The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi revealed its seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections on April 9, allocating 21 seats to the Shiv Sena (UBT), 17 seats to the Congress, and 10 seats to the NCP (SP). The Congress decided to forego its claim on the disputed Sangli and Bhiwandi seats, which will now be contested by the Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress for its alleged efforts to obstruct the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for disrespecting Lord Ram by declining the invitation for the ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony. Speaking at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, Mr. Modi also stated that the Congress is deeply entrenched in the politics of appeasement and is unlikely to change its ways. In a separate development, Former Union Minister Birender Singh and his ex-MLA wife Prem Lata joined the Congress in Delhi on April 9. Mr. Singh, who previously served as the Union Steel Minister in the Modi Government, and his wife had resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 8.
With the Lok Sabha elections approaching, political parties in India are actively engaged in campaigning. The ruling BJP is organizing rallies and roadshows, featuring prominent campaigners. On the other hand, the Opposition INDIA Alliance, led by the Congress, is targeting the BJP on various issues such as electoral bonds, alleged misuse of autonomous institutions like the ED and the CBI, and the arrest of Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren.
In today’s editorial, you can read more about political parties and their manifestos. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in a roadshow in Chennai, and strict arrangements have been put in place for this event. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress party and the National Conference (NC), both constituents of the INDIA bloc, have announced a pre-poll seat-sharing arrangement, excluding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This arrangement also includes Ladakh.