Elections 2019: BSP Leader Chandraprakash Mishra Joins BJP
Catch the latest news updates of Lok Sabha elections 2019 here.
Catch the latest news updates of Lok Sabha elections 2019 here.
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PDP to Contest All Six LS Seats in J&K, Says Mufti
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday dismissed reports of an alliance with the Congress and said the party is preparing to contest all the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
"We are preparing to contest all the six seats," Mehbooba told reporters late Tuesday night.
Likened to Indira as People Still Love Her: Priyanka Gandhi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday, 19 March, said that people compared her looks with her grandmother Indira Gandhi as they still remember the late Prime Minister with respect for the work she had done for them.
She also countered the Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations about elections as a picnic for the Gandhi family, saying that she has not been to Italy in the last three-four years.
Reaching the Chunar ghat in the evening, she paid tribute to Nishad community leader Raj Nishad at the riverbank.
Transgender Bharathi Kannamma Files Nomination in Tamil Nadu
Bharathi Kannamma, a member of the transgender community, filed her nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 yesterday, in Madurai.
Manikrao Thakre, Gaikwad in Congress Sixth List
The Congress on Tuesday night released its sixth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, which includes former Maharashtra party unit chief Manikrao Thakre from Yavatmal-Washim.
The list, released after a meeting of party's Central Election Committee, has nine candidates including seven from Maharashtra and two from Kerala.
In Kerala, the party has fielded Shanimol Usman from Alappuzha and Adoor Prakash from Attingal.
EC Notice, Police Complaint Against Supriyo Over Campaign Song
The Election Commission on Tuesday, 19 March, slapped a show-cause notice on Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo for not seeking permission before releasing a video of his party's campaign song for Bengal on the social media.
"This song was noticed during our media watch. We have given him a show-cause notice as he did not seek prior permission from Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC)," said Additional Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, Sanjay Basu.
The EC has termed it "a violation of Model Code of Conduct" and has sought an explanation from Supriyo within 48 hours. A police complaint has been also lodged against the BJP MP from Asansol in the Asansol South police station for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress in the song.
Maha Citizens Lodge 400 Poll Code Violation Complaints Via App
The Maharashtra chief electoral office has received as many as 400 complaints of violation of the Model Code of Conduct through its app cVIGIL, an official said on Wednesday.
"Around 400 complaints have been received through cVIGIL across Maharashtra. The local team gets an alert once the complaint is lodged and our people reach the spot and verify the details. If the complaint is valid, we record the details and initiate an enquiry," an official said.
"There are no complaints so far of comments inciting violence or casteist remarks as hardly any public rallies have been held in the state," he told PTI.
Crisis of Candidates Grips Congress, BJP in Rajasthan
With both the Congress and the BJP stressing on the winnability of candidates as the prime factor in distribution of tickets, the parties face a strange predicament in Rajasthan. Both fielded most of their winnable candidates in the Assembly elections and are now facing a severe dearth of faces for the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress is loathe to field legislators with a strong support base due to its wafer-thin majority in the state Assembly.
"We reached the majority figure of 101 in the 200-member Assembly after a very tough fight. We are standing on the edge and any risk can spell doom for us in the House. So the party refused to take any chances and allow its MLAs to contest the Lok Sabha elections.
"But the air strikes in Balakot have changed the public sentiment. We can't take chances by fielding any Tom, Dick and Harry. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become stronger with the changed political narrative and we need to come out strong too," a Congress minister said.
A senior BJP leader confessed that his party's situation is no different.
"The BJP's strong candidates are now MLAs while the other senior leaders have lost the elections. Hence the party leadership is struggling to find fresh faces," he explained.
Telangana Cong Leader DK Aruna Joins BJP
In another major setback to the Telangana Congress, its senior leader and former Minister DK Aruna joined the BJP.
She joined the BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Delhi on Tuesday, party sources said.
"She is likely to be fielded from the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha seat," they said.
Aruna had lost the Assembly elections from Gadwal in December 2018.
Maha to Step up Security on State's Border Ahead of LS Polls
Maharashtra Police have geared up to strengthen security by sealing its borders with other states in view of the next month's Lok Sabha polls, a senior police official said.
During the election time, some syndicates indulge in illegal transportation of liquor and cash to lure voters.
Sometimes weapons may also be transported by anti-social elements to create nuisance, he said.
PMO Is Now 'Publicity Minister's Office': Rahul Gandhi
Congress President Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has relegated the PMO to a "Publicity Minister's Office" by indulging in "mediocrity" in a highly sophisticated country on Wednesday, 20 March.
Gandhi, who arrived in Manipur on Tuesday evening from Arunachal Pradesh, was interacting with the students of Manipur State Film Development Society in the state capital.
"The Prime Minister's Office is now Publicity Minister's Office," Gandhi told the students.
Biggest Casualty of Dynastic Politics Are Institutions: PM Modi
In his latest blog, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has targeted dynasty politics, a jibe often used by his party BJP against Indian National Congress.
“The biggest casualty of dynastic politics are institutions. From the press to Parliament. From soldiers to free speech. From the Constitution to the courts. Nothing is spared,” he said in his tweet as he plugged his blog.
