Congress discusses LS poll preparedness in Delhi, asks leaders to strengthen party in all 7 seats
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leaders from Delhi on Wednesday held a meeting with the party's top leadership to review the preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections and discussed ways and means to strengthen the organisation in all seven parliamentary constituencies in the national capital.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who were present at the meeting, asked party leaders to remain united and connected with the people, sources said.
Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary and former Union minister Ajay Maken, who were also present at the meeting, pointed out to the issues relating to a possible alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the sources said.
"In view of the Lok Sabha elections, a consultation was held with the leaders of the Delhi Congress today. Revitalisation of the Delhi Congress is our priority, in which participation of all leaders and workers is necessary. We had made Delhi prosperous and happy, our struggle for the people of Delhi continues even further," Kharge said after the meeting.
Gandhi said in a Facebook post that a meeting of Delhi Congress leaders was held under the chairmanship of Congress president Kharge. "The Congress is dedicated to strengthening the voice of the people of Delhi and ensuring the progress of Delhi," he said.
Later, in a one-on-one meeting, Kharge and Gandhi met senior leaders of the Delhi Congress, including Maken, Chowdhary and Subhash Chopra, to discuss leadership issues in the unit. Chowdhary has completed his tenure as Delhi Congress president and a replacement is expected.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal said on X, "Attended the meeting to review preparations of Delhi PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) for the Lok Sabha elections, chaired by Sh. Mallikarjun Kharge ji, along with Sh. Rahul Gandhi ji and senior leaders from Delhi." "The (Narendra) Modi-led BJP has proven to be disastrous for Delhi. The people also recall INC's glorious 15-year stint in Delhi during which the city transformed into a modern, vibrant metropolis. We are confident that the people will extend their full support to us in 2024," Venugopal said.
All the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi are currently held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Delhi Congress chief Chaudhary said it was the Congress which protested against the Delhi liquor policy during 'Pol Khol Yatra' and it led to the arrest of top AAP leaders.
The Congress will always question Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (also the AAP's national convener) whenever it concerns the safety and protection of the people of Delhi, he said.
"Today's meeting was not on alliance formation in Delhi, nothing was discussed about it. The AAP can make assumptions but decision on alliance will be taken by the AICC central leadership and it will be announced by them. We, as an opposition party here, will raise questions about corruption," he said.
AICC in-charge for Delhi affairs of the Congress Deepak Babaria said Wednesday's meeting was held to discuss the party's strategy for the forthcoming parliamentary elections and all senior leaders and workers were present.
All leaders representing various sections of society put forth their issues and felt that the AAP government is "pushing Delhi behind" after the progress made during the Sheila Dikshit government, he said.
"The Delhi Congress put forth their resolution that the anti-people policies of the Delhi government of AAP would be opposed at the ground level," he said.
Asked whether it was decided with whom will the party form its alliance in Delhi, Babaria said, "We did not discuss that issue in today's meeting. We only discussed on how to strengthen the party in Delhi". He said an alliance, if any in Delhi, will be finalised by the party high command.
"We all decided to oppose the double-engine of both AAP government in Delhi and the BJP government at the Centre," Babaria said. "Whatever promises he (Arvind Kejriwal) has made to people of Delhi, he has not fulfilled, be it on any issues," he alleged.
He said Gandhi and Kharge are senior leaders of the INDIA bloc and they will decide on any possible alliance in the national capital. "We have left our decision on them," Babaria said.
"We have been suffering for the last several years in Delhi and we are preparing for the elections. We will have our own candidates and they will have their own candidates," he said.
The Delhi Congress will continue to raise issues of the people of Delhi, he said, adding that Gandhi has "told us to reach out to the people and stressed on being among the people of Delhi".
Delhi Congress leader Alka Lamba said in the over three-hour meeting, discussions were held on the shortcomings in the organisation and preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. "We have been directed to work strongly in all the seven seats," she said.
"No decision has been taken on whether to have an alliance, but we have been asked to prepare ourselves on all seven seats," she said.
Lamba said "Congress votes have gone to the AAP" and many senior AAP leaders are in jail for corruption. "We have been asked to prepare ourselves on all seven seats and remain strong on all these seats," she told reporters.
The AAP has reacted strongly to the comments made by some Congress leaders claiming that they will contest in all seven seats, saying there is no point of the INDIA alliance if the Congress has decided to contest alone in Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls.
"If the Congress has already decided to not form an alliance with us, then it is of no use for us to attend the next 'INDIA' alliance meeting. Our top leadership will decide whether or not we'll attend the next meeting," AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar said.
Babaria, the AICC in-charge for Delhi affairs of Congress, later said the AAP should understand that there are "attempts to provoke" and the "AAP should not fall in such a trap".
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
