Haryana, J-K elections highlights: Kharge, Sonia among 40 star campaigners for Congress in Haryana
J-K, Haryana Assembly polls updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the Assembly polls here
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Nadia: Polling officials check EVMs and other voting materials before leaving for their respective polling stations for the Ranaghat South Assembly by-election, at a distribution centre, in Nadia, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (Photo: PTI)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala are among the 40 star campaigners for the party for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls. The names of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and recently joined the Congress, also figure in the list of the party's star campaigners. Among other prominent campaigners are Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, party's Haryana affairs in-charge Deepak Babaria, State unit chief of the party Udai Bhan and Ajay Maken, Birender Singh, Anand Sharma and Sachin Pilot. Former chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Charanjit Singh Channi also figure in the list of star campaigners.
Other senior leaders in the list are Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, Pawan Khera, Deepender Singh Hooda, Rajiv Shukla, Supriya Shrinate, Srinivas B V and Subhash Batra.
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People of J&K lost a sincere friend: CPI(M) leader Tarigami on Sitaram Yechury's death
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have lost a sincere friend, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said on Friday as he paid tributes to party veteran Sitaram Yechury, who died a day before.
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"Kashmiris have lost a sincere friend. This is not about the CPI(M) or just a personal loss, but only a few people now remain who understand the pain of the people of Kashmir," a visibly emotional Tarigami told reporters in south Kashmir's Kulgam district.
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He said Yechury was extremely concerned about the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Haryana elections: BJP leader Karan Dev Kamboj joins Congress
Former Haryana minister Karan Dev Kamboj, who recently stepped down as OBC Morcha chief of the BJP's state unit after being denied a ticket to contest next month's assembly polls, quit the saffron party on Friday and joined the Congress.
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Kamboj was eyeing a ticket from either the Radaur or the Indri seats.
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He joined the Congress in the presence of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, a statement said.
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Kamboj last week claimed that the BJP rewarded many new entrants and turncoats with tickets while ignoring those who had worked for the party for years.
Speaking on the occasion, Hooda alleged that the BJP, through its decisions and policies, had made it clear that it harboured anti-SC and anti-OBC mentality.
"That is why its biggest OBC leader (Kamboj) had to leave the party," Hooda said.
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The entry of Kamboj and his supporters will further strengthen the Congress, he said.
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"Together, we will form such a government that will respect all communities and every section and make Haryana the number one state of the country in development," Hooda added.
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Bhan said that with the joining of leaders such as Kamboj, "it is certain that BJP will be wiped out in the entire Haryana".
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According to the statement, Kamboj said, "The ruling party has left no opportunity to insult the OBC community. The BJP only wants to get the votes of OBCs but does not want to give them rights. Therefore, this time in the elections, Dalits and backward classes will unite and break the arrogance of the BJP and form a Congress government with a huge majority." Polling for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5 and the votes counted on October 8.?
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DPAP will bring law to protect jobs, land for J-K locals if voted to power: Ghulam Nabi Azad
The DPAP will introduce a law to ensure protection of jobs and land for residents of Jammu and Kashmir if it is elected to power, party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Friday.
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Azad on Friday addressed three meetings in south Kashmir's Dooru, Qazigund and Devsar, as he canvassed for party candidates.
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"If elected to power, we will bring a law where no outsider would be allowed to buy land or secure jobs in Jammu and Kashmir, thereby preserving the rights and opportunities for locals," he said.
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The former chief minister of the erstwhile state claimed he had fought against the revocation of Article 370 and statehood as leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
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Expressing disappointment with the current government, he said nothing could be expected from it on these issues.
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"People are suffering here," he said, stressing the need for immediate action to address the challenges faced by the locals.
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The first priority of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) will be to provide free electricity to the poor and waive off electricity bills for those who cannot afford to pay, Azad said.
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He stressed the need to create jobs in various departments to tackle the growing unemployment crisis.
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890 central laws implemented in J&K after abrogation of Article 370: BJP
Asserting that several revolutionary steps have been taken by the Centre for the welfare of people, the J&K BJP on Friday said 890 central laws have been implemented in the UT since the abrogation of Article 370.
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After the BJP forms government in Jammu and Kashmir, five marlas of land will be given to the landless and separate colonies will also be set up for the poor, it said.
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"Two hundred and nine (209) laws of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir have also been repealed after the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government," J&K BJP spokesperson Y V Sharma told reporters here.
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He higlighted transformative legislative changes in J&K after August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated, and emphasised the party's dedication to the welfare of the marginalised.
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Many crorepatis in fray for Haryana polls, BJP's Capt Abhimanyu leads with assets worth Rs 417 cr
Former Haryana finance minister and BJP nominee from the Narnaund assembly seat for the October 5 assembly polls, Captain Abhimanyu is the richest candidate in the state with declared assets worth Rs 417 crore.
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According to his poll affidavit, 56-year-old Capt Abhimanyu has declared his moveable and immovable assets, including those of his wife, as Rs 369.03 crore and Rs 47.96 crore, respectively.
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Though he has shown Rs 1.1 lakh as cash-in-hand, the former Haryana finance minister has declared investments in bonds, debentures and shares worth Rs 251 crore, as per his affidavit.
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Capt Abhimanyu owns gold jewellery and other valuables worth Rs 21.53 lakh.
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Savitri Jindal, who has entered the electoral contest from the Hisar seat as an independent, has declared her assets worth Rs 270 crore.
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Seventy-six-year-old Savitri has declared her moveable and immovable assets worth Rs 190 crore and Rs 80 crore, respectively. She does not own a car, according to her affidavit.
