Tag: congress

Gujarat elections

Gujarat Elections: High-Octane Campaigning For First Phase Ends

By LokMarg

From power-packed rallies and roadshows by top leaders of the ruling BJP and other political parties to freebies promises and allegations and counter-allegations on each other, the high-octane campaigning for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections ended on Tuesday.

Voting for 89 seats spread across 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra, and South Gujarat will be held on Thursday.
The campaigning ended at 5 pm on Tuesday ahead of the first phase of polling.

“Campaigning for first phase Gujarat assembly elections has ended. All arrangements have been made for election and training has been provided to polling staff,” Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah held rallies and roadshows in the state as the BJP seeks a record seventh term in office.

BJP chief JP Nadda, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Goa, Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Ravishankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari also campaigned during the first phase of elections.

BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya and leaders Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan also held rallies to garner support for the party candidates.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot were among the prominent campaigners of the party. Party leader Rahul Gandhi addressed two rallies in the state.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned extensively in the state while making various promises.

A total of 788 candidates are in the fray on 89 first-phase seats which include 718 male candidates and 70 female candidates.

Candidates from both BJP and Congress will be contesting on all 89 seats in the first phase, while AAP will contest on 88 seats. A total of 39 political parties have fielded their candidates.

Among prominent candidates, Gujarat Chief Minster Bhupendra Patel is contesting from Ghatlodia, AAP Chief Ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi from Khambhaliya, former Congress leader and BJP candidate Hardik Patel from Viramgam, former Congress leader and now BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South.

AAP state president Gopal Italia is contesting from Katargam constituency, Gujarat Home Minister (State) Harsh Sanghavi from Majura, Rivaba Jadeja from Jamnagar North, former Gujarat minister Parshottam Solanki from Bhavnagar Rural, Kunwarji Bavaliya from Jasdan, Kantilal Amrutiya from Morbi and Jayesh Radadiya from Jetpur.

Former BJP MLA Madhu Shrivastav is contesting as an Independent from Vaghodia.

A total of 2,39,76,670 voters, including 1,24,33,362 males, 1,1,5,42,811 females, and 497 from the third gender are eligible to vote in the first phase of Gujarat polls.

The second phase of voting will be held on December 5.

The counting of votes will be done on December 8. Results of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections will also be declared on the same day. (ANI)

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Gujarat Election Campaign

Campaigning Ends For Gujarat 1st Phase Polls; 788 Candidates In Fray

By LokMarg

The campaign for the first phase of Gujarat elections concluded on Tuesday with the ruling BJP and other political parties making hectic efforts to woo voters on 89 seats spread over 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra, and South Gujarat.

The campaigning ended at 5 pm on Tuesday ahead of the first phase of polling on December 1.

“Campaigning for first phase Gujarat assembly elections has ended. All arrangements have been made for election and training has been provided to polling staff,” Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah held rallies and roadshows in the state as the BJP seeks a record seventh term in office.

BJP chief JP Nadda, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Goa, Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Ravishankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari also campaigned during the first phase of elections.

BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya and leaders Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan also held rallies to garner support for the party candidates.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot were among the prominent campaigners of the party. Party leader Rahul Gandhi addressed two rallies in the state.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann campaigned extensively in the state while making various promises.

A total of 788 candidates are in the fray on 89 first-phase seats which include 718 male candidates and 70 female candidates.

Candidates from both BJP and Congress will be contesting on all 89 seats in the first phase, while AAP will contest on 88 seats. A total of 39 political parties have fielded their candidates.

Among prominent candidates, Gujarat Chief Minster Bhupendra Patel is contesting from Ghatlodia, AAP Chief Ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi from Khambhaliya, former Congress leader and BJP candidate Hardik Patel from Viramgam, former Congress leader and now BJP candidate Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South.

