Indian Politics highlights: Uddhav aide and Mumbai MLA Ravindra Waikar joins Shinde-led Sena; No Cong-TMC alliance in Bengal stirs row

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy slams BJP for 'dividing Opposition parties'

AAP to announce Odisha Lok Sabha candidates soon

'Election Commission or Election Omission?': Congress' jibe after Arun Goel resigns as EC

The Congress on Saturday expressed 'deep concern' over Election Commissioner Arun Goel's resignation and said that if the 'systematic decimation' of independent institutions is not stopped then 'democracy shall be usurped by dictatorship'.

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Arun Goel.

'Did Election Commissioner Arun Goel resign to contest LS polls on a BJP ticket,' asks Congress' Jairam Ramesh

The Election Commission has for 8 months now refused to meet with I.N.D.I.A. parties on the issue of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) that are so very essential to prevent Electronic Voting Manipulation (EVM). Each passing day in Modi’s India deals an added blow to democracy and democratic institutions.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Rahul Gandhi resumes Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Gujarat's Mandvi

Rahul Gandhi speaks at Jhalod town, Gujarat, on March 7, 2024, during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

'Confident of securing victory in all 20 LS seats from Kerala': K C Venugopal begins campaign from Alappuzha

Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal.

In the previous election, we lost one seat in the state, but this time we are confident of securing victory in all 20 seats. The party leadership insisted that I contest from Alappuzha, and I willingly accepted the opportunity.

K C Venugopal

BJP strategises to break electoral dry spell in Kerala, focus on minority outreach amid scepticism

In a strategic move, the BJP has welcomed prominent Christian figures like Anil K Antony, son of Congress stalwart A K Antony, and seasoned Kerala politician P C George, into its fold.

Additionally, the party is leveraging Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent visits to Kerala, emphasising developmental agendas tailored to the state's needs.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi being garlanded during a public meeting, in Thiruvananthapuram, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

Trinamool to announce candidates for 2024 Lok Sabha elections today

West Bengal CM and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee will announce the party's candidates for the 42 Parliamentary constituencies in the state today.

This is the first time the party is announcing its candidate list from a mega public meeting at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground in one go.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Hisar BJP MP Brijendra Singh quits party 'due to compelling political reasons,' joins Congress

Soon after announcing his resignation on X, Brijendra Singh, the son of BJP leader Birender Singh, reached Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi and joined the opposition party.

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'Modi doosri mitti ka insaan hai': PM says infra inaugurations not linked to election season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the foundation stone laying and inauguration ceremony of various developmental projects, in Azamgarh, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

TMC kickstarts 2024 Lok Sabha campaign from Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground

From this Brigade Public Rally, I would like to tell the BJP - 'Jan gan ka garjan, Bengal se virodhi ka visarjan'

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee

TMC National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee kickstarts the party's Lok Sabha 2024 election campaign at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground.

People attend a TMC rally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Mamata claims she initiated the underwater metro rail project that PM Modi inaugurated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a meeting, in Kolkata.

Mamata Banerjee asserted that the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel 'proved' the BJP's 'detrimental impact on democracy'.

Banerjee queried the advancements made in the 18 Lok Sabha constituencies of Bengal that the BJP won in 2019.

The TMC supremo claimed that with the Centre not releasing funds, the state government had settled the dues of nearly 60 lakh workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee.

Mamata pointed out that individuals were then using costly LPG cylinders priced at Rs 1000 to cook the rice provided in free rations.

Mamata Banerjee alleges BJP refers to Sikhs as 'Khalistanis' and Muslims as 'Pakistanis'

TMC to contest in Assam, Meghalaya, and UP apart from Bengal, announces Mamata

"Had a word with Akhilesh about contesting one seat in UP," says party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee speaks during a rally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Meet the TMC candidates contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from constituencies in West Bengal

The names were announced by TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Read the full story here.

