PM Modi addresses public meeting in Purulia, West Bengal (Photo: YouTube/Narendra Modi)Assembly Elections 2021 Highlights: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress of creating divide in Assam and said the party neither has a leader nor policy or any ideology. “Congress kept Assam divided in every way, BJP tried to connect Assam in every way. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Biswas’ — is the BJP’s development mantra,” PM Modi said. Speaking in Assam’s Karimganj, he added, “On one side, BJP has a policy, leadership and good intentions. While on the other side, Congress neither has a leader nor policy or ideology.”
Earlier in the day, he attacked the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal’s Purulia, saying the TMC has made the lives of the people difficult. He said the people of Purulia have been given a life riddled with water crisis, adding that the Left and TMC governments neglected industrial development of Purulia. Meanwhile, at 3 pm, PM Modi will visit poll-bound Assam and hold a rally. Ahead of his rallies, Modi on Wednesday said that there is a desire for a change in Bengal with the BJP’s agenda of good governance striking a chord among the people.
While the BJP is running a campaign to end the running Trinamool Congress’ 10-year rule in Bengal, it is working to retain power in Assam. With the first phase of Assembly elections commencing in 10 days, campaigning in four states and one Union Territory is heating up. The first phase of polls to West Bengal and Assam will be held on March 27; Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will vote subsequently.
While the TMC released its manifesto Wednesday, from Puducherry, it was confirmed that V Narayanasamy, the outgoing CM, would not be contesting. In another development, the Kerala Congress faction headed by P C Thomas quit the NDA on Wednesday, and is expected to merge with the faction headed by P J Joseph, which is part of the Congress-led UDF. Thomas alleged his party was neglected in the NDA alliance when seats were allocated for the upcoming polls.
In a setback to the Congress in Kerala, senior party leader K Sudhakaran on Thursday said he would not contest against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Dharmadom constituency in northern Kannur district. He said he did not get enough time to make any fundamental preparation at the constituency, which was inevitable ahead of contesting and so he did not want to be a contender at the segment during the April 6 Assembly polls. --PTI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday named candidates for 148 of 159 West Bengal Assembly seats which will poll in the last four phases. The list includes heavyweights such as national vice-president Mukul Roy, senior leader Rahul Sinha, sitting MP Jagannath Sarkar, former BJP MLA Samik Bhattacharya as well as Trinamool turncoats Sabyasachi Dutta, Shilbhadra Dutta, Jitendra Tiwari, Sunil Singh and Subhrangshu Roy (Mukul’s son), among others.
Actor Rundranil Ghosh, who recently joined the saffron brigade, has been fielded from the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata, which is currently held by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool supremo decided to contest from Nandigram this time, leaving her home constituency to senior leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay. Read more
Actor Arun Govil, best kniwn for playing 'Lord Rama' in Ramanand Sagar's popular television series Ramayana, joined BJP on Thursday. Sharing a photo of the moment on Twitter, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya welcomed him into the party.
"Congress kept Assam divided in every way, BJP tried to connect Assam in every way. 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Biswas' — is the BJP's development mantra," PM Modi said.
"On one side, BJP has a policy, leadership and good intentions. While on the other side, Congress neither has a leader nor policy or ideology," PM Modi said in Karimganj.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee requested people to not bow their heads in front of the money offered by the BJP during electiomns. "I have one request, during election if BJP distributes money don't bow your head in front of that money. Remember, this is public's money," she said in a public meeting.
Actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi filed his nomination as BJP candidate from Kerala's Thrissur on Thursday.
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reiterated that she is a like a tiger and would bow her head only before the public. She asserted that she would not support a party like the BJP which "tortures women and Dalits". She was speaking at a public meeting in West Bengal's Amlasuli. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on March 24 a fresh plea seeking a direction to the Centre and others to not open any further window for sale of electoral bonds during pendency of a PIL pertaining to funding of political parties and alleged lack of transparency in their accounts.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian took note of the submission of an NGO that its plea be heard urgently.
The hearing assume significance as it would take place ahead of assembly polls in several states including West Bengal. (PTI)
AIADMK MLA from Sendamangalam, Chandra Sekaran, expelled from the party for "anti party activities", reported news agency ANI. He has filed his nomination as an independent candidate after he was not given AIADMK ticket to contest in the upcoming assembly election.
Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday held an election campaign in Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district, ahead of the assembly elections.
The ISF, led by Furfura Sharif's influential cleric Abbas Siddiqui, has fielded candidates cutting across religions and castes for the West Bengal assembly elections, in a bid to prove its secular credentials.
The BJP and the Trinamool Congress have accused the newly floated political outfit of being a party playing the minority card.
