By Rahil Nora Chopra

The Lok Sabha election results in Uttar Pradesh signify a dramatic change in the state’s political fabric, with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party springing up a surprise and making eminent electoral gains against the powerful BJP. Samajwadi Party won 37 out of the 80 seats – making this its biggest performance ever in the state in Lok Sabha elections and succeeded in breaking the social engineering of BJP through the PDA (Backward-Dalit-Minority) formula. Now Kaushal Kishore, a former Union Minister in the Modi government, is going on a DPA (Dalit-Backward-Forward) journey to counter the PDA formula. This is being called BJP’s backdoor plan. The loss of the OBC and Dalit vote bank in the Lok Sabha elections shook the BJP to its core, as the party fell from 62 to 33 seats. BJP is constantly churning politics over UP and planning to regain its lost political base. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya met BJP president J.P. Nadda on July 16, as the party works out its strategy following its poor performance in the crucial State in the Lok Sabha elections. However, Maurya’s differences with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are widely acknowledged even within the party, and his comment at a state party meeting that “organisation is always bigger than government and no one can be bigger than the organisation” was seen by many political watchers as a message to the UP CM. Maurya had made the remarks in presence of Adityanath and Nadda, while the chief minister blamed “over-confidence” for the electoral reverses in the state and suggested that the party could not effectively counter the opposition INDIA bloc’s campaign. The buzz is that BJP high command may appoint OBC leader Keshav Prasad Maurya as the new UP state president and Yogi Adityanath will continue as the Chief Minister who has aggressively pursued the party’s Hindutva agenda and maintained a firm grip on law and order.

CONGRESS LAUNCHES MASSIVE CAMPAIGN IN HARYANA BEFORE ASSEMBLY POLLS

The political temperature is soaring up in Haryana as Assembly polls are scheduled later this year. The faction-ridden Congress will be emphasizing the caste census, unemployment, price rise, Agniveer and farmers’ issues, while BJP is geared to retain power in the state by changing its Chief Minister ML Khattar, a Punjabi Khatri, by Nayab Singh Saini, who belongs to an OBC community, just ahead of Lok Sabha elections in a bid to woo backward community voters. Meanwhile, Congress is banking on the leadership of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda who had launched his ‘Haryana Maange Hisaab’ with his son and Lok Sabha MP Deepender Hooda. They had started a padayatra in rural areas to attract voters while Lok Sabha MP Kumari Shelja will start her padayatra in days to come to connect with Haryana’s urban voters Through the “Padyatra”, the message of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be communicated to every voter and they will be informed in detail about the BJP’s misrule in the last 10 years.

YOGI ADITYANATH ORGANISING BIG PREPARATIONS FOR ASSEMBLY BYPOLLS

In the wake of 10 MLAs from Uttar Pradesh winning seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the state is gearing up for by-elections and the contest is expected to be another fierce battle between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc. It is a do or die situation for the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who is already facing criticism within the BJP over the Lok Sabha polls setback in the state and the allegation that bureaucrats were giving the short shrift to party leaders and workers. Trying to send a message to party leaders that he was serious about the by-elections, Adityanath called his ministers on Wednesday to seek their feedback on the political dynamics in the 10 vacant seats for which the Election Commission could announce the dates soon. Sources in the BJP said the CM had asked the 30 ministers to start campaigning and monitor electioneering. He has assigned three ministers to each of the 10 Assembly seats. Out of 10 assembly seats, it’s Ayodhya’s Milkipur assembly seat which will be BJP’s target after suffering defeat in Ayodhya despite the makeover of the city and construction of the Ram temple.

BENGAL CM MAMATA BANERJEE MAY MEET SONIA GANDHI DURING HER DELHI VISIT

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will pay a visit to Delhi on July 25 to hold a meeting with TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and finalise the party’s strategy on the floor of the House for the Parliament session. CM is likely to see senior INDIA BLOC leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, during her Delhi visit. She is likely to have separate meeting with PM Narendra Modi. She will also be attending the NITI Aayog meeting, to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi on July 27. It is expected that she would plead for funds for rural housing and MGNREGS work.

NITISH KUMAR WANTS SARYU RAI TO BE ACCOMODARED IN BJP LIST FOR JHARKHAND POLLS

Ahead of Jharkhand assembly elections, Jharkhand MLA Saryu Rai of BJMO interacted with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and both parties agreed to contest the assembly elections together. BJP, which is making all efforts to regain Jharkhand from Soren and his team, is facing this problem of accommodating Rai ., The BJP requires the support of Nitish Kumar at the center and Bihar. For this, BJP will have to readily accept Kumar’s decision to include Rai in the alliance. Saryu Rai, left the BJP and formed his own party Bharatiya Janata Morcha (BJMO).

SAMAJWADI PARTY TO CONTEST IN MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

After SP-Congress alliance outperformed the ruling NDA alliance in Uttar Pradesh , winning 43 seats (37 by SP and six by Congress) , and NDA secured only 36. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, seeks expansion plan of his party and is expected to demand a share of seats in Maharashtra , where Congress is a major force. According to sources, SP is expecting for 4 to 8 seats in Maharashtra. This move mirrors Congress’s request for a share in the 10 seats up for grabs in the upcoming by-polls to the UP assembly. According to sources SP could offer 2 to 3 seats to Congress party and SP will fight on 7 to 8 seats. The assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Haryana are scheduled to take place later this year, while the UP by polls are taking place simultaneously or earlier. (IPA Service)

The article Big Organisational Rejig Planned By BJP Leadership In Uttar Pradesh appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The regional satraps, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and the TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, have been made kingmakers by the Lok Sabha election results. With the BJP short of majority in Lok Sabha elections, no government can come to power without them. Both parties — JD(U) and TDP —have re-pledged their allegiance to the NDA. Although in the meeting held by NDA on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was endorsed as the alliance leader, hard bargaining by partners for key portfolios and concessions for their states played out in the background. As per sources, Chandrababu Naidu indicated he wanted the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post for his party, in addition to special category status for his state Andhra Pradesh. Naidu had reportedly also demanded the home and defence portfolios. Bihar chief minister and JDU leader Nitish Kumar too expressed demand for similar concessions, in addition to telling the central government to carry out a countrywide caste census, similar to the one he has conducted in Bihar. Janata Dal United has said the party would seek a review of the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment in the armed forces, in which only four years of service was granted. Meanwhile, Naidu did not clarify to the BJP leadership whether the TDP would be part of the government at the Centre, or if it would extend outside support. According to sources, TDP said that the party may join the government after negotiations. Modi has assigned defence minister Rajnath Singh and BJP chief JP Nadda to conduct the meetings and discussions with partner leaders for finalising the state for the government formation. The new NDA is expected to have a convenor and carry out numerous coordination meetings.

RAHUL’S TWIN VICTORIES FROM RAEBARELI, WAYANAD: WHICH ONE HE’LL LEAVE?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s twin victories in the two Lok Sabha constituencies — Raebareli and Wayanad— has triggered a suspense over which of the two seats Rahul will leave. UP leaders have commenced making emotional appeals to the Rahul to continue to retain his family’s stronghold. Rahul won the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 390,030 votes, while his margin of victory in Wayanad was 364,422. Rahul thanked the voters by saying: “I have won from both the seats and I want to whole heartedly thank the voters of Raebareli and Wayanad. Now I have to decide which seat I will stay on, will discuss and then decide. Can’t hold on to both the seats but I haven’t decided yet.” The impressive show by the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh may necessitate Gandhi’s presence in Raebareli to further challenge the BJP in the Hindi heartland. Though the Congress leadership here is tight-lipped over Rahul Gandhi choosing Raebareli over Wayanad, party insiders say that for the future of the Congress, Rahul should retain the Uttar Pradesh constituency. However, a section of the Congress leaders has already started a campaign within the party demanding that if Rahul decides to retain Raebareli, Priyanka Gandhi should contest from Wayanad.

BJP TACTICS BOOMERANG IN MAHARASHTRA, HARYANA; CONGRESS GAINS

The election results in Maharashtra and Haryana have raised alarm bells for the BJP, with the Assembly polls scheduled in both the states later this year. The BJP’s aggressive claim and bid to exceed the limits and engineer splits in the two principal parties of Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, boomeranged in the Lok Sabha election. BJP received a similar blow in Haryana, losing half of the total 10 Lok Sabha seats, fuelled by a simmering anger among Jat farmers and youths aggrieved over the Agnipath scheme in the armed forces. In 2019, BJP had made a clean sweep in the state in Lok Sabha polls and remained in power for two straight terms since 2014 in the state. In Maharashtra, Congress emerged as the best performer and won 13 seats, while the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena has won 9 seats and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) has won 8. The Congress also appeared to have reaped the advantage of voters’ sympathy for Uddhav and Pawar. The Congress was contesting in 17, Uddhav Sena in 21 and the Sharad Pawar NCP in 10 seats.

BJP DOES WELL IN KARNATAKA, CONGRESS BACKSLIDES FROM ASSEMBLY GAINS

The five guarantees highlighted out by the Congress in Karnataka did not translate into victory for the party, as the Opposition BJP-Janata Dal Secular alliance won in 19 of the 28 seats. The defeat of DK Suresh has become a question mark on the capability of his elder brother and deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar. The BJP maintained its chokehold on coastal Karnataka, Bengaluru and a prominent number of north Karnataka segments. But the Congress made deep inroads in the north of the state, for long considered a pocket borough of the BJP. The Congress has won 9 seats and BJP had won 17 seats and JD(S) has won 2 seats.

INDIA BLOC DECIDES TO SIT IN OPPOSITION FOR NOW

The INDIA bloc on June 6 decided to wait and watch the twist and turns in the shaky NDA camp, preferring to continue the fight against the BJP. The decision was taken at a meeting of 33 leaders from 20 parties chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Reading out the resolution adopted at the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: “The constituents of INDIA bloc thank the people of India for the overwhelming support received by our alliance. The people’s mandate has given (a) befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism, and also to save democracy. The INDIA bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi. We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government and this is our decision.” Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said at the meeting some BJP MPs were ready to negotiate with them, sources said. SP chief Akhilesh told the leaders that they managed to demolish the ‘Modi Brand’ and now they should go together and take a step back to help each other when needed. (IPA Service)

The post Nitish, Naidu Kingmakers As BJP Is Cut Short By Indian Voters first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Nitish, Naidu Kingmakers As BJP Is Cut Short By Indian Voters appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The politics of Bihar is taking a big twist at the moment, and it seems that CM Nitish Kumar has begun to script a new chapter in Bihar politics and he could dump INDIA alliance and rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic alliance. In this context, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, too, criticized fellow INDIA bloc member by questioning the erstwhile UPA governments at the Centre for not responding to his repeated requests to confer Bharat Ratna to socialist leader Karpoori Thakur. Nitish is also critical of Dynastic politics while praising PM Narendra Modi for his government’s decision to confer country’s highest civilian award to the pioneer of poor and backward politics. Political observers interprete Nitish observations on dynastic politics as an indirect reference to Lalu Prasad Yadav and indicated that Nitish is making all efforts to get closer to BJP. The speculation is rife that Nitish Kumar may dissolve the Bihar assembly and may join the NDA alliance next week. .

RAHUL GANDHI’S YATRA ENTERS BIHAR ON JANUARY 29 AMIDST UNCERTAINTIES

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will enter Bihar on January 29 in Kishanganj and cover four districts in three days during which top INDIA bloc leaders may likely to join him for public meetings at Purnia on January 30 . CM Nitish Kumar will not join the Congress Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav may not mark their participation in the event due to the summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement. ED has summoned Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav at its Patna office for questioning in the land for jobs case on January 29 and 30. While on the other side , the discussions on the issue of seat sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections within the Mahagathbandhan have also not been progressing, and Nitish Kumar’s party is continuously putting pressure on RJD that the seat-sharing talks should be completed by January end. On the other hand, Lalu Yadav has clearly said he is in no hurry. In fact, the JD(U) will not hold any talks with the grand old party over seat-sharing in Bihar and instead would deal only with Lalu Prasad’s RJD. The JD(U) has said it will not under any condition make any compromise on the 16 seats it had won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

FORMER TELENGANA CM K CHANDRASEKHAR RAO TALKS OF FEDERAL FRONT AGAIN

The political buzz about the formation of a Federal front has been revived..While discussion of a Federal front has been recurrent, the major difference this time is that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has ruled out any alliance with Congress in West Bengal. while AAP announced that it will go solo in Punjab for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said at a press conference that AAP will win all the 13 seats in Punjab on its own. Former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) had mooted the idea of forming a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front as a national alternative. He has become active again, it is learnt. BRS sources feel there are bright chances that regional parties can come together to set up the Federal Front which may become stronger with non-aligned parties like the YSR Congress, Biju Janata Dal and BSP in case the above alliance happens.

KERALA LDF TO HOLD PROTEST RALLY AGAINST CENTRE ON FEBRUARY 8 IN DELHI

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, will stage a protest against the Central government at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on February 8.The protest is meant to voice its concerns over the alleged financial neglect of Kerala and other non-BJP-ruled states by the Centre. Chief Minister Vijayan has written to all non-BJP Chief Ministers asking their full support for the protest, pointing concerns over alleged encroachment on state autonomy and financial constraints as imposed by the Centre. But the CPI-M’s INDIA partner, the Congress led UDF has shown reluctance and have bluntly refused to join the protest to be held held by Vijayan namely “Delhi Chalo”.

AAP’S DECISION TO GO SOLO IN PUNJAB IN LOK SABHA POLLS WEAKENS INDIA BLOC

The unity of INDIA opposition bloc has got a jolt with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declaring that it will contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has ruled out any alliance with Congress in West Bengal. Both state Congress chiefs — have shown their reluctance and have opposed the alliance at the state level and left no opportunity in hitting out at the state governments. The Congress and AAP are allies in the Opposition INDIA alliance. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal approved a proposal by the party’s Punjab unit to fight the general elections alone. The regional parties AAP and TMC, are in no mood to cede ground in their strongholds, especially in the wake of Congress setbacks in the recent Assembly polls. (IPA Service)

The post Chief Minister Nitish Kumar May Join BJP Led NDA Next Week Along With JD(U) first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Chief Minister Nitish Kumar May Join BJP Led NDA Next Week Along With JD(U) appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

To consolidate its EBC, OBC and Dalit vote bank ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar has passed a proposal to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to more than 94 lakh families identified based on the recently conducted caste survey. A proposal in this regard was brought during a state Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The proposal got approval to provide financial aid of Rs 2 lakh to 94,33,312 families belonging from financially weak backgrounds. The state government will give an amount of Rs 2 lakh each in three instalments, out of which the first instalment will be 25 per cent, 50 per cent for the second instalment and 25 per cent for the third instalment. Meanwhile, JD(U) is gearing up for commemoration of Kapoori’s birth anniversary on a grand scale in Bihar in a bid to give a fresh push to the cause of social justice. The JD(U) will held various programmes and event during January 22-24 to mark Kapoori’s birth anniversary, which will encompass Patna as well as his village Pitaunjhija, now renamed Kapoori Gram in Samastipur district. Nitish will attend some of these events.

RAHUL GANDHI TO VISIT ASSAM’S FAMOUS KAMAKHYA TEMPLE ON JANUARY 22

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is passing through the country’s northeast, and during the journey, he may be visiting the famous Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati on January 22, the day when the Ram temple consecration ceremony will be held in Ayodhya. Among Opposition leaders, Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that she would be in the Kali Ghat temple in Kolkata and hold an all-faith prayer meet. While Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he would go to Ayodhya with his family after Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22. Senior opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Uddhav Thackeray have turned down invitations for the event, criticizing and citing the reason that the BJP’s has shown a great rush to consecrate an under-construction temple and accusing it of looking to bolster its vote bank.

YET TO FINALISE SEAT SHARING PACT, AKHILESH KEEPS CONGRESS AT BAY

In another sign of the faded ties between SP and Congress amidst seat negotiations in Uttar Pradesh, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav signaled that he might not participate in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, giving the reason of him not being invited either by the Congress or the BJP for any of their programmes as and when organized. On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav flagged off the party’s ‘Samvidhan Bachao, Desh Bachao Samajwadi PDA (Pichada, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) Yatra’, which aims to take to people the ideologies of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Mulayam Singh Yadav down to the villages. Meanwhile, Congress and SP held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls but no final decision was made, even as both sides expressed confidence of reaching a fruitful agreement soon. According to sources, SP was not ready to leave more than 12 constituencies for the Congress in the state but Congress, on the other hand, wanted 2009 as the basis of seat sharing. In the 2009 LS polls, Congress had won 21 seats in the state on its own. While the Congress is keen for the BSP to come within the INDIA fold, Mayawati reiterated and has been adamant that she would fight the Lok Sabha polls alone.

WHICH SEAT WILL PRIYANKA CONTEST FROM: BELLARY, RAEBARELI OR VARANASI?

The speculation is rife that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may be contesting from Bellary or Koppal in Karnataka. Although Sonia Gandhi had won from Bellary against Sushma Swaraj of the BJP during the 1999 general elections, Telangana Congress looks forward and aspires Priyanka to be fielded from Medak, which elected Indira Gandhi in 1980. Priyanka Gandhi, who campaigned extensively in Karnataka and Telangana in the 2023 Assembly elections, always recollected that they had a family association with the state. If the party and Priyanka agree to her being fielded from Karnataka, she will be the third generation from the Nehru-Gandhi family to contest from the state. Her grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had resurrected her political career in 1978 by winning a by-election from Chikmagalur. However, with the possibility of Sonia Gandhi vacating the Raebareli constituency due to ill health, Priyanka might contest from Raebareli. Recently, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed the name of Priyanka Gandhi as the INDIA bloc’s candidate from the Varanasi seat against PM Modi in the upcoming 2024 general elections. The suggestion was rendered during the fourth meeting of the INDIA alliance held in Delhi.

YS SHARMILA-LED CONGRESS TO TAKE ON BROTHER CM JAGAN REDDY IN ANDHRA

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress appointed YS Sharmila, daughter of former chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, as the president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). While Sharmila will be fighting an electoral battle against her brother and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the state. However both will compete fiercely to the claim of being the true heir of Rajasekhar Reddy’s legacy. Jagan who initially has named almost every scheme in the state after his father. Now, Sharmila is looking forward to bring back to the Congress the claim to be called the true home of her father. The Congress leadership firmly put faith and believes that Sharmila would help the Congress regain its past glory. From winning consecutive assembly elections in 2004 and 2009, the party does not have a single MLA in the state at present. (IPA Service)

The post Nitish Govt Approves Sop For 94 Lakh EBC, OBC, Dalit Families first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Nitish Govt Approves Sop For 94 Lakh EBC, OBC, Dalit Families appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Who will be the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s prime ministerial face, Mallikarjun Kharge or Nitish Kumar? Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has emerged as the new champion of the cause of social justice, holding an unprecedented caste survey in the state. Nitish has always fancied and is seen as having the credentials for the top job. Like PM Modi, he has been CM of a state for more than 15 years. Nitish hails to the Kurmi OBC community, and the INDIA Bloc comprehensively expects to cash in on this to reach out to the OBCs. However, Kurmis have the synergy to determine the electoral outcome in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan. Nitish has successfully managed to resurrect his diminishing graph within the Opposition’s INDIA bloc and threatened to deprive the BJP and PM Modi, of their OBC vote base. While INDIA bloc partners like RJD, SP, CPI, seem to be supporting of Nitish’s candidature, his commitment to secularism is doubtful, though ideologically, he is a socialist. On the other hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge belongs to the SC community, and the INDIA bloc understandably hopes to cash in on this to reach out to SC, ST. 84 Lok Sabha seats including 21 from Karnataka (Kharge’s home state), 17 in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala (18), MP (16) etc. are reserved for SC category in the country. It will also help Kharge pit caste identities to counter the BJP’s election planks of religion and ultra-nationalism. Kharge has got positives of winning Karnataka, Himachal and Telangana, which has given him a lot of confidence, though loss in three Hindi heartland states has neutralized this political advantage. However, while the octogenarian Kharge can be a popular face in southern states, he does not seems to bear an appeal in Hindi heartland which is so essential to become a formidable force in 2024. All said and done, INDIA bloc partners must stick together and arrive at a consensus on the PM face.

CONGRESS’ MEDIA HEAD PAWAN KHERA MAY GET A RAJYA SABHA SEAT IN 2024

Congress’s media and publicity department head, Pawan Khera, is versed for his feisty defence of the party line in TV debates and media interactions, is expected to get the Rajya Sabha nod this time from Rajasthan, Karnataka or Telangana. In Karnataka, four Rajya Sabha members are retiring, and in Telangana, three. Accordingly, Congress too will retain its two seats (one each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan), but the party will gain two additional seats from Telangana where those seats are currently being occupied by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Among prominent leaders, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and environment minister Bhupender Yadav will retire as Rajya Sabha members representing Rajasthan whereas education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will retire as member representing Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. Now, Pawan Khera, who is acknowledged as a TV-savvy leader working behind the scenes galvanising the media strategy of the party, providing instant information, updates to the media and busting fake news like a pro, is in line for a coveted RS seat. Khera has been acquainting the media with latest party updates through a channel of statements and tweets, be it about the reported arrest of two editors of vernacular newspapers in Manipur and the demand of their immediate release, or justice for 2002 Gujarat riots gang rape victim Bilkis Bano.

HINDU RELIGIOUS HEADS, INDIA BLOC TO BOYCOTT RAM TEMPLE INAUGURATION

After the head pontiff of Puri’s Govardhan Mutt refused to attend the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya on 22 January, his counterpart from Uttarakhand’s Jyotir Mutt, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, has announced that neither of the country’s four prominent Shankarcharyas, or religious heads, will attend the event. This is because the ceremony is being held “against the shastras” — or sacred Hindu scriptures — especially since the temple construction is yet to be completed, he said in a video posted on his official handle on X, formerly Twitter. Following the example of the Left parties, the Congress leadership too has finally decided not to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and as according to them, inauguration of an incomplete temple has no meaning. The statement issued by the main Opposition party makes three important points: 1) Religion is a personal matter; 2) The RSS-BJP have turned the temple into a political project; and 3) The temple is not yet complete and the event has been brought forward for electoral gain. Among the INDIA bloc partners, the CPIM was the first to declare that its general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who received an invitation from the temple trust, would not attend the event. Other opposition parties in the INDIA bloc such as the Trinamool Congress and RJD also indicated they might keep off. The AAP was non-committal on whether it would attend or not, while saying that its national convener Arvind Kejriwal was yet to receive the invitation. BSP chief Mayawati too had hinted earlier that she may skip the event. DMK and CPI will also not attend the event.

MVA REACHES SEAT SHARING CONSENSUS IN MAHARASHTRA

Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on January 9 agreed on a seat-sharing plan for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. In the meeting also saw the MVA allies agree on inducting Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi into the MVA and the INDIA bloc. While Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut staked claim to 23 seats, which it had fought in alliance with BJP in 2019. According to sources, the Congress and the Shiv Sena could contest 18-20 seats each and the NCP may get 8 seats in the arrangement. Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi might get two seats and Swabhimani Paksha leader RajuShetty, an INDIA partner, might get one seat. This will be the first time when erstwhile rivals Sena and Congress will fight the Lok Sabha polls together as the MVA was formed after the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra elections.

AKHILESH MEETS PARTY SENIORS, RENEWS FOCUS ON PDA PLANK

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting on January 9 at the state party headquarters in Lucknow along the party MLAs and former legislators ahead of 2024 Parliamentary election. The SP chief took advice from the party leaders on candidature for individual seats and the interestingly that too in a sealed envelope. Akhilesh Yadav is emphasizing with full swing on its PDA (Pichre, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) plank and SP are now looking to woo non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who constitute about 35 per cent of the population, directly connecting with the youth of every village and chalking out a strategy for the future. The party is focusing more on Purvanchal seats such as Ghazipur, Ghosi, Mau, Azamgarh, Mirzapuri, Gonda and Kushinagar to set the ground with the sole aim of wining the seats. (IPA Service)

The post Nitish, Or Kharge? Jury Still Out On INDIA Bloc’s PM Face first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Nitish, Or Kharge? Jury Still Out On INDIA Bloc’s PM Face appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took over the reins of the party, the Mahagathbandhan alliance partners are wondering whether the decision was deliberately engineered to create a conducive atmosphere for Kumar to switch over, once again to the NDA, or put pressure on the INDIA bloc, or just to hog the limelight on the national stage. However, Nitish taking the command of JD(U) would ensure that he would have a major say in the operation of INDIA bloc, influencing and guiding the activities of the opposition camp. Lalan has not been a heavyweight politician. He does not command the respect, which Nitish enjoys. Political resolution adopted at the JDU national executive described Nitish as the architect of the INDIA bloc, highlighted his leadership abilities and went ahead to urge the “bigger parties in the alliance have more responsibility”. It even hailed Nitish as “the hope of the backwards, extremely backwards, deprived sections, minorities and crores of unemployed youths”. Upset on being ignored, Nitish appeared to have decided to hit the road on his own to assert his leadership of the Opposition bloc. KC Tyagi said that the national executive decided that Nitish and the party will undertake a countrywide campaign, starting mid-January (around the time that Rahul Gandhi begins his Bharat Nyay Yatra), to press for a caste-based census across the country.“In mid-January, Nitishji will start a countrywide campaign from Jharkhand to demand a caste-based census like Bihar to be undertaken nationally,” Tyagi said. At the meeting, the party also decided to contest some seats outside Bihar — in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and some other yet-unspecified states. A resolution terming the Bihar caste-based survey as a “historic initiative” was also passed. Nitish getting direct control of his party affairs was seen a move aimed at keeping the JDU flock intact amid fears that both current ally RJD and friend-turned-foe BJP could be attempt poaching Nitish’s ranks.

CONGRESS FOR BSP’S ENTRY INTO INDIA BLOC, SP AGAINST FOR NOW

The debate within the INDIA bloc over the BSP simmers still, with the Congress reportedly keen on it, but the Samajwadi Party (SP) stalling the same. According to sources, both sides are in connection once again even though Mayawati who had announced that her party would go it alone in the upcoming LS polls. While the Congress carries the opinion that aligning with the BSP would help the two consolidate the Dalit vote behind them, as well as ensure that the Muslim vote is not fragmented multiple ways. Political analysts believe that ‘any possible ties between BSP and Congress is most probably expected to throw up new political permutations ahead of the parliamentary elections’. On the other hand, the SP wants 65 out of the total 80 seats for itself, leaving 10 for the Congress and 5 for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). A major number of seats from Uttar Pradesh would put the SP in a commanding position.

ALLIANCE BETWEEN AAP AND CONGRESS LOOKS PRECARIOUS IN PUNJAB, DELHI

The tussle between AAP and Congress has immensely increased over seat-sharing, as Congress demanded 8 seats in Punjab and 3 seats in Delhi. In this context, the Congress high command is learnt to have held a meeting with the Punjab CLP leaders, Partap Singh Bajwa and the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Amarinder Singh Raja Warring to have a discussion on the possibility of alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. On the contrary, the Punjab unit of the Congress has been opposing the proposal of an alliance with the AAP vehemently. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa has maintained that the party rank and file was not ready to accept a tie-up with the AAP in the state, pointing out that the cadre fight the elections. Some of the party leaders are demanding at least eight of the total 13 seats that include the seats of six sitting MPs – Manish Tewari from Anandpur Sahib, GS Aujla from Amritsar, Dr Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohammed Sadiq from Faridkot, JS Gill from Khadoor Sahib and Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana

RAHUL GANDHI’S BHARAT JODO NYAY YATRA TO COMMENCE ON JANUARY 14

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will commence on January 14 from Manipur, mostly via buses besides stretches of walking, and is subsequently scheduled to end in Mumbai on March 20. In total, it will crisscross through 15 states, 110 districts and 100 Lok Sabha seats, covering 6,713 km in 66 days. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that “the idea of Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra is justice. The aim is to ensure political, economic and social justice for people of India,” The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will begin from violence-hit Manipur’s capital Imphal at 12pm, will cover en route the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and went West Bengal, before reaching central India. All Chief Ministers belonging to the opposition bloc will be present at Imphal to flag off the yatra. According to the route released by the party, the yatra would stay the longest period in Uttar Pradesh, covering a distance approximately 1,074 km in 11 days. It would pass through the politically-vital areas of Varanasi, Prayagraj, Amethi, Rae Bareli, and Lucknow According to the route map, the yatra in West Bengal will be for five days, covering 523 km and seven districts, and in Bihar for four days, covering 425 km and seven districts. In Madhya Pradesh, the yatra will cover 698 km and nine districts in seven days and two districts in Rajasthan for a single day. The yatra will cover five days each in Gujarat and Maharashtra, traversing 445 km and 479 km respectively. The Congress hopes that the yatra will lead in bringing people together and at the same time will promote justice and unity all over the country.

