Rajya Sabha News

Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray led outfit will battle it out in three seats. While two seats will witness fights between the traditional rivals — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, in one seat the Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP will fight it out. The six constituencies in Mumbai are Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West. These are among the 13 seats in Maharashtra that will go to polls in the fifth and final phase on May 20. Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-West will see a fight between the two Senas, while Mumbai North-East will be a BJP versus Shiv Sena (UBT) face-off. In Mumbai South, sitting MP Arvind Sawant of the Uddhav Thackeray will take on Yamini Jadhav of the Shinde-led Sena. Jadhav represents the Byculla assembly constituency in Mumbai. Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai is pitted against Rahul Shewale of the Shinde-led Sena in Mumbai South-Central.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is unlikely to contest the Lok Sabha Elections from the Raebareli seat in Uttar Pradesh, reports said. Priyanka will instead focus on campaigning for the party nationwide, a report in India Today said. Priyanka has not contested any elections so far.

Raghav Chadha with fugitive Vijay Mallya. According to reports, the channel disseminated misleading content concerning the Delhi liquor scam and made claims that AAP sold tickets for elections.

Rahul Gandhi is contesting Lok Sabha Elections against Annie Raja, a leader from the Communist Party of India (CPI), which is a key partner in the opposition INDIA bloc. With Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kerala state President K Surendran in the fray, the contest in the seat has become triangular. Wayanad will vote, along 19 other seats of Kerala, in the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Friday, April 26.

Bengaluru, After she was shifted to Bangalore North segment for the coming Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is determined to prove a point or two and wants to ensure that BJP continues its winning streak here. Bangalore North has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 and the 57-year-old is banking on the "Modi factor". She is facing Congress candidate and former Rajya Sabha member M V Rajeev Gowda, who is putting up a spirited fight. Both belong to the Vokkaliga community. Karandlaje is a two-time MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur but was moved out after she faced a «Go back Shobha» campaign there from a section of her party. Karandlaje has been telling people how India is on the development path in the past 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

BJP and BRS in Telangana have claimed that the announcement of Rs two lakh farm loan waiver by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is a result of their agitations demanding it and sought to know when the other promises of ruling Congress government would be fulfilled. Taking on the Congress government, BJP Rajya Sabha member K Laxman on Tuesday asked why should people vote for Congress in the Lok Sabha elections when promises like investment support of Rs 15,000 to farmers and financial assistance of Rs 12,000 to agriculture workers have not been implemented. Addressing reporters here, Laxman also took exception to Revanth Reddy's charge that there was a clandestine understanding between BJP and BRS. BRS MLA T Harish Rao claimed that the CM made the announcement to waive farmers' loans before August 15 only with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls.

Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Tihar jail, will meet two ministers each week and review the progress of the work in their departments, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, Kejriwal is currently in judicial custody. Party's Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann met Kejriwal in Tihar jail on April 15.

Rupala, the BJP's nominee from Gujarat's Rajkot Lok Sabha seat, is facing agitation by Kshatriya community members, political analysts and voters believe the Union minister will emerge victorious. While the analysts claim Rajkot is an «unbreachable fortress» of the BJP, voters laud the development works done by the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Rupala recently claimed the erstwhile 'maharajas' succumbed to the persecution of foreign rulers, including the Britishers. Despite Rupala's apology, the Kshatriyas, also called Rajputs, see his remarks as an insult to them and have asked the BJP to withdraw his candidature or face defeat in Rajkot, a Patidar-dominated seat considered as BJP's stronghold.

₹1 each from persons attending the party’s public gatherings. Similar campaigns have been run by leaders such as Kanshi Ram and Arvind Kejriwal. It is an irony, though, that Kanshi Ram’s successor, Mayawati, faced allegations of corruption after coming to power.

Imran Masood, Congress-SP alliance nominee, who had hit the headlines for aggressive postures in the past is running a low-key campaign focussing mainly on villages dominated by Hindus. Masood is a nephew of nine-term MP (five-time Lok Sabha and four-term Rajya Sabha member) Rashid Masood, who had enjoyed support of different castes of the Hindu community during his long political career. Masood is now exploring chances to revive the old support base of his uncle among non-Muslims. His camp is also avoiding organising big rallies or public meetings. «Drawing Muslims in big numbers at political rallies or public meetings may lead to polarisation in other communities,» a supporter said.

Trinamool Congress delegation will meet Election Commission officials in New Delhi on Monday to complain about «misuse» of central investigating agencies against TMC leaders and party candidates. The delegation will be led by TMC's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien and MP Dola Sen is also likely to meet the full bench of the Election Commission. «The BJP is misusing central agencies against us. The way NIA, ED and CBI are working and targeting TMC leaders is shameful. We would request the EC to ensure a level playing field for all political parties,» Sen told reporters at the airport before leaving for New Delhi. The TMC alleged on Sunday an «unholy alliance» between the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and BJP ahead of elections, prompting the central investigating agency to deny any mala fide intention and label the entire controversy as «unfortunate».

