Lok Sabha elections 2024 updates | Sadananda Gowda hints he will reveal his political move tomorrow

Media persons covering “polling day activities” carrying authorisation letters from the Election Commission and those part of essential services such as metros, Railways and health care can vote using postal ballots in the Lok Sabha and four State Assembly election.

The EC has shared its notification with all State Chief Electoral Officers regarding the categories of “absentee voters on essential service”, identified for voting through postal ballots.

While journalists on poll-day coverage and those involved in essential services have been using postal ballots during Assembly elections, the facility has been extended for Lok Sabha polls.

“Mediapersons to whom authorisation letters have been issued with the approval of the Commission to cover polling day activities” are among the various categories identified for using postal ballots.

They can collect Form 12D from the office of the respective District Election Officer of their parliamentary constituency where they are registered as a voter. They can also download the form from the website of the respective chief electoral officer. -PTI

Meta announced that it will use keyword detection to make it easier for fact-checking partners across India to find and rate content related to the general elections. The social media giant has given a new research tool, Meta Content Library, to help them in their work.Click here to read the full story

Nearly 2,000 centenarians are eligible to cast their ballot in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Mysuru district. Out of 1,994 centenarian voters in the district, 1,245 are women and 749 are men. Click here to read the story

The AIADMK’s general secretary Edappdi K. Palaniswami will launch his election campaign in Tiruchi on March 24. Two days after his Tiruchi visit, he will cover Thoothukudi and Tiruneveli, and he will visit Kanniyakumari and Tenkasi on March 27. The following day, he will be in Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram.

Mr. Palaniswami will canvass for his party’s candidates in Kancheepuram and Sriperumpudur on March 29, followed by Puducherry and Cuddalore on March 30. He will wrap up his first phase on March 31 after covering Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam.Click here to read more...

Confirming that Congress has sent him feelers, sulking former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP D V Sadananda Gowda on March 19 said saffron party leaders have also reached out to him and that he will take a decision at an appropriate time. 

The 71-year-old former Union Minister, who is upset over being denied the ticket to contest from Bangalore North again, said he has planned to call a press meet tomorrow to “share everything.” “Congress people have asked me, also BJP, what decision has to be taken, I will decide at the appropriate time,” Mr. Gowda told reporters. 

Asked whether BJP high command has contacted him, he said he will share everything tomorrow, “or else there will be nothing to say tomorrow.” Mr. Gowda, who had served as Karnataka BJP President in the past, on Monday said he will share his “inner feelings” soon. 

Expressing his displeasure over not getting re-nomination and against some party leaders without taking any names, he said “there is nothing left to say that BJP is a party with a difference in Karnataka.” BJP shifted Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje, who is currently representing Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha segment, to contest from Bangalore North. 

Mr. Gowda had earlier announced his decision to retire from electoral politics, but later backtracked saying that there is pressure on him to contest the election again. 

Meanwhile, Gowda, who is a Vokkaliga, one of the dominant communities in the state, met leaders of ‘Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha’ on Tuesday. 

“Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha President and all its office bearers had sought an appointment to meet me, wanting to talk to me, but I said I myself will come to meet them. They have shared certain things with me. I don’t want to divulge things now. I have called a press meet tomorrow, I will share all matters there,” he said after the meeting. 

‘Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha’ President D Hanumanthaiah said the community stands behind Gowda, who has done good work in the government and the party. 

“Why is the ticket not given to him (Gowda)? Whichever the party may be, if they give less tickets to the community or neglect the community, we will fight,” he said, pointing out to community leaders like D K Shivakumar in the Congress not being made the Chief Minister, and BJP not giving tickets to Gowda, Prathap Simha and C T Ravi. -- PTI

Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘400 paar’ claim as “hollow”, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel was confident that the INDIA bloc will win a clear majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He noted that the Congress would be victorious in more than half of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, even though he acknowledged that the party has not won more than two seats in Lok Sabha polls since the formation of the State. He said there have been various reasons for that. “But right now the situation is that the Assembly poll results surprised people, they thought ‘how did this happen’. It was in people’s hearts that the Government had to be repeated. So with the regret people have in their hearts that the Government could not be repeated, we will benefit from that in these polls in Chhattisgarh,” he said.

