Jaipur:

The upcoming assembly election is not just about Rajasthan, it is also about Congress’ future, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday, and added that the country needed the party.

Urging party leaders to reject politics and make Congress candidates win the polls, Ashok Gehlot said that such leaders could later be given official positions by the government.

The party would resolve the issues with those who could not be given a ticket to contest the polls, the chief minister said.

Assembly elections are due in the state on November 25, and counting of votes will be done on December 3.

“Even if we could not give tickets to those who stood by us and to those who saved our government, we have told them to help elect candidates who are contesting for the party. Leave all kinds of politics. Nation is first. The entire country today needs the Congress party,” Ashok Gehlot said.  

“The election is not just about Rajasthan but it is also an election of Congress’ future. If they (party leaders) will make the party win the elections then they will be adjusted in boards after elections. If needed, we will give them the status of ministers.”  The chief minister said that it is natural that there is some resentment after ticket distribution among some party workers even though it was done after collective discussions. Still, there can be some complaints, he added.  He exuded confidence that Congress would win the elections.

Replying to a question on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot said, “It is a bulldozer government there. Is this the way to rule? Is it a democracy? Some people become happy due to their words. But if there is no rule of the law then we will also not be secure. Rule of the law is important for everyone.”  “They have destroyed law and order. You can imagine where they are taking the country. I don’t want to get into it,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday announced names of candidates on five seats for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly Elections.

The list of candidates includes Mahendra Bhadu from Suratgarh, Jaspreet Kaur from Raisinghnagar, Tarusha Parashar from Hawa Mahal Assembly, Dwarika Prasad from Lalsot and Brahm Singh Gurjar from Sawai Madhopur.

Earlier on Friday, BSP released a list of 20 candidates in which the party has fielded Babu Lal Salvi from Nathdwara against Assembly Speaker and veteran Congress leader CP Joshi.

The polls for the 200-member assembly will be held on November 25 and counting of votes will take place on December 3. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member house.

Ashok Gehlot came to power with the support of BSP MLAs and independents.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ranchi:

In a veiled attack on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, BJP national president JP Nadda wondered whether she had gone to any temple with religious belief, instead of embarking on “election tourism”.

The BJP has recently lodged a complaint to the Election Commission accusing her of claiming in a public rally in poll-bound Rajasthan that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dropped an envelope of donation containing only Rs 21 to Bhilwara’s Devnarayan temple.

Addressing a public rally here, JP Nadda said, “Have you ever seen that leader (Priyanka Gandhi) going to a temple with complete religious belief or speaking anything to protect any temple?” Religious sentiments of Congress leaders are related to “election tourism”, he claimed.

“The atrocities committed on women by the Ashok Gehlot government (in Rajasthan) can never be forgotten. But when the election has come, she is making herself part of the election tourism,” JP Nadda said.

Rajasthan is ruled by the Congress and the BJP is making efforts to defeat it in the November 25 elections.

“On January 28, the PM had participated in a programme of Bhagwan Devnarayan who was born on lotus. Even the priest said he has no knowledge about money donated by the PM,” JP Nadda said.

The priest of Bhilwara’s Devnarayan temple on Friday accused Priyanka Gandhi of concocting a story about an envelope of donation dropped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi containing only Rs 21.

In its submission to the EC, the BJP said Priyanka Gandhi told a public meeting in Dausa on October 20 that she saw on TV that when an envelope of donation made by Modi at a temple was opened, it carried only Rs 21. She added that she saw the news and is not aware if the claim is true or not, the BJP’s complaint read.

The EC on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the Congress general secretary over her “envelope” remarks. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

After being named in the BJP’s second list of candidates for the upcoming Rajasthan Assembly polls, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party’s national president JP Nadda for reposing their faith in her and clearing her candidature from Jhalrapatan.

Taking to her official handle on social media platform X, the former chief minister posted, “I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for reposing faith in me and making me the assembly candidate from Jhalrapatan. Together, we will post a record victory, Jai-Jai Rajasthan!”

