Today in Politics, October 17: Kharge versus Tharoor in Congress presidential polls, Sisodia CBI investigation

Kharge (80) and Tharoor (66) have been touring states with appeals and manifestos over the last ten days to reach out to party members.

Voting would take place at over 65 polling booths across the country. While party chief Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to vote at the party headquarters in Delhi, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will be voting at the Bharat Jodo Yatra campsite in Karnataka’s Ballari district, along with around 40 other PCC delegates.

Kharge is considered to have the support of the Gandhi’s and other senior leaders. Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of “change” and “tomorrow”. During the campaign, Tharoor had raised issues of an uneven playing field, but both candidates have maintained that the Gandhis are neutral and that there is no “official candidate”.

A non-Gandhi would be at the helm after over 24 years, with Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka deciding not to contest for the post, The voting will be held by a secret ballot. The results will be out on October 19.

Sisodia summoned by CBI: The CBI summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for an investigation at 11 am Monday at its Delhi headquarters two months after registering an FIR over alleged irregularities linked to Delhi’s excise polic.

The AAP hit out at the CBI Sunday and claimed that he would be arrested by the agency. Kejriwal also said that the arrest would be linked to the Gujarat polls.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain hailed Sisodia, who holds the Education portfolio, calling him a “modern-day Bhagat Singh”.

“Jail and the noose could not shake Bhagat Singh’s great ideals. This is the second independence struggle, Manish and Satyendar are the modern-day Bhagat Singh. After 75 years, the country got an education minister who brightened the future of the poor by giving them good education. The blessings of crores of poor people are with you,” Kejriwal posted on Sunday.

“Tomorrow, when Manish ji will be arrested, it will not be about the excise policy, but about Gujarat polls,” AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said

In August, after the FIR was filed, the CBI had searched Sisodia’s home and his bank locker.

On Sunday, Sisodia tweeted: “CBI raided my house for 14 hours. My bank locker was searched, they did not find anything. They did not find anything in my village either. Now they have called me to the CBI headquarters at 11 am tomorrow. I will go and cooperate fully. Satyamev Jayate.

PM Modi to launch the PMJAY-MA scheme: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually launch the Jan Arogya Yojana–Ma Amrutam (PMJAY-MA) scheme in Gujarat.

The Ayushman PVC cards are to be distributed to more than 50 lakh beneficiaries under the scheme in Gujarat, a press release said.The scheme is aimed at providing healthcare facilities to the economically weaker sections and was integrated with Gujarat’s Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) and Mukhyamantri Amrutam Vatsalya (MAV) healthcare schemes in 2019, it added.

.Since the integration of the two schemes, PMJAY-MA cards were issued to 1.58 crore beneficiaries in Gujarat, the state government said.

Kejriwal and Mann in Gujarat: AAP president Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be in poll-bound Gujarat on Monday. They went to the state on Sunday.

The two leaders will address public meetings in the Unjha town of Mehsana district and Deesa town in Banaskantha district. The elections in the state are due this year.