Election Financial News

Rajgarh constituency in Madhya Pradesh, which is being touted as a hot seat this Lok Sabha elections with Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh contesting against two-time BJP MP Rodmal Nagar, is all set to vote on May 7, in the third phase of the ensuing general polls. So far in the general elections, Congress won 9 elections from this seat, the Jansangh-BJP 6 times, the Janta Party twice and an independent candidate also won the seat only once. This time, Congress has pitted Digvijaya Singh against two-time BJP's Rodmal Nagar, who has been winning the elections since 2014.

Donald Trump's election campaign and the Republican National Committee said on Saturday that they raised more than $76 million in April, over half of it from small donors. The monthly fundraising haul exceeded the $65.6 million raised in March by Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and the RNC.

Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj took a swipe at the ruling party, accusing it of «breaking opposition parties». The AAP leader, while speaking to the reporters here, also came down heavily on Lovely and said that the latter's entry into the BJP was already anticipated since he stepped down as the Delhi Congress president in protest against the party's alliance with INDIA bloc partner AAP. «The day he resigned from Congress, almost everybody got to know that he would be joining the BJP. This is the politics of BJP, they break other parties but even after doing all these things, INDIA alliance is going to win all the 7 seats in Delhi,» Saurabh Bharadwaj said.

Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar for the soul of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). But another big uncle-nephew tussle is in the offing in the assembly elections that are scheduled to be held in October. That could see Ajit Pawar pitted against Yugendra Pawar on the Baramati assembly seat.

South during election time and things seem to be a little different here in Chennai from other parts of the country. Unlike in the East-West-North, I don't have any language to speak to people on the street, and my narrow sampling is from the educated, English-speaking class with which I come into contact. But even here, people are calmer, their disagreements articulate. Various kinds of psephological nerdiness are on full display, but without the accompanying rancour one is used to when arguing with say Bengalis, Punjabis or Hindi-belt folks. There's an almost destabilising absence of kinship and/or genitalic cuss words. People down here argue. But they also let the other person actually speak. Like totally weird, da. Everyone agrees that in the behemoth state of Tamil Nadu, things are going to go just as they have in the past. 'They can come and do as many rallies as they want. People will go to see also, because they are crudely entertaining. But as for votes, forget it. Their nonsense has never worked in these parts.'

Sadiq Khan on Saturday registered a decisive victory to secure a record third term as Mayor of London, as the local election results from England and Wales continued to reflect a strong swing in favour of the Opposition Labour Party. The 53-year-old Pakistani-origin Labour candidate secured a massive 10,88,225 votes with a 43.8 per cent vote share, well ahead of the Conservative candidate Susan Hall's 8,12,397 votes – an impressive majority of over 2,75,000.

election time. And all I can think of are people who like people who they (think) they are like. There are people who like politicians, writers, artists, actors, sportspersons that they look up to, because the latter provide them some pleasure, joy, purpose. Some of these people are even Indian White supremacists, who genuinely believe that the pavements would be smoother under British governance. Then there are the same people who don't like people who they are not like. Or rather, people who are not like them. The reason for their antipathy could be a difference in faith, dietary habits, regional residency, way he or she behaves in a gathering, or the way one dresses. But this kind of antipathy, even detestation, can be a defining feature of such a person.

Uttar Pradesh on Saturday to campaign for the BJP's candidates for the Kanpur and Akbarpur Lok Sabha seats. A large crowd cheered for the prime minister and waved cutouts of the BJP's election symbol 'lotus' as he greeted them from his car. Modi also visited the Gumati Gurdwara before starting his roadshow. Small children, women and elders lined the streets as the prime minister's motorcade passed through. The crowd shouted slogans and showered flower petals. The prime minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJP's Kanpur candidate Ramesh Awasthi and Akbarpur candidate Devendra Singh atop the open-hooded vehicle.

Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was coming up with imaginary ideas regarding the Congress' manifesto to attack the party. The situation today was such that «the very idea of Indian democracy that our forefathers fought for is in peril», he told reporters here. «Our manifesto is a strong document with a vision for the future. Modi is making up imaginary ideas that are not in our manifesto and attacking us for that. We too can come up with imaginary things about Modi but we are not doing that,» he said. «We believe Modi's own record is bad enough and there is enough to attack. He, however, has nothing to say against us except imaginary things which we have not claimed in our manifesto,» he added. The issue of Muslim reservation was brought up by the PM but there was no mention of the term «Muslim» in Congress' manifesto, Tharoor claimed. «He said we are going to snatch away the houses and buffaloes of people and give it to Muslims. There is no such reference in the manifesto. He says we are going to take away mangalsutras and gold and give it to Muslims,» he said.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on May 4, about a week after resigning from the post of Delhi Congress chief. After his April 28 resignation, Lovely claimed he would not join any political party and had simply resigned from the post, and not from the party. With his induction in the BJP on Saturday, however, Lovely has joined the long list of Congress turncoats who have switched to the saffron party during the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Arvind Kejriwal has been included in the list. Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, MPs Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Delhi ministers Gopal Rai, Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kailash Gahlot and Delhi Mayor, Shelly Oberoi are also included in the list.

IAF convoy attack Live: At least five soldiers were injured when a vehicle convoy of the Indian Air Force (IAF) came under heavy firing from terrorists in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. The security forces have cordoned off the area and have launched a hunt against the terrorists, while the number of casualties is expected to increase in the terrorist attack.The officials from the security forces informed that the attack took place when the IAF convoy was moving towards Sanai Top in the district’s Surankote area.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said what is happening in poll-bound Canada over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is mostly due to their internal politics and nothing to do with India. Jaishankar said this while replying to a question on why Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is criticizing India. While interacting with senior journalists during a visit here, he also said the country needs a strong and active Prime Minister like Narendra Modi in order to bring further reforms in various sectors to make a «Viksit Bharat (developed India)». «India's image globally is now actually much much higher than it had been ever… Canada is an exception. You see the different country heads are praising Bharat and its Prime Minister,» the external affairs minister said.

