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Congress forms panel for 2024 polls, 2 Congress rebels back in panel, Prashant Kishor’s ex-associate to lead party’s poll campaign

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday formed a panel to formulate the Congress’ strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

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Sonia Gandhi

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday formed a panel to formulate the Congress’ strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress has picked Prashant Kishor’s former associate Sunil Kanugolu to lead the party’s poll campaign across the country for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He had earlier handled the BJP’s the 2017 assembly polls campaign in Uttar Pradesh and other regional parties in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and two key dissenters, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma will be the part of Congress’ Task Force- 24.

The development comes after Congress Chintan Shivirin Udaipur to discuss its way forward after its serial election defeats in recently held assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,Punjab, Manipur and Goa.

The third panel, the central planning group, would plan for the 3500-km Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The yatra will start on October 2 and will pass through 12 states to rally support to ‘protect Constitution, democracy and various institutions’.

Read Also: Rahul Gandhi says there is nothing Hindu in Hindu nationalism if they want to murder and beat people

The members of Congress Working Committee (CWC) who will assist Sonia in taking the party position on important issues, have been chosen for the party’s political affairs group which also includes Rahul Gandhi and two key dissenters Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma.

The Congress has set up three panels Task Force 2024, the political affairs group and the central plannning group to decide their fiture course of action.

No member from the G-23 or group of 23 dissenters, who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 calling for a massive organizational and leadership overhaul, will not be the part of The Task Force – 2024

In the political affairs Group will be headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Digvijaya Singh, KC Venugopal and Jitendra Singh. While the Task Force 2022 includes P Chidambaram, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala.

No member from the G-23 or group of 23 dissenters, who wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 calling for a massive organizational and leadership overhaul, will not be the part of The Task Force – 2024

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann sacks health minister Vijay Singla over complaints of corruption, Singla arrested

Gyanvapi masjid case: Varanasi court to continue hearing on May 26, allows Muslim, Hindu parties to file objections to video survey

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Maharashtra civic body polls held today with focus on Mumbai and Pune

Maharashtra is voting today in civic body elections across 29 municipal corporations, with the BMC and Pune polls seen as crucial political tests.

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Voting is underway today for civic body elections across Maharashtra, covering 29 municipal corporations, with Mumbai and Pune emerging as the main political battlegrounds. The polls, being held after a long delay, are widely seen as a crucial test of political strength and identity ahead of larger state and national contests.

Polling began at 7.30 am for a total of 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies. The elections are taking place years after the scheduled term of most municipal corporations ended between 2020 and 2023. Voting will continue until 5.30 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 10 am on January 16.

BMC election draws maximum attention

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s richest civic body, remains the centre of attention. Unlike other corporations, the BMC follows a single-member ward system, meaning each voter casts only one vote. In the remaining 28 civic bodies, wards have three to five seats, requiring voters to cast multiple votes.

The BMC poll is particularly significant for the Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj, who have come together in its backdrop after two decades. The election is seen as an opportunity for them to reassert their claim as political heirs of Bal Thackeray and revive their influence in Mumbai, a city long governed by the undivided Shiv Sena.

Test of Marathi identity politics

The elections are also being closely watched as a test of the “Marathi Manoos” plank. Rooted in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement of the 1950s and shaped politically by Bal Thackeray, the Marathi identity has remained a defining feature of Mumbai’s politics and a core theme for the Thackeray-led parties, particularly the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

BJP-Shinde alliance and NCP in fray

For Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022, the civic polls offer a chance to regain lost ground and reinforce his claim as Bal Thackeray’s political successor. His alliance partner, the BJP, is contesting 137 of the BMC’s 227 seats, while the Shinde-led Sena is contesting the remaining 90. The BJP, which won 82 seats in the last BMC election in 2019, is aiming to significantly improve its tally.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party is contesting the polls independently after differences with the BJP over leadership issues. The party is hoping to regain influence, especially in Pune, where the undivided NCP had controlled the civic body for a decade between 2007 and 2017.

With high political stakes, delayed polls and shifting alliances, today’s civic elections are expected to offer clear signals about Maharashtra’s evolving political landscape.

