The BJP in Rajasthan is facing obstacles ahead of the upcoming elections due to intra-party challenges, defections, inadequate development, anger over Agnipath, and farmer protests. Local factors are making it challenging for the saffron party in nine seats, including Churu, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Dausa, Kota, Jodhpur, Barmer, and Banswara.
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Rajasthan Lok Sabha election: Twirling 9-m saafa to 'peacock' attacks in rallies
Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra from Sikar entertained at public meetings by dancing to traditional songs dedicated to Teja ji during assembly elections, despite criticism from MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati.
In Rajasthan's Banswara LS seat, Congress campaigning against own candidate
BANSWARA: A peculiar poll battle is on the cards in the tribal-dominated Banswara-Dungarpur Lok Sabha constituency in Rajasthan where the Congress is appealing to the people not to vote for its candidate. The reason: After much flip-flop, the Congress decided to form an alliance with the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) and the two parties fielded their joint candidate -- Rajkumar Roat. However, the Congress candidate, Arvind Damor, whose name was announced before the stitching of the alliance, has refused to withdraw his nomination. What was supposed to be a bipolar contest between the BJP and the Congress-BAP alliance has turned into a three-way fight with Damor likely to divide the Congress votes thus, giving an edge to the saffron party candidate -- Mahendrajit Singh Malviya. While the local leadership of the Congress has appealed to the people to vote for Roat instead of their own candidate, Damor has claimed that he has the support of a section of the party leaders who are against the alliance with the BAP. Vikas Bamnia, a district-level leader, and the son of Congress MLA Arjun Bamnia said the party was supporting Roat. Our stand is clear, we are supporting the BAP candidate. We are working keeping in mind the sentiments of the people and the directions received from the party, Bamnia said. Another local Congress leader said Roat was the official candidate of the Congress-BAP alliance. We are asking people clearly to not vote for the Congress candidate (Damor), the leader said. Although, several local residents told PTI that the contest was primarily between Malviya and Roat, some were of the view that Damor's refusal to toe the party line was embarrassing for the Congress. BAP, which was established in southern Rajasthan ahead of the 2023 assembly elections, has three MLAs, including Roat. Banswara-Dungarpur is a reserved seat for Scheduled Tribes and will go to polls in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed a rally here on Sunday. Slamming the Congress manifesto, he had alleged that the opposition party was planning to give people's hard-earned money to infiltrators and hose who have more children and referred to former PM Manmohan Singh's speech in 2006 to contend he had said that Muslims have the first claim on the country's resources. In his campaigning speeches, Malviya has accused Roat of misleading the people of Banswara while he, in return, has been charged with dividing the tribal community by the Congress-BAP candidate. Where will these people take our tribal brothers and sisters? They are misleading the tribal community. Building a house for one person does not benefit the entire community, Malviya, who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, said. These people are working to spread anarchy. No matter how much they try, the BJP is going to win this seat by lakhs of votes. The alliance of Congress and BAP will not work. It only shows that the Congress did not get a candidate for the Banswara-Dungarpur seat, he added. Countering him, Raot said the BJP candidate was dividing and abusing the tribal community. The kind of statements Malviya is giving, he is abusing the tribal community. The BJP is trying to divide the tribal community. Our tribal people may be associated with any party, be it the BJP or the Congress, but it is our responsibility to unite them. We think above the party, we think for the tribal people, he said. Damor, meanwhile, said a faction of the Congress leaders was against the alliance with BAP. I have support from the people and the party leaders who are not in favour of the alliance. I am confident of winning the election, Damor said. Amid the tussle, key issues like education, employment, roads and electricity have taken a back seat with each candidate trying to outdo the other to project himself as the champion of the tribal community, according to some non-tribal locals. The area lacks industries and job opportunities. Many people from this region work in the neighbouring state of Gujarat. Women are also seen working in farms and in labour work in large numbers, a non-tribal local resident said. The ideology of BAP appears to be radical and could emerge as a threat in the time to come. Issues are less important, they are polarising people in the name of the community, he added. Meanwhile, the need for the Congress to find an alliance partner in Banswara-Dungarpur was necessitated after Malviya -- a satrap from the Vagad region -- joined the BJP. Malviya, who was made a cabinet minister twice in the previous Congress governments, quit the party after being denied the post of the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly in the wake of Congress' defeat in the 2023 assembly elections. He resigned as the MLA from Bagidora assembly constituency and joined the BJP in February. As the Congress and the BAP -- the new party from the Vagad region -- held discussions for an alliance, the lack of consensus on seat sharing and resistance by some local Congress leaders delayed the finalisation of the coalition. On the last day of filing of nominations, the Congress decided to field Damor from Banswara-Dungarpur and Kapoor Singh from the Bagidora for the bypoll. A day before the withdrawal of nominations, Rajasthan Congress in charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa announced on social media that the party would support BAP in both the elections. However, in a rude shock for the Congress, its two candidates refused to withdraw their nominations. Of the eight assembly segments under the Banswara-Dungarpur Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has four MLAs, the Congress has three and the BAP one. The Congress in Rajasthan is contesting the elections as part of an alliance on two seats -- Nagaur (with Rashtriya Loktantrik Party) and Sikar (with CPI-M).
Nanded: Little ground clearance for ex-CM
MUMBAI: Two months ago when former Maharashtra Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan joined the BJP, the saffron camp went euphoric about its forgone victory prospect in the Lok Sabha polls. A red zone turned safe zone in Nanded in the saffron parlance. Today, the constituency is anything but safe for the BJP even though Congress has fielded fresh and new candidate Vasant Chavan against BJPs Lok Sabha MP Prataprao Chikhalikar. In 2019, BJPs Chikhalikar won the Nanded Lok Sabha seat by over 40,000 votes against Congress Ashok Chavan. Interestingly, Prakash Ambedkar-led party candidate polled 1,65,341 votes that is 14.9% of the total votes while Ashok Chavan lost by mere 3.6% vote share. This was the second defeat of Ashok Chavan in Lok Sabha elections in his political career. Historical links Nanded holds a significant historical importance. The 10th and last Sikh Guru Sri Gobind Singh spent his last days in Nanded and passed on the mantle to the sacred Guru Granth Sahib before his passing in 1708. During the Marathawada Mukti Sangram, Shankarrao Chavan, the father of Ashok Chavan, who originally belonged to Paithan in Aurangabad, shifted base to Nanded and contested the first municipal corporation election and won. The Chavan family became Nanded residents. Later, Shankarrao Chavan and Ashok Chavan became CMs twice. The Chavan family nurtured Nanded as it grew into a Congress bastion. It was breached in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Given the age-old ties, Nanded continued to support the Congress ideology. 2019 equations In the previous Lok sabha polls, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) turned out to be a spoiler for Congress Ashok Chavan by grabbing 1,65,341 votes while Chavan lost by 40,000 votes only. This time too, the VBA factor is important as it is giving headaches to the BJP and Ashok Chavan who has taken the responsibility of this seat. The VBA has fielded a Lingayat community candidate in Nanded; the community has over 1.5 lakh votes, most of which predominantly comprise BJP supporters. The demography of the Nanded is very interesting. Out of the total 18 lakh voters, eight lakh are Maratha while 4.5 lakh are Dalit and Muslim and 1.5 lakh Lingaya. The remaining belong to various communities. Saffron spoiler This time too, VBA candidate Avinash Bhosikar may turn out to be a spoiler, not for Congress but for the BJP. Put together, the Lingayat vote can change the poll outcome which would not be good for the BJP. This time, Dalits could be rallying behind the Congress candidate given the narrative around the so-called changes in the Constitution whose chief architect was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said an observer. Muslims, too, could be looking at the Congress due to a campaign of hatred launched by sections of Hindu outfits, he added. The stance of the Maratha community is not very clear, making the Nanded contest tough. The first sign of disturbance for the saffron camp emerged a few days ago when reports came in that Ashok Chavan and his wife have started facing adverse reactions from people, particularly the Maratha community during Chavans campaign meetings. The couple was even barred from entering some villages in Nanded. At one place, the mob was so huge that the elderly Congressman of that particular village came out for Chavans rescue. The former CM has never faced this kind of public wrath. A video of Chavan speech being disturbed by Maratha community youths went viral. In the latest video, Chavan is seen addressing barely 50-80 people, as most chairs of the audience are seen empty. Chavan is seen pleading with the people that that he has given his word to the top BJP leadership that party candidate Prataprao Chikalikar would win from Nanded. If BJP loses Nanded, my political support will go down within the BJP. People should trust his guarantee even if they dont believe in Modis guarantee, Chavan has told villagers. Difficult situation The BJPs initial exuberance is somewhat calmed down as party leaders campaign rallies are scheduled one after another. Initially, it was planned that BJP chief JP Naddas rally would compensate for the voter anger. But ground reality. To encourage the cadre further, Union minister Amit Shahs rally was also planned. That, too, has helped little. An internal survey continued to give an edge to Congress candidates. Finally, the BJP state leadership decided to organise PM Narendra Modis rally in Nanded. It is rarely in the BJP that both Shah and Modi address the same election campaign rally. It was necessary because each seat is important in such a closely fought political battle, said a senior BJP leader, adding that the BJP gave a Rajya Sabha seat to Chavan to secure Nanded, but it turned out that the decision was wrong. The BJP leader said the reason people are not coming out in BJP support is that PM Modi raised the Adarsh housing scam which took place during Ashok Chavans tenure -- and a few days later, Chavan was not only inducted into the party but was also given the Rajya Sabha seat. Losing steam In the last 15 years, the BJPs committed workers fought against Ashok Chavan and Ajit Pawar. Both Chavans Adarsh housing scam and Ajit Pawars Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam were hammered time and again to get votes. These leaders were termed as epitome of corruption, but have now become the strength of the party. For loyal party workers, it is like losing trust in the party, said a BJP leader. We not only lost the perception battle but also the ground support, which is now visible in Nanded and other parts of the state, he said. Congress candidate Vasant Chavan says Ashok Chavan left the Congress, but not the Congress workers. When he was in Congress, he was one of the most sought-after campaigners across the state, but sadly, Chavan cannot freely campaign in his home town, said a senior Congress leader who worked with Ashok Chavan.
