Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Highlights: Opposition takes dig at BJP's 'Modi ka Parivar' campaign; BRS, RLD announce candidates

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The delimitation exercise conducted last year forced the BJP to revise its candidate list in Assam, prompting a revision a day after initially announcing 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, the Congress has postponed its plan to declare candidates for the 14 seats in the state. Read more.

- National Conference (NC) Tuesday said while the party will be contesting all the three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir valley, it is in talks with the Congress to decide on three seats of Jammu and Ladakh regions. Both the parties are members of the opposition INDIA bloc.

- The NC's announcement came after a marathon meeting of its parliamentary board at the party headquarters here. "The National Conference will contest these three seats from the valley on its own," NC provincial president, Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani, told reporters after the meeting.

- The Farooq Abdullah-led party, however, said discussions were on with the Congress for seat sharing on two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh. "For the rest three seats, including Ladakh, talks with the Congress are on," Wani said.

People of Maharashtra will give more than 45 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state: Amit Shah at rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

- The BJP is an expert in setting a poll narrative, he said when asked about the Congress's electoral prospects in the central state. Nath once again dismissed speculation about his switch to the BJP.

- "Have you (media) ever heard from me? You have spread the news and all are asking questions to me. I had earlier told the journalists that they should issue a rebuttal," he said. Nath said his son and sitting MP Nakul Nath will once again contest from the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency.

- "I have dedicated my youth to the development of Chhindwara and share 45-year-long relations with the people there," he said when asked about BJP's efforts to wrest the constituency. The senior Nath rejoined the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, in Ujjain after a brief break.

Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Tuesday said feedback from the people suggested that the Grand Old Party would win 12 to 13 seats in Madhya Pradesh in Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP virtually white-washed Congress by bagging 28 of 29 seats in MP, with the Chhindwara constituency, won by Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath, being the sole exception.

Speaking to reporters in Ujjain, Nath said the Central Election Committee (CEC) of Congress is expected to declare the names of about 15 to 20 candidates from MP after a meeting on Wednesday. "Congress will win 12 to 13 seats in Madhya Pradesh. I interacted with people at several places and got this feedback," the former chief minister said.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple and Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram today morning. He is contesting from the Thiruvananthapuram seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Tuesday held its council meeting where 14 agendas out of 15, including those related to mid-day meal, water and pollution, were passed, officials said.

Addressing a press conference, NDMC member Kuljeet Chahal said this meeting was the last before the Lok Sabha polls.

"Through 'Har ghar jal yojana', the water supply will be provided to every cluster households in the NDMC area. The council has also sanctioned the budget of Rs 52.79 crore for collecting, transporting and dumping of C&D waste in the area," Chahal said.

- Four new ministers were inducted Tuesday into the Council headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was administered the oath of office alongside RLD's Anil Kumar and two BJP leaders.

- They were sworn-in as ministers by Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in the presence of Adityanath. Apart from SBSP's Rajbhar and RLD's Kumar, Dara Singh Chauhan and Sunil Kumar Sharma from the BJP are the new entrants into the state Cabinet.

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya may be gloating over the fact that her father's query at a Patna rally about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's family whereabouts forced "people to change their family". Rohini, whose presence at the Opposition rally marked yet another Yadav clan member’s entry in to the political foray, could not help but mock several Union ministers and BJP leaders who added “Modi Ka Parivar” in their bio on X (formerly Twitter). Read more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "People of the INDI alliance have increased their attacks on Modi. They are saying that Modi doesn't have a family...Your (INDI alliance) ideology is 'family first' but Modi's ideology is that of 'nation first'."

- Former Gujarat Congress chief and ex-MLA Arjun Modhwadia along with the party's former working president Ambarish Der joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, a day after they quit the grand old party.

- The two leaders joined the saffron party at its state headquarters 'Kamalam' here along with several others.State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves.State BJP chief C R Paatil inducted them into the party by offering them saffron caps and scarves.

