Elections 2023 highlights: Congress' core panel holds meet today for Rajasthan polls

Congress MLA from Indore-1 Sanjay Shukla on Tuesday accused rival BJP candidate Kailash Vijayvargiya of not disclosing information about two criminal cases against him in the affidavit submitted along with the nomination for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, however, said he was not trying to hide anything and if there was an omission, it will be rectified.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that no other party comes close to BJP in addressing the concerns and problems of Northeastern people in the country.

Speaking to ANI, Kiren Rijiju said, "If the BJP comes to power, then all the concerns and important demands of the people of Mizoram will be settled as per the manifesto which we had released. The tribal culture, tribal customary laws etc are the priority of the BJP govt. Mizoram is safeguarded by the provisions of the Constitution. The BJP will ensure that each and every provision is implemented."

"Kamal Nath has met all your (outsource employees) demands in the promissory note of the Congress party and now there will be no regrets. Everyone will get a permanent government job. You had to face injustice for the last 18 years in the state but after December 3, you will face justice," Nakul Nath said.

He further said that now only 17 to 18 days were left for polls, they should support the Congress party and should come to Kamal Nath's oath ceremony on December 7.

"The Election Commission, having regard to the provisions of sub-Section (2) of the said Section, hereby notifies the period between 7:00 am on 7th November 2023 (Tuesday) and 6:30 PM on 30th November 2023 (Thursday) as the period during which conducting and publishing or publicizing exit polls by means of the print or electronic media or dissemination in any other manner whatsoever, the result of any exit poll in connection with the aforesaid General Elections and bye-election shall be prohibited," the official notification issued by ECI read.

“On one side, your CM, his family and on the other side, Telangana's people, mothers, sisters and unemployed youth. The government has two greatest signs which are very well known by the people of Telangana and you get to hear about it every day. The biggest deceit is that of the Kaleshwaram project. BJP-BRS looted ₹1 Lakh Crore from the people of Telangana...,” says Rahul Gandhi in Kollapur

"Today, my sister (Priyanka Gandhi) was supposed to be here, but she has fever. As I have told you all earlier too, our relationship is not political but like that of a family. Therefore, when my sister couldn't come, I decided to be here," says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a public gathering in Kollapur, Telangana.

State Congress president Revanth Reddy says, "BRS has looted us. They are asking to make him (KCR) a third time CM now. Your family is already holding ministries. If made a third time CM, will you bring your relatives also in the ministry? They will destroy Telangana if they come to power for the third time."

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday blamed the Congress party for the knife attack on BRS candidate K Prabhakar Reddy in Siddipet district.

Prabhakar Reddy, the party's candidate from Dubbak segment was stabbed with a knife allegedly by a 38-year-old man in Siddipet district on Monday while he was campaigning for the November 30 Assembly elections.

"Yesterday, Congress durmargulu (wicked fellows) attacked our party candidate with knives. By God's grace he is alive. We could save his life by taking him to hospital and treating him in an emergency," Rao said at an election rally here.

"Many people are talking about how some MLAs have become wealthy in the past three and a half years by changing their political sides. But the real concern for the unemployed youth, farmers, and common people is the corruption within the BJP. And that's why I think, the Congress will win more than 150 seats," said Congress leader Jaivardhan Singh on Madhya Pradesh elections.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday took a swipe at Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, referring to them as "Sholay" film characters 'Jai' and 'Veeru', who he said were fighting between themselves over the distribution of plundered booty. His criticism came days after Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala equated Kamal Nath, who is party's Madhya Pradesh unit president, and Digvijaya Singh, its Rajya Sabha member, with 'Jai' and 'Veeru' characters played by actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, respectively, in the 1975 film.

"You have been facing injustice for the past 18 years. But after December 3, you will see justice. It's a matter of a few days, please support Congress and I invite you all to attend Kamal Nath’s oath-taking ceremony on December 7," says Congress MP Nakul Nath during election campaigning in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

Congress leaders, including Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra, arrive at the party HQ for the Central Election Committee meeting for Rajasthan Assembly polls.