He argued there was no wave in BJP’s favour in north India. “If there would have been a wave then its leaders would not have withdrawn their nominations after their name was announced. There would not have been any need to align with Jayant Chaudhary (RLD). What is the intention behind this?” he said.

“They are giving five Bharat Ratnas in a span of few months before the polls. So this shows their fear, they are rattled, one can make out from the statements being made by BJP leaders,” he claimed.-PTIClick here to read more...

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha called upon BJP workers in the State to work towards increasing the party’s vote share in the upcoming elections. “In our party’s executive meeting, we decided to set a target to increase the BJP’s vote share by 10% in each polling booth. The party leaders and workers must work together to achieve the goal,” he said at an election rally in Khowai district’s Teliamura.

The State has two Lok Sabha seats, Tripura West and Tripura East. Tripura West will go to polls on April 19, and Tripura East will go to polls on April 26. There are 3,329 polling booths in the State. The ruling party’s vote share dropped from 42% in the 2018 Assembly election to 39% in the 2023 Assembly polls.

-PTI

Senior leaders of the Telangana unit of the BJP, including Rajya Sabha MP and national OBC chairperson K. Laxman, former Minister Eatala Rajender, said that people have not been able to experience any change following the transfer of power from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi to the Congress after the State Assembly elections held in December last year. 

“The BRS had cheated all sections of the society during its rule. Both the Congress and BRS are family-based parties more focused on the protection of the first families. Please elect the BJP for the sake of your children’s bright future,” Mr. Laxman said.Click here to read more

The Supreme Court has allowed the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP to use ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ as its name for the upcoming election.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and K.V. Viswanathan also permitted the party to use the ‘man blowing turha’ (a traditional trumpet also known as tutari) as its symbol.

The bench directed the Election Commission and State Election Commission to recognise the ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ and its symbol. It also asked the EC to not allot the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol to any other party or an independent candidate.To know more, click on the link below.

Supreme Court allows Sharad Pawar ‘s NCP faction to use ‘man blowing turha’ symbol for Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

Supreme Court allows NCP-Sharad Pawar faction to use 'man blowing turha' symbol, directs Ajit Pawar group on 'clock' symbol.

Hitting out at the BJP, the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday asked if the ‘Modi ki guarantee’ slogan meant capturing of institutions by the ruling party and claimed the prime minister has “never” kept his poll promises.

At a press conference in New Delhi, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose and Babul Supriyo also questioned the Election Commission’s directions on the removal of officials and said the poll panel should ensure all parties get a level playing field.

“Modi is not a prime minister, but an election minister. He makes promises at the time of election, but never keeps them. What is Modi ki guarantee? The manner in which officers in Bengal are being changed and institutions are being captured, is that Modi ki guarantee?” she said.

- PTI

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday said if Raj Thackeray’s MNS joins the BJP-led ‘Mahayuti’, it will increase the strength of the ruling alliance and bolster its chances in the State Assembly and local body polls.

The ‘Mahayuti’ (grand alliance) comprises the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). - PTI

The Supreme Court on March 19 allowed the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar to use party symbol ‘man blowing turha’ for Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

The top court also directed the Election Commission of India to reserve the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol for the Sharad Pawar faction and said it should not allot the symbol to any other party or candidate.

The Supreme Court further directed the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP to issue a public notice saying NCP’s ‘clock’ symbol is sub-judice and its use is subject to adjudication.

“Declaration about ‘clock’ poll symbol being sub-judice has to be made in all poll-related advertisements by Ajit Pawar group,” said the top court. 

The Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana will carry out its first Cabinet expansion later Tuesday with sources saying that six to seven MLAs were likely to be inducted.

When asked about the Cabinet expansion, former minister Anil Vij, who last week skipped Saini’s swearing-in ceremony, said, “I have no information.” He, however, asserted that he was not upset.

