Political pot brewing as 'Navratri', cricket festivities spill across nation

Hello dear readers! While the country is celebrating the spectacular performances of Team India at the ICC World Cup and relishing Navratri's festive fervor, on the political front too, as always, there is no dearth of excitement.

With Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana set to witness the Assembly elections, political parties are going all out to woo the citizens and build their respective vote banks.

Among the major political developments this week, we saw political parties holding rallies in poll-bound states with the blame game going among them in full swing.

So, brace yourselves as we bring you the colours and flavours of Indian politics this festive season.

Political parties set to sound poll bugle

Elections are, clearly, festive occasions in a democracy like ours. In Madhya Pradesh, polls seem to have become way more delicious this time. The proprietors of shops located in '56 Dukan', Indore have decided to offer free snacks, including poha and jalebi to the voters . Quite an appetiser indeed!

. Meanwhile, Congress has officially declared its lists of candidates and seems quite hopeful to bounce back to power after defeating BJP.

With four sitting MPs, including A Revanth Reddy and Deepak Baij, and big names like Kamal Nath, Bhupesh Baghel, and T S Singhdeo, the Congress unveiled its first list of candidates on October 15 for the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana Assembly elections that will take place next month. In addition, the party unveiled its slate of nominees for each of Mizoram's 40 Assembly seats , where elections are set for November 7. In order to oversee the candidate list for Rajasthan, with elections set for November 25, the party leadership also convened a meeting.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are among the party's 40 star campaigners for the first round of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

. In the predominantly Christian state of Mizoram , the BJP announced its slate of 21 candidates for the Assembly elections on Wednesday, preparing to challenge the NDA's ally, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF).

Promises and manifestos: Will they be fulfilled?

. Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath also unveiled the party's manifesto for the state Assembly polls. Among the many promises made were the formation of an IPL team for the state, a Rs-25 lakh health insurance coverage for all MP residents, and a 27 per cent reservation for OBCs.

KCR released its party manifesto , with several promises for the upcoming Telangana elections.

According to KCR, social security pensions under Aasara will be gradually raised to Rs 5,000, gas cylinders will be available for Rs 400, and eligible women from BPL households will receive a monthly living allowance of Rs 3,000.

In a manifesto for poll-bound Mizoram , the Congress promised, among other welfare measures, that if voted back to power in the Northeastern state, it would provide LPG cylinders at Rs 750, health insurance coverage up to Rs 15 lakh, and other benefits.

The Congress-BJP catfight continues

Congress, often referred to as the party that follows dynastic politics, has put its car in the fifth gear when it comes to holding rallies in the poll-bound states with Rahul Gandhi in the driver's seat.

. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took a jibe at the Congress leader calling him an ‘ unpadh bacaha’ . Himanta said, “Rahul has no knowledge about politics, and does not realise that he is at the core of dynasty politics... A family -- mother, father, grandfather, sister, brother -- everybody is in politics and is controlling the party. But, how can he see a parallel to that in the BJP?''

BJP national president J P Nadda slammed Congress , while on a visit to Kota to hold a meeting with the office-bearers. The people of Rajasthan "feel cheated" by a Congress administration that is "steeped in corruption" and have resolved to restore the BJP to power in the state, Nadda asserted.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi too did not leave a chance to slam PM Modi at an election rally in Mizoram saying, "I went to Manipur and couldn't believe what I saw there, they have destroyed the idea of Manipur, it has become two states. People have died, and women have been killed. PM is worried about Israel, but he is not worried about Manipur . I fail to understand why PM didn't visit Manipur."

Mahua Moitra becomes the centre of attention

. In a complaint filed with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey accused Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra of questioning in Parliament for money and gifts from a business group that was protecting its interests. The complaint called for an investigation and immediate suspension of Moitra.

In an attempt to stop Dubey, as well as a number of media outlets and social media platforms from posting, sharing, or publishing any purportedly false or defamatory content about her, Moitra filed an application with the Delhi High Court.

In an unexpected turn, Mahua Moitra's lawyer later withdrew from the defamation suit after the Delhi High Court stated that he acted as a "mediator."

In other news Speaking about the Rajasthan Chief Minister seat, Ashok Gehlot stated that he would not give up his bid for the position should the Congress win another election in Rajasthan. However, he also sent a conciliation letter to his bitter rival Sachin Pilot emphasising that he is not against the candidacies of MLAs who back him.

The Congress appealed to the Election Commission to file a case against Home Minister Amit Shah after voicing strong objections to his "provocative" statement about Bhuneshwar Sahu's death in poll-bound Chhattisgarh during his election campaign.

Rahul Gandhi was dubbed "Election Gandhi" by BRS leader K Kavitha , who said that he could visit Telangana as a tourist, taste the region's well-known "Ankapur chicken'', and then leave.

H D Deve Gowda, the national president of JD(S), crushed the party's fledgling rebellion in Karnataka by dissolving the state unit, effectively removing C M Ibrahim as the state president .

Both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde are scheduled to hold their yearly Dussehra rallies in Mumbai, which will determine the direction the two Sena factions will take going forward and lay the groundwork for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.

From around the world…

. Israel-Palestine conflict still continues to be the talk of the hour with Israeli army bombing Gaza and storming cities in West Bank.

In a show of solidarity, both US President Joe Biden and UK PM Rishi Sunak visited Israel and assured Netanyahu that they would stand with the nation in its “darkest hours”.

PM Modi too expressed solidarity with Israel after Hamas militants launched an attack on the country. Following deaths in an attack on a Gaza hospital , he said civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict were a "serious concern" and that those responsible should be held accountable.

That's all for this week folks, but we promise to be back again next week with more political drama. With Assembly elections around the corner, we will be right back with all major takeaways.

Exit Stage Left,

DH Newsletters Team

Political pot brewing as 'Navratri', cricket festivities spill across nation

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