Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: Lalu Yadav’s daughters Misa, Rohini to contest polls

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: The BJP in a big decision fielded A Namassivayam from the Puducherry Lok Sabha constituency.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: BJP is completely scared, says RJD's Tej Pratap Yadav (File photo)

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: Political campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha Election 2024 has begun after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the polls. Lok Sabha Election 2024 is set to be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4....Read More

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• 22 Mar 2024, 10:36:17 PM IST

  Mumbai BJP leader Vivekanand Gupta files complaint against Sanjay Raut for "derogatory" remarks against PM Modi

  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mumbai Secretary Vivekanand Gupta has filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission against Shivsena UBT spokesperson Sanjay Raut for making "derogatory" remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting earlier in Maharashtra.

  The BJP leader has filed a formal complaint with the poll body against Raut for his Aurangzeb birthplace jibe targeting Prime Minister Modi. Gupta has also requested the EC for action against Sanjay Raut and to file an FIR against Raut.

  "This is our complaint against Mr Sanjay Raut, Chief Spokesman, Shiv Sena for making derogatory remarks against Narendra Modi Ji, Prime Minister of India. Mr Raut while speaking at a public meeting in Sangli, Buldhana, Maharashtra made derogatory remarks. He said, "Don't say Modi has come say Aurangzeb has arrived, we will bury them."

• 22 Mar 2024, 10:28:00 PM IST

  Del HC rejects Cong plea against tax demand since 2014-15

  The Delhi high court on Friday held that the Income Tax department has “substantial and concrete” evidence to seek further scrutiny and examination of unaccounted income earned by the Indian National Congress (INC) during the assessment years ranging from 2014-15 to 2020-21 of which the Court found a substantial unaccounted cash payout to the party by Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

  A bench of justices Yashwant Varma and Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav in its order dismissing the petition filed by INC said, “On a prima facie examination, it is evident that the respondents (IT department) appear to have collated substantial and concrete evidence warranting further scrutiny and examination under the Act.”

• 22 Mar 2024, 09:40:52 PM IST

  SAD's core committee spells out key issues for LS polls

  Shiromani Akali Dal's core committee on Friday spelt out the issues, policies, and principles on which it will go to the people of Punjab to seek a mandate in the Lok Sabha polls, said a statement.

  "The party will continue to put principles above politics and it will never deviate from its historic role as a champion of the interests of 'Khalsa Panth', all minorities as well as all Punjabis," the party statement said, quoting a resolution at the meeting here this evening.

  "At the same time, we will continue to devote all our energies towards preserving the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony on the basis of the vision of 'Sarbat da Bhala' (blessings for all)," it said.

• 22 Mar 2024, 09:22:34 PM IST

  PFE Panthers Party president Harsh Dev Singh protests outside Nirvachan Bhawan on Friday

  The president of the Panthers Party and former education minister Harsh Dev Singh alongwith his supporters including a couple of women leaders were allegedly heckled and roughed up before being detained outside Nirvachan Bhawan here on Friday.

  They were released in the evening.

  Singh and his supporters were protesting outside Nirvachan Bhawan here in protest against ECI’s decision of derecognizing Panthers Party and its party symbol “bicycle” for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

  Singh and his supporters raised slogans against the BJP government and ECI. He also accused ECI of hobnobbing with the BJP to further latter’s ‘agenda’.

  “Panthers Party is a registered party in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the BJP used ECI to derecognize Panthers Party. At the behest of the BJP, the ECI has abolished Panthers Party and party symbol without affording an opportunity to be heard. This is arbitrary and unconstitutional,” he told media persons.

• 22 Mar 2024, 08:23:36 PM IST

  TMC files complaint with ECI against Bengal Guv for interfering with election process

  The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday logged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose accusing him of interfering with the election process ahead of the Lok Sabha poll.

  “Beyond the confines of Article 324(6) of the Constitution, which specifies the contours and the role of the Governor, the Governor has no role to play in the election process. Any role sought to be played by the Governor, as is being done with the purported portal, is not only unauthorised but also tantamount to interference with the election process and transgresses into the powers of the exclusively demarcated for the ECI under the Constitution,” the TMC letter stated.

  This comes days after Bose launched a portal named Log Sabha to directly connect with the people during the Lok Sabha polls. The Raj Bhavan had said in a statement on Sunday that any citizen can send their suggestions and grievances to the Governor on the dedicated email.

• 22 Mar 2024, 08:22:03 PM IST

  Odisha: Six-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab deals blow to BJD, quits party ahead of polls

  In a setback for the ruling BJD ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha, senior leader and MP Bhartruhari Mahtap resigned from the primary membership of the party on Friday.

  Mahtab, a six-time MP from the Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency and a founding member of the BJD, said: “I have sent my resignation letter to party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at 4 pm today.”