मुझ पर विश्वास जताकर झालरापाटन से पुनः विधानसभा प्रत्याशी बनाने के लिए मैं माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी, भाजपा राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री @JPNadda जी एवं समस्त भारतीय जनता पार्टी के शीर्ष नेतृत्व का हृदय से आभार व्यक्त करती हूं।

मिलकर रचेंगे विजय का कीर्तिमान, जय-जय… pic.twitter.com/JnoWaePzve

— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) October 21, 2023

Earlier in the day, the BJP released its second list of candidates for the November 25 Assembly elections, with Raje securing a ticket to seek a fresh term in the House from the Jhalrapatan constituency.

The party declared 83 candidates in its second list, featuring some prominent names including the BJP’s former Rajasthan president Satish Punia, who has been fielded from the Amber constituency.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Rajendra Rathore will contest the polls from the Taranagar constituency while former MP Jyoti Mirdha, who joined the BJP last month after leaving the ruling Congress, has been fielded from the Nagaur constituency.

Jhalrapatan has been the preferred Assembly constituency for the former chief minister to contest the state polls.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday announced its first list of 33 candidates for the upcoming polls. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been named the Congress candidate from the Sardarpura constituency while his former deputy Sachin Pilot will his nomination papers from the Tonk constituency.

Govind Singh Dotasra, a sitting minister and president of Rajasthan Congress Committee will contest the polls from Lachhmangarh.
Senior Congress leader and Assembly Speaker, CP Joshi, will contest from the Nathdwara seat while Divya Maderna and sitting minister Ashok Chandna will file their nominations from the Osian and Hindoli seats respectively.

Minister for Child Empowerment, Mamta Bhupesh, will contest from Sikrai-SC seat.

The Congress came out tops in the last Assembly polls in 2018, bagging 99 seats in the 200-member Assembly to emerge as the largest single party. 

The BJP finished a close second at 73 seats. The counting of votes for Rajasthan, along with four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Amid resentment among a section of party leaders and their supporters over denial of tickets in the first list of 41 candidates, Rajasthan BJP President CP Joshi on Thursday said the decision on ticket allotment was taken collectively and not by one person.

He expressed hope that all will come together under the banner of the party and fight the November 25 assembly polls unitedly.

Mr Joshi also accused the ruling Congress of violating the model code of conduct and said the Election Commission should take cognisance of the chief minister’s photos not being removed from advertisements.

He said that the party’s legal cell was examining the matter so that a complaint could be filed with the poll panel.

Asked about some party leaders coming out in the open against the party following denial of tickets in several constituencies, including Nagar, Tonk-Deoli and Sanchore, he said that the party leadership has taken the decision on candidates collectively.

“I can say that all the people are members of the family. It is natural that many people are aspirational and some have feelings in their mind, but all are members of the family,” he told PTI.

On the party’s decision to field MPs in the assembly elections, Mr Joshi, who is the MP from Chittorgarh, said an MP is also a party worker.

“In BJP, the lotus symbol is our candidate… An MP is also a party worker, he is a resident of the same area and he is not someone from outside,” he said.

Mr Joshi said, “Congress party is in despair and going by the statement of the Congress party, they have laid down their arms.”

He said the Congress government did nothing except making announcements in the four-and-a-half years and there was nothing on the ground.

The Congress will not be able to win even 21 seats in the assembly elections.

The election to the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 25 and the votes will be counted on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Amid speculation that he too may be fielded by the BJP in the Rajasthan Assembly polls, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said he is not in the race for the chief minister’s post.

As elsewhere, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not projected any leader as its CM candidate in the Congress-run state. But former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Shekhawat are being seen as possible contenders if the party wins.

In its first list of 41 candidates, the BJP has nominated seven MPs for the assembly elections on November 25.

There is a buzz that the Jodhpur MP may also be asked to fight the state elections, possibly from Jodhpur’s Sardarpura assembly constituency — held now by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Mr Shekhawat said there has been no discussion on this but any decision by the party’s top leadership will be followed.

In an interview to PTI, he denied that he aspired for the top post in the state. “I am not in any kind of race. I only do the work my leadership and the organisation gives me to do. I have no aspiration or desire other than this,” he said.

The Union Jal Shakti minister said the BJP legislature party will take the decision on the chief minister’s post, and that will then be validated by the party’s parliamentary board.

He predicted that the BJP will cross its record 2013 tally of 163 seats in the 200-member Rajasthan House this time.

Mr Shekhawat dismissed allegations by some local leaders that they were denied the party nomination this time because they are in the Raje camp. “Tickets have been announced for 41 seats — about 20 per cent seats. It is too early to draw conclusions from that,” he said.

