BJP announces first list; Gautam Gambhir joins BJP
BJP announces its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha seats. Delhi-based ex-cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the BJP today and is likely to contest from Delhi. BJP’s first list includes prominent names. Here are some of the popular names and the seat they will contest from are:
- Narendra Modi, Varanasi, U.P
- Amit Shah, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- Rajnath Singh, Lucknow, U.P
- Nitin Gadkari, Nagpur, Maharashtra
- Smriti Irani. Amethi, U.P
- VK Singh, Ghaziabad, U.P
- Poonam Mahajan, North-Central Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Hema Malini, Mathura, U.P
- Tapan Gogoi, Jorhat, Assam
- Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal East, Arunachal Pradesh
- D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Bangalore North, Karnataka
- Baijayant Panda, Kendrapara, Odisha
- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Jaipur Rural
- Dilip Ghosh, Medinipur, West Bengal
BSP releases the first list
BSP released its first list of 11 candidates out of 38 seats the party plans to contest in U.P. Its coalition partners – SP and RLD and others will contest in the remaining 42 seats.
BSP’s first list included Kunwar Danish Ali, the ex-JD(S) leader who recently joined BSP. He will be contesting from Amroha. Other names on the list are:
- Hazi Mohammad Yakoob, Meerut, U.P
- Haji Fazulrahman, Saharanpur, U.P
- Ajit Balyan, Aligarh, U.P
- Rajveer Singh, Fatehpur Sikri, U.P
- Ruchi Veera, Aonia, U.P
- Manoj Kumar Soni, Agra, U.P
- Yogesh Verma, Bulandshahr, U.P
- Satbeer Nagar, Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P
- Malook Nagar, Bijnore, U.P
- Girish Chandra, Nagina, U.P
Congress faces embarrassment from Jitin Prasad and Sam Pitroda
Its politics season at its peak and defections are a reality all political parties are facing. Latest to generate controversy is Jitin Prasada of the Congress and close associate of Rahul Gandhi. There was a lot of speculation today of the possibility of Jitin Prasad quitting the Congress to join BJP. The news was serious enough to have several senior leaders within the party approach Jitin Prasada and placate any grievances he may have had.
Just last week the party was jolted with the news of Tom Vadakan, senior party leader and confidant of Sonia Gandhi, joining the BJP. The prize catch for BJP was a major embarrassment for the Congress, and Jitin Prasada’s departure would have created a negative impact of party cadres who are already fighting hard to win the battle of perception against the BJP.
Adding to the party woes today was Sam Pitroda, advisor to Rahul Gandhi, making a controversial remark questioning the Balakot attack results and minimizing the Pakistani government’s role in the Pulwama bombing.
KT Rama Rao for TRS bats for a Federal Front
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is on a strong footing in Telangana, and its leaders exude the confidence of playing a stronger role in building a non-BJP-non-Congress federal front in the post-election scenario.
The Hindu has published an interview with K.T. Rama Rao, TRS working president and son of its founder K. Chandrashekar Rao. K.T. Rama Rao spoke of the emerging influence of TRS and the possibility of a federal front, excluding the BJP and Congress at the centre.
He said the party was in discussions with like-minded parties including Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, Biju Patnaik’s BJD, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP, Mayawati – BSP and Akhilesh Yadav – SP in U.P. to come together to form a coalition government at the centre. He was candid to admit the coalition would have to win 150 plus seats to have a real chance at forming the government.
