New Delhi:

 Bhojpuri singer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari (53) is the richest among the prominent candidates from the BJP, AAP and the Congress in fray for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi with total assets worth Rs 28.05 crore.

Second in line is Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (71), the BJP’s candidate in South Delhi, with total assets of Rs 21.08 crore. According to his 2022-23 Income Tax returns, Bidhuri had an income of Rs 14.93 lakh.

The third richest among poll contenders is Mahabal Mishra (69), the AAP’s candidate from West Delhi. He has declared Rs 19.93 crore. Mishra’s highest qualification is pre-university certificate from LS College Muzaffarpur, Bihar obtained in 1971.

Oxford-returned lawyer Bansuri Swaraj (40), daughter of former external affairs minister late Sushma Swaraj, with total assets worth Rs 19 crore, stands fourth in the row, followed by former AAP leader Raaj Kumar Anand who jumped ships to the BSP and owns assets worth Rs 17.87 crore.

Ms Swaraj, who is the BJP’s debutant contender from the New Delhi seat, owns two vehicles, including the high-end Mercedes Benz purchased in 2023, according to her self-sworn affidavit.

She possesses one-sixth of joint property in Palwal, Haryana valued at Rs 99.34 lakh and three flats in Delhi’s posh areas — two at Jantar Mantar and one at Hailey Road.

In her election affidavit, Ms Swaraj revealed her income at Rs 68.28 lakh in her Income Tax return filed for the year 2022-23.

She is a lawyer by profession who earned her Barrister-at-Law from Inns of Inner Temple, London, in 2007 and completed Master of Studies from St Catherines’s College, University of Oxford, in 2009.

Mr Tiwari, who is contesting from the North East Delhi seat from the BJP third time in a row, declared his income to be Rs 46.25 lakh in his Income Tax returns filed for 2022-23. He stated that his sources of income are singing and acting, and as an MP.

He completed BA (Honours) from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) from where he also did a masters in physical education in 1994.

Mr Anand is the BSP’s candidate from the high profile New Delhi seat. He declared in his poll affidavit that he has vehicles worth Rs 51 lakh including that of his wife.

Congress’ Kanhaiya Kumar from North East seat contesting against Tiwari has a total asset of Rs 10.65 lakh. He has a PhD from JNU that he completed in 2019.

BJP’s Kamaljeet Sehrawat from West Delhi seat declared her movable assets worth Rs 1.30 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 27.60 lakh in her poll affidavit. She is a Masters in Commerce from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.

Praveen Khandelwal (64), the BJP’s Chandni Chowk candidate, declared assets worth Rs 6.62 crore. According to his Income Tax returns of 2022-23, he had an income of Rs 4.56 lakh. He completed his graduation from Delhi University’ Ramjas College.

Udit Raj (66), the Congress’ North West Delhi candidate, completed his MA from Osmania University in 1988 and LLB from MMH College, CCS University, Meerut, in 1995. He received an honorary doctorate from Bible College and Seminary, Kota, in 2003.

He has shown an income of about Rs 1 crore in his 2022-23 Income Tax returns. He has movable assets worth Rs 5.54 crore.

Rajan Singh (26), the first third gender candidate in the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, also filed his papers from the South Delhi seat. His election affidavit shows Rs 1 lakh cash in hand and total movable assets worth Rs 15.10 lakh, including 200 grams gold and about Rs 10,000 in a bank account.

Mr Singh declared no immovable assets in his poll affidavit.

Kuldeep Kumar (35), the AAP’s candidate from East Delhi, has declared movable assets of Rs 21.41 lakh and no immovable assets. He is a dropout from Delhi University’s Shyam Lal College.

Congress’ J P Agarwal (79) is a veteran Congress leader fielded from Chandni Chowk. He has total moveable assets worth Rs 76.98 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 1.78 crore. He completed his graduation from Delhi University’s Hansraj College in 1964.

