Congress’s Bhupesh Baghel, BJP’s Raman Singh trails in Chhattisgarh

Congress took the lead in Chhattisgarh with 52 seats, BJP 33. Congress heavyweight leader Bhupesh Baghel is trailing in Patan constituency. BJP’s Raman Singh is also trailing i9n Rajnandgaon constituency. Congress’s Tamradhwaj Sahu and BJP’s Vijay Baghel is leading in Durg-Rural and Patan respectively.

Tight race between Congress, BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP is leading with 88 seats, Congress gained 72. While in Rajasthan, BJP got 80 seats with Congress gaining 74.

Congress takes huge lead in Telangana

With 61 seats, Congress takes a huge lead in Telangana. BRS gains 25, BJP 9 and AIMIM 1. BRS’s R. S Praveen Kumar, K C Rao, Jogu Ramanna, Pocharam Srinivas are trailing in their constituencies.

Congress gains in Chhattisgarh, BJP close

In Chhattisgarh, Congress gained 41 seats while BJP got 30. Bhupesh Baghel is trailing in Patan constituency. Congress’s Tamradhwaj Sahu is leading in Durg-rural. BJP’s Raman Singh is leading in Rajnandgaon.

Congress leads in Rajasthan with 49 seats

As the tight election battle continues, Congress is leading in Rajasthan with 49 seats, while BJP gains 40 seats. Ashok Gehlot is leading in Sardarpura constituency, Sachin Pilot in Tonk.

BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Congress’s Kamal Nath leading in Madhya Pradesh

BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan is leading in Budhni constituency, Narendra Singh Tomar in Dimani constituency, Prahlad Singh Patel in Narsingpur constituency. Congress’s Kamal Nath and Jaivardhan Singh are leading in Chhindwara and Raghogadh respectively.  

Congress leads in Telangana, BJP in Chattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, Congress gained 19 seats and BJP 20. Congress leading in Telangana with 13 seats, BRS 8, BJP 5, AIMIM 1

BJP takes early leads in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress and BJP are in a tough battle as the early trends show BJP with 13 seats and Congress 11. In Rajasthan, BJP got 21 seats and Congress 20

Counting of votes begins in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana

A few months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the votes will be counted for four states today. Officials stated that all arrangements have been made at the counting halls and that the security personnel are deployed in an adequate numbers in all constituencies.

At the all party meeting held ahead of the Parliament Winter Session, the opposition sought discussion on the ethics committee’s report on Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra. With the government urging the opposition to ensure a conducive environment for discussion in the House, the impending expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha, three bills to replace criminal laws and a proposed law for the appointment of election commissioners are issues set to dominate the session.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee report recommending the expulsion of MP Mahua Moitra from the Lower House over a cash-for-query complaint is also listed for tabling in the House on Monday, the first day of the session. During the all-party meeting on Saturday, Trinamool leaders demanded a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Ethics Committee report, before any decision is taken to expel Moitra from the House.

Congress leader Pramod Tewari said the Opposition also insisted on a discussion in Parliament on issues such as the situation in Manipur, rising inflation, misuse of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the imposition of Hindi through the names of laws, particularly in reference to the three bills to replace criminal laws.

The Central government has listed 19 bills and two financial agenda items for the Winter Session of Parliament. Meanwhile, the Assembly elections results in four states namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana are also expected to have a bearing on the Winter Session of Parliament that commences on December 4 and will continue till December 22.

On Sunday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over a meeting of floor leaders of political parties. The meeting was attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tewari, TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Fouzia Khan, among others.

The Enforcement Directorate recently conducted raids against two former Punjab forest ministers and Congress leaders Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Sangat Singh Giljian and others in relation to an alleged forest-scam linked money laundering investigation.  

Issuing a statement on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate said that its investigation pertains to charges of bribery in the state forest department against the issuance of a permit for tree felling and for transfer and posting in the department, among some other allegations. 

The ED raids were carried out on November 30 in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi at the residential premises of Dharamsot, Giljian, their associates, forest officers and some private individuals. The agency reportedly searched fourteen locations under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, has been a five-time MLA and he was arrested earlier this year by the Punjab Vigilance bureau as part of a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets. In his three-year tenure as forest minister, Dharamsot collected ₹1 crore in lieu of issuance of permits for cutting khair trees through his OSD. Sangat Singh Giljian has been an MLA from the Urmar seat in Hoshiarpur district.

The Enforcement Directorate said that the money laundering case was filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and stems from an FIR of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.

The nodal agency mentioned that the first information report pertains to alleged irregularities in the forest department and allegations of taking bribes by the concerned ministers and officers of the department against the issuance of permits for felling of Khair trees, transfer/posting in the department, issuance of NOC from the department and purchase of tree guards.

In addition, the Enforcement Directorate asserted that during the search operations, various incriminating documents, mobile phones/digital devices have been seized which, prima facie, reveal suspicious transactions involving persons who are under investigation.