News Analysis India

Tag: 2024 General Elections

  • Congress Begins Seat-Sharing Talks With INDIA Bloc Constituents For 2024 Lok Sabha Elections |

    New Delhi: The Congress party has started the process of seat-sharing with its allies in the INDIA bloc, a 28-party opposition coalition that aims to challenge the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, the party has instructed its senior leaders to initiate talks with other leaders of the alliance and some discussions have already begun. The sources also said that formal negotiations for seat-sharing with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab and Delhi will commence on Monday.

    The party has formed a five-member committee on seat-sharing, headed by Mukul Wasnik and comprising of Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and other senior leaders. The committee has conducted internal consultations with state Congress chiefs and submitted its report to party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

    The seat-sharing talks with other parties follow the decision of the INDIA bloc to field a single opposition candidate in each Lok Sabha seat against the BJP, in order to maximise the chances of defeating it in 2024. The sources said that Kharge has delegated the responsibility of working on seat distribution with other parties to senior leaders, including the members of the seat-sharing committee.

    The Congress has already forged pre-poll alliances with parties like the DMK in Tamil Nadu, RJD and JDU in Bihar, JMM in Jharkhand and others in Assam, but it faces challenges in striking deals with some major parties in key states.

    Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi And Punjab Pose Difficulties

    The most difficult states for the Congress to have seat-sharing arrangements with INDIA bloc partners are Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab, where the party insiders admit the complexity of the situation. In West Bengal, the TMC and the Left, despite being part of the opposition alliance, are not willing to have any understanding with each other and the Congress will have to choose one of them.

    The recent statements of TMC leaders and Congress PCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have also dampened the prospects of a possible partnership between the two parties in the state. In Kerala, the Congress has 19 of the 20 MPs from the state and having an arrangement with the CPI-M seems unlikely as it would mean sacrificing its sitting MPs.

    In Punjab, both the AAP and the Congress are confident of their victory and do not want to have any alliance. State Congress units of other states like Kerala have also opposed any seat-sharing, the sources said.

    Congress-Samajwadi Party Rift In Uttar Pradesh

    The relations between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh are also strained, as evident from the recent statements of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is unhappy with the Congress for not giving him any seats in the recent Madhya Pradesh assembly election and for the remarks of Kamal Nath against him.

    However, the Congress is holding seat-sharing talks with all partners while hoping to find some middle ground in order to strengthen the opposition against the BJP.

    The sources added that the party has decided to complete the seat-sharing arrangements with other parties of the opposition by the end of this month.

    INDIA Bloc May Pick A Convener Soon

    Congress president Kharge had said on Saturday that leaders of INDIA parties would take a decision within 10-15 days on the allocation of posts in the opposition bloc, amid speculation that the alliance could pick a convener before the Lok Sabha elections. He also said that all other matters, including seat-sharing of the INDIA bloc, would be resolved soon, with party sources indicating that this is likely to be done by the month-end.

    Kharge said that the Congress is working on all the 545 Lok Sabha constituencies and has appointed observers for all the seats, but the final decision on which party will contest which seat and how many will be taken after consultations with all constituents of the opposition alliance. Asked how many seats the party would contest, he said, “We have already finalised parliamentary observers for all the constituencies… We will go and assess in each Parliamentary constituency.”

  • Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: From Manipur to Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi to cover 15 states and 100 LS seats – The Economic Times Video

    Congress has announced its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra campaign, led by Rahul Gandhi. The campaign will start in Manipur on January 14 and end in Mumbai, covering 15 states, 110 districts, and 100 Lok Sabha seats over 66 to 68 days. Here’s all you need to know about this campaign.

  • Avoid unwarranted comments on religious issues: Nadda to MPs   

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Ahead of the 2024 general elections, the BJP seems to have started treading cautiously on religious issues. BJP national president JP Nadda has directed party MPs to avoid making any statement on religious issues which could snowball into major controversies. Nadda’s direction came after party leaders had been mired in disputes over religious issues, the latest one related to the BJP-Congress contest over a religious seer.

    In a virtual meeting, Nadda communicated that only authorised spokespersons of party – after consultation with the organisation’s senior think-tank – would given statements on religious themes like ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hindu rashtra’.

    Sources in the BJP said that Nadda had asked party MPs that those faithful to any centre of religion – in this case the Bageshwar Dham – should avoid making comment on religious issues or belief. “Any such comment on issues related to religion could either land the party in an spot or may snowball into a bigger controversy,” Nadda reportedly instructed the MPs during online meeting.

    Sharing strategies, in view of the elections in 2024, Nadda said that all party MPs must bring the government’s performance sheet to the common people in their respective constituencies. Nadda also instructed party MPs to take the President’s address, at the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament, to the common people. President Draupadi Murmu’s inaugural address at the Budget session highlighted the Centre’s policies and plans for the upcoming year.

    Additionally, he asked the MPs to complete organising the of the ‘MP Khel Spardha’ (MP sports competition) as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion. Nadda’s instruction on religious issues also followed party MP Manoj Tiwary’s visit to a religious event held at the Bageshwar Dham where he had reportedly sung a Bhojpuri song and had reportedly spoken on ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hindu rashtra’.

    NEW DELHI:  Ahead of the 2024 general elections, the BJP seems to have started treading cautiously on religious issues. BJP national president JP Nadda has directed party MPs to avoid making any statement on religious issues which could snowball into major controversies. Nadda’s direction came after party leaders had been mired in disputes over religious issues, the latest one related to the BJP-Congress contest over a religious seer.

    In a virtual meeting, Nadda communicated that only authorised spokespersons of party – after consultation with the organisation’s senior think-tank – would given statements on religious themes like ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hindu rashtra’.