Harsh Malhotra, 60, stated in his affidavit that his total assets stood at Rs 3.75 crore and his source of income is printing business. The East Delhi BJP candidate is a law graduate from the Delhi University.

Sahi Ram, aged 63, is an MLA from Tughalaqbad constituency. He declared in his affidavit that his main source of income was his salary and allowances as MLA, interest on savings account and rent. According to his affidavit, Ram owns movable assets of Rs 34.80 lakh and Rs 1.04 crore as immovable assets.

Yogender Chandoliya, the BJP’s North West Delhi candidate, graduated with a BA (Political Science and History) degree from Subharti University in Meerut in 2022, according to his election affidavit.

The 61-year-old showed an income of Rs 3.83 lakh in his Income Tax returns filed for 2022-23. His movable assets are worth Rs 29.31 lakh and those of his wife Rs 31.92 lakh, the affidavit showed.

Mr Chandoliya owns a third of a joint family property in Raigar Pura that has a current market value of Rs 2.15 crore. He and his wife also own separate vehicles.

Delhi will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25, with counting to take place on June 4.

The scrutiny of the filed nomination papers will be held on May 7, while the last date to withdraw names is May 9.

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

New Delhi:

The first third gender candidate so far in the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital, filed his nomination papers from the South Delhi constituency on Friday.

26-year-old Rajan Singh, wearing a dhoti, cap and gold jewelleries, reached alone for filing nomination papers at the office of the returning officer of South Delhi in Saket.

“I am contesting this election to draw the attention of people as well as the authorities towards the problems faced by the third gender persons due to lack of separate civic amenities for them and also for their social acceptance and rights,” Rajan Singh told PTI.

Rajan Singh, a native of Bihar, lives in Sangam Vihar area of the city.

“I want the government to set up a national trans-gender commission so that our basic needs and necessities, such as separate washrooms and queues at government offices and service providers, and also at least one per cent reservation in jobs and education could materialise,” Rajan Singh said.

Rajan Singh has declared assets of Rs one lakh cash in hand and total movable assets worth Rs 15.10 lakh, including 200 gm gold and more than Rs 10,000, in a bank account.

Rajan Singh declared no immovable assets in the poll affidavit.

“My father was an electrician when we shifted to Delhi from Bihar in 2010. Life is tough for everyone, but for us it is tougher as we also have to fight for our identity, acceptance and equal rights.” Rajan Singh claimed it took three years to have an identity certificate because of lengthy procedure and said males and females do not have to provide any gender proof.

The filing of nomination papers for the Lok Sabha polls is an effort to make the presence of a third gender felt by the people and draw attention of the voters towards their rights, Rajan Singh said.

“If I win, I will address basic needs for the third gender,” Rajan  Singh said pointing there are even animal welfare boards for their protection but there is no such arrangement for the third gender people.

The third gender have been recognised on official papers but they are yet to be accepted by the society, Singh said questioning why there were no leaders in any major political party from the community, Rajan Singh added.

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

Chandigarh:

BJP candidate from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat Naveen Jindal on Thursday filed his nomination papers.

The 54-year-old was accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini when he went to file his nomination papers. Later, he also addressed a public gathering in which his family members and BJP leaders, including the chief minister, were present.

Appealing to the voters of the Kurukshetra parliamentary constituency to make Jindal victorious, Chief Minister Saini said the country has been moving ahead on the path of progress during the past ten years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jindal, who joined the BJP in March after leaving the Congress, was an MP from Kurukshetra between 2004-2014. He faces Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Sushil Gupta, among others.

AAP, a constituent of opposition’s INDIA bloc, is contesting the Kurukshetra seat in Haryana while the remaining nine seats in the state are being contested by the Congress.

The nomination process for the ten Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana, for which polling will be held on May 25, began on Monday.

The deadline for filing nominations is May 6. The scrutiny of nominations will be done on May 7, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until May 9.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

After the second phase of voting of the seven-phase 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a video of home minister Amit Shah stating that the BJP government will scrap the ‘unconstitutional reservation’ of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) is making the rounds on social media.