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She is the mother of BJP MP from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal and wife of noted industrialist, late O P Jindal.
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She will be contesting against Haryana minister and sitting MLA from Hisar, Kamal Gupta.
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State elections: J-K Congress issues show-cause notices to party leaders who filed nominations as Independents
The Congress in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday issued show-cause notices to several party leaders for breach of alliance unity after they filed nominations as Independent candidates for the assembly elections in the Union territory.
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J-K Congress has taken notice of the breach of alliance unity by various party leaders, a spokesperson of the unit said.
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He said the party has sought explanations from these leaders within three days, failing which strict disciplinary action would be initiated against them.
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Many Congress leaders, including Ganderbal district president Sahil Farooq, have entered the poll fray as Independent candidates after the party announced a seat-sharing arrangement with the National Conference (NC).
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Farooq is contesting from the Ganderbal assembly segment against NC vice-president Omar Abdullah.?
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Will Engineer Rashid back BJP if need arises after J-K polls: Omar Abdullah
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday asked Baramulla's Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid to clarify whether his party would support the BJP if the saffron party needs it after the Jammu and Kashmir elections.
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The Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) supremo, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was behind bars in Delhi's Tihar Jail and was released on interim bail on Wednesday to campaign for the assembly elections.
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"Yesterday, at a seminar, when Rashid was asked whether he would support the BJP after the election, he remained silent. Why does he not say categorically that he will not support the BJP in any manner after the elections," Abdullah told reporters in Devsar area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district after an election rally.
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Arvind Kejriwal's bail massive boost to AAP's campaign in Haryana and Delhi, say party leaders
The Supreme Court's granting bail to Delhi chief minister and the Aam Aadmi Party's tallest leader Arvind Kejriwal comes as a massive boost to the party which hopes to make forays in assembly polls in Haryana and retain power in Delhi which elects a new government early next year.
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The 56-year-old, who has been the fulcrum of the AAP's election campaigns, will have a crucial role to play if the party were to succeed in mounting any significant challenge to the BJP and the Congress in Haryana which votes on October 5.
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Party leaders say that with his fiery speeches and pointed jibes at rivals in Haryana, where the AAP is going solo, Kejriwal may tilt the scales in the favour of the Aam Aadmi Party in a state where it has no MP or MLA.
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Soon after the apex court granted bail to Kejriwal, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the AAP will defeat the BJP in Haryana and Delhi. "Kejriwal's presence will strengthen us," Singh said.
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Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav expressed hope that the AAP supremo would take charge of Haryana assembly elections.
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"The party has fought elections in Gujarat and Delhi under his leadership and will contest the polls in Haryana too under him. I hope he will take charge of Haryana polls as soon as he is released (from Tihar Jail)," Chadha told reporters.
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Haryana Assembly dissolved ahead of polls to prevent constitutional issues
Governor Bandaru Dattatreya on Thursday exercised his powers under Article 174(2)(b) of the Constitution to dissolve the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
This action followed a recommendation from the council of ministers, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who advised the early dissolution of the assembly to prevent a potential constitutional crisis. Read here for more details.
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For me issue is not Assembly elections but to find solution to Kashmir: Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid
Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid, after being released on interim bail, met with the people of Baramulla on Thursday. The bail was granted by Delhi's special NIA court on Tuesday to allow Rashid, accused in a terror funding case, to campaign for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.Speaking to reporters, Baramulla MP said that the most important thing is to find a solution to the 'Kashmir issue.' "For me, the issue is not Assembly elections but to find a solution to Kashmir issue is most important," Rashid said.
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Upcoming assembly polls first in 'secular J-K', says Sudhanshu Trivedi
The upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are historic as they are the first since the region "became secular", BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said on Thursday. He emphasised that these elections represented a choice between nationalist and anti-national forces. "In these assembly elections, people must choose between those promising peace and development and those promising death and destruction," Trivedi said.
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BJP's attempt to keep Kejriwal away from campaigning gone to waste: AAP leader Somnath Bharti
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Advocate Somnath Bharti welcomed the Supreme Court's order to grant bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case on Friday and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) attempt to keep Kejriwal away from the election campaigning for the upcoming assembly polls has gone to waste. "The details of the order are yet to be read properly. But what we heard is that Kejriwal was granted bail unanimously by the Judges' Bench... Everyone hoped for the same that this time around he would get bail, as he already got bail in the matter of the ED. I want to thank the Supreme Court for granting bail to Kejriwal," Bharti said.
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Haryana Assembly elections: BJP leader Karan Dev Kamboj joins Congress
Haryana BJP leader and former minister Karan Dev Kamboj, who recently stepped down as the state unit's OBC Morcha chief after being denied ticket to contest the next month's assembly polls, on Friday quit the party and joined the Congress.Kamboj was eyeing a ticket either from Radaur or Indri seats. He joined the Congress in the presence of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and State Congress chief Udai Bhan, a statement said here.
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Kejriwal to campaign in Haryana, AAP to fight polls with double energy: Haryana unit chief
Shortly after Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court, AAP's Haryana unit chief Sushil Gupta on Friday said his party supremo will campaign in the state, where the people are looking for a change. "We will now fight the polls with double energy. Kejriwal ji will soon start his campaign in Haryana," Gupta said as he hailed the Supreme Court decision granting bail to the Delhi chief minister.
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Haryana Assembly polls: Kharge, Sonia among 40 star campaigners for Cong in Haryana
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bhupinder Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala are among the 40 star campaigners for the party for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls. The names of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and recently joined the Congress, also figure in the list of the party's star campaigners.
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First Published: Sep 13 2024 | 3:01 PM IST
