Lok Sabha Election 2024 highlights: Congress releases first list of 39 candidates

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The Congress has released its first list of 39 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections a day after the CEC held a meeting in the national capital.

--The Congress has released its first list of 39 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections a day after the CEC held a meeting in the national capital.

--According to the list, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel will contest from Rajnandgaon and Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram. Notably, Tharoor will square off against Union Minister and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

--Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Wayanad again.

--Other prominent names in the list are K Sudhakaran (Kannur), DK Suresh (Bangalore Rural), K Muraleedharan (Thrissur) and Anto Antony (Pathanamthitta).

'We have invited all parties who are part of the INDIA alliance to join the culmination ceremony of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai.' KC Venugopal

Congress party briefing by KC Venugopal, General Secretary (Org), Ajay Maken, Treasurer andPawan Khera, Chairman at 7 PM.

--BJP meeting will take place in Delhi over Maharashtra alliance at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence at 7 PM.

--BJP President JP Nadda, CM of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM's of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar will also be present.

Mehbooba Mufti responds to NC, says what BJP couldn’t do, has been done by PAGD members. People of JK had expectations from PAGD and then INDIA alliance. It’s a big setback for the people.

MP & Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Chowdhury says, "... What PM Modi does, ask this to common people. People should also ask themselves while standing in front of the mirror, the mirror will tell them... Rahul Gandhi has taken 'Paanch Pran' in which he has promised the guarantee of MSP for the farmers and startups for the unemployed. He (Rahul Gandhi) fulfils all the promises that he makes, see Karnataka, Rajasthan. We may lose but we stand by our promises... After all the loot over the years, when the conditions of women weren't good, PM Modi thought of giving some relaxation (slashing LPG cylinder prices). When the elections are coming closer, this is a kind of bribery in the name of relaxation that he (PM Modi) has given with the hope that it will reflect in the ballot box..."

In a bid to conduct free and fair Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar on Thursday held a review meeting with divisional commissioners, district electoral officers and senior police officials.

Various issues, including safety and security for voters and basic amenities at polling booths, were discussed during the meeting. Kumar said all polling booths in the state would be prepared as model ones.

A direction has been given to ensure proper arrangements at all booths to assist physically challenged voters, women and senior citizens. In view of the summer season, directions have also been given to ensure arrangements for sheds and drinking water at all polling booths," he said. The CEO also directed all the police officials to maintain strict law and order during the election work.

(PTI)

The turnout of women voters has been steadily increasing with every election. Women voters in India are now at the forefront, with several political parties, including the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress wooing them with monthly allowances, saving schemes, wage hikes among others.

A major shift in India's electoral landscape is anticipated by the end of this decade, according to report by SBI’s Economic Research Department (ERD). The report also states that women voters in India will surpass male voters from 2029 onwards. Check the fineprint here

Gangopadhyay reportedly became the first high court judge to resign and join a political party in India. He told NDTV that his swift career change was caused by "insulting remarks from Trinamool persons... when I was discovering huge corruption and trying to ensure justice is done".

"My resignation is the result of insulting remarks by Trinamool persons against me... when I was trying to do justice as I was exploring and discovering huge corruption in education appointments - school teachers and employees in different schools - in the state," Gangopadhyay told the news channel.

She also accused him of being responsible for taking away the jobs of thousands of youths across the state through his verdicts. “From the very first day, we were saying that this man sitting on the (High Court) bench does not want people getting jobs. It is now clear… Every day, he gave lectures, gave interviews to TV channels. Now, the mask has come off and the real face has been exposed. He is now a BJP babu,” said the CM.

Regarding Gangopadhyay's judgments ordering probes by central agencies into alleged irregularities in government recruitments, she said, “The youths will not forgive you. All your judgments are under question…We will ensure your defeat no matter from where you contest in the Lok Sabha polls.”

Following Calcutta High Court former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay's decision to join the saffron party on March 7, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee referred to him as the "BJP babu."

“While occupying the chair of justice, the BJP babu announced he would join the party. Can anyone expect justice from such people? Every single day, they accept a PIL and work under the BJP’s instructions,” she said while maintaining that she does not want to comment on judges. “I am happy their masks are finally off.”

“In the last two years, the PDP has targeted the BJP less and the NC more. When Ghulam Nabi Azad recently targeted Farooq Abdullah, the PDP joined them. What kind of coalition dharma is this?” Omar questioned.

The Congress too was informed in the beginning itself that there are only six parliamentary seats in the Union Territory and the scope for coalition is very less. However, this can be done during the Assembly election as there are many seats, he said.

“I had offered to the Congress that if Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi were interested to contest from the Anantnag Lok Sabah seat, we would leave it. For any other party, we cannot leave our seat,” Omar said.

Rift between the National Conference and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, both constituents of the INDIA bloc, has widened with former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah refusing to forge an alliance on the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat.

Omar cited the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s previous poll performance as the reason for not forging an alliance. The Anantnag constituency is represented by Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference in the Lok Sabha.

“In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the PDP was at the third position in the state. How can number one and number two parties afford to leave their claim and give it (the Anantnag seat) to the third one. Also, this (the constituency) doesn’t seem to have much of a support for the BJP,” Omar said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is currently in the final stages of preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2024. As part of its preparation, the ECI is discussing security arrangements with the Union Home Ministry for the deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel across India. This is a routine meeting that takes place before every election, and it will occur later today.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for deploying the forces on the direction of the EC for the elections. The list of personnel includes all CAPFs, State Armed Police Forces, Indian Reserve Battalion, Railway Protection Force and others.

