Tag: BJP

BJP Leader Slams AAP For Playing Victim Card

BJP Leader Slams AAP For Playing Victim Card

By LokMarg

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is playing the victim card in connection with Manish Sisodia’s arrest and asked if the court is mentally “harassing” the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister by not granting him relief.

Taking a potshot at the AAP, Poonawalla alleged that the party has transformed from a party which rose from the ‘India against corruption’ movement to a party protecting and celebrating corruption.
“This is the complete transformation of a political party that started its journey as India against corruption. Today they are doing celebration and protection of corruption they are looking at the action against corruption as mental harassment. Is the court also harassing mentally Sisodia by not giving Sisodia or Satyendar Jain relief? They are playing the victim card to safeguard themselves from the allegations of corruption. The AAP should answer the questions related to the Excise policy case,” the BJP leader said while speaking to ANI.

“Those who are responsible for the harassment of the people of Delhi by indulging in such corruption today instead of answering the questions on Sharab Ghotala, on telling us why the Sharab Ghotala was done and how such favours were given, they play the constant victimhood guide people of Delhi have rejected this card,” he added.

The remarks of the BJP leader came after Arvind Kejriwal and eight other leaders from different political parties wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with Sisodia’s arrest.

The leaders alleged that the timings of the lodging of cases or arrests of the Opposition leaders “coincided with elections” which makes it clear that the action taken was “politically motivated”.

“We hope you would agree that India is still a democratic country. The blatant misuse of central agencies against the members of the opposition appears to suggest that we have transitioned from being a democracy to an autocracy,” the leaders wrote.

Calling the action against Sisodia, who was arrested on February 26 by the CBI, a “long witch-hunt”, the letter alleged that the allegations levelled in connection with the excise policy are a “smack of a political conspiracy”.

They claimed that Sisodia’s arrest has “enraged” people across the country and alleged that his arrest will “confirm what the world was only suspecting” that India’s democratic values were “threatened” under the BJP rule.

“The allegations against Sisodia are outrightly baseless and smack of a political conspiracy. His arrest has enraged people across the country. Manish Sisodia is recognised globally for transforming Delhi’s school education. His arrest will be cited worldwide as an example of a political witch-hunt and further confirm what the world was only suspecting – that India’s democratic values stand threatened under an authoritarian BJP regime,” the leaders wrote.

Among the Opposition leaders who were the signatories of the letter included BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah, AITC chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

However, there were no representations from Congress, JDS, JD (U), and CPI (M) in the letter. (ANI)

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Annamalai on 2024 Election

Migrant Labourers Attack: TN BJP Chief Booked For Inciting Violence

By LokMarg

A day after Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief K Annamalai held the ruling DMK party responsible for the ongoing stir over alleged attacks on migrant labourers in the state, the police have booked him on charges of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups.

The Cyber Crime Division have booked the BJP state unit chief under sections of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups among others.
As per officials, a case is also registered against the BJP Bihar Twitter account holder over the incident.

Annamalai yesterday released a statement on the migrant labourers’ issue saying they are safe in Tamil Nadu but the Chief Minister Stalin led-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance party leaders are the reason for the hate against them.

He also opposed the spread of false news on the attack on the people from Bihar in the state, saying that Tamils don’t support “separatism” and “vile hatred” against north Indians.

“It is disheartening to see fake news spread in social media about attacks on Migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. We, the Tamil people, believe in the concept of “The World is One” and do not endorse the separatism and vile hatred against our North Indian friends,” Annamalai said in a series of tweets.

Hitting out at the state government, he said, “DMK’s MPs’ vile comments on North Indians, DMK minister calling them Panipuri Wala, and their alliance partners demanding their exodus has triggered what we see today.”

He further said that the people, the Government and the police, do not endorse the views of DMK and their alliance partners.

Besides, Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu police have also booked four persons including a BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao and two journalists.