CONGRESS READY WITH SEAT-SHARING PLANS IN BIHAR, UTTAR PRADESH

The Congress is actively engaged in discussions for seat-sharing arrangements in both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has geared up for a robust electoral strategy by pitching for 21 of 80 Lok Sabha seats. In Bihar, Congress is all set for an ambitious goal of contesting 10 to 12 seats, in a state with 40 Lok Sabha constituencies. The Congress aims to leverage its presence in constituencies with a significant minority voter base, which also happen to be favourable areas for the Samajwadi Party. Congress  keen on contesting the UP Lok Sabha seats are Raebareli, Amethi, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Moradabad, Bijnor, Pratapgarh, Kanpur, Aligarh, Farrukhabad, Jhansi, Barabanki, Gonda, Dhaurahra, Kheri, Saharanpur, Bahraich etc. However, UP Congress leaders expressed their apprehension about the party getting a decent share of seats out of its expected alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the state, anticipating hard bargaining with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the wake of the Congress’s recent debacle in three Hindi heartland states. Meanwhile According to sources, SP was not ready to leave more than 12 constituencies for the Congress in the state but Congress, on the other hand, wanted 2009 as the basis of seat sharing. In the 2009 LS polls, Congress had won 21 seats in the state on its own. However SP leaders asserted that the party would also have to leave some seats for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar and Apna Dal (Krishna Patel). (IPA Service)

The post Nitish Driving INDIA Bloc Decisions, To Hit The Road For 2024 Campaign first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Nitish Driving INDIA Bloc Decisions, To Hit The Road For 2024 Campaign appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The stage has been set for 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the fourth meeting of the INDIA Bloc saw high drama with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stating that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will be the bloc’s PM candidate. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray seconded the proposal but Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar were unhappy. Lalu and Nitish left the meeting and before the Press Conference. Kharge said the priority is to win the election. However Kharge belongs to the SC community, and the INDIA Bloc hopes to cash in. It will also counter the BJP’s Hindutva and ultra-nationalism planks. There was a broad understanding that seat-sharing talks should be completed before December 31. Parties would hold joint rallies and campaigns before the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22.

MAYAWATI PLANS A NEW STRATEGY

BSP MPs bear the opinion that party should join the Opposition’s INDIA alliance but BSP Supremo Mayawati had ruled out entering any alliance with INDIA or NDA and she may carry out her tour of Uttar Pradesh soon for an inspection of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati hopes to get direct feedback from party workers at the grassroots level to help the party chalk out a strategy and decide candidates. This may lead to a major shift in electoral strategy. Mayawati had not campaigned for the 2022 assembly elections, and the 2023 urban local body polls. One of the biggest challenges that the party is facing in UP is to not only win enough seats to be in the reckoning but also retain the ones that it has. In the 2019 LS elections, the party had won 10 seats. In 2014, it drew a blank. In 2009, it had won 20 UP seats.

WHO IN I.N.D.I.A IS BEST TO BEAT MODI?

The INDIA BLOC is keen to consolidate a list of political leaders to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi. According to sources two names have been proposed so far, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The name of Priyanka Gandhi as the INDIA bloc’s candidate from the Varanasi seat against PM Modi in the upcoming 2024 general elections has been proposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee .The suggestive proposal was put forth during the fourth meeting of the INDIA alliance held in Delhi. On the other hand JD (U) leaders in Uttar Pradesh have the opinion that CM Nitish Kumar should contest from the Kurmi-dominated seats of Phulpur or Mirzapur. Both are near Varanasi and hopefully make a dent in the Kurmi votes in Varanasi.

KHARGE, RAHUL, PRIYANKA VS. TOUGH GUY AKHILESH

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with top party functionaries from Uttar Pradesh, brainstormed at a crucial meeting to firm up plans for the state for the 2024 polls. During the meeting UP leaders voiced their apprehension about the party receiving a decent share of seats in the state, anticipating hard bargaining with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the backdrop of the Congress’s recent debacle in the three Hindi heartland states. Meanwhile According to sources, SP was not ready to leave more than 12 constituencies for the Congress. The Congress, on the other hand, wanted 2009, when it won 21 seats, to be the base year for consideration of seats. The SP says seats have to be left for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar and Apna Dal (Krishna Patel). SP wants to improve its 2022 tally.

SONIA GANDHI ASKS CONGRESS TO GET READY

Top Congress leaders had interaction at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to discuss the party’s strategic plans on seat-sharing with INDIA bloc partners and further course of action for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as well as to evaluate the reasons for its defeat in assembly elections in three states.  It was presided by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior leader Rahul Gandhi. Some CWC members asked Rahul Gandhi to embark on a second ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The CWC supported the idea. Meanwhile Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday expressed disappointment at the election results and urged Congress workers to convert disappointment into positivity for the Lok Sabha polls. ”We have our tasks cut out for us, both as a party in our own right and also as a member of the INDIA bloc,” she said, “The Congress is gearing up to hold a mega rally on December 28 in Nagpur on its foundation day. (IPA Service)

The post Kharge Gets The Nod, Nitish-Lalu Find It Odd first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Kharge Gets The Nod, Nitish-Lalu Find It Odd appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The race has begun on who will be chosen as the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s joint Prime Ministerial candidate. The JD(U) has repeated its demand to project Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the PM face of the INDIA bloc against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Nitish has come out as the new champion of social justice causes as he had taken the courage to hold a caste survey and set the basis of it, to increase the quota cap from 50% to 65%.It also help Nitish pit caste identities to counter the BJP’s election planks of religion and ultra-nationalism, a campaign for special category status will channelise state-related identity and emotions. Since then, more than 100 JD(U) office-bearers from different parts of Uttar Pradesh met the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Patna in separate groups to apprise him about the current political scenario in Uttar Pradesh and urged him to contest from Phulpur or Mirzapur. JD(U) workers also raised slogans like “Deshka PM kaisa ho, Nitish Kumar jaisa ho.” On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress had put forth its supremo Mamata Banerjee’s claim to lead the INDIA bloc, saying a person who had defeated the BJP multiple times and had long administrative experience should be picked. While Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on December 6 invoked the name of Uddhav Thackeray for the INDIA alliance’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 general elections, saying that Thackeray is a “nationalist face”.

CONGRESS HIGH COMMAND LOOKS TO REPLACING HEARTLAND OLD GUARD

After the defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assembly elections, the Congress high command is looking forward for a replacement in the leadership matrix, lock, stock, and barrel, in the Hindi heartland. In place of the tired and jaded faces – the Kamal Naths, the Digvijay Singhs, the Ashok Gehlots, the Bhupesh Baghels – to pass over the party’s reins to younger and promising leaders. Moreover, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed his deep disappointment over the party’s dismal performance in the Madhya Pradesh elections to Kamal Nath and also signalled that a large section of party leaders want him to step down as the chief of the MP unit after the poor results. Kamal Nath met Kharge in Delhi and amid speculation that he will step down as the president of the Congress’s MP unit and the party will appoint a new state president. The names that have been doing rounds in the Congress is of Jitu Patwari, Jaivardhan Singh, and Ajay Singh, aka Rahul Bhaiya for the post of the PCC chief. However, Congress vote share in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh is nothing to snigger at. And that is all the more reason for the Congress leadership to identify how to play the game differently if it at all hopes to defeat the BJP in 2024.

BJP  HIGH COMMAND  TO OPT FOR CHIEF MINISTERS WHO WILL ELIVER IN LOK SABHA POLLS

BJP is all set to appoint new faces as Chief Ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, where assembly polls were recently held. In Rajasthan, speculations have been around that the party’s high command may select Baba Balak Nath as the next CM of the state. Other potential CM candidates include Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Diya Kumari. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan is expected to be the prime face for the CM of the state. To his credit, his welfare schemes in MP which have helped the party maintain its dominance in the state. Other names on the list of possible CM candidates are Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, and even Jyotiraditya Scindia. In Chhattisgarh, Renuka Singh Saruta has been the frontrunner in the CM race. BJP leaders Arun Sao and Vishnu DeoSai are also likely to be given a chance to become the next CM of Chhattisgarh.

TELANGANA VERDICT CONFIRMS PRIYANKA’S STAR CAMPAIGNER APPEAL

In the five state assembly elections, the Congress witnessed the emergence of Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra as a star campaigner, who received the party leaders’ admiration as the most powerful and efficient communicator. Buoyed by the confidence gained after successfully leading Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh to victories, Priyanka Gandhi got it right in India’s newest state, Telangana, as well. She emerged as a prominent figurehead in Congress’ fight in Telangana where K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi had a comparatively stronger foothold until six months back. It was her result-yielding leadership in Karnataka that made the Telugu people to instill their confidence in her familiarity. Priyanka scathing attacks on the rival parties well related and resonated with the people of the state. From discarding KCR’s claims of ‘Bangaru Telangana’ to raising the issues of ‘land, sand, wine and mine mafias’, Priyanka communicated the narrative in Telangana that became a new state when the United Progressive Alliance was in the centre in 2014. Result showed Priyanka’s appeal massively stuck with locals when they voted on November 30. Now Priyanka will play a vital role in the coming Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

DK SHIVAKUMAR’S HARD WORK IN TELANGANA POLL CAMPAIGN PAYS OFF

With series of victories in assembly polls in Karnataka and Telangana, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who made remarkable contribution in his unique way to the party’s victory in both states, may have led to make his case prominent for the top post in Karnataka in the future. From campaign rallies to keeping Congress MLAs out of poachers’ reach after the poll results in Telangana, Shivakumar carried the specific role as that of troubleshooter with ease. Although Shivakumar has remarkably attributed to the victory besides collective leadership, those involved in the Telangana campaign said his micro-management and election strategy had undoubtedly helped the party to emerge victorious. This has once again emphasized that Shivakumar has always been successful in accomplishing any task entrusted to him by the party high command. The grapevine is that DK Shivkumar is likely to attain new assignment in the party before the Lok Sabha Polls. (IPA Service)

The post Nitish, Mamata, Uddhav In Race For INDIA Bloc’s Pm Candidate Face first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Nitish, Mamata, Uddhav In Race For INDIA Bloc’s Pm Candidate Face appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The peoples verdict for the five state assembly elections will frame future political course of Rahul Gandhi. A win for Congress in these elections will direct the path for Rahul Gandhi’s political ascendance and recognition as the potent eligible and desired national leader. A win will also make other opposition parties to readily go for the acceptance to take up Rahul Gandhi as the face for the prime minister candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024. Rahul’s secular plank in the public domain has attracted Women, Youth, SC, ST, Muslims and weaker sections of the society. While Socialist, Communist, Secularist and Opposition parties like RJD, JMM, NC, PDP, NCP, DMK, IUML, CPI, CPIM, Shiv Sena are now backing Rahul Gandhi., Bharat Jodo Yatra has already positioned him as the alternative to defeat the BJP. The Congress high command is waiting for December 3 results

PASWAN FAMILY MAY END FEUD BY MERGING TWO PARTIES BEFORE LS POLLS

RLJP leader and Vaishali MP Veena Devi was being noticed standing with ChiragPaswan on the dais at the party’s foundation day function in Patna on 28 November. Sharing her allegiance to Chirag Paswan, Veena Devi said “I am with Chirag Paswan. How can I forget Ram Vilas Paswanji, who gave me the ticket and brought me to this position? We are with his son.”. Much talks have been making round in the corridor of power in Delhi that Union Minister and president of Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) Pashupati Kumar Paras will be merging his party with his estranged nephew Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) before the general election in 2024. The RLJP has five members in the Lok Sabha from Bihar. The erstwhile LJP had won six seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Bihar. But after a split in the LJP, five MPs went with Paras-led RLJP, whereas Ram Vilas Paswan’s only son Chirag Paswan remained the lone MP of the LJP (Ram Vilas).

KARNATAKA BJP DISCUSSES SEAT SHARING FOR 2024 POLLS WITH STATE JD(S)

Newly appointed Karnataka state BJP president BY Vijayendra interacted with the state JDS president and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy at the latter’s Bidadi farmhouse and there they discussed electoral strategy to be adopted by the alliance to face the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to preliminary discussions, the JD(S) will not be given more than four seats, which signifies that it will be a minor partner in the alliance. However, if the NDA returns to power at the Centre in 2024, the JD(S) will continue to remain relevant in Karnataka. The JD(S) was battered in the assembly election, where it lost seats and vote share. It won just 19 seats, with a vote share of 13.3 per cent, compared with 37 seats and 18.36 per cent in 2018.polls Now JD(S) is fighting for mere survival, and its alliance with the BJP is taken up as against that background.

INDIA BLOC FAVOURS KHARGE TO TAKE CAMPAIGN LEAD AGAINST BJP

The day of the release of a book to commemorate the political journey of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge turned into an occasion where Opposition leaders shared that the Congress president should lead all opposition parties together so that they can win the 2024 elections. The event was the launch of a felicitation volume in honour of Kharge on his completing 50 years in electoral politics in New Delhi. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi released the book ‘Mallikarjun Kharge – Political Engagement with Compassion, Justice and Inclusive Development’. Not just Kharge’s party colleagues, but his compatriots in the INDIA alliance such as CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, DMK’s T.R. Baalu and RJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalan, TMC’s Dola Sen and Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi were also present on the occasion. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said Mallikarjun Kharge is “best suited” to lead the Congress party in the “historic battle for India’s soul”, while leaders of some INDIA bloc parties urged him to bring strength to the opposition. The book unveils Mr Kharge’s identity as a social activist deeply committed to the welfare of labour and marginalized , an institution builder in the field of education and a person profoundly driven by a vision to transform and reconstruct the caste-ridden inequities in society. The book, a collection of write-ups by leaders cutting across party lines, has been edited by Sukhadeo Thorat and Chetan Shinde.

CONGRESS ABSENT AT M K STALIN’S PRORAMME TO UNVEIL STATUE OF V P SINGH

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin inaugurated a life-size statue of former PM VP Singh at the Chennai Presidency College campus. Besides Stalin, the late ex-prime minister’s wife Sita Kumari, son Ajeya Singh and his family, and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also marked their presence but leaders of DMK ally Congress were absent. Stalin reiterated his call for a nationwide caste census to systematically implement proportionate reservation. He had put forth a proposal for the formation of a monitoring body comprising MPs from all parties to ensure proper execution of caste-based quota. He also emphasized the need for proper implementation of reservations for backward classes, SCs, STs, and minorities nationwide. (IPA Service)

The post Congress High Command’s Rahul Project Depends On Dec 3 Results first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Congress High Command’s Rahul Project Depends On Dec 3 Results appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Telangana gears up for the assembly polls on November 30, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are rigorously campaigning. The Congress in Telangana has vouched a chain of commitments, including conducting a caste census and raising reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to 42 per cent, as well as increasing Scheduled Tribes’ (STs) reservations to 12 per cent. The party also pledged to sub-categorise Scheduled Caste (SC) and ST categories within the state, and promote reservations for backward classes in local bodies to 42 per cent. The Congress promises six guarantees, featuring the ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme for women offering ₹2,500 per month, gas cylinders for ₹500, and free bus travel. The ‘Rythu Bharosa’ focuses on farmers with ₹15,000 per acre and agricultural benefits. The ‘Gruha Jyothi’ ensures free electricity, while the ‘Indiramma Indlu’ provides housing for Telangana movement fighters. The ‘Yuva Vikasam’ targets youth with educational support, and the ‘Cheyutha’ guarantees pension and insurance for senior citizens. The BJP has promised a OBC Chief Minister, and the immediate formation of a committee for the sub-categorization of the SC. The BJP focuses on a comprehensive investigation into the irregularities under the BRS government’s rule, pro-farmer measures, health initiatives, and economic revival. The manifesto includes the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, minimum support price for paddy, and infrastructure plans. Surprisingly, the BJP promises four free cylinders yearly for poor women. On the other hand BRS pledges the ‘KCR Bheema’ insurance of Rs 15 lakh and the ‘Telangana Annapurna Scheme’ for fine rice. The Rythu Bandhu’s farmers’ insurance increases to ₹16,000 per acre, with subsidised cylinders for Rs 400 for BPL families. Meanwhile the Jamaat-e-Islami Telangana supporting 69 candidates fighting on a Congress ticket and 41 candidates fighting the elections on BRS tickets. While the organisation also supported the candidates of seven All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidates, and one candidate each from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as well as the Communist Party of India (CPI).

KERALA LDF WELL SET TO FIGHT CONGRESS-LED UDF IN 2024 POLLS

In Kerala, Left Democratic Front government has initiated its strategic preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Led by the CM Pinarayi Vijayan , the LDF is aspiring hopes on the State government’s public outreach programme Nava Kerala Sadas to strike a better tuning with the people in the state. The state cabinet will commute together to address public grievances and showcase the future course of action and development plans for Kerala and its achievements. Designated counters will accept complaints three hours before the start of the Nava Kerala Sadas in all constituencies. To facilitate a smooth and streamlined process, separate counters have been set up for senior citizens, differently-abled individuals, and women. Pinarayi and his council of ministers have given directions to officials to settle all complaints within 45 days. The outreach programme will conclude on December 23 at the Vattiyoorkavu constituency in Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile LDF is pitted against the Congress led United Democratic Front that won 19 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The LDF is eying at least half of the seats this time.

CONGRESS GOVT IN KARNATAKA SPLIT OVER CASTE CENSUS EXECUTION

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding nationwide caste census with the aim to better evaluate t the situation of India’s Dalits, OBCs, poor and advocating OBC quota in women reservation but the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to hold a different opinion and hence divided on the issue of caste census as Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday said he signed a petition urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reject the caste census report, which is expected to be submitted soon. While Siddaramaiah was ready on accepting the caste census report and implementing it to ensure equal opportunities to all, Ministers belonging to the dominant Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities have been persistently opposing it by saying that the census had not been taken scientifically.

SAMAJWADI PARTY PRESIDENT AKHILESH YADAV CONCLUDES PDA YATRA

As differences with the Congress party are still going on , Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that “bicycle people” will win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls (in Uttar Pradesh) and that “the Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak’ (PDA) will defeat the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)”. Akhilesh made the statement at the concluding ceremony of the ‘Samajwadi PDA Yatra’ in his ancestral Saifai village in Etawah district. The cycle yatra was concluded in 102 days after being launched on August 9 this year from Prayagraj. The yatra concluded at the samadhi of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on the eve of his birth anniversary. On the other hand Akhilesh Yadav is now focusing with full intensity on its PDA (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) plank and looking to woo Dalits and directly connecting with the youth of every village and chalking out a strategy for the future. SP has started preparation for Mission 80 in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

PRAKASH AMBEDKAR’S VBA MAY JOIN INDIA BLOC BEFORE 2024 LOK SABHA POLLS

With Lok Sabha elections approaching, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena held a meeting in Mumbai, discussing strategies for the Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) is geared to contest the 2024 elections in alliance with NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Congress under the banner of the opposition alliance INDIA. To secure its share of seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) is actively negotiating, and the strategy for the same was discussed. The meeting also addressed the ongoing hearing of disqualification pleas filed by the Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde against each other’s MLAs. Meanwhile Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkar’s invite to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to attend the ‘Samvidhan Samman Mahasabha’ in Mumbai on November 25 has sparked speculation of the VBA joining the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc. The meeting comes on the eve of Constitution Day, which marks the adoption of the Constitution of India on 26 November, 1949.The Samvidhan Samman Mahasabha would be held at the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park at Dadar in Mumbai, which is near Chaityabhoomi, where the last rites of Dr Ambedkar was performed. (IPA Service)

The post Telangana State Polls: BRS, Congress, BJP Wage Battle Of Freebies first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Telangana State Polls: BRS, Congress, BJP Wage Battle Of Freebies appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

After the recent release of caste-based survey data and increasing the reservation limit for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes and extremely backward castes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent, now Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has declared that he would run a campaign to demand the special category status for Bihar. CM Nitish also denounced the Centre for denying it despite the special status being necessary for the state’s progress. Nitish Kumar said Bihar will undoubtedly become the most promising and developed state in just two years if it receives the special category status. The state is known to have a glorious past, with Patna being the capital of a large prosperous empire in Magadha, though it is lagging behind today. “We will conduct a campaign to achieve the special category status,” Nitish said, as he threatened to deprive the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of their OBC vote base. The move also helps Nitish pit caste identities to counter the BJP’s election planks of religion and ultra-nationalism, since a campaign for Bihar’s special category status will communicate and channelise the state-related identity and emotions.

CONGRESS GOVT WELFARE WORK AGAINST BJP’S CENTRAL SCHEMES IN RAJASTHAN

It is a battle of the Congress’s seven guarantees versus the BJP’s central schemes in Rajasthan in the election to the 200-member Assembly to be held on November 25. However, rampant dissension distresses both the parties, resulting in a confidence deficit in both regarding the result. Perhaps this is the prominent reason why the BJP is not presenting a chief ministerial face, preferring to go with “collective leadership”, and the Congress is continuing with Ashok Gehlot as the main face of its campaign. The star campaigner for the BJP is PM Narendra Modi and the recent announcement about extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for another five years has been taken as an eminent masterstroke by its supporters. In constituencies where the BJP can receive benefit from polarisation, the BJP is expected to play the religion card game. Its candidates have already begun referring to the “insults” to Sanatana Dharma and to tushtikaran (appeasement of minorities). On the other hand Congress in Rajasthan is going to the polls on the basis of Gehlot’s work, foregrounding some path-breaking schemes for development and welfare, riding the slogan: “Kaam Kiya Dil Se, Congress Sarkar Phir Se”. CM Gehlot has also given clues that relations between him and his party colleague Sachin Pilot are normal, posting a joint photo on social media platforms, captioned: “Ek Sath. Jeet Rahe Hain Phir Se (Together. Winning once again).”

KARNATAKA BJP SEEKS TO GALVANISE ITSELF WTH BY VIJAYENDRA AS PRESIDENT

The BJP as Opposition in Karnataka is attempting to build a conducive atmosphere ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections by crediting the occasion of B.Y. Vijayendra, the son of former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, taking over as party state president, with Yediyurappa declaring that a mega convention of over one lakh workers would be held soon. Vijayendra has asked party workers to emphasize on sweeping the next Lok Sabha polls by winning all the 28 seats in the State. Belonging to the dominant Lingayat-Veerashaiva community, Vijayendra signalled inclusivity by motivating party legislators to view themselves as party workers rather than identifying solely with specific communities.

MAYAWATI RELIES ON DALIT-MUSLIM UNITY FOR UP POLLS, SEEKS CASTE CENSUS

With emphasis on strong organizational structure in the state ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BSP national president Mayawati has commenced meeting the coordinators from various party divisions in UP to take a feedback of the activities in the state and the priority is to frame booth level committees as soon as possible. The party will have seven to eight members in these committees who will be drawn from varied caste groups. BSP is also rigorously working on its old Dalit-Muslim formula and organising small cadre-based meetings at villages to expand support base among the ‘Sarv Samaj, trying to consolidate its Dalit and Muslim votes. Mayawati has raised the demand for caste census to consolidate Dalits and OBCs.

BJP-RSS PIN LOK SABHA 2024 HOPES ON RAM MANDIR INAUGURATION ZEITGEIST

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BJP has strategically planned its election strategy to turn a wave of sentiments into a tsunami in the wake of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024 besides illuminating temples all over India. Sangh Parivar is discussing whether it can carry out the live telecast of the pranpratishtha (consecration programme) of the Ram Mandir on digital screens in public places across the country, with the aim of broadcasting it live to millions of Hindus in and outside of India. BJP-RSS seek to build on the religiosity of the Hindus vis-à-vis their connection with the mega-scale event touted as both historic and politically significant, with participation from both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. (IPA Service)

The post CM Nitish Kumar Reiterates Demand For Bihar’s Special Status first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article CM Nitish Kumar Reiterates Demand For Bihar’s Special Status appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

For Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the prime supporters of the caste survey in the state, the result has been a strengthening of the ruling Mahagathbandhan’s social support base among Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) and Dalits, fulfilling a significant promise to these communities ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Now, the ruling JD(U)-RJD combine is working to take its message to the people at the grassroots level across the state. In public functions being organised across Bihar, both the parties are talking about the benefits of the caste survey and how it was stalled by the central government with ulterior motives. Meanwhile, the BJP is following the line taken by PM Modi that such demand are being made to divide Hindus. JD(U) has even added the caste survey in its statewide programme of Kapoori Charcha (discussions on thoughts of Kapoori Thakur).The RJD through its Ambedkar Paricharcha (discussions on thoughts of Ambedkar) has started to talk of alleged discriminations against the lower castes by the BJP dispensation. The RJD’s Ambedkar Paricharcha series has been running since April. JD(U) has formed seven separate teams and tasked them to visit each of Bihar’s 243 assembly constituencies and complete the discussion series by January 24, 2024 which will also mark the birth centenary of Kapoori Thakur.

RAJASTHAN CM GEHLOT WANTS TO RENOMINATE ALL SITTING MINISTERS

The fate of many ministers of the Ashok Gehlot government continue to hang in balance as the Congress holds meetings to draw up lists of candidates for the assembly elections, scheduled for November 25. CM Gehlot is adamant on renominating all his ministers. He also wishes to field all six former BSP MLAs who joined the Congress in 2019 and those Independents who supported his government during previous crises. According to sources, the Congress high command wants to stick to the decision of denying tickets to those who have less chance of retaining the seats this time. Meanwhile, the Central Election Committee (CEC) met on Wednesday to discuss candidates for around 120 seats, but sources said that the panel cleared only about half of those seats. During the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed confidence in the Congress party’s prospects, stating: “Rajasthan changed due to the good governance of Congress. We are confident that the public will bless us again.” Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi emphasised the party’s vision and initiatives for various states, expressing confidence in Congress’s victory in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Mizoram.

AKHILESH FOCUSED ON DALIT-BACKWARD PLANK, ADDING TO SUPPORT BASE

As Congress, JD(U), RJD raised the voice for OBC, EBC and Dalit politics, SP’s National President Akhilesh Yadav is now focusing his attention on the PDA (Pichre, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) plank. SP is also looking to woo non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who constitute about 35 per cent of the population. Directly connecting with the youth of every village and chalking out a strategy for the future, SP has started preparation for Mission 80 in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party is focusing more on Purvanchal seats such as Ghazipur, Ghosi, Mau, Azamgarh, Mirzapuri, Gonda and Kushinagar to prepare the ground to win the seats.

CONGRESS PLAYING WITH SOFT HINDUTVA IN MADHYA PRADESH

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding nationwide caste census to better evaluate the situation of India’s Dalits, OBCs, poor and recommending OBC quota in women reservation. However, the Madhya Pradesh Congress is playing soft Hindutva, with its CM face Kamal Nath projecting himself as a Hanuman devotee. Presiding over Hanuman-themed events, erecting a massive Hanuman statue on his turf Chhindwara, inviting the right-wing Bajrang Sena to merge into the Congress, and playing host to controversial Bageshwar Dham chief priest Dhirendra Shastri — are some of the recent actions blessed by former CM Kamal Nath. The Congress has fielded popular actor Vikram Mastal against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni constituency in the upcoming assembly elections. Mastal is well known for his role as Hanuman in Anand Sagar’s 2008 television show Ramayana. But the biggest challenge faced by the Congress is to walk a tight rope on the question of Hindu identity politics, and avoid communal polarisation that the BJP deliberately resorts to when on the back foot.

SNUBBED MLAs OF RAJASTHAN BJP DEFIANT; NADDA, SHAH DOUSE PASSIONS

With the first list of BJP candidates to contest the Rajasthan assembly election now released, the infighting in the BJP state unit is coming to light. As reports show that former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her leaders have been sidelined on 41 seats in Rajasthan, it seems that the politics of Mewar is about to take a new turn. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda have been holding a marathon meeting with party leaders from Rajasthan, including former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, as part of an exercise to finalise the names of its remaining candidates for the November 25 state Assembly polls. However, amid a show of defiance by a section of its workers and those ignored for poll tickets in Rajasthan, the party leadership has taken measures to pacify the agitated and frayed nerves. Now, Nadda is meeting a large number of BJP functionaries to placate them. (IPA Service)

The post Post Caste Census, JD(U)-RJD Further Consolidate Support Base first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Post Caste Census, JD(U)-RJD Further Consolidate Support Base appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

In a bid to reframe the politics of social justice before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has brought the OBC question to the forefront of national discourse by maintaining a sharp focus on it during his speech on the Women’s Reservation Bill in the special session of Parliament. While asserting that a “caste census would ensure participation of OBCs, Dalits, tribals and women”, Rahul Gandhi said his party would conduct a rigorous exercise if it was voted to power. “Caste census has to be conducted if we want to give participation to Other Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals and women. If [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji does not conduct a caste census, then when we are elected to power our first step will be to conduct a caste census to ensure OBC participation,” Rahul Gandhi said in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur, where he was addressing the State government’s Awas Nyay Sammelan in Parsada village. Rahul further said that the PM “doesn’t want to make caste census data public”. However, Congress had tried to turn its focus on to caste census and which the party keeps faith that it can unite the Other Backward Castes (OBC), SC, ST and minorities voters in its favour.

