Election 2019: MCC Violation Complaint Lodged Against Sambit Patra
Catch the latest news updates on Lok Sabha elections 2019 here.
Catch all the latest updates on the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 here.
'Party Didn't Consult Me...My Self Respect Hurt,' Claims Giriraj
Speaking to the media, BJP leader Giriraj Singh indicated that the party did not consult with him before nominating him as a candidate for Bihar's Begusarai Lok sabha seat.
"My self respect is hurt that no other MP's seat was changed in Bihar. It was decided without talking to me. State BJP leadership should tell me why was it done. I've nothing against Begusarai but I can't compromise with my self respect," he said.
If Singh agrees to contest the polls, he will face student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who will contest as the Left candidate from the Begusarai seat.
(Source: ANI)
PM Modi, Amit Shah Among Star Campaigners for UP; Advani's Name Missing From the List
The BJP has released a list of 40 star campaigners for the Lok Sabha elections for Uttar Pradesh. Among those on the list are PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti. However, the names of veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are missing from the list.
(Source: ANI)
‘Told Not to Contest Lok Sabha Polls’: Murli Manohar Joshi
Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Tuesday said that he has been told not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to CNN-News18, he was quoted as saying, "Like LK Advani, I have been told not to contest."
Congress Releases List of Star Campaigners for Maharashtra
The Congress has released a list of star campaigners for the first and second phase of Lok Sabha elections for Maharashtra. Among those who feature in the list are party President Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam.
(Source: ANI)
Cash Worth Rs 143.47 Cr Seized Across All States and UTs Till 25 March: EC
According to a seizure report released by the Election Commission, cash worth Rs 143.47 crore, liquor worth Rs 89.64 crore, drug and narcotics worth Rs 131.75 crore, precious metals worth Rs 162.93 crore, and other items and freebies worth Rs 12.202 crore have been seized across all states and union territories till 25 March.
(Source: ANI)
'You Should Have Applied for Registration of the Party': CJI to TTV Dhinakaran
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the counsels of TTV Dhinakaran why did the latter not apply for the registration of his political party, as the common symbol of 'pressure cooker' is allotted to a registered party.
CJI Ranjan Gogoi told the counsels, ""You should have applied for registration of the party. You missed it."
(Source: ANI)
Nishad Party and Janvadi Party (Socialist) Join SP-BSP-RLD Alliance in UP
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday announced that the Nishad Party and the Janvadi Party (Socialist) have joined the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, the hoardings of the two parties were seen at the SP office in Lucknow, alongside hoardings of BSP and RLD.
(Source: ANI)
Jaya Prada Joins BJP
Veteran actor and former MP Jaya Prada joined the BJP on Tuesday.
She is expected to contest from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur where she will face Azam Khan, belonging to her former party SP.
Tollywood Actor Manchu Mohan Babu Joins YSR Congress Party
Tollywood film actor Manchu Mohan Babu joins YSR Congress Party in the presence of party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in Hyderabad.
BJP Releases List of Star Campaigners For Bihar
BJP releases list of 42 star campaigners for phase 1 and 2 of Lok Sabha elections from Bihar.
Shatrugan Sinha Likely to Join Congress on 28 March
Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha is likely to join the Congress party on 28 March, reported India Today.
BJP Set to Put up Stiff Challenge to Congress in 2 Arunachal Seats
The two Lok Sabha seats of Arunachal Pradesh, going to polls on 11 April, are considered Congress strongholds, but tough contests are likely in both, with the BJP putting up a stiff challenge, analysts said.
The two LS constituencies of the state – Arunachal East and Arunachal West – have been traditional bastions of the Congress party which has won each of the seats seven times since 1977, when the state voted in a general election for the first time.
The Arunachal East seat, with 27 assembly segments, is likely to witness a tough fight between Tapir Gao of the BJP and James Lowangcha Wanglat of the Congress, according to analysts.
Maneka Gandhi to Contest From Sultanpur, Son From Pilibhit
The BJP hs announced that Union Minister Maneka Gandhi will contest the upcoming polls from from Sultanpur and Varun Gandhi to contest from Pilibhit. Rita Bahuguna Joshi to contest from Allahabad.
Congress Releases Another List of Candidates
Congress releases another list of candidates, two from Gujarat and one from Uttar Pradesh.
SP Names Hemraj Verma as Its Candidate From Pilibhit
Samjawadi Party releases another list of candidates; Devendra Yadav from Etah, Hemraj Verma from Pilibhit and Anand Sen from Faizabad.
Former BJP Leader Ghanshyam Tiwari Joins Congress
Former BJP leaders Ghanshyam Tiwari and Surendra Goyal have joined Congress in presence of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Old is Gold: Mamata Banerjee on BJP Snubbing Advani
After BJP replaced LK Advani with Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, Mamata Banerjee called Advani BJP’s “actual mentor”.
“They have forgotten old days because of the new crop of leaders. But old is gold. It's an insult to him. But this is my opinion, they may not agree with it,” Banerjee said.
Owaisi-Led AIMIM to Contest Aurangabad LS Seat; Fields Jaleel
After a series of flip flops, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) announced its decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, where it fielded its MLA Imtiaz Jaleel from the Aurangabad constituency.
The Hyderabad-based party, led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi, has joined hands with Maharashtra's Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar to launch a new political front, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), for the Lok Sabha polls.