Rahul Gandhi who was born with a «silver spoon», Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday. Addressing a campaign rally in Daman city in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, Shah alleged the INDIA bloc robbed the quota meant for Dalits, tribals and backward classes and gave it to Muslims, whereas the BJP has always preserved and strengthened the reservation meant for SCs, STs and OBCs. He campaigned for BJP candidates for Daman and Diu as well as Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha seats, which fall under the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. «In this election, you have two options. On the one side, you have Rahul Gandhi who was born with a silver spoon. On the other side, you have Modiji who was born to a family of a poor 'chaiwala',» said Shah.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday claimed that the Congress government in Karnataka did not take action against JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexually abusing women, for about a year despite being aware of the matter. The Congress was afraid that it might lose Vokkaliga votes and therefore stayed silent until the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections got over, she said, speaking at a meeting with select journalists here. «The Union home minister (Amit Shah) has made it very clear that we will not tolerate the matters that go against women and on that we stand united. Though the (BJP's) alliance partner has this issue, we have made it clear that it was not acceptable, and let it be investigated,» Sitharaman said, when asked if the scandal will have an impact on her party's performance in Karnataka in the ongoing elections. It was being claimed that a driver gave a pen drive (allegedly containing evidence of Revanna's acts) to the Congress party and state home minister but they were sitting on this evidence for about a year, and «now the BJP is made to answer because the JD(S) is in alliance with us,» she said.

Arvind Kejriwal who is in judicial custody and his wife Sunita Kejriwal. AAP's star campaigners' list also included the names of jailed AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, as well as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Sunita Kejriwal has already taken reins of party's campaigning for the polls, attending roadshows in support of party's Lok Sabha candidates in Delhi and Gujarat. Recently she attended roadshows along with AAP candidates in East Delhi, West Delhi and Bharuch and Bhavnagar constituencies in Gujarat. She is scheduled to attend a roadshow in support of AAP candidate from South Delhi seat Sahi Ram Pehalwan on Sunday, party leaders said.

BJP leader Anurag Thakur would file his nomination from Hamirpur constituency on May 13 for the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, BJP state Chief Rajiv Bindal on Saturday. Addressing the media in Shimla, Bindal said that actor Kangana Ranaut would file her nomination on May 14 from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency and former BJP state president Suresh Kashyap would submit his papers from Shimla constituency on May 13. The BJP Lok Sabha candidate from the Kangra seat Rajeev Bhardwaj would file his nomination on May 10. BJP candidate Sudhir Sharma, who was disqualified from Congress for defying the party whip, will also be filing his nomination from Dharamshala on May 14 for the by-elections while Ravi Thakur will submit his papers from Lahaul and Spiti assembly seat on May 9. The date for the filing of the nomination of Chetanya Sharma for Gagret is yet to be finalised, he added. The six Congress MLAs Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul and Spiti), Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Chetanya Sharma (Gagret) and Devinder Kumar Bhutto (Kutlehar) were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in Vidhan Sabha and vote in favour of the government during the cut motions and budget.

Congress candidate Deepender Singh Hooda and BJP nominee Ashok Tanwar on Saturday filed their nomination papers from the Rohtak and Sirsa seats respectively for the Lok Sabha elections. Polling for 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will take place on May 25. Hooda was accompanied by his father and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and party MLA BB Batra while filing the nomination papers at Rohtak. The Congress has fielded Hooda, a Rajya Sabha MP, from the Rohtak parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented by Bharatiya Janata Party's Arvind Sharma. He had unsuccessfully contested from the Rohtak seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Congress's Lok Sabha poll candidate from Kangra Anand Sharma on Saturday highlighted his 52-year career in public service and asserted his deep-rooted connection with Himachal Pradesh, besides talking about his efforts for the development of Kangra and Chamba districts. Hitting out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, the former Union minister alleged that it has «cheated» the country's youngsters for the last 10 years. Addressing reporters here, Sharma said, «I have an unblemished career of 52 years in public life and have come here to serve the people of Kangra and Chamba. »Throughout my tenure in various (Union) ministries, I have focused on the development of Himachal Pradesh, particularly Kangra and Chamba. My consistent participation in major party rallies here and my work with the Youth Congress across all blocks of Kangra and Chamba exemplify my dedication."

Delhi Congress, Arvinder Singh Lovely on Saturday joined Bhartiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. «We have been given an opportunity to fight for the people of Delhi under the banner of BJP and under the leadership of Prime Minister… I have full hope and there is no doubt about it that the BJP government is being formed in the country with an overwhelming majority. In the coming days, the flag of the BJP will fly in Delhi too...» said Arvinder Singh Lovely after joining BJP. Along with Lovely, former DUSU President Amit Malik, Rajkumar Chauhan, Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh, joined the BJP at party headquarters in New Delhi.

BSP on Saturday fielded its Punjab unit chief Jasvir Singh Garhi as its candidate from the Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency. The announcement in this regard was made by BSP's in-charge of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Randhir Singh Beniwal. With this, the BSP has now announced its candidates for all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, said Beniwal. The Anandpur Sahib seat is currently represented by Congress MP Manish Tewari, who has now been fielded from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat.