MP: BJP minister's picture figures on banner at Rahul's rally
A banner put up at the venue in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's rally on Monday mistakenly showcased the image of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste. The poster, which also featured pictures of prominent Congress leaders, was promptly removed by the party workers. A new poster came up shortly after with the image of Kulaste, the BJP's candidate for Mandla parliamentary constituency, replaced with a picture of Congress's Harvansh Singh.
Poster corrected to feature Congress candidate
In Mandla, the Congress has nominated Omkar Singh Markam to contest against Kulaste in the constituency. Kulaste has won this seat in six earlier Lok Sabha elections (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2014, and 2019). Notably, Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 28 of these seats. Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, is the sole Congress MP from the state. He represents Chhindwara constituency.
Modi's Jabalpur roadshow
Gandhi's rally in Mandla comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Jabalpur. Sunday's visit was the PM's first trip to the state since the announcement of Lok Sabha polls. The roadshow also saw the attendance of MP CM Mohan Yadav, state Minister Rakesh Singh and the party's Jabalpur Lok Sabha candidate Ashish Dubey.
Gandhi's rally in Congress stronghold
While the PM's campaign focused on the state's Mahakoshal region, which comprises Congress stronghold Chhindwara, Gandhi will address a public meeting at Dhanora in the southern Seoni district. Seoni and Shahdol are tribal areas that have traditionally stood with the Congress. During the just-concluded Assembly elections, the party fared well in tribal areas, winning 22 seats of the 47 reserved for Scheduled Tribe.
Lok Sabha elections in seven phases
The stage is set for a high-stakes political battle, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is seeking a third term, while the opposition parties led by the Congress have come together under the banner—Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance—as a united front against the saffron party. The voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will take place in seven phase starting from April 19 and ending on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