  He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the prestigious Cuttack seat in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019.

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:43:46 PM IST

  Raj Kumar Saini to support Congress in LS polls

  Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says, "Raj Kumar Saini has decided to extend his support to the Congress party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections after getting inspired by Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and Rahul Gandhi's ideas. I thank him for his support."

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:41:10 PM IST

  BJP calls off alliance discussions with BJD after talking for over a fortnight

  Ending fortnight-long conversation between BJP and BJD for possible pre-poll alliance in Odisha for the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, it seems the talks have fallen through after BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal tweeted that the party would go alone in the polls contesting all the 147 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha seats.

  "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will fight alone this time in all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats of Odisha to create a developed India and a developed Odisha under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi. We feel that in all the states that have dual engine governments across the country, development and poverty alleviation work have been accelerated and the respective states are also making progress in all areas. But today in Odisha, many of the welfare schemes of the Modi government are not reaching the grassroots level due to which the poor sisters and brothers of Odisha are not getting their benefits. We cannot agree with the state government on many issues related to the pride of Odias, the glory of Odisha and the interests of the people of Odisha," Samal took to his X handle to announce that the party's decision.

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:40:26 PM IST

  'Secrets' behind PM Cares Fund will get exposed: Stalin

  'Secrets' behind PM Cares Fund will get exposed after INDIA bloc captures power: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin in poll rally

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:12:07 PM IST

  Lalu Yadav’s daughters Misa, Rohini to contest polls

  After much speculations, there is now an air of certainity that RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s two daughters, Misa Bharti and Rohini Archarya would be contesting the coming Lok Sabha polls, according to top leaders in the party. There is still no official annoucement regarding this from the party.

  Sources in the RJD said Misa Bharti, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls from the Patliputra seat, which she had contested unsuccessfully in 2014 and 2019 parliamentary polls.

  Similiarly, Lalu’s second daughter Rohini Archarya is set to contest from the Saran parliamentary seat, a seat represented by RJD chief Lalu multiple times having the seat way back in 1997 as a young politician. Former chief minister Rabri Devi, mother of Archarya, too had contested the Saran parliamentary seat in 2014 polls but lost to BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:06:10 PM IST

  Dy CM Chaudhary stokes controversy; BJP-RJD on war of words

  Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP state chief Samrat Chaudhary on Friday courted controversy with his statement on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s and his daughter.

  The BJP president said "Lalu Prasad (Yadav) is such a politician who is an expert in selling tickets. He has not spared his own daughter. Firstly, he took a kidney from her and then gave her the ticket.”

  Chaudhary was reacting to reports that two daughters RJD chief – Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya – would be RJD candidates from Patliputra and Saran Lok Sabha seats, though no formal announcement has been made in this regard.

  Amid speculations of an apparent level of unease prevalent in Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan over common minimum program and seat sharing, RJD has started distributing symbols to its candidates.

• 22 Mar 2024, 07:03:55 PM IST

  No holiday for Holi festival in poll-bound districts in Assam: ECI

  The Election Commission of India has directed the Assam Government not to declare holiday on March 26 for the celebration of Holi festival in all the poll-bound districts. However, the other districts, where elections are happening in second and third phase, are allowed to do it.

  The Commissioner and Secretary, General Administration Department of Assam, M S Manivannan on March 21 issued a direction to all the deputy commissioners regarding the ECI's direction.

  "The Election Commission of India has already issued notification for holding of General Election and the first phase is on March 19, 2024. As per the ECI's order, it is hereby directed that no district commissioner (DC) of districts going for polls in the first phase, can declare local holiday on 26th March, 2024 on account of ensuing Dol Jatra (Holi), as it will impact the nomination process," Manivannan wrote.

• 22 Mar 2024, 06:53:36 PM IST

  Agartala mayor to contest for Ramanagar Assembly by-polls against INDIA Bloc candidate

  The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumder as its candidate for by-election at Ramnagar assembly constituency, which fell vacant after sitting MLA Surajit Dutta passed away in December last year at a Kolkata-based hospital following prolonged illness.

  BJP national general secretary Arun Singh announced Majumder from Delhi as the party's candidate from Ramnagar seat, pitted against opposition INDIA Bloc supported CPIM candidate and former legislator Ratan Das.

  64-year Dipak Majumder used to be a Congress leader till he shifted to the BJP before the 2018 assembly election. He earlier contested the 2013 assembly elections from Khowai constituency but was defeated.

• 22 Mar 2024, 06:09:26 PM IST

  BJP offering ₹50 crore each to lure Congress MLAs, alleges Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

  Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday alleged that the BJP is offering ₹50 crore each to ruling Congress MLAs to resign, and also promising them funds in subsequent byelections after they quit, as part of "Operation Kamala". "Operation Kamala" (Operation Lotus), coined by opposition parties, refers to alleged attempts of the BJP to engineer defection of opposition legislators to install its own government and ensure its stability.