Prashant Umrao, an Editor with Dainik Bhaskar, a Patna-based journalist, owner of ‘Tanvir Post’ Twitter handle Mohammad Tanvir, and Shubam Shukla were booked at different police stations on the charges of spreading “false” news regarding attacks on migrant labourers in Tamil Nadu.

A statewide panic was created among migrant workers, working in Tamil Nadu, after several purported videos, showing attacks on migrant workers, circulated on social media.

The panic was triggered after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, raised concerns and took note of the purported videos of “attacks”.

The panic affected the industries in Tamil Nadu, which rely on migrant workers, badly as many workers stayed off work.

Taking cognizance of the panic, Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police Sylendra Babu released a statement, saying that the video doing rounds of social media was “false” and “mischievous”.

“Somebody in Bihar posted false and mischievous videos saying that migrant workers were attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos were posted. Both are false as these incidents happened at an earlier date in Tiruppur and Coimbatore. One was a clash between two groups of migrant workers from Bihar while another was from a clash between two local residents in Coimbatore,” the top cop said.

The DGP also said that the persons behind this rumour-driven panic will not be spared. (ANI)

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Japan PM Kishida To Visit India For 3 Days From March 19

Japan PM Kishida To Visit India For 3 Days From March 19

By LokMarg

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to visit India later this month for talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi, a government source said on Friday, even as Tokyo holds the presidency of the Group of Seven nations this year, the Nikkei Asia reported.

Kishida’s trip to India, currently chair of the Group of 20 economies for 2023, would come weeks after his government did not send Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to a meeting of the G-20 top diplomats, held for two days through Thursday in New Delhi.

Hayashi’s absence triggered a backlash that Japan’s decision not to dispatch the country’s foreign minister to the G-20 gathering could cast a shadow over relations between the two Asian nations.

Nikkei Asia reported that Kishida, who is likely to visit India for three days from March 19, has been eager to confirm with Modi that Tokyo and New Delhi, as this year’s G-7 and G-20 presidents, will work together more closely to tackle issues stemming from Russia’s war in Ukraine, the source said.

In tandem with other G-7 members, Japan has been bolstering economic sanctions on Russia. But India has abstained from implementing punitive measures against Russia.

India has also emerged as a key nation of the “Global South,” a term that collectively refers to developing countries in areas such as Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Nikkei Asia reported that Kishida has been keen to deepen ties with such countries to pave the way for the success of the G-7 in-person summit scheduled for May in Japan’s western city of Hiroshima, which was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in World War II, the source said.

During the envisioned meeting, Kishida is expected to invite Modi to participate in the G-7 summit, the source added.

Along with the G-7, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union, the G-20 also includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. (ANI)

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Medical Seats Doubled In Last Few Years: Modi

Northeast Neither Far From Delhi, Nor From Our Heart: Modi

By LokMarg

After the results of assembly polls of three northeastern states were declared on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the election results depict people’s faith in democracy, adding that the Northeast is neither far from Delhi nor from the heart.

Prime Minister Modi received a warm welcome at BJP headquarters in the national capital. PM urged the workers gathered at the occasion to turn on the flashlight of their phones in honour of the people of the northeast.

Addressing party workers at BJP headquarters, PM Modi said, “The Northeast is neither far from Delhi nor from our heart. The election results depict people’s faith in democracy. I humbly thank the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. These people have blessed the BJP and its allies. Besides, I congratulate the BJP workers of these three states. It is not easy to work in the northeast, and therefore a special thank is due to them.”

Today’s results, the PM said are the outcome of the hard work of all BJP workers. Today’s election and these election results have many messages for the country and for the world, he said.

In reference to earlier times, PM Modi said, “There was not much discussion in Delhi and other parts of the country when the results were out from the northeast region. The discussion was about the violence during the elections.”

The PM said winning the heart of the people of the northeast is a big win for him. He said the time has come for the northeast region’s peace, prosperity and development.

