Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises H. D. Kumaraswamy,  BJP Karnataka State president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R .Ashok during press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.   
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

New Delhi:

In his signature white kurta-pyjama and blue turban, Manmohan Singh, then 71, took the oath of office as India’s 14th Prime Minister on May 22, 2004. Members of Dr Singh’s family, political allies, and predecessors – including Atal Bihari Vajpayee – looked on as a quiet and reserved leader assumed the reins of power at a ceremony conducted by then-President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Until the 2004 election results were announced, it was widely assumed that the incumbent NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee would secure a second term. The BJP’s high-profile “India Shining” campaign dominated the airwaves. Political analysts and exit polls had overwhelmingly predicted a BJP-led victory. However, the Congress party, under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, spearheaded a comeback.

READ | “People Say I Was…”: When Manmohan Singh Defended “Silent PM” Charge

The Congress-led UPA coalition emerged victorious, securing enough support from regional allies to form the government. Sonia Gandhi, expected by many to assume the prime ministership, instead made a decision that surprised many: she stepped aside in favour of Manmohan Singh, citing her “inner voice”.

Sonia Gandhi’s Italian roots have been a contentious political issue since she entered active politics in 1998. In 2004, despite Congress’s electoral success, the issue resurfaced when BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti reignited the controversy. Ms Swaraj even threatened dramatic protests, including shaving her head, should Mrs Gandhi become Prime Minister.

READ | Manmohan Singh’s Poetic Banter With Sushma Swaraj In Parliament

Sonia Gandhi also faced resistance internally. In his autobiography, One Life Is Not Enough, former External Affairs minister and Congress leader Natwar Singh recounted a tense moment at Mrs Gandhi’s residence, where Rahul Gandhi strongly urged his mother not to accept the position, citing his worries in light of the assassinations of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, and grandmother, Indira Gandhi.

Mrs Gandhi’s refusal to accept the top post paved the way for Manmohan Singh’s ascent. As a soft-spoken technocrat with no mass political base, Dr Singh was an unlikely choice. A career economist who had served as Finance Minister in PV Narasimha Rao’s government during the 1991 economic liberalisation, Dr Singh had earned respect in policy circles but lacked the typical attributes of a political leader. His lone attempt to contest a Lok Sabha seat, from South Delhi in 1999, ended in defeat, and Dr Singh remained a Rajya Sabha member throughout his political career.

READ | “Greatest Champion”: World Leaders Pay Tributes To Ex-PM Manmohan Singh

Despite being termed the “Accidental Prime Minister,” Dr Singh’s decade-long tenure was marked by some great achievements. His government launched transformative programs like the Right to Information (RTI), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), and the Right to Education (RTE).

Dr Singh’s tenure, however, was not without controversies. In 2008, his government faced a confidence vote after the Left parties withdrew support over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Dr Singh staked his political capital on the agreement, arguing it was crucial for India’s energy security. His government survived the trust vote by a narrow margin.

The UPA lost power in 2014, with Narendra Modi’s BJP securing a landslide victory. Dr Singh exited public life with characteristic grace, stating, “I honestly believe history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.”

Ranchi:

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Thursday released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly elections, announcing Ganesh Mahli as its nominee for Seraikela seat. Mahli defected from the BJP and joined the JMM on October 22.

Additionally, the party replaced its candidate for Khunti, selecting Ramsurya Munda instead of the previously announced Snehlata Kandulana.

With this, the JMM has now announced candidates for 42 out of the 81 seats, having released three lists earlier for 41 seats.

Out of the 43 seats the JMM had contested in the 2019 elections, it won 30 and came second in five constituencies.

Elections to the 81-member house will take place in two phases on November 13 and 20. Counting is scheduled on November 23.

INDIA bloc partners will contest the upcoming assembly polls together, with the Congress and JMM competing for 70 of the 81 seats, while the remaining 11 will be contested by the RJD and Left parties. The RJD had announced candidates for six seats on Tuesday.

In the opposition, the BJP will contest 68 seats, the AJSU Party will field candidates in 10 constituencies, the JD(U) in 2, and the LJP (Ram Vilas) in 1.

In 2019, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats, wresting power from the BJP. The BJP had secured 25 seats, JVM-P three, AJSU Party two, and the CPI (ML) and NCP one each, besides two Independents emerging victorious.