CONGRESS, SP AT ODDS OVER UP SEAT-SHARING IN 2024 LOK SABHA POLLS

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, communication between Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh seems to be facing barriers over seat-sharing. Both parties are part of the grand opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance). According to sources, SP was adamant not to leave more than 10 constituencies for the Congress in the state in the next general elections, but Congress, on the other hand, wanted 2009 as the basis of seat-sharing. In the 2009 LS polls, Congress had won 21 seats in the state on its own. The SP was not ready to agree to the demand as posited by the Congress Akhilesh Yadav said a few days back that his party would not ask the I.N.D.I.A alliance to give seats to it. ”Instead we will give seats to the alliance partners,” he had remarked, boldly pointing clearly as to who the boss in UP was. Reacting over the SP president’s strategy over seat sharing, Congress state president Ajay Rai said, “Congress is capable enough to contest all 80 seats on its own”. However SP leaders asserted that the party would also have to leave some seats for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar and Apna Dal (Krishna Patel). Meanwhile, SP has a complete focus on improving its 2022 tally with the goal of enhancing its image and chances to turn itself into a national entity from its image and role of a regional giant.

COMMUNAL SLUR IN PARLIAMENT: SOUTH DELHI MP BIDHURI REWARDED BY BJP

Although the South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri was seen on national television hurling communal slurs and abuse at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali in the Lok Sabha on the last day of the special session of Parliament, BJP ignoring the incident has appointed Bidhuri as the leader in charge of its affairs in the Tonk district of poll-bound Rajasthan. Tonk has four Assembly constituencies, a sizable Muslim population, as well as a big Gujjar population, and BJP expect Bidhuri to swing the votes for it. While Bidhuri also posted on X(formerly Twitter) that he attended a coordination meeting for the Tonk district held in Jaipur, that was chaired by State BJP president C P Joshi. On the other hand, the Opposition has slammed the BJP. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal took to X and wrote, “BJP rewards “hate” Bidhuri rewarded for attacking Danish Ali (BSP) for the unspeakable words he used in the Special Session of Parliament Made BJP incharge of Tonk District in Rajasthan, Muslim population in Tonk 29.25% Symbolises “hate” for political dividends!” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in an X post, said, “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ ”yeh sab hai inka bakwaas.” Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra also slammed the BJP and said Bidhuri had been “rewarded” for his remarks against a Muslim MP. “How does a showcaused person be given a new role by BJP? Narendra Modi ji, is this your Sneha Yatra for minorities, your love outreach?” she said on X.

EYE ON POLLS, CM GEHLOT ON 9-DAY WELFARE TOUR OF RAJASTHAN DISTRICTS

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot embarked on a nine-day-long journey to 18 districts under the Mission 2030 campaign on September 27 with exclusive goal of strengthening the public welfare schemes launched by the Congress government during the last few months. Gehlot took a dig at the BJP stating that as and when the BJP has come to power, it has always closed down schemes as implemented by the Congress government. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should guarantee that the Congress government’s schemes will not be discontinued if the BJP comes to power in the state. While Ashok Gehlot will stop at 50 locations enroute and engage with people and seek their invaluable visionary insights into the mission as initiative, and successfully which aims to propel Rajasthan among the top development states of India by 2030.The state government has collected 7.4 million suggestions through its Jan Kalyan App, doorstep surveys by the Congress party’s community volunteers, using a toll-free phone number, and organizing essay competitions to understand the aspirations of the people. The journey will cover Shekhawati, Marwar and Mewar regions ahead of the State Assembly election.

NO CM FACE? BJP FINDS IT TOUGH TO PUT HOUSE IN ORDER IN RAJASTHAN

The BJP is facing a tough battle to revive back power in Rajasthan as the state unit is faction-ridden. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda will take care to set the party’s house in order after reports emerged of its recent Jan Aakrosh Yatra rallies drawing thin crowds. Shah and Nadda had discussions with the party’s Rajasthan leadership on the upcoming state Assembly election, amid a buzz that many central ministers might be asked to contest. According to BJP sources, Shah and Nadda first held a meeting with former CM Vasundhara Raje. After this, the two proceeded to meet senior leaders and discussed constituencies and election strategy. Union minister and party’s election in-charge for Rajasthan Pralhad Joshi, co-in-charge Nitin Patel, party’s in-charge for Rajasthan Arun Singh, state president CP Joshi, Union ministers Gajendra Singh, Arjun Meghwal, Kailash Chaudhary, leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, and deputy leader of opposition and former state president Satish Poonia were among those present in the meeting. At the meeting, the party leadership framed a firm decision as not to project a CM face in the state during campaigning, and instead go with a combined leadership approach. This strategic move seems to be an attempt to keep regional leaders’ ambitions and rivalries in check, and reinforce the party above individual. Prominent leaders, including former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, leader of opposition in the assembly Rajendra Rathore, former Rajasthan unit chief Satish Poonia, may figure on the first candidates list. (IPA Service)

The post Rahul Bats For Caste Census Again, Says Women’s Bill Will Benefit first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Rahul Bats For Caste Census Again, Says Women’s Bill Will Benefit appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, which ought to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, unanimously. 454 Lok Sabha MPs voted in favour of ‘The Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ Bill, and two from the AIMIM voted against it. While former Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanded that the women reservation bill must be implemented immediately while pitching for OBC quota within reserved seats, as she declared her party’s support for the bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. She mentioned that the passage of the bill will “fulfill the dreams of my life partner, Rajiv Gandhi.” “The Congress party rigorously supports The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. We will be happy if the bill is passed. But I want to ask, in past 13 years, women have waited patiently for this bill. But now, our women have been asked to wait for some more years. How many years? 2, 3, 6, 8?how many years?” Gandhi asked as she opened the debate on the Bill. On the other hand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on 20 September said that he supports the bill, but lamented that the measure was ‘incomplete’ as it lacks quota for other backward classes. “It (Women’s Reservation Bill) is a big step and I am sure everybody – the treasury benches and the Opposition – in this room agrees that this is a very important step for the women of our country. There is one thing, in my view, that makes this bill incomplete. I would like to have seen OBC reservation included into this bill,” Rahul said in Lok Sabha. The Congress’ pitch also comes as the party has shunned its anti-Mandal posturing and has been off late advocating the need for a Caste Census and proportional reservation. The Congress stand would be music to the ears of parties like Samajwadi Party and RJD, which have been demanding a quota within quota for OBC women. SP chief Akhilesh said in a tweet, “Women’s quota should be a balance of gender justice and and social justice. In this, reservation for backward, Dalit, minority, tribal women should be clear in definite percentage form.” RJD’s Manoj K Jha said if the idea is to empower women, then there should be a quota within quota for OBC women too. The strong opposition by parties like SP and RJD had prompted the then UPA government not to take up the Bill in Rajya Sabha. However the demand is in sync with the larger Opposition’s caste census demand and the social justice rhetoric could become one of the potent weapon in the Opposition’s arsenal for 2024. CPI(M) and AAP welcomed the bill and wanted it’s quick implementation, while SP, RJD, JD(U) and BSP reiterated their demand for quota within quota for OBCs and minorities. Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the historic Bill that will reserve one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, following thorough debate among MPs across party lines. The Bill was passed with majority voting by all the members of the House: 215 votes in favour and no one against it.

GHOSI BYPOLL RESULTS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR BSP

The results of the recent Ghosi assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh have been a wake-up call for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which had not fielded a candidate despite the caste composition in Ghosi suiting the party. Ghosi has a Dalit population of over 22 per cent. With the BSP not in the fray, a lot of these votes came to the SP, an alarming trend for both the BJP and BSP. Some of senior BSP leaders claim that the emerging and changing dynamics of the Dalit vote may pressure the party to re-evaluate its strategy. Given the Ghosi result, the party will sooner or later have to make clear its stand on joining the INDIA alliance. But Mayawati, they felt, may take an initiative only by December after the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana. On the other hand, BSP has started empowering and strengthening the organisation by organising small cadre-based meetings at villages to expand support base within the ‘Sarv Samaj’ and trying to consolidate its Dalits and Muslim voters.

NITISH WELCOMES PASSING OF WOMEN’S BILL IN PARLIAMENT

In Bihar, JD(U) has commenced its preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Banners were put up at the JD(U) office bore slogans that sent across a message loud and clear that the party expected its Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to play a national role. While welcoming the tabling of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar not only recounted the steps taken by his government for empowerment of women in the state, but also reiterated his demand for caste census across the country. Nitish said: “We gave 50% reservation to women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in the year 2006. From 2007, we introduced 50% reservation for women in urban local bodies also. We didn’t stop at that. Since 2006, women are being given 50% reservation in primary teacher recruitment and from 2016, provision has been made for 35% reservation for women in all government jobs.” The JD(U) leader also advocated for quota within quota for the backward and extremely backward women.

DELHI BJP MAY SEE FRESH FACES FOR LOK SABHA 2024, ASSEMBLY POLLS 2025

BJP has geared up its preparation in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and likewise the Assembly elections to be held in 2025. Whispers float in Delhi BJP that Central BJP high command might change some of the candidates in Delhi. According to sources, BJP senior leader Dr Harsh Vardhan, Lok Sabha MP Gautam Gambhir and some other MP’s might lose their respective ticket for the Lok Sabha 2024 polls. Chances are that the party might move ahead by allocating tickets to new young faces.

FOR AIADMK, BREAKUP WAS ONLY OPTION; TAMIL NADU BJP IS NOW A LIABILITY

Simmering tension between the BJP-AIADMK leadership in Tamil Nadu came to the fore, as AIADMK senior leader D Jayakumar announced the breakup of the alliance, adding that any related decision would be made only before the next year’s Lok Sabha election. The AIADMK party cadre will not tolerate any criticisms alleged by BJP Tamil Nadu’s state president K Annamalai, the AIADMK organising secretary Jayakumar said. However, AIADMK had earlier passed a resolution against Annamalai when he spoke of corruption cases against AIADMK leader, the late J Jayalalithaa. “We already said if he doesn’t stop, we will have to reassess our alliance. There is no alliance.” said Jayakumar. The BJP leader, however, clarified that he did not denigrate Anna but only quoted history. “They are jealous of the growth of the BJP here,” Annamalai said. “Nobody has fallen on anyone’s feet in BJP to become a leader,” he added in an apparent reference to the sycophancy of AIADMK leaders falling on late J Jayalalithaa’s feet. While AIADMK leaders are in opinion that they had lost all elections it had fought in alliance with the BJP including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 assembly elections. Now the party has been increasingly looking at the BJP mere a liability. (IPA Service)

The post Historic Women’s Bill Clears Parliament, Opposition Wants Caste Sub-Quota first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Historic Women’s Bill Clears Parliament, Opposition Wants Caste Sub-Quota appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Which way will the Dalits go in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh? Will they turn to BSP, or vote for either of the rival blocs, I.N.D.I.A., or NDA? Dalit votes also get bifurcated on the basis of sub-castes. For example, Jatav, Pasi, Valmiki communities vote differently. Although it is believed that more than 55 percent of the votes come from the Jatav community, which has always been with Mayawati-led BSP, this time the Dalits might be looking for a better alternative in the INDIA alliance. In the last assembly elections, Dalits had voted for the BJP. However, the BJP’s defeat by the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in three of the Uttar Pradesh bypolls held since the February-March 2022 Assembly elections – involving the Ghosi and Khatauli Assembly seats and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency – signals that the ruling party could not capitalise on the Mayawati-led BSP’s absence and woo Dalit voters in these by-elections. In the recent Ghosi bypoll, SP retained the seat and SP nominee Sudhakar Singh trounced BJP’s heavyweight OBC leader Dara Singh Chauhan by 42,759 votes. Singh polled 1,24,427 votes against the BJP nominee who polled 81,668 votes. The SP got the larger share of the BSP’s Dalit votes in the constituency. While Dalits have been complaining about the economic distress caused by high inflation, unemployment, reservation, and the plight of agricultural labourers and farmers, and they also have to face caste oppression, and above all the administration never supports them. The community accounts for 21 per cent of the voting population in UP and are going to have a big effect in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Political observers feel that Mayawati continues to rely heavily on the consolidation of Jatav sub-caste, which accounts for around 55% of the total Dalit population. Experts said that Dalits had earlier been supportive of Congress, until BSP emerged as a political force under the leadership of its founder Kanshi Ram in early 1990s. Meanwhile, Congress thinktank is formulating plans to field party stalwarts from the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge might contest from Bijnor or Saharanpur to help it regain its hold on Dalit votes, and it will also help the INDIA alliance. There is a growing belief in the party that the BSP chief Mayawati’s charisma and hold over Dalits (primarily Jatavs) is gradually fading and waning. Kharge would contest both from his traditional seat in Karnataka and a seat in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will fight from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi might be fielded from Raebareli or Varanasi. The political buzz is that due to the reservation and caste census issue, unemployment and price rise, the BJP’s ground seems to be slipping in western Uttar Pradesh and Dalit voters also are keen to join this campaign.

WILL NITISH KUMAR CONTEST LOK SABHA POLLS FROM A KURMI-MAJORITY SEAT?

INDIA alliance leaders share the view that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar should contest from the Kurmi-dominated seats of Phulpur or Mirzapur in the 2024 general elections. Nitish belongs to the Kurmi OBC community, and the INDIA bloc partners SP and Congress comprehensively hope to cash in on this to reach out to OBCs in Uttar Pradesh. Kurmis seem to have the potential to determine the electoral outcome in several seats in UP as they are the second most influential OBC segment in the state. Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United) leaders from Bihar projected Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the Prime Ministerial candidate for 2024. It was noticed during a meeting, which was convened by Nitish Kumar at his official residence where 534 block presidents of the party marked their attendance. Before the meeting, the block presidents raised the slogans of ‘Desh ka Pradhan mantri kaisa ho, Nitish Kumar jaisa ho’ (What sort of Prime Minister must the country see, of the sort that Nitish Kumar be) and chanted it several times. After the meeting, the block presidents said Nitish Kumar asked them to strengthen and empowered the party at the block level to win all 40 Lok Sabha seats, apart from spreading the word about the development work done by the government.

BOTH CONGRESS, BRS VIE FOR TELANGANA; PROMISE GOOD GOVERANCE

With both the Congress and the BRS vying for the Muslim votes outside Hyderabad, where AIMIM does not contest, BRS MLC K Kavitha tried to influence and woo the minority voters citing out the development work done by her party. Kavitha caution the minority electorate saying “Don’t be misled by their sweet words. This is because the Congress is a party of deceivers.” Kavitha has said Telangana is “number one” in all sectors as the state is under Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao’s governance. On the other hand, Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting will be conducted in Hyderabad on September 16-17, and it will not only set the agenda for national politics but also lay the road map for five election-bound states, including Telangana. Congress is expected to go ahead with announcement on the five poll guarantees in the lines of earlier Karnataka election. The party had reaped the benefits of promising certain schemes for women and the poor when it was voted to power in the neighbouring state. Hoping to create the same impact and to replicate the success, the Congress leadership is also expected to make announcements about subsidised LPG cylinders, loan waivers for farmers as well as free bus rides for women.

COULD MAMATA BE THE FACE OF I.N.D.I.A. PRIME MINISTERIAL LEADERSHIP?

Who will be I.N.D.I.A bloc’s prime ministerial candidate? The political buzz says that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi are in the race to face off Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if she was going to lead the Opposition alliance, INDIA. The Trinamool Congress chief was surprised and answered: “It depends on the people. If people support us, we can be in position (power) tomorrow.” Mamata Banerjee met Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe at Dubai airport and invited him to the state business summit in November. The West Bengal Chief Minister is on a 12-day trip to Dubai and Spain. “His Excellency, the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe saw me at the Dubai International Airport Lounge and called me to join for some discussion. I have been humbled by his greetings and (have) invited him to the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata,” Mamata Banerjee posted on X (formerly Twitter). However, the opposition INDIA bloc has exuded confidence that it would provide a formidable alternative to bring political change in the country and asserted that it has several prime ministerial faces against BJP’s only one.

I.N.D.I.A.’S BOYCOTT OF HATE-MONGERING ANCHORS LAUDED AMONG SECULARS

Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc has taken a bold decision not to participate in the prime time debates hosted by 14 television anchors, who are seen closer to the ruling BJP and who have a history of spreading fake news, indulging in communal hate as well as blindly parroting government talking points. “Pursuant to the decision taken by the INDIA Coordination Committee in its meeting on September 13, the INDIA parties will not send their representatives on the shows and events of following anchors,” said a printed card posted by chief of Congress’ media and publicity wing Pawan Khera on X (formerly Twitter). The names in alphabetical order are of: Aditi Tyagi (Bharat Express), Aman Chopra (News18 India), Amish Devgan (News18 India), Anand Narasimhan (News 18), Arnab Goswami (Republic), Chitra Tripathi (Aaj Tak), Gaurav Sawant (Aaj Tak), Navika Kumar (Times Now / Nav Bharat), Praci Parashar (India News), Rubika Liaquat (Bharat 24), Shiv Aroor (India Today), Sudhir Chudhary (Aaj Tak) and Sushant Sinha (Times Now / Nav Bharat). The decision has invited rapturous applause from many in the civil society as well as media fraternity, while also garnering brickbats from BJP ministers and some senior media personalities.

I.N.D.I.A. COMMITTEE MEETS AT PAWAR RESIDENCE, BACKS CASTE CENSUS

The first meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s coordination committee was held in New Delhi on Wednesday, at NCP senior leader Sharad Pawar’s residence, and was attended by 12 member parties. It has then been decided that the first joint rally of the Opposition bloc would be held in Bhopal, in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. In the first week of October, as part of its strategic plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the constituent parties begin seat-sharing talks. INDIA bloc has also agreed to take up the issue of caste census. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who was called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning, skipped the meeting on Wednesday. Others who were not present included Hemant Soren and Lalan Singh of JD(U). The meeting at Pawar’s residence was attended by K C Venugopal (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena – UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Raghav Chaddha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Sanjay Jha (JD-U), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (NC ), and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP). (IPA Service)

The post All Eyes On Dalit Voters In Uttar Pradesh In 2024 Lok Sabha Polls first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article All Eyes On Dalit Voters In Uttar Pradesh In 2024 Lok Sabha Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The race has finally begun on who would be the I.N.D.I.A. alliance prime ministerial candidate. The current political buzz says that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi are the top potential candidates for the formidable job of taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha polls 2024. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar has reiterated that he has no wish to become PM himself, saying: “I have been maintaining it since the beginning that I have no desire for myself…I have no personal ambitions… mujhe kuch nahi chahiye (I don’t want any post). Somebody else could be given the responsibility (i.e., the convener post). My only wish is to unite the maximum number of parties (opposed to BJP) before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. I am working only in this direction.” On the other hand, Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot’s has announced that Rahul Gandhi would be the prime ministerial candidate for the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, although no formal backing for the declaration has come about yet from the Congress party. Similarly, the AAP has pitched for Arvind Kejriwal as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition bloc, saying he had given a development model that the entire country could benefit from. Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has said that every AAP member wants Kejriwal for the prime minister’s post, but a decision on it would be finalised by all the members of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. So far, the bloc has exuded confidence that it would provide a formidable alternative to bring political change in the country, asserting that it has several prime ministerial faces against BJP’s only one. The opposition alliance has also expanded its ambit to 28 parties by including two regional outfits, the Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWP), a Marxist political party in Maharashtra, and another regional outfit.

CONGRESS COURTS JAGAN REDDY’S SISTER, SHARMILA, FOR ANDHRA ROLE

Ahead of assembly elections in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s estranged sister, YS Sharmila, who formed her own party – Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Telangana Party – two years ago, has acknowledged to be in communication with Congress for a merger. An indication of merger or a possible alliance came to the fore when Sharmila made consecutive meetings with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar since the Congress party stormed to power in the neighbouring state. While Sharmila is keen to carve out a political space for herself in Telangana, the Congress seems to be firm that she should focus on Andhra Pradesh. But that would pit her against her brother. The buzz is that Sharmila has met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and the forthcoming days are expected to shed light on whether the Congress strategy will work and answer the question if the grand old party would accept the conditions set by Sharmila.

NADDA, SHAH TO FLAG OFF BJP’S ‘PARIVARTAN YATRA’ IN RAJASTHAN

Preparing to compete with the Congress in the Rajasthan Assembly elections, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off and begin the first two legs of the party’s Parivartan Yatra in poll-bound Rajasthan on 2 and 3 September, respectively, and will likely end on 25 September followed by a public meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jaipur. On 2 September, BJP president J.P. Nadda at Trinetra Ganesha Temple in Sawai Madhopur will flag off the first leg of the yatra. Covering a distance of 1,847 km across 47 assembly constituencies, it will conclude in Jaipur. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the second leg at Beneshwar Dham in Dungarpur on 3 September. This leg will cover 2,433 km across 52 assembly constituencies before ending in Kota city. Meanwhile, the party is also undecided on how two-time chief minister Vasundhara Raje is to be projected in the election campaign. The anti-Raje camp in the state BJP has been pushing for projecting a collective leadership to the electorate in the hope that this will keep the arena of opportunity open for several chief ministerial contenders like Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Satish Poonia and Arjun Ram Meghwal. While Poonia’s appointment was seen as the central leadership’s way of checking Raje’s dominance. Raje is bracing for a fight to project herself as a CM face for the BJP and a slogan has been creating a buzz in Rajasthan “Kahodil se, Vasundhara phir se”. But by picking national leaders to launch the pre poll yatra, the BJP hopes to project unity and keep individual aspirations in the state in check.

PRASHANT KISHOR REBUKES JDU-RJD ALLIANCE, SAYS RELEVANT ONLY IN BIHAR

Poll consultant Prashant Kishor who is on a padyatra and inching closer to framing a political party of his own, will contest polls in home state Bihar. Kishor embarked on his yatra from Mahatma Gandhi’s Bhitiharwa Ashram in the West Champaran district on October 2, 2022, as a part of his Jan Suraaj campaign. He walked over 2,600km through West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali districts and Samastipur district. Kishor has also launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, questioning his claims and political decisions. Kishor mocked both JD(U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over their participation in the joint opposition alliance to take on the ruling BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha polls. Prashant Kishor wondered what role a party with 0 Lok Sabha MPs (RJD) and a leader who’s losing foothold in his own state (Kumar) would play in deciding who runs the country after the 2024 general elections. He reiterated that Bihar’s ruling Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) is relevant only to the state, and does not matter in national politics.

RAJINI MOCKED FOR TOUCHING YOGI’S FEET, SUPERSTAR SAYS IT’S RESPECT

A taunt to Tamil superstar Rajinikanth after he touched the feet of the UP CM Yogi Adityanath by Kerala minister V Sivankutty joined the growing online banter against the Thalaiva. “A bit of stretching and bending is always good for health, however, the way our superstar has bent in front of someone like Yogi, that could have easily broken his back, he should have been careful,” said Sivankutty in a Facebook post. He posted his statements with the hashtags#hukum, #jailer. The image has taken the internet by storm with people giving mixed reactions to Rajini’s strange gesture. While a section of people praised the superstar, a few among the netizens have termed his act ‘a farce’. On the other hand, the actor put an end to the controversy by maintaining it was his long-held practice of respecting a yogi or a sanyasi by falling at their feet. “It is my habit to touch the feet of Yogis or Sanyasis and take their blessings, even if they are younger to me, I have done that only,” said Rajinikanth.

SP DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MAURYA’S ‘HINDUISM IS A HOAX’ COMMENT

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has initiated strategic preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to emphasize the party cadres and to rejuvenate the politics of social justice, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav has reiterated the need for caste census, and that it should not be overshadowed by nationalism, which is a separate issue. SP general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya has raked up another controversy by trading questions at the Hindu religion itself and targeting Brahmanism. Maurya has critiqued ‘Brahmanism’ and called Hinduism “deceitful” and “a hoax.” Posting a video on X/Twitter of a speech he made at an event in Lucknow, Maurya wrote: “The roots of Brahminism are very deep and the reason behind all the disparity is also Brahminism. There is no religion called Hindu, Hinduism is just a hoax. There is a conspiracy to trap Dalits, tribals and backward people of this nation by calling the same Brahmin religion as Hindu religion. If there was a Hindu religion then tribals, Dalits, and backward people would have been respected but what an irony.” The Samajwadi Party has distanced itself from Maurya’s comments. (IPA Service)

The post We Have Many Prime Ministerial Candidates, NDA Has Just One: I.N.D.I.A. first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article We Have Many Prime Ministerial Candidates, NDA Has Just One: I.N.D.I.A. appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The Delhi unit of the Congress is in a bind, with its own party leaders putting the blame on it for not being able to effectively counter the ruling AAP on important issues. The grand old party is all set to give its Delhi unit a new chief, with the hope that the change would bring back its lost fortunes in the state. The names of prospective candidates for the crucial post doing the rounds are of Sandeep Dikshit, Devendra Yadav and Alka Lamba. According to sources, the chance for Devendra Yadav to attain the position is seemingly higher. Meanwhile, before the third meeting of the INDIA alliance, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress crossed swords in the national capital over contesting the Lok Sabha elections together in the city. Regarding the possibility of an alliance between them for 2024, representatives from the state units of both parties said the ball was firmly in the respective courts of their national leaders. Following an emergency organisational meeting presided over by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and organisation general secretary KC Venugopal with Delhi unit leaders. Congress leader Alka Lamba said: “In the three-hour-long meeting, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge ji, KC Venugopal and Deepak Babariaji were present. We have been asked to prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It has been decided that we will prepare to contest all seven seats. Seven months are left and all the party workers have been asked to prepare for all seven seats.” This immediately received a strong reaction from the AAP, which said that it would have to take a call on whether it should attend the Mumbai meeting in the wake of the comments. The Congress got into damage control mode following the AAP retort and insisted that the meeting did not discuss the issue of alliance with the AAP. Its advice to the AAP was that it should not fall into the trap set by “BJP-leading media”.

FUTURE OF MVA UNCERTAIN AFTER SHARAD PAWAR’S MEETINGS WITH AJIT

Days after Ajit Pawar’s interaction with uncle Sharad Pawar at an industrialist’s house in Pune triggered political speculations over a new alignment in the Maharashtra political scenario, the Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have respectively started taking stock of all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Pawar’s repeated meetings with his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, despite the latter splitting the NCP last month to align with the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde government, has prompted the Sena (UBT) and the Congress to suspect that Pawar senior’s faction may ally with the BJP in the future, despite his denials of it. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that while the NCP chief’s meetings with Mr. Ajit Pawar had certainly been a cause of concern for the future of the MVA alliance, the party top brass would only take decision on the matter. The Congress has already appointed observers to the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra to study every segment and submit a report to the party high command. In the lined up strategy, the party has also decided to launch a foot-march (padayatra), which commenced from August 16 and will continue till August 31. On the other hand, Supriya Sule reacted to the reports and said: “No one has offered me anything nor had a conversation with me…You should ask them (Maharashtra Congress leaders) why they are giving such statements. I have no idea. I am personally in touch with the senior Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Gaurav Gogoi but I am not in touch with their leaders in Maharashtra.” The third meeting of the opposition alliance is scheduled to take place in Mumbai in September. However, Sharad Pawar said: “The INDIA’s meeting will happen in Mumbai and we will successfully plan it. We will figure out the strategy to fight the BJP, who are dividing communities and people.”

SAMAJWADI PARTY REJIGS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WITH EYE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has commenced its strategic preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to galvanise the party cadres and to revive the politics of social justice, the SP reframed its Uttar Pradesh state executive committee and has ceded more space to non-Yadav OBC leaders. In the newly constituted 182-member state executive, which was dissolved after the party failed to defeat the BJP in the last year’s Assembly elections, 30 of the 70 office-bearers belong to non-Yadav OBCs, while only five Yadav leaders have made the cut. Even the number of Scheduled Castes, 8, is more than that of Yadavs. While there are five Brahmin leaders among the office bearers, two are from the Scheduled Tribes. The party has also inducted 12 Muslims in the list, a prominent representation, which is seen as an attempt to seize the drifting of Muslim votes to other parties. The state executive committee comprises 70 office-bearers, 48 members and 62 special invited members. The team of office bearers led by party state unit president Naresh Uttam Patel, has four vice-presidents, three general secretaries, 61 secretaries, and one treasurer. However, party insiders called Yadav’s new team signaling an attempt to woo the Other Backward Case (OBC) and Schedule Caste (SC) voters. Besides, they called it an attempt to handle a fresh poll tactic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is on a spree to woo OBC and SC voters.