AAP state president Gopal Italia is contesting from Katargam constituency, Gujarat Home Minister (State) Harsh Sanghavi from Majura, Rivaba Jadeja from Jamnagar North, former Gujarat minister Parshottam Solanki from Bhavnagar Rural, Kunwarji Bavaliya from Jasdan, Kantilal Amrutiya from Morbi and Jayesh Radadiya from Jetpur.

Former BJP MLA Madhu Shrivastav is contesting as an Independent from Vaghodia.

A total of 2,39,76,670 voters, including 1,24,33,362 males, 1,1,5,42,811 females, and 497 from the third gender are eligible to vote in the first phase of Gujarat polls.

The second phase of voting will be held on December 5.

The counting of votes will be done on December 8. Results of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections will also be declared on the same day. (ANI)

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CM Gehlot Sachin Pilot

CM Gehlot, Sachin Pilot Bury Hatchet: ‘We Stand United’

By LokMarg

Displaying a show of unity in Rajasthan Congress, General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday reiterated Rahul Gandhi’s statement describing both Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot as “assets to the party”, while trying to send a message that the party is supreme and the state leaders are united to win the 2023 Assembly elections.

As the rivals stood next to each other holding hands to present the optics days after Ashok Gehlot called Sachin Pilot a traitor, the party sought to send out a message of resolving the ongoing crisis.

“We are united. Here Ashok Ji and Sachin Pilot Ji have said that the Congress party in Rajasthan is united. Rahul Gandhi has clearly stated that both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot are assets to the party,” Venugopal said.

Sachin Pilot, whose alleged revolt had triggered the crisis in the state Congress, said that the state is all set to welcome the Bharat Jodo Yatra which will enter the state on December 5.

“Bharat Jodo Yatra with Rahul Gandhi will be welcomed with maximum enthusiasm and energy in Rajasthan. The Yatra will spend 12 days in the state. It will be a historic Yatra with the participation of all sections of people,” Pilot said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the message of the top leadership in Congress goes to the grassroots prompting the leaders to work together.

“Rahul Gandhi said yesterday that Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot are assets to the party. It is a specialty of our party that when the message comes from the leader, it goes down till the bottom and we work together for the betterment of the party,” Gehlot said.

Acknowledging the challenge of the 2023 Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the Chief Minister said that it is essential for the party to win elections, adding that the DNA of Congress and the country is the same.

“We have the challenge of the 2023 Assembly elections in Rajasthan. It is essential for us to win the elections, it is for the country’s welfare. If Congress is strong, only then the future of the country will be strong because of the challenge that is before the country for which Indira Gandhi gave up her life, and Rajiv Gandhi was killed attempting to establish peace. Congress and the country have one DNA,” Gehlot said.

The remarks of the Congress General Secretary came during his visit to Rajasthan to review the Bharat Jodo Yatra preparedness.

According to the sources, Venugopal held a meeting of all the state leaders of the party in the State Congress Committee War Room in Jaipur.

“He instructed everyone to remain disciplined,” sources said.

The Chief Minister lauded Rahul Gandhi and Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that the country has accepted the former Congress president’s message during the march.

“The BJP is so worried that they are levelling allegations on the Yatra, and also putting pressure on the media. The way Rahul Gandhi has led the march and the message that he is giving, there is a new ray of hope in the country. The country has accepted the issues that Rahul Gandhi has raised. There can be surprising results in Gujarat,” he said.

The Congress has seen recurrent factionalism in the state with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and party leader Sachin Pilot at loggerheads over the issue of leadership in the state. (ANI)

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Law For Polygamy

Gujarat Polls: Himanta Slams Kharge’s Tea Remarks

By LokMarg

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that dogs have a higher value in the Congress party in comparison to humans.

Sarma’s comment came as a reaction to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s tea remark. Earlier on Sunday, Kharge stoked a controversy with his remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kharge, while addressing a public rally at Dediapada in the tribal-dominated Narmada district of poll-bound Gujarat, said, “A person like you (PM Modi) claims to be poor. I am also poor, I am one of the untouchables. People drank your tea, nobody would’ve had my tea.”