He said Ms Raje is a senior leader and is respected by people at all levels in the party.

“There is no faction or group in the party and everyone is a ‘karyakarta’ (worker). The party decides who are the most suitable and gives them the responsibility of contesting the elections,” Mr Shekhawat said, reacting to protests by some disgruntled ticket seekers.

On the Sanjivani Credit Cooperative Society “scam”, he accused Mr Gehlot of misusing the state police and targeting him because of his son Vaibhav Gehlot’s defeat in Jodhpur in the last Lok Sabha elections.

On the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), Shekhawat said, “Gehlot was never serious about this project. He only wanted to do politics.” The project was envisaged by Raje government, and the Gehlot government is demanding a “national project” status for it. The Congress has indicated that it will be a major poll plank.

The minister said the BJP government will cover the ERCP under the river interlinking project.

He claimed the Gehlot government failed on every front.

The promises made to farmers were not fulfilled, paper leaks shattered the dreams of lakhs of youths, crime went up several-fold, atrocities against women and the Dalits increased and corruption touched new heights, the BJP leader alleged.

He said the BJP’s priority will be to make Rajasthan the country’s growth engine.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the transfer of nine District Magistrates, 25 senior police officials including Commissioners of Police, SPs, additional SPs and four Secretaries and Special Secretaries across five poll-bound states due to “unsatisfactory performance”, sources said.

The poll panel’s action came two days after the election schedule was announced in five states – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram and Rajasthan.

The sources said the poll panel has given directions for immediate handover of charge of officers transferred to immediate juniors and directed respective states to send the panel by 5 pm on October 12.

They said there would be zero-tolerance for any kind of “partisan behaviour” by officials.

“The Commission during the review meetings found that the performance of some officers was unsatisfactory and were found complacent, if not complicit. The Commission has ordered the transfer of nine DEOs or DMs and 25 Commissioner of Police, SPs, Additional SPs in these five polls going states,” a source said.

Those whose transfer has been ordered include three Commissioners of Police in Telangana – Warangal, Hyderabad and Nizamabad.

The sources said the Election Commission ordered transfer of non-cadre SPs in Telangana and Secretary Transport, Director Prohibition and Excise and Commissioner of Commercial Tax have been transferred from their present posts.

They said SPs of Hanumangarh, Churu, Bhiwadi have been transferred in Rajasthan

Special Secretary, Food Civil and Supplies Department, Chhattisgarh has also been removed from the present post, the sources said.

They said the poll panel, during the exhaustive reviews in the five poll going states, had clearly directed all the enforcement agencies and district administration for an increased vigil and no tolerance towards the distribution of inducements during the electoral process.

CEC Rajiv Kumar had said during the press interactions that the Commission has called for steps against the movement and distribution of liquor, cash, drugs and freebies.

“These four are our top priority for free fair and inducement-free elections,” Rajiv Kumar had said during the press conferences held in these states.

Intense review of sensitive routes and zones for the transport of these illicit items was done by the Commission and enforcement agencies were directed to function in a coordinated manner with joint operations.

The Commission gave clear directions for strict vigil on inter-state border check posts to dry up the inflow of cash, liquor, freebies and drugs and keep strict vigil over 940 border check posts in these five states.

Those ordered to be transferred include DMs, who also function as District

Election Officers in RangaReddy, Medchal Malkajgiri, Yadadri Bhuvangiri and Nirmal in Telangana; DEOs of Ratlam and Khargone in Madhya Pradesh and DEO of Alwar in Rajasthan.

Those transferred also include two DEOs in Chhattisgarh (Raigarh and Bilaspur).

Sources said among the “25 CPs, SPs, Additional SPs” transferred there are “ten SPs (non-cadre police officers) from Telangana, three Commissioner of Police from Telangana (Warangal, Hyderabad & Nizamabad, two from Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur, Bhind), three SPs (Korba, Rajnandgaon, Durg) and two Additional SPs from Chhattisgarh (Bilaspur and Durg), two from Mizoram (Champhai and Saiha) and three from Rajasthan (Hanumangarh, Churu, Bhiwadi)”.

The sources said as per inputs, illegal liquor from Haryana and Punjab enters Rajasthan through Hanumangarh, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Alwar which reaches the hinterland districts as well as neighbouring Gujarat.

