Lok Sabha Election 2019 LIVE: With the Election Commission announcing the date for Lok Sabha election 2019, political parties have pushed the preparation button. While major parties – BJP, Congress – are busy in picking up the right candidates, smaller ones – Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trinamool Congress, AIADMK, DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal – are exploring opportunities to play the role of ‘kingmaker’ when the votes are counted on May 23.
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal on Sunday launched his political party ‘Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Movement’. Former Vice-President of the JNU Students’ Union Shehla Rashid also joined Faesal’s party in J&K.
Voting for Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The first phase will be held on April 11, second on April 18, third on April 23 and fourth on April 29, fifth on May 6, sixth on May 12 and seventh phase on May 19. Stay with FinancialExpress.com as we bring to you all the latest developments on in the build-up to Lok Sabha poll 2019
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Sunday blamed the BJP for "creating fear psychosis" across the country by crying hoarse over the "nation being in danger".
Congress on Sunday slammed the BJP's "Main Bhi Chowkidar” campaign with Rahul Gandhi claiming that the truth cannot change as everyone is saying "Chowkidar Chor Hai”. The Congress and the BJP have been indulging in a war on Twitter, with each accusing the other on social media after Gandhi's jibe of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' at Modi on the Rafale deal.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis slammed the Grand Alliance for not having any common agenda going into the Lok Sabha elections. Fadnavis said the opposition's agenda is to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an open letter, dated March 17, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Due to stagnancy in the politics of the state, youngsters, women, farmers and labourers are in worried state. They want to share their pain and agony, but in the noise of political arithmetic, their voice is completely absent from the policies of the state."
The Karnataka BJP has shortlisted candidates for all the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies and the party's central election committee would soon take a call on it. "We have shortlisted the names of all the candidates (in Karnataka). The central election committee will take a decision on it and release the list," BJP state general secretary Arvind Limbavali said. He was speaking after the party's state core meeting here, chaired by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has released a list of 20 candidates for Lok Sabha elections. Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi to contest from Tuticorin. Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran to be DMK candidate from Chennai Central. Former Telecom Minister A Raja to contest from Nilgiris.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has decided not to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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The BJP today released its list of candidates for the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Both the states will go to polls simultaneously with general elections.
The BJP today released its list of candidates for the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Both the states will go to polls simultaneously with general elections.
The three NDA constituents in Bihar — BJP, JD(U) and LJP — has announced the names of candidates for the 40 Lok Sabha seats for the coming general elections. The BJP and the JD(U) will contest 17 seats each and the LJP in six.
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal on Sunday launched his political party 'Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Movement'. Former Vice-President of the JNU Students' Union Shehla Rashid also joined Faesal’s party in J&K.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that the peopl have to decide whether they want a stable or unstable India. "The Mahamilawat Gathbandhan 'Mahagathbandhan' is a road to disaster. It is a race to the bottom having a tug of war on the issue of leader. Four people have clearly indicated their desire to be PM - Shri Rahul Gandhi, Behan Mayawati, Mamata Didi & Shri Sharad Pawar," the finance minister said.
Bhim Army national president Vinay Ratan Singh said that the Congress has done nothing for Dalits during its 60-year rule and there is no reason for it to support the party in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls. This comes a day after Congress general secretary in-charge for east Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met its chief Chandrashekhar Azad.
A meeting of BJP manifesto committee is underway at Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence in Delhi for the party's national manifesto or 'Sankalp Patra': ANI
BJP Central Election Committee had met at the party headquarters on Saturday. Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Kiren Rijiju, and former MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the meeting. The BJP is likely to release its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls.
Former Kerala Public Service Commission chairman KS Radhakrishnan on Sunday joined the BJP. He recieved the party membership from Amit Shah. Radhakrishnan was a journalist with the "Veekshanam" and the former VC of Kalady University.
Former J&K CM and NC chief Omar Abdullah said: : It's true that we had received a proposal from Congress for alliance (in J&K for Lok Sabha polls). But we've told them clearly that only National Conference candidate will be there on the 3 seats in the valley (Kashmir)."
UP Congress chief, Raj Babbar said that the party is leaving 7 seats vacant for SP, BSP and RLD. These include Mainpuri, Kannauj, Firozabad and whatever seats Mayawati & RLD's Ajit Singh and Jayant Singh contest from. Congress will also give two seats to Apna Dal - Gonda & Pilibhit.
As per the announcement, the LJP will contest from Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria, Jamui and Nawada seats.
The JD(U) will contest from Valmiki Nagar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Nalanda, Karakat, Jahanabad and Gaya.
The BJP will contest from Purvi Champaran, Paschim Champaran, Sheohar, Madhuvani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Ujiarpur, Begusarai, Patna Sahib, Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar, Sasaram Aurangabad, Arariya, Maharajganj.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday announced Balbir Singh Jakhar its candidate for the West Delhi parliamentary seat. The AAP had on March 2 announced the names of its candidates for six of the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar accused the BJP of spreading rumours about Kamat. Chodankar also alleged that the BJP was trying to scare its own alliance partners with such speculations.
"This is a game plan of the BJP's dirty tricks department which is spreading rumours to malign the image of Kamat and the Congress," PTI quoted Girish as saying.
Senior Congress leader Digambar Kamat left for New Delhi on Sunday, amid speculation that he may join the ruling BJP, though the former chief minister denied any such move. Kamat was second in command in the BJP till 2005 when he switched over to the Congress.