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Karnataka to convene joint legislature session over MGNREGA repeal

The Karnataka government will convene a joint session of the legislature from January 22 to discuss the Centre’s repeal of MGNREGA, triggering sharp criticism from the opposition.

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karnataka assembly

The Karnataka cabinet on Wednesday decided to convene a joint session of the state legislature from January 22 to January 31, with the Centre’s decision to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) set to be the key focus.

The Congress-led government had earlier planned a two-day special session to discuss the repeal of MGNREGA, which has been replaced by the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G). However, State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the plan was altered due to constitutional provisions.

Briefing reporters, Patil said the government was compelled to convene a joint session instead of a special session because of a technical requirement. Citing Article 176 of the Constitution, he explained that the Governor must address the first session of the state legislature every year.

“As a result of this technical reason, we are advancing the session. Instead of a special session, it will be a joint session,” Patil said, adding that holidays during the session would be announced by the Speaker.

He stressed that the state government would not remain silent if people’s rights were “snatched away” and said the objective of the session was to create public awareness and exert pressure on the Centre to restore MGNREGA.

Opposition questions intent of the session

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka strongly criticised the decision, alleging that the joint session was convened with a “malafide intention” and amounted to a “sheer waste of money”.

Addressing a press conference, Ashoka said legislative sessions were meant for law-making and discussions on governance issues, questioning the purpose of holding a session on a matter decided by the Centre.

“What is this session convened for? Is it to utter gibberish in the House? There is no use of this session,” he said, adding that any resolution passed by the Assembly would have no practical value and would be ignored.

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Abhishek Banerjee presents alleged dead voters at poll rally, attacks EC over SIR

Abhishek Banerjee displayed 10 people allegedly marked as dead in Bengal’s draft electoral rolls, accusing the Election Commission and BJP of undermining voting rights through the SIR exercise.

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Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday intensified his attack on the Election Commission and the BJP-led Centre, presenting 10 people at a public rally who were allegedly marked as dead in the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.

Addressing the gathering in Cooch Behar, the Trinamool national general secretary called the individuals on stage and claimed they had been wrongly declared deceased despite being residents of the district since birth. He alleged that their names were struck off the electoral rolls during the SIR process.

Banerjee accused the Election Commission of acting under political influence and said the ongoing exercise was effectively depriving citizens of their fundamental right to vote.

Allegations over voter list revision

The Diamond Harbour MP claimed that around 3.5 lakh residents of Cooch Behar district alone have received notices citing logical discrepancies during the SIR process. He urged Trinamool workers to ensure that all affected individuals are re-included in the voter list.

Banerjee also alleged that the EC was focusing on removing names from electoral rolls instead of safeguarding democratic participation. He claimed that anxiety related to the SIR exercise had led to the deaths of around 78 people in the state.

Earlier this month, Banerjee had presented three individuals at another rally in South 24 Parganas district, alleging that they too had been marked as dead voters in the draft rolls.

Attack on BJP over unfulfilled promises

Targeting the BJP-led Centre, Banerjee accused the ruling party of failing to fulfil electoral promises made to the people of Cooch Behar since 2014. He cited commitments related to the formation of the Narayani battalion, a training centre named after warrior Chilarai, international status for the Madan Mohan temple, and the upgradation of Cooch Behar airport.

He also claimed that the 9-seater aircraft service between Cooch Behar and Kolkata, introduced in February 2023, is likely to be discontinued by the end of the month, alleging neglect by the Centre.

Assembly polls and political messaging

Calling on voters to back Trinamool candidates in all nine assembly seats in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee said the upcoming assembly elections would be a contest between the people of Bengal and the BJP. In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP had won six seats in the district, while Trinamool secured three.

He thanked voters for defeating former Union minister Nisith Pramanik in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and asserted that the Trinamool Congress would return to power in West Bengal for a fourth consecutive term under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee also criticised recent central agency actions in the state and accused the BJP leadership of insulting Bengal’s cultural and political legacy. He further alleged excesses by border forces against farmers working near the India-Bangladesh border and objected to NRC notices allegedly being sent to some residents of Cooch Behar.

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