• 22 Mar 2024, 06:08:42 PM IST

  Himachal Pradesh Assembly speaker has not accepted the resignations of three independent MLAs

  The speaker of Himachal Pradesh Assembly has not accepted the Resignations of three Independent Legislators

  We have received their resignations but we are examining the rules and constitutional provisions for this, so far we have not accepted their resignations: Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania

• 22 Mar 2024, 05:41:52 PM IST

  Haryana: CM Saini meets Anil Vij amid disquiet in BJP over former home minister's omission from new cabinet

  Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday met Anil Vij, the former state home minister and one of the senior-most BJP leaders, who was dropped in the newly formed cabinet, leading to disquiet in the state party unit.

  The meeting of the two leaders came days after Vij's exclusion from the new BJP cabinet headed by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, leaving many surprised. The meeting took place at Vij's residence in Ambala.

  Vij had not attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet and left the Legislature Party meeting midway.

• 22 Mar 2024, 05:40:21 PM IST

  Democracy is murdered, misuse of central probe agencies has reached its pinnacle: Gehlot

  Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday targeted the Central Government for freezing the bank accounts of the Congress Party and said that democracy is being murdered in the country. He said that the country is going through a dangerous phase.

  Addressing newspersons at state Congress office, Gehlot raised questions on freezing of Congress's bank accounts and said, “Democracy is being murdered in the country. And you can understand that without Modi and Amit Shah not even a leaf moves in the Centre. Now their party members themselves have started commenting about this.”

  Gehlot said that this issue has reached every village and will sink this government.

• 22 Mar 2024, 05:11:02 PM IST

  Why by-election only in Akola, and not Bhokar, Khanapur and Karanja

  The announcement of the by-election for the Akola (West) assembly seat in Maharashtra by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has raised eyebrows. Sandeep Deshmukh, the Nanded representative of the Nirbhay Bano Andolan has questioned this move, claiming it violates election norms by not calling by-polls in three other vacant constituencies in the state. He also alleged that the ECI's decision to hold a by-election for the Karnal assembly seat in Haryana, where the term is less than a year, contravenes the Representation of the People's Act.

  While unveiling the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls on March 16, the ECI notified by-elections necessitated by the demise or resignations of sitting MLAs across various states. However, in Maharashtra, despite four such vacant seats, the poll body announced a by-poll only for Akola West, which fell vacant over four months ago. The three other constituencies awaiting by-elections are Bhokar (Nanded), Khanapur (Sangli), and Karanja (Washim). Bhokar became vacant after Ashok Chavan resigned on February 12, while Khanapur's MLA Anil Babar and Karanja's Rajendra Patni passed away on January 31 and February 22, respectively.

• 22 Mar 2024, 04:51:49 PM IST

  Congress waits for Lalu’s nod to name its candidates for LS polls in Bihar

  Bihar Congress is waiting for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s nod to declare the seats to be contested in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, beginning April 19, said a senior leader of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) here on Friday.

  BPCC chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh, who held two rounds of meeting with the RJD chief after arriving from New Delhi on Thursday, said the seat-sharing talks with RJD was going on well and it will be declared in a couple of days.

  To a query regarding RJD’s distribution of party symbols among prospective candidates, Singh, while interacting with the media said, “every thing in distribution of seats is going fine. The alliance is firm and final agreement of seats will be declared in the next couple of days,” said Singh.

• 22 Mar 2024, 04:09:22 PM IST

  Opposition condemns Kejriwal’s arrest, INDIA bloc to reach EC

  Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday in connections with the Delhi excise policy case, in which he had been issued multiple summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, the INDIA bloc on Friday decided to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI).

  Kejriwal has denied all such allegations and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing “dirty politics”.

  India's general election will take place in seven phases over April and May, with the results to be announced on 4 June. Ahead of the vote, opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government of misusing government agencies for political ends.

• 22 Mar 2024, 03:56:09 PM IST

  BRS announces 2 candidates for Lok Sabha polls

  BRS chief and former Telangana CM KCR has announced two parliamentary candidates from the party.

  Former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar to contest from Nagar Kurnool parliamentary seat. Former IAS officer P Venkatram Reddy, MLC to contest from the Medak parliamentary seat: BRS

• 22 Mar 2024, 02:39:37 PM IST

  After withdrawing candidature from Ahmedabad East seat, Rohan Gupta resigns from Congress

  Three days after withdrawing his candidature from the Ahmedabad East seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Rohan Gupta, the national spokesperson and former social media head for the Congress party, announced his resignation from all party positions on Friday. He cited “constant humiliation” and “character assassination” by a senior leader connected with the party’s communication reason as some of the reasons for taking this decision.