(This story originally appeared in on Apr 07, 2024)

Pushkar Singh Dhami Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the target of winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls as he is confident of the strength of the BJP's dedicated cadre. Dhami was speaking at a programme organised at the BJP's state office here on the occasion of the party's foundation day. «The target of winning more than 400 seats has been set by the prime minister as he is confident about your strength,» he said. «Your hard work and dedication have made the BJP the world's largest political party,» Dhami added.

Lok Sabha, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday started her fresh innings in the Rajya Sabha after she took oath as a member of the Upper House. She will represent Rajasthan in the Council of States by filling the seat that fell vacant after 91-year-old former prime minister Manmohan Singh completed his tenure on April 3. Sonia Gandhi will be the second member of the Gandhi family to enter the Rajya Sabha after former prime minister and her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, who had a two-and-a-half-year tenure (from August 1964 to February 1967) as a member of the Upper House. Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present when she took oath in Hindi in the presence of Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Manmohan Singh (91) bid adieu to the Rajya Sabha today, marking the end of his remarkable three-decade-long tenure. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge paid tribute to Singh's dedicated service, expressing admiration for his unwavering commitment to the nation. Kharge in a post on X wrote, «As you retire today from the Rajya Sabha after having served for more than three decades, an era comes to an end. Very few people can say they have served our nation with more dedication and more devotion than you. Very few people have accomplished as much as you for the nation and its people.» Prime Minister Narendra Modi some time back had also lauded his role as a member of the upper house and said his contributions would never be forgotten. Modi also said that Singh sometimes came to vote while being on a wheelchair, and that he did to strengthen democracy.

BRS in Telangana suffered another jolt as its sitting MLA and former minister Kadiam Srihari and his daughter Kadiam Kavya on Sunday joined the Congress party in the presence of Chief Minister and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy. Congress leaders have earlier invited Srihari to join the party. For various reasons, people are moving away from BRS. So, to serve the people and to do something for the constituency, he will take a call (on joining the Congress party), Srihari had said. Kavya, who was BRS candidate from Warangal, also announced her decision to opt out citing recent allegations of corruption and phone tapping against the previous K Chandrasekhar Rao-led regime.

Ramlila Maidan in the national capital. The protest forced the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre to promise an anti-corruption watchdog - Lok Pal. Arvind Kejriwal took oath for the first time as Chief Minister of Delhi, with the support of the Congress party, at the Ramlila Maidan on December 28, 2013.

Nirmala Sitharaman reported total assets valued at Rs 2.53 crore in 2022, consisting of immovable property worth Rs 1.87 crore and movable property totaling Rs 65.55 lakh, as per her assets and liabilities declaration as a Rajya Sabha member. However, she also disclosed liabilities amounting to Rs 26.91 lakh. It's likely that these figures have undergone changes over the past couple of years due to her investments or loan repayments.

Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, Biplab Kumar Deb, claimed that CPI-M leaders like former chief minister Manik Sarkar is not willing to vote for Congress candidate Ashish Kumar Saha, who is also contesting from the same seat as a consensus nominee of the INDIA bloc. Left parties and Congress are fighting one seat each in Tripura. Addressing an election rally in South Tripura, Deb said: “Manik Da is a veteran Communist leader who during his decades-long political career never voted for any non-Left party candidate. Therefore, this time too he is not willing to cast his vote for the Congress nominee.” Manik Sarkar served as the Chief Minister of Tripura for 20 years, from 1998 to 2018.

Congress in Telangana, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal joined the party here on Saturday. Vijaya Laxmi joined Congress in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, AICC incharge of party affairs in Telangana Deepa Dasmunsi and other leaders. Vijaya Laxmi joining Congress is expected to help the party in the GHMC limits in the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress did not win any of the 24 seats that fall under the limits of GHMC in the recent Assembly polls, though it won a majority. Vijaya Laxmi's father and BRS Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao, who had served as PCC president earlier, said on Friday that he would return to the Congress fold. Keshav Rao met the CM and state Congress chief Revanth Reddy on Friday. Noting that he worked in the grand old party for 55 years, the 85-year-old leader said he would do 'ghar vapsi' (returning to home). Asked if he is quitting BRS due to any differences with the regional party or his love for the Congress, he said it was affinity for the national party. Former BRS MLC Puranam Satish also joined the Congress today, Congress sources said. The BRS has witnessed an exodus of senior leaders in recent times.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asserted that investigative agencies are free to chase those who contravene law irrespective of their political affiliation, rejecting any perception that the NDA government is seeking to coerce opposition parties into submission by setting the enforcement agencies after them. Speaking at the Times Now Summit, themed 'India Unstoppable', Sitharaman also said that she was given the option by BJP president JP Nadda to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, she expressed inability on the grounds that «I don't have the kind of money» required to fight polls, among others. The minister is a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka. «After thinking over a week or ten days, I just went back to say… maybe not. I do not have that kind of money to contest. I also have a problem whether it is Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. It's also going to be a question of various other winnability criteria that they use… Are you from this community or are you from that religion? Are you from this? I said no, I do not think I am going to be able to do it,» she said.