Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election 2024 Live Updates: Congress releases list of 21 candidates for Jharkhand assembly polls

"Why these Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi considered only Muslim league bastions? Only one place is left for Rahul Gandhi & Gandhi family that is Lakshadweep. 99% of Muslim voters are there in Lakshadweep why Congress party and Rahul Gandhi and his sister coming to Wayanad? What is their relation with the people of Wayanad?...," Kerala BJP chief K Surendran told news agency ANI.

Ahead of the Channapatna Assembly bypoll, BJP MLC CP Yogeshwar resigned from the post and handed the resignation papers to Chairperson of the Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti. (ANI)

CEC meeting of Congress for Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly Polls under way at AICC headquarters, in Delhi Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP and party leader Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary KC Venugopal are present. (ANI)

The Election Commission has appointed Ajay Kumar Singh as the DGP of Jharkhand. Singh, who belongs to the 1989 batch, is the senior-most IPS officer in the Jharkhand cadre. Earlier, EC had removed Anurag Gupta from the post of acting DGP due to his history of election-related misconduct in previous elections.

"MVA will fight together in this election and our government will be formed. Today, the Congress Central Election Committee meeting will be held at 5:00...Screening committee meeting has been done. There is no displeasure in MVA," said Ramesh Chennithala, Congress' in-charge for Maharashtra.

Differences between JMM and RJD resolved after Tejaswi met Hemant at his residence. RJD relents on seven seats

Congress leader and Maharashtra LoP Vijay Wadettiwar says, "...By tomorrow evening, we will finalise the 17 seats. There are issues on 6-7 seats in Vidarbha and that too will be resolved. We are going to contest as Aghadi...Since there are 3 parties sharing 288 seats, it took a little time...Final decision on all 288 seats for Maha Vikas Aghadi will be made by tomorrow evening..."

When asked if Congress is ready to sacrifice and give up a few seats to other allies in Maha Vikas Aghadi for the Maharashtra election, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that this is not about sacrifice, this is about national interest and Maharashtra's interest. The party had indeed shown big-heartedness during seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections in order to defeat enemies of the Constitution.

"...We have been in politics for years, every party feels that their workers should be made candidates...But this is an alliance. Everyone has the right to speak about their role but when it comes to seat sharing, everyone has to make a few sacrifices and take a step back," Raut said.

He further said that the Congress is a national party and even bigger than BJP. "Their high command is in Delhi, their talks are being held. All leaders of Maharashtra are our friends. BJP is an international party, so our tuning with them did not sit well. What do we talk about with an international party?... What guidance can I give them? They have several guides. It is not right for Uddhav ji or me to guide them. We work on the ground, in the interest of Maharashtra. We consider national interest the most important," he said.

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Dr Raju Waghmare says, "BJP has released the first list of 99 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections...The list is very powerful and tickets have been given to very good candidates...Shiv Sena will release its list of candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections by evening...

JMM leader Manoj Pandey says, "People might be seeing discord between us right now, but by today or tomorrow this will resolve and there will be satisfaction...everyone will be satisfied...We have a big goal and the goal is to keep BJP away from Jharkhand, and we will achieve this goal...To achieve this goal we all have to sacrifice and I am hopeful we will reach a conclusion soon..."

On discord in INDIA alliance over seat sharing, BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo says, "If an alliance is formed without any policy or principle, just to capture power, to loot the public's money, then such situations (discord in INDIA alliance) happen again and again. Here (in INDIA alliance), there is no discussion on what they will do for the public, what will be the common minimum program, and how to bring good schemes, for the benefit of the person standing at the last rung of the society. Here (in INDIA alliance), the discussion is on who will capture how many seats and their deadlock is still going on regarding that. You can see the difference between NDA and INDIA. We not only stitched the alliance but also announced candidates for 77 seats till now. Candidates will be announced for 4 seats also today or tomorrow. And they have not yet prepared the blueprint of the alliance...."

BJP has nominated Sulabha Gaikwad, wife of incumbent MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, for the Kalyan East constituency. This move follows Gaikwad’s alleged involvement in a shooting incident. Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the candidate for Ulhasnagar Assembly, where internal surveys suggest Kumar Ailani is no longer a favored contender, hinting at potential new candidates.

General Secretary of JMM, Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "...The Election Commission of India had stated that 88 per cent of voters in Jharkhand are from rural areas and 12 per cent are from urban areas The Election Commission has announced that 12 per cent of voters (urban voters) will get one more hour to vote, while 88 per cent of voters (rural voters) will get one less hour to vote. 12 per cent voters will cast their votes till 5 pm, while 88 per cent voters will cast their votes till 4 pm...." (20.10)

Sources said the appointment of senior leaders as observers in each region of the state is for the primary objective of controlling disappointed ticket aspirants from turning rebels, and persuade them to stay loyal with the promise of future accommodation. The party managers appointed as observers will be given the specific brief to focus on reining in members who may want to challenge the official party nominees.

