Rahul files nomination from Wayanad, Shiroda bypoll on April 23

Gujarat

Former BJP president and deputy prime minister LK Advani made public his disagreement with a campaign theme of the BJP that vehemently attacks opposition leaders who disagree with the government on national security issues such as the Balakot air strike. Issuing a press release marking the foundation day of the BJP, April 6, he said, “Defence of democracy and democratic traditions, both within the Party and in the larger national setting, has been the proud hallmark of the BJP. Therefore BJP has always been in the forefront of demanding protection of independence, integrity, fairness and robustness of all our democratic institutions, including the media,” he said.

Responding Advani’s post, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, ‘Advani Ji perfectly sums up the true essence of BJP, most notably the guiding Mantra of ‘Nation First, Party Next, Self Last.’

Kerala

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi asserted that the two main issues that the nation is confronted with are jobs and farmers. Rahul filed his nomination in Wayanad today. He said, “youngsters are running from state to state for jobs. Narendra Modi has failed on jobs.’ The seat is all set to have a triangular contest with Thushar Vellapally of the NDA, P P Suneer and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress. Wayanad is scheduled to go to polls in the third phase on April 23.

Karnataka

As many as 84 candidates filed 110 nominations in Karnataka, taking the total to 249 by 172 candidates, including five women, an election official said. While 28 candidates are from national parties, among 172 filed nominations so far, 3 are from state parties, 49 from registered unrecognised parties, and 89 independents. Umesh Jadhav, who resigned as the Congress MLA recently, held a road show along with state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and filed his nomination from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat, where he will take on Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge.

Telangana

Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, the grandson of ormer Andhra Deputy chief minister Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy and the son-in-law of Apollo group chief C Pratap Reddy is contesting from the Chevella constituency of Ranga Reddy district, formerly known as Hyderabad Rural. Konda has been very critical of both TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu in his campaign. Locals feel that Konda has edge over the TRS and candidates, owing to his popularity. The Chevella Lok Sabha constituency in KV Ranga Reddy district is considered to be the second largest parliamentary constituency in the state after Malkajgiri. Out of seven assembly segments in the constituency, five are held by the TRS and two by the Congress. Elections to 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana will be held on April 11. The state will see a single phase election and the counting of ballots for the entire country will be held on May 23.

Tamil Nadu

After the demise of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a young farmer from Tamil Nadu’s Karur district paid his tributes to the slain leader at a condolence meeting organised by the Congress party. It was the first time Raju was speaking at a public function but it wasn’t the last. Raju impressed the local Congress leaders so much with his oratory that the party began calling him whenever it had a public meeting and during election campaigns. Thirty-five years on, Raju is now a ‘star speaker’ for the Congress. Over the last 35-years, he has been a star speaker for the Congress in TN.

With the two major Dravidian parties forging broad alliances, the chief of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) — the breakaway party from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) — TTV Dhinakaran, president of AMMK has announced publicly that his party will contest all seats across Tamil Nadu with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) as a single-seat ally. While the case over AIADMK’s election symbol did not turn out in his favour, he continues to iterate that his faction represents the soul of AIADMK. Further, he said that his party MPs would decide the prime ministerial candidate, indicating a close fight at a national level in the elections. A few supporters of Dhinakaran and political observers believe that the AIADMK cadres will support his party on the ground as they are not happy with AIADMK’s functioning and subservience to the BJP.

Andhra Pradesh

Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan lashes out at the BJP and the Congress for failure to grant special status to the state of Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at an election rally at Vijayawada on April 3, he said that PM Narendra Modi assured the people of Andhra would get ‘ladoo’ after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but instead gave a stale ladoo. While Congress wanted to grant special status for five years, the BJP said it would grant for 10 years and neither promise has been kept, he added. Her also criticized Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu that he keeps changing his stand on decisions according to different situations, a NDTV report said.

Uttar Pradesh 

Former Congress MP from Telangana, Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu, and Samajwadi Party MP from Gorakhpur, Praveen Kumar Nishad, joined the BJP on April 4. Senior BJP leader and Union minister J P Nadda said both the leaders wield considerable influence in their regions, and that they had joined the party due to their faith in the policies of the Narendra Modi government. Rapolu was associated with the Telangana movement and had quit the Congress last month.

 Goa

The April 23 Assembly by-poll for Shiroda in Goa has become a prestige battle for the three prominent political parties in the state — the ruling BJP, its estranged ally MGP and opposition Congress. The seat fell vacant after MLA Subhash Shirodkar quit the Congress to join the BJP in October 2018. Shirodkar is now contesting the election on BJP ticket against Congress Mahadev Naik and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Partys (MGP) Deepak Dhavalikar. Dhavalikar filed nomination for the by-election despite his party being part of the BJP-led ruling coalition, straining the ties between the two allies.

Delhi

The Congress and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have resumed talks to discuss the seat sharing formula for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, sources said on Thursday. The speculation of a tie-up between both the parties got a boost with AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh meeting All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Delhi PC Chacko on April 3 evening.

Manipur

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on April 3 said people of the state are not suffering from fear psychosis after the BJP came to power two years back. “There has been no case of fake encounter,” now unlike before when the Congress was in power, Biren said at a BJP election rally. “The relationship between the people and the police has improved,” he said. He said the Congress which has been campaigning to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was actually implemented in the state by the same party. On the escape of a militant leader of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) from a hospital, he said efforts are on to nab the undertrial prisoner.

Puducherry

The Supreme Court on April 4 refused to hear a plea which sought rescheduling of the Lok Sabha polling date of April 18 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A Christian body moved the apex court seeking urgent listing of its plea in which it said the scheduled date of polling for Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry falls within the holy period of Good Friday and Easter. The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the date of polling in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry be postponed and it be rescheduled.