Latest Politics News

Mission 2019 of BJP: Get stronger, demolish opposition

Published

8 years ago

August 3, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Already the dominant national political party, BJP is vigorously pursuing an action plan to consolidate and expand its base and reach in the country while decimating its rivals. While the opposition is in a disarray with Congress and other smaller parties clueless and without any idea of how to redeem their fortunes, BJP president Amit Shah is already busy gearing up the party for future elections.

The BJP is no mood to give any quarter to its rivals: this is the stamp of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah style of politics. Every election matters and the party has to constantly acquire more power, expand its strength and win, as Shah memorably put it, everything ‘from the Parliament to the Panchayat’.

Shah is on a 110-day countrywide tour which began from Jammu in April this year to mobilise and prime the party for ‘Mission 2019’ – the next Lok Sabha election, two years away. His tour of Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP already has a government firmly in place, dealt a blow to the opposition rival camp by setting off defections from other parties.

He is now in Haryana on a 3-day visit since Wednesday to review the working of the State government, which completed 1,000 days last month, and also assess the political situation in Haryana. Shah will be attending 27 programmes, including 17 meetings with BJP MLAs and others. He would take stock of the political situation in Haryana and decide on a future course of action to help the State government perform better. “The Cabinet ministers will give presentations on the performance of their departments while Shah will take feedback from the chairmen of various boards,” said a BJP leader.

His first meeting was with district presidents, district general secretaries and office-bearers of the BJP, chairmen of boards and corporations, and state cabinet led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He asked party workers to strengthen what he called the “world’s largest democratic party” at the grassroots level and work for ‘Mission 2019’ with fresh zeal. Addressing the office-bearers, Shah stressed on launching intensive door-to-door campaigns to inform all sections of the society about schemes and policies initiated by the government in Centre and state.

He said the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced 106 schemes in the country for youths, farmers, women and labourers. “We introduced a new scheme in every 15 days of our government for the welfare of the people. It is utmost important that these schemes reach their beneficiaries as well,” Shah said.

Party workers were told to reach out to the public and redress people’s grievances through ‘CM Window’ and monitoring committees. He took feedback from workers and sought suggestions on how the BJP could do better, how to strengthen the BJP at every single booth in the state, so that it wins all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections.

Lauding the performance of his party’s governments, he supplemented it with a scathing attack on Congress and its leadership. Addressing a rally, Shah said “Gandhi ji ne kaha tha azadi ke turant baad Congress ko bikher dena chahiye… khair wo Gandhi ne nhi kiya ab koi Gandhi kar rha hai (Mahatma Gandhi had asked to dissolve Congress immediately after independence… that Gandhi did not do it, now some other Gandhi is doing it).”

Praising the BJP-ruled government at Centre, Shah also said, “Jab Congress ki sarkar aati hai desh ka growth rate neeche jaata hai, BJP ki sarkar aati hai growth rate upar jaata hai.” (The country’s progress and development goes down when the Congress party comes to power, while when BJP is in power, the growth rate increases.)

Shah added that the BJP is trying to make the country free of caste based politics. “Desh ko parivarvaad, jaativaad aur tushtikaran ki rajniti se mukt karaane ka kaam BJP ne kiya hai.” (BJP has worked in the direction of making Indian free of dynasty and cast based politics), said Shah.

On the concluding day of his visit, Shah will address some meetings where the focus will be to work hard on ‘vistarak yojna’ (expansion plan) which was initiated across the country to strengthen BJP in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Not one to miss out even on smaller token gestures, Shah is also scheduled to have lunch at the house of one of the party’s Dalit workers before he returns to Delhi on Friday evening.

Shah chose Rohtak for his Haryana leg of the tour, a politically significant move as Rohtak has been the traditional stronghold of former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Besides the lone Congress MP Deepender Hooda, majority of the 15 Congress MLAs in the current Haryana Assembly are also from the Rohtak-Sonipat belt.