“By frequently visiting the northeast, I won their heart. And it is a big win for me. I was satisfied that the people of the northeast are no longer ignored. It is a time to create new history. When I visited the northeast recently, someone congratulated me on the half-century. When I inquired about it, I was told that I had visited the northeast 50 times,” he said.

The PM said BJP gave a new model of politics in India. For BJP, the country and the countrymen come first.

Many political analysts are trying to understand the reason for the victory of the BJP. Some of our well-wishers want to know the reason. The reason is ‘Triveni’. It means the combination of three streams. The first power is the work of the BJP governments, the second one is the work style of the BJP and the last one is the BJP work. The ‘triveni’ increases the power of the BJP by 1+1+1 = 111 times”

Earlier in Tripura, Prime Minister said there was a situation where even a flag of another party could not be hoisted. If someone tried to do it, he was made to bleed. “What a big change we have seen in these elections this time. Now we are seeing the Northeast moving in a new direction,” he said.

Prime Minister said BJP government is committed to the empowerment of women. Through various flagship schemes, he said the government ensured the empowerment of the women of the northeast.

After seven decades of independence, many villages of the northeast did not have electricity. Previous governments knew that it was a difficult task to electrify those villages, and therefore they turned a blind eye towards them, he stated.

Attacking the Congress party, PM Modi said, “Today’s results have exposed Congress’s thinking about the northeast. Congress claimed that these are small states and insignificant. It is an insult to the mandate and the people of the northeast states.”

“At such a time, some people are aspiring to dig Modi’s grave. But wherever there is a chance, the lotus keeps on blooming…It keeps on blooming. Some people are engaged in identifying fanatics…They also do dishonesty with fanaticism. These fanatics say – ‘Mar jaa Modi…mar jaa Modi…Desh keh raha hai mat jaa Modi,” Prime Minister added.

With the declaration of results for the Tripura Assembly polls on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.

According to the Election Commission of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 per cent.

Chief Minister Manik Saha defeated Congress’ Asish Kumar Saha from the Town Bordowali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 31.

The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.

The Left contested on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power.

In Nagaland, BJP secured 12 seats, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) won 25 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged seven seats. National People’s Party (NPP) won five seats. Naga Peoples Front, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Republican Party of India (Athawale) won two seats each. Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) got one seat.

The majority mark in 60 seat Nagaland Assembly is 31.

In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party (NPP) won 26 seats, United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats and Trinamool Congress got five seats. BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Congress managed to get five seats while the Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates. (ANI)

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Modi Receives Warm Welcome At BJP HQ After Polls Results

Modi Receives Warm Welcome At BJP HQ After Polls Results

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm welcome at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Delhi after the Assembly polls results of three northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya were declared on Thursday.

With the declaration of results for the Tripura Assembly polls on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.
According to the Election Commission of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 per cent.

Chief Minister Manik Saha defeated Congress’ Asish Kumar Saha from the Town Bordowali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 31.

The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.

The Left contested on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power.

In Nagaland, BJP secured 12 seats, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) won 25 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged seven seats. National People’s Party (NPP) won five seats. Naga Peoples Front, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Republican Party of India (Athawale) won two seats each. Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) got one seat.

The majority mark in 60 seat Nagaland Assembly is 31.

In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party (NPP) won 26 seats, United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats and Trinamool Congress got five seats. BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Congress managed to get five seats while the Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates. (ANI)

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Rajnath about Rahul Yaan

Cong Is Digging Its Own Grave: Rajnath

By LokMarg

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday took a swipe at the Congress saying that the party is not digging the Bharatiya Janata Party’s grave as it says, but its own.

“Every day youth leaders of the Congress are launched. They have stooped so low that they say, Modiji, your grave will be dug; they themselves are digging their own graves. The more mud Congress throws, the more the lotus will bloom,” Singh said, addressing a rally after launching the second Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra at Nandgad village in Belagavi.
Singh was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in the poll-bound state of Karnataka.

