News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • MGNREGA Wage Hike And Congress’ Guarantees: Will It Impact 2024 Lok Sabha Polls? |

    NEW DELHI: As India braces itself for the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a significant development in the realm of rural employment has emerged, potentially altering the electoral calculus. The Ministry of Rural Development has been authorised by the Election Commission of India to announce revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the upcoming financial year, which has sparked discussions and debates across the political spectrum.

    The Significance Of MGNREGA

    MGNREGA, a flagship rural employment scheme of the erstwhile UPA regime guaranteeing 100 days of work each year for every rural household, was enacted in 2005. It holds immense significance in India’s socio-economic landscape. Aimed at providing livelihood security to rural households by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year, MGNREGA plays a pivotal role in alleviating poverty, boosting rural incomes, and enhancing agricultural productivity. The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of “enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work”. Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds and wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant’s residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.

    Implications Of The Wage Hike

    The authorization to announce revised wages under MGNREGA comes at a critical juncture – the Model Code of Conduct is in force across the country and the Lok Sabha elections are just a few days away. The decision to raise minimum wages to Rs 400 per day, if implemented, holds profound implications for millions of rural households dependent on MGNREGA for sustenance.

    Political Ramifications

    From a political standpoint, the timing of the wage hike announcement is noteworthy. As political parties intensify their election campaigns, issues related to rural development, farmer welfare, and employment generation take centre stage. The MGNREGA wage hike could potentially sway voter sentiment in rural constituencies, where agrarian distress and unemployment remain pressing concerns.

    Congress’ Guarantees

    In a bid to bolster its electoral prospects and resonate with diverse segments of society, the Congress party has further unveiled a comprehensive set of guarantees targeting farmers, women, workers, unemployed youths, and backward communities.

    What Are Major Congress’ Guarantees?

    Farmers: The Congress has promised to overhaul existing agricultural policies, including amending the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to exempt agricultural materials, redesigning the PM Fasal Bima Yojana to ensure timely compensation for crop loss, establishing a Standing Farm Loan Waiver Commission, and enacting legislation to grant Minimum Support Price (MSP) legal status.

    Workers: The party has pledged to review labour codes, raise MGNREGA wages, pass a right-to-health law, and introduce an urban employment guarantee scheme.

    Women: Congress aims to empower women through various initiatives, including social security measures and participatory justice programs.

    Unemployed Youths: The party has proposed measures to address youth unemployment through skill development programs and job creation initiatives.

    Backward Communities: Congress has committed to conducting a comprehensive social, economic, and caste census, removing the 50% cap on reservations, and allocating budgetary resources proportionate to the population share of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

    The confluence of the MGNREGA wage hike and Congress’ guarantees underscores the pivotal role of socio-economic welfare policies in shaping the electoral discourse. As political parties vie for voter support, issues of rural development, farmer welfare, and inclusive growth take precedence, setting the stage for a fiercely contested electoral battle in 2024.

  • Reliance-linked Qwik Supply gave Rs 385 cr to BJP, Rs 25 cr to Shiv Sena

    New Delhi: Qwik Supply Chain Private Ltd, a little-known company with a registered address at Navi Mumbai’s Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC) and having links to Reliance Industries, gave Rs 395 crore to the BJP and Rs 25 crore to the Shiv Sena, data uploaded by the Election Commission showed Thursday.

    Qwik Supply, the third largest donor to political parities using electoral bonds, bought Rs 410 crore bonds between 2021-22 and 2023-24, and gave all but Rs 25 crore to the BJP. The amount of Rs 25 crore was given to the Shiv Sena in 2022.

    The company, which is described as a manufacturer of warehouses and storage units, gave no money to any other political party, the data uploaded by the Election Commission showed. Electoral bond purchases and donated by Qwik Supply were behind Rs 1,368 crore of Future Gaming and Hotel Services — another little-known lottery company — and Rs 966 crore of Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infra.

