KHAGARIA : With the return of Left after nearly a three-decade hiatus in the Lok Sabha fray, the Khagaria constituency in Bihar is witnessing an exciting but challenging fight between two young debutants -- Rajesh Verma of NDA-supported LJP (RV) and Sanjay Kumar Kushwaha representing Mahagathbandhan partner CPM. Both the contestants are young, first-timers in the race for the parliamentary polls and belong to two dominant OBC castes -- Kushwaha and Sonar (goldsmith). While Kushwaha is the third

KOLKATA : Amid the row over incidents in Sandeshkhali where allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders have surfaced, the TMC released a video on social media, claiming that allegations were a conspiracy by the BJP to defame West Bengal ahead of Lok Sabha polls. In the purported video, a man, who claimed to be a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the sssembly, is behind the whole conspiracy. The man alleged in the video

BHOPAL : After a lower polling compared to the 2019 polls in the first two phases, the ongoing Lok Sabha elections move into the third phase into Madhya Pradeshs Gwalior-Chambal region infamous for lower voter turnout, extremely high summer temperatures and politics divided sharply on caste lines. Four of the nine seats which will vote on May 7 are Gwalior-Chambal regions seats, including Guna, Bhind-SC, Morena and Gwalior, which saw a close contest between BJP and Congress in the 2023 assembly

Empires and emperors come and go, but some institutions remain immortal. The Roman empire vanished in 476 CE, but Pax Romana became the basis of modern justice. King John died in 1216 CE, but the Magna Carta laid the foundation of democracy. The individuals in charge are mere mortals. As long as they have the keys, they can make or mar the image of credible institutions through inept and inappropriate methods. The Election Commission of Indias (ECI) conduct over the past few weeks exemplifies su

If modern India has been a successful democracy, it is because there is an ancient tradition of the idea. Participatory decision-making started in the ancient village councils or panchayatsa testimony to the grassroots democracy that thrived in ancient India. The Rigveda and Atharvaveda refer to the elections of king, prime minister and parliament by the people and some Brahmanas mention kings losing their positions. The people elected the best person as rajan . The king who failed to protect wa

BELAGAVI: The third phase of polls on May 7 is poised for a closely contested battle between the BJP and Congress in the majority of the 14 of the 28 remaining seats in the state. However, all eyes are on the three top guns of the BJP, former Chief Ministers Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who have locked horns against three young Congress rivals in North Karnataka, a Lingayat heartland. The election for Belagavi, Haveri and Hubballi sea

INDIA bloc PM will be first among equals, all oppn parties will join hands after polls: Shashi Tharoor

BHUBANESWAR: In a major setback to Congress ahead of polls, party's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sucharita Mohanty has announced her withdrawal from the electoral race, returning her ticket for the parliamentary constituency, Mohanty attributed her decision to a lack of funds and what she perceives as nomination of weaker candidates in some seats across the seven Assembly segments. I have returned the ticket because the party was not able to fund me. Another reason is that in some of the seats in 7

PUNE : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said if voted to power, an INDIA bloc government will scrap 50% quota cap and ensure reservation for Maratha, Dhangar and others. He was addressing a rally in support of Lok Sabha candidate Ravindra Dhangekar in Pune. Gandhi said their poll manifesto clearly states that it will conduct the caste census, economic survey and survey of organisations. We will find out how many people in the media, corporate world, private hospitals, colleges and universi

BHOPAL : A video of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari making an off-the-cuff remark in response to a question about Imarti Devi, a loyalist of BJP leader and Guna Lok Sabha candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia, went viral on Thursday night, landing him in soup. In response to a query about Imarti urging voters to support Congress candidates in Gwalior-Chambal region, Patwari had said, Dekho aisa hai ab Imartiji ka ras khatam ho gaya, jo andar chaashni hoti hai, unke liye mai kuch baat nahi ka

BHOPAL : BJP MLA and former Mandhya Pradesh minister Surendra Patwa threatened a police officer for turning off former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhans mike reportedly in line with the poll panels model code of conduct during an election rally in Raisen district. The incident happened on Thursday night in Bhojpur assembly segment of Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency from where Chouhan is the BJP candidate. A viral video of the incident has triggered a political controversy. While Chouhan was addressing th

BELAGAVI: Candidates contesting the Lok Sabha polls have picked up one more trick from the book and are distributing pictures, portraits and books of gods and swamijis to woo god-fearing voters in both Chikkodi and Belagavi Lok Sabha constituencies. They would like to believe that such voters will not cheat them and will definitely vote in their favour on May 7. Be it devotion, emotion or relation, the candidates are leaving nothing to chance to get the electorate to vote for them. Campaigning f