Stop Thinking People Are Fools: Priyanka Gandhi Tells PM Modi
In her retort to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wrote a blog on dynasty politics, Congress’ General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that he should stop thinking people are fools.
“PM should stop thinking people are fools and understand that they see through everything,” said the Congress leader, who is in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, is on a three-day boat journey down the Ganga, meeting people living on the banks of the river as part of her outreach ahead of the elections beginning next month.
“PM has attacked every institution in this country for last 5 years, including the one you are part of,” she added.
Naveen Patnaik Files Nomination for Hinjili Assembly
Odisha CM & Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik filed his nomination for the Hinjili Assembly constituency at Sub-Collector office, Chatrapur in Ganjam district.
Grand Alliance Announcement for Bihar on Friday
Sharad Yadav, Loktantrik Janata Dal Chief has confirmed that Mahagathbandhan – the grand alliance – will announce the seat sharing in Bihar on 22 March, Friday.
Will He, Won't He? No Decision Yet on Advani Contesting LS Polls
Suspense remains on whether BJP patriarch LK Advani will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls or hang up his boots.
The 91-year-old, who served as home minister and deputy prime minister of the country, has won the Lok Sabha election from Gandhinagar seat six times.
Asked whether Advani was keen on contesting the poll considering his age, his personal secretary Deepak Chopra said, "It is not yet decided...he will decide when something (offer) comes."
Akhilesh Yadav Attacks PM Modi With #VikasPoochhRahaHai
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has upped the ante against Bharatiya Janata Party with his standard jibe #VikasPoochhRahaHai in a series of tweets.
In his latest attack, Akhilesh has shared a cartoon accusing BJP of taking jobs away from people, contrary to BJP’s claims of offering more jobs to the Indian youth.
If You Want Your Child to Become 'Chowkidar', Vote for Modi: Kejriwal
Taking a dig at BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that if people want their children to become watchmen, they should vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
And if they want good education, they should vote for Aam Aadmi Party, he said.
Kejriwal, in a tweet in Hindi, said Modi wants the whole country to become 'chowkidar' (watchman).
"If people want their children to become chowkidar, they should vote for Modi but if they want their child to get good education and become doctor, engineer or lawyer, they should vote for AAP," he said in his tweet in Hindi.
Mayawati Will Not Contest Lok Sabha Elections
BSP Chief Mayawati has said that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, reported ANI.
Slew of Measures to Check Possible Attacks by Maoists
Deployment of counter action teams, stepping up combing operations in Left Wing Extremist affected areas bordering Chattisgarh and Maharashtra are part of measures taken by police to check their possible attacks in the run up to the 11 April Lok Sabha polls in Telangana.
Telangana police had adopted a similar multi-pronged strategy to thwart attacks by CPI (Maoist) cadres ahead of the 7 December, 2018 Assembly polls.
'Chowkidar' Is Responsible for 'Stealing' Jobs: Congress
In a sharp attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of jobs, the Congress today alleged that the country's "chowkidar" is responsible for "stealing" jobs with 4.7 crore youth losing employment.
The party's attack on the government came over a media report which claimed that the actual size of India's male workforce, or men who are working, has shrunk for the first time since 1993-94.
"Modi ji has eaten up 4.7 crore jobs of the youth. Due to the BJP's 'pan-pakoda' policy, 4.7 crore youth had to wash their hands of their jobs," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
No One Can Occupy Public Office Without RSS Backing: Kapil Sibal
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal today hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "dynastic politics" attack on the Congress, saying the PM himself comes from the Sangh Parivar without whose blessings no one in the country can occupy any public position.
He said the prime minister should introspect and instead of talking about dynastic politics, should focus on issues confronting people.
"What is the PM talking about? No one in the BJP can occupy any public position without the support of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). The Sangh Parivar is the biggest parivar in the world. Without their blessings no one can hold any public position in the country, be it the position of a PM, a minister, governor or chief ministers," Sibal said.
Clashes Erupt at Priyanka Gandhi's Rally in UP
Party workers of Congress and BJP clashed with each other at Priyanka Gandhi’s rally in Uttar Pradesh, reported News18.
Unanimously Decided Not to Contest Polls: Raman Singh
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said that it was decided unanimously in BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting that the sitting MPs in Chhattisgarh will not contest the election and new faces will be brought in.
“The decision is to be respected by all,” he said.
Mandya: Sumalatha Ambareesh Files Nomination as Independent
Sumalatha Ambareesh files nomination as an independent candidate from Mandya parliamentary constituency.
Tharoor Writes to CEO for Free and Fair Polls on Thiruvanathapuram
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has written to chief election officer over malicious attempts by BJP disrupting free and fair elections.
"Writing to file a complaint in relation to malicious attempt by BJP and Sabarimala Karma Samithi to vitiate free and fair polls in Thiruvananthapurarn LS constituency,by publicising materials in a bid to appeal to religious sentiments of voters," Tharoor wrote.