    Honeywell Properties Private Ltd, another firm with a Reliance link, purchased bonds worth Rs 30 crore on April 8, 2021 and gave all of them to the BJP.

    When the Reliance connection first came to light last week, a Reliance Industries spokesperson had in response to a detailed questionnaire, said, “Qwik Supply Chain Pvt Ltd is not a subsidiary of any Reliance entity.” It, however, had not commented on its association with the firm. Qwik Supply, an unlisted private company, was incorporated on November 9, 2000, with an authorised share capital of Rs 130.99 crore. Its paid-up capital is Rs 129.99 crore.

    The firm had a revenue of over Rs 500 crore in 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023) but profit numbers were not known.

    It bought electoral bonds worth Rs 360 crore in 2021-22 to give away to political parties. In the same year, its net profit was only Rs 21.72 crore. It bought another Rs 50 crore worth of bonds in 2023-24.

    The company has three directors, and one reported key management personnel.

    The longest-serving director currently on board is Tapas Mitra — who incidentally also sits on the board of 25 other companies — was appointed on November 17, 2014.

    Mitra is a director of partnership firms such as Reliance Eros Productions LLP and companies such as Jamnagar Kandla Pipeline Company Pvt Ltd.

    Jamnagar Kandla Pipeline is registered in Ahmedabad at an address shared by some other Reliance companies, such as Reliance Paging Pvt Ltd, Jamnagar Ratlam Pipeline Pvt Ltd, Reliance Tankages Pvt Ltd and Reliance Oil and Petroleum Pvt Ltd.

    Vipul Pranlal Mehta has been a director on the board of Qwik since December 10, 2019. He is also a director of eight other companies, including one called Rel Icons and Traders Pvt Ltd.

    Sridhar Titti is the most recently appointed director, joining the board on November 27, 2023.

    One of two directors of Honewell Properties, Satyanarayanamurthy Veera Venkata Korlep, has been on the board of several Reliance group firms since 2005. The company also shares its registered address with several group firms.

    Filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) showed Reliance Group Support, Reliance Fire Brigade and Reliance Hospital Management together owning 50.04 per cent of Qwik, which provides logistics and supply chain support to Reliance’s retail unit.

    Nexg Devices Pvt Ltd, a firm linked to Surender Lunia, purchased Rs 35 crore worth of electoral bonds in May 2019 and November 2022. Another firm linked to him, Infotel Business Solutions bought electoral bonds worth Rs 15 crore in May 2019.

    He was the one who sold a 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV held by Reliance-linked firms to the Adani Group.

  • BJP: BJP hits back at Congress, says it is conveniently blaming its irrelevance on financial troubles

    BJP chief J P Nadda on Thursday dismissed the Congress’ talk of financial helplessness as “comical”, and said the party can use the money accumulated from “all the scams” that took place during its rule for electioneering. The BJP’s reaction came after former Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanded that the party be given access to its bank accounts to ensure a level playing field for the Lok Sabha polls and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making a systematic effort to cripple the party financially.

    In a post on X, Nadda said the Congress is “conveniently blaming” its irrelevance on financial troubles’ while in reality, their bankruptcy is “moral and intellectual, not financial”.

    “The Congress is going to be totally rejected by the people and fearing a historic defeat, their top leadership addressed a press conference and ranted against Indian democracy and institutions,” he said Instead of correcting their own errors, the Congress is blaming authorities for their troubles. Be it the ITAT or the Delhi High Court, they have asked the Congress to comply with the rules, pay the taxes due but the party never did so, Nadda said.

    “For a party which has looted from every sector, in every state and at every moment of history, to talk of financial helplessness is comical. Congress can use the money accumulated from all their scams starting from jeep to chopper scam via Bofors for their electioneering,” the BJP chief said.

    “Congress part time leaders say India being a democracy is a lie- may I humbly remind them that India was not a democracy only for a few months between 1975 and 1977 and that time the Prime Minister of India was none other than Indira Gandhi,” the BJP chief added.