Mr. Vij has apparently been upset with the party not keeping him in the loop when they decided to make Saini the chief minister by removing Manohar Lal Khattar. He said he came to know about it only in the BJP MLAs’ meeting here last week in which Saini’s name was announced. - PTI

Former Indian ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the BJP on Tuesday amid the possibility that he may be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls from Amritsar in Punjab. He joined the party in the presence of its general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Tarun Chugh.

“This development should also reach hometown Amritsar,” he said, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J.P. Nadda for his political innings. 

The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) on March 19 said Raj Thackeray’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah was not astonishing as there were indications of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief’s closeness to the BJP.

MNS leader Thackeray has been under the scanner of Central agencies and he has been trying to save his party, NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto claimed.

Raj Thackeray met Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday, in an indication that the BJP is looking to ally with him for the Lok Sabha polls to boost its alliance in the western State. - PTI

A day after indicating unhappiness over the seat sharing issue with BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, JD(S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said it did not mean that there is a trust deficit between the two parties.

The former Chief Minister asserted that there is no confusion in the ties between BJP and JD(S), as he expressed hope that the issue over giving Kolar seat to the regional party “will be clear”. 

Apparently expressing displeasure over the seat sharing issue, Mr. Kumaraswamy on Monday said he has faith that his party will get three to four seats, amid reports that the saffron party may cede it only two. - PTI

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the BJP candidate from Varanasi, has violated the model code of conduct by using Central Government funds for campaigning.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner on March 18, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said a message by the PM highlighting his government’s programmes reached the electorate on March 16, after the model code of conduct came into force.

Senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Tuesday asserted it will be “suicidal” for disgruntled allies Pashupati Kumar Paras and Upendra Kushwaha to align with the Opposition ‘Mahagathbandhan’.

Rejecting the charge of Mr. Paras that ceding his Hajipur seat to estranged nephew Chirag Paswan was tantamount to “disrespect” on part of BJP, Mr. Sinha said, “We have great respect for Paras babu. A reason why for so many years he was kept in the Union Cabinet, which enabled him to rub shoulders with Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. 

IPS officer Sanjay Mukherjee has been appointed the new West Bengal Director-General of Police (DGP) by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a day after the election body transferred the State’s current DGP Rajeev Kumar.

Mr. Mukherjee‘s appointment by the ECI also comes after the West Bengal government appointed Vivek Sahay as the new DGP hours after Mr. Kumar was transferred.

In a memo to the State Chief Secretary, ECI secretary Rakesh Kumar said that the Commission approved Mr. Mukherjee’s name for the post of DGP and directed the Chief Secretary to ensure immediate compliance and confirm the same by 5 p.m.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 19 kept up the attack on the INDIA bloc over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ remark, saying the Opposition alliance displayed its “ill-intention” by declaring to destroy it.

In Hinduism, Shakthi means “Matru shakthi, naari shakti,” he said, referring to women power.

“INDIA alliance which has the Congress and the DMK says they will destroy this.” Shakti refers to the divine and manifests in the form of various deities in the State like Mariamman, Madurai Meenakshiamman and Kanchi Kamakshiamma, he said. 

“Tamil Nadu will punish those who talk of destroying Shakti. I am a shakti upasak (worshipper),” Modi said. - PTI

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ( JMM) leader Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, joined the BJP on March 19, according to media reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, she quit the JMM hours before joining the BJP, claiming that she was being neglected and isolated in the State’s ruling party.

In the letter addressed to the party’s supremo and her father-in-law, Ms. Soren expressed her grievances, stating that following the demise of her husband, Durga Soren, the party failed to provide adequate support to her and her family.

Public support for BJP in Tamil Nadu is being discussed all over India. This support and blessings are disturbing DMK’s sleep, said Prime Minister Modi in Salem.

The event was attended by State BJP chief K. Annamalai and members of the alliance party Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), who earlier on Tu.esday announced the seat-sharing agreement with BJP in Tamil Nadu.

“INDIA alliance of DMK and Congress doesn’t target any other faith, but doesn’t waste a second in abusing Hinduism,” said PM Modi in his address in Salem.

“The Opposition has repeatedly deliberately insult Hindu faith; every statement made by them against it is well thought out,” he further said.