Grand Alliance is Intact: RJD's Tejashwi Assures
Confirming that all is well on the Grand Alliance front, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav said, “Mahagathbandhan is intact, seats and constituencies will be announced after Holi. There is nothing to worry, all is fine in the alliance.”
Shiv Sena Slams BJP Over Midnight Political Drama in Goa
In a scathing attack on the political drama between the BJP and its allies in Goa over the leadership issue, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday dubbed it as a "terrible state of democracy", saying they did not even wait for late chief minister Manohar Parrikar's ashes to cool down.
The "shameless game of power" started even before Parrikar's ashes could merge with the land of Gomantak, the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
It claimed that had the BJP waited till Tuesday, its government in Goa would have fallen and one of the two deputy chief ministers would have joined the Congress and got the desired post, it claimed.
BJD MLA Purnachandra Nayak Quits Party
Biju Janata Dal sitting MLA from Daspalla, Purnachandra Nayak resigned from the party on Wednesday.
BJP Announces Alliance With BDJS & Kerala Congress, Reveals Seat Sharing Formula
The BJP on Wednesday announced an alliance with Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) and Kerala Congress, while revealing the seat sharing formula.
Out of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, BJP will contest for 14 seats while BDJS will eye on 5 seats. The remaining single seat will be contested by Kerala Congress.
'Cong Alliance in WB Failed Due to Left's Reluctance': Pradip Bhattacharya
Chairman of the Congress's state coordination committee, Pradip Bhattacharya told news agency PTI that talks between the Congress and Left Front in West Bengal failed due to Left Front's reluctance to forge a formal alliance.
(Source: PTI)
Cong-NC Alliance Sealed in J&K, Will Contest 3 Seats Together
Sealing an alliance after days of hectic parleys, the Congress and National Conference announced they will fight two and one Lok Sabha seats respectively, while agreeing on a "friendly contest" on the rest three constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a joint press conference, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and NC patron Farooq Abdullah told the media that while the Congress will contest on the Jammu and Udhampur seats, the National Conference will fight from Srinagar.
There will be a "friendly contest" between the two parties on the Baramulla, Anantang and Ladakh seats, Abdullah said.
"I will contest from the Srinagar seat," he told the press conference.
State Congress chief Gulam Ahmed Mir and AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni were also present.
The state sends six Lok Sabha MPs.
(Source: PTI)
BJD Mock BJP for Delay in Candidate Announcement
The ruling BJD in Odisha ridiculed opposition BJP for its delay in announcing the candidates list for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
Though BJD and Congress have already released the candidates' list for the first and second phase of polling on April 11 and April 18, the BJP is yet to announce to announce its nomination for even a single seat.
"Are they(BJP) looking for dissidents from other parties ?" BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra asked adding the last date for filing of nomination papers for the first and second phase of polls is scheduled for 25 and 26 March respectively.
Ridiculing the BJP president Amit Shah's mission for 120 plus seats in Odisha assembly, Patra said: The party has made tall claims, but it is still looking for candidates. It is not getting 120 candidates to field in the elections. The BJP is instead trying to rope in dissident leaders from other parties".
(Source: PTI)
Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Dhanorkar Quits Party
Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Dhanorkar from Chandrapur resigned from the party on Wednesday.
(Source: ANI)
BJP Asks EC to Take Strong Action Against AAP for Violating MCC
A delegation of Delhi BJP met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and demanded "strong deterrent action" against the Aam Aadmi Party for violating the model code of conduct by allegedly playing the religious card to disturb communal harmony.
The delegation comprising the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Vijender Gupta, party MP from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri and other leaders including Subhash Arya, Subhash Sachdeva and Rajiv Babbar submitted a memorandum against the "misinformation campaign" by the AAP through its call centres.
Referring to a tweet made by AAP's South Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Raghav Chadha, Bidhuri said he used a picture of a cow and a calf at the door of a house to hurt religious sentiments.
(Source: PTI)
Stalin Hits Campaign Trail from Father's Birthplace
A day after releasing the party's Lok Sabha election manifesto, DMK President MK Stalin hit the campaign trail from Tiruvarur, his father and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's birthplace.
Stalin was seeking votes for DMK candidate Poondi Kalaivanan for the by-election in Tiruvarur constituency that fell vacant after the death of Karunanidhi and CPI's Lok Sabha candidate from Nagapattinam constituency.
The DMK leader said Modi's "facist rule" should be ended and the AIADMK-run Tamil Nadu government had to be removed.
(Source: IANS)
Former NCP MP Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil Joins BJP
Former Nationalist Congress Party MP Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil joined BJP on Wednesday evening. Speaking to media after joining the party, Mohite said, "Whatever party decides, I will be doing it."
(Source: ANI)
BSP Leader Chandraprakash Mishra Joins BJP
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Chandraprakash Mishra, who contested against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2004, on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Mishra was inducted into the party in the presence of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and JP Nadda.
(Source: IANS)
Members of IAMAI Adopt 'Voluntary Code of Ethics' For Election 2019
The Social Media Platforms and Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) presented “Voluntary Code of Ethics for 2019 General Election” to Election Commission on Wednesday - promising to facilitate transparency in paid political advertisements.
(Source: ANI)