Robbers loot 71 lakh from Sikar BDO in city after failed land deal
Strong foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' will be laid today: Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on 1st phase voting As the voting for the first phase of the 2024 general elections began on Friday, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Bikaner Lok Sabha seat Arjun Ram Meghwal said a strong foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' will be laid today. Rajasthan has 25 parliamentary constituencies and in Phase 1 of polling today, voting is being conducted for 12 seats. The remaining 13 seats in the state will be polled in the second phase on April 26. 114 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the elections. It is the festival of democracy today. Voting will be done today on a total of 102 seats in the country and 12 seats in Rajasthan, including the Bikaner Lok Sabha seat. Today, a strong foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' will be laid. 'Viksit Bharat' is an overarching theme of the BJP under which the party is seeking votes in the election, Meghwa told ANI. The constituencies in the first phase include Churu, Nagaurm, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa. Meghwal, a Dalit leader who has been representing the Bikaner Lok Sabha seat since 2009, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the fourth time. He is contesting against Congress candidate and former state minister Govind Ram Meghwal. Bikaner has remained a BJP bastion since 2004, when the seat was won by actor Dharmendra. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the seat was won by Meghwal, who went on to become a minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet. While the Congress struggled to secure victories in the general elections post-1999, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently dominated this constituency from 2004 to 2019. A Meghwal, the current Member of Parliament from Bikaner, clinched victories in 2009, 2014, and 2019, solidifying Bikaner as a fortress for the BJP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he secured 62.84 per cent of the votes, defeating his Congress rival Shankar Pannu. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he won for the third consecutive time with a margin of 2,64,081 votes, defeating the Congress candidate and his cousin, Madan Gopal Meghwal. Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began at 7:00 am on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories. Voting will end at 6 pm. A total of 16.63 crore voters are going to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, deciding the fate of 1625 candidates, with Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Bhupendra Yadav, and Arjun Ram Meghwal among several Union ministers in the fray. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)
Elections 2024: 21 states, UTs set for polling in phase one; 102 LS seats in fray
The first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will see 102 constituencies across 21 states and union territories go to polls on Friday. The first phase of polling will take place across all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, all five seats in Uttarakhand, both seats in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya, and the sole seat in Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, respectively. Polling will also take place for 12 out of 25 seats in Rajasthan, eight out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, six out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, five out of 48 seats in Maharashtra, five out of 14 seats in Assam, and four out of 40 seats in Bihar. Additionally, three out of 42 seats in West Bengal, one out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, and one out of two seats in Tripura will be contested. In the union territories, one out of five seats in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the sole seats in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry, will be up for grabs. Voting for the 543 Lok Sabha seats will take place across seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes slated for June 4. Separately, voting will also be held for 92 assembly seats in the state elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim on Friday. Of the 102 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP had won 39 in 2019, with the ruling alliance NDA bagging 12, five and three of them in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, respectively. The BJP's existing allies hold seven of them. And in Tamil Nadu, the DMK-led alliance had swept 38 of the 39 seats in 2019 general elections. Amongst the prominent leaders trying their electoral luck in phase one are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh (West), Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Sarbanada Sonowal from Dibrugarh in Assam, Sanjeev Baliyan from Muzaffarnagar in western UP, Jitendra Singh from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir and Bhupendra Yadav from Alwar in Rajasthan. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who recently resigned as governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry to return to active politics, is contesting from Chennai South Lok Sabha constituency. Nakul Nath, son of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is seeking reelection from Chhindwara. Will the BJP's lotus bloom in Tamil Nadu? Tamil Nadu is gearing up for polls a mid fierce campaigning and an intense three-way political battle between the alliances led by state heavyweightsthe DMK and the AIADMKand the BJP, respectively. With elections for 39 Lok Sabha seats looming, approximately 6.23 crore voters are poised to cast their ballots across nearly 68,000 polling stations. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made unprecedented efforts to gain ground in the Dravidian stronghold. Modi's exhaustive campaign across Tamil Nadu, including rallies in Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore, and Tirunelveli, underscores the BJP's determination to break its electoral jinx in the state. From raking up alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics of the DMK-Congress alliance to the Katchatheevu issue, Modi left no stone unturned in his nine visit to the state Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu, is the most keenly watched constituency in the state and the BJP's K Annamalai is slogging to emerge victorious, battling against Dravidian giants the DMK and AIADMK. Meanwhile, the DMK, led by Chief Minister Stalin, has campaigned on platforms of social justice and welfare measures, portraying the elections as a battle against the BJP's divisive politics. Throughout the campaign, Stalin has repeatedly emphasised the importance of these elections, likening them to a second independence movement aimed at freeing the nation from the BJP's influence. In contrast, the AIADMK, under the leadership of Edappadi K Palaniswami, has staunchly defended its record in governance and taken a strong stance against the DMK's campaign. Palaniswami has vigorously addressed various issues, including law and order, and has accused the BJP of discrimination based on caste and religion. Despite facing challenges from both the DMK and BJP, the AIADMK remains confident in its ability to weather the storm, with Palaniswami asserting that the party will emerge victorious with the support of the electorate. UP: Eight seats up for grabs in India's largest state The first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary election in western Uttar Pradesh sees voters in eight Lok Sabha constituencies exercising their constitutional right. These constituencies, falling in the Jat and sugarcane belt, include Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit, spread across nine districts. The contest is three-cornered, primarily between the ruling BJP-led NDA, the Samajwadi Party (SP), and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP has allied with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), while the SP has partnered with INDIA bloc ally Congress. The BSP, however, decided to go solo. Key issues for voters include employment, education, and development. A total of 80 candidates, including seven women, are in the fray. The eligible voter count stands at 1.43 crore, with a significant Muslim voter presence ranging from 35 to 50 percent. Notable candidates include Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit, who got the ticket over sitting BJP MP Varun Gandhi , Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan from Muzaffarnagar, and Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina. In the previous 2019 polls, the BJP secured victories in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Pilibhit, the BSP won in Saharanpur, Nagina and Bijnor, while the SP won in Moradabad and Rampur, the stronghold of its jailed leader Azam Khan. However, the party later lost Rampur to BJP in a bypoll. Cracking the Jat code: BJP's strategic courting of RLD and what it means in western Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra: Polls in 5 LS seats; Gadkari among 97 nominees in fray More than 95 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on Friday in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra , covering five of the 48 constituencies, where 97 candidates, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP, are in fray. Polling will be held in the constituencies of Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Naxal-hit Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), all located in the easternmost parts of the state. There are 95,54,667 voters in the five Lok Sabha constituencies in the Vidarbha region where voting will take place on Friday. Of these, 48,28,142 are male, 47,26,178 are female and 347 are transgender voters, according to a statement from the state electoral office. In Nagpur, which houses the RSS headquarters, a direct fight is on cards between Gadkari, who is seeking a third term, and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre. First phase of LS polls in Maharashtra: It's Congress party's 'caste calculations' vs BJP's 'Modi charisma' In Chandrapur, BJP candidate and Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is facing Congress nominee Pratibha Dhanorkar, wife of late parliamentarian Suresh Dhanorkar, who was the lone MP from the grand old party to be elected from Maharashtra in 2019 from the seat. In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP has fielded sitting MP Sunil Mendhe, who is pitted against Congress candidate Dr Prashant Patole. Two-time Lok Sabha MP of BJP, Ashok Nete, is contesting against Congress nominee Dr Namdev Kirsan in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), where some areas are affected Naxal insurgency. In the 2019 elections, Nete had defeated Congress candidate Dr Namdev Usendi. In Ramtek (SC), the fight is between Shyamkumar Barwe of the Congress and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's candidate Raju Parwe. Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, will vote in five phases between April 19 and May 20. Rajasthan: 12 seats in fray; will BJP's dominance continue? In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, 12 out of 25 seats will be contested. Polling will be held in Churu, Nagaurm, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa. According to chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta, a total of 2.54 crore voters are set to vote in the first phase on Friday. Notably, a Union minister is among the 114 candidates in the fray. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is contesting from Bikaner against Congress candidate Govind Ram Meghwal. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all 25 seats in Rajasthan on its own in 2014, and in 2019, the NDA won 25 seats, the saffron party won 24 seats and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) won one seat. Key constituencies include Nagaur, witnessing a contest between the RLP, now in alliance with Congress, and the BJP, and Churu, with former BJP MP Rahul Kaswan contesting as a Congress candidate. In Sikar, the CPI(M) is challenging the BJP's incumbent MP. The ruling BJP focused its campaign on PM Modi's popularity and its infrastructure work, while the Congress raised issues of central agency misuse and unemployment. Notable campaigners include PM Modi, Amit Shah, and Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. The second phase of the elections in Rajasthan will be held on April 26. In the second phase, polls will be held in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies: Tonk, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar. MP: Six LS seats in action, including Kamal Nath's bastion Six constituents will be in action during the first phase of the four phases for the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh. The constituencies include Shahdol, Mandla, Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara, and Sidhi, covering 13 districts and 27 assembly segments. A total of 88 candidates are in the fray, with Jabalpur having the highest number at 19 and Shahdol the lowest at 10. The total number of registered voters across the six constituencies is 1,13,09,636, with arrangements made for shelter, water, and medical assistance at polling booths due to the hot weather. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 28 out of 29 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress won only one seat in Chhindwara, held by Nakul Nath, the son of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The second, third and fourth phases of the elections will take place on April 26, May 7 and May 13. Kamal Nath fighting lone battle to help son win Chhindwara and protect home turf Over 75 lakh voters to decide four seats in Bihar In Bihar, the stage is set for the first phase more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates standing in four constituencies: Nawada, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui. Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats in Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as sensitive, given these districts' long history of naxal violence. Nawada, with 20.06 lakh voters, sees a tough battle primarily between the BJP's Vivek Thakur and the RJD's Shravan Kushwaha, with Independent candidate Binod Yadav adding complexity. Gaya, with 18.18 lakh voters, witnesses 14 candidates, including former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, an NDA ally, and RJD's Kumar Sarvajeet. Jamui, with 19.07 lakh voters, features a showdown between Arun Bharti from Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas) and RJD's Archana Ravidas. The party's president Chirag Paswan, whose sister is married to Bharti, has shifted base to Hajipur after having represented the seat for two consecutive terms. Aurangabad, with over 18 lakh voters, sees BJP's Sushil Kumar Singh facing RJD's Abhay Kushwaha. 