'Sehwag declined BJP’s offer to contest polls citing personal reasons'
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has declined the BJP’s offer to contest the Lok Sabha polls on party ticket citing personal reasons, a top leader of its Delhi unit said.
He, however, asserted that Shewag’s former teammate Gautam Gambhir is “serious” regarding making a foray into politics and may contest the polls from Delhi.
Sehwag’s name was under consideration for the West Delhi seat that is currently being held by BJP MP Parvesh Verma. But, Sehwag refused the offer citing personal reasons, the leader said.
He said, “Sehwag said he was not interested in politics or contesting elections.”
In February, there were reports that Sehwag might contest the polls on BJP ticket from Rohtak in Haryana. But the former India opener had posted on Twitter, “Some things never change, like this rumour. Same in 2014, and no innovation even in Rumour in 2019. Not interested then, not interested now. #BaatKhatam #5YearChallenge (sic).”
In July last year, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had met Sehwag as part of the party’s ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ initiative, giving rise to speculations that he may join the saffron party.
BJP kick-starts campaign in Kashmir Valley
The BJP has kick-started its Lok Sabha campaign in Kashmir Valley with a meeting presided over by the party’s national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna at the Sher-e-Kashmir Park.
The agenda of the ‘Shakti Kendra Sammelan’ meeting was to strengthen ground-level organisation by holding several such meetings in the State, which has six Lok Sabha seats.
Last month, the party launched a programme to meet workers in clusters of two or three constituencies across the country. In Jammu, BJP president Amit Shah addressed workers of two constituencies. — PTI
PDA announces candidate for lone LS seat in Nagaland
The ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) in Nagaland has announced its candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the State.
Tokheho Yepthomi, sitting member and a leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), was given the party ticket at a programme.
The NDPP is a the major constituent of the PDA.
The ticket for the by-election to the Aonglenden Assembly constituency was also handed over to Sharingain Longkumer of the NDPP.
The by-poll was necessitated as MLA Imtikumzuk passed away on September 22, 2018.
Polling for the Lok Sabha seat and the bypoll will be held on April 11.
BJP may announce 1st list of Maharashtra candidates on March 16
The BJP is likely to announce its first list of Maharashtra Lok Sabha candidates in New Delhi on March 16, say party leaders.
Around 18 candidates will be announced in the first list, a BJP leader says and adds that the party will contest 25 seats this time, one less than the last general election.
“Talks on another 4-5 seats, including those that the BJP could not win in 2014, are still going on. If they are not finalised by then, those names will be announced later,” says the leader.
The BJP party has given a clear indication that it will spare only a couple of seats for its allies, although there are four key partners, the Republican Party of India (A), the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh (RSP), the Rayat Kranti Sanghatna and the Shivsangram Sanghatna.
At a BJP core committee meeting held on Thursday, names of probable candidates were recommended to the party's national parliamentary committee.
“Once the national committee finalises the nominees, the final list will be announced on March 16,” says another senior BJP leader.
With 48 seats, Maharashtra sends the second highest number of parliamentarians after Uttar Pradesh, which has total 80 constituencies. Presently, the BJP has 21 Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra, followed by the Shiv Sena’s 18.
Priyanka to kick off poll campaign in U.P. tomorrow
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will formally kick off the party’s poll campaign from Allahabad on March 15 and is likely to take the river route to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar says office bearers of the State unit of the party discussed the details of her programme, which will be declared on March 15 after seeking certain official clearance.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaks at a rally in Gandhinagar on March 12, 2019.
A senior leader says she will begin her campaign from Allahabad, birthplace of the first Prime Minister and her great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.
Mr. Babbar says, “She may take the river route to reach out to the poor people, especially those residing on the river banks, and who have been continuously facing hardships for the past 30 years.”
In Allahabad, Ms. Vadra is also likely to visit the historic Anand Bhawan, the erstwhile ancestral home of the Nehru family, now dedicated as a museum housing the personal belongings of Jawaharlal Nehru and his father Motilal Nehru.