KCR PITCHES ‘TELANGANA WELFARE STATE MODEL’ FOR NATIONAL ROLE BID

The BRS is emphasizing more on the preparation for crucial assembly elections in Telangana. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has faith that his party will succeed in winning the support of women, farmers, and marginalised groups with various welfare schemes that can be replicated at the national level. KCR has showcased himself as a pro-farmer leader and reached out to people by pitching the “Telangana good governance model” in a bid to venture into national politics, and effectively take on both the BJP and Congress. KCR has also waived farm loans up to Rs 1 lakh in the state, saying that he was freeing farmers of their debt burden on the occasion of Independence Day. The Chief Minister said farmers who took loan of less than Rs 1 lakh will be freed from debt burden and has ordered to repay loan amount upto Rs 99,999 to the banks. Echoing the slogan ‘What Telangana Does, Nation Follows’, CM KCR said that the state made giant strides in a short span due to the BRS government’s vision, commitment and intellectual support.

CONGRESS SUPPORTS CPI(M) CANDIDATES FOR TRIPURA BYPOLLS ON SEPT 5

A by-election for two assembly seats in Tripura seems to have caused rift in the INDIA alliance due to CPI-M’s unilateral candidate announcement. However, CPI(M) candidates Kaushik Chanda, contesting from Dhanpur, and Mizan Hussain from Boxanagar, both have submitted nomination papers for the September 5 by-election. Mizan is the son of CPI(M) leader Samsul Haque, whose death has led to the by-election at Boxanagar. Meanwhile, Congress has formally announced support for CPI(M) candidates. Congress contested the February 2023 assembly elections in alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front. On the other hand, BJP announced the names of its candidates for by-elections in two assembly constituencies, Boxanagar and Dhanpur, both in Tripura’s Sepahijala district. Tafajjal Hussain’s nomination in Boxanagar was expected, but the selection of Bindu Debnath from Dhanpur came as a surprise, since senior party leaders, namely former Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman, state BJP president Rajiv Bhattacharjee and former MLA Subal Bhowmik, have been the aspirants. (IPA Service)

The post AAP, Congress Face Off Over Seven Delhi Seats For Lok Sabha 2024 first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article AAP, Congress Face Off Over Seven Delhi Seats For Lok Sabha 2024 appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is once again in the spotlight. He received immense welcome after being reinstated as the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, Kerala, with the slogans of “Na Darenge, Na Jhukenge” and “NafratHatao, Bharat Jodo” being heard at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge distributed sweets among leaders of the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. during a meeting in his chamber, ahead of the commencement of the House proceedings. In a tweet, Kharge said: “The decision to reinstate Shri @RahulGandhi as an MP is a welcome step. It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad. Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders.” Gandhi, meanwhile, led the charge against PM Modi on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha when he said: “You are putting the entire country in flames. First it was Manipur, now it is Haryana. You want to burn down the whole country.” In the fiercest attack yet on Modi and the central government, Rahul Gandhi charged Modi with “murdering India in Manipur”. He said: “The truth is Manipur has been divided into two parts. Manipur does not exist anymore.” The second leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is set to start from Gujarat and extend to the northeastern state of Meghalaya. The party is chalking out a route plan for the yatra and is likely to start on 2nd October at Porbandar.

KAMAL NATH-LED CONGRESS SINGSSOFT  HINDUTVA TUNE IN MADHYA PRADESH

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has been inclined towards using soft Hindutva to counter the BJP’s advantage and avoid being labeled as an ‘anti-Hindu party’. By doing so, they seek to protect themselves from accusations and maintain a positive image among the Hindu population. Congress MP and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Nath said that as 82% of people in the nation were Hindus, India was already a Hindu Rashtra. He said this while referring to the self-styled godman DhirendraShastri’s demands for a Hindu Rashtra.Nath added that there should be no debate on the matter as it’s an established fact backed by data. On the other hand, RJD veteran Shivanand Tiwari criticised Congress MP Nakul Kamal Nath for hosting DhirendraShastri in Chhindwara, alleging that the BageshwarDham chief has been openly advocating for turning India into a Hindu Rashtra.”We have been opposing Shastri for his Hindutva agenda. Our country is governed by the Constitution, not any other ideology,” said Tiwari.

FARMERS OF MAHARASHTRA RALLY BEHIND KCR’S KEY POLICIES

Farmers of Maharashtra, who gathered in large numbers at Islampur in Sangli district, offered their support to the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) and its slogan of ‘Ab Ki Baar, Kisan Sarkar’. The speakers emphasised that Telangana under the leadership of CM K Chandrashekhar Rao had received a major turnaround in key sectors such as agriculture, irrigation and power in a short span. Farmers, who were enjoying the favour of the State government with the implementation of RythuBandhu, RythuBima, free power and extension of irrigation facilities to all their land holdings with the construction of major projects such as Kaleshwaram, were a happy lot. While BRS supremo KCR said that if the pink party wins all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and the 17 in Telangana, no party could form the next government at the Centre without the support of these 65 MPs.

CM GEHLOT IN FAVOUR OF CASTE CENSUS FOR EFFECTIVE SOCIAL JUSTICE

In a bid to emphasize the politics of social justice before the assembly elections in the state and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced that his government is in favour of conducting a caste census and will be moving towards raising the OBC quota by 6% from 21% to 27%, a move focused at consolidating the Congress party’s position in the OBC vote bank. The OBC population in Rajasthan is just over 50%. He said that the caste census will provide aid to identify the most backward castes and will perhaps see that they get the benefits of reservation. Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress Rahul Gandhi had demanded that the Union government should seek for a caste census immediately. Kharge has written to PM Narendra Modi on the topic, while Rahul Gandhi has demanded that the government frame the 2011 data on castes public and lift the 50 per cent cap on reservation for the backwards classes. Currently, Rajasthan has a reservation of 64%, with 21% for OBCs, 16% for SCs, 12% for STs, 10% for EWS, and 5% for MBCs.CM Gehlot also announced the “Indira Gandhi Free Smartphone Yojana 2023”, an initiative focused solely with an aim of providing free smartphones to around 40 lakh women, along with free internet and voice call services.

AKHILESH YADAV, MAYAWATI RAISE DEMAND FOR CASTE-BASED CENSUS

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP and Samajwadi Party have commenced preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to galvanise the party cadres and to revive the politics of social justice, Samajwadi Party has instructed senior leaders among its ranks, especially the backward cell, to conduct village-level meetings to impart people about the need for caste census for inclusive growth. On the other hand, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Chief Mayawati too, has made the demand for caste-based census. She cornered the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh and the Union government, saying that even though the demand for caste based census is picking up everywhere, the BJP is busy dodging it. She said that such a census should be conducted at an all-India level, as it is necessary for the development of every section of the society. The issue of caste census, like the implementation of the recommendation of the Mandal Commission, is not only an conducive matter of politics, but also of social justice, said Mayawati.

WITH EYE ON 2024, PRIYANKA’S NEW ROLE AS BRIDGE-BUILDER FOR RAHUL LIKELY

The grapevine is that Congress general secretary in-charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is likely to attain a new assignment in the party. Priyanka may need to discontinue her role of UP in charge and focus on other states. She had already paid visit to places such as Jabalpur and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and received tremendous response. In case Priyanka is relieved of her UP role, the name of the veteran Tariq Anwar is doing the rounds as her possible replacement. While Priyanka will be made general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh and will play a prominent role in the party’s campaigns in elections later this year, analysts feel that Congress will have to offer Priyanka Gandhi a more prominent role to get into contact with those leaders who are actually not in sync with Rahul Gandhi. (IPA Service)

The post Rahul Back In Lok Sabha, Accuses Modi Of Destroying The Country first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Rahul Back In Lok Sabha, Accuses Modi Of Destroying The Country appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Post Karnataka victory and the success of Bharat Jodo Yatra, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s personal stature has grown remarkably and he emerged as the opposition face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bharat Jodo Yatra’s message of love and fraternity has emerged as the alternative vision with which to defeat the BJP. Before the start of the second edition of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul had paid visit to Azadpur Mandi, one of Asia’s biggest vegetable wholesale markets, in the wake of soaring prices of eatables. He interacted with the vegetable sellers in the market. His visit to Azadpur Mandi has been vital as it comes amid soaring prices of vegetables. Several vegetable varieties are being sold at over Rs 100 per kilogram. Even tomatoes are being sold at over Rs 200 per kg in several areas of the national capital. His visit last month to the farm fields in Haryana’s Sonepat, where he even sowed the paddy samplings and invited the women farmers at his residence over lunch, got a lot of praise from all quarters. He took a truck ride from Haryana’s Murthal to Ambala in May to comprehend the problems faced by the truck drivers. Rahul met gig workers in Karnataka’s Bengaluru and also drove on a scooty with a delivery partner. He visited Delhi University’s PG men’s hostel for lunch with students. Later, visited Mukherjee Nagar area of Delhi to interact with the UPSC aspirants and also travelled to Jama Masjid and Bengali Market area in April this year. While Rahul had been travelling in the capacity of an individual and as the one who’s no longer a Member of Parliament, nor the Leader of the Opposition, even then he has been receiving immense veneration and response from everyone he has interacted with. Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the conviction in the Modi surname defamation case, his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP is also nullified, giving him back his full stature as an elected member of the Parliament and clearing his way to contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

WHOSE SIDE IS SHARAD PAWAR ON? PERPLEXED ALLIES DOUBTING NCP BOSS

NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s strange gesture at the event where he shared a stage and shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was honoured with the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award, has been raising eyebrows. His decision to attend the event with BJP has led the opposition parties such as Congress, Shiv Sena to express displeasure, as according to them, it would deliver a wrong message to people. At a time when oppositional fronts like the national-level I.N.D.I.A., Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, are fighting against BJP on all political fronts, Pawar’s gesture has been perplexing for many. Shiv Sena (UBT) said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar could have refused, or turned his back on the event, to clear doubts about him among those who have taken a dim view of it. The grapevine is that most opposition parties hold an opinion that Sharad Pawar is out of the race for opposition candidate for the post of the Prime Minister. Now Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi are the front-runners for the top candidature. However, Sharad Pawar is no longer Shiv Sena UBT’s political mentor; he is devoted to and focused on the political fortune of his nephew Ajit Pawar. Whispers abound that Sharad Pawar is working to install nephew Ajit Pawar, currently the deputy CM, as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and that both of them have been playing the long game.

KCR FOCUSSED ON TELANGANA WELFARE SCHEMES, TO GO SOLO IN 2024

In yet another attempt to attract the voters ahead of Telangana Assembly elections, the BRS government has decided to complete farm loan waiver, which it had promised in the previous elections. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has instructed the officials to resume loan waiver from August 3 and also given the deadline to complete it in one and a half months. He said that, after the already waived loans, it required another Rs 19,000 crore for the waiver of pending farm loans. KCR stated that the government is rigorously implementing schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bheema, free electricity supply and irrigation water for farmers. He is quite firm about the fact that despite all the barriers and difficulties, there is no question of neglecting the welfare of farmers and development of agriculture. Meanwhile, KCR also .clarified that his party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will not support either the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance or the Opposition’s newly formed I.N.D.I.A. or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha.

NITISH’S UNITY MARCH IN BIHAR TO RESONATE WITH MUSLIMS, DALITS, OBCS

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, JD(U) has embarked on a yatra across Bihar with the aim of social unity and communal harmony in a major outreach to the voters, with prime focus on those belonging to the minority community. The yatra, called “Karwan-e-Ittehad aur Bhaichara Yatra” (march for unity and brotherhood), commenced from Narkatiaganj in West Champaran on 1 August. The nearly month-long yatra would cover 27 of Bihar’s 38 districts, which have sizeable Muslim population. Led by JD (U) MLC Khalid Anwar and yatra seems to be emphasizing at positioning Nitish at the national level as a possible prime ministerial face for the 2024 polls. The yatra will cover many districts of North Bihar, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi and Siwan. It will also traverse the Mithilanchal belt of Darbhanga and Madhubani, passing through the districts of Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria and Purnia in Semanchal, which account for more than 40 per cent Muslim population. While JDU flag will not be used in the yatra instead they will make use of pictures of Gandhi, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Vallabhbhai Patel, Abul Kalam Azad and Nitish, besides a slogan “Tareekh ko bachayein, Nitish Kumar ke saath aayein” (Save the history, come with Nitish Kumar).

JD(S) SPLIT OVER 2024: DEVE GOWDA SAYS GO SOLO, KUMARASWAMY COURTS BJP

JD(S) leader and Karnataka’s former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is in dilemma just after he announced his party’s decision to work together with the BJP as an opposition, in the interest of the state. However, party supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had quashed of any alliance with the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024, saying that the JDS will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha poll independently and there is no question of joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).The party emphasises on consolidating its strength and make a significant impact in the political arena and keep its option open till the last moment.

EYE ON 2024, CONGRESS WOOS BIG TRIBAL POPULATION IN MADHYA PRADESH

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress has commenced preparations for the assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to woo 21% tribal vote in Madhya Pradesh, Congress has put forth the name of the prominent tribal leader and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria as the head of its state election campaign committee. The 73-year-old belongs to the Bhil tribe, the largest tribe in Madhya Pradesh, and was a minister in the Manmohan Singh government at the centre from 2004-2011. The scheduled tribe population In Madhya Pradesh largely consists of the Bhil, Gond, Bhilala, Kol, Korku, Baiga, Saharia, and Bharia tribes. They account for 21% of total electors and are the second largest such group, trailing only the OBC voters, who make up over 50% of electors. The 34-member election campaign committee headed by Bhuria will also have former chief minister Kamal Nath, his son and Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and his brother Laxman Singh, Leader of Opposition Dr Govind Singh, former state Congress chiefs Arun Yadav and Suresh Pachauri, and Rajya Sabha MPs Vivek Tankha and Rajmani Patel as its members While Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala has been appointed as senior poll observer, Mumbai Congress in-charge Chandrakant Handore is the observer for the election preparations. (IPA Service)

The post Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Is MP Again After Conviction Stayed By SC first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The article Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Is MP Again After Conviction Stayed By SC appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The Lok Sabha has seen a no-trust motion being filed against the Narendra Modi-led government by the Congress and BRS to apply pressure on the ruling BJP over the Manipur issue, and it was accepted by the Lower house. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he would like to discuss the matter with floor leaders and assign a stipulated date and time for measuring up the motion. The notice for the motion, moved by Congress deputy leader of the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, was taken up for a vote and was backed by the Congress, DMK, TMC, BRS, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JD(U) and Left parties. While Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) Nama Nageswara Rao had also given notice to move a no-confidence motion against the government. The K Chandrashekhar Rao-led BRS has nine MPs and is not part of the ‘I.N.D.I.A’ coalition. This move has come about in the midst of the ongoing parliamentary impasse over the ethnic clashes in Manipur that have led to the death of over 100 people, with thousands displaced. The conflict, and the government’s inability to end it even after three months of violence, has been an important reason for the continuous logjam in both houses of Parliament since the monsoon session began on July 20. While the opposition parties’ no-confidence motion is expected to fail in terms of numbers, they argue that they can still win the perception battle by focusing on the Manipur issue during the debate. Meanwhile, BRS’s strategy indicates that KCR might be preparing ground for an alliance with Congress in the near future, but a transparent picture would emerge only after the outcome of the Telangana assembly elections.

SP’S UP ALLIANCE WITH BHIM ARMY CHIEF IN THE PIPELINE, TALKS WITH CONGRESS LIKELY

Samajwadi Party’s national president Akhilesh Yadav is likely to lead the Mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, there has been talk of an alliance between SP and Azad Samaj Party founder and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad who has been working for the cause of Dalit welfare and has great influence in belts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor and adjoining areas. The buzz is that SP might offer two seats to Azad Samaj Party and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad may fight the Lok Sabha elections from Bijnor. However, the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru has given rise to   some  indications of Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies – the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Apna Dal (K)  exploring possibility of  joining hands with the Congress.

SONIA GANDHI MEETING SANJAY SINGH SIGNALS NEW CONGRESS-AAP BONHOMIE

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi met AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who has been sitting in protest in the Parliament campus near the Mahatma Gandhi statue. During her interaction, she told him that the Congress lends him full support. This gesture has been seen as a fresh sign of the new bonhomie between the two parties. Members of the INDIA alliance campaigned outside the Parliament, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official statement on the Manipur issue in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Sanjay Singh had been suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the rest of the session during the Opposition protests on Manipur, which led to the sit-in protest. He was joined by MPs from AAP and other opposition parties, many of whom were seen holding ‘INDIA for Manipur’ placards. Sanjay Singh’s restoration to the upper house is also one of the demands of the protesters, and Singh has attained the support of nearly all opposition leaders. It includes Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as the NCP chief Sharad Pawar,

BRS EYES WINNING TELANGANA ASSEMBLY POLLS, COURTS BHIM ARMY CHIEF

The BRS is emphasizing more on the preparation for crucial assembly elections in Telangana. The CM KC Rao-led Telangana government launched a new welfare scheme with the aim to extend financial assistance to the eligible Backward Classes (BCs) beneficiaries. This Economic Support Scheme with 100 per cent subsidy’ proposes to provide a one-time financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to one member of the BC beneficiary family. The government on July 23 extended the scheme to Muslims and Christians too. BRS is now concentrating on strengthening its support among BCs and minorities. Meanwhile BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Thursday told that the people of Telangana would extend their support to Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad in his demand for naming the new Parliament Building after BR Ambedkar and also installing his statue on the premises. The Bhim Army chief, who is in the city on a two-day visit, paid a courtesy call on Kalvakuntla Kavitha. During their one-hour meeting, they discussed their political strategies and the programmes which were being undertaken by the State government for the Bahujans and Dalits in Telangana. They visited the 125-foot statue of Ambedkar near the Secretariat, where they paid floral tributes. They also paid homage and tribute to the Telangana Martyrs at Amara Jyoti.

CONGRESS FOCUSES ON TRIBALS, DALITS, WOMEN TO RETAKE MADHYA PRADESH

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress has commenced the preparations for the assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to promote and highlight the party cadres and to revive the politics of social justice, the state Congress president Kamal Nath has promised a census of OBCs if the party attains power. He was addressing OBC mega convention (maha sammelan) in the city, which saw participation of about 40 different castes. Kamal Nath said the BJP-led state government did not conduct caste-based census as its motives would be exposed. “Congress is the party, which gave 27% reservation to OBCs. We will conduct caste-based census in the state to know the facts. Welfare schemes and policies will be formulated accordingly,” he added. On the other hand, Congress is emphasizing more on Bundelkhand, Malwa and Vindhya region. The Congress is eyeing women voters and the former CM announced that if his party leads and forms the government again in Madhya Pradesh in the state assembly election scheduled later this year, a financial aid of Rs. 18,000 per year would be given to women and it would be largest ‘women empowerment scheme of the world’. Congress is also shifting campaign slots in MP by planning to organize at least half-a-dozen rallies by August-end to be addressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. As per strategy, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead the party’s poll campaign in urban areas and Rahul Gandhi will focus on the tribal, Dalit and rural areas. In the state, the tribal and Dalit classes have been considered the focus of power, because 47 seats are reserved for the tribals, while 35 seats are reserved for the scheduled castes. These two classes account for about 37 per cent of the state’s population and will go on to influence elections in a big way. (IPA Service)

The post No-Confidence Motion On Manipur Brings BRS, Congress On Same Table first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article No-Confidence Motion On Manipur Brings BRS, Congress On Same Table appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The latest political buzz is that the SamajwadiParty is likely to lead the Mahagathbandhan in Uttar Pradesh. While talk of an alliance has been recurrent, the major difference this time is the interaction between the opposition parties in Bengaluru,which gave clear indications of Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies – the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Apna Dal (K) –  joining hands with the Congress. SP President Akhilesh Yadav, who will be the lead player in INDIA vs. NDA contest in the Uttar Pradesh battleground, signed off the 26 parties’ meeting, calling it the Bengaluru Revolution. JayantChaudhary wrote: “Bharat will emerge stronger when the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance wins!.”. “Hamara INDIA jeetega (Our INDIA will win),” tweeted the RLD. It’s the first time the SP, under the leadership of Akhilesh, has entered a national alliance. With subsequent meetings of the alliance partners, more contours of INDIA in UP, and also nationally – like a common minimum programme (CMP) and seat sharing formula –will come into sharp relief.

KCR PITCHES ‘TELANGANA MODEL’ WITH AN EYE ON BIGGER NATIONAL ROLE

The BRS is preparating well for the crucial assembly elections in Telangana. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Raostrongly believes that his party would attain success in winning the support and favour of women, farmers, and marginalised groups with various welfare schemes, that can be replicated at the national level. KCR has projected himself as a pro-farmer leader, pitching the “Telangana good governance model” to for his expected foray into national politics to take on the BJP and Congress.Telangana goes to the polls in November-December this year. If the Bharat Rashtra Samithi defeats the Congress and BJP in the assembly polls, then KCR is likely to use the victory as an endorsement of his brand of politics to highlight himself as a strong leader at the national level and also at the same time as a contender for the PM job.

BSP TO FOCUS ON DALIT-MUSLIM VOTERS, STAYS AWAY FROM COALITIONS

The BSP is strategically following a Dalit-Muslim formula and BSP Supremo Mayawati declared that her party will go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as in Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. BSP was open to tie-ups with regional parties in Punjab and Haryana, conditionally if they have no truck with the ruling NDA alliance or the newly formed opposition coalition ‘INDIA’. Mayawatiexplained her stance: “These parties don’t work for the welfare of the people. They have not done anything for Dalits, Muslims, and minorities. All are the same. When they come to power, they forget their promises. They have not fulfilled a single promise made to be the people. Be it Congress or be it BJP. This is the biggest reason why BSP has not joined hands with the opposition”. BSP was carrying out closed-door meetings of party workers across the country, in order to regain base among the Dalits and the Muslims. In 2022 assembly elections, BSP registered its worst UP assembly elections defeat in terms of seats, winning only one seat in the 403-member House and garnering just 12.8 % votes.

LEFT WON’T ALLY WITH TMC IN BENGAL, BUT CONGRESS WANTS MAMATA IN ‘INDIA’

Cracks have already begun to show in the much-applauded INDIA alliance of the opposition parties. The CPI and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have ruled out any alliance with the TMC in West Bengal. CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechuryhas said that “secular parties”, along with the Left and the Congress, will take on the BJP as well as the TMC in the state. Both CPI-M and Trinamool Congress have been the part of 26-party Opposition alliance, which announced its name as the ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ (INDIA) on 18 July. The bone of contention between the Congress and the TMC would be the five Lok Sabha seats in Murshidabad and Malda districts of central Bengal, which once was known to be a Congress bastion, but the TMC swept in the 2021 assembly election.Even in the recent panchayat elections, the TMC has maintained its power and superiority over the Congress. The Congress, on the other hand, stated that the TMC’s panchayat election results have been inflated by electoral malpractices and that the Congress’ actual position is much better than what the rural poll results indicate. They hope to retain both seats they won in 2019 in a triangular contest. The Congress top leadership, nevertheless, showed no lack of intent in getting TMC on board, as Sonia Gandhi herself dialedMamata Banerjee to ensure her presence in the meeting.  The Congress high command is interested in having alliance    with TMC in Bengal

OPPOSITION DECIDED ON ‘INDIA’ AFTER RAHUL, MAMATA SUGGESTED ACRONYM

Setting the ground for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, 26 opposition parties formed a coalition – the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – to jointly take on the ruling NDA. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that the fight will be between INDIA and Prime Minister NarendraModi. Behind the namewas a politically significant coordinated jugalbandi between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. In another important move, it was announced that the next Opposition conclave will be conducted in Mumbai, likely in the second half of August, and will be hosted by the Shiv Sena (UBT). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said:“We are defending the Constitution, the voice of Indians and the idea of India. You know what happens to anyone who wants to fight the idea of India… This is a fight between INDIA and the BJP, it is a fight between INDIA and NarendraModi,” While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said,”We’ll fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly and we will come out with great success.” He said a committee of 11 members will be set up for coordination, and a convener will be selected at the next meeting in Mumbai. (IPA Service)

The post Akhilesh To Lead ‘India’ Against NDA In Uttar Pradesh first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Akhilesh To Lead ‘India’ Against NDA In Uttar Pradesh appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The veterans of Indian politics — Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar — all are playing their last inning and trying hard to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Although Ajit Pawar split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the support of over 29 MLAs, and took oath as the new Maharashtra deputy chief minister, the 82-year-old NCP supremo and Maratha leader, Sharad Pawar, has started touring Maharashtra and will soon start visiting other states to strengthen the NCP and bolster opposition unity to fight against the BJP. Once Jay Prakash Narayan called for a ‘total revolution’ from the grounds of Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, reading the poem ‘Singhasan Khali Karo Ki Janata Aati Hai’. While addressing party workers after inaugurating a function to mark 27 years of RJD’s formation, Lalu Prasad Yadav said, “What will happen to you (Modi) when your days (as PM) are over? At least, we have earned the goodwill and are still showered with petals and garlands”. Lalu also said Mahagathbandhan in Bihar has been a shining example of opposition unity. We must remain steadfast in our fight against communalism, and attempts to do away with the reservation system which is a legacy of Ambedkar.” On the other hand, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s initiative to get all opposition parties on board to project a unified fight against the BJP has evoked positive responses from several regional satraps. The total of 17 parties are going to contest the 2024 general elections together against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The much-awaited announcement came after a four-hour-long meeting hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna.

AKHILESH TRIES TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN RAHUL AND TELANGANA CM

Following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s declaration that the Congress will not ally with any party close to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the crisis in the Opposition over the events in Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav spoke with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as per reports, and explored possibilities of a larger opposition unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. After the meeting, Akhilesh also announced that the BRS is with the opposition parties to fight against the BJP. However, this has upset Congress senior leaders, who are quite discontented with the meeting between Akhilesh and KCR. The buzz is that the SP chief has currently become a bridge between BRS and Congress owing to his wide acceptability. Yadav also shares a good personal rapport with KCR. However, KCR’s strategy reflects that he might be preparing ground for an alliance with Congress in the near future. A clearer picture would emerge only after the outcome of the Telangana assembly elections.

AJIT PAWAR’S INDUCTION IN MAHARASHTRA GOVT SHAKES UP SHINDE CAMP

The breakup of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) by Ajit Pawar and his taking oath as the new Maharashtra deputy chief minister and with his remarks that he wants to be the Chief Minister some day, has created a big buzz in political circles. Speculations are rife that the Shinde camp MLAs want to come back to the Uddhav camp, even as CM Eknath Shinde met his MLAs and assured them that there will be no change in the government. However, Uddhav Sena leaders claimed that some Shinde Sena leaders sent them messages seeking forgiveness from Matoshree. On the other hand, BJP leaders said that the party does not have any plan to replace Eknath Shinde from the post of chief minister for the time being, and that the party is firm with the plans to fight the upcoming elections under the trio.

CONGRESS LAUNCHES DALIT, TRIBAL CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL JUSTICE PLANK

To recharge the politics of social justice before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress has started a campaign to mobilise Dalits, tribals, OBCs and minorities through its National Leadership Development Mission (NLDM). At the first conference of NLDM coordinators, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that people from backward castes and minority communities should formulate their own political clout, instead of relying on the pity of entrenched forces. The mission was conceived at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir of the Congress. Though the mission is now operational in only 61 reserved parliamentary constituencies in 18 states, Congress plans to expand its activities. Recently, Rahul Gandhi had demanded that the Union government go for a caste census immediately. Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, while Rahul had also asked that the government make the 2011 data on castes public and lift the 50 per cent cap on reservation for the backwards classes. However, Congress has tried to shift the focus on to caste census and which the party believes can unite the Other Backward Castes (OBC), SC, ST and minorities voters in its side.

DIGVIJAY SINGH, DEREK O’BRIEN WALK OUT OF HOUSE PANEL OVER MANIPUR

In a surprising twist of events, Opposition members including Congress’s Digvijaya Singh and Pradip Bhattacharya, and Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien walked out of a Parliamentary panel meeting which was held on July 6,to express protest and annoyance as their demand for a discussion on the ongoing situation in Manipur was not met. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs met to listen the views of State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana on the subject of ‘Prison – Conditions, Infrastructure and Reforms’. Expressing disappointment Digvijaya Singh stated, “Manipur is currently facing a severe crisis that demands immediate attention. It is disheartening to see the committee disregard the urgent needs of the people affected by the ongoing situation.” Manipur has been rife with tension ever since violence broke out on May 3 over the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribes list. The state’s tribal groups have long opposed the Meitei’s demand for an ST status.