76.01 lakh voters, including 36.38 lakh females and 255 belonging to the third gender, are expected to cast their votes. Uttarakhand: Can BJP 'three-peat' clean sweep? Uttarakhand's all five Lok Sabha seats go into polling in phase one, with the BJP aiming to retain the seats for the third time and the Congress looking to regain lost ground in the state. The five seats going to polls on Friday are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. The BJP won all five seats in Uttarakhand in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora, respectively. The BJP has replaced its candidates in Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal. Former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is contesting in place of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank from Haridwar and Anil Baluni in place of Tirath Singh Rawat from Pauri Garhwal. The Congress has fielded former PCC president Ganesh Godiyal from Pauri Garhwal, former chief minister Harish Rawat's son Virendra Rawat from Haridwar, Jot Singh Gunsola from Tehri Garhwal, Prakash Joshi from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Pradeep Tamta from Almora. Candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and relatively smaller outfits and independents are also in the fray, but straight contests are likely between traditional rivalsthe BJP and Congressin all the seats. Experts say that Haridwar's demography, which has substantial minority and Dalit votes, may also not be a cakewalk for the BJP's Trivendra Rawat, despite his advantage over his rival in terms of experience, as Congress veteran Harish Rawat, who had won the seat in 2009, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his son's victory from the seat. If the Modi factor works again as it did in 2014 and 2019, overriding all other factors, the BJP will obviously reap the benefits but if unemployment, inflation, continued migration from the hills and performance of BJP MPs over the past 10 years outweigh the national issues, the Congress will gain, political analyst Jaisingh Rawat said. Bengal: Triangular tussle between TMC, BJP and Cong-Left In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, all attention is on Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduars constituencies in north Bengal. A total of 56,26,108 voters are eligible to vote in 5,814 booths in this phase. Coochbehar, where Union Minister Nisith Pramanik faces TMC's Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, remains significant due to past violence and political rivalries. The deployment of central forces is higher in Coochbehar compared to the other two constituencies. Both BJP and TMC have intensified their campaigns, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee addressing rallies. Key issues include corruption allegations against ruling party leaders, denial of central funds, and the 2021 Sitalkuchi firing incident. The BJP won all three constituencies in the 2019 general elections and maintained its grip in Coochbehar and Alipurduars in the 2021 assembly polls. But, the TMC had the upper hand in Jalpaiguri in the 2021 assembly polls, winning five and the saffron party managed to win two. The Left Front and Congress are contesting together, having secured only single-digit vote shares in 2019. The BJP has renominated Jayanta Roy in Jalpaiguri and Pramanik in Cooch Behar, but replaced last time's winner John Barla with the party's Madarihat MLA Manoj Tigga in Alipurduars. The TMC has, however, changed candidates in all three seats, fielding Prakash Chik Baraik in Alipurduars, Nirmal Chandra Roy in Jalpaiguri and Sitai MLA Basunia in Coochbehar. Direct, triangular contests in Assam's five LS seats Assam gears up for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in five constituencies, with 35 candidates vying for victory, including Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal . The electorate of 86,47,869, comprising 43,64,859 women and 42,82,887 male voters, will cast their votes in 10,001 polling booths under tight security with 60 companies of security forces deployed. The BJP is contesting in all five seats, the Congress in four and supporting the Assam Jatiya Parishad contestant in one, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in two and the All India Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) in one seat each. A direct contest is on the cards between the BJP and Congress in Jorhat, Kaziranga and Lakhimpur, while in Dibrugarh and Sonitpur, there is likely to be a triangular fight among the ruling party, Congress, AJP and AAP. The prestigious Dibrugarh constituency has three candidates in fray: BJP's Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha MP, pitted against the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the AJP and AAP's Manoj Dhanowar. In Jorhat, four candidates are in contention, with Lok Sabha's Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi locked in a direct contest with sitting BJP MP Topon Gogoi. Gogoi had to shift his constituency to Jorhat from Kaliabor, which has been renamed Kaziranga following a delimitation exercise in the state last year. In Kaziranga, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa is locked in a direct contest with former Congress MLA Roselina Tirkey, with both candidates belonging to the tea workers' community. Kaziranga has the highest number of 11 candidates in the fray. In Sonitpur, also renamed from the earlier Tezpur after delimitation, there are eight nominees, with a triangular contest likely between BJP MLA Ranjit Dutta, Congress candidate Prem Lal Ganju and AAP's Rishiraj Kaundinya. Lakhimpur has nine contestants, prominent among them being sitting BJP MP Pradan Baruah and Uday Shankar Hazarika of the Congress. Two LS seats in strife-torn Manipur go to polls Manipur gears up for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections amid tight security measures, particularly in the wake of recent ethnic violence. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 assembly segments in the state, and 15 assembly segments of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on Friday. Six candidates, including state Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh of the BJP and Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of the Congress, are in the fray for the Inner Manipur seat. Outer Manipur, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes, will witness a four-cornered contest between Naga People's Front's K Timothy Zimik, Congress' Alfred Kanngam Arthur and independent candidates Kho John and Alyson Abonmai, with all the candidates being Nagas. A total of 9.91 lakh voters are eligible in Inner Manipur and over 10.22 lakh voters in Outer Manipur. Special arrangements have been made for people displaced due to ethnic strife, with special polling stations set up. The campaigning has been subdued due to the prevailing tensions, and security has been heightened with the deployment of central armed police forces, especially in vulnerable and critical polling stations. Polling personnel have been dispatched to their respective stations, with special provisions for internally displaced people. The election authorities have ensured gender diversity in the management of polling stations, with some stations being exclusively manned by women. Despite the challenges posed by the recent unrest, efforts are underway to conduct the elections in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. Tripura and Nagaland In Tripura, the first phase of Lok Sabha polls will see voting for the Tripura West Parliamentary constituency and a by-poll in the Ramnagar Assembly. The main contest in Tripura West is between the BJP's Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Asish Kumar Saha. With 14.61 lakh eligible voters, including 7.33 lakh males and 7.28 lakh females, the constituency has 1682 polling booths. Central paramilitary forces will secure all booths, with webcasting from each. In the Ramnagar Assembly by-election, BJP's Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumer faces former CPI(M) MLA Ratan Das, with 54,669 electors deciding their fate. In Nagaland, over 13.25 lakh voters will decide the fate of three candidates. Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha are contesting the elections. BJP President J P Nadda, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and Deputy Chief Ministers T R Zeliang and Y Patton addressed several rallies in support of their candidate. Polling will run from 7 am to 4 pm, with 13,25,383 eligible voters, including 19,999 first-time voters and 6,707 people with disabilities. Female voters slightly outnumber male voters. In 2019, NDPP's Tokheho Yepthomi won against Congress's K L Chishi. J-K: Udhampur LC seat in action amid ceasefire The Udhampur seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls on Friday in the first phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections. In view of the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, the voting process is expected to be peaceful in 2,637 polling stations in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, a senior election official said. Union Minister Jitendra Singh is eyeing a third consecutive term in the constituency after winning the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, facing a major challenge from Congress candidate Choudhary Lal Singh, who had also won the seat twice in 2004 and 2009. Democratic Progressive Azad Party's (DPAP) candidate G M Saroori, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Amit Kumar and six independents will also be contesting the elections from the Udhampur constituency. According to officials, there are 16,23,195 eligible voters. Among them, 845,283 are men, 777,899 are women and 13 are third-gender voters. There are a total of 84,468 potential first-time voters, aged 1819, of whom 45,825 are men, 38,641 are women and two are third genders, the officials said. Lone Puducherry segment all set for three-way fight The fate of the 26 candidates in fray for the Lok Sabha polls will be sealed on Friday when voters spread across four regions will pick the lone MP from this union territory, where the fight is largely confined between the ruling BJP and Congress. BJP leader and Home Minister A Namassivayam, fielded on behalf of the AINRC-BJP combine, will face off Congress MP and PCC president V Vaithilingam, while AIADMK's G Tamizhvendhan is also testing his luck as a debutant. The Union Territory has a total of 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions. Andaman's lone seat in action The lone seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will see 3.15 lakh voters get an opportunity to exercise their franchise. A total of 12 candidates, including two women and five independents, are in the fray for the polls. Of the 3.15 lakh voters, 1.64 lakh are men and 1.51 lakh are women, while there are four third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 39 voters from the Great Nicobarese tribe of the Strait Islands, 68 members of the Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 members of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island. Special polling stations have been established for them. This time, the saffron party has nominated Bishnu Pada Ray as its candidate, while the Congress has fielded its sitting MP, Kuldeep Rai Sharma. Ray was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999, when he defeated Congress candidate Sharma by 2,990 votes. He was re-elected in 2009 and again in 2014. In the 2019 elections, however, Sharma secured a victory against BJP's Vishal Jolly (Ray was denied a ticket) by a narrow margin of 1,407 votes.
Maharashtra Poll Diary: BJP's Nanded fears and an MLA ally's jolt for Eknath Shinde
Nanded jitters for BJP despite Ashok Chavan crossing over Nanded Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra is where BJP's Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar, the sitting MP, is taking on Congress party's Vasant Balvantrao Chavan Patil. Avinash Bosikar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) is also in the race. In 2019, Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar secured 4,86,806 (43.10 %) votes to defeat Ashok Chavan of the Congress. Chavan had then secured 4,46,658 votes (39.55%). Interestingly, this time around, Chavan, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has been campaigning for the victory of Prataprao Govindrao Chikhalikar. Chavan crossed over from Congress to the BJP in February this year. The Congress has claimed that Chavan joined the BJP fearing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids. He has rubbished the allegation. In an interview to an English-language daily, Chavan was asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are campaigning in the constituency because the party is doubtful of winning Nanded. He swatted the suggestion aside, stressing that it is a winning seat and that every PM has visited the constituency from the time of Indira Gandhi. Of the six assembly segments in Nanded, Bhokar is vacant. Nanded North is with the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. Nanded South and Delgur (SC) constituencies are with the Congress while Naigaon and Mukhed are with the BJP. Congress wants Sangali, in turn offers Mumbai North to Sena (UBT) It can be said that after Ashok Chavan joined BJP, Nanded has been perceived as a safe seat for the BJP. But the story from the ground is different. This is the reason perhaps why Nanded is one of the constituencies that could witness PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah campaigning together. Seeing is believing! Another seat and a more real jolt to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi. BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad's spouse Sulabha Gaikwad (in the green sari) was seen actively campaigning for Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaishali Darekar (Left) in Kalyan against Maharashtra CM Eknath Shindes son and sitting Sena Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde. A home run-in for the CM you could term it. Talk about a picture worth a thousand words! First phase of LS polls in Maharashtra: It's Congress party's 'caste calculations' vs BJP's 'Modi charisma'
Sikaram IAS Free Coaching Centre student excel in Civic Service exam - Afternoon News
Sikaram IAS Free Coaching Centre student excel in Civic Service exam Afternoon News
INDIA bloc candidate Amra Ram expects to regain lost ground for Left forces in Sikar
Mr. Ram, 72, fielded from the Jat-dominated constituency following an alliance with the Congress, is pitted against the BJPs Sumedhanand Saraswati
Famous Temples of Baba Khatushyam Beyond Rajasthan
Baba Khatushyam, also known as Shyam Baba or Barbarika, is a revered deity worshipped across India. While Rajasthan hosts the most famous temple dedicated to Baba Khatushyam, there are several other notable temples located outside Rajasthan where devotees seek blessings and fulfillment of their desires. Let's delve into the details of these renowned temples spread across different regions: Khatushyam Temple, Rajasthan: Situated in Sikar district of Rajasthan, the Khatushyam Temple is the most prominent and revered shrine dedicated to Baba Khatushyam. The temple's architecture reflects Rajasthani style, with intricate carvings adorning its exterior. Devotees from all corners of the country visit this temple to pay homage to Baba Khatushyam and seek his blessings. The annual Lakh Mela organized here attracts a massive gathering of pilgrims, adding to the temple's significance. Khatushyam Temple, Delhi: For devotees residing in Delhi and its neighboring regions, the Khatushyam Temple in Alipur serves as a spiritual haven. Situated near GT Karnal Road, this temple offers a serene ambiance for devotees to connect with Baba Khatushyam. Despite being away from the temple's original location in Rajasthan, it carries the same essence of devotion and faith. Khatushyam Temple, Katihar: Located in the Katihar district of Bihar, the Khatushyam Temple at Adgadiya Chowk in Bada Bazaar holds immense religious significance. Devotees from Bihar and nearby states visit this temple to seek blessings and offer prayers to Baba Khatushyam. The temple's architecture and surroundings create a tranquil atmosphere conducive to spiritual reflection and devotion. Khatushyam Temple, Kolkata: In the bustling city of Kolkata, the Bangur Shyam Temple stands as a testament to devotion towards Baba Khatushyam. Situated in Alambazar, this ancient temple witnesses a steady stream of devotees, especially during auspicious occasions like Ekadashi. Elaborate rituals and decorations adorn the temple premises during such festivities, enhancing the spiritual experience for visitors. These temples beyond Rajasthan serve as important centers of devotion and faith for followers of Baba Khatushyam. Despite being geographically distant from the main temple in Rajasthan, they hold equal significance in the hearts of devotees. Each temple reflects the enduring legacy of Baba Khatushyam and his eternal presence in the lives of his worshippers. Pay obeisance at one of these temples during Navratri Acquittal in Kasaragod Muezzin Murder Case: RSS-BJP Activists Released After 7 Years in Jail Massive Fire Engulfs Scrap Godown in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi Area
Agro, Agniveer, and an Alliance: Rajasthans Shekhawati to Spring a Surprise?
The Sikar seat, in particular, is a riveting electoral clash between diverse political ideologies of two contenders.
Comrade vs baba: A promising fight guaranteed in Rajasthan's Sikar
Comrade vs baba A promising fight guaranteed in Rajasthans Sikar
Two Kids Among 7 of Family Burnt Alive In Car-Truck Collision In Rajasthan
Seven people, including two children and three women, of a family were burnt alive when their car caught fire after crashing into a truck in Rajasthan's Sikar district on Sunday
2 kids among 7 burnt alive as car rams into truck in Sikar
Seven, including 3 women & 2 children from UP's Meerut, died in car-truck collision on Churu-Salasar highway. Car on LPG cylinder caught fire, spreading flames to truck with cotton. Eyewitness saw victims shouting for help.