He said that Prime Minister Modi believes that there is surely a cure for corruption unlike former PM Rajiv Gandhi who used to say that “corruption is incurable”.

Hitting out at the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra which concluded in December last year, Singh said, “I want to ask from where Bharat (India) is broken. They (Congress) are only doing politics.”

However, lauding the BJP Parliamentary Board member and former Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa’s contributions, the Defence Minister urged the people of Karnataka to fulfil the former BJP chief minister’s dream of achieving a clear majority in Karnataka in the upcoming state assembly polls.

“Yeddyurappaji has served the party and the state as a ‘son of the soil’ for several decades. Like PM Modi, Yeddyurappa also has the same desire that the BJP government should be formed again in Karnataka for five years so that the state can be made the number one state of South India in the next five years. Yeddyurappa ji is in most important parliamentary committee now,” he further said.

Singh further said that the party could never forget the services offered by Yediyurappa to Karnataka.

The Union minister said Yediyurappa had to step down as the chief minister due to health-related issues.

Current CM of the state Basavaraj Bommai succeeded Yediyurappa as the Karnataka chief minister in July 2021.

Singh also urged the people to take ‘Sankalp’ to make the BJP government in the state by a two-thirds majority.

On the occasion Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and state BJP president Nalinkumar Kateel were also present.

Earlier in the day Defence Minister arrived in Karnataka’s Belagavi to inaugurate the ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in the poll-bound state.

Earlier on Wednesday, party President JP Nadda flagged off the ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar.

Meanwhile, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will also flag off two ‘Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra’ and inaugurate various projects in his day-long visit to poll-bound Karnataka on March 3.

He also hailed PM Modi’s leadership in the country and said, “Now India is becoming the world’s fastest-growing economy, India has also become the world’s fifth largest economy. Our Prime Minister provided free ration facilities to 80 crore needy people in the country. It has been considered the world’s largest food security scheme. Recently, a report has appeared that India has saved about 39 lakh people from dying in its vaccination program.”

Talking about the ‘success’ of the Digital India scheme, the union minister said that 782 crore UPI transactions were worth 12.82 lakh crore in the country in December last year.

“Today the common citizen is doing digital transactions through UPI. Only in the month of December, there have been 782 crore UPI transactions worth 12.82 lakh crore in the country. When digital payments were promoted, Congress leaders used to make fun of how poor people of the country would pay through mobile,” he added.

Commenting on the election results of three Northeastern states, he said that these results would have a bearing on the elections in Karnataka.

“In Tripura and Nagaland, the BJP is forming the government again, whereas, in Meghalaya, the number of seats won by BJP legislators has increased,” Singh added.

Speaking about the government’s achievement on the Defence front, he said, “Recently, when Air India placed an order for 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus, it was the biggest order in the aviation industry. All aerospace and software companies working in Karnataka will also benefit from this order.”

With the mission to win over 150 seats in the 224 member-Assembly seats, the ruling party is going to start its mega-election campaign.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, party national president JP Nadda and former Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa along with many other national and state leaders of BJP will join the ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ to reach out to the voters of the state.

The party has earlier launched two big campaigns in Karnataka – ‘Booth Vijay Abhiyan’ and ‘Vijay Sankalp Abhiyan’ and now it is going to start this campaign in the name of ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in the state from March 1 to ensure the victory of the party. (ANI)

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Nagaland: BJP-NDPP Alliance Leading In 24 Seats; Cong In 1

Nagaland: BJP-NDPP Alliance Leading In 24 Seats; Cong In 1

By LokMarg

The ruling alliance of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP was leading in 24 Assembly constituencies in Nagaland, nearing the majority mark of 31, as per the latest counting trends shared by the Election Commission at 11 am.

Polling for the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state was held on February 27.

The BJP was leading in 7 constituencies while the NDPP, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, was leading in 17 constituencies, as per the latest trends shared by the poll panel.

