Election Financial News

BSE PSU index, a barometer of public sector enterprises' performance, zoomed from 9,497 points to 18,274 points, translating into a stellar gain of 92.4%. The government's accelerated capex spending, coupled with sector-specific reasons, has helped PSU stocks achieve record gains in FY24. In the recent interim budget (FY24-25), the government raised the capital outlay by 11.1% to ₹11,11,111 crore, equivalent to 3.4% of GDP.

Kangana Ranaut, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi on Friday said that people of Mandi should give a befitting reply to Rahul Gandhi over his 'Shakti' remarks, adding that «how can he say such things in a Hindu Rashtra». Questioning who has been writing his speeches, Kangana Ranaut said, «Rahul Gandhi says he wants to destroy 'Shakti'. Who writes such speeches for him? How can Rahul Gandhi say such kind of things in Hindu Rashtra? I want the people of Mandi to give an answer to those who have spoken indecently about women. The people of India have always blessed me.» The 'Shakti' remarks row erupted earlier this month following Gandhi's remarks during the campaign conclusion speech in Mumbai's Shivaji Ground.

Murugha Mutt in Dharwad, a religious mutt of Veerashaiva-Lingayats, has distanced itself from the demands for replacement of Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi as the BJP candidate by March 31. Fakir Dingaleshwar Swami, the head of a Lingayat mutt in Shirahatti, held a meeting with a group of community seers at Murugha mutt premises in Dharwad on Wednesday, and sought Joshi’s replacement on grounds that he suppressed the community members. The clarification from Sri Mallikarjuna Swami, the head of Murugha Mutt, has come as a big relief for Joshi who has been winning the Lok Sabha polls in Dharwad with the solid backing of Lingayats, who are dominant in the region.

Bollywood actress Kangana Rananaut, who is contesting Lok Sabha Elections from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, recently claimed that the political party of Congress was rife with nepotism just like Bollywood was. She said that the INC (Indian National Congress), was complicit in nepotism, just as much as the Indian film industry is. In an interview with Times Now, she called lambasted the Congress political party for supporting nepotism as it had several Gandhi family members in important positions. She called Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra as “nepo babies who came to India from Mars..” “The Congress has always been an appalling party for me. The nepotism in the party has been hugely problematic for me because I was a target of the same system in my industry. I had condemned it openly, I fought against it. Something that was exploiting me… Nepotism, groupism, dynastic politics… I despise this party," she told the news publication.

Congress will hold nationwide protests over the weekend against fresh income tax demand of over Rs 1,800 crore, which it has described as an «egregious attack» on democracy and imposition of "tax terrorism" amid the crucial Lok Sabha elections. The opposition party said it has received fresh notices from the income-tax department, asking it to pay Rs 1,823.08 crore, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal has asked all Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) to hold massive public demonstrations at the state and district headquarters in their respective states on Saturday and the following day, involving senior leaders and party functionaries. In his letter to all PCC presidents, Congress legislature party leaders, AICC general secretaries, in-charges and heads of frontal organisations, Venugopal said, «As you are well aware, the systematic process to thwart Indian democracy by the BJP proceeds at an alarming rate.»

₹59,400 per 10 grams at the beginning of the year to around ₹67,000 per 10 grams at the end. The fiscal year saw a slew of global conflicts including the Israel - Hamas war and the ongoing Russia - Ukraine war. Also Read: What's next for gold? Look to China for clues FY24 also witnessed global central banks shoring up their gold reserves with physical demand also remaining elevated.

Ranaut said it would take time for her to remember the names of all the party leaders. “Lekin mai aapki beti hun, behan hun to mujhe pata hai mai yahan par choti-moti galtiyan kar skti hun. Ye koi film industry nahi hai ki mujhe suli par chada diya jayega. [I am your daughter and sister, so I know that I can make small mistakes here.

INDIA bloc of opposition parties are coming together to flex their muscles. On Sunday, they are organising a protest rally in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi against the Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's arrest where they expect more than 1 lakh people to turn up. Since last year, the INDIA bloc has struggled to come together in a joint rally. A joint INDIA rally in Bhopal was announced for the first week of October last year on the issues of “rising prices, unemployment and corruption of the BJP government” right before the Madhya Pradesh elections but Congress leader Kamal Nath cancelled it. While two MPs of Trinamool Congress confirmed their participation, the AAP and Congress functionaries have said confirmation was being taken from all other alliance partners on their presence at the rally. The senior leadership of the AAP, Congress and other partners are likely to participate in the show of strength. The AAP and Congress eye the Ramlila Maidan protest on March 31 as an opportunity to create synchronisation among their Delhi cadres ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

MLA and former minister Surendra Singh Bhoi resigned from the primary membership of the party after 38 years and joined the ruling BJD on Friday. Two BJP leaders — Nilgiri MLA Sukant Nayak and the party's Cuttack district president Prakash Chandra Behera — also resigned from their party and are likely to join the BJD. In a letter to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Surendra Singh Bhoi said he has resigned from the post of Bolangir district Congress committee (DCC) president as well as the party. «I beg to say here that due to personal reasons I would like to resign from the primary membership, and the post of president DCC, Bolangir as well as AICC membership. With great honour, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve the party and my state for 38 years with passion, dedication and discipline,» he said in the letter.

