Haryana, J&K Assembly Elections 2024 Live Updates: Rahul Gandhi to launch Congress’s J&K poll campaign with 2 rallies

Congress will provide clarity on fielding wrestler Vinesh Phogat for the Haryana elections by today according to a statement by party general secretary Dipak Babaria after a meeting of the AICC central election committee the previous day. Sources said the CEC meeting cleared 34 of the 49 names that it discussed. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will take a call on Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, who are said to have expressed a wish to fight the state polls.

Meanwhile for J&K polls, state Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra will contest from Central Shalteng while Mohd Shahnawaz Choudhary contests from Surankote. Karra said the CEC discussed 29 names for the second and third phases of elections in J&K, of which 23 were cleared. The names will be released phase-wise. In J&K, Congress has tied up with National Conference, and the two are contesting 32 and 51 seats respectively.

BJP also released its fourth list for J&K Assembly election which included BJP’s J&K unit chief Ravinder Raina, who will be contesting from Nowshera. Meanwhile, a meeting was convened in the nation’s capital, presided over by Jagat Prakash Nadda, the BJP National President, with the attendance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and various seasoned leaders from Haryana to deliberate on the list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls. However, Haryana chief minister Naib Singh Saini was notably absent.

In Haryana, the voting will take place in a single phase on October 5. On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections in three phases. The first phase of voting in J&K will commence on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25 and conclusion on October 1. The counting of votes will be done for both states on October 8.

10:30 (IST) Sep 04

J&K Assembly elections live: Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi will kickstart his party’s campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election today. He will address two public rallies in the Ramban and Anantnag districts.(Visuals from the area in Anantnag where his rally will be held. Security has been tightened here)

J&K Assembly elections live: Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi will kickstart his party’s campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election today. He will address two public rallies in the Ramban and Anantnag districts.(Visuals from the area in Anantnag where his rally will be held. Security has been tightened here)

10:03 (IST) Sep 04

J&K Assembly elections live: Rahul Gandhi leaves from his residence for J&K visit

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi leaves from his residence. Rahul Gandhi will visit J&K today, where he will hold public meetings.

09:37 (IST) Sep 04

J&K Assembly elections live: ‘Situation will not arise for BJP, NC to come together’: Devender Rana in Jammu

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devender Singh Rana affirmed on Tuesday that the BJP and National Conference will not come together as he reiterated his earlier claim that NC leader Omar Abdullah attempted to ally with BJP in 2014.

In the run-up to the Assembly elections, the NC defector claimed that NC supremo Farooq Abdullah always wanted to go “hand-in-hand” with the central government.

“He (Omar Abdullah) was interim CM and didn’t want to leave power. He wanted NC to be in power in one way or the other. Farooq Abdullah was abroad and he asked him to go and talk to the BJP and stay in Government somehow. BJP was in the centre so Farooq Abdullah always wanted to go hand in hand with the central government. Now the situation will not arise for BJP and NC to come together,” Rana said while addressing a press conference.

07:57 (IST) Sep 04

J&K Assembly elections live: Rahul Gandhi to launch Congress’s J&K poll campaign with 2 rallies

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Ramban and Anantnag districts on Wednesday, kickstarting the Congress’ campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls being held after a gap of 10 years. These rallies are part of the campaign for the party’s candidates contesting in the first phase of the elections on September 18.

Besides Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are among the 40 star campaigners of the party in the upcoming three-phased Assembly polls.

Polling to elect 90 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1.

06:03 (IST) Sep 04

Haryana Assembly live: Any alliance with AAP a bid to avoid division of votes in BJP favour: Congress

Congress and AAP are negotiating a pact for Haryana polls, with the two parties confirming talks have already taken place and, if an agreement is hammered out, a deal may be clinched in a couple of days. It reverses the earlier stance of the INDIA allies that their Lok Sabha partnership would not extend to assembly polls in Haryana or Delhi.

21:03 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly election live: Alliance talks with AAP in primitive stage, says Cong

“The CEC meeting of AICC was held today, in which proposals given by Haryana screening committee were discussed. Out of 90 seats, 49 were discussed yesterday and today, the conclusions of the screening committee regarding the remaining 41 seats were put before the CEC… Earlier 34 seats (candidates) were finalised and today 32 out of 41 seats have been finalised” says senior Congress leader Deepak Babaria.

“The alliance talks with Aam Aadmi Party are in a very primitive mode, we are exploring it. If any development takes place over the next 2-3 days, we will let you know,” Babaria added.

18:49 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly election live: Kharge, Rahul, Venugopal at CEC meet

The Congress Central Election Committee meeting for the Haryana assembly polls is currently underway at the AICC headquarters in Delhi. Attendees include the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, general secretary KC Venugopal, AICC in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria, and former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, among others.

