The Evening Wrap: BJP releases first list of 195 candidates; PM Modi to contest again from Varanasi

The BJP has announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union Ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani in the first list of 195 candidates. The list also includes two former Ministers, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who will fight again from Kota in Rajasthan, and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha. Union Ministers fielded by the BJP through the first list also included Mansukh Mandaviya, Jitendra Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, Gajendra Shekhawat, Bhupender Yadav, G Kishan Reddy, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Arjun Munda. Announcing the list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the party is confident that it would form the government for the third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a much bigger mandate. He also said that the party has been working on further expanding its footprint across various States and also to strengthen the National Democratic Alliance. The list included 28 women and 47 young leaders, he said. The announced names included those for 51 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 20 in West Bengal and five in Delhi. The list saw major changes for Delhi with Ramesh Bidhuri, Parvesh Verma, Meenakshi Lekhi and Harsh Vardhan being dropped from their respective seats, while Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was also dropped from her Bhopal seat. Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, will make her poll debut from the New Delhi seat, Kamaljeet Sehrawat will contest from the from West Delhi, MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi, Praveen Khadelwal from Chandni Chowk, while Manoj Tiwari has been retained from the North East Delhi constituency. Besides Lekhi, John Barla is another Union minister who has been dropped from their seat. Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh has been fielded from Asansol in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, the party has fielded former BSP MP Ritesh Pandey from Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat in UP, while Hema Malini, Ravi Kishan, Ajay Mishra Teni, Mahesh Sharma, SPS Baghel and Sakshi Maharaj are among those being repeated from their seats. In Jharkhand, former Congress MP Geeta Koda has been fielded from Singhbhum (ST reserved). Modi has set a target for the BJP to win at least 370 seats on its own in this Lok Sabha election and more than 400 for the NDA. Congress manifesto includes legal guarantee for MSP, caste census, filling government vacancies, say sources Making minimum support price (MSP) a legal guarantee, the promise to conduct a nationwide caste census, and filling existing government vacancies on priority will figure prominently in the Congress’ manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, sources said. The party’s manifesto committee, headed by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, is scheduled to have a meeting on March 4 to discuss the draft manifesto, which is in its final stages. A senior party leader told TheHindu on March 2 that the manifesto thematically focuses on the paanchnyay or five pillars of justice that the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has been highlighting over the past two months. Outlining the five pillars at a press conference in January, Mr. Gandhi had said the paanchnyay include justice for youth, women, farmers, labourers, and in terms of bhagidari (participation). “The five pillars of justice would give strength to the country,” the former Congress chief had said. Mr. Gandhi has already announced that if the INDIA bloc gets voted to power at the Centre, MSP would be made a legal right. The same assurance would be reiterated in the manifesto and the party will also put up large hoardings at all the major mandis (agricultural markets). The promise of a nationwide caste census and giving rights to a community in proportion to its numbers has also been one of the main planks for the Congress. The party hopes that it will effectively counter the consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP after the inauguration of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The social justice narrative of the Congress, however, suffered a jolt after the Narendra Modi government honoured the late Karpoori Thakur with a Bharat Ratna. The late Thakur, as former Bihar Chief Minister, was not only a champion of social justice but had introduced 26 reservations for Backward Classes in government jobs in the late 1970s. The political switch by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose government had carried out the first ever caste survey at the State-level, further eroded the INDIA bloc’s social justice pitch. Notwithstanding the setbacks, the Congress will focus on the caste census in its manifesto. The party’s election document is also likely to focus on livelihood issues and would reflect the feedback that Mr. Gandhi and his colleagues received over the ongoing Manipur-Mumbai yatra. “Our promises, including filling up government vacancies or creating new jobs and better wages, will be part of justice for the youth and labour,” the source quoted above said. Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast | FIR states floor manager saw suspect abandon bag The First Information Report (FIR) registered by HAL police in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case on March 1 reveals that a floor manager of the restaurant saw a man abandon a bag in the premises before leaving. The explosion occurred around 12.55 p.m., injuring 10 persons. According to the FIR, during questioning, all employees began recollecting whether they saw anything suspicious. The floor manager claimed to have seen a man order a plate of idli. The man ate the idli before going to clean up at the wash basin where he abandoned a bag that he had been carrying. Then, he left the restaurant, according to the FIR says, a copy of which The Hindu has accessed. The complainant, Rajesh K. V., another floor manager of the restaurant, has said the blast occurred between 12.50 and 1 p.m., near a hand wash sink. In his complaint Rajesh said that, after shifting the injured to hospitals, he, along with other members of staff, inspected the area of the blast carefully. A platform had been placed near the hand wash for customers to sit. They noticed that the tiles used to hold an iron pillar on the platform had come off. Nuts, bolts, washers and other items were strewn around. There were marks of the explosion on the side wall and the tiles of the platform, he said. HAL police have registered a case against unidentified persons under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Explosives Substances Act, 1906, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Google-Indian startups row | App delisting cannot be permitted: Minister Vaishnaw Taking a strong view of Google pulling off some apps from its Play Store, the government has said that delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted and that the tech company and the startups concerned have been called for a meeting next week. The Minister’s comments assume significance as Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments, even as apps and well-known startup founders cried foul. Taking a serious view of the issue, Mr. Vaishnaw said: “India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need.” The Minister said the government will be meeting Google and app developers who have been delisted, next week, to resolve the dispute. “I have already called Google...I have already called the app developers who have been delisted, we will be meeting them next week. This cannot be permitted..This kind of delisting cannot be permitted,” Mr. Vaishnaw asserted. Stating that India has built a strong startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in a matter of 10 years, the minister said the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and “cannot be left to the policies of any big tech.” “I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,” Mr. Vaishnaw said. On March 1, Google said 10 companies in the country, including “many well-established” ones had avoided paying fees despite benefiting from the platform and Play Store, and proceeded to delist some apps. It did not name the firms but a search of Play Store on android phones did not give results for matrimonial apps such as Shaadi, Matrimony.com and Bharat Matrimony. Balaji Telefilms’ Altt (formerly ALTBalaji), audio platform Kuku FM, dating service Quack Quack, Truly Madly also disappeared from the Play Store. Briefly U.S. military C-130 cargo planes on Saturday dropped food in pallets over Gaza, three U.S. officials said, two days after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8.30 a.m. EST (7 p.m. IST), according to two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before a public announcement. The airdrop is expected to be the first of many announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 02 March 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( BJP releases first list of 195 Lok Sabha candidates; PM Modi to contest again from Varanasi The BJP has announced that Prime Minister [Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi]( in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union Ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani in the first list of 195 candidates. The list also includes two former Ministers, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who will fight again from Kota in Rajasthan, and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Vidisha. Union Ministers fielded by the BJP through the first list also included Mansukh Mandaviya, Jitendra Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, Gajendra Shekhawat, Bhupender Yadav, G Kishan Reddy, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Arjun Munda. Announcing the list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the party is confident that it would form the government for the third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a much bigger mandate. He also said that the party has been working on further expanding its footprint across various States and also to strengthen the National Democratic Alliance. The list included 28 women and 47 young leaders, he said. The announced names included those for 51 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 20 in West Bengal and five in Delhi. The list saw major changes for Delhi with Ramesh Bidhuri, Parvesh Verma, Meenakshi Lekhi and Harsh Vardhan being dropped from their respective seats, while Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was also dropped from her Bhopal seat. Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, will make her poll debut from the New Delhi seat, Kamaljeet Sehrawat will contest from the from West Delhi, MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi, Praveen Khadelwal from Chandni Chowk, while Manoj Tiwari has been retained from the North East Delhi constituency. Besides Lekhi, John Barla is another Union minister who has been dropped from their seat. Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh has been fielded from Asansol in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, the party has fielded former BSP MP Ritesh Pandey from Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat in UP, while Hema Malini, Ravi Kishan, Ajay Mishra Teni, Mahesh Sharma, SPS Baghel and Sakshi Maharaj are among those being repeated from their seats. In Jharkhand, former Congress MP Geeta Koda has been fielded from Singhbhum (ST reserved). Modi has set a target for the BJP to win at least 370 seats on its own in this Lok Sabha election and more than 400 for the NDA. Congress manifesto includes legal guarantee for MSP, caste census, filling government vacancies, say sources Making minimum support price (MSP) a legal guarantee, the promise to conduct a nationwide caste census, and filling existing government vacancies on priority will [figure prominently in the Congress’ manifesto]( for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, sources said. The party’s manifesto committee, headed by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, is scheduled to have a meeting on March 4 to discuss the draft manifesto, which is in its final stages. A senior party leader told TheHindu on March 2 that the manifesto thematically focuses on the paanchnyay or five pillars of justice that the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has been highlighting over the past two months. Outlining the five pillars at a press conference in January, Mr. Gandhi had said the paanchnyay include justice for youth, women, farmers, labourers, and in terms of bhagidari (participation). “The five pillars of justice would give strength to the country,” the former Congress chief had said. Mr. Gandhi has already announced that if the INDIA bloc gets voted to power at the Centre, MSP would be made a legal right. The same assurance would be reiterated in the manifesto and the party will also put up large hoardings at all the major mandis (agricultural markets). The promise of a nationwide caste census and giving rights to a community in proportion to its numbers has also been one of the main planks for the Congress. The party hopes that it will effectively counter the consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP after the inauguration of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The social justice narrative of the Congress, however, suffered a jolt after the Narendra Modi government honoured the late Karpoori Thakur with a Bharat Ratna. The late Thakur, as former Bihar Chief Minister, was not only a champion of social justice but had introduced 26 reservations for Backward Classes in government jobs in the late 1970s. The political switch by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose government had carried out the first ever caste survey at the State-level, further eroded the INDIA bloc’s social justice pitch. Notwithstanding the setbacks, the Congress will focus on the caste census in its manifesto. The party’s election document is also likely to focus on livelihood issues and would reflect the feedback that Mr. Gandhi and his colleagues received over the ongoing Manipur-Mumbai yatra. “Our promises, including filling up government vacancies or creating new jobs and better wages, will be part of justice for the youth and labour,” the source quoted above said. Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast | FIR states floor manager saw suspect abandon bag The [First Information Report (FIR) registered by HAL police in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case]( on March 1 reveals that a floor manager of the restaurant saw a man abandon a bag in the premises before leaving. The explosion occurred around 12.55 p.m., injuring 10 persons. According to the FIR, during questioning, all employees began recollecting whether they saw anything suspicious. The floor manager claimed to have seen a man order a plate of idli. The man ate the idli before going to clean up at the wash basin where he abandoned a bag that he had been carrying. Then, he left the restaurant, according to the FIR says, a copy of which The Hindu has accessed. The complainant, Rajesh K. V., another floor manager of the restaurant, has said the blast occurred between 12.50 and 1 p.m., near a hand wash sink. In his complaint Rajesh said that, after shifting the injured to hospitals, he, along with other members of staff, inspected the area of the blast carefully. A platform had been placed near the hand wash for customers to sit. They noticed that the tiles used to hold an iron pillar on the platform had come off. Nuts, bolts, washers and other items were strewn around. There were marks of the explosion on the side wall and the tiles of the platform, he said. HAL police have registered a case against unidentified persons under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Explosives Substances Act, 1906, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Google-Indian startups row | App delisting cannot be permitted: Minister Vaishnaw Taking a strong view of Google pulling off some apps from its Play Store, the [government has said that delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted]( and that the tech company and the startups concerned have been called for a meeting next week. The Minister’s comments assume significance as Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments, even as apps and well-known startup founders cried foul. Taking a serious view of the issue, Mr. Vaishnaw said: “India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need.” The Minister said the government will be meeting Google and app developers who have been delisted, next week, to resolve the dispute. “I have already called Google...I have already called the app developers who have been delisted, we will be meeting them next week. This cannot be permitted..This kind of delisting cannot be permitted,” Mr. Vaishnaw asserted. Stating that India has built a strong startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in a matter of 10 years, the minister said the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and “cannot be left to the policies of any big tech.” “I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,” Mr. Vaishnaw said. On March 1, Google said 10 companies in the country, including “many well-established” ones had avoided paying fees despite benefiting from the platform and Play Store, and proceeded to delist some apps. It did not name the firms but a search of Play Store on android phones did not give results for matrimonial apps such as Shaadi, Matrimony.com and Bharat Matrimony. Balaji Telefilms’ Altt (formerly ALTBalaji), audio platform Kuku FM, dating service Quack Quack, Truly Madly also disappeared from the Play Store. Briefly U.S. military C-130 cargo planes on Saturday dropped food in pallets over Gaza, three U.S. officials said, two days after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8.30 a.m. EST (7 p.m. IST), according to two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before a public announcement. The airdrop is expected to be the first of many announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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