  • Jammu & Kashmir administration a stumbling block to assembly election as they are ruling with no accountability: Omar Abdullah

    Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the administration in the union territory sabotaged the decision of holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections here concurrently.

    Abdullah while addressing a rally in Noorabad area of southern Kashmir started the party’s election campaign urging people to come out to vote in large numbers to reject the ‘loot, deception and injustice’ done on August 5 2019.

    “ECI is on record saying that political parties wanted simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections…these officers ruling here without any accountability sabotaged the process citing security reasons,” alleged Abdullah. He referred to the officers posted here as ‘uncrowned kings’ who are ‘passing laws and giving land and contracts to outsiders at their own will.’ The last assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014, when BJP-PDP formed a coalition government, which fell in 2018, when BJP withdrew its support. Since then J&K is without any elected government. “They claim that the situation has improved in J&K and stone pelting, guns and separatism has ended. If everything is fine then why didn’t you allow conducting assembly elections with Lok Sabha elections,” Abdullah asked. The NC leader said that ECI is also on record saying that elections will be conducted before September, 2024. “From October, there will be no rule of Raj Bhawan or Delhi or the parliament or any of these officers from outside. People of J&K will elect their representatives and decide the policies of who will get the land here, who will get the contract and who will come from outside,” said Abdullah.

    The NC leader urged people to vote in Lok Sabha elections terming it as a ‘semi-final’ before the assembly elections in J&K. “This is an important and first big election after August 5, 2019, when our constitution, flag, identity and honour was snatched from us. We have to convey through our vote that we are ready to fight for our rights and will beat the forces who are attempting to rob our land and snatch our jobs,” said Abdullah.

    The NC is a part of INDIA bloc, however, they have repeatedly asserted that they will fight on all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir division. The BJP is aiming to make inroads into the Valley through trans-Pir Panchal Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, which has a sizable Gujjar-Bakerwal and Pahari population. “Despite changing the map of Anantnag constituency by connecting Rajouri-Poonch with Anantnag of southern Kashmir which is a step towards implementing Dixon Plan, people won’t vote for the BJP or any of its proxies, as they know what they are doing in the rest of the country,” said Abdullah. He accused the BJP of following theBritish policy of divide and rule. “BJP wants Kashmir to fight with Jammu, Hindu with Muslims, Gujjar with Paharis to ensure that somehow they win this Anantnag seat. But people are aware enough to make the right decision through their vote,” said Abdullah.

  • Electoral Bonds Case LIVE Updates: Supreme Court Pulls Up SBI for Withholding Complete Data

    Hearing on the disclosure of electoral bonds data by the State Bank of India is underway at the the Supreme Court of India. A five-bench of the SC led by CJI DY Chandrachud is hearing the case.

  • Uttar Pradesh: After failed BSP experiment in 2019, SP pins hope on Congress tie-up to stop BJP juggernaut in UP

    The coming general election may throw some surprising results in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-BSP alliance now replaced by the SP-Congress pact under the INDIA bloc. The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in 2019 had offered some resistance to the BJP on a handful of seats in the western and eastern parts of UP, but failed to make a big impact.

    With BSP supremo Mayawati deciding to duke it out alone this time, it will be up to the SP and Congress to stop the marauding juggernaut of the NDA, which has now has RLD on its side, as well as a number of caste-based regional parties in the Poorvanchal region.

    In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and allies won 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party ceded some ground in the 2019 general election, when the opposition parties scraped their combined tally to 16.

    Even with the conventional anti-incumbency apprehensions at work, the saffron party laid its claim on the state winning 62 seats, bolstered further by two more won by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal).

    In 2019, the maximum seats — 23 — for the BJP came from the state’s western part, where the SP-BSP alliance could manage to win only four seats each. The BSP won Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha and Nagina (SC seat) in the western UP, while the Samajwadi Party emerged victorious in Sambhal, Moradabad, Mainpuri (first held by Mulayam Singh Yadav then by Dimple Yadav in a bypoll) and Rampur that year. The central region of the state has prominent parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli — both long considered bastions of the Congress.