AHMEDABAD: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed on Friday that people want a change of government at the Centre. Wherever I travelled I noticed that people are interested in bringing about a change in government, Kharge told reporters here during a campaign tour. Present government has failed in all aspects, it failed to control inflation and generate employment. That is the reason that the BJP is not talking about what it has delivered in the last 10 years, but talks more about other i

BENGALURU: With the campaign turning intense for the 14 Lok Sabha seats in North Karnataka that are going to the polls on May 7, BJP has been trying to woo a portion of Backward Classes and Dalit votes, which Congress is trying to consolidate, besides minority votes. The BJP that swept the entire North Karnataka in 2019 is pinning hopes on the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community continuing to support it, with former CM BS Yediyurappas son BY Vijayendra being the party state president. Then, of course

KOCHI: The Congress decision to field Rahul Gandhi in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh has elicited mixed feelings within the partys state unit. There is uncertainty among party leaders regarding whether he will step down from the Wayanad LS seat if he is elected from Rae Bareli, considered a stronghold of the Gandhi family. This has led to heated debates, with the BJP and LDF accusing Rahul of betraying the people of Wayanad. There is a prevailing belief within the Congress party

GUWAHATI: The stakes will be high for the BJP and its allies when Assam goes to the third and final phase of parliamentary elections on May 7. The polls will be held in the four seats of Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Dhubri. Currently, Guwahati is with the BJP, Barpeta with the Congress, Kokrajhar with an independent and Dhubri with the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). The BJP is contesting in Guwahati, Its ally Asom Gana Parishad in Dhubri and Barpeta while another a

BHOPAL: When Jyotiraditya Scindia lost the royal family bastion Guna in Madhya Pradesh to his protg-turned-rival KP Yadav in 2019, it was largely attributed to his arrogance. Then, Scindia was an influential Congress leader and Yadav had just switched sides to join the BJP to emerge as a giant killer. Cut to 2024, Scindia is fighting to reclaim his lost glory on a BJP ticket while the Congress has taken a leaf out of the BJPs book by fielding Rao Yadvendra Singh Yadav, a former leader of the saf

South Bengaluru, south Chennai, south Delhi, south Mumbai, south Kolkata. There is something special about the southern parts of Indian metros that makes the affluent stay there. Quite the contrast from the laggard Global South. The problem with what we might call Indias Urban South is that they dont like lifestyle disruptions like voting at elections. We have seen that this year in the constituencies of Chennai South and Bengaluru South, both of which saw less than 55 percent voters showing up.

Rahul Gandhi declares assets worth over Rs 20 crore; owns no car, residential apartment

This year's Congress manifesto for Lok Sabha had promises which the party leaders have termed evolutionary. As the election gets set to move into the third phase, many of these promises are now being discussed and analysed with a greater degree of interest. One of the big promises under the spotlight currently is the Congress plan to roll out a Mahalakshmi scheme providing Rs 1 lakh per year to every poor Indian family as an unconditional cash transfer. The poor will be identified among the fam

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday said it has taken a decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli after a lot of deliberation and strategy, and that the constituency is not just a legacy but also a responsibility. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it is a long election process and there are a few chess moves still left to play. He also justified Priyanka Gandhi Vadra not contesting any election, saying she can reach Parliament by contesting any bypoll, but is currently taking on P

AMETHI: Congress's Amethi candidate Kishori Lal Sharma on Friday said he would rather a Gandhi fight from the seat, but he cannot refuse the party's order which asked him to fight the election. Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded by the Congress from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat a longstanding bastion of the Gandhi family, breached in 2019. Even today, I want the Gandhi family to contest the election from Amethi. But I consider it my duty to accept the order given by the fa

SAMBALPUR: Amidst a sea of cheering supporters, Union Minister and BJPs candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat Dharmendra Pradhan embarked on a massive roadshow to file his nomination papers here on Thursday. Pradhans convoy, adorned with party banners and saffron flags, was surrounded by thousands of enthusiastic locals and party workers who shouted slogans like Abki bar, 400 par and Ethara darkar BJP sarkar. As thousands of people rallied in support of the union minister, it was evident that

BHUBANESWAR: Putting an end to speculations, BJD on Thursday announced Sandhyarani Das, mother of party organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das, as its candidate from Korei Assembly seat in Jajpur district. Sandhyarani replaces Ashok Kumar Bal, the partys sitting MLA from the constituency. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the list of candidates for the last three Assembly seats including much-awaited Korei. The party has changed the candidate for Deogarh Assembly seat by replacing Aru

BHUBANESWAR: Union Education Minister and BJP candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat Dharmendra Pradhan has declared movable and immovable property worth over Rs 2.32 crore and liabilities of over Rs 32.79 lakh. Pradhan had declared total assets including movable and immovable properties worth over Rs 2.28 crore with liabilities of over Rs 45 lakh on March 31, 2022. His assets have grown during the period by over Rs 4 lakh. The movable assets declared by the minister include deposits in bank ac