Denied ticket for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, a BJP rebel is all set to make it an issue of Chittorgarh's pride and contest the November 25 election as an Independent candidate.

Two-time MLA Chandrabhan Singh Aakya's supporters had held a series of protests when the BJP declared former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's son-in-law and five-time MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi as its candidate from the Chittorgarh Assembly seat.

This assembly segment falls under the Lok Sabha seat held by BJP state president C P Joshi. Akya has held Joshi directly responsible for the party denying him a ticket and alleged that he was targeted because of an old political rivalry.

Chhattisgarh officials say that in this rendition of the state’s assembly polls, there will be 126 new polling booths in areas where there were none before, owing to Maoist influence in those areas. In Bijapur, Tarrem is one of the 6 new villages to have booths. Of the rest, 15 are in Kanker, 12 in Antagarh, 5 in Bhanupratappur (Kanker district), 20 in Konta (Sukma district), 14 in Chitrakot, 4 in Jagdalpur, 1 in Bastar (Bastar district), 13 in Kondagaon, 19 in Keshkal (Kondagaon district), 9 in Narayanpur, and 8 in Dantewada.

Congress leader Pradeep Jain Aditya on Tuesday said if his party comes to power in Madhya Pradesh, it will waive the fees charged for government job recruitment exams in the state.

Addressing a press conference, Jain claimed more than one crore youth in Madhya Pradesh were unemployed and only 40 lakh of them were registered with the government.

The biggest problem is that there are a dozen chief ministerial candidates in Telangana Congress, says chief minsiter K Chandrasekhar Rao at a rally.

Deploring the knife attack on BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy who is a candidate in the upcoming assembly elections, BRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said negative forces who resort to such attacks should be taught a lesson. Prabhakar Reddy, who is the BRS candidate in Dubbak assembly constituency, was stabbed by a 38-year-old man with a knife, while he was campaigning in Siddipet district on Monday.

“BJP is scared of their defeat which is why the central agencies are being misused by them across the nation. Everyone has accepted this and it has become a common notion. However, I believe that Congress leaders and workers are not going to be intimidated by this and will successfully form a government with a clear majority (in Rajasthan),” says Sachin Pilot.

Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, the bastion of royals, is set to witness a high-stakes battle between the main rivals BJP and Congress for control over this key political turf in the upcoming state assembly polls.

Guna district has four assembly segments – Raghogarh, Chachoura, Bamori and Guna. Two of them are held by the family members of Congress Rajya Sabha member and former state chief minister Digvijaya Singh and the other two by the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP on Monday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India alleging that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's announcement of "seven guarantees" ahead of the November 25 assembly elections violates the poll code.

Last Friday, Gehlot announced five guarantees for the people of Rajasthan, including a law on the Old Pension Scheme, buying cow dung and providing a laptop or a tablet to government college students, if his government is reelected. Two 'guarantees' were announced in Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's public meeting earlier.

Congress' state unit in Telangana is witnessing dissent over ticket distribution, with disgruntled party leaders flocking towards the ruling BRS which is actively wooing them.

The denial of tickets has prompted some key leaders, including former ministers to bid adieu to the grand old party, only to be quickly welcomed by the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS).

In the ruling saddle since 2014, BRS is eyeing a hattrick of electoral triumphs this time.

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Tuesday said if his party is elected to power, it will get a caste census done to ensure justice to the backward classes and set up a commission to provide them equal opportunities.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during her poll rallies in MP has also pitched for a caste census, saying the exercise is necessary to know the exact number of people from OBC, SC and ST communities in the country so that policies can be framed accordingly to provide benefits to them.

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath has claimed that many people from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were going to join the Congress party.

Nath made the remark while speaking to the reporters in the state capital Bhopal on Tuesday.

"Many people from BJP are going to join Congress and they all will support the truth. They are understanding the sentiments of the voters of Madhya Pradesh so they wanted to join the Congress party," Nath said.