Ambedkar had on 16 March announced that the AIMIM would contest the Lok Sabha polls from at least one seat in Maharashtra.
12 Independent MLAs Extend Support to Cong Govt in Rajasthan
Twelve out of the total 13 independent MLAs in Rajasthan have extended their support to the Congress government in the state.
The MLAs, including Babulal Nagar, Rajkumar Gaur, Mahadev Khandela, Alok Beniwal, were present in a meeting of Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the Ramlila ground here on Tuesday and announced to give their support to the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot.
Besides, Jaipur mayor Vishnu Lata, former BJP leaders Ghanshyam Tiwari, Surendra Goyal, Janardan Gehlot and two others joined the party.
Sambit Patra Accused of Using Lord Jagannath During Campaign
BJP spokesman and party nominee for Puri Lok Sabha seat Sambit Patra carried an idol of Lord Jagannath in a vehicle during a rally and it has not gone down well with a section of the temple servitors and the Congress.
The Congress lodged a complaint with the state chief electoral officer (CEO) on Tuesday saying Patra used Lord Jagannath for political benefit and it is violation of the model code of conduct.
Senior servitor Ramachandra Dasmohapatra said it is against the culture of Odisha.
The BJP leader, however, denied the charges saying someone gifted him the idol during the rally and he only paid his respect to it.
Delhi BJP Accuses Cong, AAP of Violating Model Code of Conduct
The Delhi unit of the BJP on Tuesday accused the AAP and the Congress of violating the model code of conduct and sought action against them.
Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta urged the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi to ensure that strict action is taken to discourage frequent violations of the code.
He alleged that the Congress has released a "highly objectionable video" on its Twitter handle on 22 March, in which they had used "abusive language for the prime minister".
"The video is full of lies, distortions; half-truth and a tell-tale sign of the low levels Congress is ready to stoop to mislead the public. The use of abusive language is done in the video and it should have no place in the process of elections in a democratic set up," he said, adding that he lodged a complaint with the Delhi poll body.
Modi 'Only' PM to Give Befitting Reply to Pak
BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said Narendra Modi was the "only" prime minister who had responded strongly to terror activities in Pakistan, likening the Centre's response to the US action against terrorism.
"We attacked on Pakistan without any delay after the Pulwama attack, while the Opposition leaders were insisting for negotiation, Shah said at a 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district.
The Bharatiya Janata Party chief alleged that the Opposition was insulting the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack by asking questions on the number of casualties in the Balakot airstrike.
No Contest for BJP Nominee in Arunachal's Aalo East Seat
BJP candidate from Aalo East assembly constituency, Kento Jini, is set to be elected unopposed, after nomination papers of his lone rival Minkir Lollen of the Congress was found invalid on Tuesday.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kanki Darang said the official announcement would be made after March 28, the last date of withdrawal of candidature.
Altogether 198 candidates remained in fray for 60 assembly constituencies, after scrutiny of papers on Tuesday.
The nomination papers of 13 candidates were found invalid during scrutiny for various reasons, Darang said.
There are 24 independents in the race to contest the the assembly polls.
100 TMC MLAs Will Switch Over to BJP Soon: Arjun Singh
West Bengal BJP leader Arjun Singh, who has recently crossed over from the TMC, claimed on Tuesday that about 100 Trinamool Congress MLAs would switch over to the saffron party "very soon".
The TMC declined to attach much importance to his statements and suggested him to see a doctor.
"Around 100 legislators from the ruling party are set to join the BJP. They are in touch with the BJP leaders on a regular basis. Some will join before the elections, the rest after," he told reporters.
AIMIM to Fight Only Aurangabad Seat in Maharashtra
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday, 26 March tweeted saying that his party will fight only on the Aurangabad seat in Maharashtra in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
EC Orders Transfer of Three Officials
The Election Commission has issued orders transferring Intelligence DG AB Venkateswara Rao, Kadapa SP Rahul Dev Sharma and Srikakulam SP Venkata Ratnam. The three are asked not to take-up any election related duty. Their immediate subordinates have been ordered to take charge, reported news agency ANI.
Model Code of Conduct Violation Complaint Lodged Against Sambit Patra
The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee has filed complaint with Chief Electoral Officer of the state against Sambit Patra, BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Puri, levelling allegation of violation of Model Code of Conduct by holding idol of Lord Jagannath in an election rally, reported news agency ANI.
Never Laid Claim on Any Sitting Seat of Allies : Paswan
Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan Tuesday sought to come clean in the face of the controversy over Union minister Giriraj Singh's Nawada seat being alloted to his party asserting that the LJP had never laid any claim on its own on a sitting seat of its allies, the BJP and the JD(U), reported news agency PTI.
At no point of time did we insist on laying claim on any of the sitting seats of our allies the BJP and the JD(U).
But when JD(U) expressed the desire to contest Munger, which was our (LJP's) sitting seat, we had simply requested that since our MP from that seat was a Bhumihar we should be compensated with some other constituency where the caste had a sizeable presence," Paswan told reporters.
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party Merges With BJP
In a letter to the Goa Assembly Speaker, MGP MLAs Manohar Ajgaonkar & Deepak Pauskar said they have agreed to merge the party with BJP, reported news agency ANI.
"Total strength of Legislators of MGP is three members & we constitute 2/3rd of the members," they said.
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