  “I took most difficult decision of my life of withdrawing my candidature. Now I am taking another most difficult decision of leaving the party after serving it for last 15 years because of constant humiliation and character assassination by the leader connected with Communication department,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Mallikarjun Kharge , president of the Indian National Congress.

• 22 Mar 2024, 01:59:25 PM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: 'INDIA bloc to meet ECI today to object arrests of opposition leaders amid MCC,' says West Bengal CM

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said that the INDIA bloc alliance will be meeting the Election Commission to express their "strong objection to the deliberate targeting" and "arrest" of opposing leaders at a time when the Model Code of Conduct has been enforced after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, reported news agency ANI.

• 22 Mar 2024, 12:45:44 PM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: BJP replaces its candidate in Arunachal Pradesh's Tezu assembly seat

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: The ruling BJP in Arunachal Pradesh replaced its candidate in the Tezu assembly seat, and fielded former minister Mahesh Chai in place of Badang Tayang.

  Earlier, in the candidates' list announced on March 13, the BJP had named Tayang as its nominee for the Tezu seat. On Thursday, it issued a statement and declared Chai as its candidate, reported news agency PTI.

  "The party's central leadership have reviewed the ground situation and found that Chai is more suitable for the seat," state BJP's in-charge president Tarh Tarak said.

  "The central leadership took the decision to replace Tayang as they might have found that the ground situation was not suitable for him. Otherwise, this is the rarest of rare cases which generally does not happen in the BJP," he said.

• 22 Mar 2024, 11:53:25 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Mallikarjun Kharge unlikely to contest polls

  Amid firm indications that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is unlikely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the party on Thursday fielded his son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, from his home turf of Gulbarga.

  Kharge won the Lok Sabha polls from the Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) segment in 2009 and 2014, but lost the electoral contest in 2019.

• 22 Mar 2024, 11:13:58 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Restrictions imposed on printing election pamphlets, posters

  With the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, restrictions have been imposed on printing election related pamphlets and posters as per the provisions of the Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951. According to Section 127-A of the RPA, 1951, all election related print material must bear the names and addresses of the printer and the publisher. Any violation in this regard would invite stern action, including imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, under the relevant laws. Dig Deeper

• 22 Mar 2024, 10:52:08 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: 11 out of 17 Congress candidates in Karnataka relatives of ministers

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: The Karnataka Congress on Thursday announced the names of 17 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, polling for which will be held in two phases in the state.

  The second list of 17 candidates announced by the party include the children of five state Cabinet ministers. This distribution of tickets has emerged as a topic of debate among party members regarding the choice of candidates with political backgrounds, reported news agency ANI.

• 22 Mar 2024, 10:18:19 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: 'Comparing PM Modi to Aurangzeb insult to nation,' says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde has slammed the Opposition for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Aurangzeb. Reacting to Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut's veiled attack at PM Modi, Shinde said the remark was an insult to the nation. Dig Deeper

• 22 Mar 2024, 10:12:04 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: INDIA alliance backs Kejriwal after his arrest

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: INDIA bloc partners stood behind Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after Enforcement Directorate (ED)officials arrested him on Thursday evening from his residence. Dig Deeper

• 22 Mar 2024, 09:45:53 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: India's elections likely to be most expensive in world

  Ask which of this year’s many elections will be the most expensive, and most people would say America’s. They could well be wrong. India’s most recent general election, in 2019, was already the most costly at the time by some estimates, with campaign spending conservatively put at $8.5bn. America’s presidential poll the next year exceeded that. But India’s parliamentary vote this spring will be much dearer and could exceed the $10bn-16bn that is likely to be splurged on the White House race. Dig Deeper

• 22 Mar 2024, 09:36:33 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Check out these news stories

  Check out these news stories related to the Lok Sabha Election 2024.

• 22 Mar 2024, 09:15:08 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Bihar ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi to be NDA's candidate from Gaya

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Bihar former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi will be the NDA's candidate from the Gaya Lok Sabha seat, his party Hindustani Awam Morcha has announced, reported news agency PTI.

  Notably, the NDA had earlier this week announced its seat-sharing formula in Bihar. The BJP is set to fight for 17 seats, followed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) which will contest 16.

• 22 Mar 2024, 08:19:10 AM IST

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: ‘BJP is completely scared,’ says RJD's Tej Pratap Yadav

  Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday condemned the recent arrest of Delhi's CM Arvind Kejriwal. He also accused the BJP of using government investigation agencies and other constitutional institutions to their advantage in the upcoming elections, reported news agency ANI.

  "The way Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested today clearly shows that the BJP is completely scared and wants to fight elections with the help of government investigation agencies and other constitutional institutions. We, the people of the INDIA Alliance, stand firmly with the Delhi government. We are not the ones who get scared, we are the ones who fight and win," he said in a post on X.