During his address in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 19 said, “Tamil Nadu has made up its mind to vote for BJP-led NDA”.

He further attacked the INDIA alliance saying, “DMK and Congress are two sides of the same coin.”

Over 71,000 candidates have lost their security deposit since the first Lok Sabha polls in 1951 for failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled in their respective constituencies, according to an analysis of the Election Commission data.

In the 2019 elections, a staggering 86% of candidates suffered this fate. 

Election Commission regulations stipulate that candidates failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled would have their deposits redirected to the treasury. - PTI

Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi on March 19 extended support to Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

“VBA’s prime agenda remains the same - unseat the fascist, divisive, undemocratic BJP-RSS government. With this thought, I have decided to lend VBA’s full support to the Indian National Congress on seven seats in Maharashtra,” Mr. Ambedkar said.

Delhi Minister Atishi on March 19 accused the Enforcement Directorate of becoming a “political weapon” and claimed the agency’s assertion that BRS leader K. Kavitha was involved in paying ₹100 crore to AAP leaders for favours in the now-scrapped excise policy has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference, she alleged the federal probe agency’s action was aimed at stopping Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls. - PTI

With JD(S) indicating its unhappiness over the seat-sharing issue for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra said he has spoken to its leadership after consulting his party’s high command, and expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved amicably.

He said BJP and JD(S) leadership are discussing “everything and there will be a happy ending.” “Last night I had a telephonic discussion with our national leaders, after that I spoke to former Prime Minister (H.D. Deve Gowda over phone, and have also shared information with H.D. Kumaraswamy this morning,” Mr. Vijayendra said.

PTI

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an indication that the BJP is looking to ally with him for the Lok Sabha polls to boost its alliance in the western State.

Mr. Thackeray was joined by BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde when he met Mr. Shah. If the alliance is sealed, the MNS may be given one seat to contest from Mumbai, the Maharashtra capital where his cousin Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction enjoys some influence.

PTI

While preparing the electoral rolls for India’s first Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission faced a peculiar problem. In some States, many women voters had enrolled themselves by their relationship with the male members of their family instead of providing their own names.

Special efforts were made to raise public awareness about the issue and such women voters got a special extension to have their names added to the electoral rolls for the 1951-52 polls. 

However, out of close to 80 million women voters in the country then, “nearly 2.8 million eventually failed to disclose their proper names and the entries relating to them had to be deleted from the rolls”, according to an official report on the first general elections published in 1955.

People who fled the ethnic violence in Manipur and took refuge in the neighbourhood, specifically Mizoram, will be able to vote in the Lok Sabha elections only if they return to their home State.

Manipur’s Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Kumar Jha said no voting arrangement had been made for people who left the State after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023, between the Kuki-Zomi and Meitei communities. 

Some 12,000 Kuki-Zomi people took shelter in Mizoram, the government in Mizoram had claimed ahead of the Assembly elections in November 2023.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took out a roadshow in Palakkad town in Kerala on March 19 morning, infusing enthusiasm and excitement in thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party workers who greeted him from both sides of the road.

It was Mr. Modi’s second visit to Kerala within a week as part of the BJP’s Lok Sabha election campaign. He had addressed a BJP rally in Pathanamthitta on March 15.

Daring the scorching heat, thousands of BJP workers lined up on both sides of the road from early morning to have a glimpse of the Prime Minister. In a frenzy, they cheered “Modi, Modi” as he passed by them.

Asserting that the country is seeking a change, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said the ‘guarantees’ touted by the present government would meet the same fate as the ‘India Shining’ slogan of 2004..

‘India Shining’ was a key slogan used by the then-ruling BJP government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the run up to the 2004 general elections. But Vajpayee lost the polls and the Congress-led UPA came to power.

Addressing the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s top decision-making body, to discuss and approve the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, he urged all party leaders and workers to take every issue raised in the party manifesto to every village and town and to every household across the country.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ( JMM) leader Sita Soren who is party MLA from Jama Assembly seat from Dumka has resigned from party’s primary membership.