Every effort was made to keep his programme in public eye. The BJP president was received with much fanfare, right from Delhi-Haryana border upto Tilyar Convention Centre in Rohtak, where he chaired his meetings for Wednesday. Thousands came on road to welcome Shah with flowers. CM Khattar and BJP state president Subhash Barala welcomed him with turban (pagdi). Agriculture minister OP Dhankar then welcomed him with a mace (gada).

All Haryana ministers, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar are in town to welcome Amit Shah. Private schools in Rohtak district in Haryana declared holiday on Wednesday as their buses were deployed for the rally organised to welcome BJP national president Amit Shah, in contravention of a recent ban imposed by the state on using school buses for political rallies. But such minor aberrations from norms or law are par for the course in the march of the BJP juggernaut.

Shah will be visiting Tamil Nadu from August 22. The party has been making concerted efforts to fill the political space created by Jayalalithaa’s death and Karunanidhi’s retirement from active politics.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

BJP-led Mahayuti surges ahead in BMC polls as Thackerays lose Mumbai stronghold

The BJP-led alliance has taken a strong lead in the BMC elections, signalling a major political shift in Mumbai as counting continues across Maharashtra.

Published

3 hours ago

January 16, 2026

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The BJP-led alliance is heading towards a decisive victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, dealing a major blow to the Thackeray cousins’ long-standing control over Mumbai’s civic administration. Early trends from the ongoing vote count show the ruling alliance opening a clear lead in the country’s richest municipal body.

With results still being tallied, the BJP-led bloc is ahead in 115 wards of the BMC. Of these, the BJP is leading in 86 wards, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has an edge in 29 wards.

In contrast, the Thackeray cousins appear to be struggling to retain their grip on the civic body they once dominated for decades. Together, they are leading in 77 wards, with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead in 71 wards and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leading in six.

High-stakes election after nine-year gap

The BMC elections were held after a nine-year gap, following a four-year delay, making the contest one of the most closely watched civic polls in Maharashtra. Over 1,700 candidates were in the fray for 227 seats in Mumbai alone. The BMC’s annual budget exceeds Rs 74,400 crore, underscoring the political and financial significance of the results.

In the 2017 elections, the undivided Shiv Sena, which then included Eknath Shinde, had retained control of the BMC, continuing its decades-long dominance.

BJP ahead across Maharashtra civic bodies

The BJP’s strong showing is not limited to Mumbai. Across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, early trends indicate that the party is leading overall. Combined figures show the BJP ahead in 909 wards, while its ally, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is leading in 237 wards.

In the party-wise standings, the Congress is placed third with leads in 179 seats, largely from Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Nagpur and Kolhapur. The Shiv Sena (UBT) follows with 118 seats, closely trailed by Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which is leading in 112 wards.

Pune also tilts towards BJP

Pune has emerged as another key battleground, especially as rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party, led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, joined hands for the civic polls. Despite the alliance, the BJP is leading in 52 seats in Pune, while the combined NCP factions are ahead in seven seats.

Large-scale polling across the state

Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards in the 29 civic bodies was held on Thursday. Around 3.48 crore voters were eligible to cast their ballots, deciding the political fate of 15,931 candidates, including those contesting in Mumbai.

Besides Mumbai and Pune, counting is underway in several other municipal corporations, including Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Solapur, Kolhapur and Aurangabad, among others.

India News

BJP, Thackerays or Pawars: Maharashtra civic body poll results awaited today

Counting of votes for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the key BMC and Pune civic bodies, begins today, with BJP, Thackerays and Pawars awaiting crucial results.

Published

9 hours ago

January 16, 2026

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The political balance in Maharashtra’s urban centres will become clearer today as votes are counted for elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state. The results are keenly awaited amid high-stakes contests involving the BJP, the Thackeray cousins and the reunited Pawar factions.

Polling was held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards, with 3.48 crore eligible voters deciding the fate of 15,931 candidates. Counting is scheduled to begin at 10 am.

Mumbai and Pune in sharp focus

All eyes are on Mumbai, where the contest for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has drawn statewide attention. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray joined hands after more than two decades in a bid to reclaim control of the country’s richest civic body.

