Tuesday marks the start of the Maharashtra Assembly election campaign for the Congress, which was founded on the 80th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Top Congressmen and representatives of the Congress’s allies, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP), and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), will attend the party’s rally in Mumbai.
I got the opportunity to interview Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 in Mumbai. He was out of power and was at a lunch hosted by Cong MP of South Mumbai, late Murli Deora. Over mausambi juice, Mr Gandhi spoke to a 25 year old journalist with a warmth and affection. What struck me was his… pic.twitter.com/arcsZafs8P
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) August 20, 2024
Congress Rallies Kick Off Maharashtra Assembly Elections
In addition to a rally at Rajiv Gandhi’s birthplace, the Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Mumbai, the party is scheduled to have a public meeting in the Bandra Kurla Complex. Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP) presidents Thackeray and Pawar. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi are anticipated to share the dais.
The MVA allies are continuing to negotiate to share seats in the 288-member Assembly. Thackeray insisted at a meeting last Friday that the coalition announce its chief minister candidate before the votes instead of waiting to find out the outcome. The leader of the Sena (UBT) also declared that he would be willing to back any Congress or NCP (SP) candidate for CM.
MVA Leaders Unite in Mumbai for Congress Election Campaign on Rajiv Gandhi
After emerging victorious in the Lok Sabha elections against the state’s ruling Mahayuti alliance, which consists of the BJP, the Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, the MVA is heading into the Assembly elections, which are anticipated to take place in October or November, subject to an announcement from the Election Commission (EC). With 30 of the 48 seats in the state won by the MVA, the Congress emerged as the front-runner with 14 seats.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet the family of a Dalit youth who was recently shot dead in Rae Bareli on Tuesday morning, before the Maharashtra rallies. The Samajwadi Party-Congress team met with the family members during a recent protest over police inaction in the case, and that meeting preceded the MP Rae Bareli’s visit.
Uddhav Thackeray Pushes for Early CM Candidate Declaration on Rajiv Gandhi
The timetable for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana was announced by the Election Commission (EC) on Friday. The first phase’s gazette notification is expected to be released on Tuesday. Three voting rounds (September 18, 25, and 1) are scheduled for J&K, and results for the 90-member Assembly will be announced on October 4. The Union Territory’s electoral rolls will also be finalized by the EC on Tuesday.
As the elections for the 90-member Assembly draw near, farmer groups in Haryana are continuing to demonstrate in support of their demand for a constitutionally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP). To prepare their outreach efforts, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) is convening a meeting on Tuesday in advance of multiple “mahapanchayats” that are slated for September. Leading the farmers’ demonstrations against the now-scrapped farm rules in 2020–21 was the SKM, with Haryana serving as a focal point. Throughout the election campaign, farmers’ unions have declared that they are running an anti-BJP campaign and that they have urged other parties to join their cause.
SC Hearing in The Rape-Murder Case in Kolkata
The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the August 9 event, days after the Calcutta High Court referred the investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata to the CBI. The case will be heard by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday, according to Ananthakrishnan G.
The Supreme Court’s supplemental cause list for August 20 suggests the court may also investigate the vandalism committed by a mob at the hospital on August 14 evening. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, has charged that the CPI(M) and the opposition BJP were behind the hospital vandalism.
Supreme Court to Hear Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Amidst Rising Tensions
According to Atri Mitra, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government’s handling of the rape-murder case and the public’s fury over it could be among the CM’s greatest electoral issues. The fact that Mamata’s intervention has failed to appease protesters this time is unmistakable evidence of the difficult task she faces. The CM hitting the streets in “protest” was one instance. Few people paid attention, though, since many pointed out that the CM is in charge of both the Home and Health portfolios, which are the targets of the public’s wrath.
The Mamata administration is already trailing on several fronts. There are the corruption cases that have placed prominent figures in legal trouble, the widespread infractions that occurred during the 2018 and 2023 panchayat elections, the physical abuse of Central officials, and the ongoing, frequently unpleasant conflict with the Raj Bhavan. According to Manoj C. G. and Nikhila Henry, the INDIA bloc’s mounting disquiet over how its ally is managing the consequences may be even more politically damaging for the TMC.
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