Archives for 2024

Kozhikode: Several saffron-clad BJP activists reportedly attacked Malayalam News Network MediaOne Tv’s headquarters here on Tuesday night amid victory celebrations, reports Maktoob Media.

The workers allegedly attempted to vandalize the premises by throwing firecrackers and tried to trespass on the channel’s studio premises.

A video claimed to be off the incident is going viral across social media platforms.

The channel had faced a ban in 2022 for its coverage critical at the RSS and the ruling BJP, however the ban was lifted by the Supreme Court of India, calling it arbitrary and unjust

Popular Malayalam Actor Suresh Gopi opened the National Democratic Alliance’s account in Kerala with a thumping majority of 74,686 votes from the Thrissur seat, prompting the BJP to celebrate the historic victory.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi acknowledges supporters during a procession before filing his nomination from the Jorhat constituency

Guwahati: Hailing Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi’s win from Assam’s Jorhat as “amazing and significant”, BJP MLA Mrinal Saikia on Tuesday said the political strategy adopted by his opponent, which is his party, did succeed in the elections.

Taking a dig at his party, Saikia said that money, huge publicity, presence of many leaders in the constituency and arrogant speeches by leaders campaigning for the candidate contesting against Gogoi did not yield any positive result.

Gaurav Gogoi snatched the Jorhat seat from the ruling BJP by defeating Topon Kumar Gogoi with a margin of 1,44,393 votes, according to the Election Commission.

“Special congratulations to Gaurav Gogoi for your amazing win. This result is very significant in Jorhat in many ways.

“The outcome proved that – Money, Big Publicity, Over Doses of Leaders and Arrogant Speeches does not always help to win elections,” Saikia, the MLA from Khumtai Assembly constituency, said in a post on X.

Gogoi, in return, acknowledged the BJP leader’s message and appreciated his “commitment” to the people.We may be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but I respect your commitment to the people of Khumtai, especially during the times of floods, and your interest in agro-tourism,” he said.

Till 9:30 pm, the Election Commission website showed that the Congress leader was leading by 1,44,393 votes against BJP’s sitting MP Topon Kumar Gogoi.

For the BJP candidate’s campaign in Jorhat, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spent several nights there, and many of his ministers, MLAs and other leaders camped for weeks at the constituency.

The entire campaign for Topon Kumar Gogoi was led by Sarma, who addressed multiple meetings and held several roadshows covering all the 10 assembly constituencies under the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat.

New Delhi: At least five candidates, including four from the BJP, crushed the previous record for the highest victory margin in the Lok Sabha elections, with Indore’s incumbent MP Shankar Lalwani of the BJP topping the list with a winning margin of 11.72 lakh votes.

The Congress’ Rakibul Hussain scored the second-highest victory margin with 10.12 lakh from Dhubri in Assam.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan won from Vidisha by 8.21 lakh votes — the third highest margin — followed by the BJP’s CR Patil, who recorded a margin of 7.73 lakh from Navsari in Gujarat.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah won from Gandhinagar by a margin of over 7.44 lakh votes.

The previous record for the highest winning margin was held by Pritam Munde, also from the BJP, who had won a bypoll in October 2014 from Beed in Maharashtra by more than 6.96 lakh votes.

Patil, a three-term MP from Navsari, held the record for the second-highest margin after he won by 6.89 lakh votes in 2019.

He has now broken his own record.

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia won from Guna in Madhya Pradesh by more than 5.40 lakh votes.

Among other candidates who won by a margin of over 5 lakh votes are the BJP’s Gujarat candidates Rajpalsingh Jadav from Panchmahal (5.09 lakh) and Hemang Joshi from Vadodara (5.82 lakh), its Bhopal nominee Alok Sharma (5.01 lakh) and Sudheer Gupta from Mandsour (over 5 lakh).

The BJP’s Mahesh Sharma won from Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar by 5.59 lakh votes while the saffron party’s candidate from Raipur in Chattisgarh Brijmohan Agarwal secured a margin of 5.75 lakh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi won by more than 1.52 lakh votes from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi bettered Sonia Gandhi’s 2019 victory margin from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, winning by more than 3.90 lakh votes.

Gandhi also won from Wayanad in Kerala by a margin of more than 3.64 lakh votes.

Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb of the BJP won from Tripura West by a margin of more than 6 lakh votes while Kriti Dev Debbarman of the saffron party won the Tripura East constituency by more than 4.86 lakh votes.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has cast doubts on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claim of victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, stating that the party has not secured a majority on its own. Speaking to the media a day after the votes were counted, Raut emphasized the fragile nature of the potential NDA government.