She is also sister-in-law of former chief minister Hemant Soren who is currently in jail in connection with a money laundering case. Ms. Soren has sent her resigns letter to party chief Shibu Soren.

Ms. Soren was wife of late elder son of Shibu and Durga Soren.

- Amarnath Tewary

An inquiry has been initiated into an incident where schoolchildren were brought to participate in a roadshow undertaken by BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore, on March 18.

As this would constitute a breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), inquiries have been initiated by the Joint Commissioner of the Labour Department and the Chief Education Officer. These inquiries aim to scrutinise the involvement of children from a government-aided school and the role of BJP members in having the children stage various artistic performances during the campaign.

Coimbatore District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati responded to The Hindu’s post on social media platform X regarding the matter, stating, “We have taken cognisance of the issue and the ARO has sought reports from the respective departments. Suitable action will be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.”

Encouraging the public to use various apps to putting QR codes on voter slips to locate polling booths, the Election Commission is coming out with several initiatives to increase turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka leveraging technology, EC officials said on Tuesday.

Voter Helpline, ‘Know Your Candidate’ and updating details about number of voters in queue and kind of parking facilities available at polling booths and an elaborate booth election management plan are among the other measures being taken.

The EC is also collaborating with social media influencers to encourage people to cast their ballot. Celebrities like head coach of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, Jnanpith awardee Dr. Chandrashekhara Kambar and Paralympian Girish Gowda are the State election icons. - PTI

Rashtriya Lokhanshakti Party chief Pashupati Kumar Paras has resigned from Union Cabinet. Mr. Paras’ party was not given a single seat in NDA coalition for Bihar for which seat distribution was done on March 18 in Delhi.

While resigning from Union Cabinet, Mr. Paras said “injustice has been done with his party”.

He was minister in Union Cabinet for Food Processing Industries.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ketan Inamdar on Tuesday tendered his resignation from the State Assembly.

Mr. Inamdar, the three-term MLA from Savli seat in Vadodara district, submitted his resignation to legislative assembly speaker Shankar Chaudhary. In the letter, Mr. Inamdar said he was resigning after listening to his “inner voice”, without elaborating further. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 19 held a roadshow in Palakkad as part of the BJP-led NDA’s attempt to boost support for its candidates from Kerala in the Lok Sabha polls set to be held in the State on April 26.

The PM’s cavalcade with Mr. Modi standing on an open roof vehicle heavily decorated with flowers commenced the roadshow at around 10.45 a.m. from Kottamaidan Anchuvilakku and proceeded towards the Head Post Office in the town. - PTI

The Congress Working Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss and approve the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting. Other senior leaders, including Ambika Soni, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P. Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, Ajay Maken and Kumari Selja were also present.

The manifesto committee of the party has already sent the draft document to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) for its nod. The CWC would grant its approval and give a final shape to the draft manifesto which carries the five ‘guarantees’ for justice. - PTI

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on March 19 said the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana have been working transparently and taking steps to uplift the weaker sections.

The Narendra Modi government has worked towards the upliftment of the poor and weaker sections of the society and has undertaken several initiatives for their welfare, he said.

Interacting with reporters after paying obeisance at Nada Sahib Gurdwara in Panchkula, Mr. Saini said the country has scripted a new chapter of development during the 10-year rule of the Narendra Modi government. - PTI

Odisha DGP Arun Sarangi held a virtual meeting with senior police officers of neighbouring states to check illegal transportation of narcotics, money and arms during the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Sarangi on Monday said the inter-state cooperation meeting was held with Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Superintendents of police of all boarding districts along with range DIGs and senior officials of intelligence and operation wings attended the meeting, he said. - PTI

The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that while he has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has “historically paid little attention” to the state.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister ahead of his visit to Tamil Nadu’s Salem and Kerala’s Palakkad on Tuesday.

“The prime minister is visiting Salem, Tamil Nadu and Palakkad, Kerala today. Some important questions that he must address: While the prime minister has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has historically paid little attention to the state,” Ramesh said.