KENDRAPARA: The Kendrapara Assembly constituency is witnessing an interesting battle among three turncoats who switched sides recently to enter the poll arena. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has fielded former Congress MLA and ex-minister Ganeswar Behera who till last month was in the grand old party. The Congress similarly has placed its faith in Sipra Mallick, a former MLA who recently quit BJD after Ganeswar joined the ruling party. The BJP too has fielded Zilla Parishad chairperson Gitanjali Seth

ROURKELA: Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday predicted BJPs victory in Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency and the rest of Odisha in the upcoming elections. Addressing a large gathering during the nomination filing of BJPs Sundargarh LS candidate Jual Oram and three Assembly nominees here, Yadav said during his visit to Odisha in the last several days, he has felt the wind of change blow in favour of the saffron party. The BJP would win all the 21 LS seats and also form the next gover

BERHAMPUR: Election to the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency barely a fortnight away, disgruntled aspirants could queer the pitch for BJP candidates in the Assembly segments but the saffron party is putting up a united face ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit. Denied tickets after entry of imports from other parties, some of the aspirants who worked for the party for years have now filed nominations as Independent posing a hurdle for the candidates. Siba Shankar Dash, a BJP rebel, has fi

JEYPORE: The Laxmipur Assembly constituency appears poised for a fierce electoral battle, with the ruling Biju Janata Dal facing a challenge from former MLA and current BJP candidate, Kailash Kulesika. Kulesikas growing influence in the constituency has sent ripples of concern through the BJD camp. In the 2019 elections, Kulesika, then representing the Congress, secured 44,982 (33.85 pc) votes, narrowly losing to BJDs Prabhu Jani who got 45,211 (34.02 pc) votes. Despite financial constraints and

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Thursday announced six candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha fielding its state unit vice president Dr Purna Chandra Mahapatra in Barabati-Cuttack segment, Shambhunath Rout in Ghasipura, Ashish Patra in Bhograi, Sudhanshu Nayak in Bhandaripokhari, Umesh Chandra Jena in Bari and Prakash Chandra Ranabijuli in Begunia. A renowned gynaecologist, Dr Mahapatra was in contention for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. He was nominated from Barabati-Cuttack segment after the party fielded

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI is optimistic of winning three out of the four seats it has contested in the Lok Sabha elections, according to the preliminary parliament election review of the partys state executive. The meeting held on Thursday evaluated that the party candidates would win in Thiruvananthapuram, Mavelikkara and Thrissur. In Wayanad, CPI calculates that it could lower the majority by half compared to the 2019 election when Rahul Gandhi won by a huge margin. In the capital, the party exp

Though AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is not contesting from his home district, this election is being termed as a contest between the Congress veteran and the BJP. Gulbarga Lok Sabha BJP candidate Dr Umesh Jadhav and Congress candidate Radhakrishna Doddamani. This election is being projected as one between Mallikarjun Kharge and PM Modi, or Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr Umesh Jadhav. What is your response? That is completely wrong. This election is between a performing party and a non-performer

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement. Sharma was the key man who looked after the two key constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis. The two will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the s

PATNA: A keen contest between debutants and old warhorses is on the cards in Bihar as five of its seats go to the polls in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 7. Though there are 54 contestants in the fray, the fight is mainly between BJP-JD(U)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance, the latter being a part of Opposition INDIA bloc. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, all the five seatsMadhepura, Supaul, Khagaria, Araria and Jhanjharpurwere won

SRINAGAR : In the Union Territory of Ladakh, where the parliamentary seat is slated for polling in the 5th phase on May 20, marking a pivotal electoral moment post Article 370s abrogation, both the national stalwarts Congress and BJP find themselves ensnared in significant quandaries. Against the backdrop of the cold desert region, a political showdown looms between Congress and the INDIA alliance, potentially culminating in a paradoxical BJP versus BJP contest. In the race for Ladakhs singular

NEW DELHI: With barely hours left for filing of nomination papers for the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats, the Congress is continuing to keep the suspense on whether Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka will contest from the prestigious seats. Though there was no official word, sources said that Rahul is likely to enter the fray from Rae Bareli. That decision was taken after much deliberations within the party leadership. However, sources said Priyanka may not contest the general elections. On Wedne

LUCKNOW: Known for being the seat of the famous Sufi saint Salim Chishti and the fort of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri is the youngest parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh. It was carved out of Agra in 2008. BJPs Rajkumar Chahar had won it in 2019 with a thumping five lakh-plus vote margin. But this time around, the contest seems to be evenly poised between the BJP and the Congress. Sikri goes to polls on May 7. Congress candidate Ram Nath Sikarwar popularly known as Fauji Baba i