Raut pointed out that the BJP has only won around 235-240 seats, falling short of the majority needed to form the government independently. “They were talking about bringing Modi ki Sarkar. Where is Modi Sarkar?” he questioned, suggesting that the BJP’s claims of dominance were overstated.

Highlighting the dependence on allies such as Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar, Raut warned that the NDA government could be unstable. “If the NDA government is formed with the support of these two pillars – Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar – it can fall anytime,” he asserted. He also criticized the BJP, stating that the party has lost respect and that the “Modi brand is finished.”

Raut accused the BJP of using government agencies to secure their seats. “The seats BJP has won are all because of ED, CBI, and IT,” he alleged, referring to the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Income Tax Department. Despite this, he acknowledged the BJP’s right to form the government if they can secure the necessary support. “If they are going to form the government, let them. We welcome it because it is a democracy. They have the right to form the government,” he conceded.

However, Raut also emphasized that the opposition, under the INDIA alliance, has been given a significant mandate by the people. “People have given us 250 seats and we have a mandate to form the government,” he stated, suggesting that the INDIA alliance is also in a position to claim leadership.

He further questioned the loyalty of BJP’s allies, hinting at possible defections. “If Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar decide that they do not want to support a dictator and stand with democracy, what will they do?” he asked, implying that these leaders might reconsider their support for the BJP.

New Delhi: Renowned journalist Ravish Kumar has strongly criticized the media, referring to it as the “killer of democracy” in his latest tweet following the counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His comments come amidst a heated political environment, with the BJP-led NDA securing a lead, yet facing uncertainty over the formation of a stable government.

Ravish Kumar, known for his outspoken views and critical stance towards mainstream media, took to social media to express his discontent. “Godi media is the killer of democracy,” he wrote, accusing certain sections of the media of bias and complicity in undermining democratic values.

This statement from Kumar comes at a time when the BJP has claimed victory in around 235-240 seats, falling short of an outright majority. The party is expected to rely on alliances with Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar, leading to concerns over the stability of the NDA government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also voiced similar concerns, highlighting the fragile nature of the potential coalition.

Kumar’s remarks echo the sentiments of many opposition leaders who have criticized the media’s role in the electoral process. Sanjay Raut recently criticized the BJP’s reliance on government agencies like the ED, CBI, and IT to secure electoral wins. He emphasized the importance of upholding democratic values and questioned the legitimacy of the BJP’s victory.

In his statement, Kumar implied that the media’s partiality has contributed to a skewed representation of political realities, thereby harming the democratic process. This criticism aligns with the broader narrative of opposition leaders who are calling for a fair and transparent political environment.

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down after the party fell short of an outright majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a tweet posted after the vote counting, Swamy criticized the leadership, suggesting that any self-respecting leader would resign under such circumstances.

“Modi must step aside since BJP led by him fell below the majority of 272 at or around 240. Any self-respecting leader would resign and not wait to be pushed out,” Swamy tweeted.

The BJP, which led the NDA, managed to secure approximately 240 seats, falling short of the 272 seats required for a majority. This outcome has led to political uncertainty regarding the formation of a stable government, with the BJP likely needing to rely on support from key allies such as Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.

Swamy’s comments add to the growing internal and external pressures facing the BJP. Recently, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also criticized the BJP, questioning its ability to form a stable government and asserting that the BJP’s reliance on alliances made it vulnerable to collapse.

New Delhi: At least 15 Muslim candidates have won Lok Sabha seats across the country, including the TMC nominee and former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan who secured a comfortable victory over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Congress veteran’s Baharampur bastion.

A total of 78 Muslims were in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections this year, a significant drop from the last polls when 115 Muslim candidates were fielded by various parties.

Congress candidate Imran Masood from Saharanpur won by a margin of 64,542 votes while Iqra Choudhary, a 29-year-old Samajwadi Party candidate from Kairana, secured victory over BJP Pradeep Kumar by 69,116 votes.

Afzal Ansari, the incumbent MP from Ghazipur, won the seat by bagging 5.3 lakh votes while AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi retained his Hyderabad seat by a margin of 3,38,087 votes over his nearest rival BJP’s Madhavi Latha Kompella.

In Ladakh, Independent candidate Mohammad Haneefa secured a victory by a margin of 27,862 votes while another Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh won Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla seat by bagging 4.7 lakh votes.

In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party’s Mohibbullah won the Rampur seat by securing 4,81,503 votes, while Zia Ur Rehman won in Sambhal by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes.

Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference won in Jammu and Kahsmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat by 2,81,794 votes against former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. In Srinagar NC candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi secured 3,56,866 votes.

In West Bengal’s Baharampur seat, first-time contender Yusuf Pathan beat Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha and six-time MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by 85,022 votes.