Filing of nomination papers for 43 assembly constituencies, which are going to polls on November 13 in the first phase, began on Friday and will continue till October 25.

Altogether 2.60 crore electors, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 1.13 lakh persons with disabilities (PwD), third gender and senior citizens over 85 years of age, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections. PTI NAM VN The JMM on Thursday released its fourth list for the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls, fielding from Seraikela seat Ganesh Mahli, who recently joined the party defecting from the BJP.

Mr Mahli along with other BJP leaders had joined JMM on October 22.

The party also changed its candidate from Khunti and fielded Ramsurya Munda instead of earlier announced Snehlata Kandulana. JMM had earlier released three lists announcing candidature on 41 out of 81 seats.

With one more candidate, it has so far announced candidature on 42 seats.

In 2019, it had contested 43 seats and won 30, ending as runner-up in five constituencies.

The assembly elections are set to take place in two phases on November 13 and 20, with results slated to be announced on November 23.

The INDIA bloc partners will contest the upcoming assembly polls together, with the Congress and JMM competing for 70 of the 81 seats, while the remaining 11 will be contested by the RJD and Left parties.

The RJD had announced candidates for six seats on Tuesday.

In the opposition, the BJP will contest 68 seats, the AJSU Party will field candidates in 10 segments, the JD(U) in 2, and the LJP (Ram Vilas) in 1.

In 2019, the JMM-led alliance won 47 seats, wresting power from the BJP. The BJP had secured 25 seats, JVM-P three, AJSU Party two, and the CPI (ML) and NCP one each, besides two Independents emerging victorious.

Filing of nomination papers for 43 assembly constituencies, which are going to polls on November 13 in the first phase, began on Friday and will continue till October 25.

Altogether 2.60 crore electors, including 11.84 lakh first-time voters and 1.13 lakh persons with disabilities (PwD), third gender and senior citizens over 85 years of age, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections. PTI NAM MNB

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Congress on Sunday released the list of star campaigners who will campaign for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections.

The names of campaigners include Congress’s top leadership- National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The list also includes names of some former Chief Ministers from the party.

Ashok Gehlot, Digvijay Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, Harish Rawat are included as the star campaigners.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy will also campaign for the party in Uttar Pradesh.

Ajay Rai, Salman Khurshid, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Shukla, Imran Pratapgarhi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Raj Babbar, Supriya Shrinate and Alka Lamba are also included.

Earlier, the Indian National Congress (INC) released a list of 27 star campaigners on Saturday for Jammu and Kashmir, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others.

Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19.

Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.

Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13.

The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Ahead of the Telangana election all eyes are on the Congress as it bids to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi by reaching out to opposition leader YS Sharmila. The YSR Telangana party leader met the Congress’ Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi but she has since then neither confirmed nor denied speculation of a merger. 

Also, despite repeatedly saying her focus is on Telangana, there is buzz that Ms Sharmila – who is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister – may cross family lines next year, when her brother’s state votes.

“Met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi… constructive discussions took place. The daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy will work relentlessly towards benefitting the people of Telangana,” she told reporters after talks with the Congress leaders, declaring, “I can say one thing… countdown for KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) has begun.”

Ms Sharmila stressed her “one-point agenda is to end KCR’s rule in Telangana”.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in July 2021 with a promise to bring the YSR family, or ‘”Rajanna Rajyam” to the state – one in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of efforts to fulfill that vow, she went on a 3,800-km march through Telangana to target the ruling party.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people.. so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.

“No Idea”, Says YSRTP

Interestingly, when contacted, YSRTP spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy said the party’s senior leaders were unaware of Ms Sharmila meeting the Gandhi family in Delhi.

The YSRTP boss has, in the recent past, met other Congress leaders, including now-Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and General Secretary KC Venugopal. The talk then was around securing a Rajya Sabha seat or help in taking on her brother in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Reddy has distanced himself from his sister’s political activities. After his father’s death he had broken away from the Congress to launch the YSR Congress Party in September 2009 and he did not attend his sister’s party’s launch.

READ | Jagan Reddy’s Sister Launches Party In Telangana, He Stays Away

How Would YSRTP + Congress Work?

If Ms Sharmila does, in fact, merge with the Congress, it could help consolidate anti-BRS votes in pockets where she has emotional appeal, especially among YSR loyalists. She may want to contest from Palair in Khammam, where the Congress has some influence but may need to a profile boost. Alternatively, she may also run from Secunderabad.