The delay by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in putting out the final figures of polling in the first and second phases of the Lok Sabha election has generated a completely avoidable controversy. The ECI decision not to put out constituency-wise registered voter numbers is seen as a deviation from the established practice of making this data available immediately after the end of polling. Concerns have been raised about the non-availability of constituency-wise polling percentages and the

NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday ordered the transfer of commissioner-cum-secretary of Mission Shakti department Sujata Karthikeyan to a non-public dealing department with immediate effect. Sujata is the wife of 5T chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian , who is a close aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Sources in the ECI confirmed to The New Indian Express that the action was taken following a complaint regarding an alleged misuse of public offic

BHOPAL: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent inheritance tax jibe aimed at her father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi, asserting, It was not wealth, but the spirit of shahadat (martyrdom), which my father inherited from his mother. At a poll rally in Madhya Pradesh's Morena, the Congress leader fired back at the Prime Minister while campaigning for party candidate Nitu Sikarwar. PM accused my father of being a traitor and havin

Till about a decade ago, the voting behaviour of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh used to be a decisive factor in about two dozen Lok Sabha seats. The main political parties in those elections, such as the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, whether in alliance or separately, used to bank heavily on the support of Muslims. This used to be the norm from the 1970s till the general election of 2014, when the Narendra Modi wave made all such factors redundant. Riding high on it, the Bhara

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dropped sitting Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh , who is facing criminal charges of sexually harassing women wrestlers, and gave the ticket for the seat to his son Karan Bhushan Singh, sources said. Kaiserganj votes on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The last date for filing nomination is May 3. While Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh may have been denied the ticket, the fact that the seat's contest remains within the family shows how influe

NEW DELHI: The BJP's claim of '400 paar' is a joke, '300 paar' impossible and even '200 paar' may be a challenge in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said, terming the ruling party's loss a foregone conclusion. In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters here, Tharoor also claimed the BJP will draw a blank in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and will do worse than its 2019 performance in the South. Tharoor, who was locked in a three-way contest wit

NEW DELHI: In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said when the elections are over, people will only remember him as the PM who indulged in divisive and communal speeches filled with lies to avoid an inevitable defeat. Kharge urged the prime minister to seek votes on the performance of his government over the last ten years instead of indulging in hate speeches. The Congress president made the remarks in a letter to Prime Minister

ASANOL: Reopening factories closed for years, addressing drinking water scarcity in rural pockets and reining in the illegal mining menace in abandoned collieries are the primary issues for the people of Asansol Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. The region cradles the mining and industrial belt of the state, with Raniganj, Pandaveswar and Jamuria assembly segments housing coal mines and Kulti serving as the home to some of the bigger factories. Asansol, which borders Jharkhand, has a signif

AHMEDABAD : The BJPs Jamnagar candidate Poonam Maadam encountered resistance from members of Gujarats Rajput community, which is angry over the partys Rajkot candidate Parshottam Rupalas comments. Rupala, attending a Dalit event on March 22 this year, had said that the erstwhile Maharajas broke bread with the British and also married off their daughters to them, invited the ire of the Kshatriya community. The Saurashtra region of Gujarat had been on the boil ever since, with Rajput community dem

SRINAGAR : The Gujjar and Bakerwal community is disappointed over the deferment of polls to Anantnag-Rajouri seat, saying the move will lead to drop in voter turnout due to the annual migration of nomadic groups. The EC has deferred the polls in the constituency in view of inclement weather. The polling, earlier scheduled to be held in the third phase on May 7, will now be held in the sixth phase on May 25. The EC decision to defer polls for Anantnag LS seat is very unfortunate. Now over one lak

RANCHI: The Delhi Police Special Branch has issued a notice to Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur asking him to appear before an investigating officer at 10.30 am on Thursday in a case involving alleged uploading and sharing of fake videos of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On April 27, a video related to Shah went viral in which he purportedly said that if the BJP government was formed, the reservation benefits for SC, ST and OBCs will be abolished. Many Congress leaders, including Rajesh Th

RAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has refuted allegations levelled by the Congress that the BJP would abolish reservations after gaining a majority in the forthcoming elections. Addressing a poll rally at Katghora in the Korba Lok Sabha constituency on Wednesday, he stated, After remaining in power for 10 years, we didnt remove reservations nor will we allow anyone to do so in the future. Modiji used the majority to scrap Article 370 (in Kashmir), construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, tripl

VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had ushered in land grabbing Act in the name of AP Land Titling Act, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu cautioned the people of the State that if they vote for the YSRC their properties will be taken over by the YSRC chief. Addressing a public meeting at Chirala of Bapatla district as part Praja Galam on Wednesday, Naidu said, After coming back to power, my first signature will be on Mega DSC and my second signature will be on revoking