Assembly elections Highlights: Chhattisgarh, Mizoram gear up for month-long poll battle tomorrow

Odisha tightened security at its border with Chhattisgarh, where polling will be held on Tuesday for the assembly elections. According to Koraput's Superintendent Police Avinabh Sonkar, counter-insurgency operations have been started by the security forces, comprising the BSF, DVF (district voluntary force) and SOG (special operation group), in at least five strategic locations, reported PTI.

Congress released the third list of party candidates for the Telangana Assembly elections.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Revanth Reddy on Monday filed his nomination from the Kodangal Assembly constituency earlier today. Besides Kodangal, he is also contesting from the Kamareddy seat.

BJP MP Ravi Kishan on Monday held a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Umaria. Speaking to the media, the MP said, ““CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan will form government again and no power can stop it from happening, because people know all too well to not give a chance to the party of looters.”

BJP National President JP Nadda held a roadshow in Bilaspur's Tifra in Chhattisgarh ahead of the first phase of voting tomorrow. “This election is about making a decision between the right and the wrong party. One one side there is a party that indulges in corruption and scams. On the other hand, is a party that works for development,” he said while addressing a rally.

Voting for the first phase of assembly polls for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will take place on Tuesday, with poll officials stating that 25,249 personnel have been deployed for the purpose. The voting will be held between 7 am and 3 pm in 10 seats - Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta

Security tightened ahead of the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections.

BJP President JP Nadda plays a traditional drum during his visit to Chhal, Raigahr in the poll-bound state of Chhattisgarh.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ED raids across the country saying, “Before the PM goes on a poll campaign, he sends ED, Income Tax, and CBI.” He added, “PM Modi helping the rich after getting the votes of the poor; under him, the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday addressed a rally in poll-bound Rajasthan and hit out at the BJP indirectly saying, “Only talks will not do anything...There should be food, jobs, and schools for learning...Nothing will happen in the country by slogans and giving good speeches.”

Union minister Prahlad Joshi on Monday said that the BJP will “break record by winning more than 163 seats in Rajasthan”.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Congress comes to power by turning staes into ‘ATM of one family’ and making fake guarantees.

“Everyone knows about the Congress and corruption as witnessed during the UPA government. Within four months of the Congress government in Karnataka, ₹109 crore were found in the house of a contractor. Guarantees were not fulfilled but they started fulfilling their one motive - to make Karnataka an ATM,” he said.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot filed his nomination papers from Sardarpura assembly seat in Jodhpur, a Congress stronghold from where the CM made recurrent win since 1998.

"Earlier Rajasthan was known as a backwards state but now it has changed. Today, Rajasthan has AIIMS, IITs, IIMs and other universities. When I became the CM for the first time, there were only 6 universities and now there are over 100 colleges...People of the state are in the mood to repeat the government in Rajasthan," he told media.

The high-profile poll battle in Telangana will take place in the state's Gajwel assembly seat where CM K Chandrasekhar Rao will be up against his former colleague and BJP MLA Etala Rajender in the November 30 Assembly polls.

With assembly elections just a fortnight away, Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan is leaving no stone unturned to retain power in the Hindi heartland state. In an interview to Ranjan and Shruti Tomar, the four-time CM discusses his key promises for the November 17 elections, and if growing anti-incumbency and infighting will affect the BJP’s prospects in a state where it has been in power for over 18 of the last 20 years. Read more

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday took a dig at PM Narendra Modi over his announcement that his government will extend the free ration scheme for five years, saying this was needed even after "10 years of Achche Din".

"Global Hunger Index, India ranked 111 out of 125 countries (October 13, 2023). India rejects ranking. Now PM: Extends PMGKA Yojana for another 5 years so that 'people don't go to sleep hungry'," Sibal wrote on X.

AAP released its fifth list of candidates, BSP also released another list of 26 candidates and BJP also released the sixth list of candidates for Rajasthan elections.

Chhattisgarh has made ample arrangement to ensure tight security as the state goes for first phase of assembly polls tomorrow. Over 600 polling booths in the sensitive Naxal-hit Bastar division will be under three-layered security cover.

Around 60,000 security personnel, 40,000 of them belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 20,000 from the state police, have been deployed for the smooth conduct of polls in Bastar division which has 12 assembly segments, they said. Members of the elite anti-Naxal unit CoBRA and women commandos will also be a part of the security apparatus, the police said.