- Sunday, March 09, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Here are news in brief related to Indian politics for Monday, October 17, 2022:
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday thanked state’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to withdraw its candidate from the bypoll to Andheri East Assembly seat in Mumbai next month, Press Trust of India reported. In a letter written to Fadnavis, Thackeray referred to the senior BJP leader as his “dear friend” and said it is essential to have a positive political culture. He said the MNS is always in favour of proliferation of such a positive culture. “I am thankful that you responded to this (appeal),” Thackeray said. He had on Sunday (16) written another letter to Fadnavis, asking the ruling BJP to pull out of the bypoll race to show reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the byelection.
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday said the situation on ground zero in Jammu and Kashmir is “contrary” to the claims of the incumbent administration. Abdullah’s remarks came at a meeting of the NC’s provincial committee, Kashmir, which was presided over by him at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, here. “The situation on ground zero in Jammu and Kashmir is contrary to the claims of the incumbent administration. Here our party workers have an added responsibility to reach out to people and lend voice to the voiceless,” he said. The meeting witnessed threadbare discussions on the challenges facing the party and the future course of action.
About 9,500 of the total around 9,900 electors cast their votes in the Indian National Congress presidential polls, the party’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said on Monday, PTI reported. The overall voter turnout was about 96 per cent and in small states, it was nearly 100 per cent, he said at a press conference after voting ended in the Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor contest. By and large the voter turnout in all places was over 90 per cent, Mistry said, adding that this was provisional data. “The most satisfactory thing for us was that in all states where polling booths were set up, no adverse incident was reported. This is a big achievement…polls were held in an open process in a peaceful manner,” Mistry said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed the BJP-led government in New Delhi plans to keep his deputy Manish Sisodia in jail till the declaration of Gujarat assembly poll results as it does not want him to campaign in the state, PTI reported. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday started questioning Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia in connection with alleged irregularities in implementation of the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy. Assembly polls in the western state, being ruled by the BJP for the past two decades, is likely to be held in the next two months. The AAP has been positioning itself as the main political challenger of the BJP in the state.
A committee formed by opposition parties against the inclusion of non-locals in the electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday decided to hold protests to mobilise public support on the issue. The panel, which included all the five constituents of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and several other political parties like the Indian National Congress and the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP) met her for the first time since it was constituted on October 8. “After discussions, we have decided to go to the people and inform them about the dangers posed by the inclusion of non-locals as voters in J&K. “Our protests on the roads will be peaceful and in accordance with our constitutional rights,” senior National Conference leader and MP Hasnain Masoodi told reporters in Jammu.
Amid an ongoing tussle in the Congress, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said there is no substitute for experience at any level and suggested that young leaders should have patience as they would get their chances when the time comes, PTI reported. He also said his equation with the Gandhi family will remain the same as it has been for the last 50 years. Talking to reporters at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office here after casting his vote in the party’s presidential poll, Gehlot expressed confidence that Mallikarjun Kharge will win the election and infuse a new life in the organisation.
Shiv Sena Chief and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar have accepted the invitation to take part in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (Unite India March), said an Indian National Congress leader on Monday, Asian News International reported. A delegation of state Congress leaders on Monday met Thackeray at his residence ‘Matoshree’ and Pawar at Silver Oak and invited them for the yatra. Congress leaders including HK Patil, Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Naseem Khan, Bhai Jagtap, and youth leader Suraj Thakur were present in the meeting. The Bharat Jodi Yatra started by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will enter Maharashtra from the Nanded district in the first week of November, and the Congress delegation invited both leaders to participate in the yatra.