    In 2019, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi retained her Rae Bareli seat, while her son Rahul Gandhi lost the long held Amethi constituency to Union minister Smriti Irani.

    Defence minister Rajnath Singh won from Lucknow.

    The BSP won only one seat from this region in Ritesh Pandey, who bagged Ambedkarnagar Lok Sabha constituency. The SP scored a zilch.

    The BJP won 13 seats from the region, which includes the coveted Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, the epicentre of a Hindu reverie that drowned parts of the nation in a collective religious fervour after the Ram Temple consecration.

    Varanasi, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha, is one of the 30 seats in the eastern part of the state.

    From this region, the BSP won five seats, while the SP won one, Azamgarh. Apna Dal (Sonelal) won two seats from here.

    The Bundelkhand region was swept in 2019 by the BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha seats of Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur, and Jalaun-SC.

    The parched Bundelkhand region has been seeing the start of some irrigation projects and its residents getting safe drinking water.

    Expressways, new airports in different parts of the UP have narrowed the regional disparity the state has witnessed for a long time.

  • J&K Assembly Polls Soon After Lok Sabha Elections: CEC Rajiv Kumar |

    NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, on Saturday said that assembly elections in J&K will be held soon. CEC Rajiv Kumar, while addressing a press conference, stated that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon after the Lok Sabha polls.

    Speaking to reporters, CEC Rajiv Kumar addressed the issue of holding simultaneous central and state elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Kumar cited security concerns as a primary obstacle, leading the poll panel to deem it unfeasible at this time. However, he emphasized the panel’s dedication to conducting elections in the region, assuring that they would proceed following the Lok Sabha polls.

    Kumar highlighted the consensus among all parties in J&K regarding the desire for Assembly elections to coincide with parliamentary polls. Despite this shared sentiment, logistical challenges presented a significant hurdle. The sheer number of candidates expected in each Assembly segment, averaging between 10 to 12, would necessitate substantial security arrangements. Kumar explained that accommodating over 1,000 candidates would be impractical given the existing constraints.

    Nevertheless, Kumar reaffirmed the commitment of the poll panel to facilitate elections in J&K. He assured that once the current electoral processes conclude, the panel would prioritize holding polls in the region. This statement underscores the panel’s acknowledgement of the importance of democratic participation in J&K, despite the complexities involved in ensuring a secure and efficient electoral process.

    Importantly, the Lok Sabha elections in J&K will be held in five phases – April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 2. 

    The CEC also announced the dates for polls for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, which will be held in 7 phases starting from April 19. Phase 1 voting will be held on April 19, Phase 2 voting will be held on April 26, Phase 3 voting will be held on May 7, Phase 4 voting will be held on May 13, Phase 5 voting will be on May 20, Phase 6 voting will take place on May 25 and Phase 7 voting will be held on June 1. Counting of votes will be held on 4 June.

    Lok Sabha Election 2024 Full Schedule

    Phase 1 voting will be held on April 19, Phase 2 voting will be held on April 26, Phase 3 voting will be held on May 7, Phase 4 voting will be held on May 13,
    Phase 5 voting will be on May 20, Phase 6 voting will take place on May 25 and Phase 7 voting will be held on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.

    With the formal announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has also come into effect across the country. It may be noted that the tenure of the present Lok Sabha ends on June 16 and a new House must be constituted before that. In 2019, the general elections were held over seven phases from April 11 to May 19, with results declared four days later. The BJP-led National Democratic (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats, in the 2019 general elections. 

    Total 96.8 Crore Voters Eligible To Cast Votes: CEC 

    A total of 96.8 crore voters will be eligible to cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference here to announce the dates of Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls to four states, Rajiv Kumar said there will be 10.5 lakh polling stations and 1.5 crore polling officials and security staff will be deployed to conduct the elections in the world’s largest democracy.