Dimapur-I, Ghaspani-I, Seyochung Sitimi, Southern Angami-II, Tuensang Sadar-I, Tuli, Tyui, while the NDPP was leading in Chazouba, Chizami, Dimapur-II, Meluri, Northern Angami-I, Northern Angami-II, Peren, Phek, Pungro Kiphire, Sanis, and Western Angami constituencies.

The Congress, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party(Ram Vilas), National People’s Party, Nationalist Congress Party, and Republican Party of India (Athawale) were leading in 1, 2, 3, 2, 5, 2 Assembly constituencies respectively.

CM Rio, the NDPP candidate from the Northern Angami-II constituency, was leading by a margin of 6394 votes.

The BJP had opened its account in the Northeast state after its candidate Kazheto Kinimi won uncontested from the Akuluto seat. This after the Congress candidate, Khekashe Sumi, withdrew his nomination.

The withdrawal of candidature by Sumi reduced the total candidates in fray to 183. (ANI)

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Modi Welcomes Italian PM Meloni To India

Modi Welcomes Italian PM Meloni To India

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to India, who is the chief guest and the keynote speaker at the inaugural session of the eighth Raisina Dialogue.

Earlier, she received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in Delhi.
The multilateral conference, Raisina Dialogue, held annually in New Delhi will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ministry of External Affairs is organising the event in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) from March 2-4.

The conference which is being organised under the theme “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest?”, will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries.

The conference which will commence on Thursday will begin with an inaugural session from 6:30 – 7:30 pm (IST). An inaugural dinner will follow this from 7:45 – 9:45 pm which will include welcome remarks by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

There will be keynote addresses by Minister of Health and Family Welfare-Mansukh Mandaviya, Senior Vice President, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan-Sachiko Imoto, Member of Parliament, Portuguese National Parliament, Portugal-Ricardo Baptista Leite.

From 10:20 – 11:10 pm on Thursday, there will be a session on ‘Conversations Over Kahwa’ which will be presided over by Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, India- Sanjeev Sanyal, Political Director, Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, Hungary-Balazs Orban, Founder, Her Afghanistan, USA, Mariam Wardak, among others.

Day two of the Raisina Dialogue will begin with a ministerial remarks session by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan from 9 – 9:10 am.

This will be followed by a panel discussion from 9:10-9:50 am, further details of which are yet to be announced.

There will be another panel discussion from 9:50-10:40 am which will be presided over by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice-President of the European Commission-Josep Borrell Fontelles, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mexico, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada-Melanie Joly.

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Hassan Shoukry Selim will preside over a panel discussion from 11:10-11:50 pm.

At 12 pm on Friday, there will be a conversation between Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov and the Chairman of Observer Research Foundation, Sunjoy Joshi.

From 4:25 – 5:15 pm on Friday, there will be a panel discussion on the topic ‘Bytes of Promise: How Can Technology Lift Communities?’, which will be presided over by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs MUM Ali Sabry.

Day three of the Raisina Dialogue, Saturday, will begin with Conversations over Breakfast.

At 9:15 am, there will be ministerial remarks by the Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Meenakashi Lekhi.

From 5:10-6 pm on Saturday, there will be a panel discussion presided over by Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman.

A showstopper panel discussion from 7:10-8 pm will be presided by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. This will be followed by closing dinner discussions.

Over 2,500 participants would be joining the dialogue in person and the proceedings would reach millions across various digital platforms.

During the past eight years, the Raisina Dialogue has grown in stature and profile to establish itself as one of the leading global conferences on international affairs.

The last edition of Raisina Dialogue took place in Sydney where External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Sydney. (ANI)

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M’rashtra Bypolls: Early Trends Show Cong Leading In Kasba Peth

M’rashtra Bypolls: Early Trends Show Cong Leading In Kasba Peth

By LokMarg

The counting of votes for the Maharashtra bye-elections in Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly segments began at 8 am with the early trends putting Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate in the lead in the Kasba Peth, the Election Commission informed on Thursday.