“After assessing the performance of officials in sensitive districts, the Commission has transferred the SPs of Hanumangarh, Churu, Bhiwadi and DEO Alwar in the state of Rajasthan,” a source said.

“Similarly, during the review meeting in Telangana, the Commission noted that several non-cadre officers are posted as district incharge while officers from administrative and police services were given non-significant postings. The Commission ordered the transfers of 13 SPs/CPs in the state,” the source added.

The sources said there were large-scale complaints regarding blatant misuse of money power during the recently-held bye-election to Munugode assembly seat.

The Commission also ordered the transfer of the Secretary Transport, Director Prohibition and Excise and Commissioner Commercial Tax in Telangana.

Telangana government has been directed to also appoint a separate Principal Secretary for the Excise and Commercial Tax Department in view of the rigorous work required during the elections. Earlier, Chief Secretary Telangana was holding the additional charge of the department.

From the international borders at Mizoram to the international border at Rajasthan, concerned agencies including BSF and Assam Rifles have also been directed to keep a strict watch. Proximity to “the golden triangle” makes the state of Mizoram vulnerable to trafficking of drugs and arms, the sources said.

They said four districts in Rajasthan namely Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner and Sriganaganagar share international border and are prone to narcotics smuggling.

The Election Commission’s thrust on “inducement-free” elections in the last six state assembly elections in Gujarat, HP, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Karnataka led to seizures worth more than Rs 1400 crore, a significant over 1000 pc increase from previous elections in these states.

“The Commission has significantly raised the bar for ensuring inducement-free elections and the continuum of stepping up efforts and increase in seizures witnessed during recently held Assembly Elections in five States, would continue in these five polls going states also” CEC Kumar had said announcing the schedule for the elections in these five states.

The Commission also introduced a tech-based platform in these elections for real-time updates on seizures by enforcement agencies.

The sources said that the Integrated Election Seizure Management System would facilitate seamless coordination and intelligence sharing amongst different agencies.

The online availability of data would facilitate in assessing trends, red flagging any specific routes and methods being followed for illicit trafficking of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies, they said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Election Commission today changed the date of polling for the Rajasthan assembly elections from November 23 to November 25 citing “large-scale” weddings and social engagements.

In a statement, the Election Commission said the decision was taken following representations made by various parties and social organisations for a change of the date of poll “considering large-scale wedding/social engagements on that day (November 23) which may cause inconvenience to large number of people, various logistic issues and may lead to reduced voters participation during poll”.

“The Commission, having considered these factors and representations, has decided to change the date of poll from 23rd November, 2023 (Thursday) to 25th November, 2023 (Saturday),” it added.

The counting of votes will take place as scheduled on December 3, along with the same for four other state assembly polls.

The poll panel announced the assembly poll schedule for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram on Monday.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

With assembly elections approaching, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the state will conduct a caste survey on the lines of the one done in Bihar.

The issue was discussed on Friday at a core committee meeting of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) held at the party’s war room in Jaipur.

Apart from Ashok Gehlot, the meeting was attended by Congress in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Randhawa, RPCC president Govind Singh Dotasra and other leaders.

“The Rajasthan government will also conduct a caste survey like the one held in Bihar,” Mr Gehlot told reporters on Friday after the meeting.

He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s concept of caste survey and participation in proportion to the population would be furthered in the state.

“Therefore, we have decided that keeping in mind the mandate of the party, the Rajasthan government should declare this campaign,” he said.

“There are various castes within the country.. People of various religions live here. Different castes do different jobs. If we know how much population of which caste is there, we can know what plans we have to make for them. It will be easier for us to prepare schemes caste-wise,” he said.

Randhawa said discussions on yatra on Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) issue were also held in the meeting, apart from the caste-based survey.

Earlier, the Congress had planned to take out a five-day yatra in eastern Rajasthan to demand national project status for the ERCP that would address the irrigation and drinking water needs of 13 districts.

However, the party postponed it.

Rajasthan Congress president Dotasra on Friday said a crucial meeting will be held on Monday in which dates of the yatra on the ERCP issue will be decided.

The slogan of the Congress’ election campaign will be – ‘Kaam Kiya Dil Se, Congress Fir Se’, he added.

The 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election is expected to be held in or before December this year.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)