Rajasthan: Two kids among 7 burnt alive in car-truck collision in Sikar
Seven people, including two children were burnt alive in a collision between a car and a truck in Rajasthan`s Sikar district
New alliance blues for Congress in Rajasthan
In the 25 seats being contested, Congress has fielded candidates in 22, and has an understanding with INDIA bloc ally CPI (M) in Sikar, Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) in Nagaur, and the newly-formed Bharatiya Adivasi Party (BAP) in tribal-dominated Banswara constituency.
Rains reported from parts of Jaipur, Udaipur, Sikar
Innovations in traditional methods revolutionising farming in Rajasthans parched Shekhawati
The decline in the groundwater level is a major issue for agriculturists in all four districts of Shekhawati Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, and Neem Ka Thana
Caste politics replaced by politics of development under Modi, says Nadda
Caste politics replaced by politics of development under Modi, says Nadda BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday said earlier vote bank politics was done by dividing people into castes, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi started politics of development in the country. He said a few days ago, some people talked about caste census to divide the society. The BJP is not against caste census but their objective of having caste census done was less important and it was more to divide the people among castes. ''Today India's politics has changed under the leadership of Modi. What was seen 10 years ago is no longer the same today. ''Earlier, the government belonged to a particular caste group. It was not the government of every section,'' Nadda said, addressing a public meeting in Sangaria of Hanumangarh district in support of BJP candidate Priyanka Balan from Anupgarh. He said the elections were also conducted in such a way that caste played an important role. Politics was done by dividing the people, he added. ''Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the definition and culture of politics. Today politics of development is being done. Our opponents also have to talk about development,'' he said. He said on one hand there is Modi who talks about removing corruption and on the other side there is a 'Ghamandia Gathbandhan', which says they will save the corrupt. There will be action against the corrupts, he added. He further said, ''All these corrupts have come together. This is the 'ghamandia' (arrogant) alliance. This is an alliance to save the corrupt.'' Nadda said India is now the fifth largest economy by defeating Britain which ruled over us for 200 years. In time to come, India will become the third largest economy of the world. He said, ''The manner in which work has been done in this country under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi ji for India's sovereignty and India's culture, India's cultural awakening was never done before.'' If anyone has worried about the villages, the poor, the deprived, the exploited, the Dalits, the women, the youth, the tribal brothers and the farmers, then Prime Minister Modi has done so, he said. He said India's name has been established in the world. New dimensions of development have been created. Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases. In the first phase, voting will be held on April 19 in 12 seats -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. Voting will be held in the second phase on April 26 in the remaining 13 seats of Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran. Byelection for Bagidaura assembly constituency will also be held in the second phase on April 26.
CM Yogi addresses public meeting for BJP candidate Sumedhanand Saraswati in Rajasthan's Sikar
CM Yogi addresses public meeting for BJP candidate Sumedhanand Saraswati in Rajasthan's Sikar In a blistering attack on the opposition parties, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that they lacked the courage and conviction to serve Lord Ram, stressing their inability to undertake monumental projects like Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He accused the Congress and Communist parties of questioning the existence of revered figures like Ram and Krishna as well as undermining faith and national security. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Sikar to seek votes for BJP MP and Sikar candidate Sumedhanand Saraswati, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted BJP's achievements through these years. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged the people of Rajasthan to revisit New Ayodhya after the elections, promising an experience reminiscent of Tretayug. He said that over 1.5 crore devotees have visited Ayodhya within just two months, indicating a resurgence of faith suppressed in the past. Emphasizing inclusivity, he highlighted, Not only the magnificent Ram Lala's temple has been built in Ayodhya but also housing has been provided for four crore impoverished citizens across the nation. Echoing CM Yogi's call, the public pledged their support, vowing to secure BJP's triumph in Sikar for the third consecutive time. With unwavering confidence in the outcome of the 18th Lok Sabha elections, CM Yogi emphasized the unanimous desire across the nation for another term under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Anticipating victory, he urged supporters to replicate the success of the previous two elections, ensuring Swami Subedanand's triumphant return for a third term. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attributed the ongoing transformation across the country to the electorate's wise choices made during elections. He emphasized that previously when votes were cast in favor of the wrong party, it resulted in terrorism, riots, curfews, and the loss of innocent lives. Women and businessmen felt unsafe during such times, he added. However, under the governance of the right party, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed seven years without riots or curfews, leading the populace to forget the days of enforced curfew. The state now sees millions participating in the Kanwar Yatra with great enthusiasm, he remarked. He highlighted the government's commitment to non-discrimination, citing examples such as naming the international airport in Ayodhya after Maharishi Valmiki before the installation of Lord Ram's idol. Significant attention has been given to Seer Govardhan in Kashi, the birthplace of Saint Shiromani Ravidas, and Prime Minister Modi has honoured and revitalized the Panch Teerths of Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar, he pointed out. Furthermore, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted that the act of installing Ramlala's idol in Ayodhya not only symbolizes devotion but also sends a strong message to terrorists. He was referring to a recent report in 'The Guardian about the killing of 20 hardcore criminals within Pakistan over the past two years, possibly with contributions from Indian intelligence agencies. He highlighted India's proactive stance against terrorism, underscoring that while addressing each other with Ram-Ram, India not only venerates Ramlala in Ayodhya but also confronts terrorism with resolve, contrasting it with the purported practice of 'feeding biryani to terrorists' by the Congress.` Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized, The national pride evoked by Prime Minister Modi's international visits indicates a unified celebration across the country, encompassing its 1.4 billion citizens. He highlighted the fortified borders, signalling to potential aggressors that incursions into Indian territory would not go unchallenged. He noted the disappearance of stone-throwing proxies from Kashmir, attributing this to adequate security measures. While criticizing the Congress for exacerbating issues, he praised the BJP for providing resolutions. Adityanath commended Prime Minister Modi for bestowing the Bharat Ratna upon farmer advocate Chaudhary Charan Singh and for spearheading initiatives like enhanced train connectivity, including projects such as Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat trains. Shifting the focus to the role of communists in Rajasthan, Adityanath questioned their relevance in a state renowned for its spiritual significance and political influence. Drawing parallels with West Bengal's rejection of communism, he underscored Rajasthan's rich cultural landscape, encompassing educational hubs like Sikar and revered pilgrimage sites such as Salasar, Jeeran, Khatu, and Bhairav Ji Maharaj. Adityanath emphasized the state's historical significance, citing the valor of Mana Baba, a revered cow devotee who attained martyrdom while defending the nation. He challenged the utility of communists in a state steeped in devotion and power like Rajasthan, suggesting their redundancy in such a milieu. Asserting the unity of India under one flag, he lauded the dedicated service of public representatives like MP Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati, highlighting their commitment to the nation and society. Adityanath expressed confidence in securing the Sikar seat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), envisioning it as a pivotal victory to eradicate communism from the region. He emphasized the importance of preserving India's values and identity, urging constituents to unite against ideologies conflicting with the nation's ethos. The event saw the presence of prominent figures, including Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati, BJP District President Dr. Kamal Seekwal, former Union Minister Subhash Mahariya, MLA Subhash Meel, and Govardhan Verma.The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19. Nearly 97 crore voters are eligible to cast votes in the general election. Counting of the votes will be held on June 4.Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases, on April 19 and April 26. Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. (ANI)
New India knows how to safeguard its people, says Yogi
Jaipur: The new India knows how to protect its borders and safeguard its people, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday, April 7 and asked if it was wrong to kill terrorists. The firebrand BJP leader, who addressed election rallies in Rajasthans Bharatpur, Dausa and Sikar, referred to a report by the UK Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
New India knows how to safeguard its people, says Adityanath citing report by UK daily on killing of terrorists in Pak The new India knows how to protect its borders and safeguard its people, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday and asked if it was wrong to kill terrorists. The firebrand BJP leader, who addressed election rallies in Rajasthan's Bharatpur, Dausa and Sikar, referred to a report by the UK daily 'The Guardian' that claimed Indian intelligence agencies were involved in targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019. ''On one hand is the report which says terrorists are being killed in Pakistan, the world considers terrorism a big burden, but on the other was the Congress government that used to feed biryani to terrorists,'' Adityanath said. ''Should terrorists be killed or not? They are a burden on society and a threat to everyone's safety. Congress would starve the poor and feed biryani to terrorists,'' he said addressing the rally in Bharatpur. Adityanath said those who gave shelter to those terrorists till yesterday are ''now not daring to say anything against India due to the fear of air strike''. ''Three days ago, a reputed newspaper of the UK said that 20 deadly terrorists had been killed inside Pakistan and it was possible that India might have killed them... We do not know what is the basis and the source of the report but this is the new India, which knows how to provide security to its people and protect its borders,'' he added. The UP chief minister's remarks came on a day Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP saying that the Indian government is accused of getting people killed in another country. ''Will the definition of viksit Bharat (developed India) be that we will go to another country and commit murder?'' Yadav said after meeting the family of mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari at his home in Ghazipur. Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau who was in jail, died after suffering cardiac arrest, on March 28, according to officials. However, his family members allege that he was given poison inside jail. In his address, Adityanath said the world respects India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. ''When an Indian citizen goes abroad, he gets respect. The borders are safe; naxalism, extremism and terrorism have ended,'' he said. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister hailed the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, by the Modi government, saying, ''Now no one will be able to foment terrorism within the borders of India.'' He said that over the past decade, the country has successfully quelled terrorism and stone-pelting in Kashmir. ''Consequently, Kashmir is now progressing in tandem with developmental initiatives and democratic principles. The region witnesses a substantial influx of tourists, with people safely participating in events such as the Amarnath Yatra and the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi,'' he stated. Adityanath claimed that the Congress lacked leaders and intentions to take decisive steps. ''Would Congress have been able to build Ram temple in Ayodhya? They say that Ram did not exist,'' he said at the election rally in support of the party candidate from the Bharatpur seat Ramswaroop Koli. Addressing another rally in Dausa, he said that the ''Congress party is the biggest problem of the country and imposing curfew is part of its DNA.'' The BJP's star campaigner emphasised that worldwide, there is a belief that India's actions are in the interest of humanity. ''Presently, no nation dares to endorse terrorism as they understand that such support would result in facing repercussions like airstrikes,'' he said without naming Pakistan. He said that there was a time when people of the Congress party denied rights to the poor. ''However, in the Modi government, 80 crore poor people are benefiting from free ration, 60 crore poor people are getting coverage of health insurance of Rs 5 lakh while housing has been provided for four crore poor people and the Kisan Samman Nidhi for 12 crore farmers,'' he said. Continuing his attack on the Congress, the chief minister said that the party did not want a solution to the Ram temple issue. ''Congress is the problem of the country, which keeps giving problems to the country while Modi provides solutions,'' he asserted. He also appealed to the people of Dausa to vote for the party candidate Kanhaiya Lal Meena. The BJP leader addressed a third rally in the Sikar constituency in support of the party candidate Swami Sumedhan.