“Then you say that you are poor and somebody abuses you. If you say it for sympathy, then people have become smarter now. If you lie once or twice, people will hear but how many times will you lie? He’s the leader of lies..,” Kharge added.

Earlier on Monday, Sarma told ANI, “Mallikarjun Kharge said, no one has tea with me. So maybe Rahul Gandhi doesn’t have tea with Kharge Ji and Congress follows such practices. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi should tweet a backdated picture in which he could be seen having tea with Mallikarjun Kharge.”

“What I feel is that dogs have a higher value in the Congress party in comparison to humans. So Mallikarjun Kharge’s comment that no one has tea with me may be partially correct,” Sarma added. Sarma addressed a press conference in Ahmedabad, the capital of the poll-bound state.

Gujarat has been a BJP stronghold for a long and the party has set its sights on returning to power for the seventh term.

In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP won 99 of the total 182 seats. The party has been in power in the state for the last 27 years.

However, it faces a stiff electoral challenge from the AAP, which is eyeing a big electoral footprint in the state after storming to power in Punjab.

Congress also hopes to put its best electoral foot forward to unseat the BJP.

The counting of votes for Gujarat will take place on December 8. (ANI)

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Mallikarjun Kharge To Campaign in Gujarat

AICC Chief Kharge To Campaign In Gujarat For Four Days

By LokMarg

With the Gujarat elections round the corner and the first litmus test of Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress president, the grand old party is seeking to boost its poll prospects in the state by addressing about two dozen public meetings.

Mallikarjun Kharge has devised a strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata party, which has been in power for over two decades, in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress is gearing up by bringing some of its highest-ranked leaders to campaign in the second phase to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The areas which will witness polling in the second phase in Gujarat hold much importance to Congress as Saurashtra and the tribal belts have been strongholds of the party and the top leaders who will be campaigning in the second phase include Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a host of senior leaders.

Kharge is scheduled to campaign for two days before the first phase of the Gujarat assembly election that will take place on December 1.

Kharge will also campaign for the second phase in Gujarat on December 1 and 2, the sources said on Saturday

The Gujarat assembly polls have been declared to be conducted in two phases on December 1 and 5 before the announcement of results on December 8.

Voting for 89 assembly seats will take place in the first phase, while for the remaining 93 assembly seat voting will be held in the second phase of polling.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also expected to join and campaign for the party in Gujarat in the second phase of polling.

“His (Rahul Gandhi) tour will however depend on a break in ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’,” they said.

It is pertinent to mention that even after the Congress has got a non-Gandhi president after 24 years in Mallikarjun Kharge and the leader, has plunged in the election campaign in poll-bound states, the dominance of the Gandhi family is visible even after a month of the change of top leader at the AICC.

Kharge’s picture is still missing from the official hoarding board of the Congress headquarters and it is yet to find a place in the rooms of the party’s key office-bearers.

This was not the case when Sonia Gandhi took the leadership role and when Rahul Gandhi became general secretary and later party chief.

Soon after he became president, Kharge started meeting leaders and workers by giving appointments at his home. He also plunged into the electoral campaign for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections.

He has started meeting workers at Congress headquarters between 11 am and 1 pm without an appointment. After Rahul Gandhi resigned as party chief in 2019, this process of meetings came to a virtual standstill, party leaders said.

“Soniaji and Rahulji also used to meet but it all stopped due to the coronavirus. It has started again and people can meet without any prior appointment,” Naseer Hussain, Congress MP, and coordinator attached to Kharge told ANI on November 22.

Kharge has fully taken over but the Congress apparatus is apparently slow to react.

When Sonia became president, her photo was placed on the official board of the party headquarters at 24 Akbar Road in Delhi.

Photos of Sonia along with that of other veteran leaders were put up in the room of every Congress office-bearer at Congress headquarters.

Rahul Gandhi’s photo also made it to the rooms of AICC office-bearers soon after he was appointed general secretary.