SHARAD PAWAR IN A BATTLE MODE AT 83- HE ORGANISED A MASSIVE RALLY AT SATARA

With Ajit Pawar splitting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the support of over 29 MLAs and taking oath as the new Maharashtra deputy chief minister, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, accompanied by his grand-nephew and MLA Rohit Pawar, staged a massive show of political strength in Satara, in the sugar heartland of western Maharashtra, during his 140 km journey from Pune to Satara’s Karad. During his entire journey the massive crowds greeted Pawar while as he made his way to the Pritisangam in Karad, which is the resting place of his political guru Y.B. Chavan, who was the first Chief Minister of the newly-formed Maharashtra State in 1960. Addressing party workers at the venue, Pawar said that he would not rest until those creating unrest in the state and the party are put in their place. Meanwhile, on July 3,SharadPawar’sdaughter and NCP working president Supriye Sule expelled Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and Ajit Pawar from the NCP for “anti-party activities.” Sources close to Sharad Pawar say he is not inclined to make the same mistake as Uddhav Thackeray, who shut the doors on all defecting MLAs by dubbing them traitors when they left with Shinde. Sharad Pawar knows that the nine MLAs who joined the Maharashtra cabinet won’t return, but he wants to make sure the others know they can return anytime. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s faction has moved a petition before Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narwekar, seeking the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who took oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led government. However, Sharad Pawar is going ahead for a face-to-face interaction and trying to re-emerge as the tallest leader in Maharashtra politics. Clearly, Pawar is in no mood to forget or forgive those who stabbed him in the back. (IPA Service)

The post Old War Horses – Pawar, Lalu, Nitish – Remain Crucial For 2024 Fight first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Old War Horses – Pawar, Lalu, Nitish – Remain Crucial For 2024 Fight appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to return to India on June 18.Soon after his arrival, crucial decisions will be taken to kick-start a major overhaul in the party’s organisational structure. According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has already framed the groundwork and the Congress Working Committee may be announced by this month’s end. The buzz is that KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, Digvijay Singh, Tariq Anwar, Randeep Surjewala, Salman Khurshid, Pramod Tiwari, Rajeev Shukla, Imran Pratapgarhi, Syed Naseer Hussain, Alka Lamba, Jitu Patwari, Deependra Singh Hooda, Pawan Khera and Amrinder Singh Brar are likely to have a place in the CWC. In addition, the CWC may see the addition of new members and reshuffles aimed at reinjection of fresh energy to fight for 2024. The existing CWC has 25 permanent invitees along with several special invitees and chiefs of frontal organisations such as Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, among others. Congress had also amended its constitution to provide 50 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), women, youngsters, and minorities in its working committee. The party had also raised the number of CWC members to 35 from the earlier 25.

WITH 80 LOK SABHA SEATS, PARTIES STEP UP ‘MISSION UP’ FOR 2024

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP and Samajwadi Party have geared up for their respective preparations for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a bid to galvanise the party cadres and to attain the politics of social justice, Samajwadi Party has instructed its leaders, especially the backward cell, to carry out the village-level meetings to sensitise people about the importance and need for caste census for inclusive growth. Moreover, SP has also devised an ambitious plan to have a constituency-specific poll strategy for the 2024 parliamentary elections in Uttar Pradesh, and as part of that, has started drawing information such as performance of MPs on each seat, particularly those won by rival parties. The SP wants its leaders to look up the specific expectations of the people, apart from general ones such as inflation, unemployment etc. Meanwhile, the BJP is anxious to repeat its 2019 performance for which UP is crucial. The saffron party has started organising surveys and outreach campaigns in the state. With BSP registering its worst UP assembly elections defeat in terms of seats, winning only one seat in the 403-member House and garnering just 12.8 % votes, the party is planning to focus more on Dalit and Muslim votes in UP. BSP Chief Mayawati is mainly bothered about her core Dalit vote since Congress began restructuring. The Congress’s national president, Mallikarjun Kharge, and its UP chief, Brijlal Khabri, are both Dalits. Congress has also set its focus on Dalit votes, who were traditional voters for the Congress before the formation of the BSP.

NITISH THINKS LOK SABHA 2024 ELECTIONS CAN BE HELD AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

In an attempt to bring the opposition parties on board against the incumbent BJP in the next year general elections, a conclave of like-minded political parties will be held on June 23 in Patna, likely to be presided by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Over 20 political parties will attend the meeting. During a programme of the rural works department in which he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated 5,061 projects worth Rs6,680.67crore via video conferencing, Nitish Kumar has hinted towards a possible preponing of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Kumar asked the officials to complete the work before the polls. Grand Alliance (GA) leaders in Bihar asserted that the early Lok Sabha election issue can be the agenda during the Opposition unity meet on June 23. Almost all leaders barring Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik and his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekhar Rao would be attending the meeting.

SHINDE’S FRONT-PAGE ANTICS IRKS FADNAVIS, BJP TOP BOSSES IN DELHI

After a front-page advertisement published in Maharashtra newspapers with the tagline: “Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra,” the central leadership of the BJP intervened and carried out a strict warning to Eknath Shinde, the current Chief Minister of Maharashtra, sources said. What left the BJP leadership annoyed was the fact that the advertisement was put out by the Shinde-headed Maharashtra government and had left out deputy chief minister Fadnavis, the face of the saffron party in the state. The advertisement showcased images of just Modi and Shinde and it has a reference to a survey done and indicated that the popularity rating of the chief minister was more than that of his deputy. The survey claimed that 26.1 per cent of the people of Maharashtra wanted Shinde as chief minister while 23.2 per cent wished to see Fadnavis as the next chief minister. The following day, another advertisement appeared in newspapers bearing pictures of Shinde and Fadnavis waving. It indicated that the Sena-BJP alliance was preferred by 46.4 per cent of the people in comparison to the Opposition’s 34.6 per cent. While BJP leaders in Delhi were worried about the development as it showed that ties between the leaders of Maharashtra — Fadnavis and Shinde were not amicable They are anxious that it could harm the party in the Lok Sabha polls next year, followed by the Assembly elections.

CONGRESS PROMISES FIVE GUARANTEES TO POLL-BOUND MADHYA PRADESH

Much on the lines of the Karnataka success story, in Madhya Pradesh too, the Congress has rolled out five guarantees in the BJP-ruled central Indian state where the Assembly elections are slated to take place later this year. AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi along with party leader Kamal Nath offered a Narmada Pooja at Gwarighat in Jabalpur, before addressing a mammoth rally. Priyanka made the announcement that if the party came to power in the state, her promise included facilities such as every woman would avail a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500. She also promised 100 units of free electricity to every household, besides an additional 200 units of power at half the rate. LPG cylinders would be given for Rs 500 if the Congress came to power. Priyanka also guaranteed that the party would waive farmers’ loans and re-introduce the old pension scheme for government employees. Meanwhile, 400-car cavalcade from Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri to Bhopal – a distance of about 300 km — marked the return of a BJP leader to the Congress, which he left during the 2020 rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia. Baijnath Singh, who holds political clout in Shivpuri, had followed Mr Scindia into the BJP during the 2020 Madhya Pradesh Congress rebellion that toppled the Kamal Nath government and brought the BJP back to power. Mr Scindia, who led the rebellion, is now Union Civil Aviation minister. Baijnath, it is evidently had been lobbying hard for a BJP ticket in the run-up to the Assembly polls. But with no ray of hope of getting one, he decided to rejoin the Congress. (IPA Service)

The post Updated Congress Working Committee: Names Of Members By June End first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Updated Congress Working Committee: Names Of Members By June End appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

According to reports, the Congress party plans an overhaul in the party’s organisational structure. Sources say that Congress general secretary, and the in-charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is likely to receive a new assignment in the party. Priyanka might not continue with the role of UP in-charge and might be required to focus on other states. In case Priyanka is relieved of her role in UP, the much-awaited name doing rounds is that of the veteran Tariq Anwar as a possible replacement. However, Priyanka might be given the post of general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh and would play an important role in the party’s campaigns in elections later this year, particularly in MP, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. Analysts feel that Congress will have to offer Priyanka Gandhi a preeminent role,with the ultimate goal to reach out to those leaders who are not in sync with Rahul Gandhi.

RAHUL’S POLITICS OF LOVE HAS MANY TAKERS AFTER BHARAT JODO, KARNATAKA

After Congress wrested Karnataka from the BJP last month, following in the heels of the success of Bharat Jodo Yatra, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s personal stature and popularity has improved remarkably. Rahul has once again emerged as the opposition’s face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bharat Jodo Yatra has already offered the alternative vision to defeat the BJP, and obviously the Congress party would not like the buoyant mood to be diluted by any other alternative vision. Gandhi is likeable because he offers the alternative of love, kindness and political openness that has almost disappeared from the Indian polity. This is the formidable challenge that the BJP faces from Rahul Gandhi.

POST AMERICA TRIP SUCCESS, RAHUL’S POPULARITY SOARS EVEN MORE

Peoples’ response in America to Rahul has been quite interesting.  In his speeches in the US, Gandhi displayed a palpable sincerity that is the polar opposite of the dissembling and compromise that characterises Indian politics, and for that matter most democratic politics in the world. In all of them his theme was the same – India’s innate strength, its durability and its pride has rested, throughout its history, upon its unquestioning acceptance of, and comfort with, its ethnic diversity and religious pluralism. Meanwhile, Rahul’s secular plank in the public domain attracts the masses comprising women, youth, secular middle-classes, Muslims, backward caste and weaker sections of the society. Increasingly, socialist, communist, secularist and Opposition parties like RJD, JMM, NC, PDP, NCP, DMK, IUML, CPI, CPI(M), Shiv Sena, are now backing Rahul Gandhi. Congress would prefer to give a strong shape to the coming together of the opposition parties. And in its move, it may like to assign the responsibility of convening to Nitish Kumar, something akin to being the chairman of the UPA. Nitish’s job would be to disseminate an ideological character to the opposition camp and showcase it as the chief challenger to Modi-led BJP.

RAJASTHAN BJP IN STRATEGY HUDDLE AS RAJE WANTS TO BE CM AGAIN

Ahead of Rajasthan assembly elections, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was called in for her opinion regarding possible changes in the state organisation. According to sources, a new state team under state president CP Joshi is likely to be announced by the first week of July. There is also a prominent chance of early announcement of election in-charge and party campaign in-charge, the position Raje is eyeing for herself. Senior BJP leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and organisational general secretary BL Santosh are unitedly working and brainstorming over party’s strategy for the upcoming elections in Rajasthan. The meeting with Raje is being seen as taking stock of the situation of the state. BJP continues to grapple with the dilemma over the face of its Rajasthan leadership, with Raje pressing hard to project herself as the CM face. On the other hand, one section of state leaders insist of going ahead in the polls with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face, as according to them it would be better for the party’s future prospect.

GEHLOT, PILOT SPAR OVER TICKET DISTRIBUTION FOR RAJASTHAN POLLS

The battle between the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has long kept the Rajasthan Congress pot simmering. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has devised several means to find a solution in Rajasthan, with the negotiation and the focus shifting from who will occupy the chief minister’s post to the equilibrium of power between Ashok Gehlot and his challenger Sachin Pilot. Political observers firmly believe that the present infighting between the Gehlot and Pilot factions in Congress is not for the CM’s chair, but for availing the party ticket for its people. The one who is successful in attaining assembly tickets for his supporters will be the leader in the state in the future and will also have the opportunity to become the CM. Gehlot not only has full control over the government, but also the party through his protégé Govind Singh Dotasra, who is the state chief. Pilot supporters are eventually taken as the enemy camp and there is no attempt by the chief minister to reconcile or bridge with the dissenting group. There had been several serious negotiations with Pilot over the last few days and the central leadership was working on a formula. Pilot hasn’t planned any public rally in Jaipur on June 11,the day is evidently is his father Rajesh Pilot’s death anniversary. As usual, only a prayer meeting has been planned for June 11 in his home constituency Dausa and the Pilot camp is expecting a solution before the same.

KARNATAKA BJP WANTS HARDLINER B P YATNAL AS LEADER OF OPPOSITION

After BJP’s poll debacle in Karnataka, the party is still to look for a leader of the opposition in the state assembly. While former CM Basavaraj Bommai is occupying the chair, but a section of party members wish and aspire for Basangouda Patil Yatnal, who is a vociferous Hindutva ideologue, to be highlighted as the Lingayat face. For the opposition leader’s post, Bommai could have faced competition from former minister Dr K Sudhakar, a Vokkaliga, for the post, but he too was defeated. (IPA Service)

The post Priyanka May Be Given Onus For MP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Priyanka May Be Given Onus For MP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been in touch with various leaders of non-BJP parties to gain support in the fight against the Centre’s latest ordinance to clip the wings of Delhi’s elected government, despite a Supreme Court order in its favour. Kejriwal’s hectic meets with fellow opposition leaders are to ensure that the Centre’s bid to replace the draconian ordinance with a bill is defeated when it is brought into Parliament. The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, which the AAP government had called “deception”, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict on control of services.CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief leader Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have so far extended their support to the AAP. Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as well as his deputy Tejashwi Yadav and RJD leader have also supported Kejriwal in the matter. Meanwhile, the AAP national convener has requested for time to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to seek their support against the ordinance. Congress had discussed the issue with the party leaders, and although the Punjab and Delhi regional leaders were against the idea of supporting AAP, but they authorised the Congress high command to take the final decision in this matter. In any case, it is nearly impossible for the Congress to support the ordinance in the Parliament.

12 JUNE PATNA CONCLAVE LED BY NITISH KEY TO CEMENTING OPPOSITION UNITY

In an amicable step to unite the opposition parties on board against the incumbent BJP in the next year general elections, a conclave of like-minded political parties will be held on June 12 in Patna. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to preside over the meeting. The participants comprise of some 18 political parties of the secular opposition camp. According to sources, both Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi might not attend the meeting citing scheduling problems. But the Congress has assured that it will definitely depute one of its top leaders to mark presence for the upcoming meeting. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPIM leader Sitaram Yechury have already assured and confirmed their presence. While this is just a preliminary meeting, Nitish is strategically framing a platform wherein the BJP could be engaged in a one-on-one contest with the opposition. He has already recognised nearly 475 seats where the united opposition can enter into a direct fight with the BJP in the 2024 polls. However, the strategy of the opposition will come to light only after the June 12 conclave of the political parties.

POST KARNATAKA WIN, CONGRESS RETAINS KANUGOLU FOR MADHYA PRADESH

BJP and Congress both have started preparations to return to power in Madhya Pradesh. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will kickstart the Assembly poll campaign for her party in the crucial central Indian state by going ahead on June 12 with a road show and rally in Jabalpur, which will start after offering prayers to the Narmada river. Jabalpur is the largest city of the state’s Mahakoshal region, where the Congress had won 11 out of the 13 Scheduled Tribe-reserved seats in the 2018 Assembly polls, leaving the BJP with paltry victories in just two constituencies. However, Congress is emphasizing more on Bundelkhand, Malwa and Vindhya region. The party is eyeing women voters and former CM Kamal Nath has announced that if his party forms the government again in Madhya Pradesh in the state assembly election scheduled later this year, a financial help of Rs. 18,000 per year would be given to women and it would be largest ‘women empowerment scheme of the world’. Moreover, Congress has roped in poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, a former associate of Prashant Kishor, to aid and shape its campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

GEHLOT, PILOT MEET WITH KHARGE, RAHUL DEEMED PARTLY SUCCESSFUL

Although the Congress party showcased unity after a meeting with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his rival Sachin Pilot, the meet concluded with more questions unanswered, indicating that the party is yet to resolve the rift between the two, a situation that poses problems for its prospects in the upcoming state election. In a four-hour meeting between Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi, there was no agreement on power sharing. Senior Congress leaders claim, that there is no firm proposal on board but directions to both the warring leaders have been given to follow the Karnataka model, where bitter rivals Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar fought as a united front. Sources said the party’s central leadership has made it clear that it would decide on the role of Pilot at a later stage. He would be given a prominent role ahead of the elections, but he should promise that he would not precipitate a crisis in the party, as he did with his earlier comments. Rahul himself has assured Pilot that his concerns would be addressed. On the other hand, Pilot would not back down on his demands, including a probe against former CM Vasundhara Raje. However, Rajasthan CM Gehlot expressed the hope that he and his bête noire Pilot would work together and win the assembly polls in the state later this year, and called upon Congress workers and leaders to exercise “patience” and wait for their opportunity to serve in some capacity.

MAURYA ASKS WHY ONLY SOUTHERN BRAHMINS INAUGURATED NEW PARLIAMENT?

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and MLC Swami Prasad Maurya has posed questions over why only south Indian Brahmin seers were given invitation for the programme on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Parliament building on 28 May. Swami had bluntly opposed the government’s decision in the matter as according to his views when India gives equal importance to all religions, then why were religious leaders from one varna (sect) from south only were invited. Meanwhile Chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and also the head of the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Former MP and member of Ram Janmabhoomi trust Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti and Hindu spiritual leader and founder of Handicapped University Tulsi Peeth Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and many other seers were not invited in the inauguration ceremony of India’s new Parliament building. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has installed the historic ‘Sengol’ near the Lok Sabha’s speaker’s chair. Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka’s Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed “Ganapati Homam” to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building. Modi prostrated before the Sengol and sought blessings from high priests of various adheenams in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand. The Golden Sengol has a Nandi on top, which signifies power and justice. Historically, Tamil Nadu has been the bastion of Shiva worship, on the other hand Uttar Pradesh has been the bastion of Lord Ram and Krishna worship. While differences between Vaishnavites and Shaiva has been cropped up and the Sadhus and Sant have not been paced and are to an extent annoyed that they were not invited in the inauguration ceremony of India’s new Parliament building and political parties are trying to exploit the situation. (IPA Service)

The post Kejriwal Gathering Opposition’s Support Against Centre’s Ordinance first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Kejriwal Gathering Opposition’s Support Against Centre’s Ordinance appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s major step to get all opposition parties on board and project a united front against the BJP in the next year’s general elections has brought in more positive responses from several regional satraps. Nitish Kumar is to hold a significant meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. This meeting is taken to be the launching pad for the formation of a new front and the announcement of the convener of the joint coalition, which is working on the strategy of ‘one against one’ by putting one common opposition candidate against BJP-led NDA nominees in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The proposed meeting is expected to be organized at Patna and witness the participation of top leaders from Congress, RJD, JD(U), TMC, JMM, Samajwadi Party, NCP, Shiv Sena, DMK, AAP, CPI, CPM, CPI-ML( liberation) and few other regional parties who are keen on joining the new front. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Soren, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar are going to be important attendees. Meanwhile, the grapevine is rife that Akali Dal is going to tie up with BJP and BJD will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently in 2024.

RLD, SP RIFT GROWS, AS JAYANT CHAUDHARY TILTS TOWARDS RAHUL

The cracks between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) seem to be getting bigger, with RLD leaders confirming that the party is moving ahead and looking and exploring options for allies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and accusing SP president Akhilesh Yadav of bullying them. Both parties, however, officially maintained that there was no basis to the rumoured rift. However, speculations of problems gained steam after Akhilesh Yadav skipped the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah in Karnataka, but Jayant Chaudhary attended it. In another such cited instance, Akhilesh recently backed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s comment that Congress should support regional parties on seats where they have a strong foothold. However, a few days after, Chaudhary triggered speculations regarding an alliance with the Congress saying, “Our alliance with SP will continue. Simultaneously, the opposition parties will think about an alliance with Congress.” Earlier, RLD had extended their support to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and participated in his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Western Uttar Pradesh and as of now hinted at possibilities of new alliances, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

CM ASPIRANT VASUNDHARA RAJE SKIPS CRUCIAL RAJASTHAN BJP MEETING

All seems not that well with the BJP in Rajasthan. The infighting can be noticed and the differences within the party have emerged out in the open. The problems became evident when Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stirred a fresh controversy by putting his support for Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s demand for an investigation into corruption allegations during the tenure of former BJP Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Shekhawat stated: “If anyone is involved in corruption, an inquiry should be conducted but that should be conducted without political interference.” Political observers believe that Shekhawat’s statement not only aimed a target at Raje, but also Chief Minister Gehlot, much like Sachin Pilot. Meanwhile, the divisions in the party came to the fore when former CM Raje was absent from the Rajasthan BJP working committee meeting held at Ladnun in Nagaur district. While all big leaders, including the BJP in-charge, former state presidents, leader of opposition, deputy leader of opposition and central ministers from the state, were present to put forth their points, Raje refrained from the meeting. She had been attending all the working committees before, even when things were reportedly not well between her and former state president Satish Poonia. However, Raje is bracing for a fight to project herself as a CM face for the BJP and waiting for the right stroke of hour to go for a decision regarding whether she stays in BJP or form another political party altogether.

MIFFED AT CENTRE, MAMATA, KCR TO GIVE NITI AAYOG MEETING A PASS

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao have taken decision to skip the NITI Aayog meeting to be convened by PM Modi on May 27 in New Delhi. KCR also decided against deputing anyone to represent the state at the meeting. The NITI Aayog meeting is held at regular intervals so that the states can put forth their development agenda and get the Centre’s approval. KCR has attended the NITI Aayog meeting only once in the last seven years. Since 2019, he has been skipping the Governing Council meetings. KCR had said that the NITI Aayog had recommended giving Rs 24,000 crore to Telangana for the Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya, but the Centre did not honour the same.

MP BJP RIDDLED WITH FACTIONALISM; CHOUHAN, SCINDIA IN WARRING CAMPS

Ahead of assembly elections, the infighting in Madhya Pradesh BJP is at a high. A faction of party leaders has reportedly requested the BJP high command to intervene and set the house in order. According to sources BJP has been divided in three factions. Among the three warring factions, one is led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, another is led by party president V D Sharma, and the third one is controlled by Jyotiraditya Scindia. Reports further claim that Chief Minister Chouhan and party president Sharma have developed rift and disagreements. As for Scindia, his main concern is to safeguard interests of those MLAs who defected from Congress. Amid the growing discontent among veteran leaders within the BJP, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated: “We’ve to take everyone along, which means ‘Purano ka Sammanaur Nayeko Sthaan.’ Become big-hearted, as the BJP doesn’t fight polls to make MP, MLAs, or chief minister.” (IPA Service)

The post Under Nitish’s Leadership, Joint Opposition Slowly Takes Shape first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Under Nitish’s Leadership, Joint Opposition Slowly Takes Shape appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Credit for the Congress win in Karnataka as it wrested the state from the BJP is in order. Nods go to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra for igniting and energising the cadre ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections, Siddaramaiah’s mass appeal, DK Shivakumar’s organisational skills, party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s leadership and AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala’s sincere efficiency. The much-needed victory relied on factors such as Congress’ decentralised its election campaign, reposed faith in state leaders, national leaders acting as mentors without imposing themselves on state actors. The Congress has been trying to prevail a social justice narrative for the party. It is Rahul Gandhi who endorsed caste-based census in Kolar. The Congress was uniquely placed in Karnataka with its three tall leaders representing the rainbow coalition of the backward castes. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba, Mallikarjun Kharge a Dalit, and D K Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga. The appointment of Kharge as the party President and earlier appointing Charanjit Channi (a Dalit) as the Chief Minister of Punjab, is aimed at winning the confidence of the Dalit community. Siddaramaiah as the next chief minister of Karnataka, the Congress will now have three OBC leaders lined up as chief ministers (the other two are Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel). Meanwhile, KC Venugopal’s term has come to an end and Mallikarjun Kharge will soon appoint his new team. Surjewala could be in for an important assignment.

CONGRESS SETSELECTORAL EYE ON TELANGANA, WANTS PRIYANKA INVOLVED

After wresting Karnataka from the BJP, the Congress has now shifted its focus to Telangana. The state leadership of the party wants Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to pay more visits to the state that will go to polls in six months. In this light, her successful meeting at Saroornagar on 9 May, the seat in Telangana that once sent her grandmother, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to the Parliament when she was going through hard times, assumes significance. Indira Gandhi won from the Medak Lok Sabha seat in 1980. Now, all the Telangana Congress leaders have only one request to Priyanka: visit Telangana often, as she carries the right and positive vibes. One section of the Congress leaders both in Delhi and Hyderabad feel that the party needs a face like Shivakumar to revive its glory in Telangana.

MAMATA, AKHILESH SEE MERIT IN BACKING CONGRESS POST KARNATAKA WIN

Opinion has shifted ever since Congress wrested Karnataka from the BJP, and for the better. Chief Minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav have announced that they are ready to back the Congress in 2024 Lok Sabha polls in regions where the grand old party has a stronghold. However, Mamata also expects that Congress should support other regional political parties, too. Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Mumbai on May 17 to discuss several issues of strategic planning for the next year’s Lok Sabha, and he said that it is time that the opposition parties must unite under a common minimum program. On the other hand, Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar is working hard and moving across the country to meet the opposition leaders of many states to unite them at one platform against the BJP. CM Nitish Kumar has held separate exclusive meetings with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, AAP CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav amid ongoing efforts to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024. The grapevine is rife that Akali Dal is planning to tie up with BJP and that the BJD will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently in 2024.

SECOND LEG OF BHARAT JODO YATRA FROM ARUNACHAL TO GUJARAT TO START SOON

According to sources, the Congress is planning another pan India yatra in September this year. The second leg of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, an East-to-West foot-march this time, is likely to initiate from Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and will possibly end at Porbandar in Gujarat. The party is preparing a detailed route plan for the yatra. According to Congress sources, the walk will be focused on uniting and strengthening India, much like its first leg from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. The yatra would also seek to create public opinion against unemployment and inflation issues, and what the Congress claims as the “politics of hate and division and over-centralization of our political system”.

RIVALSBJP, SHIV SENA (UBT) CAMPAIGN FOR CRUCIAL BMC ELECTIONS

Ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda went on a two-day visit to Mumbai where he met several local leaders and party workers. During his visit at Kandivali for Panna Pramukh Sammelan, JP Nadda emphasized that in the upcoming BMC elections, the mayor must be elected from BJP. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray motivated his district unit chiefs to reach out to the people and ensure that the present mood of sympathy towards the party should be converted into votes in the coming elections. Thackeray launched ‘Mission Chavadi’ (a kind of small public meeting in rural areas to give information) for the next one month at the tehsil level to raise and spread awareness about the Supreme Court verdict and how it was actually against the Shinde-Fadnavis government. (IPA Service)

The post Congress Party Left No Stone Unturned To Win Karnataka Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Congress Party Left No Stone Unturned To Win Karnataka Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Only after the declaration of results in Karnataka assembly polls, opposition unity is expected to acquire a definitive shape. The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, has been working hard and moving across the country to meet the opposition leaders of various states to bring them at one platform against the BJP. CM Nitish Kumar has held separate meetings with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, AAP CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, amid ongoing efforts to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024LokSabha polls. Kejriwal, Banerjee and Yadav yearn to be in the same opposition camp, one which truthfully wishes to work collectively to oust the BJP from power. On the other hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will hold crucial discussions with the parties that are friendly with the Congress. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar has been asked to reach out to parties that bear a grudge against the Congress. There will be no criteria that would exclude any non-BJP force and every single opposition party will be approached. The Congress seems to have stepped back to allow Nitish to take the lead to ensure that the traditional anti-Congressism doesn’t become an obstacle However, according to sources a mega rally will be held in Patna on 18 May, where all opposition leaders will participate and formulate strategy for the next general elections in 2024.

PILOT’S ‘ANTI-CORRUPTION YATRA’ MAY IRK CONGRESS, GEHLOT

The ongoing rift between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has kept the Rajasthan Congress pot simmering. Pilot and Gehlot have been entangled in a fight over corruption probe in Rajasthan. In fact, the Congress too seems to be annoyed with Pilot for rebelling against Gehlot and creating tensions within the party. Sachin started his five-day ‘Jan Sangharsh Pad Yatra’ from Ajmer to Jaipur on May 11, a foot-march against the alleged corruption and cases of paper leak in Rajasthan. Many believe that Pilot is pushing the Congress to act and plan a well-timed exit before the polls.

IF CONGRESS WINS, SIDDARAMAIAH COULD BE CM AGAIN, OVER DK

In Karnataka, the Congress has a fair enough chance of reviving power, but the two main factions in the state party, one led by former chief minister Siddaramaiah and the other by D K Shivakumar — are both contenders for chief ministership. Siddaramaiah, who hails from Siddaramanahundi in Mysuru district and is the former chief minister of Karnataka, from 2013 to 2018, could be the foremost choice of the Congress party. On the other hand, DK Shivakumar believes this is his best chance to fulfill his desire of becoming the chief minister. However, Congress leadership will have to undertake important considerations for all the pros and cons of making DKS the CM, as the Centre could potentially fast-track the corruption cases against him to embarrass the party. Besides, DK isn’t perceived to as sophisticated as Siddaramaiah while dealing with the legislators, causing friction against him. Ultimately, the newly elected MLAs will have to elect the leader of the legislature party.

