Politics News

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has formally announced its candidates for all but one of the 23 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, where the party is contesting as a constituent of the opposition 'Mahagathbandhan'. Party president Lalu Prasad's daughters - Rohini Acharya and Misa Bharti - are among the RJD nominees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of making several attempts to stall the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for insulting Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation for the 'pran pratishta' ceremony. Addressing an election rally here, Modi also said that the Congress is immersed in the swamp of appeasement and can never come out of it.

This southern Odisha town in Ganjam district which is also known as the silk city of Odisha will witness a battle between two turncoats in the Lok Sabha elections. The ruling Biju Janata Dal headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has fielded Bhrugu Baxipatra, who till last week was vice president of the BJP Odisha unit while the BJP has put up Pradeep Panigrahy, who was expelled from the BJD, as its nominee for the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted 'slippers' as the election symbol to Pandit Keshav Dev, an independent candidate from Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh. Independent candidate from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Pandit Keshav Dev, decided to make the most of what the Election Commission has allotted to him as the poll symbol- a pair of slippers. Aiming to build recall of people, Dev was seen sporting a garland of 7 slippers around his neck during his campaign.

Uttar Pradesh has strong and established women leaders but, ironically, the majority of this 'Nari Shakti' does not belong to this state.

The Election Commission on Friday said it has identified 266 parliamentary constituencies, including 215 in rural areas, with low voter turnout and is planning targeted intervention to enhance voting percentage in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Municipal commissioners from major cities and select district election officers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh discussed enhancing voter engagement and participation in identified urban and rural Lok Sabha seats.

From appealing people not to vote for them to flaunting the unsuccessful tag, changing name in each election to losing huge sums of money in security deposits -- some tenacious Independent candidates have tried these all but losing elections became a habit for them. Tamil Nadu's K Padmarajan, who proudly calls himself the "Election King", might be the only candidate in the election fray who urges people not to vote for him, so he can retain his tag of being "most unsuccessful candidate", a feat also registered in the Limca Book of records.

Candidates in Punjab's Jalandhar can spend Rs 15 for a cup of tea and the same price for a samosa they offer to people during public meetings and campaign trails in the Lok Sabha elections. However, those in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla can spend Rs 7 for a cup of tea and another Rs 7.50 for a piece of samosa, considered a staple snack in many parts of the country.

Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Pannerselvam, will contest independently, on an independent symbol from Ramanathapuram constituency. MDMK Headquarters Secretary Durai Vaiko will face the election on an independent symbol from Trichy Constituency. Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Pannerselvam, will contest independently, on an independent symbol from Ramanathapuram constituency. MDMK Headquarters Secretary Durai Vaiko will face the election on an independent symbol from Trichy Constituency.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the 'Memantha Siddham' (We are all ready) campaign in Kadapa district on Wednesday ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the state. Following a heartfelt tribute to his father and former CM YS Rajasekhar at Idupulapaya, CM Jagan commenced his 'Memantha Siddham' yatra through the lively streets of Vempalli in Kadapa district.

Actor Arun Govil, who has been fielded by the BJP from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat, said he has spent 17 years of his life in the city and was looking forward to serving the people there. The actor, who became a household name after essaying the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan", reached Meerut on Tuesday evening and held meetings with the local BJP leaders and office bearers.

The Delhi government on Tuesday appealed to citizens to not fall prey to misinformation being spread by "notorious elements" who are trying to "take advantage" of the situation arising from the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A statement issued by the Planning Department said "speculations and rumours are being spread by notorious elements with vested interests in Delhi" that welfare schemes and subsidies will be stopped.

The Scindias, the influential members of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, have moved effortlessly between different political parties when it comes to fighting electoral battles on their home turf and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will carry forward this tradition when he files his nomination as the BJP candidate from the Guna Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh. Five years after losing unexpectedly from Guna as the Congress candidate, Jyotiraditya Scindia, representing the current generation of the family in MP's politics, is back in the fray in his backyard, but this time as the nominee of his erstwhile political rival and with a different election symbol against his name on the EVM.

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra)Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Friday said that he felt "deeply pained" by the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, "who is now paying for his own deeds". Interacting with a large crowd of mediapersons at his native village Ralegan-Siddhi this morning, Anna Hazare, 86, recalled his old association with Arvind Kejriwal during the India Against Corruption (IAC)'s long movement in New Delhi in 2011, and other places.

Sons of at least six former Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh will be in the fray for May 13 simultaneous polls to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha while daughters of two former Chief Ministers are also likely to join the race. Leading the list of high-profile candidates is the Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The son of the former Chief Minister of erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy will be seeking re-election from the Pulivendula constituency in YSR family's home district Kadapa.

The BJP on Friday accused the Aam Aadmi Party of peddling a bundle of lies on the issue of its leader Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, asserting that those who are corrupt will go to jail. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said politicians used to scratch each other's back to help each other while indulging in scams but this has changed in the last 10 years under the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP, the biggest beneficiary of electoral bonds with donations worth over Rs 6,000 crore in the last four years of the scheme, got funds from several corporates and individuals, including Megha Engineering, Future Gaming, and Reliance-linked Qwik Supply. Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering, which won several contracts for infrastructure projects, donated Rs 584 crore to the BJP, Qwik Supply Rs 395 crore, and Future Gaming Rs 100 crore, according to data released by the Election Commission on Thursday.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday condemned the recent arrest of Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and stated The INDIA alliance are not the one who gets scared. The INDIA alliance are the ones who fight and win. He also accused the BJP of using government investigation agencies and other constitutional institutions to their advantage in the upcoming elections. He added that the people of INDIA Alliance, stand firmly with the Delhi government.

The Election Commission Thursday directed the Centre to immediately stop delivering bulk WhatsApp messages to people under the "Viksit Bharat Sampark" initiative to highlight the government's achievements. The direction was issued to the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, after the Commission received complaints about the matter. The ministry had informed the Commission that the messages along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi were sent before the Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 16 with the announcement of Lok Sabha poll schedule.

Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK, a key constituent of the INDIA bloc, in its manifesto released on Wednesday promised to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 if the opposition alliance wins the Lok Sabha polls. Restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and holding polls there, scrapping the New Education Policy 2020, slashing fuel prices, annulling Article 361 of the Constitution that provides protection to governors from legal action and appointment of Governors following consultation with Chief Ministers, were among the key promises made by the DMK.

"The two leaders agreed to make concerted efforts towards further strengthening the Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in the years to come. They also reviewed progress in various issues of bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," an official statement said.

As India marches towards elections, research firms are projecting various scenarios based on possible outcomes. As per a report by the multinational investment bank UBS, if the ruling BJP gets a single-party majority, there could be policy continuity, which can bode well for business sentiment. Even the elusive private capex recovery might also receive a push.