    “We are committed to giving the nation a truly festive, democratic environment. The term of the 17th Lok Sabha is due to expire on 16th June 2024. The terms of the Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also due to expire in June 2024. Elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
    Kumar said approximately 49.7 crore voters are male and 47.1 crore voters are female.

    “We have 1.8 crore first-time voters and 19.47 crore voters between the age group of 20-29 years,” he said, adding that 88.4 lakh voters are of PwD category, 2.18 lakhs are centenarians and 48,000 are transgenders.

  • Watch: BJP Launches `Mai Modi Ka Parivar Hun` Campaign Song For Lok Sabha Elections 2024

    BJP has launched its campaign song around the slogan ‘Mai Modi Ka Parivar Hu’ for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

  • 1 Out Of Every 5 Sitting BJP MPs Lost Their Ticket Despite ‘Clear Wave’: A Look At The Big Faces Rested |

    New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a decisive move by replacing 21% of its sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) with new candidates, NDTV reported. This change comes as the party announced 267 Lok Sabha candidates across two lists. The second list, released on Wednesday, introduced 30 fresh faces for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. According to NDTV, this strategic candidate reshuffle is a response to potential anti-incumbency sentiments. The party’s choices reflect the grassroots feedback and are aligned with its ambitious goal to secure 370 seats in the forthcoming polls, an increase of 67 seats from the 2019 elections.

    New Faces in Key Regions

    In the nation’s capital, the BJP has nominated Harsh Malhotra for the East Delhi constituency, replacing former cricketer and sitting MP Gautam Gambhir. For the North West Delhi seat, reserved for the Scheduled Caste, Yogendra Chandolia has been chosen over the incumbent Hans Raj Hans.

    In Gujarat, the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the party has introduced five new candidates, including Bhikhaji Dudhaji Thakore for Sabarkantha and Nimuben Bambhania for Bhavnagar, signaling a significant change in representation.

    In Haryana, The BJP has opted for Ashok Tanwar, a former Congress leader, for the Sirsa seat, while former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been fielded from Karnal, indicating a high-stakes play in the state.

    The party’s second list features five new faces in Karnataka, including Basavaraj Kyavator for Koppal and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for Haveri, showcasing a mix of seasoned politicians and new entrants.

    Changes Across the Map

    In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has nominated Savitri Thakur for Dhar, and in Maharashtra, new candidates like Smita Wagh for Jalgaon and Union Minister Piyush Goyal for Mumbai North have been introduced, reflecting a nationwide strategy to rejuvenate the party’s electoral appeal.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has selected Anup Dhorte to contest from the Akola constituency in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha seat, replacing the current MP, Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre.

    In Mumbai North East, the BJP has chosen Mihir Kotecha over the incumbent MP Manoj Kishorebhai Kotak. Pankaja Munde has been announced as the candidate for the Beed Lok Sabha seat, taking over from her sister Pritam Gopinath Rao Munde, who has served for two consecutive terms.

    For the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat in Telangana, reserved for the Scheduled Caste, the BJP has nominated Godam Nagesh, moving away from the sitting MP Soyam Babu Rao. Anil Baluni, the party’s chief spokesperson and a member of the Rajya Sabha, has been fielded for the Garhwal seat, succeeding the former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat.

    Trivendra Singh Rawat, another former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, has been chosen to run for the Haridwar seat, replacing the two-term MP and former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

    From the Tripura East seat, the BJP has put forward Maharani Kriti Singh Debbarma, taking the place of the current MP Rebati Tripura. This follows the party’s earlier decision, announced on March 2, to introduce new candidates for over 190 Lok Sabha seats, which included changing at least 33 incumbent MPs.

  • Watch: `Pakistani Bhabhi` Seema Haider Reacts To CAA Rules Notification

    Seema Haider feels that issues of her citizenship will also be resolved soon as CAA rules have come into effect in the country.