Stock of Poll Drubbing
The Congress in Maharashtra has convened a meeting Thursday to take stock of the reverses suffered by the party in the recently-held Lok Sabha polls.
Apart from the stock-taking, a resolution urging party president Rahul Gandhi not to resign is likely to be passed at the meeting of the party candidates who had contested the elections, sources said Wednesday.
The Congress is in turmoil since Gandhi offered to step down owning up the responsibility for the poll debacle.
Will Wait for Cong-JD(S) Govt to Collapse on Its Own: Yeddyurappa
The BJP would wait for the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka to collapse on its own due to its infighting, state party chief B S Yeddyurappa said on Wednesday.
Hitting out at the ruling alliance for creating an "atmosphere of confusion", the former Chief Minister asked them to perform or "resign and go home".
"We don't have any feeling that we have to go for elections. It is certain that they (Congress and JDS) will go home fighting each other. We will wait. We are 105 (MLAs), we are ready to wait," Yeddyurappa said.
Siddaramaiah, KC Venugopal Other Cong Leaders Arrive For Party Meet in Bengaluru
Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, KC Venugopal, DK Suresh and other leaders arrive for Congress legislative party meeting, in Bengaluru.
TN Congress MLA Elected to LS Resigns from Assembly
Congress leader H Vasanthakumar, elected from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu in the recent polls, Wednesday resigned his membership of the assembly.
The legislator, representing Nanguneri segment, called on Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal and tendered his resignation and it was accepted effective Wednesday, Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan said in an official release.
We Could Not Explain to the People Why They Should Vote for Us: Kejriwal
The AAP was not able to explain to the people why they should vote for them in the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday said in an open letter to party workers, days after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the general elections.
In the letter, Kejriwal lauded his party workers for running a "superb" campaign that was considered to be one of the best in the country.
DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Deputy CM Arrive For Cong Meet
Deputy CM G Parameshwara and party leader DK Shivakumar arrive for Congress legislative party meeting, in Bengaluru.
Cong Will Analyse Reasons Behind People Electing BJP in Rajasthan: Pilot
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday that the party will analyse the reasons behind people electing the BJP in the Lok Sabha election just a few months after the Congress formed a government in the state.
He said Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself has humbly accepted the people's mandate but the state leadership will analyse the reasons for the defeat to see where the changes have to be made and what action needs to be taken.
Cong Workers Gather Outside Rahul's Residence Urging Him Not to Resign
Congress workers gathered outside party chief Rahul Gandhi's residence on Wednesday urging him to withdraw his offer to resign.
Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit visited Gandhi's Tughlak Lane residence. After coming out, she remained silent on whether she was able to meet the Gandhi scion.
Sources said she could not meet Rahul Gandhi.
A close aide of the Delhi Congress chief said Dikshit left a message for the Congress president in which she asked Gandhi to withdraw his offer to resign.
Himachal Congress Asks Rahul Not to Quit as Party Chief
The Himachal Pradesh Congress on Wednesday, 29 May, urged party President Rahul Gandhi not to resign following the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections in the country.
State Congress President Kuldeep Rathore, who chaired a meeting of the state unit, unanimously passed a resolution in this regard and sent it to the Congress Working Committee for perusal.
Rahul Gandhi Congratulates Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik
Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulated Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Twitter. He tweeted, “Congratulations to Naveen Patnaikji on being sworn in as CM of Odisha for a record 5th term. This is indeed an incredible achievement. My best wishes to him and to the people of Odisha.”
It's Time Seemanchal Region in Bihar Had Its Own Voice: Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Wednesday alleged Seemanchal region in Bihar, where his party unsuccessfully contested a Lok Sabha seat in the recent elections, has been "criminally neglected" and it was time it "had its own voice."
AIMIM's candidate Akhtarul Iman finished third in Kishanganj (in Seemanchal region) of Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls, by securing about three lakh votes.
Cong in TN Takes out Rally in Support of Rahul, Says He Can't Be Blamed for Poll Debacle
The Congress in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday took out a rally here urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as party president, asserting he was in no way responsible for the Lok Sabha poll drubbing.
Strongly rooting for the leadership of Nehru-Gandhi family, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee said "no force on earth can separate the Nehru family's leadership and the Congress party."