Election Financial News

INDIA bloc held a massive rally here on Sunday against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted the NDA Lok Sabha campaign from Meerut in west Uttar Pradesh with a public meeting where he alleged that the Opposition has formed a coalition to protect the corrupt while he has ensured that those engaged in huge corruption are put behind bars. “In the last ten years, the country has seen that we have started the fight against corruption, we have ensured that no middleman is able to steal money from the poor… I am fighting against corruption and because of this, some people are facing problems… Modi’s mantra is remove corruption and they say ‘save the corrupt’. This election is between the NDA, which is fighting against corruption and the other group, which is fighting to save the corrupt,” he said at the joint rally of NDA partners. He took digs at the Opposition on corruption and the formation of INDI Alliance to fight him.

Gold, alcohol, drugs and other goods worth around Rs 140 crore were seized in addition to Rs 7 crore cash in West Bengal till date after announcement of Lok Sabha polls last month, according to EC. The Election Commission has declared six Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal as 'financially sensitive'. The EC has seized 12.7 lakh litres of alcohol worth Rs 33.86 crore and drugs weighing around 3.5 kg worth Rs 18.28 crore have been seized," people in the know said. The Commission seized the gold worth Rs 27.32 crore during this period.

'important piece of Bharat' has caused troubles for Tamil Nadu's "fishermen brothers and sisters". In a video posted on Sunday, he trained guns on the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for "colluding in the ceding of Katchatheevu by Sri Lanka". Several BJP leaders, including top leadership such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmatharaman reacted to the report, slamming the Congress.

Zomato received a GST demand order worth ₹23.26 crore for FY 2018-19 from Karnataka tax authorities. Further INDIA bloc leaders assembled at Ramlila Maidan in solidarity with Kejriwal, Soren. CUET-UG also extended application deadline till April 5.

Congress in Bihar ahead of Lok Sabha polls, former state president Anil Sharma on Sunday quit the party, claiming that it was stuck in a «disastrous» partnership with the RJD. Making the announcement at a press conference here, Sharma also voiced disgust over the recent induction, «with much fanfare», of controversial former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav. «Today, the party leadership is busy with a rally in Delhi where it is talking of the need to save democracy. Sadly, though, no democracy can be seen in the Congress where even our duly elected national president can take no step without consulting Rahul Gandhi or his close aide KC Venugopal,» alleged Sharma. Sharma became the fourth former Bihar Congress president to have quit the party in nearly a decade. The latest instance was that of Ashok Chaudhary, who quit the party and joined JD(U) in 2018, a few months after a factional feud caused him to give up the state president's post.

BJP on Sunday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his «match-fixing» accusation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Congress government in the past handed over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka clinching a «deal» with the neighbouring country to benefit the party's first family. The BJP's reaction came after Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of trying to do «match-fixing» in the Lok Sabha polls and asserted that if the BJP succeeds in its endeavours, the country's Constitution will be changed and people's rights taken away. Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also slammed the Congress over Gandhi's claim that the entire country will be on fire if the saffron party returns to power and the Constitution is changed, saying that divisive politics is in the «DNA» of the main opposition. The Congress did not hesitate to even allow the country's partition on the lines of religion in 1947 leaving a portion of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistan's occupation, he charged.

BJP has already won 10 seats of the 60-member assembly uncontested. Among those won are Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and two first-time candidates — Ratu Techi from Sagalee and Hage Appa of the Ziro-Hapoli seat. The BJP has fielded candidates in all the 50 seats that are going to the polls, while the opposition Congress is fighting in only 19 seats. The Meghalaya-based NPP has fielded candidates in 20 seats, the NCP is fighting 14 seats, the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) is contesting 11 seats, the Arunachal Democratic Party has fielded candidates in four seats, while the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) is fighting one seat.

Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday to express solidarity with arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, and urged people to vote out the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls to «save democracy and the Constitution». The leaders who were on the stage at the 'Loktantra Bachao' (save democracy) rally included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former presidents Sonia and Rahul Gandhi; NCP's Sharad Yadav, NC leader Farooq Abdullah, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray; Left leaders Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Dipankar Bhattacharya; Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav; RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and TMC's Derek O'Brien. Chief Minister Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and JMM leader Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren were also addressed the gathering, castigating the Central government over the arrest of their husbands in corruption cases.

election officials on Sunday searched the bus in which former Telangana Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao was traveling during his visit to Suryapet district, about 170 km from Hyderabad. Telangana will vote for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on May 13 for which the Model Code Conduct (MCC) is currently in place. According to sources in the BRS, Rao was on his way to Suryapet as part of his tour to inspect agricultural fields which are allegedly facing drought-like conditions.

