Today in Politics: In final push for Rajasthan, BJP, Congress to hold rallies before curtains: Modi and Shah to Gehlot and Pilot

PM Modi has been spearheading the BJP’s formidable campaign against the Congress in the Rajasthan polls.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot are also slated to address multiple Congress rallies across the state.

Before setting out for his final round of campaigning, CM Gehlot, who is aiming to buck the three-decade trend of alternating governments and hoping for his fourth term, in an interview with The Indian Express, expressed confidence that the Congress will return to power riding on his “shandaar” (excellent) performance, reports Hamza Khan.

On whether the BJP’s move not to project any CM face would benefit the Congress in the polls,

Gehlot said, “It naturally helps. It is a Vidhan Sabha election, but you (BJP) are contesting it in Lok Sabha style. Central leaders are coming, there is PM Modi, Amit Shah ji, five Chief Ministers have come, 5-7 Union Ministers. Toh poora dhawa bol rakha hai Rajasthan pe (They have launched a full-scale offensive in Rajasthan) as they could not topple our government.“

The Rajasthan poll campaigning heated up after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday referred to PM Modi as a “panauti (harbinger of bad luck)”, linking his presence in the stadium to India’s loss against Australia at the ICC World Cup finals in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The BJP reacted sharply and demanded an apology from Rahul, accusing him of using abusive language against the PM because of the frustration of electoral losses.

Rajasthan will vote for 199 seats of the 200-member Assembly after the election was “adjourned” in the Karanpur seat following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kunar.

Centre calls meeting over deepfakes

Union Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has called a meeting with the representatives of social media platforms on the issue of deepfakes, according to a source.

The move comes amid concerns over misuse of technology and the government’s firm resolve to push digital platforms to crack down on deepfakes.

Recently, several ‘deepfake’ videos targeting some leading actors went viral, sparking outrage and raising apprehensions over the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and tools for creating fake content and narratives.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Modi cautioned that deepfakes created by AI can lead to a big crisis and stoke discontent in society, and urged the media to raise awareness about its misuse and educate people.

Vaishnaw has warned that safe harbour immunity clause will not apply if platforms do not take adequate steps to remove deepfakes.

The government had recently issued a notice to companies on the issue, and while the platforms responded, the minister made it clear that firms will have to be more aggressive in taking action on such content.

Telangana campaign

Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao or KCR will address rallies in Maheshwaran, Vicarabad, Patancheruvu and Mancherial ahead of the Assembly polls on November 30.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati will address her second rally in the state in Peddapalli Assembly constituency. She kickstarted her party’s campaign for the polls with a public meeting in Suryapet district. The BSP has fielded its candidates in 107 out of the state’s 119 constituencies.

BJP president J P Nadda is slated to hold two public meetings in Nizamabad and Sangareddy.

TMC meet on LS polls

West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew, will address party leaders and workers in Kolkata to chart a roadmap for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The issue of clearance of dues under the MGNREGA by the Centre and the strategy to be adopted for the agitation on the issue is also likely to be on this meeting’s agenda.

Justice Shinde panel meeting

Justice (retired) Sandeep Shinde, who chairs the committee appointed by the Maharashtra government to finalise the procedure for issuing Kunbi certificates to eligible individuals, will hold the panel’s meeting in Nagpur to discuss the Maratha reservation issue.

The government appointed the Justice Shinde panel on October 30 to provide guidance on granting reservation to the Maratha community and to address the ongoing case in the Supreme Court.

AP HC to hear Naidu bail in IRR case

The Andhra Pradesh High Court will hear the interim bail petition of TDP chief and ex-CM N Chandrababu Naidu in the Inner Ring Road (IRR) scam case. In the previous hearing, the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) had sought more time for arguments.

Naidu was granted regular bail in the AP skill development scam case recently. However, the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government is going to move the Supreme Court demanding its cancellation.

— With PTI inputs