Congress MLA Digambar Kamat, who is expected to join the BJP, is in strong contention to for the CM post. Reportedly, the MLAs were taken into confidence on Digambar Kamat joining the party. The allies and others are now awaiting news from New Delhi. Kamat also enjoys the confidence of Goa Forward Leader Vijai Sardesai. A separate team of BJP leaders have already started talks with Independents and Goa Forward.
Congress MLA from Salepur (Cuttack, Odisha), Prakash Chandra Behera has joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He had resigned from the party yesterday.
RJD & Congress have not yet come to a conclusion over seat sharing in Bihar for upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress has announced candidature on 11 seats while RJD is not ready to give more than 8 seats in the state.
NDA leaders of Bihar will hold a press conference later today at JD(U) office in Patna for the announcement of seat sharing in Bihar.
BJP leader Dayanand Mandrekar on Sunday said that Parrikar is critical, the party should take a decision soon.
"Had Manohar Parrikar been fit, there wouldn't have been a need to change the leader but his health is very critical now, deteriorating day after day. Party should take some decision. From centre to Goa, some decision should be taken. I think it'll be done," news agency ANI quoted the BJP leader as saying.
The Congress and JD(S), which are fighting the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka in an 'alliance of compulsion' after having contested the state elections against each other, face a key challenge of ensuring transfer of votes between the parties that would test the mettle of the ruling coalition, PTI reported. The Congress will contest 20 Lok Sabha seats and the JD(S) eight under a deal between the coalition partners finalised on Wednesday after weeks of haggling.
AIADMK to contest on 20 Lok Sabha seats which include South Chennai, Theni, Pollachi, Karur & Erode. BJP to contest on LS constituencies of Kanyakumari, Sivagangai, Coimbatore, Thoothukudi & Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu Dy CM O. Panneerselvam said.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel: You might remember that prior to assembly elections they (BJP) had said they'll contest, relying on Narendra Modi's face. At that time, the posters used to have his face in large size, and that of Raman Singh & others used to be smaller, ANI reported.
"By the time the elections came & Rahul Ji attacked them over Rafale deal, Raman Singh's face was made larger & Amit Shah-Narendra Modi's faces were made smaller. People in Chhattisgarh have already rejected them. BJP itself had accepted it," he added.
Congress MLA from Salepur (Cuttack, Odisha), Prakash Chandra Behera to join BJP today. He had resigned from Congress party yesterday.
YSR Congress party has announced a list of 175 candidates for assembly elections and a list of 25 candidates for Lok Sabha elections, in Andhra Pradesh
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress in Telangana is facing a crisis of sorts with as many as six MLAs announcing their decision to leave the party to join the ruling TRS.
Congress, which was part of a front comprising the TDP CPI and Telananga Jana Samithi, had won just 19 seats in the elections to the 119 member assembly in December last year.
Congress general secretary for UP-East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has reached party office in Lucknow. Priyanka will launch Congress' campaign in the state. She will take a 3-day, 140 km long 'ganga-yatra' on a steamer boat, starting tomorrow, from Chhatnag in Prayagraj to Assi Ghat in Varanasi.
UP chief minister said, "We have demolished the biggest hindrance to the development of Uttar Pradesh – the menace of casteism and dynastic politics. The epicentre of development is now villages, poor, farmers, youth, women, traders and in fact every section of the society," PTI reported.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath has said the "frustration" among the rival parties was because of their "own misdeeds and acts of corruption" reaching an all-time high, PTI reported. Adityanath also asserted that his government has "demolished" casteism and dynastic politics, which he identified as the "biggest hindrance" to the development of Uttar Pradesh.
Over 1.19 crore voters in the age group of 18 to 19 years will exercise their franchise for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, according to Election Commission (EC) data, news agency PTI reported. Lok Sabha polls to 48 seats in the state will be held in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. Out of the total 8,73,29,910 voters in the state,1,19,95,027 are first-timers in the 18 to 19 years' age group,as per official figures.Of the total voters, 4,57,01,877 are men, 4,16,25,950women and 2,083 third gender voters.
The BJP's Delhi unit has requested the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to appoint special observers at mosques to prevent any attempt to influence voters on "religious lines" during the Lok Sabha election.
In a letter, Delhi BJP's legal department convener Neeraj cited alleged attempts by some Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders to polarise voters on religious lines and requested the CEO to appoint special observers at mosques.
The BJP on Saturday deliberated on finalising the names of candidates for Lok Sabha elections, particularly for constituencies where polling will be held in the first phase.
The names were discussed at the party's central election committee attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party Amit Shah.
Sources said the discussion was held on seats in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttarakhand and the seven northeastern states.
The BJP is set to drop sitting MP from Patna Sahib Shatrughan Sinha and he is likely to be replaced by Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, sources said Saturday.
Prasad's name was discussed in the BJP's central election committee here which was attended by party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shatrughan Sinha has been critical of the party's top leadership on several occasions in the past.
YSR Congress Party has announced its list of 9 candidates for Lok Sabha elections- YS Avinash Reddy from Kadapa, Gotteti Madhavi from Araku, Nandigam Suresh from Bapatla, Talari Rangaiah from Anantapur, PV Mithun Reddy from Rajampet, Chinta Anuradha from Amalapuram, Gorantla Madhav from Hindupur, Sanjeev Kumar from Kurnool and N Reddappa from Chittoor. Jaganmohan Reddy will announce the list of rest of the candidates tomorrow.