“Before casting your vote, listen to this statement of Home Minister Amit Shah where he is asking to end reservation, that is why 400 seats are being demanded so that the constitution can be changed,” wrote an X user who shared the video.

Several X handles shared the video amplifying the claim. 

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim was false as the video was edited. In the original video, Shah talks about scraping the ‘unconstitutional reservation of Muslims if voted to power in Telangana.’

We noticed the video carried the logo of V6 News. Taking this cue, we looked for the video on the V6 News Telugu YouTube channel and found a video published on April 23, 3023, titled ‘Union Minister Amit Shah Comments Muslim Reservations.’

The viral clip appears in the video at the 2:38-minute timestamp. “If the BJP government is formed, we will scrap the unconstitutional Muslim reservation. The SC, ST and OBC communities of Telangana deserve this opportunity and they will be awarded the same by ending the Muslim reservation.”

NDTV published the video on April 24, 2023, titled ‘Amit Shah Vows To Scrap Muslim Quota in Telangana.’

According to the channel, Shah while addressing the rally at Chevella near Hyderabad, slammed religion-based reservations, calling them ‘unconstitutional’. He had vowed to end the reservations for Muslims in Telangana if the BJP formed the government in the state.

On April 24, 2023, Times Now also reported that Shah has promised to end the 4 per cent Muslim reservation in Telangana if BJP is voted into power. He had said religion-based quotas go against the Constitution.

Hence, we conclude that the viral clip of Shah is old and has been edited. The claim that he called for scraping SC, ST and OBC reservation quotas is false.

(This story was originally published by NewsMeter, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective.)

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

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C on Tuesday said there will be 100 per cent webcasting of polling stations in the state during voting for the Lok Sabha polls on June 1.

The chief electoral officer also said flying squad vehicles and static surveillance teams are monitoring violations, if any, of the model code of conduct during the election process.

CCTV surveillance will be ensured inside all 24,433 polling stations in the state, he said in a statement.

Besides, cameras will be installed outside 1,884 polling stations in all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies, the CEO said.

Sibin C said they have introduced a revamped NextGen District Information System for Elections (DISE) this time.

It will be used to manage all aspects of elections, from collecting data of polling staff to scheduling rehearsals, randomizing polling staff and counting staff, he said, adding that this modernisation aims to make elections more efficient, transparent, and secure.

Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1, the last phase of the seven-phase elections.

The poll activity management system (PAMS) used for deploying polling teams and updating voting information, such as commencement of polling and the status of voter queues at closing hours, has also been revamped to enhance efficiency of election-related activities, Sibin C said.

The CEO further said other innovative initiatives by the Election Commission of India included the voter helpline app, providing citizens with convenience in finding their names in the electoral roll, submitting online forms, downloading their digital photo voter slip, filing complaints, and receiving replies.

Another crucial initiative is the mobile application ‘Know Your Candidate,’ allowing electors to access details and criminal background of any candidate, he said.

This app aims to provide wider publicity and greater awareness regarding the criminal background of contesting candidates to ensure transparent elections, the statement said.

The CEO said other initiatives by the ECI, included the launch of mobile voter-friendly app cVIGIL, which enables people to report MCC violations, featuring live photo or video with location.

Any citizen can lodge a complaint through this mobile app, after which flying squads investigate the matter, and a returning officer takes a decision within 100 minutes, utilising GPS to track the violation’s location.

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

Guna:

Union minister and BJP candidate from Guna Lok Sabha constituency Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday called tribals the custodians of “jal, jungle and jameen” and had lunch with a family from the community in Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing forest dwellers in Guna’s Bamori assembly segment, with an estimated 30 per cent tribal population, he said the BJP-ruled Centre will spend Rs 25,000 crore for the development of 12,665 tribal villages in the country.

“In the country and the world, if some people truly conserve Mother Earth, it is the tribal society. It has been conserving ‘jal, jungle and jameen’ (water, forest and land) for thousands of years. Indigenous people are the custodians of jal, jungle and jameeen,” he said.