- Modhwadia and Der resigned on Monday, expressing anguish over the party's decision to "boycott" Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya in January.Interestingly, both leaders announced their decision to quit Congress just three days ahead of the scheduled entry of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Gujarat.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that governments prior to the year 2014 never shown interest in the timely completion of projects adding that those projects that remained stuck in the previous governments were completed under the tenure of BJP-led Centre in the past 10 years.

Prime Minister in Odisha's Chandikhole inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crore.

In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NCP has called Lok Sabha constituency review meeting. The meeting will take place for 2 days. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and party leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Baba Siddiqui and others are present at the meeting.

In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NCP has called Lok Sabha constituency review meeting. The meeting will take place for 2 days. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and party leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Baba Siddiqui and others are present at the meeting.

- The opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh on Monday targeted BJP candidate from the Surguja (ST) Lok Sabha seat, Chintamani Maharaj, and said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had named him as a "beneficiary" in the alleged coal levy scam, but after joining the saffron party he got a "clean chit". Maharaj, a former Congress MLA, said he has no information about the issue and hence will not comment on it. He joined the BJP ahead of the last year's assembly polls after he was denied a ticket by the Congress which was then in power in the state.

- Chhattisgarh's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in January this year registered a case in alleged coal levy scam based on a letter by the ED which has been probing money laundering angle in the matter for the last three years.The FIR named 35 people, including former state minister Amarjeet Bhagat, incumbent Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, former MLAs UD Minj, Gulab Kamro, Chandradev Prasad Rai, Shishupal Sori and Birhaspat Singh, IAS officers Sameer Bishnoi and Ranu Sahu, then-deputy secretary at chief minister's officer Soumya Chaurasia, as accused.

- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for re-election to the state legislative council.

- Kumar, who is running for a fourth consecutive term, filed his nomination papers in the presence of a host of senior leaders of the ruling NDA, including his deputies Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, who belong to the BJP, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh "Lalan" whom he succeeded as the JD(U) national president.

- Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay says he is joining BJP, hours after resigning as judge of Calcutta High Court

- He said, "Maybe on 7th (March) in the afternoon. There is a tentative program, when I will join BJP."

- Former Gujarat deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Patel on Sunday said he has withdrawn his claim to contest from Mehsana Lok Sabha seat.

- In a post on social media, Patel said he had staked a claim for Mehsana seat and requested the party to field him as its nominee.

- On inviting suggestions from the public for the party manifesto ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil said, "We will be placing suggestion boxes at the party's district offices, temples and colleges across the state. From the Kamalam office in Gandhinagar, two suggestion boxes each are being sent to every Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat."

- "We will try to include the suggestions from the public in our poll manifesto," he added.

- Former Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia joins BJP

- Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said strict instructions have been issued to the West Bengal bureaucracy to ensure a level playing field for all political parties, and asserted that any form of violence will not be tolerated during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

- Kumar, addressing a press conference, said the goal of the Election Commission is to ensure a free, fair and violence-free elections in the state. "There is no place for fear or intimidation in elections. Partisan approach of the bureaucracy will not be tolerated; we have made this clear," he said.

- The Election Commission (EC) will set up separate polling stations for women and persons with disabilities, announced the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar during a press conference in Kolkata on March 5, as the nation prepares to go into elections for the 18th Lok Sabha.

- Details here.

- The opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh on Monday targeted BJP candidate from the Surguja (ST) Lok Sabha seat, Chintamani Maharaj, and said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had named him as a "beneficiary" in the alleged coal levy scam, but after joining the saffron party he got a "clean chit".

- Maharaj, a former Congress MLA, said he has no information about the issue and hence will not comment on it. He joined the BJP ahead of the last year's assembly polls after he was denied a ticket by the Congress which was then in power in the state.

- Derek O' Brien, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, reaffirmed his party's position last week that it will stand alone in the forthcoming West Bengal Lok Sabha elections.

- According to the TMC chief, the party's stance on running for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, a couple in Assam, and one in Meghalaya has not changed.

- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RLD) published a list of two candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, just two days after formally joining the BJP-led NDA.