Today, AAP’s Delhi Lok Sabha campaign is launching…The launch slogan is ‘Sansad main bhi Kejriwal, tabhi Delhi hogi aur khushhal’…Whenever I do something best for you all then the central government and L-G try to halt it, why? They hate the 2 crore people of Delhi because you people have dared to make a common man the Chief Minister, more than once.

-- Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal

"I have already told you that the party that stands on number 3 has no right to ask for a seat. How many people are there with PDP today who brought them to the third place? If I had been told before joining INDIA alliance that we would have to weaken ourselves for another member of the alliance, then I would have never joined the INDIA alliance," NC VP Omar Abdullah

In a setback for the saffron camp just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Mukut Mani Adhikari, a BJP MLA from the Matua bastion in West Bengal's Nadia district, has joined the TMC. Adhikari, who represents the Ranaghat Dakshin constituency for the BJP, expressed his dissatisfaction with the saffron party's decision to field sitting MP Jagganath Sarkar again from Ranaghat. He said, "I think TMC is the only platform where you can work for the masses. So I decided to join them."

Adhikari was seen walking alongside Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during a TMC rally in Kolkata, which further confirmed his move to the ruling party.

"In a developing nation, problems should be resolved by having discussions. PM Modi always thinks about the issues faced by the farmers and tries to resolve them. Yesterday, we fixed the MSP for the jute farmers, which is going to benefit them. The central govt works with a pragmatic approach."

(From ANI)

I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our 'Nari Shakti', exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised legal guarantee on MSP to farmers, social security for gig workers and Rs 5,000 cr fund for startups in Rajasthan. During the Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Rajasthan, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi emphasised the party's manifesto, highlighting a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Goa is yet another state whose political theatre is dominated by the two mainstream national parties: BJP and Congress. However, over the years, several regional parties have also emerged in the tourist state, making the political contest here more complex and competitive. The coming Lok Sabha election in Goa assumes great significance for both BJP and Congress, as each party currently holds one seat in the state. Congress's Cosme Francisco Caitano Sardinha is the incumbent MP from South Goa while BJP's Shripad Yesso Naik represents North Goa. For more, read here

With forty parliamentary seats, Bihar holds a crucial position for political parties in forming the government at the Centre. The state witnessed a significant political change in January this year when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also the leader of Janata Dal (United), ended ties with its regional ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

It was the second time in ten years that the JD(U) chief switched sides, promising to stay in the NDA fold permanently and continue working for the people of his state. Check the whole story here

Assam is one of the key states in northeastern part of India and comprises a total of 14 Lok Sabha constituencies -- including Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Silchar, Autonomous District, Dhubri, Gauhati, Mangaldoi, Kaliabor, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Tezpur, Nowgong and Jorhat. Prior to the year 2014, Congress had a substantial command over the Lok Sabha seats of the state. However, since then, the party's popularity has gone down substantially, thereby creating space for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to establish itself in the state. Here's the detailed story

Following the party’s Central Election Committee meeting held on Thursday, Kerala Congress MLA and Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said that the Congress will be contesting for 16 seats in the state, with the allied parties contesting for the remaining four seats. The Revolutionary Socialist Party (B) and Kerala Congress (Joseph) will each receive one seat, while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is anticipated to contest on two seats, he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to launch their poll campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the national capital on Friday, the party said.

Kejriwal will be joined by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann in the presence of party leaders and declared candidates. Notably, the party has started devising strategies for the campaign, focusing on various issues, including highlighting the BJP's decision to drop sitting MPs. Additionally, AAP is going to contest the general elections in alliance with Congress and both parties have closed their seat-sharing negotiations for Delhi Lok Sabha seats on a 4:3 formula.

India is gearing up for its election summer in 2024 with the highly anticipated Lok Sabha polls set to take place during the months of April and May. Over 960 million voters will be eligible to cast their votes in the coming elections, which will be the biggest democratic exercise in the world. The crucial elections will decide the fate of political parties across the spectrum and define the country’s electoral landscape for at least the next five years. Check out, here

Congress is likely to release its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls today. The party organised CEC meeting to finalise candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, TS Singhdeo, and others. According to reports, the party has cleared 11 names from Karnataka and 7 from Telangana.

In the 2019 elections, Rahul secured a significant victory in Wayanad, but faced defeat in Amethi, the traditional Congress stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, to BJP leader Smriti Irani.

According to sources, the name of senior party leader and MP Shashi Tharoor was also approved for Thiruvananthapuram. The BJP has nominated Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as its candidate for the seat in Kerala. There is also a possibility of K. C. Venugopal contesting in the upcoming polls.

According to News18 sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency again in the coming Lok Sabha polls after he received the green light during the first meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) in the national capital on Thursday evening.

Rahul Gandhi, a member of the CEC, participated in the meeting virtually from Gujarat.

Thiruvananthapuram is set for a high-stakes electoral showdown as incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor defends his seat against BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI's Pannyan Raveendran. The contest has turned into a three-way race and is being closely watched in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Read in detail, here

Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani from Amethi
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj from New Delhi
former Assam Chief Minsiter Sarbananda Sonowal from Dibrugarh

In preparation for the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission has requested the deployment of 150 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in West Bengal. Reports indicate that around 100 companies will be dispatched to the state by the end of this week, while an additional 50 companies will be sent in the second week of March. A total of 1,500 companies will be deployed across various states in different phases during the Lok Sabha elections.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi on Thursday night. This meeting has sparked speculations of a possible BJP-TDP alliance in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Sources suggest that both parties are ready to collaborate. A second round of talks is scheduled to be held today.

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