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India Today
18 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Bypoll results in 5 states today, BJP, AAP, Congress to battle it out
The results of the bypolls held in five seats across four states - Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala and Bengal - will be announced today. The counting will begin at 8 am, with trends emerging soon after. The bypolls were held on June 19 for two seats in Gujarat - Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats - and one each in Punjab (Ludhiana West), Bengal (Kaliganj), and Kerala (Nilambur).advertisementThe bypolls, considered a precursor to Assembly elections slated in some of the above-mentioned states, are crucial as both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA alliance have fielded BYPOLLSThe BJP is looking to take back the Visavadar assembly seat, which the party hasn't won since 2007. The seat has been vacant since 2023 after the then AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and went to the BJP's side. For this bypoll, the BJP has picked Kirit Patel, while the Congress and AAP has fielded Nitin Ranpariya and its ex-Gujarat President Gopal Italia, respectively. The Kadi seat, meanwhile, has been vacant since February owing to the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. Coming under the Mehsana district, the constituency is reserved for Schedule Caste candidates. The BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda from the constituency, while the Congress and the AAP opted for Ramesh Chavda and Jagdish Chavda, BYPOLLadvertisementThe Nilambur seat in Kerala is seen as a prestige battle for Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The seat falls within her Wayanad constituency, and she had held a roadshow in the region ahead of the June 19 bypolls. The bye-election had to be conducted in the constituency after the switching of two-time MLA OV Anvar - earlier backed by the Left - to the Congress party. He contested the bypoll as an Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded M Swaraj for the crucial test, while the Congress-supported United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Aryadan Shoukath. The BJP has fielded Advocate Mohan George for the Nilambur BYPOLLIn Bengal's Kaliganj constituency, which falls under Nadia district, the bypoll was necessited due to the death of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. Now, his daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is hoping to retain the seat as the ruling party's candidate. The BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh for the seat, while the Congress picked Kabil Uddin Shaikh who contested with the backing of the CPI(M).The Kaliganj bypoll is seen as a vital face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and the BJP ahead of next year's Assembly elections, where the saffron party is hoping to dethrone the BYPOLLadvertisementThe Ludhiana West seat in Punjab fell vacant after sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died of a self-inflicted bullet injury in January. The AAP, which has been striving to retain power in Punjab since the brutal loss in the Delhi Assembly elections, will aim to retain the seat. The BJP, meanwhile, hopes to wrest the seat will see a three-way battle among AAP's Sanjeev Arora, BJP's Jeewan Gupta, and Congress veteran Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded Parupkar Singh Ghuman as its candidate for the bypoll. IN THIS STORY#Kerala#West Bengal#Gujarat#Punjab#All India Trinamool Congress
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
GP member murder: 3 more suspects held
Nagpur: Khaparkheda police, led by Kanhan SDPO Sudarshan Gaikwad, arrested three more suspects in connection with the murder of gram panchayat member Atul Patil, who was stabbed to death last week in Pipla Dak Bungalow. The arrest of Chetan Talmale, Rajat Wat, and Hitesh Dhage has taken the total number of arrests in the case to five. Earlier, sarpanch Vishnu Kokadde and the alleged stabber Himanshu Kumbhalkar were apprehended. Considering the sensitivity surrounding the case and the possibility of political rivalry, superintendent of police Harssh Poddar had assigned SDPO-rank officer to investigate the case. Sources say Patil, a close associate of BJP leaders, was key rival of Congress-supported Kokadde and aspiring gram panchayat member Talmale, who was gearing up to contest the upcoming zilla parishad election. Patil had exposed an alleged scam involving Kokadde, leading to charges of forgery and fraud against the sarpanch. Investigation suggests that the murder stemmed from political tensions, with Patil's whistleblowing and rivalry with Kokadde and Talmale as central motives. Gaikwad's team is probing deeper into the roles of the newly arrested three, who are believed to have conspired in the crime. Police are intensifying efforts to uncover further evidence and potential accomplices, as the murder exposes fault lines in Pipla Dak Bungalow's political landscape.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Manmul elections: Congress aims to dominate JD(S) stronghold
Mandya: The Congress party is taking the upcoming elections for the posts of president and vice-president of the Mandya Milk Union (Manmul) seriously, aiming to establish its dominance in a traditional stronghold of the JD(S). The elections, scheduled for May 20, are seen as a strategic opportunity for Congress to avenge its defeat in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency at the hands of JD(S) leader HD this year, elections were held on Feb 2 to fill 12 director positions on Manmul board. Of these, six Congress-backed candidates emerged victorious. While three directors are aligned with JD(S), one supports the BJP. Two JD(S) rebels—K Ravi (Dalu Ravi) and MB Harish from KR Pet taluk—have since declared their allegiance to Congress, bringing the total number of Congress-aligned directors to eight. Initially, results were announced only for four taluks, as court orders delayed the declaration of results in Maddur, Malavalli, and KR Pet. With all legal hurdles now cleared, the final tally confirms the following: 6 Cong-backed, 3 JD(S)-backed, 1 BJP-backed, and 2 JD(S) rebel addition to the 12 elected directors, five more members hold voting rights, one nominated director (RN Vishwas from Malavalli), and representatives from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Karnataka Milk Federation, department of animal husbandry, and the National Dairy Development Board. Traditionally, such officials tend to vote in favour of the ruling party, giving Congress a likely 13-member majority on the board. This puts Congress in a strong position to elect both the president and vice-president of N Cheluvarayaswamy has been at the forefront of the party's campaign, particularly emphasising the significance of these elections in his home turf of Nagamangala, where Congress-supported candidates secured both director seats. Though Manmul elections are officially non-partisan—with candidates running as independents—party affiliations have played a decisive role. Now, that a majority of board members are Congress-backed, internal competition has begun for the top posts. The final decision on nominees for president and vice-president will be made by the party high Congress Committee president CD Gangadhar confirmed the party's majority and the upcoming deliberations. "The team of eight Congress-backed candidates won the Manmul board election. Candidates for the president and vice-president posts will be finalised in consultation with our high command. We have a meeting minister Cheluvarayaswamy in Bengaluru on Thursday afternoon. We are confident of securing both top posts."BOXElection schedule announcedElection officer and additional deputy commissioner BC Shivanandamurthy has announced the schedule for electing Manmul president and vice-president, with the election to be held on May 20. The nomination will be filed between 9am and 11am, and till 1pm scrutiny of nominations will be done followed by the publication of valid candidates. Later, 30 minutes will be given to withdraw. If more than one candidate remains, a secret ballot will be conducted, and results will be declared immediately after the counting.