FOR 2024, LEADERS WANT PRIYANKA to PLAY BIGGER ROLE IN CONGRESS

The major organisational reshuffle in the Congress is expected to take place by the end of the month. The party has been planning a round of fresh appointments at AICC. According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has already finished the groundwork for the reshuffle and it would be put into effect at an appropriate time duly decided by him. The buzz is that Imran Pratapgarhi, Syed Naseer Hussain, Jitu Patwari, Rajesh Lilothia, Deependra Singh Hooda, Pawan Khera and Amrinder Singh Brar too are likely to receive a place in the Congress Working Committee. Meanwhile, whispers in the Congress are doing the rounds that a new National Mahila Congress President could be appointed. Possible candidates for the post include party spokesperson Alka Lamba. Congress had appointed Netta D’Souza as the acting president of the party’s women’s wing in August 2021, after Sushmita Dev quit the party to join the Trinamool Congress. While one section of senior Congress leaders desire Priyanka Gandhi Vadrato imprint her presence in AICC headquarters with a more formidable post, with the aim of her reaching to those leaders who are not in sync with Rahul Gandhi.

SANDEEP DIKSHIT COULD BE MADE DELHI CONGRESS HEAD SOON

The Delhi unit of the Congress is in disarray, with its own senior leaders often blaming it for being able to counter the ruling AAP on major issues effectively. The grand old party is going to give its Delhi unit a new chief, expecting that the change would bring back its lost fortunes in the state. Likely candidates include Sandeep Dikshit and Devendra Yadav. According to sources, party leaders think that the chances for Sandeep Dikshit, the son of the iconic three-time former chief minister of Delhi, the late Sheila Dikshit, to get the position are significant. (IPA Service)

The post Opposition Unity To Solidify After Karnataka Results first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Opposition Unity To Solidify After Karnataka Results appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The most unexpected development in the political scenario was Sharad Pawar’s resignation as NCP chief and this has not only surprised his party but also his Maharashtra allies Uddhav Thackeray and Congress. After the dramatic show of distress from partymen, Sharad Pawar agreed to once rethink over his decision. Election of the new president would, however, prove to a problematic issue since there are at least four potential candidates –Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Praful Patel, and Supriya Sule. Shard Pawar’s recommended committee would decide on the new president. However NCP passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar’s resignation as party president and has requested him to continue to lead the party. If Sharad Pawar does not accept the request to continue as the president then in such case according to much added speculation his daughter Supriya Sule might be appointed as a new working president and will focus on the National politics. However Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar controls a significant number of MLAs, the best possible solution has to work out an agreement between Sule and Ajit and the buzz is that Ajit will look after the state and both can be guided by Pawar. Now, there is talk that Sharad Pawar has been  unhappy  with the way party leaders have been mounting the pressure to align with the BJP to avoid action against them by central agencies. The move to give up his post is to re-establish Pawar’s stature as an elder statesman, not only in his party but also in the opposition.

BJP WILL FOCUS ON ITS CORE ISSUE HINDUTVA IN LAST LEG OF KARNATAKA POLL CAMPAIGN

The Congress leadership has totally devoted the energy into the Karnataka election campaign and making all attempts possible to transform the pre-poll realities into a grand victory. Now Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi may debut in the party’s campaign for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections on Saturday. She will be addressing a public meeting in Hubbali district.   The BJP, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), the three main contenders in Karnataka, have released their manifestos and campaigning is climbing to a crescendo. The State will now vote to elect a new Assembly on May 10 and  the results will be announced three days later. The Congress in the manifesto promised to “repeal all unjust laws and anti-people laws passed by the BJP government within one year of coming to power.” The manifesto called ‘Sarva Janangada Shanthiya Thota’ (Peaceful garden of all communities) includes the Shakti scheme which will provide free travel to all women throughout the state in regular KSRTC/ BMTC buses and 200 units of free electricity for all households, the Gruha Lakshmi scheme under which each woman head of the family will receive Rs 2,000. For the BJP, the election is not merely about fighting for a second consecutive term in power but is also about winning an absolute majority of its own for the first time, and even reshaping the politics of the southern State. It has promised largesse including three free cooking gas cylinders a year, and half a litre of local dairy brand ‘Nandini’ milk every day to select beneficiaries. But the edge of its campaign is the promise of implementation of a National Register of Citizens, a controversial initiative which was originally confined to Assam, and a Uniform Civil Code for all religious communities. Both are hot and trending topics that could sharpen communal divides. With the tone being set, the party is likely to improve the decibel level on its core ideological positioning on Hindutva in the remaining days of the campaign.

ALL MAJOR POLITUICAL PARTIES IN UTTAR PRADESH ARE NOW BUSY WITH CIVIC BODIES POLLS

All major political parties of Uttar Pradesh are occupied with the single most task of campaigning for utmost crucial urban body polls. Currently Akhilesh Yadav is working on a strategy which emphasizes on Muslim-Yadav and Dalit (MYD) alliance by weaving a new social combination. He recently visited the birthplace of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. During the Ramcharitmanas controversy, Yadav even called himself a “shudra”. Meanwhile with a total of 4.32 crore voters, the urban local bodies elections in UP cover about 150 assembly seats, making it a crucial battleground for political parties. The importance of civic elections in UP can be evaluated from the fact that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been conducting public meetings. While addressing a rally in Ayodhya, CM Yogi said, “Ayodhya is attracting the world today with pride. Before 2017, people who hesitated to take even the name of Ayodhya, let alone visit the place, are now eager to come to the city. Ayodhya will become one of the most beautiful cities in the world”. While Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, all ministers, MLAs and MPs are also  actively participating in civic poll campaigning. In Uttar Pradesh, elections are being held for 14,684 posts of municipal bodies, which include 17 mayors, 200 municipality chairpersons, 545 city panchayat chairpersons and 1,420 councilors. The results for both phases will be declared on May 13.

SENIOR BJP LEADERS IN CHHATTISHGARH JOIN CONGRESS BOOSTING ITS TRIBAL BASE

The former BJP Member of Parliament from Chhattisgarh and tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai had joined the Congress, and with his joining the party the speculation is rife that former minister of Madhya Pradesh Deepak Joshi might too join the Congress. Deepak Joshi, the son of former chief minister Kailash Joshi who was one of founder members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stated that he would join the Congress on May 6. 77-year-old Nand Kumar Sai, a former three-term Lok Sabha member and three-time MLA, served as the BJP’s state president in both Chhattisgarh and undivided Madhya Pradesh in the past and has prominent influence in tribal-dominated parts of Surguja division (northern Chhattisgarh), Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. In Chhattisgarh, which has 32% tribal population, 29 out of 90 assembly seats are reserved for tribals. In such a situation, talks have started on the pros and cons of Nand Kumar Sai leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party and joining the Congress party..

BJP AND CONGRESS LEADERS ALREADY CAMPAIGNING IN M.P. FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS BY YEAR END

Both BJP and Congress have geared up their preparations to capture power in Madhya Pradesh. In this reference Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath asserted that he feels proud to be a Hindu but he is not a fool and strongly believed that Indian culture is facing attack and the Constitution is getting into the wrong hands. The remarks are aimed at the BJP in a state where Assembly polls are due by the year-end. On the other hand the promise to ban the Bajrang Dal by the Congress in its manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly polls has triggered a verbal war in Madhya Pradesh.  Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MP home minister questioned Congress state chief Kamal Nath’s devotion to Hanuman, Nath said those involved in spreading hatred must face action.

BRS DETERMINED TO EXPAND ITS BASE IN MAHARASHTRA TO CONTEST ELECTIONS

Ahead of 2024 general elections the Bharat Rashtra Samiti is swiftly expanding its wings in other states like Maharashtra.  Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and   Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced that the party would not have any lead or tie up with any political party in Maharashtra and called on the party workers to spread out to every nook and corner  of Maharashtra with their respective party slogan ‘Ab ki baar Kisan Sarkar’ from May 10 to June 10. The party was in the process of strengthening its organisational network in all the 288 Assembly constituencies. The party is geared up to set up its offices at four major cities viz., Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Pune in the first phase, with the process already effective. Village level party committees would be made besides nine committees such as Farmer, Student, Youth, Women, SC, ST and OBC. These committees will work with sole aim to campaign on the Telangana model, explaining all the flagship schemes of the State and covering at least five villages a day. BRS has been trying to expand its aura outside Telangana for a long time. (IPA Service)

The post Sharad Pawar Is Emerging As NCP Supremo With Stronger Domination first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Sharad Pawar Is Emerging As NCP Supremo With Stronger Domination appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

It’s now evident that after the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections are declared that the results, the opposition unity will take itself to the next level. The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is working hard and visiting places around the country to meet the opposition leaders of many states in order to unite and bring them on one platform against the BJP. CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav have held separate meetings with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav amid ongoing efforts to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024.Kejriwal, Banerjee and Yadav seem to be in the same opposition camp, one which seriously seeks to work collectively to oust the BJP from power. While Nitish Kumar has been tasked to reach out to parties, which carry a grudge against the Congress, on the other hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will talk to parties friendly with the Congress. Nitish and Kharge seem to have agreed upon the strategy that there will be no criteria that would exclude any non-BJP force and every single opposition party will be approached. The Congress appears to have stepped back to allow Nitish to take the lead to ensure that the traditional anti-Congressism doesn’t become a barrier. In this context, a national-level meeting of like-minded opposition parties to plan strategy for the next general elections in 2024 will be held after Karnataka assembly elections results are out.

CONGRESS’ KARNATAKA CAMPAIGN KEEPS FOCUS ON BJP’S MISGOVERNANCE

The Congress leadership has put everything into the Karnataka election campaign and is trying to do everything possible to galvanise the pre-poll anti-incumbency realities into a grand victory. While former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state chief D.K. Shivakumar have made a likable combination at the local level, they have received a big boost in campaigning with the central leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, dedicating themselves with full determination to winning over the key southern state. Shivakumar is expected to cover 70 constituencies, while Siddaramaiah will campaign in about 60 seats. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “Kharge will cover 40 seats and Gandhi will tour at least 30 seats.” Kharge campaign has strategically included holding of news conferences and public rallies daily in different districts of the state, and is closely monitoring the electioneering on a regular basis, having appointed five regional observers to strengthen the communication feedback system. Rahul Gandhi enjoys tremendous goodwill in the state after the Bharat Jodo Yatra; he has earned people’s love affection and sympathy after being disqualified from Parliament over the flimsy conviction in the Modi surname defamation case. Moreover, Priyanka Gandhi has connected well with women voters and has drawn huge crowds in her road shows. She made an appeal to the people to stand with the Congress party. Addressing a poll rally in Sringeri of Chikkamagaluru district, Priyanka Gandhi stated, “In 1978, when Indira ji (late ex-PM Indira Gandhi, her grandmother) came to Chikkamagaluru, it was a period of struggle for her. In that tough time, people of Chikkamagaluru stood with her. Today also there is a period of struggle for Rahul ji (Rahul Gandhi) and my family. We have full confidence that people of the country will stand with us,” she said. While the Congress focus on ‘40 per cent commission sarkara’ has struck a chord with the voters, its welfare guarantees — including Rs 3,000 every month for two years to unemployed youths, Rs 2,000 to housewives and 200 units of free electricity, under Anna Bhagya scheme the provision of free 10kg rice every month for people below poverty line (BPL), etc. — in the state bolstered its campaign. What came as a bonus is the unseemly controversy about Nandini milk cooperatives and a massive exodus from the BJP, with senior leaders such as former chief minister Jagdish Shettar and deputy chief minister Laxman Savdi joining the Congress. It is clear that the Congress is steering the governance debate on the electoral table, while keeping issues related to communal polarisation at bay.

SAMAJWADI PARTY ANNOUNCES WELFARE SCHEMES AHEAD OF MUNICIPAL POLLS

All major political parties of Uttar Pradesh are coming up for important urban body polls scheduled in the first week of next month. In an attempt to galvanise the party cadres and to bring back the politics of social justice, the Samajwadi Party has instructed the party leaders, especially the backward class cell, to organise village-level meetings to acquaint people about the need for caste census for inclusive growth. Samajwadi Party Ambedkar Vahini members are in contact with the Dalit population in villages with the sole aim of winning over the members of scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Now, Samajwadi Party has launched a booklet of appeal to voters, making a series of promises, such as an urban employment guarantee scheme on the lines of MGNREGS, opening Samajwadi canteens and grocery stores, yoga centres and making gaushalas self-sufficient. The party has also promised and advocated a Nagar Bharti Samman to reward good works in urban areas. The urban local body polls are scheduled on May 4 and May 11 and the counting of votes will be held on May 13. These polls are significant insofar as acting as a testing ground for parties before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

WILL AJIT PAWAR BE KING-MAKER, OR KING-SLAYER? WE’LL KNOW IN MAY

The buzz in Maharashtra is that Ajit Pawar has been trying to steer a rebellion against his party, the National Congress Party, and will likely break away with his supporters for allies with the BJP. Speculations of a split in the NCP have been put to rest both by the BJP and the NCP, but behind the curtains, these are still prevalent and have not been denied. Now, Sanjay Raut (spokesperson of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena) claimed that the death warrant of the Shinde-led government has already been written and it will last only for 15 to 20 days. Raut also claimed that Sharad Pawar, with whom Raut is very close, shared with him that there has been pressure on individuals to break ranks. Meanwhile, posters have been put up in Maharashtra’s Chembur area in support of Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister of the state. The posters claim that if Pawar becomes the chief minister, it will provide justice to the protesting villagers. Another factor that kept the rumour mills running is that the Supreme Court judgment over a plea to disqualify 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is expected in May. An adverse decision against the MLAs may lead to a situation where the BJP-Sena government may seek additional support, which is where Ajit Pawar and his loyal MLAs may come into play. However, Shinde-led Shiv Sena has said that it would not be a part of the government in Maharashtra if Ajit Pawar joined the BJP with a group of NCP MLAs.

CONGRESS ROPES IN SUNIL KANUGOLU TO WIN KARNATAKA, MP OVER

Both BJP and Congress have initiated preparations to revive back to power in Madhya Pradesh. While BJP is aiming for the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat and all its seven assembly segments in the central state, on the other hand, the Congress has emphasized more on Bundelkhand, Malwa and Vindhya regions. The Congress is eyeing women voters and former CM Kamal Nath has announced that if his party formed the government again in Madhya Pradesh in the state assembly election scheduled later this year, a financial help of Rs. 18,000 per year would be given to women, and it would be largest ‘women empowerment scheme of the world’. Congress has roped in poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, a former associate of Prashant Kishor, to help it shape its high-stakes MP campaign. Kanugolu is currently also spearheading the Congress’ campaign in Karnataka, where Assembly polls will be held on May 10. After that election concludes, he will focus on Madhya Pradesh and may set up his office in the state.

BREAK FROM KARNATAKA CAMPAIGN: PRIYANKA DONS CHEF’S HAT IN MYSORE

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took an off from her busy election campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, where she had visited one of the most famous icons of Mysore’s cultural landscape: Mylari Restaurant, renowned for its unique dosa. After tasting the delicious idli and dosa, Vadra expressed her desire to learn the tricks of making dosa. The restaurant owner readily agreed and took her to the kitchen. While she was successful in pouring batter on the tawa to make a set of dosas and spreading it to the right shape, at least two of them were charred after she apparently failed to flip them on time, leading to bursts of laughter by people around her. Priyanka also took time to have a talk with the children at the restaurant. (IPA Service)

The post Next Level Of Opposition Unity To Form After Karnataka Poll Results first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Next Level Of Opposition Unity To Form After Karnataka Poll Results appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

In an attempt to bring back the politics of social justice before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have raised the demand that the Union government should go ahead for a caste census with immediate effect. Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, while Rahul Gandhi has demanded that the government should make the 2011 data on castes public and lift the 50 per cent cap on reservation for the backwards classes. The Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar, comprising the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress, have already launched a two-phase caste census in the state and it is expected to be completed by May. Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar asked if the government is really worried about the OBCs, why then is it “reluctant” to issue the data pertaining to caste and social and economic status. However, Congress has tried to turn the focus on to caste census and which the party believes can certainly unite the Other Backward Castes (OBC), SC, ST and minorities voters in its favour. Meanwhile, Congress, SP, RJD, DMK and BRS are likely to put forth their support to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who hails from the Kurmi OBC community, as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate to reach out to OBCs and unite the opposition against the BJP.

NOW GEHLOT AND PILOT LOCK HORNS OVER TICKET DISTRIBUTION

The tussle between the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has kept the Rajasthan Congress pot simmering. Pilot and Gehlot have been involved in a battle over corruption probe in Rajasthan. The Congress party is immensely upset with Sachin Pilot for his rebellious act against CM Gehlot and stirring problems in the party. Political observers believe that the present infighting between the Gehlot and Pilot factions in Congress is not for the Chief Minister’s chair, but for attaining party tickets for their respective loyalists. The one who wins in getting more assembly tickets for his supporters will be the leader in the state in the future and will also have the opportunity to become the CM. Meanwhile, Congress is making sincere attempts to unite the party in Rajasthan. In an attempt to get the MLAs into election mode, party in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, CM Ashok Gehlot and State President Govind Singh Dotasara started a three-day one-on-one conversation with the party MLAs. But Pilot chose not to attend this meeting.

AJIT PAWAR’S EXPECTED NCP SPLIT RUMOURS GET STRONGER

There has been much speculation that senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar may join the BJP-Shiv Sena government along with a group of loyal NCP MLAs, and the rumour is only getting stronger. However, Ajit Pawar as well as NCP chief Sharad Pawar respectively came out in public to deny what they called rumours. As discussions on a possible split in the NCP do the rounds, key leaders of the Opposition MVA alliance, including Sharad Pawar, party MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and his party MP Sanjay Raut, held a conference call to discuss the matter. But Ajit Pawar, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, did not mark his presence in the meeting. Another factor that kept the rumour mills running is the fact that the Supreme Court judgment over a plea to disqualify 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is expected in May. An adverse decision against the MLAs may lead to a situation where the BJP-Sena government may need additional support, which is where Ajit Pawar and his loyal MLAs may come into play.

CM MAMATA EXTENDS SOLIDARITY TO CM STALIN’S INITIATIVE

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin and wished solidarity with the ruling DMK for its attempts against the undemocratic functioning of governors in non-BJP states. Stalin said Banerjee had rendered suggestions that it is good if the chief ministers of all opposition-ruled states meet to decide the future course of action. The Tamil Nadu Assembly had recently adopted a resolution seeking to fix a timeframe for governors to give their nod to state Bills and Stalin had written to CMs of non-BJP dispensations to do the same in their respective states. Mamata is the third CM in the country to offer support to Stalin’s initiative. Earlier, Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal and Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan had expressed their solidarity with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief.

YASMIN KIDWAI HINTS AT RAHUL’S SECOND, WEST-TO-EAST BHARAT JODO YATRA

Old guard and senior Congress leader Imran Kidwai had hosted an iftar on 18 April in Dastarkhwan-e-Karim at India Islamic Culture Centre in Delhi, where eminent journalist, and senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik joined. While Kidwai’s daughter, former municipal corporator, Yasmin Kidwai, who was also the part of the Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, welcomed the guest, she also gave her views about the yatra. Kidwai shared that she is waiting for the second leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is likely to commence from Porbandar in Gujarat and will conclude at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. The party is strategically chalking out a route plan for the yatra and it will be from the West to the East.

REBEL BJP LEADER SHETTARFINDS REFUGE IN CONGRESS

Both the BJP and Congress are facing massive strain over ticket refusals in the Karnataka assembly elections. Congress party has welcomed two senior leaders Jagdish Shettar and Laxman Savadi from the Lingayat community, who have left the BJP. The former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shettar is now a candidate from the Hubli-Dharwad-Central constituency. He will be competing against BJP candidate Mahesh Tenginkai in the election, which is scheduled for May 10th. As many as 52 new candidates have been fielded by the BJP and the party has retained 90 sitting MLAs including 11 from the Congress and JDS who crossed over in 2019 to help it wrest power from the coalition. The party has also introduced in as many as 12 new faces for constituencies won by its MLAs in 2018 including the Shikaripura seat held by former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa where his son B Y Vijayendra whose candidature has been given. (IPA Service)

The post Congress Demands Caste Census, Opposition United To Take On BJP first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Congress Demands Caste Census, Opposition United To Take On BJP appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The political buzz around the formulation of a National Front is back, with the major difference being that this time the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is discussing with like-minded parties and trying to forge a viable alternative to take on the BJP. According to sources, talks are already underway between TRS and Congress to forge an alliance in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, but TRS will fight the assembly elections in Telangana against the Congress and BJP. Previously, in 2004, CPI(M) had shown complete support to the UPA and forged an understanding with the Congress in national politics. CPI(M) had an alliance with Congress in West Bengal, Tripura, but was fighting each other in Kerala.

AAP TRIES ITS HANDS AT THIRD FRONTS IN MP, RAJASTHAN, CHHATTISGARH

Ahead of the 2024 general elections, as well as the assembly elections in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the AAP is keen on expanding its footprint in these states. According to sources, the AAP wants an alliance with smaller parties in Rajasthan, like the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) headed by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal. The way in which the CMs of Delhi and Punjab have attended the birthday of Hanuman Beniwal’s daughter in Delhi, many things seem to be getting clearer and providing better indication that both RLP and AAP will be coming together to form a third front in Rajasthan to fight the elections.

AKHILESH EYES DALIT VOTES TO ADD TO SP TALLY IN UTTAR PRADESH

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has unveiled a statue of BSP founder Kanshi Ram in Raebareli as part of his party’s attempt to reach out to the Dalit community. The SP, which counts its support among the Yadav, Muslims and Kurmi, has been trying to add Dalit votes to its fold. Akhilesh had said, “We are the people who follow the path shown by Bhimrao Ambedkar and Manyavar Kanshi Ram. We are not the ones who are out to make a dent in the ‘bahujan samaj’, but are those who bind them.” While the party has emphasized on all 80 seats in UP and Political observers say the SP’s Yadav-Muslim base, coupled with the support of Kurmis, dalits can create problems for the BJP in many seats in UP. A buzz signals that the SP, which is giving an indication for a non-BJP, non-Congress front nationally and keeping its options open for a pre-poll alliance on weak seats with other parties.

YOGI-LED BJP’S OBC, MUSLIM OUTREACH IN UTTAR PRADESH AHEAD OF 2024

BJP has begun preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. The ruling party is following new tactics and strategy to attract the voters from the OBC communities. BJP has commenced a campaign ‘Gaon Gaon Chalo, Ghar Ghar Chalo’ from April 6 to reach out to the OBC voters. The party has formed a blueprint for the 14 Lok Sabha seats that it had lost in the last Lok Sabha elections. Moreover, BJP has decided to emphasize on the minority community, and the workers of the UP BJP Minority Morcha will also hold discussions with the people to create connection with the Muslim community.

AYODHYA PRIEST INVITES RAHUL GANDHI TO STAY IN TEMPLE PREMISES

A priest at Ayodhya’s Hanumangarhi Mandir has offered invitation to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asking him to stay with the monks in the temple premises after he vacates his government bungalow, which was allotted to him as an MP way back in 2004. The offer was interpreted by some as a gesture of support for the Congress from a mahant of a temple in a BJP bastion. Mahant Sanjay Das is heir to the prestigious seat of Mahant Gyan Das, the elderly seer of Hanumangarhi. Sanjay Das is the national president of the Sankat Mochan Sena. (IPA Service)

The post Now KCR Tries To Forge A National Front To Take On The BJP first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Now KCR Tries To Forge A National Front To Take On The BJP appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

In an attempt to revive the politics of social justice before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress made 85 amendments in its constitution at its 85th plenary session, seeking to provide 50 percent reservation to scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), other backward classes (OBCs), women, youth and minorities in its working committee and at all party positions. The Congress shared that a National Council for Social Justice would be set up on the lines of the National Development Council to review the progress and gaps in implementing India’s social justice policies and legislations. Congress strived to shift the focus on to caste census and believes that it can unite the Other Backward Castes (OBC), SC, ST and minorities voters in its favour.

CONGRESS’ SECULARISM IN DOCK OVER PLENARY AD, JAIRAM SAYS ‘SLIP-UP’

The Congress is in the throes of a deep debate on the future of its core ideological plank of secularism. However, the recent controversy over an advertisement on its 85th plenary session, which did not include India’s first education minister and freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, led to the party receiving strong criticism from several quarters. The full-page advertisement, published in dailies on the third day of the plenary session, featured Congress leaders of the past—Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B R Ambedkar, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Sarojini Naidu. Sharing the advertisement on Twitter, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, “The @INCIndia has a pantheon of Muslim leaders who struggled against fissiparous tendencies especially within their community that led to creation of Pakistan & dedicated themselves to inclusive idea of India. Someone wants to airbrush their contribution from annals of History.” While Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the mistake an inexcusable slipup and guaranteed a promised action. On the other hand, Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, AIMIM, questioned Congress’ secularism for including former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in the advertisement. AIMIM shared that the former Prime Minister played a key role in the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya in 1992.

CM BHUPESH BAGHEL LEADS CONGRESS’ TRIBAL OUTREACH IN CHHATTISGARH

Ahead of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, in a bid to win the confidence of the tribal community, Congress is leaving no stone unturned. With 12 seats in the district, Bastar plays an important role in the formation of the government in Chhattisgarh, and the said seats remain a priority for the Congress. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is planning with a focused strategy of cultivating pride in Chhattisgarh’s identity, promoting welfare measures for rural people and taking on the BJP aggressively to ensure that his government is voted once again to power.

STALIN SAYS NO TO ‘THIRD FRONT’, URGES UNITED OPPOSITION MUST TO BEAT BJP

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls and amid discussions on Opposition unity, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has dismissed the idea of a third front. He has urged all political parties to comprehend the simple arithmetic of electoral unity. At the rally held in Chennai as part of CM Stalin’s 70th birthday celebration, attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and NC leader Farooq Abdullah, Stalin urged for strong opposition unity. Among those conspicuous by their absence were the TMC, BRS and the Left parties. However, Stalin called on all opposition parties to unite and come together to defeat the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

RECOVERING LALU VIRTUALLY ADDRESSES BIHAR RALLY, SAYS MUST DEFEAT BJP

The Ekjutata (unity) rally organized in Purnia by Bihar’s ruling alliance is being seen as an attempt to show off strength and ability by all seven parties in the governing formation, especially JD(U) and RJD. In his first speech after since his kidney transplant operation, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who addressed the rally in virtual mode from Delhi, criticised BJP for being anti-minorities. Lalu emphasized that the grand alliance in Bihar was aimed at ousting BJP from power in the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Ekjutata rally is expected to consolidate the vote base of RJD and Nitish Kumar’s JD-U in Seemanchal. Lalu’s active participation in anti-BJP movement is giving a big boost to the grand alliance’s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections.

NOW, AKHILESH YADAV DEMANDS CASTE CENSUS IN UTTAR PRADESH

In a bid to jolt the party cadres and to revive the politics of social justice before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi party has initiated block-level campaign, beginning with Varanasi, Sonbhadra, Prayagraj, Mirzapur and Bhadohi districts, where the party workers will see and meet with the people of backward classes and will also raise awareness on the importance of holding a caste census. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav has demanded caste census in UP. Speaking during the Budget Session of the State Assembly, Akhilesh said, “If Bihar can have a caste census, why can’t we? Our party had promised that if voted to power, we will complete the caste census within three months”. Akhilesh’s moves are being seen by political observers as a bid to counter the BJP’s Hindutva plank which has cut across caste lines in Uttar Pradesh. (IPA Service)

The post Eye On Lok Sabha 2024 Polls, Congress Renews Focus On Social Justice first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Eye On Lok Sabha 2024 Polls, Congress Renews Focus On Social Justice appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, the BJP is in talks for alliance with the disgruntled JDU leader Upendra Kushwaha, the chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), Mukesh Sahani, as well as with the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader, Chirag Paswan. In this context BJP’s Bihar unit president, Sanjay Jaiswal, met Upendra Kushwaha and had a closed-door meeting, lasting half an hour. As per reliable sources, Jaiswal communicated the message of BJP top leadership to Kushwaha. Earlier, Kushwaha, had been praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing that it will be very difficult for the opposition parties to remove him from power in 2024. The buzz is that before the announcement of alliance between LJP and BJP, Union Minister and president of Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) Pashupati Kumar Paras will be merging his party with his estranged nephew Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). The RLJP has five members in the Lok Sabha from Bihar. The erstwhile LJP had won six seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Bihar. But after a split in the LJP, five MPs went with Paras-led RLJP, while Ram Vilas Paswan’s only son Chirag Paswan remained the lone MP of the LJP (Ram Vilas).

RICHA SINGH KNOCKS EC DOOR SAYING EXPULSION FROM SP UNJUST

Ever since the former Samajwadi Party leader Richa Singh was expelled from the party, she has been looking for a new political home. Rumour mill doing rounds say that Richa Singh is hobnobbing with BJP leaders. Meanwhile, Singh has written to the Election Commission of India, urging the poll panel to take action against the Samajwadi Party. Singh claims that the SP has violated the party’s constitution by taking action against her without issuing a showcause notice. In her letter to the EC, Singh claimed that on February 16, the SP unilaterally announced her expulsion without putting forth an explanation, prior warning or even a showcause notice.