Congress plays BKY card, banks on candidates from traditional BJP families in Gwalior-Chambal
BHOPAL: Aiming to challenge the ruling BJP in the Gwalior-Chambal region which was the most closely contested among the five regions in the state in the 2023 assembly polls the Congress has played the Brahmin-Kshatriya-Yadav card in three Lok Sabha seats, besides fielding candidates from traditional BJP families. Ending ten days of suspense, the Congress announced its candidates for the three remaining seats Morena, Gwalior (both in Gwalior-Chambal region) and Khandwa in the southwestern MP region on Saturday. While ex-BJP MLA Satyapal Singh Sikarwar was fielded from Morena, the partys former legislator Praveen Pathak was named as the candidate from Gwalior and 2023 assembly poll loser Narendra Patel was fielded from Khandwa. With this, the Congress has named candidates for all 28 seats its contesting in the state, including four seats of the Gwalior-Chambal region. All four seats in the region -- Bhind-SC, Morena, Gwalior and Guna -- go to the polls in the third phase (April 7). Knowing well the possibility of cracks within the BJP as the polls draw close, the Congress has tried to challenge the saffron party with its old family sons -- Satyapal Sikarwar in Morena and Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav in Guna. Madhya Pradesh: Two decades after Assembly poll fight, ex-CMs eye LS return from home turfs Theres a growing feeling in BJP circles that the party in Gwalior-Chambal region is slowly being dominated either by union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia or Vidhan Sabha speaker Narendra Singh Tomar and their loyalists. While both the candidates, Shivmangal Tomar (Morena) and Bharat Singh Kushwah (Gwalior), are sworn Narendra Singh Tomar loyalists, a large section of the old BJP is unhappy over denial of ticket to popular first time MP Dr KP Yadav to field Scindia from Guna. Though the Modi factor is the predominant factor in the polls in Gwalior-Chambal also, the possibility of many BJP cadres silently backing their old family sons, Satyapal Sikarwar in Morena and Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav in Guna, cannot be ruled out, a Brahmin leader of the ruling BJP in Morena told The New Indian Express . In the Morena Lok Sabha seat (which was won by Narendra Singh Tomar in 2009 and 2019) particularly, the ground is already fertile for the Congress, as it won five of the eight assembly segments in the 2023 assembly polls. Shiv Mangal Tomar who is being seen in some BJP circles as the dummy candidate of Narendra Singh Tomar has won from Dimani assembly seat (which was won by Narendra Singh Tomar in 2023) by 250 odd votes in 2008, but lost from the same seat in 2013 and 2018 by bigger margins. Still he has been named the BJP candidate from Morena. On the other hand, the Congress candidate Satyapal Sikarwar Neetu hails from one of the oldest and most powerful BJP families headed by Gajraj Singh Sikarwar. While Gajraj won the Sumaoli assembly seat in 1990 and 2003, his son Satyapal won the same assembly seat in 2013, another BJP leader from Morena district said. The Sikarwar family which has a big influence among Kshatriya voters of Morena constituency is now totally with the Congress. While elder brother Satish Sikarwar is the Congress MLA in Gwalior district, Satishs wife Shobha is the Gwalior mayor. With Satyapal now being named the Congress candidate from Morena, the family will use all its influence among the Kshatriya and Brahmin voters to win the seat, which the Congress won last in 1991. In the adjoining Gwalior Lok Sabha seat, while the BJP has fielded another Tomar loyalist and ex-minister Bharat Singh Kushwah, who lost the 2023 assembly polls from Gwalior-Rural by over 3000 votes, the Congress has fielded its ex-Gwalior South MLA Praveen Pathak, who failed to retain his assembly seat by merely 200-odd votes in 2023. The BJP and the Congress had both won four assembly segments each of the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat in 2023. By fielding Praveen Pathak from Gwalior, the Congress is seeking to give a positive signal to Brahmins (who constitute 2-3 lakh votes in the adjoining Morena Lok Sabha seat) and by fielding Sikarwar from Morena, its trying to add to Pathaks popularity the power of the Sikarwar family in Gwalior, thus hoping to do something big in both seats through the targeted Brahmin-Kshatriya chemistry. In the adjoining Guna seat, the Congress is pinning hopes on the possibility of internal sabotage by BJP cadres against Scindia coupled with the angst of the Yadav caste (the most dominant OBC bloc in the constituency) over the denial of a ticket to first-time MP Dr KP Yadav. To benefit on both counts, the Congress has fielded the traditional BJP familys elder son Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav against Scindia in Guna.
This election is a big opportunity..., says PM Modi in Ajmer
Polling for 12 Lok Sabha seats will be held in the first phase on April 19, while the remaining 13 seats will be polled in the second phase on April 26. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 constituencies -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur.
Lok Sabha polls: Cong declares names for three seats in MP, fields two ex-MLAs
Lok Sabha polls: Cong declares names for three seats in MP, fields two ex-MLAs The Congress on Saturday announced the candidates for the three remaining Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, fielding two former legislators. With the announcement of its nominees from Khandwa, Gwalior and Morena, the Congress has now fielded candidates in 28 of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies. One seat Khajuraho has been given to the Samajwadi Party (SP) under the INDIA bloc seat-sharing arrangement. The Congress has fielded former MLA Praveen Pathak against BJP's Bharat Singh Kushwaha from Gwalior. Pathak had been elected on a Congress ticket from Gwalior South assembly seat in 2018 but faced defeat in 2023. Ex-legislator Satyapal Singh Sikarwar has been nominated from Morena and will face off with BJPs Shivmangal Singh Tomar. This Lok Sabha seat was won by BJP's Narendra Singh Tomar in 2019, but he was elected as an MLA last year and later made the speaker of the Madhya Pradesh assembly. Sikarwar was elected as MLA from the Sumawali assembly seat in 2013 on a BJP ticket. His father had also won the same assembly seat in 2003. Sikarwar was expelled from the saffron outfit in 2020 for alleged anti-party activities, following which he joined the Congress. Congress has fielded Narendra Patel from Khandwa amid speculations that former union minister Arun Yadav could be the candidate from there. Patel had contested from Badwah in the 2023 assembly polls and lost to BJPs Sachin Birla by 5,499 votes. The BJP has fielded sitting MP Gyaneshwar Patil from Khandwa LS seat. Gwalior and Morena will go to polls in the third phase on May 7, while voting in Khandwa will be held in the fourth phase on May 13.
Election 2024: Congress releases another list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections
Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Congress announces candidates list for for 6 seats in Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Dadar. In this list, names of candidates have been announced for 6 seats of Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Dadar. Praveen Pathak has been given ticket from Gwalior seat of Madhya Pradesh and Satyapal Singh Sikarwar has been []
Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma reaffirms pro-farmer initiatives at Sikar Rally
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These elections are to change dynamics of the country: BJP leader Om Birla makes vote appeal in Kota
These elections are to change dynamics of the country: BJP leader Om Birla makes vote appeal in Kota Emphasising his commitment to the people of Kota, Rajasthan, BJP leader and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Wednesday made a vote appeal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing the crowd, Birla recounted his dedication to ensuring the welfare of Kota's citizens, particularly during the pandemic's peak. Even as Lok Sabha Speaker, I tried to be among you all the time. During the COVID-19 period, the whole world was suffering, but I made sure that the people of Kota, Rajasthan do not suffer for oxygen, he remarked. Underscoring the significance of the upcoming elections, Birla stressed the need for transformative change under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. These elections are to change the dynamics of the country. These elections are for the development of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, he asserted. Drawing upon his personal connection to Kota, Birla expressed gratitude for the unwavering support he has received from the community throughout his political career. I have started my politics from this place, and I can never forget the love I received from here. I have always tried to keep your belief in me alive, he affirmed. By voting with full strength on 26th (April), we will create history by giving more than 400 seats to Narendra Modi, he said. Earlier in the day, Om Birla filed his nomination from Kota, Rajasthan. Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said, The people of Kota have always loved me and it is because of this that I am contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the third time and this time also the people of the area will make me win with a good majority. He also exuded confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the general elections, contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's potential third term. People have liked the work done by Modi's government in the country. In these elections, once again, the people of the country will repose faith in the BJP and Modi government, he said. The 25 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases. In Phase 1 of polling in the state on April 19, which is also the opening phase of the seven-phased elections, voting will be conducted for 12 seats. The remaining 13 seats in the state will be contested in the second phase on April 26. Under Phase 1, on April 19, polling will be held in Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, and Nagaur. Phase 2 of polling on April 26 will take place in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota, and Jhalawar-Baran. (ANI)
PM Modi to address election rally in Rajasthan's Kotputli
PM Modi to address election rally in Rajasthan's Kotputli Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Rajasthan's Kotputli on Tuesday. A BJP spokesperson said that PM Modi will address a public meeting in Kotputli in support of the party's candidate from Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha seat, Rao Rajendra Singh. According to programme coordinator Arun Chaturvedi, PM Modi will reach the meeting venue in the Molahera village in front of the Eklavya Dental Medical College, in Kotputli at 1.50 pm on Tuesday. This will be the prime ministeri's first meeting for the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan since the announcement of polls. Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. In the first phase, voting will be held on April 19 for 12 seats - Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. In the second phase, voting will be held on April 26 for 13 seats - Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran.
BJP will secure all 25 seats from Rajasthan in Lok Sabha elections: Union Minister Anurag Thakur
BJP will secure all 25 seats from Rajasthan in Lok Sabha elections: Union Minister Anurag Thakur Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday expressed confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, asserting that the party is poised to secure victory in all 25 seats in Rajasthan, thereby contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's potential third term. He also highlighted that there is a dearth of senior leaders in Congress willing to contest elections due to widespread corruption within their ranks. Whether it was the election of 2014 or 2019, the people of Rajasthan have always stood with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this time BJP has formed government in the Rajasthan assembly election. I am fully confident that in order to make PM Modi the Prime Minister of this country third time, Rajasthan will make BJP win 25/25 seats and the lotus will bloom. In Congress, there are no more leaders who actually want to fight election. Corruption has hollowed Congress to the extent that they have run out of senior leaders, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said. The 25 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan will go to the polls in two phases. In Phase 1 of polling in the state on April 19, which is also the opening phase of the seven-phased elections, voting will be conducted for 12 seats. The remaining 13 seats in the state will be contested in the second phase on April 26. Bypolls for 26 Assembly seats in the state will also be held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. Nearly 96.8 crore people are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming general elections at over 12 lakh polling stations. Under Phase 1, on April 19, polling will be held in Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa, and Nagaur. Phase 2 of polling on April 26 will take place in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota, and Jhalawar-Baran. The BJP won all 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, in 2019, the BJP bagged 24 seats while the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) managed to secure the other remaining seat. (ANI)
Two-time MP, the BJPs Swami Sumedhanand, is pitted in the Jat-dominated Sikar seat against INDIA bloc candidate and CPI(M) leader Amra Ram
LS polls: Amit Shah holds road show in Rajasthan's Sikar
LS polls: Amit Shah holds road show in Rajasthan's Sikar Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday conducted a massive road show in Sikar Lok Sabha constituency, campaigning for the BJP candidate from the seat. Shah was accompanied by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and party candidate and two-time MP Swami Sumedhanand. Shah reached Jaipur and held a meeting of party leaders from five Lok Sabha constituencies of Dausa, Karauli-Dholpur, Nagaur, Churu and Jhunjhunu before going to Sikar for the road show. Shah, CM Sharma and Sumedhanand held the road show in an open vehicle. The road show began from Shree Kalyan temple and passed through New Dujod Gate, Ghantaghar, Jat Bazaar and culminated at Tapriya Bagichi, covering a distance of around two kilometres in over an hour. People showered flowers at the vehicle during the road show and raised slogans in support of the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders. Shah also greeted people and waved at them during the road show that attracted a huge crowd. In the general elections, the main opposition Congress has tied up with the CPI(M) in Rajasthan. Under the alliance, the CPI(M) has fielded former MLA Amraram from the Jat-dominated Sikar seat. Sikar is also the hometown of Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, whose assembly constituency, Laxmangarh, falls under the Sikar Lok Sabha constituency. Of the eight assembly segments under Sikar Lok Sabha constituency, five are held by the Congress and three by the BJP. Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26, and Sikar is among 12 seats where elections will be held in the first phase on April 19. The other Lok Sabha constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase are Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur. The remaining 13 seats of Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran will go to polls in the second phase on April 26.