According to the EC, the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency was locked in a fierce two-way fight, with the Congress’s Dhangekar Ravindra Hemraj leading BJP’S Hemant Narayan Rasane by 1,637 votes.
The counting votes will decide the electoral fates of three leading candidates from the Chinchwad Assembly constituency — NCP’s Vitthal Kate, BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap and Independent Rahul Kalate.

The polling was held on February 27.

A two-way fight between the BJP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will decide the poll outcome for Kasba Peth, with the latter pitting Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar against the BJP’s Hemant Rasane.

The heavyweights of the contesting parties, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena UBT’s Aditya Thackeray and Congress state chief Nana Patole, have been campaigning extensively and vigorously for their respective party candidates through roadshows, street corner meetings and public rallies in the poll-bound constituencies.

As per data released by the district information office, the total number of voters in the Kasba Peth constituency is 2,75,428 with 1,38, 550 women voters and 1,36,87 male voters and five transgender voters.

In the Chinchwad Assembly constituency, a total of 56,8954 eligible voters cast their votes across 510 pooling booths.

Around 1300 police personnel along with all senior officials of the police department were deployed for voting day by the Pune police.

The bye-elections were necessitated after the demise of BJP’s MLA Laxman Jagtap, from the Chinchwad Assembly constituency, and Mukta Tilak from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency. (ANI)

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Tripura Polls: BJP Leads By 26 Seats, CPIM-Cong Alliance In 18, Tipra Motha 13 In Latest Trends

Tripura Polls: BJP Leads By 26 Seats, CPIM-Cong Alliance In 18, Tipra Motha 13 In Latest Trends

By LokMarg

The ruling BJP was leading in 26 seats, the CPI(M) in 12, Congress 6, and Tipra Motha Party in 11 seats, as per the latest trends in the ongoing counting of votes for the Tripura Assembly on Thursday.

According to the latest data shared by the Election Commission at 10.45 am, Congress candidate from Agartala, Sudip Roy Barman, was leading BJP’s Papia Dutta by 3,668 votes.
Tripura BJP president and the party’s candidate from Banamalipur constituency, Rajiv Bhattacharjee, was trailing Congress’ Gopal Chandra Roy.

Chief Minister Manik Saha was leading Congress’s Asish Kumar Saha by 337 votes.

Independent candidate Kartush R Marak was leading in the Baghmara constituency against BJP’s Brigady Napak Marak, by 904 votes.

Exit poll projections for Tripura, where the BJP created history in 2018 by wresting the state from the Left, put the rival parties ahead of its rivals.

The poll panel made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process. A three-tier security arrangement has been made with the required the deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Tripura State Rifle (TRS) and Tripura Police. Sufficient security arrangements are there besides round-the-clock patrolling by 30 vehicles in which CRPF officers would be there.

“Counting of votes will take place at 21 counting centres. The EC has deployed 60 election observers. All counting staff have been trained. Security arrangements and CCTV coverage have been arranged outside and inside counting centres,” Kiran Gitte, Tripura’s Chief Electoral Officer said earlier.

Gitte said Section 144 has been imposed at certain locations in light of apprehensions over law and order.

The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP.

While the BJP which is looking to retain the power contested in alliance with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Tipra Motha which is being seen as a kingmaker in case of a hung assembly scenario, emerged as an influential regional party floated by the royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma in 2021.

In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 30 and the exit polls predicted a clear edge for the BJP over its rivals in the state.

The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.

The Left contested on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

BJP won 36 seats in the assembly and got 43.59 per cent of the votes in the 2018 election. The CPI (M) won 16 seats with a 42.22 per cent vote share. The IPFT won eight seats and Congress could not open its account.

The CPI-M-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power. (ANI)

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