18:25 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly live: Rahul Gandhi arrives at AICC HQ for Congress CEC meeting

18:24 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly live: Talks on with AAP for alliance in Haryana, says Congress

“We are in talks with the Aam Aadmi Party, but nothing has been finalised yet. As soon as something is finalised, we will inform you,” AICC general secretary in-charge of state Deepak Babaria said. Delhi education minister Atishi said, “Rahul Gandhi has sought opinion from Congress leaders and only they can answer. We have got to know about it from media. As far as alliance goes, the decision will be taken after Arvind Kejriwal comes out.”

16:26 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: It will be a historic moment after 1947 when the BJP will win Rajouri Vidhan Sabha seat, says Vibodh Gupta

“I am grateful to the top leadership of BJP for choosing me as their candidate from the Rajouri Assembly seat. The people of Rajouri have always given their love to me. This is not a normal election. If we look at the manifesto of the National Conference, we can see that they want to bring back Article 370, Article 35A, another flag, constitution and unrest. They will release all the accused of terrorism who are their supporters. I want to tell them that after August 5, 2019, separatism, and stone pelting have ended in Kashmir,” he said.

15:22 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: PDP didn’t sacrifice its agenda, says Mehbooba Mufti as she hits out at NC for questioning PDP-BJP alliance in 2014

“I brought a delegation of ministers and MPs from India to talk to Huriyat leaders. I did this when BJP was in power. I want to ask Omar Abdullah; could he had done that? Did he approach? They were also in government when Congress was in power. What he had done? But yes, they hanged one Kashmiri. When I was CM, I did ceasefire for one months? Had he done that? When Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji was Prime Minister, he did ceasefire, but Farooq Abdullah Sahab forced him to revoke that in 15 days. I still remember the words of Farooq sir. They always talk about the BJP-PDP coalition, but we never scarified our agenda, but when Omar Abdullah made alliance with BJP, they accepted BJP’s agenda on national and international level and talked about bombarding Pakistan. But when I was in power in such scenarios, I dropped BJP’s ministers. I think, when they will come for debate, it will become difficult for them,” she said.

15:05 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly live: Congress leader speaks out on Congress-AAP alliance

“This decision is to be taken by the senior leadership, no discussion has been held with us regarding this,” said Congress leader Abhishek Dutt.

14:21 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Mehbooba Mufti welcomes Mushtaq Zoohami into the party

“I welcome him to the party. It will strengthen our party. There is an agenda, commitment of our party, I expect that he will work according to that. He is having a lot of concern for workers… There is a lot of respect for workers in our party… There are many parties who are saying we want to form government but they have no roadmap. They just want power. Since 1947 to 2002, only one party formed government here. Only in 1987, there was going to be a change but that didn’t happen. NC has always blamed us for forming government with BJP but we quashed 12,000 FIRs against the youth of Kashmir and those FIRs were slapped by National conference. I did all this when I was with BJP, will Omar be able to do it? I want to ask Omar what did he do when he was external affairs minister. He used to say everything is fine in J&K. The government would not be formed without PDP this time,” said Mufti, quoted by PTI.

13:47 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Training of polling staff conducted in Udhampur; administration tightens security measures

The Election Commission has been actively preparing for the upcoming assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. As part of these preparations, the polling staff in Udhampur district underwent training on Monday at the Government Degree College. Simultaneously, the administration has ramped up security measures in the region to ensure a smooth and peaceful democratic process.

Amod Ashok Nagpure, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Udhampur, emphasized the administration’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and transparent elections in the district. He said, “Four constituencies of Udhampur district (Udhampur East, Udhampur West, Chenani and Ramnagar) will be going to Poll on 1st October 2024 in third Phase of Assembly Election in Jammu and Kashmir. In this regard, tight security measures are put in place, and our priority is to conduct free, fair and transparent elections and we want each and every voter to participate enthusiastically in the elections.”

13:45 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Uttarakhand CM Dhami to campaign for three days in Jammu and Kashmir

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is set to campaign in Jammu and Kashmir for three days as part of the assembly election efforts. The polling will occur in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting on October 8. The BJP recently released its fourth list of candidates, including Ravinder Raina for Nowshera, Arif Raja for Eidgah, and Vibodh Gupta for Rajouri (ST).

13:25 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly election live: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi advocates for unified INDIA Bloc in Haryana polls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi explored the feasibility of contesting the polls as the INDIA bloc during the Congress’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held to deliberate on ticket allocation for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, ANI reported quoting sources.

The meeting, which took place at the Congress Headquarters in New Delhi on Monday, saw Rahul Gandhi highlighting the importance of ensuring undivided votes for the alliance.