    Sources in the BJP said that Nadda had asked party MPs that those faithful to any centre of religion – in this case the Bageshwar Dham – should avoid making comment on religious issues or belief. “Any such comment on issues related to religion could either land the party in an spot or may snowball into a bigger controversy,” Nadda reportedly instructed the MPs during online meeting.

    Sharing strategies, in view of the elections in 2024, Nadda said that all party MPs must bring the government’s performance sheet to the common people in their respective constituencies. Nadda also instructed party MPs to take the President’s address, at the joint sitting of both houses of the Parliament, to the common people. President Draupadi Murmu’s inaugural address at the Budget session highlighted the Centre’s policies and plans for the upcoming year.

    Additionally, he asked the MPs to complete organising the of the ‘MP Khel Spardha’ (MP sports competition) as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion. Nadda’s instruction on religious issues also followed party MP Manoj Tiwary’s visit to a religious event held at the Bageshwar Dham where he had reportedly sung a Bhojpuri song and had reportedly spoken on ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hindu rashtra’.

  • G-23 excluded as Congress discusses Prashant Kishor’s proposals for 2024 Parliamentary polls

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: The group of dissidents in the Congress — G-23 — seems to be upset after not being consulted for the ongoing discussions on the proposals given by political strategist Prashant Kishor as roadmap for the 2024 general elections.

    On Wednesday, two Congress CMs, Ashok Gehlot from Rajasthan and Bhupesh Baghel from Chhattisgarh, were called to Delhi to discuss the proposals.

    While a host of Congress leaders were present for the discussions, ever since the formal consultations began on the proposals, G-23 leaders were not made party to them, including one of the senior most leaders of the Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

    However, one of the signatories of the letter written to Sonia Gandhi by the G-23 leaders, Veerappa Moily, has said that it is a welcome move to rope in Kishor. Meanwhile, Gehlot said that “Kishor is a brand now”, hinting that the party is keen to induct the political strategist into its fold.

    According to Congress general-secretary Randeep Surjewala, the party will decide within 48 hours about the proposals and the possible induction of Kishor into the Congress.

    The Congress is now more focused on Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which will go to the polls later this year, as success in state polls will be crucial going to the general elections in 2024. In total, there are six big state elections ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

    During the three meetings with Kishor held since Saturday, those present included Sonia Gandhi, Ambika Soni, AK Antony, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala, among others. “Prashant Kishor has given a detailed presentation for the 2024 elections and the Congress President has deputed a small group to look into it and report to her within a week. A final decision will be taken after that,” Venugopal had said.

    According to sources, Kishor said during Saturday’s meeting that the Congress must target 370-400 seats and work on alliances wherever the party is weak.

  • With 2024 general elections in mind, Congress lists issues for agitation

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Consistent agitation against the BJP government, connecting with people at grassroots and tracking feedback from the ground — these will be part of the Congress’s public outreach plan with an eye on the 2024 elections.

    The committee on agitation under Digvijaya Singh with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as a member at its first meeting discussed issues to create an atmosphere against the Modi government. During the meeting, Priyanka shared inputs related to Uttar Pradesh based on her visits to several areas. She was of the view that besides national issues, the party should also focus on state-specific matters concerning people. 

    There were also demands that Rahul Gandhi should take over as party chief. The committee agreed on three issues — inflation, farm laws and unemployment. A detailed plan will be rolled out after approval from acting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Other issues like monetisation plan, Covid-19 mismanagement, crime against women and Pegasus were discussed.

    “Committee members were of the view that we should take one or two issues at a time and plan agitations, sit-ins, shutdowns and mass outreach programmes for 15-20 days for bigger impact. The plan to keep up the pressure and create an atmosphere against the high handedness of the BJP government. There was agreement that civil society groups should also be approached,” said a committee member. The agitation committee will work parallelly with the agitations planned by the Opposition parties from September 20-30 on several issues against the Centre.

    Expelled leaders criticise priyankaResponding to senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s claim that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be the party’s face in the UP elections in 2022, expelled Congress leaders including former state minister Satyadev Tripathi said that the party’s UP in-charge had no connect with workers.

  • Bid to form opposition front without Congress will help BJP, says leader Nana Patole

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday said any attempt to form an ‘anti-BJP front’ without his party will indirectly help the BJP.

    Talking to reporters at Faizpur in Jalgaon district, he also said elections were three years away and COVID-19 management was the priority of his party.

    Amid speculations about formation of an ‘anti-BJP front’, Patole said such a front was not possible without the Congress.

    “Any attempt to do so will indirectly help the BJP,” he said.

    In 2019, the Congress tied-up with the Shiv Sena and NCP to form government in Maharashtra under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray.

    Last week, Patole caused a flutter in the ruling alliance in Maharashtra by saying the Congress will contest future elections on its own.

    All India Congress Committee’s Maharashtra in-charge H K Patil recently asked the state party unit to focus on strengthening the organisation and leave the decision on alliances or going solo in future polls to the party high command.

    On Wednesday, Patole said the welfare of farmers and youth, who are facing the “crisis of unemployment”, was the Congress’s priority.

    “I have already spoken about elections and the message has reached the party workers. Elections are three years away and I will not speak on it. We will highlight misdeeds of the Narendra Modi government in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the neglect of farmers,” he said.

    In a veiled jibe at the Congress, Chief Minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said people would “beat with footwear” those who only talk about contesting elections alone without offering solutions to people’s problems.

    An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ recently said there is no harm in contesting polls independently, but everyone should check the ground beneath.

    Patole said, “Today we symbolically buried three (controversial) farm laws of the Centre. A Congress meeting in Faizpur led by (former prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru and other senior leaders of the freedom movement had deliberated on how farmers’ policies should be framed, and the need of the hour is the revisit that.”