KARNATAKA CONGRESS STILL BEDRAGGLED BY SIDDA-DK INFIGHTING

In Karnataka, the Congress’s major concern remains the infighting, despite the assembly elections being around the corner, slated in April-May. Discussions are on about who would lead the party in the polls and, subsequently, the government, in case the Congress manages to win in the southern state. Leadership debates were triggered by the loyalists of Siddaramaiah, who expect him to head the next government. However, supporters of the state Congress president DK Shivakumar, don’t seem to take it lightly either. The two groups have since been issuing statements on why the Congress high command should pick their respective leaders as the next chief ministerial candidate. Amused by this, Koratagere MLA and former CM G Parameshwara has joked, “I also want to become the chief minister. Firstly, the Congress party should be brought to power in the state. Later, the party high command will decide who should become the chief minister.”

UDDHAV FACTION’S LOSS OF POLL SYMBOL MAY HELP NCP GAIN GROUND

After Election Commission (EC) recognising the Eknath Shinde group as the official Shiv Sena, and allowing them to use the Sena poll symbol of bow and arrow, the Maha Vikas Aghadhi allies, i.e., the Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have pledged to continue the flag of unity and collectively contest in all the forthcoming elections under the MVA banner. However, the loss of name and symbol may hamper the expansion plans of Uddhav Thackeray’s party. Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sharad Pawar-led NCP is aggressively pursuing an outreach strategy focused on the youth, women and farmers, for which, weekly programmes are being organised. The NCP is working on a two-pronged strategy to exploit any pro-Uddhav sympathy and consolidate its own foothold on territories vacated due to the Shiv Sena split. While the Congress is engaged in an in-house power tussle, and Thackeray is fighting for survival, the NCP has a lot of scope of making deep inroads across its bastion in western Maharashtra into Marathwada and North Maharashtra.

NITISH MAY BE KEY TO OPPOSITION UNITY AGAINST MODI-LED NDA REGIME

The political buzz around the formulation of a main oppositional front has once again raised its head. While discussions for the opposition unity have been recurrent, the major difference this time is that Bihar Chief Minister Nitesh Kumar seems to be waiting for a signal from the Congress to work towards getting all the Opposition parties on board. Nitish Kumar asserted that if the Opposition is united, “the BJP would not be able to cross 100 seats in 2024 Lok Sabha polls”. The Bihar CM was speaking at a national convention of the CPI(ML) Liberation, which favours the Mahagathbandhan government in the state from outside, on the theme “Save democracy, save Constitution, drive out Fascism”. However, CM Nitish warned the non-NDA parties of the dire consequences, saying that they would be decimated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, if they do not unite against the BJP. (IPA Service)

The post BJP In Alliance Talks With Kushwaha, Chirag Paswan For 2024 Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article BJP In Alliance Talks With Kushwaha, Chirag Paswan For 2024 Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

After conquering the erstwhile Congress bastion of Amethi, the former constituency of Rahul Gandhi that he lost in 2019 Lok Sabha elections to Smriti Irani, the BJP now is solely focussing on Raebareli and started preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Sonia Gandhi, is a prestigious seat that the BJP is hellbent on bagging this time around. While the political buzz is that Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, may fight the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, once considered as the Gandhi family bastion, confirmations are not in yet. In 2019 Parliamentary polls, Union Minister Smriti Irani defeated the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, thus forcing him to look southwards for his onward political journey. Ever since, the grand old party has been looking to retrieve the seat from BJP stranglehold in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

AKHILESH BATS FOR CASTE CENSUS; EYEING OBC, DALIT VOTES IN 2024

In a bid to jolt the party cadres ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav paid a visit to Balia, Varanasi and Ghazipur, to deliberate on the issue of a caste census, which the party believes can unite the Other Backward Castes (OBC) and Scheduled Caste (SC) voters in its favour. During the recent Ramcharitmanas controversy, the party tried to shift the emphasis on to caste, with the SP president alleging that the BJP considers him a Shudra (untouchable). While the party has targeted all 80 seats in UP, it is also abuzz with indications that a non-BJP, non-Congress front can emerge nationally. Akhilesh is keeping his options open for a pre-poll alliance on weak seats with other parties.

MAHAGATHBANDHAN, SHAH TO RALLY IN BIHAR; CONGRESS HUDDLE IN RAIPUR

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the political theatre in Bihar is heating up. The seven-party alliance of Mahagathbandhan is all set for its mega rally in Purnia, scheduled to be held on February 25, the same day that Union home minister Amit Shah is addressing rallies in the state. The Mahagathbandhan rally, slated to have participation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and other leaders of the alliance partners, is expected to draw huge crowds. However, there has also been a date clash with the Congress’s three-day plenary session starting from February 24 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. AICC and state committee leaders will have to show their presence ascertaining the respective attendance in Raipur, other leaders and party workers will be attending the rally in Purnia.

POSSIBLE EXODUS OF BSP LEADERS TO SP AFTER IMRAN MASOOD GETS BIG POST

After BSP chief Mayawati appointed Imran Masood as the convener of BSP in western UP, most of the Muslim leaders of BSP are annoyed with this latest development. Sensing the declining support base of the BSP, many leaders could be caught in the mood to switch sides. Speculation is rife that Jaunpur BSP MP Shyam Singh Yadav and MP Haji Fazlur Rehman are afraid of losing seats in the next general elections, so they might join the SP. The leaders are hobnobbing with Shah Alam, known as Guddu Jamali, to join the SP. It remains to be seen if these disaffected BSP leaders will continue to be with Behenji, or join SP to keep their political fortunes going.

DISSENTERS THAROOR, MOILY BACK IN CONGRESS GOOD BOOKS

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has accommodated Shashi Tharoor in the committees for the 85th plenary session to be held at Raipur. Tharoor, who is indeed facing the criticism in Kerala with a section of the Congress, who are still carrying a grudge against him for challenging the official line, has been included in the main drafting committee. He has also been appointed the convener of the sub-committee on foreign affairs. The subgroup for political affairs is headed by M. Veerappa Moily, another leader who was a member of the now-disbanded G23. This strategy has led to an open communicative signal to party workers across the country that the Congress high command has taken steps to accommodate high-profile dissenters.

HARYANA CONGRESS STILL UNDER FORMER CM HOODA’S THUMB

The Congress is now anxious about its future in Haryana, given the state unit is run by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who enjoys the support of Jats of the Deswali belt of Sonepat, Rohtak and Jhajjar districts. Former Congress leaders like Ashok Tanwar, Kuldeep Bishnoi have left the party owing to the influence of Hooda. Another Dalit leader KumariSelja has been replaced by UdaiBhan, a Hooda loyalist, showing that the party was still firmly behind Hooda since Selja is seen as someone opposed to him. The barrier between Kiran Chaudhary and Bhupinder Singh Hooda is wide and is somewhat of an open secret within the party and outside. Though the Congress has been out of power in Haryana since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed its first government in the state under Manohar Lal Khattar, it has managed to remain a party of significance. Observers are of strong opinion that without the non-Jat votes, the Congress cannot win the assembly elections in Haryana because the Jats are divided between Congress, INLD and newly formed Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), headed by Dushyant Chautala, which won ten seats (14.8% of the votes) in the 2022 Assembly polls. The Jat community comprises 27 percent of the state’s population and has a strong presence in around 40 of the 90 assembly seats. (IPA Service)

The post BJP Focussed On Winning Raebareli, Congress Wants Amethi Back first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article BJP Focussed On Winning Raebareli, Congress Wants Amethi Back appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the race for prime ministerial candidate from the combined Opposition will most likely include the names of Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee. But after the remarkable response of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the former Congress president has emerged as an equally strong candidate for the prime ministerial post from the Opposition camp. However, such an important decision can be taken only after the assembly elections of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are through, and the opposition unity comes actually in shape. The Congress is already in an effective alliance with other parties in Maharashtra, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu. The alliance in Bihar has in it parties with diverse ideologies, from the left to the right. The state BJP could not find any strong and powerful ally and is completely isolated. The same is true for Maharashtra. Here’s the ferocious right wing, the Shiv Sena, is a partner of the Congress, along with the NCP. Even after a major split in the Shiv Sena, this is a strong alliance. While it is clear that Rahul Gandhi is addressing the vital issue of consolidating opposition unity before 2024, but he has to put in more efforts and devise effective strategy to achieve this goal.

NADDA’S BASTAR VISIT WON’T DENTCHHATTISGARH CM BAGHEL’S POPULARITY

Ahead of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and with an eye on tribal votes, the BJP national president JP Nadda will be going to Bastar district on February 11 to hold a rally in the tribal-dominated region. BJP is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to win the confidence of the tribal people. With 12 seats in the district, Bastar plays a vital role in the formulation of the government in Chhattisgarh, and these seats remain a top priority for the BJP. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is at his best to work with a focused strategy of cultivating pride in Chhattisgarh’s regional identity, promoting welfare measures for rural people and taking on the BJP aggressively to ensure that his government is returned to power. However, Aam Aadmi Party, which made some noise initially, does not seem to be doing well, while the Janata Congress is in tatters and does not seem to have any guide or planning holder after the demise of its popular founder Ajit Jogi.

KUSHWAHA, CM NITISH KUMAR RIFT OVER TEJASHWI CONTINUES

The rift between JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has become wider. Earlier, JD(U) had asked its dissatisfied leader Upendra Kushwaha to put resignation from the party, if even an iota of political morality was left with him. Kushwaha has said that the party should project someone from within its fold as the face for the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, instead of deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who is from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Kushwaha has also called a meeting of party workers in Patna on February 19-20. He said the JD-U is a party formed by late Sharad Yadav and not Nitish Kumar, who had formed the Samata Party.

ALL EYES ON AICC’S 85TH PLENARY AT RAIPUR TOFORMULATE 2024 STRATEGY

AICC has decided that the 85th plenary session of the Indian National Congress would be held on 24-26 of February in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Almost all big party leaders from across the country will participate in the three-day mega conclave. The discussion will mostly focus on the issues of price rise, unemployment, Indo-China relations, strategy for 2024 Lok Sabha polls and pre and post poll alliances, where all Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates would authorise the presidentship of Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress has formulated an organising committee for this three-day 85th plenary session, with treasurer Pawan Bansal as its chairman, and the three party chief ministers as special invitees. Congress also constituted a reception committee headed by Chhattisgarh Congress chief Mohan Markam, with state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as its co-chairman. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Tariq Anwar has been appointed as the convener of the organising committee.

BHOPAL HOARDINGS PROJECT KAMAL NATH, BUT MP CONGRESS IS DIVIDED

Ahead of Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, hoardings and posters reading ‘Naya Saal Nayi Sarkar’ (New Year, New Government) and ‘Bhavi Mukyamantri’ Kamal Nath (Future CM Kamal Nath) were put up by Congress workers across the city of Bhopal. However, just a month later, former MPCC president Arun Yadav, has questioned the urgency of Kamal Nath being projected as the party’s future CM candidate in MP.Yadav has said that after the elections are won, only it should be decided who would be the Chief Minister in MP. As of today, Kamal Nath is the President of Madhya Pradesh PCC. He also added that they all have been working under his leadership. However, former leader of Opposition Ajay Singh has come out in support and favour of Arun Yadav as the candidate for the top post in case Congress forms the government. Earlier, Congress’s national in-charge for MP, JP Agrawal, had said that the party was yet to finalize its CM face in the state. State Congress president Kamal Nath has said that he was not interested in becoming the chief minister of the state. (IPA Service)

The post Rahul Must Forge Opposition Unity To Become The Consensus Candidate first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Rahul Must Forge Opposition Unity To Become The Consensus Candidate appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

There is a chance of a massive rejig in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet after January 14, when the ongoing Kharmas period, which is believed and considered to be inauspicious as per the Hindu calendar concludes . According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may expand his Cabinet and add leaders of the Shinde Shiv Sena faction, an ally gained by the NDA and some new faces from the states which are scheduled to go to the polls   this year such as Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and 2024 general elections. Some ministers may be removed from the Cabinet based on their respective performance. It is being said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his cohort of top ministers, have prepared the report card of how each Cabinet minister has performed in the portfolio allocated to them.

BHARAT JODO YATRA RELEASES A SPECIAL SONG FOCUSING LIVE ISSUES OF PEOPLE

“Ab nahin to kab…” the new tagline to the Bharat Jodo Yatra theme song was released on January 2, 2023. With this the issues such as inflation, unemployment have been discussed as these have always been mentioned by Rahul Gandhi during the ongoing yatra. As the song lyrics tell about that the wind of change is blowing and it has been asked that if not now then when? Bandh ho nafrat ki rajneeti – ab nahin to kab? Mahengai ka ghada foote – ab nahin to kab? Berozgari ka chakkar chhute – ab nahin to kab?…” and the song continues. The Congress commented that the Yatra’s purposed had been served to a great extent. K.C. Venugopal, said: “This is a significant milestone in the Congress tradition of giving voice to the people’s concerns. The Yatra has greatly succeeded in sending out the message of unity across the country.”

CONGRESS PLENARY SESSION IN RAIPUR IN FEBRUARY TO DISCUSS ABOUT POLL BODY

The plenary session of the All India Congress Committee under the leadership of party president Mallikarjun Kharge will be held from 24 to 26 February in Raipur, and it will be inclusive of discussion on the major issues related to varied fields comprising politics, economics, international affairs, agriculture, education and employment. The session will also lead to some important decisions regarding the key party bodies such as the Congress Working Committee, the highest executive body of the Congress, and the Central Election Commission, the top poll body that decides on candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls.  Discussion is on whether   the central poll body, should be set up either through elections or nomination by the party president. Currently, the party’s top decision making body is a transitional steering committee that was formulated after new party President Mallikarjun Kharge took over.

NITISH KUMAR HOLDS MEETINGS WITH MUSLIMS WARNING THEM AGAINST AIMIM

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has followed a new strategy with the aim to prevent the division of the Muslim vote bank in Bihar. He had held a closed-door meeting with Muslim intellectuals belonging to different sects. With due effect Nitish Kumar appealed to the Muslim intellectuals to remain on high alert mode against divisive forces and warned the Muslim community to be cautious of AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, which according to him was the B team of BJP. Nitish has been on a mission to unite the opposition parties against the BJP and hence he met various leaders in September including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Karnataka chief minister and Janata Dal Secular leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D. Raja, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav.  He will make fresh moves in his mission again.

RLD AND OTHER SMALL PARTIES PARTICIPATE IN RAHUL GANDHI’S BHARAT JODO YATRA

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and farmer organisations extended their full support to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and participated in his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Western Uttar Pradesh The yatra in western Uttar Pradesh also pointed to the clues as well as at the possibilities of new alliances, with the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) local leadership mobilising numbers for the march. The flags of the Peace Party, and workers of the Bhim Army, were also seen. Rahul appealed to the youth, farmers and workers not to fear, and said he had drawn and acquired the motivation for this don’t fear attitude from the philosophy of Lord Shiva. Over its three days in the state, the Rahul Yatra is confined to west UP, which is the RLD’s stronghold. (IPA Service)

The post Prime Minister Is Likely To Do Major Cabinet Rejig After January 14 first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Prime Minister Is Likely To Do Major Cabinet Rejig After January 14 appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

As a result of the historic win by the BJP in the recently concluded Gujarat assembly polls, the demand for change of leadership in the Madhya Pradesh unit of the party has gained ground. BJP leaders in the state are claiming that the party could lose Madhya Pradesh due to raging anti-incumbency against the fourth-term government of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The hankering for change, however, has put the BJP’s central leadership in a bind amid apprehensions that a Gujarat-style operation could be counter-productive in states like MP, with reasonably influential regional faces. While BJP leaders in Delhi commented that they were aware of unrest and aggression against the incumbent government in Madhya Pradesh, the top leadership was unsure whether dropping CM Chouhan would resolve the problem. Thus, in absence of any feasible replacement option, Chouhan continues to be the CM. Although, the RSS rank and file as well as on-ground BJP workers are sure that Chouhan would be shown the way out in a sudden motion like Sushil Modi.

J P NADDA TO GET EXTENSION AS BJP CHIEF AFTER HIS TERM ENDS IN JAN 2023

J P Nadda, the BJP national president, whose three-year term would come to an end on January 20, 2023, is not very apprehensive. According to BJP sources, the party’s national executive would be soon called, perhaps as early as the January 2023, possibly in New Delhi, and Nadda is expected to receive an extension as the party chief. Sources say that the extension may follow until the end of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, and during the upcoming state Assembly polls, the party would undertake a review of the ongoing organisational exercise. According to the constitution of the BJP, the party president can get two consecutive terms of three years each. Similarly, there is a provision that after the organisation elections are held in at least fifty per cent of the state units, the process of election of the national president can be initiated. Meanwhile, after the Lok Sabha polls in April-May 2024 get done, the process of internal polls within the BJP will likely commence. Nadda, who has cordial ties with the RSS leadership and enjoys PM Modi’s confidence, is not worried. The BJP national president has kept the party morale high with consecutive election wins, particularly in Gujarat, and also has maintained the organisational momentum and dynamism that the BJP was injected with under his powerful predecessor, the current Union home minister, Amit Shah.

SHIVPAL KEY TO AKHILESH’S PLANS FOR SAMAJWADI PARTY REVIVAL IN UP

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) chief Shivpal Yadav is famous for his great organisational skills and capacity to mobilise party workers. Provided an opportunity, he will play an utmost important role in the party for the 2024 polls. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is likely to go ahead in delegating responsibility of eastern Uttar Pradesh to Shivpal Yadav, and also to take the charge of the organization, in terms of looking after and talking to the smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh for possible pre-poll alliances. Shivpal has recently paid a visit to Pratapgarh and Prayagraj and has said he would visit every district of Uttar Pradesh to strengthen the party cadre. While SP has lost three allies in UP after the 2022 Assembly polls —  the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Mahaan Dal and Janwadi Party — but the SP has, more or less, made up for the losses by getting in Shivpal Yadav back into the party fold. However, the biggest challenge that Akhilesh faces is that the BJP has an extremely well-oiled organisational machinery and SP is no match for it yet.

IN BIHAR, NITISH TO MARCH FOR PROHIBITION, CONGRESS FOR BHARAT YATRA

Both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as well as the State unit of the Congress party are scheduled to embark on separate yatras across the state from January 5, 2023.The Congress will conduct its highly successful Bharat Jodo Yatra leg from Bihar’s Banka district to Bodh Gaya, and carry out Yatra in places such as Bhagalpur, Khagaria, Begusarai, Darbhanga, and Patna, aiming for expansion of its reach and influence. It will be led by the party president Mallikarjun Kharge. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar will commence a nearly month-long march from West Champaran district, the land closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s first major Satyagraha against British rule. This Yatra by Kumar is influential as it is seen as his new attempt to seek active support of the people to implement the liquor prohibition on the ground.

ABDULLAHS, MUFTI AWAIT KASHMIR LEG OF RAHUL’S BHARAT JODO YATRA

As the countdown starts for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra to enter Jammu and Kashmir in the second half of January 2023, the Valley’s mainstream but marginalized politicians, such as the National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, the PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti and the CPIM’s MY Tarigami, have given enthusiastic consent for their participation in the Yatra. Congress general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal has termed the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra as a national unification drive and said that the party would hoist the national flag in Kashmir.

BHARAT JODO YATRA TO ENTER UP ON JAN 3; AKHILESH, MAYAWATI INVITED

The invitation has been extended by the Congress party to several leaders, including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary and Om Prakash Rajbhar to join the Uttar Pradesh leg of its pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra. Political observers say the Congress’s attempt to unite the non-BJP parties through the Yatra ahead of the General elections in 2024, is gathering steam. Former Union minister Salman Khurshid has linked the Bharat Jodo Yatra to the epic Ramayana and has even compared Rahul Gandhi with Lord Ram and the Congress to Bharat. The Yatra is likely to enter UP from Loni border of Ghaziabad on January 3, and will cover three districts — Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Shamli— before re-entering Haryana. Rahul Gandhi would lead the Yatra in Baghpat on January 4 and Shamli on January 5, when, in the evening, he would leave UP through Kairana in Shamli district to enter Sonipat in Haryana. Rahul Gandhi would cover a total of 100 km in UP during the Yatra. (IPA Service)

The post BJP Workers In Madhya Pradesh Want Shivraj Out, Demand New Face first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article BJP Workers In Madhya Pradesh Want Shivraj Out, Demand New Face appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Former deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot, is now again in the limelight. After Congress snatched Himachal Pradesh from under BJP’s nose, the party wants to deploy him extensively in campaigns across the Hindi-speaking states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, in addition to Rajasthan. It’s notable that Pilot had addressed 18 rallies in Himachal Pradesh during the state campaign for the assembly elections, most of which attracted sizable crowds. Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra marked its 100 days on December 16, and people in Dausa, Rajasthan, raised slogans in favour of Sachin Pilot. Following the incident, CM Ashok Gehlot reportedly raised the matter in front of the Congress leadership and clarified that he is not going to bear such defiance in the state, especially during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. However, during the Yatra Sachin Pilot was seen wearing T-shirts with different slogans written on them, such as ‘Bekari se Rozgar tak, Aao Saath Chalein’ (From unemployment to jobs, let’s walk together). The idea behind the T-shirts was to highlight issues that directly influence people and would in turn shape electoral outcomes.

LOBBYING ON FOR BERTHS IN CHIEF MINISTER SUKHU’S HIMACHAL CABINET

Hectic lobbying for the ministerial berth in the newly-elected government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in Himachal Pradesh is still on, as several legislators of the Congress party make a beeline in Delhi before the party high command. Sukhu has asserted that the Cabinet would be expanded only after due consultation with the Congress top bosses, and that it would be a combination of professionals, youth and representatives from all sections. The Congress has won 40 out of 68 assembly seats, including 10 in Kangra, seven in Shimla, four each in Una, Solan, and Hamirpur, three in Sirmaur, two each in Chamba and Kullu, and one each in Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti district. All the regions have to be given equal and adequate representation. Meanwhile, the son of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and two-time MLA from Shimla (Rural), Vikramaditya Singh, is expected to be included in the Cabinet.

BJP ON HUNT FOR FRESH DELHI FACE TO RIVAL KEJRIWAL’S POPULARITY

Ever since Adesh Gupta, the Delhi BJP state chief who resigned from his post taking responsibility for the party’s defeat in the MCD, there have been rumours of a major reshuffle within the Delhi BJP unit. It is likely that a new state unit president could be appointed before 15 January 2023, in view of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and assembly elections to be held in 2025. Many have thrown their hats in the ring, including MP Manoj Tiwari, MP Gautam Gambhir and Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, MP from Delhi, who are all are lobbying for the top post. Former Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s name is also making rounds for the top job. However, the BJP high command has been looking for a leader who can pose a serious challenge to the extremely popular Chief Minister and AAP supremo, Arvind Kejriwal, in Delhi. For now, the Delhi BJP vice-president Virendra Sachdeva has been appointed as the interim president.

AKHILESH IS ‘CHHOTE NETAJI’, SAYS UNCLE SHIVPAL, SUPPORTERS CHEER ON

Shivpal Yadav has conferred a new name to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during the campaigning of Mainpuri by-election. Shivpal Yadav addressed Akhilesh as “Chhote Netaji” from the stage, a title reminiscent of and paying homage to the late Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ‘Netaji’. The sobriquet conferred by uncle Shivpal has become a superhit among the supporters, so much so that posters in the name of the young leader are being put up everywhere in the cities of Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party MLA Amitabh Bajpai even had Akhilesh Yadav’s name as “Chhote Netaji” printed in a poster which was put up in support of Irfan Solanki.

KARNATAKA CONGRESS LOOKS FOR CANDIDATES TO FIGHT BJP IN 2023 POLLS

Ahead of the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has started the process of selecting suitable candidates. KPCC has commenced the process of shortlisting them from among the ticket aspirants, who have submitted applications. KPCC president DK Shivakumar has formulated committees that will visit all the districts to shortlist a few candidates each and forward the list to the state party unit. Committee members have been instructed to only consider candidates who enjoy the confidence of the local population, and have the due recognition among the locals, giving priority to youngsters and women, who have a chance of winning elections. The committee members have been directed to commence holding meetings without any delay and send the shortlisted names to KPCC before January 1, 2023.

MAYAWATI PICKS NEW BSP CHIEF FOR UTTAR PRADESH

Ahead of municipal elections and the 2024 general election, Vishwanath Pal, has been appointed as the new president of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, by BSP chief Mayawati. Pal replaces Bhim Rajbhar, who was appointed to the post in November 2020.Rajbhar has been assigned the role of coordinator in Bihar. This change of the state unit president is seen as the Mayawati’s strategy to receive the support of the extremely backward caste (EBC). The BSP is working on a Dalit-Muslim-EBC formula to crack the next slew of elections. Viswanath Pal belongs to the Gadariya community (MBC). Previously, he has been the chief sector coordinator of Ayodhya, Mirzapur as well as Prayagraj divisions. (IPA Service)

The post After Himachal Impact, Congress Wants Pilot To Campaign More first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article After Himachal Impact, Congress Wants Pilot To Campaign More appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

The Indian National Congress at last scored a decent electoral win this year. The Congress managed to pull Himachal Pradesh from under BJP’s nose, as it crossed the majority mark of 35 seats in the 68-member Assembly in the hill state. Himachal maintained its tradition of not voting any incumbent government to power since 1985. The Congress won 40 seats in all, while BJP bagged 25. Three Independents also emerged as victorious. The Aam Aadmi Party, which had contested on 67 seats, failed to open its account. The Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday thanked the voters of Himachal Pradesh and also congratulated party workers on the Congress’s return to power in the hill state. The BJP Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has already submitted his resignation to the governor. Meanwhile, speculations are rife that state party chief, Pratibha Singh, wife of the late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, is likely to be named as the party’s choice for the Chief Minister’s post. Other names, like those of Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, are also in discussion. Obviously, the final call will be taken by the Congress high command after the discussions with MLAs.

UDDHAV WANTS TO TEAM UP WITH PRAKASH AMBEDKAR, WILL MVA AGREE?

Ahead of the approaching local bodies polls in Maharashtra, including the elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Shiv Sena President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray conducted a meeting with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder-president, Prakash Ambedkar. It’s likely the first major step in forging a new Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti alliance. Ambedkar said that he has offered to ally with the Sena and the ball is now in the MVA’s court. “Let the Congress and the NCP take a final call on this,” he said. Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Uddhav and Ambedkar’s common aim is to take on the coalition of the BJP and the RPI (A). The Republican Party of India (Athawale) or RPI(A) is an offshoot of BR Ambedkar’s political ideology. It is still not known whether the VBA will remain an ally of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav) or be accepted into the MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi) alliance of SS(U)-Congress-NCP. The VBA appears to be keen to join the MVA and Prakash Ambedkar indicated that the ball was in Uddhav Thackeray’s court to work out the modalities. It is still not certain whether the alliance between the VBA and SS(U) will continue till the BMC elections in 2023, or the 2024 general election.

PRIYANKA GANDHI TO LEAD MAHILA MARCHES IN RUN-UP TO 2024  POLLS

To increase its outreach towards women voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress has announced a follow-up programme to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. The ‘Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra’ will commence from January 26. The ‘Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra’ will comprise local yatras conducted at village level, with conferences at district level and rallies at the state level. Meanwhile, the steering committee has decided to hold AICC Plenary Session at Raipur in February, likely during the Budget Session break. Priyanka Gandhi will lead the ‘Mahila Marches’ in state capitals as part of the ‘Hath se Hath Jodo Yatra’.

WEST BENGAL CPI(M) LEADERS MAY JOIN STATE CONGRESS YATRA

The West Bengal unit of the CPI(M) is likely to accept the Congress invitation to participate in the West Bengal leg of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will commence from the Ganga Sagar islands in the south on December 28. The Congress, has already geared up for preparations of the yatra, will formally invite the CPI(M) and other secular Left Parties in West Bengal to join Rahul Gandhi. The Congress and the Left were united during the 2016 assembly elections, but had a split during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections before reuniting for the 2021 assembly elections during which the two parties faced disappointment failing to win even a single seat.