Lok Sabha polls: 114 candidates in fray in first phase in Rajasthan
114 candidates vie in Rajasthan's first Lok Sabha phase with 10 withdrawals. April 19 polling across 12 seats, including Jaipur Rural, Sikar, and Churu. Notable candidates like Gajendra Singh and Prahlad Gunjal in the fray.
LS polls: 114 candidates in fray in first phase in Rajasthan
LS polls: 114 candidates in fray in first phase in Rajasthan A total of 114 candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan. A total of 10 candidates from the constituencies, which will go to polls in the first phase have withdrawn their nomination papers. Polling in the first phase will be held in 12 out of 13 Lok Sabha seats on April 19. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that two candidates each from Sikar and Dausa Lok Sabha constituencies and one candidate each from Jaipur, Alwar and Nagaur constituencies withdrew their nomination papers on Saturday. After the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Saturday, a total of 114 candidates are participating in the elections in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies. Maximum 15 candidates are contesting in Jaipur Rural, 14 in Sikar, 13 in Churu and Jaipur each, 9 in Ganganagar, Alwar, Bikaner and Nagaur each, 8 in Jhunjhunu, 6 in Bharatpur, 5 in Dausa and 4 in Karauli-Sawai Madhopur. On the other hand, 24 nomination papers were submitted by 17 candidates on Saturday for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of the second phase. So far 27 candidates have submitted 44 nominations in 13 constituencies under the second phase. Gupta informed that for the second phase, three candidates each from Jodhpur, Kota parliamentary constituency, two candidates each from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Banswara and Chittorgarh and one candidate each from Ajmer, Jalore and Udaipur submitted the nomination papers on Saturday. Union Minister and BJP candidate from Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Congress candidate from Kota-Bundi Prahlad Gunjal were among the other candidates who filed the nomination papers on Saturday. In the second phase, voting will be held in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies Tonk-Sawaimadhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Basanwada, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran on April 26. The last date of filing the nomination is April 4. The nomination papers will be scrutinized on April 5 and the names can be withdrawn till April 8. Counting of votes will take place on June 4.
FatehpurSikri remained the capital of the Mughal Empire for 10 years, but in 1586 the capital was shifted from FatehpurSikri to Delhi due to inadequate water supply for the city. After this, it seemed as if people forgot it. FatehpurSikri, located near Agra, is a royal city built in the 16th century. The city embodies the ideals and heritage of the Mughal Empire. It was built by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1571. It is believed that many small and various monuments and forts were built here during the rule of the Shunga dynasty in the 12th century and later the SikarwarRajputs. Some of these monuments were demolished by Akbar while building FatehpurSikri. But PanchMahal has survived among some monuments. This palace is very beautiful, which is built in a pyramid structure and is made of 176 pillars in total. Its history has also been quite interesting, so what are we waiting for, let us know in detail. History of PanchMahal PanchMahal is a historical site, located in India. This building is located in Jaipur city of Amer state. This building was built by Raja Man Singh in the 18th century. PanchMahal gets its name from its five floors, each of which has multiple terraces on each floor. PanchMahal is located near the Amer Fort, which was one of the royal palaces of Rajput kings. It is an exciting structure, which reveals a unique flow of architecture and craftsmanship. The PanchMahal building is a living example of the grandeur of the Rajput style. Due to its height, style and beauty, it is a major tourist destination and works to attract tourists. The history of this place is linked with the emperors of Rajputana and their adventurous history. Apart from this, it is also seen as a symbol of Rajput's courage and bravery. Architecture of PanchMahal The major features of PanchMahal also include its architecture. The structure, roof and grand pillars of this palace are proof of its grandeur. The five storeys of this palace stand together, this is the speciality of this palace. Each floor has its own specialty and is given a different shape with pillars and structures. Specialty of PanchMahal PanchMahal is named after its five floors. This feature makes it unique and gives it a spectacular and grand view. The architecture of PanchMahal is a distinct blend, incorporating elements of Rajput, Mughal and Hindu architecture. Its special arches, pillars and lattices make it amazing. PanchMahal symbolizes the confluence between Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. It represents diversity and cultural heritage. Pancham Hal is a famous tourist destination, which provides an opportunity for people to experience its civilization and cultural importance. It is a symbol of Indian culture and heritage. PanchMahal was built during the period of Rajput courage and bravery. Therefore it holds an important place in Indian history. How to reach PanchMahal? PanchMahal is located in the American city of Jaipur, Rajasthan. To reach here you can follow the option mentioned below. Air route- The fastest and best option is the air route. You can go to Jaipur airport and take a taxi from there to PanchMahal. Rail route- The distance of PanchMahal from Jaipur Railway Station is about 12 kilometers. Jaipur has the best rail services from other cities in Rajasthan. By Road- Road is available from Jaipur to Amer city. You can use Amer buses and public transport from Jaipur bus stand. Taxi- PanchMahal can also be reached from Jaipur city by using a taxi or auto rickshaw. Image Credit- (@Freepik)
LS Polls: Over 8,900 voters aged above 100 in 12 first phase constituencies in Rajasthan
LS Polls: Over 8,900 voters aged above 100 in 12 first phase constituencies in Rajasthan There are more than 8,900 voters aged above 100 years, 13 of which are above 120 years, in 12 constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Rajasthan, an official said. The state's election department has published integrated voter lists for these seats. According to the final voters' list published by the state Chief Electoral Office, a total of 8,679 voters are aged between 100 to 109 years, 239 are aged between 110-119, and 13 voters are aged above 120 years. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in two phases in Rajasthan on April 19 and April 26. Twelve of the 25 seats -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur -- will go to polls on April 19. The Jhunjhunu constituency has the highest number of 100-plus voters at 1,802, Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said. There are a total of 2.54 crore voters listed across the 12 constituencies which are slated to go to polls in the first phase, he said. According to the voter lists published for these constituencies, the total number of general voters is 2,53,15,541, of which 1,32,89,538 are male, 1,20,25,699 are female and 304 are third gender voters. A total of 7,98,520 voters, aged 18-19 years, will vote for the first time in Lok Sabha elections, Gupta said. There are a total of 2,51,250 voters who classify as persons with disability in these seats, he said. Jaipur has the highest number of voters at 22,87,350, while Dausa has the lowest at 18,99,304.
CPI to contest five seats in UP, names candidates
Lucknow: The CPI has declared candidates for five Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The party will field candidates from Shahjahanpur, Faizabad, Laalganj, Ghosi and Robertsganj. Out of these, Shahjahanpur, Laalganj and Robertsganj are reserved for Scheduled Castes. Also ReadCPI-Ms Amra Ram to be INDIA candidate from Rajasthans Sikar The party has fielded Suresh Kumar Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
166 nomination papers of 124 candidates for 12 LS seats in Rajasthan found valid
166 nomination papers of 124 candidates for 12 LS seats in Rajasthan found valid Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta Thursday said 166 nominations were found to be valid after scrutiny of papers Thursday for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls for 12 seats in the state. Altogether, 179 nominations papers were filed by 131 candidates for the 12 seats. Out of them, 166 nomination papers of 124 candidates were found valid whereas 13 nominations of seven candidates were rejected during scrutiny, Gupta said in a statement. He said 17 in Jaipur Rural, 16 in Sikar, 14 each in Jaipur and Churu, 10 each in Alwar and Nagaur, nine each in Ganganagar and Bikaner, eight in Jhunjhunu, seven in Dausa, six in Bharatpur and nominations of four candidates in Karauli-Dholpur were found valid. He said the last date for withdrawal of names for the first phase of voting is March 30. Voting will take place on April 19 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the second phase of elections in the state, voting will be held on 13 seats -- Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran -- on April 26. Apart from this, byelection on Bagidora assembly seat falling under Banswara Lok Sabha constituency will also be held in the second phase on April 26. This seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya left the Congress and joined the BJP a few days ago.
Congress alliance in Rajasthan set to pose challenge to BJP in Jat belt
The party has extended support to RLP chief Hunaman Beniwal in Nagaur and CPI(M) candidate Amra Ram in Sikar, both of whom belong to the Jat community
Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma highlights development under PM Modi, slams Congress
Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma highlights development under PM Modi, slams Congress Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Tuesday highlighted the state's development under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging voters to reflect on India's pre-2014 era characterized by corruption, appeasement-based politics, and rising terrorism. Addressing the nomination filing event of BJP leader Swami Subedanand, Bhajanlal Sharma said, Swami Subedanand has filed the nomination for the third time from Sikar. You all need to remember the India that was before 2014. Before 2014, the way in which corruption in India, appeasement-based politics, and terrorism was at rise. After 2014, under the guidance of PM Modi, you all are witnessing the growth of the country. he said. Recalling the historical significance and presence of the BJP in the state of Rajasthan, Bhajanlal said former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave reservation to the Jatta from the Sikar soil, because he could understand the pain, he could feel the pain of farmers. During the tenure of the BJP in the central government of Rajasthan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ensured that various schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana and credit cards for farmers were effectively implemented to benefit them, Sharma said. Taking a dig at the Congress government, Sharma alleged that the Rajasthan Congress has consistently misled the public by claiming to address the Yamuna issue to secure electoral victories. The Rajasthan Congress has continuously fooled the people that they were doing something for the Yamuna issue and kept winning elections. They have always tried to fool the farmers. The Congress government hasn't even sent one letter to the central government citing the Yamuna issue, he said. The Rajasthan Chief Minister, earlier launched a scathing attack at the former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, for 'misleading' the people with the help of loot and lies. On one hand, Sonia Gandhi is busy worrying about Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot is busy worrying about Vaibhav Gehlot, they are not concerned about the people of the country and the state. The people of the state will never forget the 'Yuvraj'. Now the people of the state are not going to fall prey to the tricks of the Yuvraj of Congress. The public knows that this is the same leader who had made a false promise of complete loan waiver, he said, while making an address in Jaipur. (ANI)
40 candidates filed nominations for 1st phase of LS polls in Rajasthan so far, say officials
Jaipur/Sikar, Mar 26 (PTI) Forty candidates have filed nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan so far, officials said on Tuesday. BJP candidates Jyoti Mirdha and Sumedhanand Saraswati filed nominations from Nagaur and Sikar Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively on Tuesday. INDIA bloc constituent the CPI(M)'s candidate Amraram filed his nomination from Sikar on the same day. Mirdha, a former Congress MP from Nagaur who joined the BJP ahead of the 2023 assembly elections, is pitted against Rashtriya Loktantrik Party convener Hanuman Beniwal who is contesting the elections in alliance with the Congress. Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. Nagaur and Sikar are among the 12 parliamentary constituencies where polling will be held in the first phase on April 19. The last date for filing nomination papers for the first phase is March 27. Scrutiny will be held on March 28 and the last date of withdrawal of nomination is March 30. Addressing a public meeting in Sikar after incumbent MP Sumedhanand Saraswati filed his nomination, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma accused the Congress of indulging in vote-bank politics and said that the BJP always works keeping in mind the welfare of the people and the country. The Congress has made making false promises a habit. Whatever they promised in the last five years was never fulfilled, he said. The Congress government meant corruption, appeasement, and terrorism. Until Narendra Modi came to power (at the Centre), anyone could bomb any city in our country. But, it's only PM Modi who ensured a secure and developing India that also made a place for itself on the global stage, Sharma said. In Sikar, CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat, while addressing a rally after the party's candidate Amraram filed his nominations, said, The BJP has sent our constitution to the ICU. The upcoming general election is not a fight for the chair, but for saving our democracy and constitutional rights. PM Modi might be dreaming of crossing 400 seats but the people who have faced torture under his rule in the last 10 years will not let it happen, she said. Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday targeted the BJP government at the Centre, claiming that democracy is in danger and the country is being ruled through federal agencies such as the ED and the CBI. In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, voting will be held in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur on April 19. The remaining 13 seats of Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. PTI AG NSD NSD Disclaimer: This article is published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Deccan Chronicle team
LS polls: Congress declares four more candidates from Rajasthan
LS polls: Congress declares four more candidates from Rajasthan The Congress on Monday declared four more candidates from Rajasthan for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress gave ticket to Prahlad Gunjal, a former BJP leader who joined the party recently, from Kota to take on BJP candidate and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Ajmer dairy chairman Ramchandra Chaudhary was given the ticket from Ajmer, former MLA Sudarshan Rawat from Rajsamand and local party leader Damodar Gurjar from Bhilwara. With the latest list, the Congress has so far declared 22 candidates and left two seats -- Sikar and Nagaur under alliance with the CPI (M) and RLP respectively. The announcement of candidate for Banswara Lok Sabha seat is pending. CPI (M)'s Amra Ram and RLP's Hanuman Beniwal are contesting the Lok Sabha elections on Sikar and Nagaur seats respectively under alliance with the Congress. The Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 Lok Sabha constituencies -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur on April 19. In the first phase on April 19, 12 seats of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur will go to polls. The remaining 13 seats of Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. Also, the bypoll on Bagidora Assembly constituency under Banswara Lok Sabha constituency will also be held in the second phase on April 26. The seat fell vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya left the Congress and joined the BJP a few days back. Malviya is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Banswara seat as the BJP candidate.
