Two key Hindu religious leaders will campaign against Narendra Modi in the holy city of Varanasi from where the BJP's prime ministerial candidate is contesting the Lok Sabha election.
With the Aam Aadmi Party targeting him, Narendra Modi on Wednesday claimed that political parties were getting together to prevent him from coming to power in the Lok Sabha elections and called the fledgling party as the 'B' team of Congress.
It was a manic Monday in Varanasi. The voting day lived up to the hype created by the campaigning here. Vicky Nanjappa reports
Already, there is a feeling even within the BJP's AIADMK ally that the BJP is overdoing things on the ED/I-T front, as corruption is not an election issue in the state -- as long as the people are otherwise not excessively unhappy with the governing party, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The person has described himself as 'Abhinav Tripathi, a social worker' and asked PM Modi to 'acknowledge that your visit to Kashi is being opposed'.
Initial investigations reveal that the 145 kilos of ammonium nitrate that were seized by the cops on Saturday were just a sign of things to come. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
The decision was announced by Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi at a press briefing.
'Just today a shopkeeper I went to was saying how bad business is. He must have been a BJP supporter.' 'He finally said, "It's a good thing there's an NDA government, not a BJP government, 'they' had become too big for their boots,".'
The saffron party which has a lot at stake in the last two phases of polling scheduled for March 4 and 8 has moved its war room to Varanasi, entrusting Union ministers and senior leaders with the task of strengthening the campaign with the prime minister in the vanguard.
Karan Bhushan rejects the charges against his father, saying the "allegations are political and made up. We will challenge them in court".
Rahul Gandhi also predicts a NDA collapse 'not seen in many years'
Do we have enough trained oncologists and medical professionals in India to man these over 4,500 beds in the public sector?
The head of the Congress's first family has never been an astute politician, points out Amulya Ganguli.
Modi launched the membership drive of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi on Saturday, noting that it will further connect people from all walks of life with the saffron party.
In a major jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, none of the candidates supported by it could ensure victory in the Cantonment Board polls in Varanasi and Lucknow, and managed to win just one seat in Agra.
Pitching its 'Aam ka mausam' to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's Modi-wave pitch, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday fielded volunteers wearing T-shirts with mangoes printed on them when party convenor Arvind Kejriwal addressed his first public meeting here in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls.
Banda chief judicial magistrate Bhagwan Das Gupta appointed Garima Singh, additional chief judicial magistrate (MP-MLA Court Banda) as the investigating officer in the case, the official said.
Even as both the ruling Samajwadi Party and its bte noire, the Bahujan Samaj Party may swear in the name of secularism, neither of the two critical players in Uttar Pradesh politics is willing to go for a united nominee against their common political foe, Narendra Modi, who seemed cocking a snook at them from Varanasi. Sharat Pradhan reports
The byelections are scheduled to be held on March 11.
Congress candidate Ajay Rai on Monday landed in a controversy after he went to vote wearing his election symbol on his kurta, prompting Election Commission to launch an inquiry into the matter while BJP and Aam Aadmi Party also sought action against him.
The final phase saw voting in all 13 seats of Punjab and an equal number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight seats each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and the lone seat Chandigarh.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday broke his silence on contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi against Narendra Modi.
The JD-U insisted that its decision to fight the polls independently will have no impact on its ties with the BJP in Bihar.
The BJP's rediscovery of its allies, including the PM touching the feet of Parakash Singh Badal, would be interpreted as the party's efforts to keep its flock together if it falls short of the majority mark on May 23.
'Commentators have said that dealing with allies as equals will make Modi more sensitive.' 'Remember that the people Modi is dealing with are equally autocratic in their own lairs.' 'Further, Modi always has handy the threat of dissolving Parliament and calling for fresh polls.' 'Most of his own party, and certainly his allies and opponents having blown their budgets of efforts and resources in the just concluded elections, have no stomach for this.' 'They are all greatly looking forward to the loaves and fishes of office on offer.' 'That gives Modi an unbeatable advantage in any push-comes-to-shove situation,' explains Shreekant Sambrani.
Twelve people, including 8 policemen, were injured on Monday in widespread violence and arson in Varanasi during a procession by seers and other locals.
Chief Project Manager H C Tiwari and three others were suspended.
There is an impression within the Tamil Nadu BJP -- although no one is airing it -- that over-exposure for Narendra Modi over the past months may work against party candidates, as they have triggered a near-continuous social media debate on his achievements and failures, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Congress on Friday claimed that a 'silent undercurrent' is brewing across western Uttar Pradesh against the 'failures' of the Modi government, as it flagged issues such as 'neglect' of sugarcane farmers and examination paper leaks.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and former state BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya had also dropped a hint in a recent tweet, saying Yaduvanshi (Yadavs), Ravidasiyo (Jatavs) and Pasmanda Muslims will be brought closer to the BJP so that the lotus 'blossoms' in every booth in UP.
This is Gandhi's first visit to Varanasi after Modi became prime minister.
Sumit Bhattacharya paradrops into the eastern Uttar Pradesh temple city to find it enjoying its moment in the national sun.
'Modi has to lead the BJP. There is no alternative,' a senior BJP leader tells Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Whether his nomination was rightly or wrongly rejected by the Election Commission depends on his eligibility, the court said.
Rajan Mittal, was removed from his post during the term of the Akhilesh Yadav government following complaints. But he was reinstated when the BJP government came to power last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at previous governments, saying they seemed to hate development and "looted" public money to win elections.
With the assembly polls only two years away, in 2026, any demoralising defeat in 2024, would challenge not only the party's continued relevance but also EPS's leadership, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
What some of our leaders were up to over the weekend.
The BJP on Tuesday retained the prestigious Vadodara Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat vacated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a huge margin of more than 3.29 lakh votes.
For the first time in his political career, he failed to carry his party to even a working majority -- and again, for the first time in his career, he finds himself in a situation where he cannot rule by dictatorial fiat, points out Prem Panicker.
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