12:58 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Rajouri Assembly candidate expresses gratitude for getting BJP ticket

BJP candidate from Rajouri Assembly seat, Vibodh Guptasaid, “I am grateful to the top leadership of BJP for choosing me as their candidate from Rajouri Assembly seat. The people of Rajouri have always given their love to me…This is not a normal election. If we look at the manifesto of the National Conference, we can see that they want to bring back Article 370, Article 35A, another flag, constitution and unrest. They will release all the accused of terrorism who are their supporters…I want to tell them that after August 5, 2019, separatism, and stone pelting have ended in Kashmir… It will be a historic moment when the BJP will win Rajouri Vidhan Sabha seat…”

12:49 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections: Shiv Sena to fight on 20 seats

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey told ANI, “We will fight on 20 seats in Jammu & Kashmir.”

12:02 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly elections live: With Jindal & Bishnoi families in ticket mix, problem of plenty for BJP in Hisar

With new leaders joining BJP, there is confusion over who the party will field from six of the seven assembly seats which fall under Hisar district. In Nalwa constituency, new entrant Kuldeep Bishnoi is a contender, while the BJP already has an MLA from the seat — deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa. Bishnoi was earlier in the Congress.

In Hisar seat, former minister Savitri Jindal, mother of BJP Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, is the latest contender for the party ticket, even as BJP has health minister Dr Kamal Gupta.

11:31 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly elections live: ‘Votes shouldn’t be divided,’ says Rahul Gandhi at CEC meeting on possibilities of contesting polls as INDIA bloc

In a Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi discussed the possibility of contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections as part of the INDIA alliance. However, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed concerns, stating that the AAP’s demand for more seats than Congress is willing to offer makes an alliance difficult. The meeting finalized candidates for 49 of the 90 seats, with discussions on the remaining seats ongoing. The Congress plans to release the final list of candidates soon, with elections scheduled for October 5 and counting on October 8.

10:40 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Jammu stirs poll pot in remote hamlets under terror’s shadow

This is life in a village that has learned to live on edge, especially since the ambush near Badnota on July 8 where five soldiers from 22 Garhwal Rifles were killed by Pakistani terrorists as their trucks navigated the gut-churning switchbacks of the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road. A resident of Kalna Dhanu Parole — barely 10km from the attack site — was arrested on suspicion of aiding the “foreign jihadis”.

This summer has been particularly harsh for Jammu region, with terrorism taking a heavy toll. Since May, 15 security personnel have lost their lives, underscoring the persistent threat in a region that has already seen 52 such casualties since 2021. Civilians, too, have not been spared from the violence, leaving deep scars on the community.

10:01 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: BJP steadfast in mission to establish its govt in J-K, says Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh advocated for a BJP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, stating that it is necessary to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to integrating the Union Territory into India’s growth story. He emphasized that they are diligently working towards forming their government in the region. Singh also criticized the Congress and the National Conference (NC) for their alleged exploitation of Article 370 for political gains, highlighting the contrast between their past avoidance of public appearances in Srinagar and their current enjoyment of leisure at Lal Chowk.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are dedicated to ensuring J&K assumes a pivotal role in India’s growth story. They are working hard on this vision,” Singh told reporters.

The Union minister strongly supported the formation of a BJP government to carry out the prime minister’s mission in Jammu and Kashmir. He stated, “We are steadfast in our mission to establish BJP government in J&K, with a vision centred on transparent governance, development, and maximising natural resources.”

09:25 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly elections live: Ramdas Athawale’s RPI(A) seeks 2 seats from BJP; to contest 8-10 seats in case of no agreement, says Haryana unit President Ravi Sonu Kundli

During a media briefing held on Monday, Kundli stated that their party is seeking two Haryana seats from the BJP. However, if a consensus is not achieved, they are prepared to nominate their own candidates in 8-10 constituencies. “We are planning to contest on 8-10 seats. If we form an alliance with the BJP at the state level, then we are demanding 2 seats in it. If no agreement is reached with the BJP, then we will field candidates on 8 to 10 seats and will support BJP candidates on the remaining 80 seats,” he said.

09:17 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly elections live: EVM randomisation: Over 500 ballot units shortlisted

The first randomisation of the EVM machines for the upcoming Haryana assembly elections was conducted on Monday in presence of deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Dr Yash Garg and representatives of political parties at the mini-secretariat conference hall here. A total of 546 ballot units, 546 control units, and 592 voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPAT) machines were shortlisted during the process.

08:48 (IST) Sep 03

Congress decision on fielding wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Haryana likely today

Congress will provide clarity on fielding wrestler Vinesh Phogat for the Haryana elections by Tuesday, party general secretary Dipak Babaria said after a meeting of the AICC central election committee on Monday. Sources said the CEC meeting cleared 34 of the 49 names that it discussed. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will take a call on Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, who are said to have expressed a wish to fight the state polls.

