3rd phase of Lok Sabha polls conclude; Haryana BJP govt loses majority
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana is in crisis after three independent legislators withdrew their support on Tuesday
The third phase of the Lok Sabha polls concluded on Tuesday with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming it will get a huge mandate while the Congress has inked a new slogan “south mein BJP saaf, North mein BJP half” (BJP will be swept out in southern India while their tally will be halved in the northern states)
BJP govt in minority in Haryana
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana is in crisis after three independent legislators withdrew their support on Tuesday and declared that they will campaign for the Congress party in the ongoing general election.
The rebel MLAs include Randhir Golan from Pundri, Dharmpal Gonder from Nilokheri and Sombir Singh Sangwan from Dadri.
The BJP, which has been accused by the Congress of toppling at least six Congress-led governments in the last ten years, faces such a crisis for the first time in these years.
The chief minister accused the Congress of “fulfilling some people’s wishes.”
“I have received this information. Maybe Congress is engaged in fulfilling some people’s wishes now. Congress has nothing to do with the wishes of the public,” he told news agency ANI.
Why Mayawati demoted her nephew?
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, in a surprise move, announced on Tuesday night the removal of her nephew Akash Anand, who had been critical of the BJP, from the position of national coordinator and her political successor, barely five months after she had appointed him.
The BSP supremo, announcing it on X (formally Twitter), said she has taken the decision in the interest of the party and the movement till the time Anand gains “full maturity”.
She said, “In this direction, along with promoting other people in the party, I had declared Shri Akash Anand as the National Coordinator and his successor, but in the larger interest of the party and the movement, he is being divested of both these important responsibilities until he attains full maturity.”
Mayawati said Anand will continue to fulfil his responsibilities in the party and the movement as before.
“Therefore, the leadership of BSP is not going to shy away from making every kind of sacrifice in the interest of the party and the movement and in taking forward the caravan of Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar,” Mayawati said in another post.
SC hints at interim bail for Kejriwal
The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated willingness to grant interim bail to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case amid the ongoing general elections but expressed reservations about allowing him to discharge his official functions as the CM during the period of interim bail, saying it “will lead to conflict” and may have a “cascading effect”.
While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) urged the court not to release Kejriwal on bail by treating politicians as a class different from ordinary citizens, the court acknowledged Kejriwal’s unique position as both the CM and the convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during the ongoing polls, describing it as an “extraordinary situation” warranting consideration for interim bail.
AAP supporters raise slogans in IPL match, detained
Several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters were detained by the Delhi Police on Tuesday, after they allegedly raised slogans against chief minister Kejriwal’s arrest during a Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals IPL match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly called Feroz Shah Kotla stadium). The AAP supporters were detained for creating a “public nuisance” at one of the audience stands at the stadium.
The official X account of AAP posted a video of a group of AAP supporters can be seen chanting slogans supporting Kejriwal, as well as “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” In the clip, the supporters are seen wearing t-shirts with a photo depicting Kejriwal behind bars, and a slogan “jail ka jawab vote se”.