Page 15 - Lok Sabha

JD(U) UP unit hopes Nitish Kumar will reconsider to contest LS polls

Days after JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar denied the possibility of contesting the 2024 general elections from Phulpur, the party's Uttar Pradesh unit remains hopeful that he will reconsider the decision to send a larger message of Opposition unity against the BJP. Some Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders also welcomed the idea. Dismissing speculation over his candidature in the Lok Sabha elections from the Phulpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, Kumar said on September 20 that he is only interested in uniting opposition parties ahead of the parliamentary polls. The Bihar chief minister also asserted that his efforts should reap benefits for the younger generation, "for people like (his deputy) Tejashwi Yadav". Uttar Pradesh JD(U) president Anoop Singh Patel said the party state unit hopes that Kumar will reconsider his decision. "We had given a proposal to him (Nitish Kumar) at the party's recent national convention in Patna to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Phulpur, Mirzapur or ..

Shah in Bihar to prepare for 2024 LS Polls as BJP comes up with new slogan

Shah will later hold a meeting with MPs, MLAs and former ministers of Bihar BJP around 4 pm at Mata Gujri University in Kishanganj city

Don't want anything for myself, just keen on uniting oppn parties: Nitish

Dismissing all speculations over his candidature in Lok Sabha polls from Phulpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said "he is only interested in uniting opposition parties ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls". Kumar also asserted that his efforts should reap benefits for the younger generation, "for people like (his deputy) Tejashwi Yadav". "These are mere speculations and there is no basis for such talks. I don't know the source of such reports. I am only interested in uniting all opposition parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections," said the CM when asked if he had plans to enter the Lok Sabha contest from UP. "I don't want anything for myselfwhatever I am doing, it is for the younger generationfor people like Tejashwi Yadav," he added. Speculations about Kumar eyeing the Phulpur seat became rife after JD(U)'s national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh on Saturday said that party workers and leaders in three constituencies

Nitish Kumar denies plans to contest 2024 LS poll from UP's Phulpur

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar denied speculations that he may contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh's Phulpur, saying he only has ambition to unite opposition parties in the country

Data monetisation should have consumer consent: RBI deputy governor

Last month, the government withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill from the Lok Sabha and IT Minister had said the Centre was hopeful of getting a new legislation passed by the next Budget Session

2023 Assembly election is like trial by fire for JD(S), says Kumaraswamy

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said the 2023 Assembly election is like a "trial by fire" for his party, and its outcome will have a bearing on its political future for the next 20-25 years. The former Chief Minister was responding to a question regarding his son and JD(S) youth wing chief Nikil Kumaraswamy's recent statement purportedly indicating that the upcoming Assembly election will be the last for the party. "I myself have said several times that the 2023 Assembly election is like a trial by fire for the JD(S) and the outcome of this election will have a bearing on the party's political future for the next 20-25 years; so this election is important - this is what Nikhil Kumaraswamy has said," he told reporters. Kumaraswamy said, "We both have discussed it several times that the 2023 election is a big challenge before us and if anything undesirable happens it will bear consequences on the party's future, so it should be taken as a challenge and a strong foundation shoul

Will adopt progressive way to ensure BJP regains S Goa seat: Narayan Rane

Union Minister Narayan Rane said he had been appointed by his party as the in-charge for Goa South Lok Sabha seat and South Mumbai in Maharashtra for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Nation in anguish under BJP rule, says Pawar; NCP calls for Oppn unity

Ahead of the next round of assembly elections, the NCP on Saturday gave a clarion call for unity of anti-BJP forces and said that party chief Sharad Pawar would play an important role in this regard. Addressing the extended working committee of the NCP here, Pawar alleged that the Modi government was anti-farmer and had also failed to tackle the issue of unemployment. He also slammed the BJP over the release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. I am surprised that the prime minister speaks of upholding the dignity of women and two days later the BJP government in the prime minister's home state reduced the sentence of those who committed atrocities against Bilkis Bano and her family, Pawar said. The extended working committee of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also re-elected Pawar as the national president of the party. The veteran leader said that farmers were looking forward to getting a good price for their paddy crop, but the government has imposed a 20 per cent

BJP will win all 80 Uttar Pradesh seats in 2024: Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak

The BJP will win all 80 seats from Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 parliamentary elections, wiping out the vote share of all opposition parties including the Samajwadi Party, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak claimed Saturday. "Akihlesh Yadav has confined himself to Twitter and social media, while BJP leaders and workers are carrying out the message of welfare schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he told the media at the Circuit House here, attacking the Samajwadi Party chief. His statement came hours after a banner emerged at the SP headquarters in Lucknow with this message: "UP + Bihar = Gayi Modi Sarkar (If Uttar Pradesh and Bihar join hands, the Modi government will be ousted." Pathak said the Samajwadi Party's vote share would be obliterated in 2024. "The BJP has defeated Opposition parties including the Samajwadi Party in 2014, 2017, 2019. And in 2024, we will get all 80 seats," he said. In a reply to a question, Pathak also said there is no need to be apprehensiv

India needs weak PM and 'khichdi' govt to benefit weaker sections: Owaisi

India should have a weak prime minister and a "khichdi" or multi-party government after the next Lok Sabha elections so that the weaker sections of society benefit, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said here on Saturday. A powerful prime minister helps only the powerful people, he said, speaking at a press conference. The AIMIM chief also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claiming that it was no different from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat as it kept mum on the controversial release of convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The AIMIM will field candidates in the Gujarat Assembly polls which are likely to be held in December, he informed. Attacking Narendra Modi, the AIMIM leader said "the most powerful prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru" blamed the "system" when questioned about unemployment, inflation, Chinese intrusion and waiver of corporate tax and bank loans of industrialists. "I believe the country now needs a weak p