08:47 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections: ‘Ideology keeps changing,’ says Omar Abdullah on politicians joining PDP ahead of Assembly polls

Omar Abdullah, the Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), remarked that political ideologies tend to shift as elections draw near. His statement was made in reference to numerous politicians aligning themselves with the People’s Democratic Party, which is headed by Mehbooba Mufti. “I won’t go into that, ideology keeps changing. Elections are here, they are ready to contest. Whenever we faced elections, they (PDP) gave calls for boycotts. Now, they are ready to enter the electoral arena. So, a change has come into their ideology,” Omar Abdullah said while speaking to reporters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal

Abdullah’s observation highlights the fluid nature of political allegiances, especially during the lead-up to elections. He suggests that some politicians may prioritize their own electoral prospects over long-held ideological commitments, leading them to switch parties or form new alliances based on the prevailing political climate.

08:41 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana elections: ‘There was a long list, everyone is being surveyed,’ said BJP Leader Mohan Lal Badoli on candidates for polls

Mohan Lal Badoli, the BJP Haryana state president, discussed the ongoing process of selecting candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections on Monday. He mentioned that the party is considering input from all levels before the central leadership makes the final decision.

In his statement to the media, Badoli said, “There was a long list, everyone is being surveyed. Feedback is being taken from below. After that, the central leadership will make the final decision.”

In a separate development, Devender Singh Babli, Sunil Sangwan, and Sanjay Kablana, who were previously associated with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), joined the BJP on Monday. Arun Singh, the National General Secretary of BJP, and Mohan Lal Badoli, the Haryana BJP state president, welcomed them during a press conference.

08:39 (IST) Sep 03

J&K Assembly elections live: Omar Abdullah wanted to form govt with BJP in 2014: Former National Conference leader

Devender Singh Rana, a former senior leader of the National Conference (NC) who has now joined the BJP, alleged that in 2014, Omar Abdullah had meetings with BJP leaders Amit Shah and Ram Madhav to request the formation of a government with the NC.

In a statement to ANI on Monday, Rana said, “Omar Abdullah is trying to mislead the people of Kashmir by telling them that every political party except National Conference is with the BJP. In 2014, when I was a part of the National Conference, we knocked on every door asking people to form govt with us as we had only 15 people. Omar Abdullah says that at the time they met Amit Shah and Ram Madhav to urge them to form govt with NC. As at the time BJP had declined NC’s request, they are saying all this now.”

Furthermore, Rana claimed that between August 2019 and October 2021, the National Conference made several attempts to establish contact with the BJP leadership to form some kind of association. He urged Omar Abdullah to be truthful and stated that the National Conference will not form a government, as they have no alliance with any political party in Jammu and Kashmir.

08:35 (IST) Sep 03

Haryana Assembly Elections Live: Meeting held under chairmanship of BJP President Nadda to discuss list of candidates

A meeting was held in the national capital, chaired by BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda, to discuss the list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. The meeting, which lasted about 3.5 hours at the BJP HQ Extension office, included senior leaders like Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others from Haryana. However, Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini was absent.

The BJP is still deliberating on candidate names due to changing political dynamics in Haryana. A previous meeting on August 29, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, approved more than 50 candidates, but some are now being reconsidered. The first candidate list will be released soon. Voting in Haryana is scheduled for October 5, with the last nomination date on September 12. Counting will take place on October 8, along with Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress will provide clarity on fielding wrestler Vinesh Phogat for the Haryana elections by today according to a statement by party general secretary Dipak Babaria after a meeting of the AICC central election committee the previous day. Sources said the CEC meeting cleared 34 of the 49 names that it discussed. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will take a call on Lok Sabha MP Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, who are said to have expressed a wish to fight the state polls.

Meanwhile for J&K polls, state Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra will contest from Central Shalteng while Mohd Shahnawaz Choudhary contests from Surankote. Karra said the CEC discussed 29 names for the second and third phases of elections in J&K, of which 23 were cleared. In J&K, Congress has tied up with National Conference, and the two are contesting 32 and 51 seats respectively.

BJP also released its fourth list for J&K Assembly election which included BJP’s J&K unit chief Ravinder Raina, who will be contesting from Nowshera. Meanwhile, a meeting was convened in the nation’s capital, presided over by Jagat Prakash Nadda, the BJP National President, with the attendance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and various seasoned leaders from Haryana to deliberate on the list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls. However, Haryana chief minister Naib Singh Saini was notably absent.

Haryana will go to polls in a single phase on October 5 while J&K will have three phased voting with starting from September 18, second phase on September 25 and concluding on October 1. The counting of votes will be done for both states on October 8.

Courtesy : TOI

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