“Had the world followed the lifestyle and conservation of natural resources from indigenous people, climate change would not have taken place,” he said.

Later, Scindia had lunch at a tribal woman’s home, where he relished “dal-baati”.

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had lunch with locals, during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections campaign, in Guna earlier today. pic.twitter.com/wPR1gJJa6B

— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2024

One of the hot Lok Sabha seats in MP, Guna will vote on May 7.

Scindia (53), had lost from Guna in 2019 as a Congress candidate to BJP’s KP Yadav by over 1.21 lakh votes. Before that, he had represented the constituency since 2002.

Guna was represented six times by his grandmother and BJP stalwart Vijaya Raje Scindia and four times by his father and Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia.

It is speculated that the Congress might pit former Union minister Arun Yadav against Scindia keeping in mind the population of Yadav voters, estimated to be 2 lakh, in the constituency.

Congress leaders have said they will go all out to defeat Scindia, whose defection to the BJP along with his loyalist MLAs in March 2020 had sunk the Kamal Nath government in the state.

“We are going to ensure that Scindia loses the election at any cost. He will come under our fierce political attack. He is our number one political enemy like the BJP ideology which is bent upon dividing society,” MP Congress media cell chief KK Mishra had told PTI earlier.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had won 28 of 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP.

The polls in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled to be held in four phases, between April 19 and May 13.

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

Bengaluru:

The BJP’s first list of 20 candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka has caused discontent among leaders in the state with few claiming that they would switch over to Congress.

Former Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, a staunch RSS supporter, has revolted against the party.

Eshwarappa went all out against the former chief minister and BJP parliamentary board member B S Yediyurappa after his son K E Kantesh could not make it to the list of candidates announced by the high command a week ago.

Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats.

The BJP leader wanted a ticket for his son from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat, but the party fielded the sitting MLA and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from there.

Upset over the development, Eshwarappa announced that he would contest the elections from Shivamogga against Yediyurappa’s elder son B Y Vijayendra as a mark of protest against ‘dynastic politics in Karnataka’.

In an interview with PTI, Eshwarappa alleged that the BJP is in bad shape in Karnataka.

“People and the workers are in favour of the BJP but the system here is bad. What is our Narendra Modi ji saying? The Congress party is in the hands of one family. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi… the central Congress is being controlled by one family. Same situation in Karnataka. Karnataka’s BJP is in control of one family. We have to protest this,” the 75-year-old leader said.

He even charged that those standing in favour of Hindutva are being sidelined, be it C T Ravi, Pratap Simha, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal or Sadananda Gowda.

“Under any circumstances, I will have to fight the election, which I will do,” Eshwarappa said.

Former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda who was initially reluctant to contest the Lok Sabha elections, has suddenly expressed his strong desire to fight the polls.

On Tuesday he even hinted that he might consider joining Congress and make his decision public in a press conference on Wednesday.

In Koppal, two-time BJP MLA Karadi Sanganna is upset over being denied a ticket. The party has decided to field Dr Basavaraj Kyavator.

An angry Sanganna said he too is in touch with Congress leaders “but no decision has been taken yet”.

“I will not decide now. We have a meeting with our party leaders on Thursday. I will go with whatever our leaders will suggest whether to stay in the party or join Congress,” Sanganna told reporters.

The BJP has fielded V Somanna from Tumakuru, which has enraged former Karnataka Minister J C Madhuswamy, who had expressed his displeasure.

“I am pained that he (Yediyurappa) did not stand for me and back my candidature. Now I am thinking about whether to stay in this party or not when there is no protection here. I will discuss with my workers what to do next,” Madhuswamy said.

He, however, noted that “Congress is not a safe zone”.

“When there is confusion among leaders in public life, only people can judge better. I will call a meeting and ask them what to do next,” Madhuswamy said.

He even said he had said in clear terms that he would not work for Somanna.

Karnataka goes to polls in two phases, April 26 and May 7. 

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