The Congress' Central Election Committee will hold its meeting on Monday to finalise candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly polls. The CEC meeting for Maharashtra was to take place this evening but was postponed with party leaders citing various reasons from Karwa Chauth to holding of meetings for both states on the same day, as the reason for the deferment.
Some leaders said that the BJP had declared its first list of candidates for Maharashtra and some discussions were needed for particular seats, and the seat-sharing talk among Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents was in the final phase.

"There is always a little displeasure but we will talk it out. We will resolve it. Such things happen during elections but the party talks on their level and we will resolve the issue," said Marandi.

"I express my gratitude to the high command and our Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as the party leadership has again shown faith in a small worker. I am confident that I will live up to their faith by working hard," said BJP leader Mihir Kochecha on getting a ticket from Mulund Assembly constituency.

"The leadership has soon confidence in me that I should contest from this constituency for the second time. I will try to fulfil this confidence. BJP has already released the list of 99 candidates," said Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra minister & BJP candidate from Kothrud Assembly Constituency.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed that there is a "massive anti-incumbency" against the Jharkhand government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

"BJP under the leadership of PM Modi will be forming the government in Jharkhand because there is massive anti-incumbency against Hemant Soren's government which has only appeased and has not taken care of tribal rights," he said.

"If you observe the list of the BJP, we have given more than 35 per cent of the tickets to individuals belonging to tribal communities. We will ensure that 'Jal Jungle Zameen' is protected in Jharkhand," he added.

"There is no dispute. Today, Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party held a meeting. Decisions have been made on a lot of seats. Tomorrow Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP will sit together again and finalise everything. We are thinking of releasing a list for some seats tomorrow after discussion," said Anil Deshmukh.

"First of all I thank all the senior leaders of BJP for showing faith in me and giving me the candidature from here again. I will always maintain their trust and in my assembly constituency I will try to reach the schemes of the central and state government to all the needy," BJP leader Rajesh Padvi on getting a ticket from Shahada-Taloda assembly seat.

"I would like to thank the party for showing this trust in me and giving me the ticket for the fourth time. We will win the seat with full majority," said BJP leader Madhuri Misal on getting a ticket from Parvati assembly constituency.

"I thank the high command of the party for giving me this responsibility. I have been doing several development works here and I will continue working for the people here," said BJP leader Ram Kadam on getting a ticket from Ghatkopar West assembly constituency.

"I want to thank the high command and CM and Dy CM of the state for giving me this chance to serve the people for the third time. I will work hard and try to fulfil my responsibilities," says BJP leader Manda Vijay Mhatre on getting a ticket from Belapur assembly constituency.

"I would like to thank the party and the high command for giving me this responsibility. We will work towards winning the seat. We will serve the people and work on the policy of the party," said Bhole.

"The election list has been released. I hope that our government will be formed and I wish everyone all the best...From the mood of the people that I have seen, I feel that the BJP-NDA government will be formed," said Assam CM and Jharkhand BJP assembly election co-in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma on the release of BJP's first candidate list.

The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has stayed the appointment of Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, to any post in the party in Jalna district. Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Pangarkar joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Friday in the presence of party leader and former state minister Arjun Khotkar.

Khotkar earlier said that Pangarkar, a former Shiv Sainik, has returned to the party and has been nominated as the chief of the Jalna assembly poll campaign.

"Today we discussed with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior BJP leaders. In that, we have requested that the Republican Party should not want many but only 5 seats. When the government comes, our leader should get a ministerial position in the cabinet. Republican Party should also get seats in the upcoming Mahanagar Palika and Zilla Panchayat elections. When our final agreement is made, it remains to be seen what RPI is going to get in it. They are going to consider giving us seats. We have been assured of this," Union Minister Ramdas Athawale.

"When 2019 elections were held here, our party's national president was here. With a heavy heart, he agreed for 7 seats then because he is big-hearted and said that the goal is to remove BJP (from power). We succeeded in our goal. Talks were held in a cordial atmosphere the day before yesterday (for 2024 elections). Hemant Soren was present there. Emphasis was laid on the fact that we have to contest together. But a unilateral decision was taken yesterday, it was said that 7 seats are being given. When we met them again later in the evening, which I do not consider to be very cordial, the seats lowered to 3-4 seats. 3-4 seats are acceptable neither to our workers nor our voters and not to our leaders. So, in our meeting yesterday and today, it was identified that we will help Mahagathbandhan on 60-62 seats. But wherever we are strong, we reject that is not appropriate," said Manoj Jha on seat sharing for Jharkhand Election.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to contest from Nagpur Souty West, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamthi, minister Girish Mahajan from Jamner, minister Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur, Sreejaya Ashok Chavan from Bhokar.

"You are stuck with the numbers, we are busy ensuring victory. There is still a gap of some decisions, that too will be covered," said RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha on seat sharing for Jharkhand assembly elections.

"The INDI alliance is an alliance of corrupt leaders. The public of Jharkhand is fed up with these corrupt leaders and they will vote for the BJP as they want development in the state. NDA will form the government in Jharkhand."