The BMC, which has an annual budget of over Rs 74,400 crore, went to polls after a nine-year gap, following a four-year delay. A total of 1,700 candidates contested the 227 seats.

Exit polls suggest a strong performance by the BJP–Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) alliance in Mumbai. An aggregate of multiple surveys projects the ruling alliance ahead, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and allies trailing, while the Congress is expected to secure a limited number of seats. Exit polls have also indicated possible voting consolidation among Maratha and Muslim voters behind the Thackeray-led alliance, while women and young voters may tilt towards the BJP.

The last BMC election in 2017 saw the undivided Shiv Sena retain control of the civic body it had dominated for decades.

In Pune, the spotlight is on the unusual alliance between rival NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar. Exit polls indicate the BJP could emerge as the largest party in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), with both NCP factions and the Shiv Sena also expected to secure a share of seats.

Statewide counting underway

Apart from Mumbai and Pune, counting will take place in several other key municipal corporations, including Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Nagpur, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Akola, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Latur, Dhule, Jalna, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Nanded-Waghala, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Panvel, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Ulhasnagar, Ahilyanagar and Ichalkaranji.

With major parties treating these civic polls as a referendum on their urban appeal ahead of future state and national elections, today’s results are expected to shape Maharashtra’s political narrative in the months to come.

India News

Supreme Court flags risk of lawlessness, pauses FIRs against ED officers in Bengal case

The Supreme Court paused FIRs against ED officers in the Bengal I-PAC raid case, warning that obstruction of central probes could lead to lawlessness and seeking responses from the Centre and state.

Published

1 day ago

January 15, 2026

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered a sharp rebuke to the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, pausing FIRs lodged against officers of the Enforcement Directorate over searches linked to political consultancy I-PAC. The court said the case raises serious questions about interference in investigations and warned that failure to address them could lead to “lawlessness”.

A bench of Justice Prashant Mishra and Justice Vipul Pancholi sought replies from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Personnel and Training, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress government on the ED’s plea. The central agency has also sought the suspension of Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, and a probe by the CBI. The matter will be heard next on February 3.

The ruling follows a standoff between the ED and the Bengal government after the agency conducted searches at premises linked to I-PAC, which manages election campaigns for the Trinamool Congress, in connection with a corruption case.

Court questions obstruction of central probes

Recording its prima facie view, the Supreme Court said the petition raised a “serious issue” concerning investigations by central agencies and possible obstruction by state authorities.

“There are larger questions which emerge and if not answered shall lead to lawlessness. If central agencies are working bona fide to probe a serious offence, a question arises: Can they be obstructed by party activities?” the bench observed.

Earlier in the day, the court also expressed disturbance over scenes of chaos in the Calcutta High Court during a hearing related to the same dispute.

ED alleges interference, seeks action against top cops

The Enforcement Directorate accused the West Bengal administration of interfering with its searches and investigation. Appearing for the agency, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta alleged that evidence was removed from the residence of an I-PAC co-founder and argued that such actions could encourage state police officers to aid and abet obstruction. He sought suspension of senior police officials.

Describing the disruption in the Calcutta High Court on January 9, Mehta called it “mobocracy”, saying a group of lawyers unconnected to the case disrupted proceedings, forcing an adjournment. The bench asked whether the high court had been turned into a protest site, to which Mehta responded that messages had circulated calling lawyers to gather at a specific time.

Banerjee’s counsel defends move, cites election confidentiality

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mamata Banerjee, questioned the timing of the ED’s presence in Bengal ahead of Assembly elections. He said the last development in the coal scam case dated back to February 2024 and argued that I-PAC handled election-related work under a formal contract with the Trinamool Congress.

According to Sibal, election data stored at the premises was confidential and critical to campaign strategy. He said the party leadership had a right to protect such information.

Representing the Bengal government and the DGP, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi referred to the January 9 disruption but argued it could not justify parallel proceedings in different courts. The bench responded that emotions “cannot go out of hand repeatedly”.