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee speaks during a rally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Coochbehar: Jagdish Chandra Basuniya

Alipurduar: Prakash Chik Baraik

Jalpaiguri: Nirmal Chandra Roy

Darjeeling: Gopal Lama

Raigunj: Krishna Kalyani

Balurghat: Biplab Mitra

Malda North: Prasun Banerjee

Malda South: Shahnawaz Ali Raihan

Jangipur: Khalilur Rehman

Baharampur: Yusuf Pathaan

Murshidabad: Abu Teher Khan

Krishnanagar: Mahua Moitra

Ranaghat: Mukutmani Adhikari

Bangaon: Biswajit Das

Barrackpore: Partha Bhowmik

Dum Dum: Sougata Roy

Barasat: Kakali Ghosh Dastidar

Basirhat: Haji Nurul Islam

Joynagar: Pratima Mondal

Mathurapur: Bapi Haldar

Diamond Harbour: Abhishek Banerjee

Jadavpur: Sayoni Ghosh

Kolkata South: Mala Roy

Kolkata North: Sudip Bandyopadhyay

Howrah: Prasun Bandyopadhyay

Uluberia: Sajdah Ahmed

Srirampore: Kalyan Banerjee

Hoogly: Rachana Banerjee

Arambagh: Mitali Bag

Tamluk: Debangshu Bhattacharya

Kanthi: Uttam Barik

Ghatal: Dipak Adhikary (Dev)

Jhargram: Kalipada Soren

Medinipur: June Malia

Purulia: Shantiram Mahato

Bankura: Arup Chakraborty

Bardhaman North: Dr. Sharmila Sarkar

Bardhaman-Durgapur: Kirti Azad

Asansol: Shatrughan Sinha

Bolpur: Asit Kumar Mal

Birbhum: Shatabdi Roy

Bishnupur: Sujata Khan

People attend a TMC rally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in Kolkata, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Congress unhappy over TMC's candidate announcement as it left no room for the grand old party

"Our doors are always open and an alliance can happen anytime before withdrawal of nominations," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said over the development.

"The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalised through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements," he said in a post on X.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also said that the Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal.

Kejriwal asks citizens to vote to elect MPs and not the PM

Joshi's 'Jai Shree Ram' dig at Mamata

"Those who put people behind bars for chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' are today declaring a holiday for Ram Navami. We should understand the pressure West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is currently in," Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said on Sunday.

Azamgarh: People attend a programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Azamgarh, Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Alarmed by resignation of EC Arun Goel, creates atmosphere of uncertainty: CPI(M)

"The Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is alarmed by the sudden development within the Election Commission of India," the CPI(M) said in a statement.

"One of the election commissioners, who had three years remaining before retirement, has resigned and the resignation has been formally accepted. With one of the commissioner positions already vacant this creates a situation where the commission is presently represented by a single member, the Chief Election Commissioner," it said.

'Lord Krishna is with us,' says Kejriwal in Kurukshetra

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal speaks during launch of their election campaign for upcoming Lok Sabha polls, at party headqaurters in New Delhi, Friday, March 8, 2024.

Addressing the gathering, Kejriwal invoked the Mahabharata and said Kurukshetra is a pious land where the 'dharmayudh' was fought.

'Pandavas' had won it despite 'Kauravas' having everything, said the AAP convener who was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

"What Pandavas had? Lord Shri Krishna was with them," he said.

"Today, what we have with us. We are too small. Lord Shri Krishna is with us," said Kejriwal. (PTI)

'Rahul Gandhi mad person, Congress sinking ship,' says Acharya Pramod Krishnam

Acharya Pramod Krishnam.

Expelled Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Sunday hit out at Rahul Gandhi and called him a "mad person," claiming as long as he is in the party, Congress cannot be saved.

"A mad person can say anything. A boy who has gone mad can say anything. No one should take seriously what a mad person or a child says," Krishnam told reporters.

Krishnam was ousted from the Congress for indiscipline in February. (PTI)

Cong disconnected with ground reality, TMC waited enough: Mukul Sangma

Mukul Sangma on Congress being unhappy about TMC having no alliance with the party in Bengal said, "We have waited long enough, the whole country can see. There was a collective intent to have single candidate from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc to ensure we put our strength collectively... But this did not happen."

"If the Congress today says that the TMC has not waited and gone ahead with announcement of all 42 candidates in West Bengal, I think they need to be reminded of the fact that Congress is probably not grounded with what is on ground zero. There's a complete delink from the ground reality," he said.

"Is it not a fact that they have gone ahead and announce their candidates for Meghalaya?" he said.

MP Anantkumar Hegde's views on Constitution his personal opinion, spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said. Hegde had said it is necessary for the party to gain two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and also come to power in more than 20 States to amend the Constitution aimed at setting right alleged distortions and unnecessary additions to it by the Congress.

Uddhav Thackeray aide and Mumbai MLA Ravindra Waikar joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.