His photo was all over the AICC after he became the party chief in 2017 and photos of other members of the Gandhi-Nehru family who have held party posts also adorned the walls.

In fact, Rahul Gandhi’s picture was replaced by that of Sonia on the official board of the party within 24 hours when she became the interim president in 2019. Photos of the two leaders were already in AICC rooms.

Nasir Hussain sought to play down the delay in putting up of Kharge’s photo.

“I have not seen where the picture has not been put up, it has been used in the posters for publicity and manifestos. Rest of the places it will also be put up soon,” he said.

The situation is likely to give ammunition to the BJP to continue attacking the Congress on “family rule”.

Though the Gandhi family has followed the protocol and has extended due courtesies to Kharge, the “Congress system” appears slow to react giving rise to various questions. (ANI)

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Rajiv Shukla about Pakistan Zindabad Slogans

Pakistan Zindabad Slogans In Bharat Jodo Yatra A False Claim: Shukla

By LokMarg

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim that the slogan of “Pakistan Zindabad” was raised during Bharat Jodo Yatra was “false”.

“BJP is nervous. The allegation is false. No slogan of Pakistan Zindabad was raised during the yatra,” Shukla said.
Congress leader Rajeev Shukla and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel reached Indore airport today to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Talking about the Yatra, Shukla said that the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra would be successful like other yatras of the past.

“Such yatras have never failed, be it Shankaracharya ji’s yatra, Gandhi’s Dandi March, Chandrashekhar ji’s yatra, YS Rajasekhar’s yatra, all have been successful,” Shukla further said.

A case has been registered in Chhattisgarh against Lokendra Parashar, BJP media in charge of Madhya Pradesh, who posted a video on his Twitter handle alleging that the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad was raised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Shukla said that the BJP always does “fraud” and that is why they face FIR cases.

BJP leaders alleged participants in Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra shouted slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier on Friday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also claimed that “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised and said that he has ordered a probe into the incident.

‘Pakistan Zinabad’ slogans were openly raised in the Bharat Jodo yatra. It’s shameful, I’ve given orders to probe the incident. Divisive forces are brought into yatra,” CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

A controversy erupted after BJP state president VD Sharma and other party leaders posted a purported video of the yatra on social media claiming that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were raised at the rally.

However, Congress Party denied the claims, calling it a conspiracy by the BJP to defame Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Jodo entered Madhya Pradesh on its 77th day of the Padyatra on Wednesday.

Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, will cover a further distance of 2,355 km in its 3,570-km march. It will end in Kashmir next year. It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress claimed earlier in a statement. Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day. (ANI)

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mp Cong Spokesperson Saluja Joins BJP

MP Cong Spokesperson Saluja Joins BJP

By LokMarg

Madhya Pradesh Congress Spokesperson Narendra Saluja on Friday joined Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the state capital Bhopal.

Welcoming Saluja into the BJP family, Chouhan said his arrival will strengthen the party. “He is a leader who put his point on the basis of facts and logic. Now, he will be with Bhartiya Janata Party. I congratulate him. He should work hard for the party and contribute to the nation-building,” Chouhan said.
Saluja said, “I am grateful that the party has given me a place to serve. I have been working with Kamal Nath for the last five years. Many people have said that Kamal Nath was accused in the 1984 Sikh riots but I thought they have been speaking because of political differences.”

“But on November 8, when I accompanied him for a visit to Khalsa College, Indore on the occasion of Gurunanak Jayanti, the truth came to the fore and it disturbed me a lot. It has opened my eyes. I cannot work with a person accused of killing people of my religion. I cannot work with such an organization,” Saluja said.

Saluja further said, “Since November 8, I have neither shared any post related to Congress on social media nor attended any program. Even I neither meet Kamal Nath nor wished him on his birthday. After that incident, I decided that I can not work with the party and joined the BJP. Whatever responsibility will be given by the party, I will work for it wholeheartedly.”

Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Congress Media cell KK Mishra, however, said that Saluja was expelled from the party on November 13. He was also suspended from the party in the past. Mishra alleged that he had proof that Saluja was working for the BJP while being in the Congress party. (ANI)

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Rahul Gandhi said BJP Should Apologise

BJP Should Apologise For Using Vanvasi Term: RaGa

By LokMarg

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) should apologise for using the word “Vanvasi” (forest dweller).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a new word in his speech and he called Adivasis as “Vanvasis”.
Gandhi made an announcement that if Congress comes back to power in Madhya Pradesh, the word ‘Vanvasi’ would be abolished and the tribals would be given their rights.

He made the remark while addressing the public gathering during Bharat Jodo Yatra at Tantya Mama’s birthplace, Baroda Ahir village in the Khandwa district. He also garlanded the Tantya Mama’s statue.

He said, “Vanvasi means the tribal is not the first owner of the country. They are the only owner of the forest. They don’t have rights outside the forest. The forests are slowly being cut down and then they will be thrown out of the forest.”

“In MP, most of the atrocities would have been on tribal. Adivasi means first in India. When no one lived in this country then Adivasi used to live here. Tribal is the real owner of this country. They have the first right to land, water, and forest. Their children should get rights. If their child wants to become an engineer or doctor, the government should help them,” the Congress leader added.

“Thinking about Tantya Mama’s name, the first word that comes to mind is revolutionary fearless. But when Tantya Mama was hanged by the British, the RSS was helping the British government,” Gandhi alleged. (ANI)

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Cong Is United, There Is No Rift: KPCC Chief

By LokMarg

Following allegations about a rift erupting in Karnataka Congress over ticket distribution, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that the entire Congress is united and they are one.

“We don’t have any rift. The entire Congress is united. We are one, and we will win the election,” said Shivakumar while commenting on reports of a rift in the party over ticket distribution.
Shivakumar was speaking to ANI and said that he is confident that the people will vote in favour of the Congress party.

“People of Karnataka want to throw out BJP government. It is the most corrupt government in this country. People will come to realize and witness this,” he said.

There were reports about Congress party leaders fighting over ticket distribution for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election.

The next Karnataka Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in or before May 2023 to elect all 224 members of the state’s Legislative Assembly.

Shivakumar had earlier reached the state election commission office after Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala had launched an attack against Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai alleging that he was directly involved in electoral fraud that has come to light in Bengaluru.

Surjewala had demanded a high-level probe in the matter and claimed a private agency named “Chilume” was authorised by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) – the urban local body of Bengaluru, to carry out a door-to-door survey of voters in the city. (ANI)

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Refuge In Assam After Violence

Himanta’s Saddam Dig For Rahul; Cong Retorts At His Stunt

By LokMarg

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s bearded appearance, which he said resembled that of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Addressing a campaign rally in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, the Assam chief minister said, “If he (Rahul Gandhi) wanted to change his looks, why did not he choose to look like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel or Jawaharlal Nehru? Even Gandhi Ji’s look would have been better, but why is he changing his face to look like Saddam Hussein now?”
Sarma also hit out at the Congress leader’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and said, “Rahul Gandhi is visiting places where there are no elections.”

Soon after the statement of the Assam CM went viral on social media platforms, Congress leaders termed it as a “stunt”.

“You (Assam CM) just want a headline and you get that only when you take Rahul Gandhi’s name. Himanta Biswa Sarma can say anything. He can go to any level for power. We don’t pay attention to such statement,” Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah said while speaking to ANI.

Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas also condemned the Assam CM’s remark against Rahul Gandhi and said, “He (Assam CM Sarma) is the same person who used to praise Rahul Gandhi, and now he is giving such shameful statements and comparing Rahul Gandhi with Saddam Hussein.”

“People like Sarma are criminals and he will never become the Chief Minister again. BJP must learn from Rahul Gandhi. India is in his DNA, and he considers the national flag his religion,” Khachariyawas said. (ANI)

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