Of the 21 candidates the Indian Secular Front has so far announced as part of its share of seats in the alliance with the Left Front and the Congress, 10 are either Hindu or belong to Adivasi communities, while the rest are Muslims. (PTI)
Accusing the BJP of distributing money to woo voters ahead of polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a rally in Amlasuli said, "During polls, BJP leaders come with bagful of cash and offer money to voters, but they are nowhere to be seen when there is a crisis".
"We gave thousands of crores after Amphan. BJP, where were you at that time? They only distribute money for horsetrading," she alleged.
The CM further said that the BJP government at the Centre will omit names of voters in the garb of implementing NPR but asserted that it will not be allowed in Bengal.
The BJP on Tuesday released their list of leaders who will campaign for the upcoming assembly election and by-election to Kanyakumari parlimentary constituency in Tamil Nadu.
Taking a swipe at Mamata's famous slogan "Khela Hobe", PM Modi said "Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole chaakri hobe. Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole vikas hobe. Didi bole khela hobe, BJP bole shiksha hobe....Khela shesh hobe, vikas aarambh hobe."
Stating that West Bengal had made up its mind long back to remove TMC from power, he said "It's being said 'Lok Sabha mein TMC half aur iss baar poori saaf'. Seeing this determination, didi is taking out her frustration on me. But for us, she is a daughter like crores of daughters of India. Respect for them is part of our culture".
Appealing to the people of Bengal to vote for the BJP, Modi said the TMC will be punished for 10 years of misrule andpolitics of appeasement.
Attacking Mamata Banerjee, he said Bengal remembers who accused the Army of plotting coup and whose side the TMC took during the Pulwama attack. He added that appeasement and vote bank politics were the reasons behind infiltration in the state.
PM Modi further targeted the Mamata Banerjee government in the state saying the Trinamool Congress has created a new breed of Maoists in Bengal who loot public money.
PM Modi said the people of Purulia have been given a life riddled with water crisis. "They have given Purulia migration. They have given the poor of Purulia discriminatory governance. They have given Purulia an identity of being one of the most backward areas of the country," he said.
The previous governments in West Bengal have made life difficult for the people in Purulia, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Raising the issue of water crisis in Purulia, PM Modi questioned why the water supply project has not been completed yet and demanded an answer from CM Mamata Banerjee.
"This land is a witness to Lord Ram and Goddess Sita's exile. This land has Sitakund. It is also said that when goddess Sita was thirsty, Lord Ram got water from the ground by hitting it with an arrow...It is an irony that Purulia faces water crisis today," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a public rally in West Bengal's Purulia ahead of the assembly elections.
Prime Minister Narendra arrived in West Bengal's Purulia on Thursday to address a public meeting ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
BJP West Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said that his name will not be included in the list of candidates contesting the assembly elections as the party has decided that poll campaigns in the state will be done under his supervision. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday address public rallies in West Bengal's Purulia and Assam's Karimganj.
Ahead of his ralies, Modi on Wednesday tweeted: 'Glad to be getting the opportunity to be among my sisters and brothers of West Bengal tomorrow, 18th March. I would be addressing a rally in Purulia. Across West Bengal, there is a desire for change. BJP's agenda of good governance is striking a chord among the people.'
In another tweet, Modi said, 'Will be in Assam tomorrow, 18th March. Looking forward to being among the people of this great state during the rally in Karimganj. Assam has witnessed positive changes across various sectors over the last 5 years. NDA seeks people's blessings to continue the development agenda.'
While releasing the TMC’s election manifesto Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the BJP, saying the party was a “high-loaded virus” playing “nasty games” in West Bengal.
“This is a political statement, that BJP is a high-loaded virus and a political party which is playing all sorts of nasty games. But we will not play nasty games, we will play a fair game,” Banerjee said. Read More
A day after the Congress announced 14 out its 15 candidates for the elections in Puducherry, the party Wednesday said former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will not be contesting the polls, prompting many to conclude that the high command was upset with Narayanasamy.
Narayanasamy was Chief Minister till last month. He tendered his resignation on February 22 after a Motion of Confidence was defeated in the Assembly. The floor test was called by L-G Tamilisai Soundararajan following a spate of resignations by Congress MLAs. Read More
Congress has named former minister K Jana Reddy as its candidate in the bypoll to be held on April 17 for the Nagarjuna Sagar assembly constituency in Telangana.
Reddy's name was announced by the party leadership in Delhi, Congress sources said here on Wednesday.
The bypoll is necessitated due to the death of sitting TRS MLA Nomula Narasimhaiah due to ill health in December. (PTI)
Sisir Adhikari, TMC leader and father of BJP's Suvendu Adhikari: "I will support my son. If they tell me to go to PM Modi's public meeting, I will definitely go."
The Congress will empower housewives, ensure women's safety against the rising crime graph in Assam, provide the cushion against inflation and give the self respect that they deserve if voted to power in the coming assembly poll in the state, AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said on Wednesday.