On the seat sharing in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, RJD leader and Jharkhand Minister Satyanand Bhokta says, "Fights happen in families also. It is a huge alliance, some things are bound to happen. We are in an alliance and will win the elections. We are demanding the seats which we won the last time. RJD will win all the seats it will contest. 50% of the issues have been solved..."

There is manipulation happening in the voter list in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and also attempts were made in Haryana. In Maharashtra, BJP is about to lose the elections, so they are engaging in voter list fraud with the help of the EC. In every constituency where BJP is contesting, they are removing 10,000 voters who voted for MVA in the Lok Sabha and replacing them with 10,000 bogus voters to reduce our chances of winning. We will not only raise this issue domestically but also on international platforms, showing how democracy is being destroyed. The EC comes under the Home Ministry, and Amit Shah ji is responsible for all of this. If you (Amit Shah) continue such fraud, the country will no longer remain the same," says Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut at a press conference in Mumbai.

On RJD's displeasure over seat sharing in Jharkhand assembly elections, Former Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur says, "We are all united...Whenever seat-sharing talks happen in an alliance, someone has to sacrifice...Everything is alright"

He further says, "BJP is promoting dynasty politics by giving tickets to family members...They have given tickets to leaders who joined the BJP from other parties...The first list of the INDIA alliance candidates for the Jharkhand Assembly elections will be released soon"

A day after a virtual breakdown in seat-sharing talks in Maha Vikas Aghadi with Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and Congress’s Nana Patole taking potshots at each other and Uddhav Thackeray saying things should not be stretched to breaking point, AICC incharge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala met Uddhav and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in the city to defuse the situation. Talks resumed on Saturday after the meetings but were inconclusive, and Chennithala said they will conclude and seats will be announced “in the next one or two days.”

MVA has agreed on 263 seats but consensus is eluding it on 25 seats. “I am sure the dispute over the pending 25 seats will be resolved amicably,” Congress legislature party lea der Balasaheb Thorat told TOI.

An NCP (SP) functionary said that after three days of marathon meetings, it was expected that MVA politicians would come out with a final seat-sharing formula on Saturday. However, owing to the “adamant attitude” of a section of MVA constituents, a solution seems not near at hand, the functionary said.

At Saturday’s MVA meeting, Congress was represented by Patole and Thorat, NCP (SP) by Jeetendra Awhad and Jayant Patil, and UBT Sena by Raut and MP Anil Desai. “All constituents of MVA should take an amicable view. They will have to relax their adamant attitude, only then will a consensus formula be drafted. Otherwise, we will have to look for the option of a friendly contest, as was done in Sangli (in the Lok Sabha polls), where the rebel Congress nominee defeated the UBT Shiv Sena nominee,” said the NCP functionary.

EC on Saturday ordered the removal of acting Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta with immediate effect over past allegations of biased conduct and misuse of authority during polls.

EC has directed Jharkhand govt to hand over Gupta’s charge to the most senior DGP-level officer. The Commission has told the state govt to submit a panel of names of senior IPS officers by 10am Monday, from which it will approve one for taking over the post of DGP.

During the 2019 Lok Sab ha elections, Gupta was relieved of his duties as ADG (special branch)-Jharkhand, following allegations by JMM of biased conduct. At the time, he was reassigned to the Resident Commissioner’s office in Delhi and barred from returning to Jharkhand until the poll process was completed.

A day after it announced a seat-sharing deal with its allies Ajsu-P, JDUand LJP (Ram Vilas), BJP released Saturday its first list of candidates for 66 of 68 assembly constituencies it plans to contest in the Jharkhand polls.

The party is yet to name its candidate for Barhait (ST), from where CM Hemant Soren might contest. It also left Tundi seat vacant.

“The names of candidates were finalised at BJP’s central election committee meeting chaired by BJP president J P Nadda and attended by PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah,” BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said.

Veteran netas like C P Singh were fielded for a re cord seventh time from Ranchi. Leader of the opposition in the assembly Amar Kumar Bauri was fielded from his home turf, Chandankyari (SC), in Bokaro district. State president Babulal Marandi was fielded from his home turf, Dhanwar, in Giridih district. Former health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi was fielded from Bishrampur while former CM and ex-JMM neta Champai Soren was fielded from his pocket borough of Seraikela (ST). Champai’s son Babulal, was fielded from Ghatshila (ST).

BJP on Thursday announced its first list of 66 candidates for Jharkhand elections as the ruling JMM-led alliance finalised the contours of their seat-sharing agreement.

The BJP list included names of former Jharkhand Chief Ministers Champai Soren and Babulal Marandi.

Champai Soren will contest from Saraikella assembly seat. He expressed confidence of BJP forming the government.

"BJP's performance will be the best and our government will be formed. We are fully prepared. Whatever work the BJP gives me I will do that," Champai Soren told ANI.

While Babulal Marandi will contest the elections from Dhanwar, Lobin Hembrom is in the fray from Borio and Sita Soren from Jamtara, Geeta Balmuchu from Chaibasa and Geeta Koda from Jaganathpur. Meera Munda, wife of Union Minister Arjun Munda, has been fielded from Potka.