- The party, led by Jayant Chaudhary, has nominated Chandan Chauhan from Bijnor and Rajkumar Sangwan from Bagpat in western Uttar Pradesh.

- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asked the BJP workers to strive for polling of 370 additional votes in each booth, compared to the last general polls, to achieve the target of winning more than 370 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

- He was speaking to nearly 400 leaders and workers of the booth management committee of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal cluster comprising four Lok Sabha seats - Morena, Bhind, Guna and Gwalior.

- Each vote counts for the party, Shah said as he asked the workers to ensure polling of additional 370 votes in each booth, compared to the last elections, a local BJP leader, who attended the meeting, quoted Shah as saying.

- Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu Zone, Anand Jain, on Monday conducted a comprehensive review security apparatus and readiness for the election in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch border district and called for proactive measures to maintain law and order in the run-up to the polls.

- The ADGP laid focus on assessing the current trends in terrorists movement, identifying areas of concern and formulating effective action plans to address them, a spokesman said.

- INDIA bloc partners SP and Congress on Wednesday announced a tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the UP's main opposition party leaving 17 out of the 80 seats in the state for the ally.

- In Madhya Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party will contest on a single seat, Khajuraho, and support the Congress in the remaining constituencies in the state.

- The BJP, in its representation to the full bench of the Election Commission (EC), on Monday demanded that only central armed police forces (CAPF) be deployed in West Bengal to ensure free and fair Lok Sabha polls in the state.

- A three-member delegation of the party met EC officials here and said that area domination exercise and route march must be carried out based on central IB inputs.

- The Congress's social media platforms featured the hashtag 'Modi ka asli parivar", taking a dig at PM Modi's connections with Adani.
- Congress MP Rahul Gandhi shared a photo of himself addressing Parliament, prominently displaying a picture of PM Modi traveling in a plane with Adani.
- The Congress leader took to microblogging site X, remarking, "Farmers are in debt, youths are unemployed, labourers are helpless, and the country is being looted by Modi's 'real family'."

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to enhance manufacturing in India as it endeavors for a third consecutive term in office. T
- his initiative has the potential to strengthen the country's influence over supply chains and generate employment, according to a statement from a government advisor, stated a Bloomberg report.
- Arvind Virmani, a member of the policy-making agency Niti Aayog, mentioned in an interview with Bloomberg that the government, under Modi's leadership, will focus on export-oriented sectors facing high import duties that impede their competitiveness.

- Commenting on BJP's "Modi ka Parivar" campaign, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said on March 5, "Those who are rich are your family members, the legislators you have bought for Rs 50 crore are your family members. We are not among your family members".

- Responding to the 'Parivarvaad' comment by former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav about PM Narendra Modi, SBSP Chief OP Rajbhar asserts, "... Lalu Prasad Yadav was a prominent figure in both national and state politics. However, he is no longer active in either... PM Narendra Modi serves as the leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Indian family. The duty to ensure their safety, well-being, and rights rests on his shoulders... A population of 1.4 billion Indians is flourishing under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi."

- The BJP's "Modi ka Parivar" slogan evokes memories of the 2019 "Main bhi Chowkidar Hoon" campaign, triggered by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's assertion that "Chowkidar chor hai".
- During a pre-2014 Lok Sabha election rally in Karnataka, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of favoring an Anil Ambani company involved in a deal.
- He coined the phrase "Chowkidar Chor Hai" as a taunt aimed at PM Modi, who had previously presented himself as a vigilant watchman intolerant of corruption.
- Following this, the PM and other senior BJP leaders added "Chowkidar" to their names on Twitter, with the PM identifying himself as "Chowkidar Narendra Modi," a trend followed by other BJP figures. Know more.

- On March 4, the Ministry of Home Affairs disclosed that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a substantial 69 percent decline in terrorist incidents over the past decade.
- Furthermore, the Kashmir Valley has recorded a noteworthy 100 percent reduction in stone-pelting occurrences, with no reported instances in 2023, as indicated by the Ministry.
- The report also highlights an 81 percent drop in civilian fatalities and a 47 percent decrease in casualties among security forces in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during the ten-year tenure of the Modi government.

