Lok Sabha Polls Highlights March 28: BJP forges alliance with AJSU in Jharkhand

Ramtek Lok Sabha Constituency Returning Officer declared the nomination of Congress candidate Rashmi Barve as invalid after her caste validity certificate was found to be invalid. 

The Election Commission has approved her husband Shyam Kumar Barve as the official candidate of the Congress for Ramtek Lok Sabha. 

The Tamil Nadu BJP has accused DMK MP Kathir Anand of using derogatory language against women during an event in the Indian city of Vellore. 

"I can see most faces of women are shining. Looks like you have applied Fair and Lovely fairness cream and Ponds powder. Did you already get Rs 1,000?" said Anand. 

Tamil Nadu BJP VP Narayanan Thirupathy called the alleged remarks "nonsense" and demanded an apology from Anand. 

"This is not just an insult. They think people are fools. This is nonsense. This is DMK government is making a mockery of people. He (Anand) should apologise for what he has said," said Thirupathy, as quoted by ANI. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced an alliance with All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and also declared the seat-sharing formula in Jharkhand for the Lok Sabha elections.
In a post on X, BJP national general secretary, Arun Singh said that BJP will contest on 13 seats while the AJSU on one.

"BJP, under the old and natural alliance with AJSU, has decided to field BJP candidates in 13 Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies of Jharkhand and AJSU Party in one parliamentary constituency, Giridih in the Lok Sabha elections. By winning the elections in all 14 parliamentary constituencies of Jharkhand, the alliance candidates will achieve the target of crossing 400 seats on June 4," he said.

"This alliance will strengthen the resolve of the illustrious Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi ji for a developed India, self-reliant India, self-reliant India, capable India," Arun singh posted on X.

As Delhi High Court rejected PIL for the removal of Arvind Kejriwal from the post of CM, BJP Delhi President Virendraa Sachdeva said, "We have said this since day one that it is an administrative decision and High Court has also said the same thing. If Arvind Kejriwal had ethics then he would have resigned by now..."

AAP Odisha organises day-long fasting against the arrest of Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection of the Delhi excise policy case.

Speaking over Delhi court's extension of the ED remand of CM Arvind Kejriwal till April 1, BJP Delhi President Virendraa Sachdeva said, "...The investigative agency is doing its work, I think we should let them do their work; everything is going to be apparent when things will come in court...I welcome this decision..."

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said, "...You (Sunita Kejriwal) had said that Arvind Kejriwal would give some explosive statement, but nothing like that happened. Is Kejriwal confused or trying to confuse us all? Because the question here is about bribery, it is about the whole liquor scam, not about electoral bonds...Arvind Kejriwal please explain the difference between electoral bonds and bribery and why he has been found involved in the bribery case..."

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, made a submission before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi, on Thursday (March 28), which is hearing the Delhi excise policy issue. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief's seven-day detention by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) came to an end today (March 28), and he was produced in court. 

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Special CBI judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order. Delhi CM was remanded to further four days of ED custody and will now be produced in court on April 01 at 11:30 AM. 

Delhi CM Kejriwal's custody extended by four days till April 1, media reports said. 

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa while responding over the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's 'political conspiracy' remark reportedly said, “We trusted the public but you (Arvind Kejriwal) didn’t. Therefore, you joined hands with Congress. You befooled the people. You didn’t listen to them but trusted corrupt Rahul Gandhi.”

Over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's remand hearing in Delhi court, his lawyer Ramesh Gupta said, "Mr Kejriwal conceded that he is ready to cooperate and he has no objection to being in custody. We told the court that we oppose the grounds on which remand is being sought. The court will grant remand custody now that he has conceded before the court."

Delhi's Rouse Avenue court reserved an order on the plea submitted by the Enforcement Directorate seeking 7 days of extension in the custody remand of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. 
 