Opposition will unite to oust BJP from power in 2024, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she and her counterparts in neighbouring Bihar and Jharkhand will join hands with several other opposition parties to oust the BJP from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While addressing a party programme here, Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, claimed that the BJP would face a rout because of its arrogance and people's anger. I, Nitish Kumar, Hemant Soren and many others will come together in 2024. All opposition parties will join hands to defeat the BJP. All of us will be on one side and the BJP on the other. The BJP's arrogance of 300 seats will be its nemesis. There will be Khela Hobe' in 2024, she said. 'Khela Hobe' (game is on) had been the battle cry of the TMC during the high-octane Assembly polls last year, in which the party defeated the BJP to storm back to power for the third consecutive term. Banerjee claimed that the arrest of Jharkhand MLAs with hordes of cash by Bengal police recently stopped

Shah sets target for BJP to win with bigger margin in 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Amit Shah and JP Nadda on Tuesday held a crucial meeting with the Union Ministers who are cluster incharges, at the party office in the national capital in view of the upcoming 2024 general elections.

Shah, Nadda meet BJP leaders to discuss roadmap for 144 'weak' LS seats

BJP chief J P Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah held a brainstorming session on Tuesday with key party leaders tasked with boosting its prospects in 144 Lok Sabha seats, considered difficult for it, in the 2024 polls. Over 25 Union ministers, including Bhupender Yadav, Giriraj Singh, Smriti Irani, Parshottam Rupala and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, were among those who attended the meeting with Nadda and Shah. Sources said reports were presented about the work undertaken by various ministers, who have been assigned three to four such Lok Sabha seats, besides other leaders. The party has been working to amp up its booth-level presence and reach out to various communities with an eye on the beneficiaries of several central government schemes. Party leaders said they will continue to work on these lines in addition to the directives made by the leadership. Most of these 144 constituencies include those the party had lost in the 2019 polls, but a few winning seats are also part of t

Nitish meets Rahul Gandhi to plan for 2024 polls; denies PM candidature

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the national capital and discussed the strategy for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Sharad Pawar renews pitch for opposition unity for 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Amid bickering among the opposition parties, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday renewed the pitch for unity for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Interacting with reporters here after welcoming leaders from Haryana into the party fold, Pawar said the NCP was open to contesting polls as part of an opposition alliance under a common minimum programme to take on the BJP. Pawar also asked the opposition parties to keep aside differences and unite on an anti-BJP platform for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, he had said efforts were underway at the national level to bring non-BJP parties together to create a public opinion. At the same time, the NCP supremo had made it clear that he was not keen on taking up any responsibility due to his age. Pawar also accused the Narendra Modi government of failing to fulfil any of the promises made by it since 2014, including ushering in "acche din". The BJP's agenda is to keep smaller parties away from power, the NCP chief alleged.

BJP will win UP's Mainpuri seat in 2024, says Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh asserted on Tuesday that the BJP will win the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 parliamentary election. Talking to reporters here, Singh said, "We are going to win the Mainpuri seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and our target is to win all the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh." The Union minister's reply came to a reporter's question on whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in the next general election. At present, Mainpuri is represented by Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) had won two seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won 10 seats, the SP had won five and the Congress had won one seat. Singh said over the last eight years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's welfare schemes have reached everyone, without any vote-bank consideration. Addressing back-to-back meet

As freebies debate rages, a look at states' contingent liabilities

The net borrowing ceiling of states is mandated by the FRBM Act. However, the upper limit of what their contingent liabilities can be is set by states' own legislative bodies

Mamata says ousting BJP from power in 2024 will be her 'last fight'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asserted that ousting the BJP from power at the Centre in 2024 will be her "last fight". The 67-year-old feisty TMC boss, however, did not clarify her remark. "The BJP has to be defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The fight for Delhi to oust the saffron party from power at the Centre will be my last. I promise to oust the BJP from power," she said while addressing a rally here. Without giving further clarification, she said, "The BJP has to be defeated at any cost." "Saving West Bengal is our first fight. I promise we will remove the BJP from power at the Centre in 2024. If you try to intimidate us, we will respond," Banerjee said. Banerjee, while referring to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi losing elections in 1989 despite winning more than 400 seats in 1984, said, "Everybody has to taste defeat." "Indira Gandhi was a strong political leader, but she had also tasted defeat. The BJP has around 300 MPs, but Bihar is gone, a

People should take pledge to make 'BJP- mukt Bharat' in 2024, says KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday tore into the NDA government at the Centre saying people should take a pledge to make a "BJP-mukt Bharat" in 2024 even as he said a government of farmers will be coming at the national level in future. Speaking at a public meeting at Peddapalli, 165 km from here, Rao, popularly known as KCR, describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "Golmal PM", said whatever he and the Centre say are "blatant lies". "We all should take a pledge and be prepared to create BJP-mukt Bharat in 2024. We should march forward with that slogan. Then only we can save this country, otherwise there is no scope to save this nation," he said. Attacking the Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay, who recently landed in a controversy after a video purportedly showing him fetching the footwear of Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the latter came out of a temple here, Rao said there are some "sanyasis" who are very eager to carry footwear by pledging Telangana'

CM Yogi welcomes UP's new BJP chief, says will win all 80 seats in 2024

Yogi Adityanath welcomed Bhupendra Chaudhary as the new UP BJP chief, saying he was confident that under Chaudhary's leadership, the BJP would win all 80 seats in 2024 Lok Sabha polls