Folk dancer dies of electric shock in village in Rajasthan's Sikar
Folk dancer dies of electric shock in village in Rajasthan's Sikar A 24-year-old folk artiste died of an electric shock in the Sadar Police Station area of Sikar district, police said on Sunday. The man was identified as Ravindranath, a resident of Nagaur. According to police, the folk dancer received an electric shock when a pipe placed on his head touched the 11 KV power line passing above him. Sadar Police Station Officer Indraj Marodia said Ravindranath was performing the Gindad dance at a Holi Milan programme in Shyampura village late Saturday night when the incident happened. His body was handed over to his relatives after a post mortem on Sunday, he said.
Woman dancer dies after being electrocuted at event in Rajasthan's Sikar
Woman dancer dies after being electrocuted at event in Rajasthans Sikar
Digvijaya Singh, Karti Chidambaram In Congress' 4th List of Candidates
New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday released its fourth list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, fielding its Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai from Varanasi to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.While the Congress fielded veteran leader Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh, it nominated newly-inducted leader Lal Singh from Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur to take on Union minister Jitendra Singh. MLA Vikas Thakare will take on Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Maharashtra's Nagpur, according to the list. In its fourth list, the party announced candidates for 12 seats of Madhya Pradesh, nine of Uttar Pradesh, seven of Tamil Nadu, four of Maharashtra, two each of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir, and one each of West Bengal, Assam, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. The Congress has left the Nagaur parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan for the Hanuman Beniwal-led Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). The tie-up with the RLP is significant as the Congress looks to boost its position in the desert state, where it lost the Assembly polls recently and had not won a single seat in 2019 Lok Sabha election. The party is looking to expand its support base among the jats with the tie-up with Beniwal, who has a significant following among the community. For Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress is in an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and contesting 17 seats, it has announced candidates for nine seats. These include Rai from Varanasi, Danish Ali from Amroha, Imran Masood from Saharanpur and Alok Mishra from Kanpur. The suspense over whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the polls from Amethi and Raebareli respectively continued. There is speculation that Rahul Gandhi may also contest the polls from Amethi, besides his declared seat of Wayanad in Kerala, and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli, a seat which was previously held by her mother, Sonia Gandhi. This will be Rai's third direct contest against Modi in the general election after 2014 and 2019. He had lost both times to the prime minister by big margins. Amethi and Raebareli are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the family contest the polls from there. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has also fielded Ram Nath Sikarwar from Fatehpur Sikri, Pradeep Jain Aditya from Jhansi, Tanuj Punia from Barabanki (SC), Akhilesh Pratap Singh from Deoria and Sadan Prasad from Bansgaon (SC). In Tamil Nadu, the party has renominated Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga, Manickam Tagore from Virudhunagar, S Jothimani from Karur and Vijay Vasanth from Kanniyakumari, among others. In Madhya Pradesh, the party has fielded Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh, Kantilal Bhuria from Ratlam (ST), Akshay Bam from Indore and Arun Shrivastav from Bhopal, among others. Singh had last contested the polls from Bhopal but lost to the BJP's Pragya Thakur in 2019. Among other significant nominations by the party, it has fielded Kawasi Lakhma from Bastar (ST), Raman Bhalla from Jammu, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from Inner Manipur, Alfred Kanngam S Arthur from Outer Manipur (ST), Anil Chopra from Jaipur Rural, Bhajanlal Jatav from Karauli Dholpur, former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat's son Virender Rawat from Haridwar and Piya Roy Chowdhury from Coochbehar (SC). With this, the Congress has declared a total of 183 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls starting April 19.
LS polls: Cong announces 2 more candidates for Rajasthan, leaves Nagaur seat for RLP
LS polls: Cong announces 2 more candidates for Rajasthan, leaves Nagaur seat for RLP The Congress on Saturday announced its candidates for two more Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan and left one seat for its alliance partner the Hanuman Beniwal-led Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. The party gave the ticket to new face Anil Chopra from the Jaipur Rural seat and fielded former Rajasthan minister Bhajan Lal Jatav from the Karauli-Sawai Madhopur constituency. Chopra, a Rajasthan Congress secretary, has been the president of the students' union of the University of Rajasthan. Jatav was a cabinet minister in the former Congress government in the state. The party has left the Nagaur parliamentary seat for the RLP. Beniwal won the Nagaur Lok Sabha seat in 2019 in alliance with the BJP but separated from the NDA over the issue of farmers' protest in December 2020. With the latest list, the Congress has so far fielded candidates on 17 of the total 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state and left two for alliance partners Sikar for the CPI(M) and Nagaur for the RLP. The CPI(M)'s Amraram is contesting the Lok Sabha election on the Sikar seat. The Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.
LS polls: Cong releases 4th list of candidates, fields Ajay Rai to take on Modi in Varanasi
LS polls: Cong releases 4th list of candidates, fields Ajay Rai to take on Modi in Varanasi The Congress on Saturday released its fourth list of 45 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, fielding its Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai from Varanasi to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the Congress fielded its veteran leader Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh, it nominated newly-inducted leader Lal Singh from Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur to take on Union minister Jitendra Singh. Vikas Thakare will take on Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur, according to the list. In its fourth list, the party announced candidates for 12 seats of Madhya Pradesh, nine of Uttar Pradesh, seven of Tamil Nadu, four of Maharashtra, two each of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir, and one each of West Bengal, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. The Congress has left the Nagaur parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan for the Hanuman Beniwal-led Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. For Uttar Pradesh, where the party is in alliance with the Samajwadi Party and is contesting on 17 seats, the Congress announced candidates for nine seats. These include Rai from Varanasi, Danish Ali from Amroha, Imran Masood from Saharanpur and Alok Mishra from Kanpur. Suspense over whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from Amethi and Raebareli continued. There is speculation that Rahul Gandhi may also contest from Amethi, besides his declared seat of Wayanad in Kerala, and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli, a seat which was previously held by Sonia Gandhi. Both the seats in Uttar Pradesh are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the Gandhi family should contest from there. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has also fielded Ram Nath Sikarwar from Fatehpur Sikri, Pradeep Jain Aditya from Jhansi, Tanuj Punia from Barabanki (SC), Akhilesh Pratap Singh from Deoria and Sadan Prasad from Basgaon (SC). In Tamil Nadu, the party has renominated Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga, Manickam Tagore from Virudhunagar, S Jothimani from Karur and Vijay Vasanth from Kanniyakumari, among others. In Madhya Pradesh, the party fielded Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh, Kantilal Bhuria from Ratlam (ST), Akshay Bam from Indore and Arun Shrivastav from Bhopal among others. With this, the Congress has now declared a total of 183 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning on April 19.
CPI-Ms Amra Ram to be INDIA candidate from Rajasthans Sikar
Jaipur: The CPI-M on Friday, March 22, announced party leader Amra Ram as its candidate from the Sikar Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan. The Congress, which released its third list of Lok Sabha candidates on Thursday, announced it was leaving the Sikar seat for fellow INDIA bloc member, the CPI-M. The announcement was made at Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
CBSE disaffiliates 20 schools for enrolling dummy students; 5 of them in Delhi, 3 in UP
The disaffiliated schools include Sidhhartha Public School, Bharat Mata Saraswati Bal Mandir, National Public School, Chand Ram Public Senior Secondary School and Marigold Public School in Delhi, Loyal Public School (Bulandshahr), Trinity World School (Gautam Buddh Nagar), Crescent Convent School (Ghazipur) in Uttar Pradesh, Prince UCH Madhyamik Vidyalaya (Sikar) and Global Indian International School, (Jodhpur) in Rajasthan.
Congress names five more candidates for LS polls in Rajasthan
Jaipur, March 21 (IANS) The Congress on Thursday released its third list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, including five names for Rajasthan, which will vote in two phases on April 19 and April 26. The party also announced that it is leaving the Sikar seat for the CPI-M. As per the list []
Cong's 3rd list of LS poll candidates: Adhir from Berhampore, Kharge's son-in-law from Gulbarga
Cong's 3rd list of LS poll candidates: Adhir from Berhampore, Kharge's son-in-law from Gulbarga The Congress on Thursday released its third list of 56 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, fielding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Berhampore, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna from Gulbarga and former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde's daughter Praniti Shinde from Solapur. The Congress has left the Sikar constituency in Rajasthan for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). With this, the party has declared a total of 138 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. In its third list, the Congress has declared candidates for two seats in Arunachal Pradesh, 11 in Gujarat, 17 in Karnataka, seven in Maharashtra, five in Rajasthan, five in Telangana, eight in West Bengal and one in Puducherry. Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki has been fielded from Arunachal West. In Gujarat, the party has named Sonal Patel from Gandhinagar, Prabhaben Taviyad from Dahod (ST) and Nilesh Kumbani from Surat, among others. Kharge's son-in-law and the children of five ministers figure in the second list of 17 candidates for Karnataka announced by the Congress. It has fielded Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi, Radhakrishna from Gulbarga (SC), Vinod Asooti from Dharwad, M Rajeev Gowda from Bangalore North, Sowmya Reddy from Bangalore South, Mansoor Ali Khan from Bangalore Central and state minister Lakshmi Ravindra Hebbalkar's son Mrunal Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belguam, among others. The Congress has fielded Shahu Shahaji Chhatrapati, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. It has also fielded Vasantrao Chavan from Nanded and Ravindra Hemraj Dhangekar from Pune. In Telangana, the party has fielded Sunitha Mahender Reddy from Malkajgiri, Danam Nagender from Secunderabad, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna from Peddapalle (SC), Gaddam Rajith Reddy from Chevella and Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool (SC). In Rajasthan, the Congress has fielded Sunil Sharma from Jaipur, Sangeeta Beniwal from Pali, Urmila Jain Bhaya from Jhalawar-Baran. The party has again fielded Chowdhury from Berhampore, setting up the much-anticipated clash between the veteran Congress leader and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan, who has been fielded by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal. In West Bengal, the Congress has also fielded Pradip Bhattacharya from Kolkata North, Mostaque Alam from Maldaha North, Ali Imran Ramz (Victor) from Raiganj, Mohammed Murtoja Hossain (Bokul) from Jangipur, Nepal Mahato from Purulia and Milton Rashid from Birbhum. The party has renominated its incumbent MP from Puducherry, Ve Vaithilingam. Also, the Congress has fielded Isha Khan Choudhury, son of Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, from Maldaha South. Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury is the incumbent MP from the seat. Earlier, the Congress had announced 82 candidates in two lists for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning April 19.