TRINAMOOL CONGRESS BANKS ON TOWNHALLS TO BOLSTER CHANCES IN MEGHALAYA

Ahead of the state assembly elections, the TMC is striving for something new in Meghalaya. The party had organised a ‘Town Hall – Conversation with Women’ at Bivar road in Shillong, which was addressed by Dr Mukul Sangma, Trinamool Congress Legislature Party Leader and Leader of Opposition. The event’s aim was to approach women voters of North Shillong. More such townhalls are planned in future for voter outreach and to ascertain on how much impact such direct interactions will have. (IPA Service)

The post Congress Snatches Himachal From BJP’s Electoral Kitty first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Congress Snatches Himachal From BJP’s Electoral Kitty appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra will reach Madhya Pradesh, entering it from the Burhanpur district on November 20. This would the seventh state of the Yatra, which has by now acquired a cult following. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit two Jyotirlinga temples: Omkareshwar in Khandwa and Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar. However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired a review meeting at the party’s war room in New Delhi, and Congress sources hinted that some modifications would be made to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. After witnessing a massive and immense response to the Yatra, the party is now planning another mass outreach program, this time from west to east, that is from Gujarat to West Bengal, next year.

WILL UNCLE SHIVPAL CAMPAIGN FOR MAINPURI BYPOLL CANDIDATE DIMPLE?

The Samajwadi Party has declared the name of Shivpal Singh Yadav as one of its campaigners for the Mainpuri bypoll. The party had on November 10 announced that the party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav would be the candidate for the Mainpuri parliamentary seat, which fell vacant after the death of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The list sent to the Election Commission by SP principal general secretary, Ram Gopal Yadav, has 40 names, including that of Shivpal Yadav — founder of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) and brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Will Shivpal Yadav, who has kept distance from Mainpuri by-election till now, campaign for his niece-in-law, Dimple? This question is still a topic of discussion in political circles. However, the father and son duo, that is Shivpal Singh Yadav and Aditya Yadav, were conspicuous in their absence during Dimple Yadav’s filing of party nomination papers. Interestingly, Shivpal’s name was missing from the list of SP’s star campaigners in Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypolls held on June 23. Akhilesh Yadav has surprised everyone by including Shivpal’s name among the star campaigners. Now it will be interesting to see whether Shivpal Singh Yadav campaigns for Dimple Yadav, or keeps distance from the by-election.

CONGRESS BETS ON GUJARAT, ALLY NCP TO CONTEST IN 3 SEATS

The Congress is seeking to regain its power in Gujarat, where the BJP has been ruling for 27 years. Gujarat, which is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is all set to see a triangular electoral contest between the BJP, Congress and AAP. However, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced that its chief Sharad Pawar, along with senior leaders, will lead the party’s campaign for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections on December 1 and 5. NCP released its list of 31 star campaigners, including former Union minister Praful Patel, Maharashtra unit president Jayant Patil, former Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP MP Supriya Sule, Chhagan Bhujbal, and spokesman Clyde Crasto, among others. The Pawar-led NCP will contest in three seats – Umreth in Anand district, Naroda in Ahmedabad, and Devgadh Baria in Dahod district – of the total 182 seats.

RESTORATION OF OLD PENSION SCHEME A BIG POLL PLANK IN GUJARAT

The demand for restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) has appeared as a major poll plank in Gujarat with both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party promising to implement it if voted to power in the state where the Assembly elections are scheduled next month. While Congress stated about its manifesto, released by Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, which duly reflects the people’s voice as the Congress had consulted 62 lakh individuals in an elaborate physical and online exercise. However, Congress has been making prominent election promises in every state, the Gujarat manifesto has gone far beyond the rest. It promises LPG cylinders for Rs 500 each, a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 for every youth, and Rs 4 lakh in compensation to each family that lost a member to Covid. Scholarships ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 20,000 to poor students, farm loan waivers up to Rs 3 lakh, restoration of the old pension scheme, 300 units of free electricity, a minimum support price for all crops, medical insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh to every citizen and free kindergarten-to-post graduation education to girl children are some of the other promises.

BIHAR CM NITISH KUMAR LAMPOONED OVER REVENUE LOSS FROM PROHIBITION

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is being criticized for the alleged poor implementation of liquor prohibition. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor shared and brought to notice that the state was suffering from revenue losses of nearly Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore per year. In a major embarrassment to the Nitish Kumar government, JD (U) parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha had stated that the prohibition law was not successful in the state, and it came after Bihar CM had ordered for strict implementation of the prohibition law by cracking down on liquor suppliers. Meanwhile, National Lok Janshakti Party’s national spokesperson Shravan Kumar Agarwal made a statement that Upendra Kushwaha was allegedly in communication with the NDA. BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand has also tweeted and said that many people of JDU are in touch with BJP.

CPI(M), CONGRESS MAY BAND TOGETHER AGAINST BJP-IPFT FOR TRIPURA POLLS

Ahead of the Tripura Assembly polls scheduled to be held next year, the CPI(M), and the Congress have given clues for a possible alliance to dethrone the ruling BJP-Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) combine that has been in power since 2018. Former chief minister Manik Sarkar told that all the secular, democratic forces must join hands to beat the BJP. Political observers says that the CPI(M) and the Congress have in common is the history of rivalry in the past several years that might become a barrier in the possibilities of an alliance between them. Meanwhile TIPRA Motha party led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has emerged as a vital political party ahead of the polls with its slogan of Greater Tipraland, a proposed separate statehood for the indigenous communities of Tripura. (IPA Service)

The post Rahul-Led Bharat Jodo Yatra To Enter Madhya Pradesh On November 20 first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Rahul-Led Bharat Jodo Yatra To Enter Madhya Pradesh On November 20 appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge becoming the third Dalit president of the Indian National Congress, after D Sanjivaiah (1962) and Jagjivan Ram (December 1969), is expected to have a big impact on Gujarat assembly polls. In the western state and home-turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress has been making strong attempts to woo the Dalit community that accounts for about eight per cent of the state population. Apart from 13 seats (out of the total 182 in the state) reserved for the Scheduled Castes, Dalit voters can also tilt the scales in a few dozen other seats. However, the Dalit population is smaller than some other communities, and is further subdivided into three sub-castes; namely, Vankar, Rohit and Valimki. The BJP, which has been in power for 27 years, is trying to attract the Vankars, the highest in the hierarchy. In all the elections, Dalits have supported both the BJP and the Congress in more or less equal proportions. The BJP has also taken many initiatives to attract Dalits. Being in power, Dalit leaders were given important positions in different bodies. The Congress aims to increase the Dalit voter turnout, especially in the unreserved seats where the community accounts for 10 per cent or more of the population. On the other hand, AAP is hoping that its ‘guarantees’ like 300 units of free electricity per month, unemployment dole and Rs 1,000 allowance for women will attract the Dalits, besides other communities. The BJP has won the majority of the 13 seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes since 1995. In 2007 and 2012, it won 11 and 10 of these seats, respectively, while the Congress had won two and three seats. But in 2017, the BJP faltered and managed to win only seven seats, while the Congress won five. One seat was taken over by an independent backed by the Congress.

AKHILESH, SHIVPAL CHART POST-MULAYAM WATERS, DISPLAY AMITY

After the death of Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and PSPL chief Shivpal Yadav seem to project great unity once again. However, whether this fraternity is real, or simply a matter of political image, is a big question. Shivpal Yadav has given a clue for his nephew Akhilesh Yadav saying that he wants to take everyone along now and follow the direction shown to them by his late elder brother,Mulayam Singh Yadav. Shivpal said that he saw a reflection of Netaji in Akhilesh. Akhilesh Yadav now faces the challenge of keeping the party as well as the family together and ensuring that his elders, Shivpal included, do not turn unfriendly. Whither the ties between Shivpal and Akhilesh, will have a powerful impact on the politics of Uttar Pradesh. The results of 2024 Lok Sabha elections might turn out to be in favour of the Samajwadi Party.

JD(U) RUBBISHES KISHOR’S CLAIM THAT CM NITISH MAY GO BACK TO BJP

Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who has begun his own padyatra in Bihar, has reportedly claimed that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is in communication with the BJP through JD(U) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, and if the need arises, he might renew his alliance with the saffron camp. The JD(U) dismissed the claims as misleading and aimed at spreading confusion. While Prashant asserted that this is the reason why Harivansh has not yet been asked to resign from his Rajya Sabha post, even as the JD(U) has severed ties with the BJP. However, JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi rubbished Kishor’s claims, saying that the Bihar chief minister has publicly announced that he would never again in his life join hands with the BJP, and thus, there’s no room left for any doubt.

CONGRESS TO INAUGURATE NEW OFFICE AT 9A KOTLA ROAD

The Congress party will inaugurate its new office in 9A Kotla Road in Delhi on the occasion of India’s former Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi’s 105th birth anniversary. According to sources inside the Congress, the new party office which has been under construction at Kotla Road for the last few years, will likely be ready to move into by November 19 of this year. The new office will also have the offices of the Youth Congress, Seva Dal and National Student Union of India (NSUI). The premises built at 9A Kotla Road has two entries. One from its front gate located in Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg and second one from its back gate at Kotla Road. The party will make use of the back gate as its main entrance at Kotla Road and will not mention or use the name Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in its address.

BJP FINALISES WEST BENGAL’S CORE COMMITTEE WITH EYE ON 2024 LS POLLS

Ahead of next year panchayat polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP national chief J P Nadda made a statement regarding the formation of a core committee for the party’s West Bengal unit. State BJP chief and MP Sukanta Majumdar, the leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, and the national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh — the three most prominent leaders of Bengal BJP, have been named on the list. The core committee comprises 20 members, namely Nisith Pramanik, Shantanu Thakur, Swapan Dasgupta, Mithun Chakraborty, Manoj Tikka, Anirban Ganguly, Satish Dhond, Dipak Barman, and Locket Chatterjee. National in-charge Sunil Bansal; the party’s minder for the state, Mangal Pandey, and his deputies Amit Malviya and Asha Lakra will be special invitee members of the committee. The new inductions indicate that BJP wants to direct its objective on areas where the party made dents in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, including north Bengal, the Bankura-Purulia-Midnapore zone, Hooghly and Birbhum, the Matua belt in North 24 Parganas and Nadia.

CONGRESS DECIMATES BJP IN RSS HEARTLAND NAGPUR PANCHAYAT POLLS

In a hitch to the BJP, the Congress showcased and dominated the results of the elections to the posts of panchayat samiti chairpersons and deputy chairpersons in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district. The Congress won 9 out of 13 posts of chairperson and eight out of 13 posts of deputy chairperson in the district. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured three posts of chairperson, while the Shiv Sena managed to win one such post. Nagpur is the home field of Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. (IPA Service)

The post Kharge As Dalit President Can Improve Congress Tally In Gujarat first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Kharge As Dalit President Can Improve Congress Tally In Gujarat appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Targeting the 2024 parliamentary elections, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has asserted that his party’s success in winning the support of women, farmers and marginalised groups with various welfare schemes, can be replicated at the national level. KCR has projected himself as a pro-farmer leader by financially helping the kin of agricultural workers from Delhi and Punjab, who lost their lives in the 2020-2021 farm agitations. With the announcement of a national party, KCR has begun showcasing himself as more than a regional leader. This move will also help his party cement its pole position in Telangana, where the BJP is making steady inroads. Meanwhile, Telangana goes to the polls in 2023. If the Bharat Rashtra Samithi can defeat an aggressively campaigning BJP in the state, KCR is likely to use the victory as an endorsement to project himself as a strong opposition against the BJP at the national level, and even find supporters who see him as a serious contender for the PM post.

CHHATTISGARH CONGRESS AVOIDS A RAJASTHAN, DEO HALTS AMBITION

Much like the infighting in Rajasthan, a power tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and state cabinet minister TS Singh Deo has been raging in Chhattisgarh for at least a few years. However, it seems that Deo has suspended his political ambition till the new Congress president is appointed. Deo asserted that he would be completely subordinate to the decision made by the Congress high command. He clearly gave the message that he is not in any haste and is waiting for the right time to act. Meanwhile, Baghel went on to become CM when the Congress unseated the BJP in the 2018 Assembly polls, though some sections of the party have routinely claimed that, as per the agreement at the time, TS Singh Deo was supposed to get the top post after two-and-half years.

PRASHANT KISHOR SLAMS NITISH, SAYS OPTIONLESS BIHARIS MIGRATE FOR JOBS

After Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar shared that Prashant Kishor had once asked him to merge his Janata Dal (United) with the Congress party, and that the poll strategist is working for the BJP, Kishor has hit back. The ace electoral planner said: “Slowly, age seems to be catching up with Nitish Kumar and he seems to be growing delusional”. Dismissing Kishor as a political non-entity, JD(U) national president, Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, has said Kishor had made the JD(U)-Congress merger proposal to CM Nitish in his presence. Kishor launched his ‘padayatra’ on October 2 from Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram. The strategist is now gunning for all the political parties that have ruled Bihar, stating that the state has not any development since 1990. Kishor also added that people in Bihar have been left with no option but to migrate to other states searching for employment.

SHARAD PAWAR, SUPRIYA SULE, LALU YADAV MAY JOIN BHARAT JODO YATRA

When Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Maharashtra on November 9, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and his firebrand daughter Supriya Sule may be on the front-lines to welcome the nationwide foot-march. Before the commencement of the Yatra, the Congress had invited all political parties and organizations bearing the same secular ideological banner to be a part of the initiative. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has urged RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra for a day, saying this would send out a good message. As evident, already Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin was personally present in Kanyakumari to see off Rahul Gandhi wherefrom the historic Yatra began. Leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) too participated in the Yatra in Kerala. Congress sources shared that some leaders and workers of the Janata Dal (Secular) also participated in the Yatra in Karnataka.

CONGRESS POLLS: KHARGETO CONSULT GANDHIS, THAROOR FOR REFORMS

Congress presidential poll candidate Mallikarjun Kharge believes in united leadership and if elected president, he would be consulting party leaders Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi on organisational matters. The senior Congressman said that he was contesting the election for the top party post to save the Constitution and democracy in the country. However, Kharge asserted that he was asked by Congress workers to enter the fray as no one from the Gandhi family came forward to contest the election. The Gandhis wanted to stay away from the process to ensure an impartial poll. On the other hand, Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor has asserted that if he becomes the AICC chief, he would fully implement the party’s existing constitution which requires CWC elections and revival of the parliamentary board that has been dormant for about 25 years. The holding of the Congress Working Committee elections and the revival of the parliamentary board were among the key demands of G-23 leaders, including Tharoor, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking large scale organisational reforms. (IPA Service)

The post K Chandrasekhar Rao Asserts National Ambition With Pro-Farmer Image first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article K Chandrasekhar Rao Asserts National Ambition With Pro-Farmer Image appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Ahead of general elections in 2024, the Samajwadi party has given   main focus on kurmi and other OBC votes. At the recent Uttar Pradesh state convention, Naresh Uttam Patel was elected as the state president of the SP for the second time in a row. The SP’s move is being seen as an attempt to consolidate the numerically-significant backward class voters to rally behind the party. Patel hails from the OBC Kurmi caste, which has a sizable presence In the state’s central and eastern belt, they can play a key role in elections in the Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Sonbhadra and Mirzapur regions. Kurmis constitute about 7-8 per cent of Uttar Pradesh population. On the other hand the way Swami Prasad Maurya has given importance to the convention, it seems that Akhilesh Yadav wants to give a message to other OBC community to garner support for his party.

NITISH KUMAR’S ADDRESSING TEJASHWI YADAV AS MUKHYA MANTRI TRIGGERS FURORE

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by mistake addressed to his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as mukhya mantri at an event which has triggered a series of barbs from the saffron party. BJP stated that he needs to go to an ashram. While ruling ally RJD said this only shows the growing bond among the two parties. This happened while Nitish was announcing the names of those appointed as veterinary and district fisheries officers at an event of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department. He called his deputy mananiya mukhya mantri (honourable chief minister) Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, and moreover did not correct his error throughout his speech.

GUJARAT STATE CONGRESS WANTS PRIYANKA TO LEAD ELECTION CAMPAIGN

The Gujarat Congress leadership recently n took out a rath yatra in Saurashtra to influence the Patel community. Chanting the slogan “Chalo Congress ke saath, Maa ke dwar”, thousands of party workers under the leadership of state unit chief Jagdish Thakor and Shaktisinh Gohil offered prayers at the temples of Maa Umiya and Maa Khodiyar, the reigning deities of the Leuva and Kadva Patels. The rath yatra carried out and visited Khodaldham, the religious seat of power of the Patidar community where Naresh Patel the most influential leader welcomed the participants. However Gujarat leadership is now attempting to get Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to lead extensively the campaign for the next two months as the Assembly elections are expected to be held in December.  Rahul Gandhi, who led the Gujarat campaign in 2017 and made a huge impact, is likely to be seen this time in a guest appearance only.

FORMER RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER VASUNDHARA RAJE WANTS TO BE CM AGAIN

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje is bracing for a fight to present herself as a CM face for the BJP, irrespective of the fact whether the party’s top leadership’s thinking. . A slogan has been creating a buzz in Rajasthan “Kaho dil se, Vasundhara phir se” Raje has been embroiled in a tussle for power with state BJP president Satish Poonia, but despite her stature as a mass leader, the buzz is that the BJP high command wants to convince Raje to not contest the assembly elections next year and in return for her sacrifice, the party may permit her to stand for the Lok Sabha elections and be made a minister in the 2024 government. But Raje is silent and waiting for the right time to take a decision whether to stay in BJP or form another political party?

EKNATH SHINDE LED SHIV SENA  TO HAVE ALLIANCE WITH RAJ THACKERAY IN BMC  POLLS

The BJP has decided not to have direct alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in BMC election. According to sources they cannot afford to lose votes of North Indians against whom MNS chief Raj Thackeray has run public campaign However, the BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are looking for support of at least one Thackeray to their side. The plan therefore is to let the Shinde-led camp align with the MNS. While Eknath Shinde spoke to Raj Thackeray aspiring to form the alliance with the MNS. But Raj Thackeray has not given any clues of an alliance for BMC elections.  There  is an attempt by the BJP and Shinde camp to bring him on board with a common objective of defeating Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena which is yet to recover from the defection of 40 legislators after the rebellion launched by Shinde.

GHULAM NABI AZAD’S NEW PARTY STILL TO MAKE ANY IMPACT IN KASHMIR

Ghulam Nabi Azad launched his party, naming it the Democratic Azad Party. Azad said that the party will be secular in character and action and it will not discriminate among people in the name of religion and communities. It will be a regional party, not a national party. According to political observers, most of the regional parties may not have a major effect on the vote bank as the politics of J&K is clear—the NC and the PDP having influence in Kashmir while the BJP and Congress in Jammu. But it will depend on how aggressively Ghulam Nabi Azad mobilises the vote base of the Congress towards him and influence the assembly polls.  Meanwhile Congress leaders expressed their concern and asserted that many prominent party leaders had joined Azad in J&K. However, National Conference, BJP, and PDP are silent and have not given any views about Azad and are silently monitoring his moves. (IPA Service)

The post Samajwadi Party Focusing On Kurmis And OBC’s Ahead Of 2024 Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Samajwadi Party Focusing On Kurmis And OBC’s Ahead Of 2024 Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

A thrilling game of check-and-mate has started within the Congress, with speculations looming large on whether Sachin Pilot would get the throne of Rajasthan in case Ashok Gehlot has to vacate the Chief Minister’s post. Till date, all the questions have remained unanswered in Congress. Meanwhile, Ashok Gehlot called a meeting of the party MLAs and apprised them that he’d file his nomination for the post of the party president, while assuring that he would still remain accessible. “I am not going anywhere, don’t worry,” he has reportedly said. Even though senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has asserted that the party adopted a one-man, one-post resolve at the leadership meet in Rajasthan’s Udaipur earlier this year, but Gehlot said he could well hold, not one but three simultaneous posts, signaling that he was not ready to give up his Rajasthan role. On the other hand, Sachin Pilot had joined Rahul Gandhi in Kerala on the latter’s much-acclaimed and ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra. Speaking to the media, Pilot said that one person couldn’t hold two posts in the party, clearly hinting that Gehlot would need to step down as Rajasthan CM if he had to become the Congress president. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is said to have promised the CM’s chair to Pilot ahead of the 2018 elections. When instead Gehlot was picked after the election results, Gandhi is said to have reiterated his promise to Pilot and asked him to be patient. However, Gehlot is moving to a bigger position and has some leeway, this may open an opportunity for Pilot to occupy the throne of Rajasthan.

PAWAR APPLAUDS RAHUL GANDHI-LED BHARAT JODO YATRA

Seeing the success of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Southern India, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has acknowledged that big padyatras or foot marches like ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ have a political impact and people welcome with such sincere intent. However, Pawar recalled: “When Chandrashekhar (former Prime Minister) had taken out a similar padayatra, it had received a tremendous response. I had also taken out a march from Jalgaon to Nagpur (in 1980) for farmers.” On the other hand, Sharad Pawar asserted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is ready to conclude her differences with the Congress in the national interest, and come together to form an alliance of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 general elections.

PRASHANT KISHOR MEETS NITISH KUMAR, KEEPS BIHAR LEADERS GUESSING

Prashant Kishor’s recently took a dig at Nitish Kumar by saying that “Fevicol should make him a brand ambassador for being glued to CM’s chair”. Rebutting the ridicule, the JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh strongly lashed out at the poll strategist and said that Kishor was merely a businessman and not a politician. Singh said Kishor has been making use of different tactics just to sell his products like a salesman, and the same is quite evident in other states also. However, Kishor surprised everyone by paying a visit to Nitish Kumar triggering speculation of a collaboration in the 2024 national elections. Pawan Verma, a former leader of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), reportedly arranged the meeting and was also present. Nitish Kumar didn’t reveal much about the meet-up, dismissing it as a routine conversation. The Bihar CM smartly played his card by meeting Kishor and gave a message to the people of Bihar that Kishor was still his man. Now, the people of Bihar are confused vis-à-vis Kishor’s current status, whether he is a Nitish or BJP agent or just a salesman for hire?

AHEAD OF ASSEMBLY POLLS, HIMACHAL CONGRESS EMBROILED IN TURF WARS

With 2022 Himachal Pradesh assembly elections only months away, the Congress is likely to be facing infighting within the state unit. Ram Lal Thakur, MLA from Naina Devi, refused to withdraw his resignation from the post of party vice-president, annoyed with an appointment in his constituency without his approval and consultation. Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh has been lamenting the infighting within the Congress and blamed it for the massive defeat in the previous Assembly election. However, she has also said that the issue has been addressed to some extent ahead of the upcoming elections. Presently, the Congress has a number of influential leaders well-heeled in their respective areas, such as Mukesh Agnihotri in Una district, Sukhwinder Sukhu in Hamirpur, Asha Kumari in Dalhousie, Dhani Ram Shandil in Solan, and Kaul Singh Thakur in parts of Mandi district. However, none of the leaders is as popular or acknowledged as the late Virbhadra Singh, evident from the kind of immense state-wide popularity the former CM had enjoyed. The void following Singh’s death gave rise to a tussle within the state unit on who should be the party’s main face in the Himalayan state. Senior leader Anand Sharma, who was also an important part of the group of 23 leaders that wrote a letter criticising the style of functioning within the party, recently quit as chairman of the party’s steering committee for the Himachal Pradesh elections.

BSP TRAINS EYES ON UP MUSLIMS AFTER 2022 DEBACLE

The BSP’s strategy for 2024 general elections is regaining its lost base among the Dalits and the Muslims. After BSP registering its worst UP assembly elections defeat in terms of seats, winning only one seat in the 403-member House and garnering just 12.8% of the votes, the party is planning to focus more on Muslim votes in UP. Due to the aggressive anti-Muslim campaign by the BJP, the community voted en bloc to support the SP. The anti-BJP Hindu community voters too voted for the SP after the transfer of the Muslim vote. Now, the BSP has launched a massive membership drive as the first step towards consolidating its position ahead of upcoming local body elections in the state this year end. While Mayawati would come to terms with any political party to beat the BJP, the BSP supremo aspires for the maximum number of seats to contest in Lok Sabha polls.

OPPOSITION LEADERS TO GATHER AT CHAUTALA’S SAMMAN DIVAS RALLY

Indian National Lok Dal president and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala has bisected the entire state to make his party’s Samman Divas rally at Fatehabad on September 25 a success. INLD is trying to unite anti-BJP parties on one platform. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are expected to attend this program. Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Akadi Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, RJD leader Sharad Yadav have all been invited. CM Mamata Banerjee has not yet revealed her cards regarding this rally. While KCR, who is trying for opposition unity, has not yet clarified his stance. Efforts are being made to form a non-BJP opposition front through the rally and OM Prakash Chautala has been trying to help the INLD stage a comeback in Haryana politics. (IPA Service)

The post If Gehlot Wins Congress Top Post, Will Pilot Be New Rajasthan CM? first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article If Gehlot Wins Congress Top Post, Will Pilot Be New Rajasthan CM? appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Rahil Nora Chopra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched his most cherished “Bharat Jodo Yatra” after paying homage to his father Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur, where he was assassinated in 1991. It might lead to a turning point in Indian politics and could end up projecting Rahul Gandhi as the popular challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi said: “India is the institutions that protect this flag. India is free media that protects this flag. India is a judiciary that protects this flag. And today every single one of our institutions is under attack by BJP, RSS. They think this flag is their personal property. They think they can determine single-handedly the future of this people, state of this country,” Rahul will walk all the way from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, where the Yatra will conclude. He will be staying in a mobile shipping container cabin, which will have a bed, toilet and an air conditioner. Containers have been set up for other yatris as well, who will walk the entire route with Rahul. Bharat Jodo Yatra is the largest mass mobilization programme the Congress has undertaken in Independent India. It will cover 12 states and two union territories in five months.

NITISH JOINS FORCE WITH ANTI-BJP FRONT, MEETS OPPOSITION LEADERS

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is busy interacting with a host of Opposition leaders, believed to be as an effort to form a united anti-BJP front ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Nitish is aiming for the main front, not the third front. Nitish indicated and gave clues that he would return to Delhi to take this dialogue forward to unite all parties, even political opponents such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress together. Nitish also said he would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi after she comes back from abroad where she has gone for a medical check-up. Recently, Nitish had interacted with Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, as well as the INLD leader OP Chautala. Despite buzz that Nitish could emerge as the prime ministerial face of the opposition, the JD(U) leader once again dismissed the speculation, saying it would be consensually decided later.

BJP’S GUNA MP KP YADAV FEARS 2024 TICKET MAY GO TO 2019 LOSER SCINDIA

BJP’s Guna MP KP Yadav seems to be annoyed and worried since Jyotiraditya Scindia joined BJP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, KP Yadav defeated Scindia. But now that Scindia himself is in BJP, Yadav has an inkling that the party would give Lok Sabha ticket to Scindia, instead of him. So he is now looking for a new home. Recently, Akhilesh had offered Guna MP KP Yadav a place in SP. But the question remains whether Yadav would join Congress or the Samajwadi Party, or if he would stay on in the BJP?

SHIVPAL ACTS AS LOYALTY DIVIDER, BJP EYES MULAYAM’S MAINPURI SEAT

To damage Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, his estranged uncle and president of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL), Shivpal Yadav has launched the ‘Yadukul Punarjagran Mission.’ The newly floated outfit will reach out to all disgruntled leaders in the Samajwadi Party, particularly those belonging to the Yadav community. Will Shivpal’s only end up Fragmenting anti-BJP votes in the state or will he joins hand with either Congress or the BJP? Meanwhile, Shivpal indicated that he would contest the Mainpuri seat if Mulayam Singh Yadav does not. On the other hand, after capturing Azamgarh and Rampur, the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is now eyeing Mainpuri, which is presently held by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. The party is focusing more on Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat to prepare the ground to win the seats. State minister Jaiveer Singh said: “We are working towards winning Mainpuri in the 2024 general election.”

BJP WANTS RAEBARELI IN 2024, TASKS TOMAR WITH PREPARING GROUND

The BJP has commenced the preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. The party’s main agenda is focusing more on Raebareli to prepare the ground for winning the coveted seat, so far the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has been tasked by his party to work in the Raebareli region. Tomar has spent two days at Raebareli, a Gandhi family bastion. After conquering the fort of Amethi, now BJP is eyeing Raebareli seat. (IPA Service)

The post Rahul Commences Ambitious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ From Sriperumbudur first appeared on IPA Newspack.

The article Rahul Commences Ambitious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ From Sriperumbudur appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Bihar Cabinet Expansion To Take Place After August 15 appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Rahul Urges Siddaramaiah, DKS To Fight 2023 Polls Unitedly appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Congress Invokes Indira On Dharna To Defend Sonia Gandhi appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Congress, Opposition Parties Protest ED Harassing Sonia Gandhi appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article NDA Presidential Candidate Droupadi Murmu Is Set To Win On July 18 Polls appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Search Begins For Joint Opposition’s Vice-Presidential Candidate appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Dharmendra Pradhan Seeks CM Nitish Kumar’s Nod On Murmu appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article NDA Prez Candidate Droupadi Murmu May Get Support From Jharkhand CM appeared first on Arabian Post.

IPA News

The article Nitish Kumar Says No Need For Anti-Conversion Law In Bihar, Stumps BJP appeared first on Arabian Post.