Congress will implement the 'Grihini Samman Guarantee' if it comes to power, Shrinate told reporters here.
The scheme had been launched by party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during her visit to Tezpur on March 2.
The Congress has pledged 5 Guarantee Programme for the people of Assam and one of the most important commitment is towards the housewives of the state, Shrinate said at a press conference. (PTI)
Hundreds of farmers have decided to file nominations from Kangeyam Assembly constituency in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu in the forthcoming elections.
The decision to contest the polls was taken as the demand by farmers for releasing water from Parambikulam-Aliyar Project has fallen on deaf ears.
The farmers likened the situation to one their predecessors created 25 years ago in Modakurichi in Erode district.
The ryots belonging to Vellakoil Branch Canal Water Protection Committee had gone on a five-day hunger strike demanding the release of water in January last, which was withdrawn after meeting the Chief Minister. (PTI)
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu accepted the resignation of nominated member Swapan Dasgupta on Wednesday.
Dasgupta tendered his resignation from the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday after being named as a BJP candidate in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said the chairman has received Dasgupta's resignation letter dated March 16 and has accepted his resignation with effect from March 17.
Dasgupta, who became a Rajya Sabha member on April 25, 2016, has been named by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its candidate from the Tarakeshwar constituency in poll-bound West Bengal.
His term as a member of the Upper House was till April 24, 2022.
Dasgupta's resignation came after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohua Moitra raised objections to him being named as a candidate of the saffron party for the West Bengal polls. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday released the manifesto of the Trinamool Congress for the assembly elections, promising a minimum basic income every month if voted to power.
Stating that she will work for the development of Bengal with utmost dedication, Mamata said: “The state government has helped lakhs and lakhs of widows, senior citizens and specially abled people through monetary assistance. In continuation of the same, every family in Bengal will now be provided a minimum basic income. Under this, 1.6 crore eligible general category families will get a monthly cash transfer of Rs 500 every month, which is Rs 6,000 annually. Each SC/ST category family will get a cash amount of Rs 1,000 monthly, which is Rs 12,000 yearly.”
The manifesto promised to create 5 lakh jobs every year to halve the unemployment rate in the state. It also said an additional 10 lakh MSMEs will be set up annually in order to generate employment for the state. For students, the Trinamool manifesto promised to introduce a Student Credit Card with a Rs 10 lakh credit limit.
She also announced a monetary help of Rs 10,000 for small and marginal farmers in a bid to counter the central government’s farmer assistance scheme.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday held Congress responsible for lack of development and illegal influx in the North East and rise of militancy in Kashmir in its quest for power.
Addressing a poll campaign rally here, the senior BJP leader charged the Congress, the main opposition party in Assam, of ignoring the people's welfare and development of the region in its quest for power.
Adityanath said the northeast looked for development under the successive Congress governments. "But no development took place as progress was not on their agenda."
"Congress never worked for development and progress of the region or the country's unity or welfare of the people, but only to grab power. This forced the people here to endure its misrule for a long time and the problem of illegal migration in the area," he said. (PTI)
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday released Trinamool Congress' election manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.
The Opposition Congress on Wednesday raised serious allegations of fraud and irregularities in the preparation of voters' list in Kerala ahead of the April 6 assembly polls.
Citing the voters' list published by the Election Commission on January 20 2021, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said bogus votes have been added extensively in each constituency across the state.
There were instances of the name of a person being included in the voters' list of the same constituency five or six times, he told reporters here in a press meet.
"In most cases, same address and photo have been used for committing the fraud. In some other cases, minor changes have been made in the address and the photo," the senior Congress leader alleged.
Accusing the Election Commission of issuing multiple voter identity cards to the same person in the same constituency, Chennithala cited an example of a person named Kumari, a 61-year-old voter in Uduma segment in northern Kasaragod district, who had allegedly been given five identity cards. (PTI)
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday demanded the cancellation of the nomination of BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, who is pitted against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram, as his name also "seems to appear" in the electoral roll of Haldia constituency.
This development came barely days after Adhikari, once a close aide of Banerjee, demanded cancellation of the TMC supremo's nomination from Nandigram seat.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien in a letter to the Electoral Registration Officer of Nandigram assembly constituency alleged that Adhikari's name "seems to appear" in the electoral rolls of both Nandigram and Haldia assembly constituencies and this is not permitted as per Section 17 of the Representation of The People Act of 1951.
Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 mentions that no person shall be entitled to be registered in the electoral roll for more than one constituency. (PTI)
In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is among the top leaders spearheading the party's campaign in the state, said it was not possible to fight the election only on issues of development. Asked about the BJP's campaign being focused on the ‘threat’ supposedly posed by a particular migrant-origin community, Sarma said: "Assam is a frontier state with a legacy of fighting infiltration right from the days of Partition. So, Assam politics and socio-cultural-economic life have centred or evolved around this topic. Even stalwarts like Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi and Bimala Prasad Chaliha fought on this issue. Yet this issue is unresolved."
"So, if you go to Lower Assam today, in a particular Muslim-dominated constituency, they will say we have got all the government schemes but will vote against the BJP. It’s not that we are hostile. We know we will not get votes, but we do not discriminate. We have been equal to everybody — the Assamese (both Hindu and Muslim) and the migrant Muslim community."
Click here for full interview
The Election Commission Wednesday said record seizures worth Rs 331 crore have been made so far in the four poll-going states and Puducherry as part of the expenditure monitoring process.
The seizures already surpass the total seizures made in assembly elections to these states and the union territory in 2016, it said.
"Significant point is that record seizures have been made even though polling is yet to start," the commission said in a statement.
A maximum of Rs 127.64 crore worth seizures have been made in Tamil Nadu, while Rs 112.59 crore worth seizures have been made from West Bengal. (PTI)
Addressing a rally in Jhargam, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "They (BJP) wanted to keep me indoors so that I can't go out during elections. They have injured my leg. They can't throttle my voice, we will defeat BJP."
The CM also appealed the people to not vote for BJP otherwise they won't be able to follow their religion. "You will have to say 'Jai Shree Ram', you will not be able to say 'Jai Siya Ram'. Lord Ram used to worship Maa Durga because she is much bigger in stature," ANI quoted her as saying.
Former Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy’s name was missing from the list of 14 candidates announced by the Congress on Tuesday. The party is contesting in 15 of the 30 Assembly constituencies. The candidate for Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh, is yet to be be announced. The remaining seats are shared by alliance partners DMK (13), CPI (1) and VCK (1). Read more here
In an interview to Abhishek Saha, Ranjeet Dass, Assam BJP president, says: "The CAA is not a factor at all. The effect of the anti-CAA protests on the BJP is zero... Development and security are the core issues we are contesting the elections on this time. We have done so much developmental work."
The much-watched Indian Secular Front (ISF), part of the Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal, has surprised everyone with its first list of 21 candidates. As the BJP and Trinamool attack the party as “communal”, the ISF led by cleric Abbas Siddiqui, fielded names from across religions and castes, including upper-caste Hindus, Dalits and tribals.
A senior leader of the ISF said, “With our list we are saying that we are not communal. We are fighting for all backward people and our candidates list reflects that. We will maintain that.” Read Atri Mitra's report
The Kerala Congress headed by P C Thomas has quit the NDA, and is expected to merge with the faction headed by P J Joseph, which is part of the Congress-led UDF. Thomas has alleged his party was neglected in the NDA alliance when seats were allocated for the upcoming polls. PTI reports that Thomas has agreed to accept P J Joseph as the party's chairman and leader.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko releases the party's election manifesto ahead of the Tamil Nadu polls, in Chennai. MDMK has been allotted six seats in DMK's alliance, and its party's candidates will contest on DMK's symbol, the rising sun.
AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran will be contesting the Assembly elections from Kovilpatti near Tuticorin instead of the R K Nagar seat, which he won in the 2017 bypolls. Dhinakaran is believed to have opted for Kovilpatti because of the party’s success in the local body polls in the region in 2019. Read Arun Janardhanan's explainer
In India, every election has a background score — the jingles of parties in the fray, with raucous vocals, copycat tunes and thumping beats. But in West Bengal this time, it’s the stinging lyrics that are drawing the crowds for TMC, BJP and CPI(M).
Among the several jingles that have created a stir this poll season are TMC’s “Khela hobe (The game is on)”; BJP’s “Khelar mathe lorai hobe (The battle will be fought on the playground)” and “Pishi jao (Aunty, go)”; and CPI(M)’s “Tumpa, toke niye Brigade jabo (Tumpa, I will take you to the Brigade) and “Laal pherao, haal pherao (Bring back red, bring back stability)”. Koel Banerjee reports
The campaign slogan of the Left Democratic Front is strung up all across this constituency in Kannur district: “Surely, it is LDF.” But, here and elsewhere, there is one star of this campaign: and surely, it is Pinarayi Vijayan. The 75-year-old has started campaigning in his seat Dharmadam, where he is expected, of course, to sail through. The Chief Minister’s task has been made easier by the fact that the Congress is yet to find a candidate to oppose him. The BJP’s C K Padmanabhan hasn’t started canvassing. Read Shaju Philip's ground report
Welcome to our live blog on the Assembly elections 2021. Four states and one Union Territory -- West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry -- will go to polls this year. Follow this blog for the latest news and updates!