Conservative Party is in for a major drubbing in the general election expected later this year, with even British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's seat in North Yorkshire hanging in the balance. The 15,029-person MRP poll conducted by Survation on behalf of Best for Britain puts the Opposition Labour Party on 45 per cent of the vote share with a 19-point lead over the Conservatives, up three points from the group's previous poll at the end of last year. 'The Sunday Times' analysis of the major seat-by-seat survey claims Tory prospects have hit a record low, which means they are on track for their worst election result, winning fewer than 100 seats. Labour could win 468, giving Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer's party a whopping 286-seat majority. «Our MRP forecast shows that, if the election were held tomorrow, Sunak's Conservatives would lose 250 MPs across the country and the Labour Party would win with 468 seats. This would be the worst ever result for the Conservatives at a General Election,» claims the Best for Britain analysis.

poll campaign for forthcoming General Elections from Meerut, addressing the city as the land of revolution and revolutionaries. Taking a swipe at the Opposition and arrested leaders, the Prime Minister said that some people are rattled because his government is taking action against corruption. «In the last 10 years, the country has seen that we have started the fight against corruption, we have ensured that no middleman can steal money from the poor. I am fighting against corruption and because of this, some people are facing problems. Modi's mantra is 'Bhrashtachar hatao' and they say 'Bhrashtacahri bachao'. This election is between NDA, which is fighting against corruption and the other group, which is fighting to save the corrupt,» he further added.

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money trail of the alleged Rs 45 crore kickbacks generated from the Delhi excise policy «scam» and used for the 2022 Goa election campaign by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as claimed by the Enforcement Directorate, has also been «substantiated» by the CBI and the Income-Tax department in their separate investigations, according to documents filed in court. A wide network of Hawala operators and 'Angadiyas' are also being investigated by the ED in this case where it recently arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and claimed he and his political outfit are liable to be prosecuted in the alleged laundering of these funds. Statements of five 'Angadiya' firm operators have also been recorded by the ED to establish the «money trail» of this alleged Rs 45 crore bribe amount.

AIMIM) and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) announced an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. Apna Dal (Kamerawadi)'s leader Pallavi Patel and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi led the alliance, which has been named PDM, which means «Pichda, Dalit and Musalman». Other parties like Premchand Bind's Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party and Rashtriya Uday Party are also included in the alliance.

INDIA bloc's rally on March 31, Opposition parties called upon the Election Commission guarantee fairness in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The leaders emphasised that they will fight what they termed as «undemocratic obstacles» created by the BJP. During the 'Loktantra Bachao Rally' held at Delhi's Ramlila ground, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra set down five demands by the alliance, underlining that the EC should ensure a level playing field for all parties in Lok Sabha elections. The opposition leader stressed that the Election Commission must intervene to halt the actions of agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and the Income Tax department against opposition figures, which she said will impact the election process in a negative way. Gandhi also demanded the immediate release of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Mehbooba Mufti, who was at the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, slammed the central government over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that «people are being jailed without any investigation.» Speaking at the Maha Rally, Mufti said, «Today, the country is going through some tough times. People are being jailed without any investigation. This is 'Kalyug ka Amrit Kaal'. I am not talking about Umar Khalid or Mohammad Zubair, I am talking about your elected representatives. It is not surprising to me. Myself, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, all three former CMs are under house arrest. The one who violates the law is a traitor.» Opposition leaders came together in a show of strength at the capital's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case.

Narendra Modi over his charge that Indira Gandhi gave away Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday asked why he did not take steps to get it back during his 10-year rule and alleged that raising the «sensitive» issue ahead of elections shows his «desperation». The opposition leader also questioned why the prime minister gave a «clean chit» to China after 20 bravehearts made supreme sacrifice in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. Kharge said that Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka as part of a friendly agreement in 1974 and reminded the Modi government that it too had undertaken a similar «friendly gesture» towards Bangladesh on exchange of border enclaves. «Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi ji, You have suddenly woken up to the issues of territorial integrity and national security in your 10th year of misrule. Perhaps, elections are the trigger. Your desperation is palpable,» he said in a post on X.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday described the RSS-BJP combine as «poison» that has «destroyed» the country, and called on all opposition parties to unite to defeat the ruling party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This election is to save democracy, the country and the Constitution, he said at 'Loktantra Bachao' rally of the opposition INDIA bloc at the Ramlila Maidan here. The rally seeks to highlight the «threat to democracy» after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. The wives of both Kejriwal and Soren were also present at the rally and addressed it. «We need to unite and only then will we be able to fight the BJP. We won't succeed if we keep attacking and fighting each other,» Kharge said.

Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha election campaign in Uttar Pradesh. The rally, at the Potato Research Institute ground, is the first occasion since 2014 when PM Modi will share stage with BJP ally and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the stage.

Bharat Ratna upon Shri LK Advani Ji. This honour is a recognition of his enduring contributions to our nation's progress.

Mallikarjun Kharge jibbed “elections are the trigger. Your desperation is palpable". Citing “misdeeds" of PM Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge urged the PM to stop “obsessing" over Congress.