The buzz in Congress circles is that she may take the river route to Varanasi via Mirzapur. She may offer prayers at Maa Vindhayavasini temple in Mirzapur and Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
'Modi hai to Mumkin Hai’ is BJP's new slogan
Seeking to project Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a doer, the BJP has chosen the slogan of ‘Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai’ — ‘Modi makes it possible’ for the coming general election, says Union Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Mr. Jaitley is in charge of the publicity division of the BJP for the general elections.
Tom Vadakkan's departure a non-issue: Kerala Congress leaders
Congress leaders in Kerala say the departure of Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan is a non-issue for the party.
Congress spokesperson Joseph Vazhakken says that as far as the party in Kerala is concerned, Mr. Vadakkan was never involved at any level in the State.
“We have only seen Vadakkan on TV channels. In Kerala he has had no space or role. His leaving is not going to affect us in any manner,” Mr. Vazhakken tells the media.
Congress Secretary and former MLA P.C. Vishnunath says he failed to understand the noise over Mr. Vadakkan joining the BJP.
“Vadakkan is one person who will not be able to make any impact even in a local body in Kerala. Who is he after all? Our only plea to the BJP is to see that they retain him forever. The Congress in the past has seen several similar opportunists and their going makes no impact at all,” says Mr. Vishnunath. - IANS
NCP announces names of candidates
The Nationalist Congress Party announces the names of its candidates for 11 Lok Sabha constituencies, including the Lakshadweep seat.
Supriya Sule will contest the Baramati seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. File photo.
Following is the list:
Raigad- Sunil Tatkare; Baramati - Supriya Sule; Satara- Udayanraje Bhosle; Kolhapur- Dhananjay Mahadik; Buldhana- Rajendra Shingane; Jalgaon - Gulabrao Devkar; Parbhani - Rajesh Vitekar; Mumbai Northeast- Sanjay Dina Patil; Thane- Anand Paranjape; Kalyan - Babaji Patil; Lakshdweep - Mohammad Faisal
In Hatkanangle, the party has extended support to Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana's present MP Raju Shetty. - Alok Deshpande
TMC leader and four-time MLA Arjun Singh joins BJP
TMC leader and four-time West Bengal legislator Arjun Singh joins the BJP in the presence of party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and West Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy.
TMC leader and four-time legislator from West Bengal Arjun Singh, who has now joined the BJP. File photo.
Addressing the media at the BJP office, Mr. Singh says he was shocked at Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s comments on the Pulwama terror attack.
“I gave 30 years to Mamata Banerjee. I was shocked at her comments on the Pulwama terror attack. Her statement has shaken the country. When the Indian Air Force carried out the strike, she demanded the body count of terrorists. If a leader does not have national interest on her mind then she cannot do any good to her voters,” he says.
The MLA from Barrackpore is likely to contest on a BJP ticket in the Lok Sabha polls against TMC heavyweight Dinesh Trivedi, say sources. - PTI
BJD MP Balabhadra Majhi resigns from party
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Lok Sabha member Balabhadra Majhi resigns from the party claiming that he was "ignored and cheated".
“I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the BJD as I felt ignored, neglected and cheated. I presumed the party no more requires me,” Mr. Majhi, who represents Nabarangpur (ST), says.
Mr. Majhi tells reporters that was unable to meet Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik and submitted the resignation letter to political secretary of the party chief.
“Somewhere, a gap has developed between I and you .. may be designed by some persons envious of my achievements,” Mr. Majhi says in his resignation letter to Mr. Patnaik. - PTI
'Shobha Karandlaje will contest from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru'
Karnataka State president of the BJP B.S.Yeddyurappa says Shobha Karandlaje will contest from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seat. The party has no plans to field a new face, he tells presspersons at Sringeri. “Shobha Karandlaje will contest again and I am confident she will win”, he says.
On selection of candidates, he says discussions on finalising the list is on. “The party will announce the list in Delhi on March 18. We are confident of winning 22 seats”, he adds.
Ms. Shobha Karandlaje and Mr. Yeddyurappa met the seers during their visit to Sringeri. Ms.Karandlaje offered special prayers at Sharada Peetha on the occasion. - Satish G.T.
Won't campaign for my son or NCP: Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil
(L-R) Congress leaders Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil at party's core committee meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.
(L-R) Congress leaders Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil at party's core committee meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has blamed the Nationalist Congress Party for his son joining the BJP. "I was hurt by Sharad Pawar's unfortunate statement on my late father. It was also a trigger for my son to join the BJP," he says.
Mr. Vikhe-Patil's son Sujay joined the BJP, reportedly after the NCP refused to leave aside the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat for him.
Mr. Vikhe-Patil says he will neither campaign for his son nor the NCP. "I will meet the party high command. Only they can order me on what I should do next," he says when asked whether he has resigned from the LoP post.
A Congress core committee meeting is on in Mumbai to discuss the further course of action. - Alok Deshpande
National Conference says 'no' to meeting with ECI team
The National Conference (NC) has decided not to meet a three-member team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is visiting Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.The party says it has nothing more to add to its demand of having simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the State.
“Our demand of having simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the State at our earlier meetings with the ECI remains as it is. We have, therefore, nothing more to add,” a spokesman of the NC says. - PTI
Congress's Tom Vadakkan joins BJP
Former Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan joins BJP at the party's headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday.
Former Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan joins the BJP in the presence of Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Mr. Vadakkan tells mediapersons that he quit the Congress since the party "questioned the integrity of the armed forces." He was "deeply hurt" by the Congress's stand on the Balakote air strike.
Trinamool Congress MLA Arjun Singh also joins the BJP.
Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari not to contest
BJP veteran and Nainital MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has said he will not contest the Lok Sabha election this time. The former Chief Minister says he has informed the State party leadership of his decision and will convey it to the central leadership too, if asked. “I have decided not to contest, as younger people should get an opportunity,” he tells PTI .
AAP to contest in 3 Goa bypolls
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest by-elections to all the three Goa Assembly seats, scheduled along with Lok Sabha polls, on April 23.
AAP Goa general secretary Pradeep Padgaonkar says the party was in the process of shortlisting its candidates for the Shiroda, Mandrem and Maspusa seats.
Rahul promises fisheries ministry
Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing the National Fishermen Parliament in Thrissur, Kerala on Thursday.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi kick-starts the party's election campaign in Kerala by addressing the fisherfolk in the coastal State.
At a 'Fishermen’s Parliament' in Thrissur, he promises a ministry for fisheries, if voted to power. He also promises to bring in legislation for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and legislative assemblies.
Mr. Gandhi wonders who was sponsoring the advertisement of Mr. Modi on television and in newspapers. "Around 15 big industrialists are marketing Mr. Modi and the Prime Minister is in turn protecting their interests," he alleges.
ECI directs BJP MLA to remove Wg. Cdr. Abhinandan's picture
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issues a show-cause notice to Delhi BJP MLA Om Prakash Sharma for posting a picture on Facebook featuring him along with Indian Air Force officer Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
The District Election Officer (East) asks Mr. Sharma to remove the post and submit a reply by 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Mr. Sharma tells PTI that he has deleted the post mentioned by the ECI, but wonders why was the poll body was so “allergic” to a person cheering the heroic act of soldiers and rejoicing over an act of national honour.
“The Election commission is biased against nationalist leaders like me,” he allegs.
Over Rs 7 lakh cash seized from car in U.P.
Over Rs. 7 lakh in cash has been seized from a car during a drive to check unaccounted money.
Circle Officer Yogender Singh says a car carrying Rs 7.47 lakh was intercepted on Wednesday under New Mandi Police Station area. The driver could not produce documents regarding the cash, following which it was seized.
The officer says that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, documents are required for carrying cash more than Rs 5,000.
(With inputs from news agencies)