Simpolo Vitrified Strengthens Position in Rajasthan with Opening of Simpolo Shopee in Sikar
Simpolo Vitrified Strengthens Position in Rajasthan with Opening of Simpolo Shopee in Sikar VMPL Sikar (Rajasthan) [India], March 20: Simpolo Vitrified, one of the leading players in the Indian ceramic industry recognized as most innovative player and pioneers of large format Sintered compact surfaces and 16/20mm thickness outdoor tiles, Kitchen platform tiles and many other categories. Simpolo Vitrified inaugurated its exclusive tiles and sanitary ware own showroom at Gravity Ceramics and Granito Jhunjhunu Bypass, Near Housing Board Crossing, Sikar, Rajasthan-332001 an area of over 2000 sq. ft. The showroom has on display Simpolo's best selling products like 1200x2400 Dry Granula first in class along with 1200x1800 Posh Surface adding style statement and enriching indoor space with 16mm Rockdeck series for outdoor applications, Kitchen top, & Glazed Vitrified tiles, etc. Simpolo also proudly announces the update of its acclaimed 'Ricco' collection with the introduction of 'Ricco-2.0'. This edition retains the signature Posh Surface, now enhanced with trend-setting subtle colour tones. Additionally, the incorporation of 'Glimmer Tech' introduces a subtle sheen to selected areas of the designs, adding a touch of elegance. This year, Simpolo introduced the groundbreaking 'StrongX' surface, setting a new standard for matte finishes with its zero shine and absence of reflection. Boasting an impressive surface hardness rating of 8, 'StrongX' delivers unparalleled durability, making it the ideal choice for high-traffic environments such as airports, malls, and institutions. Remarkably, despite its matte finish and exceptional hardness, the 'StrongX' surface remains remarkably easy to clean and maintain. This showroom meets all the tiling needs of every Classy House Builder and Architect. The showroom exhibits one of the most exquisite collections through state-of-the-art mock-up displays in appropriate ambiance. These mock-ups are designed to give customers a feel of how each tile will look in its actual use and inspire designers to go further from there. At the grand opening of the showroom, Bharat Aghara, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), expressed, 'This showroom is poised to redefine the tile shopping experience with its unparalleled richness in design and visual appeal. It's bound to compel even the most prestigious brands to reassess their competitive strategies in Sikar.' Speaking on the occasion, Ashwani Kumar (Sr. General Manager- NORTH 1) said Sikar is celebrated for its sophisticated taste and keen eye for aesthetics. Through our showroom, we aspire to cater to their demands by offering a curated selection of products tailored to their preferences and those of their discerning clientele, who always seek the pinnacle of home decor. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
2024 elections: How BJP, Cong fared in last LS polls in east Rajasthan, Mewar, Marwar regions
2024 elections: How BJP, Cong fared in last LS polls in east Rajasthan, Mewar, Marwar regions Eyeing a repeat of its electoral performance of 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party will look to win all 25 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan, even as the Congress hopes to cause a dent in the saffron party's plans. Despite losing the Rajasthan assembly elections to the Congress in December 2018, and thus being in the opposition, the BJP had managed to win 24 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with the only other seat going to its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). This time, the BJP is in power in the state and looks to have wind in its sails. The Congress, which had won a majority of the assembly seats in eastern Rajasthan in the 2018 assembly polls, suffered a bitter loss a few months later in the parliamentary polls. The Gurjar community had voted for the Congress in the assembly polls, hoping that Sachin Pilot, a member of the community, would become the state's chief minister. When that did not happen, votes for the Congress took a hit and the BJP won all the seats in the region in the Lok Sabha polls. However, the winning margin was relatively low on three eastern Rajasthan seats as compared to other seats in the state. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's Jaskaur Meena won from Dausa with a margin of 78,444 votes, while Manoj Rajoria won the Karauli-Dholpur seat with a margin of 97,682 votes. In Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria won the election with a margin of 1,11,291. Pilot won his first assembly elections in 2018 from the Tonk assembly seat which comes under the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha segment. In the Marwar region, the Congress faced a humiliating defeat from Jodhpur in the parliamentary elections where the then-chief minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot lost to the BJP's Gajendra Shekhawat by 2,74,440 votes. Jodhpur is Gehlot's hometown and is considered a stronghold of the Congress. The party's loss was a major embarrassment for both Gehlot and the party. Shekhawat, a Union minister, is contesting again from the seat in 2024. He has been a Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur since 2014. The BJP had left one seat, Nagaur, for its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), which is headed by Hanuman Beniwal, in 2019. Beniwal defeated Congress candidate Jyoti Mirdha by a margin of 1,81,260 votes. Mirdha, who is now in the BJP, has been given the party ticket from Nagaur. The BJP's alliance with the RLP ended over the farmers' protest in 2020. In the Mewar region comprising the southern parts of the state, Bhartiya Tribal Party, which had emerged just ahead of the 2018 elections, won two assembly seats, causing considerable damage to both the Congress and the BJP particularly in the Banswara and Dungarpur areas. However, the BJP managed to swing the voters in its favour in the Lok Sabha elections that followed and won by very high margins in Banswara (3,05,464 votes), Chittorgarh (5,76,247), Udaipur (4,37,914 votes) and Rajsamand (5,51,916 votes). The BJP's assembly performance in the Mewar region, in which it had won many seats, also helped the party increase its winning margin in the Lok Sabha elections. The party retained its influence in the Hadoti region where it won the Kota-Bundi (Om Birla) and Jhalawar-Baran (Dushyant Singh) seats. Dushyant Singh, the son of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, won his seat with a margin of 4,53,928 votes. In northern Rajasthan (Bikaner, Ganganagar) and the Shekhawati region (Churu, Sikar, Jhunjhunu), the party had won comfortably with margins close to three lakhs in each seat.
Rajasthan Voting Schedule: Details of Polling Phases
Jaipur: T he Election Commission has announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections today (Saturday). The voting process will span across 7 phases from April 19 to June 1 for all 543 seats nationwide, with the results slated for declaration on June 4. The implementation of the Moral Code of Conduct has been initiated across the country following the election announcement. In Rajasthan, the Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in two phases for all 25 seats. The voting dates for the general elections in Rajasthan are set for April 19 and April 26. The state will witness polling on 12 Lok Sabha seats in the first phase and on 13 seats in the second phase. Voting for the first phase will take place on April 19, covering Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur, Jaipur Rural, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli Dholpur, Dausa, and Nagaur. Subsequently, the second phase on April 26 will encompass Ajmer, Banswara, Barmer, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jalore, Jhalawar-Baran, Jodhpur, Kota, Pali, Rajsamand, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, and Udaipur. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party faced significant losses nationwide, including in Rajasthan. Despite emerging victorious in the December 2018 assembly elections, Congress was defeated in all 25 parliamentary seats in Rajasthan. BJP secured 24 seats, while one seat was claimed by Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, which allied with BJP. The outcome of the 2019 elections echoed the results of the 2014 general elections, where the BJP alliance swept all 25 seats in Rajasthan, sidelining the Congress. Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Schedule and Phases Unveiled by Election Commission Madras High Court Orders YouTuber to Pay 50 Lakh in Damages to Seva Bharati Trust IAS Officer Abhimanyu Singh Appointed as Officer on Special Duty to Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini
Watch the Official Teaser from Gujarati movie 31st starring Hitu Kanodia, Shraddha Dangar, Parikshit Tamaliya, Prachi Thaker, Chetan Daiya, Vandana Botadkar Vithlani, Vipul Vithlani, Prashant Barot, Parmeshwar S. Sirsikar, Akash Pandya, Tejas Davda, Jatan Pandya, Kalpesh patel, Dipika Raval, Hemang Dave, Ashish Rajput, Kinnary, Nikita sharma, Hardik Bhavsar, Anshu Joshi, Kavya Soni, Manin Trivedi, Zankhana Soni Patel, Nilesh Brahmbhatt, Krisha Limbachiya, Ronak Madgut. 31st movie is directed by Pranav Patel and produced by Bhaumik Patel, Jayesh Patel and Jayesh Parmar. To know more about 31st Teaser watch the video. Check out the latest Gujarati Teasers, new movie Teasers, trending Gujarati movie Teasers, and more at ETimes - Times of India Entertainment.
Watch the Official Trailer from Gujarati movie 31st starring Hitu Kanodia, Shraddha Dangar, Parikshit Tamaliya, Prachi Thaker, Chetan Daiya, Vandana Botadkar Vithlani, Vipul Vithlani, Prashant Barot, Parmeshwar S. Sirsikar, Akash Pandya, Tejas Davda, Jatan Pandya, Kalpesh patel, Dipika Raval, Hemang Dave, Ashish Rajput, Kinnary, Nikita sharma, Hardik Bhavsar, Anshu Joshi, Kavya Soni, Manin Trivedi, Zankhana Soni Patel, Nilesh Brahmbhatt, Krisha Limbachiya, Ronak Madgut. 31st movie is directed by Pranav Patel and produced by Bhaumik Patel, Jayesh Patel and Jayesh Parmar. To know more about 31st Trailer watch the video. Check out the latest Gujarati Trailers, new movie Trailers, trending Gujarati movie Trailers, and more at ETimes - Times of India Entertainment.
Three dead after car hits tree, catches fire in Rajasthans Sikar
The News Mill
Mumbai cops recover skull of boy day after his headless body found in mangroves
MUMBAI: Mumbai Police on Tuesday recovered the skull of a 12-year-old boy whose headless body was found in mangroves in Wadala area nearly 35 days after he went missing, an official said. The boy, identified as Sandeep Yadav, had been missing since January 28 after he went out with one Bipul Sikari, also a resident of Wadala. A day before Sandeep's headless body was found. Police said when Sandeep's father Bechai Yadav and others had confronted Sikari, he had told them that he handed over the boy to a transgender person. Sikari was thrashed and was subsequently taken to Wadala Truck Terminus police station. A cop told him to wash the blood but Sikari fled taking advantage of the circumstances, the official said. The deceased Sandeep was the only child of the Yadav couple born 14 years after their marriage. Meanwhile, police registered a case of kidnapping and continued the search for the boy. Police were informed on Monday that a headless body was lying in mangroves in the Wadala creek area, the official added. The deceased boy was identified by his father with the help of his clothes, footwear, and a 'kada' he was wearing. During a search on Tuesday, police found the skull lying 15-20 feet away from the spot where the corpse was found earlier. Police have added sections 302 (Punishment for murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of the evidence of the offence) of the Indian Penal Code and formed teams to nab Sikari. According to the official, Sikari is a resident of West Bengal and was arrested in a murder case earlier. He had jumped parole in the previous murder case and came to Mumbai, the official said.
Police Negligence Helps Murder Accused Escape in Mumbai
A case of police negligence has landed members of Mumbai's police force in the dock. The man who escaped. Bipul Sikari, was accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old boy, whose body was found on Monday.