- Two days following discussions between Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary and Home Minister Amit Shah, as well as BJP National President JP Nadda, the party has announced Rajkumar Sangwan as their candidate for the Baghpat constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
- Sangwan, a committed RLD member, holds significant leadership status within the local Jat community.
- The Chaudhary Charan Singh clan has opted to abstain from participating in the Lower House election for the first time in history.

- The Election Commission (EC) announced that 96.88 crore people are registered to vote in the upcoming General Elections, making it the largest electorate in history.

- The EC revealed that over two crore youth electors aged 18 to 29 have been added to the voters' list.

- Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the Mahayuti alliance has resolved to win 45 seats in the state in the Lok Sabha polls to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India a top economy.

- Addressing a gathering, the chief minister highlighted the achievements of the state government across various sectors and the benefits of a "double engine government".

- Former Gujarat deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Patel on Sunday said he has withdrawn his claim to contest from Mehsana Lok Sabha seat.

- In a post on social media, Patel said he had staked a claim for Mehsana seat and requested the party to field him as its nominee.

- Election Commission of India (ECI) on February 27, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to amplify its voter outreach and awareness efforts ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

- Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is a fight between dictatorship and democracy.

- "We are not against PM Modi and Amit Shah. We have united to defeat the dictatorial tendencies. This generation has a historical responsibility to protect democracy in the country. The 2024 general election is about dictatorship versus democracy," Thackeray added.

- Union Minister Anurag Thakur urged the citizens of India, especially the youth to join the 'Mera Pehla Vote – Desh Ke Liye' campaign aimed at encouraging young voters to exercise their democratic right.

- During his 110th Mann ki Baat address on February 26, Prime Minister Modi lauded the Election Commission of India's new campaign ‘Mera Pehla Vote – Desh Ke Liye’.

- Through the campaign, first time voters have been especially requested to vote in maximum numbers, said PM Modi.

- Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday targeted the BJP government at the Centre, saying it should give account of its old promises.

- The Modi government at the Centre should first give an account of the promises made by the BJP in 2014 and 2019 because the people have not yet forgotten the promises made in 2014 like bringing back black money from abroad in 100 days and creating two crore jobs per year, Gehlot said on X.

- The opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh on Monday targeted BJP candidate from the Surguja (ST) Lok Sabha seat, Chintamani Maharaj, and said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had named him as a "beneficiary" in the alleged coal levy scam, but after joining the saffron party he got a "clean chit".

- Maharaj, a former Congress MLA, said he has no information about the issue and hence will not comment on it. He joined the BJP ahead of the last year's assembly polls after he was denied a ticket by the Congress which was then in power in the state.

- The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday condemned the BJP's decision to field Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni from the Kheri Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and called upon farmers to organise procession in villages across India against his candidature.

- The farmers have been demanding the resignation of Teni, whose son Ashish allegedly ran his car over protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri in October 2021.

- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole on Monday chaired a meeting here to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

- During the meeting, extensive deliberations were held on district election management plans for Jammu, Samba and Reasi districts.

- The Shiv Sena is firm on contesting 18 seats it won in Maharashtra in the last Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said after a meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party MPs..

- The fate of the four seats it lost in the 2019 general elections will be decided by the CM, the leader added.

- The Shiv Sena is firm on contesting 18 seats it won in Maharashtra in the last Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said after a meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party MPs..

- The fate of the four seats it lost in the 2019 general elections will be decided by the CM, the leader added.

- The BRS on Monday announced its first list of four candidates, retaining two sitting members, for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Telangana has a total of 17 seats in the Lok Sabha

- The candidates announced by BRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao include Nama Nageswara Rao (Khammam), B Vinod Kumar (Karimnagar), Maloth Kavitha (Mahabubabad) and Koppula Eshwar (Peddapalli).

- Top BJP leaders kicked off a social campaign on March 4 by changing their X account profiles and bios to "Modi ka Parivar", in solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav's "Parivaarwaad" attack.