For instance, he did not set foot there during the Cyclone Michaung crisis in December 2023, he claimed. - PTI

Government Adviser (Public Affairs) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party (JSP) put up a show of unity at the Praja Galam public meeting near Chilakaluripet on March 17, but people were not fools to believe their pre-poll machinations. 

The three leaders enacted a similar drama 10 years ago and have just repeated it for the sake of power, without committing to do what the State requires. They launched a diatribe against Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy while dodging the issues which Andhra Pradesh continued to grapple with since bifurcation, he alleged. Read more

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit out at the CPI on Tuesday, saying that it is ironic that the Left party which complains about Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad is “playing the BJP’s game” in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram said the only effect of the CPI’s campaign against him in the constituency is to divide the anti-BJP vote, “and they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad”.

Tharoor, who has been representing Thiruvananthapuram for the past 15 years in the Lok Sabha, is eyeing a record fourth term.

He is facing BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Electronics and Information Technology. The CPI has fielded Pannian Raveendran in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat. -- PTI

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India T.S. Krishnamurthy on Monday suggested that online voting facility be provided to senior citizens, physically-challenged persons and members of the uniformed services, to start with.

He also urged political parties to seriously explore the possibility of cutting down the number of physical public meetings and increasingly opt for online campaigning, leveraging the power of digital media. Read more

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor is banking on his initiatives during the last 15 years as he seeks a re-election from the constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the fourth time. 

He, however, admits that Thiruvananthapuram has a long way to go in achieving some of its long pending demands, partly owing to “the administrative limitations imposed by political realities”, the incumbent MP has stated in a progress report on his development activities released a few days ago. Read more

The Trinamool Congress has complained to the Election Commission alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the BJP candidate from Varanasi, has violated the model code of conduct by using central government funds for campaigning.

In a letter addressed to the chief election commissioner on Monday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said a message by the PM highlighting his government’s programmes reached the electorate on March 16, after the model code of conduct came into force. - PTI

After signing the deal for the Lok Sabha polls with the BJP, the leaders of the PMK hinted that they would be joining the BJP’s public meeting to be addressed by PM Modi today in Salem.

The list of constituencies that the PMK will contest under NDA is expected to be announced in a couple of days. 

A day after the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) announced it would join the BJP-led NDA and fight the coming Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu, the BJP offered 10 Lok Sabha seats to the party.

According to reports, the deal was signed by Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai and PMK founder S. Ramadoss. Further details are awaited.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will finalise the alliance partners in Tamil Nadu in a couple of days, Union Minister L. Murugan and BJP State president K. Annamalai told reporters separately here on Monday.

“It will be a winning alliance and big leaders will be contesting,” Mr. Annamalai said. “We want to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to all places in the State,” he added. Read more

The ideological barrier for entry into the BJP is as low as it is for exit from the Congress, going by the exodus from the latter and the mass migration into the former in recent days. This makes both the parties, and their leaders, appear cynical opportunists.

Also Read | Congress in damage control mode over influential tribal leader’s likely shift to BJP

Careerists in the Congress have all migrated to the saffron pastures of the BJP. Does this mean that both parties form an indistinguishable barren land of absent ideology? Not quite. There is a difference between the two parties in balancing careerist opportunism with ideological fidelity. Read more

Repeatedly tripped by the first time voters the Congress is trying to walk the extra mile in this poll season bringing yuva guarantee cards with promises centred around employment to their doorstep. 

Compared to 2019, the first time voters who are classified as anyone between the age of 18 and 19, is up by 20%. A total of 1.8 crore voters fall under this category, while 19.7 crore voters fall under the age group of 20 to 29 years, who the Congress is particularly targeting. Read more

After taking out a roadshow covering 2.5 km in Coimbatore on Monday, ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to the 58 people who died in a series of bomb blasts 26 years ago — on February 14, 1998, in the city.

Amid shouting of slogans “Modi Modi”, “ Meendum Modi”, “We Want Modi”, “Jai Shri Ram”, and “Bharat Matha Ki Jai” by the BJP cadre and supporters, who had lined up on either side of the road, Mr. Modi arrived at R.S. Puram, which was one of the places of the serial blasts. Read more