Amit Shah is likely to visit Tripura for two days from April 7 and will address a rally and hold a roadshow the next day as part of the BJP's campaign for its candidates in the two Lok Sabha seats in the northeastern state, a party leader said on Friday. During his proposed visit, Shah is also expected to chair an organisational meeting of party leaders, he said. «Amit Shah ji, who is scheduled to address a rally in Mizoram on April 7, is likely to arrive in Tripura on the same day. He will hold an organisational meeting, address a rally in Gumati district's Udaipur and a roadshow in Agartala,» BJP state general secretary Amit Rakshit told PTI. He said Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha held a meeting with senior party leaders on Thursday night for Shah's visit to the state.

Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday compared Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and said she is perhaps preparing to hold the post of her husband. «The madam your are naming is perhaps preparing to hold the post like Rabri Devi did in Bihar,» the senior BJP leader told reporters here at the inauguration of the Delhi BJP's election office. The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs was responding to a question about AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita. Earlier in the day, Sunita Kejriwal launched a WhatsApp campaign, urging people to support her husband, who is in ED custody in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case.

Election Commission (EC) on Friday said its C-Vigil mobile application has become an effective tool in the hands of people for flagging poll code violations and since the announcement of the Lok Sabha election, more than 79,000 complaints have been received. More than 99 per cent of the complaints have been resolved and close to 89 per cent of those were resolved within 100 minutes, the poll panel said. More than 58,500 complaints (73 per cent of the total number of complaints) received were against illegal hoardings and banners, the EC said, adding that over 1,400 complaints received pertained to money, gifts and liquor distribution. Close to 3 per cent of the complaints (2,454) were related to defacement of property.

CBI court in Lucknow on Friday convicted seven people in the killing of former BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, a case in which murdered gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad was also an accused, officials said. The proceedings against Atiq Ahmad, his brother and prime accused Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, and Gulbul alias Rafiq were abated after their death, they said. Raju Pal, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, was gunned down on January 25, 2005, as a result of political rivalry with Atiq Ahmad's brother Ashraf, whom he had defeated in the 2004 bypoll to the Prayagraj West seat. The BSP leader had lost the election to the seat to Atiq Ahmad in 2002 but when the latter vacated it after being elected to the Lok Sabha, Pal defeated Ashraf in the bypoll.

INDIA bloc parties in Bihar announced the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections on March 29. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will contest 26 of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress will field candidates in nine seats. The Left parties will contest on five seats, as per the arrangement finalised.

Purvanchal Expressway, a 6-lane access-controlled highway connecting Ghazipur with the Uttar Pradesh capital, Lucknow. Yet, the town is known to rest of India for ‘Phatak’ – the sprawling home of the Ansaris, the family of the gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died of a cardiac arrest on March 28. In October 2023, two colleagues and I visited 'Phatak' for a story.

Income Tax Department's notice of ₹1,700 crore to the grand old party, saying the officials are being used as the ‘gundas’ of the ruling party. AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal accused the Narendra Modi-led government of trying to “financially strangulate" the opposition parties during the election time. “The Narendra Modi government is doing this with the specific purpose of bankrupting the Congress party at a time when we are facing elections," the Congress leader told media persons as quoted by PTI. He pointed out that the political parties are usually exempted from paying taxes, but this penalty is in the name of delay in filing returns.

₹1,823.08 crore. Isuuing a statement, the party said, “Yesterday, we received fresh notices from the IT department to pay ₹1823.08 crores. Already the IT department has forcibly taken away ₹135 crores from our Bank account." “Before the dust could settle on that vindictive unprecedented action, now in a patently illegal and undemocratic action the frontal organisation of the BJP – namely the Income Tax Department – has launched its next premeditated, diabolical campaign against the INC.

INDIA block is finally going to announce the seat sharing formula on Friday in Patna. Sources tell ET that as per the agreement, RJD will contest 26 seats, Congress will contest on nine seats and Left parties will contest on remaining five seats. Among Left parties, CPI (ML) will contest three seats and CPI and CPM will contest one seat each. However, meeting went on till late evening in Delhi between Congress and RJD over the specific Lok Sabha seat. Congress wants Purnia Lok Sabha seat for Pappu Yadav. But RJD has already fielded Bima Bharti from the seat. Congress has been given the Supaul seat. Sources tell ET that there is possibility that RJD can exchange Supaul giving Madhepura to Congress from where Pappu Yadav can fight the election. Pappu Yadav on the other hand is still adamant on Purnia seat. Congress will get Sasaram, Katihar, Patna Sahib, Bettiah, Valmiki Nagar, Maharajganj among others. Congress is also likely to get one seat between Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur.

INDIA Bloc on Friday announced seat sharing in Bihar for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls starting April 19, 2024. The RJD has been given 26 seats. Meanwhile, Congress and the left bloc received nine and five seats respectively. The INDIA bloc had called a joint press conference in RJD headquarters where Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, officially announced the number and the names of candidates for all 40 Lok Sabha seats.

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK): After back-to-back wins under captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's leadership, CSK is currently sitting at the top of the IPL 2024 points table with 4 points and a net run rate of 1.979. Till now, CSK has played two matches, the first against RCB and the second against the Mumbai Indians.

Piyush Goyal, Commerce & Industry Minister, in conversation with Navika Kumar of ET Now at the Times Now Summit 2024. Goyal says: “This is an election where national issues and India's future assume the centrestage and not the local issues of the MLAs or of the corporators. It is that recognition that you have to get amongst the voters and I think then you are home and through.” You have moved from Cabinet to candidate. You are set to make a poll debut and will be fighting from Mumbai North in the general elections. How much has life changed for you? Piyush Goyal: What do you mean by “from cabinet to candidate”? I continue to be in the cabinet.