In the remand hearing, Enforcement Directorate said, "Apart from his personal involvement, being the AAP convenor, the money was used in the AAP Goa campaign and there are many statements regarding this. A CM is not above the law."

ED, while speaking in the Rouse Avenue Court, said, "Arvind Kejriwal has not disclosed the passwords. So we do not have access to digital data. He says he will speak to his lawyers and then decide whether the passwords are to be given or not. If he does not, we will have to break open the passwords." 

"It's being alleged that there it was a Rs 100 cr scam...Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that the money trail is not yet traced...The motive of ED is to crush the Aam Aadmi Party," said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal before Rouse Avenue Court, while speaking during his ED remand hearing.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal alleged that there was a political conspiracy behind his sudden arrest. He added that people are being made 'approver' in the case and being forced to alter their statements.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in his statement, said that some of the documents were given by him to AAP leader Manish Sisodia. He said that several bureaucrats and MLAs used to visit his residence regularly.

"Are the four statements made by different people sufficient to arrest a sitting Chief Minister?" said Kejriwal.

Making a statement before the Rouse Avenue court, CM Kejriwal said, "I was arrested, but no court has proved me guilty yet. CBI filed 31,000 pages and ED has filed 25,000 pages related to this matter. Even if you read them together, I would like to ask why have I been arrested? My name came to light only in four statements of four people."

ASG SV Raju, while representing the Enforcement Directorate before Rouse Avenue court, said that the passwords were not disclosed by Arvind Kejriwal, so they do not have access to digital data.

ASG SV Raju further submitted that the statements of Kejriwal's have been recorded, and he provided evasive replies. He further alleged Delhi CM of deliberately not co-operating with them.
 

Enforcement Directorate has moved a remand application in Rouse Avenue court, seeking 7 days of extension in the custody, stating that they need further custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to interrogate him and confront him with some others. 

Before the court, the ED said that the statements of some of the candidates of AAP Goa had been recorded. 
 

ASG SV Raju is appearing for the ED and joined the hearing via video conferencing.

He said that during the custodial interrogation, the statements of the chief minister were recorded and added that Kejriwal has provided evasive replies.

During a hearing in Delhi High Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the removal of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the court said there was no scope for judicial interference. 

"Having heard the counsel for the petitioner, and having perused the paperbook, this court is of the view that there is no scope of judicial interference vis-à-vis the relief sought," said the court.

As per reports, the Congress party in Bihar is on a back foot in the matter of an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, with the latter refusing to give the seats asked by big INC leaders.

Even though RJD is ready to give nine seats to Congress, but none of them are as per Congress's wish.

Reportedly, senior Congress leader and former MP Nikhil Kumar were seeking a ticket from Aurangabad, but RJD refused to give this seat to Congress. The party also refuse a seat to Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Singh, who wanted his son to contest elections from Nawada.

Furthermore, Pappu Yadav, who was seeking a ticket from Purnia after merging himself with the Congress party, was denied candidature from there.

Finally, Congress was demanding the Valmiki Nagar seat, but was refused this seat.

TMC leader Mahua Moitra opts to skip the summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today, due to her attending being busy in the election campaign. She has been summoned by the ED in connection with an alleged cash-for-query case.

Rumours are abuzz that actor Govinda is set to make a political comeback with Shiv Sena after he held a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. A report by the Times of India (TOI) said that Govinda might contest from the North-West Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. 

Sushil Kumar Rinku, the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) lone member of parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday (Mar 27) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rinku, the AAP's Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar, joined the BJP in New Delhi. Apart from Rinku, another AAP legislator from Punjab Sheetal Angural also joined the saffron party.

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The Congress party dropped the name of its social media department head Supriya Shrinate from the eighth list of candidates to contest the Lok Sabha election 2024. 

Shrinate name was not included in the list because of her controversial post against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, which led to a political uproar.

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who was sent to the ED's custody in the Delhi excise policy case till Thursday, will be produced before the Rouse Avenue Court on the conclusion of his ED remand.