HM Shah to inaugurate Kerala BJP headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Thiruvananthapuram, July 11 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arriving in Kerala’s capital on Friday on a two-day visit, during which he will inaugurate the new state headquarters of the BJP.

Shah is scheduled to land in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday night by a special flight. On Saturday, he will formally inaugurate the newly constructed BJP state office and subsequently address party workers at a prominent venue in the heart of the city. The event will also include a community lunch for attendees.

Following the public meeting, Shah is expected to fly to Kannur to offer prayers at the popular Thaliparamba Rajarajeswari Temple around 4 p.m. He is likely to return to Delhi later the same day.

Shah’s visit comes at a politically significant time, with local body elections around the corner. The BJP is expecting a turnout of over 40,000 party workers, especially from the southern districts of the state.

The party is aiming to make inroads in the upcoming elections, particularly in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, where it currently serves as the principal opposition. The CPI(M)-led Left Front is in power, while the Congress-led UDF is in third place.

The BJP has struggled to secure electoral victories in Kerala. It lost its lone Assembly seat in the 2021 elections, which it had won for the first time in 2016. The party, however, scored a breakthrough in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi pulled off a surprise win in Thrissur, relegating the Congress to third place.

The BJP sees the 2025 local body elections as a crucial opportunity to boost both its vote share and seat tally in the state.

In the 2020 local body elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) secured 40.18 per cent of the vote, followed by the United Democratic Front (UDF) with 37.92 per cent, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with 15.02 per cent.

Kerala has a total of 23,612 wards across its local self-government institutions — including Grama Panchayats, Block Panchayats, District Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations.

In 2020, of the 941 Grama Panchayats, the LDF won 514, UDF 321, NDA 19, and others 23. Among 152 Block Panchayats, LDF bagged 108 and UDF 38.

In the 14 District Panchayats, LDF won 11 and UDF 3. Of 87 Municipalities, LDF won 43, UDF 41, and NDA 2. In the 6 Corporations, the LDF controls 5, and the UDF 1.

–IANS

sg/skp

Related Posts

Meghalaya: Crime scene reconstruction sheds more light on killing of Raja Raghuvanshi

Shillong, June 17 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police on Tuesday reconstructed the crime scene as part of their investigations into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.

The murder scene was recreated by the SIT team in Sohra in the presence of the accused Sonam Raghuvanshi and other accused persons.

The East Khasi Hills Police, led by Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, have made significant progress in the investigation into the brutal murder of Raja Raghuvanshi.

A detailed reconstruction of the crime scene was conducted on Tuesday at the Wei Sawdong parking lot, where Raja was attacked and ultimately killed in what officials now believe was a premeditated act rooted in a complex love triangle.

Speaking to reporters, SP Syiem confirmed that Raja Raghuvanshi sustained three severe blows during the assault.

“The first blow, delivered by Vishal, was extremely forceful and proved fatal,” Syiem stated.

“Two sharp weapons were used in the attack. The accused confessed to throwing the weapons away post-crime, and our SDRF team is currently engaged in recovering them.”

According to police, the accused – Vishal, Raj, and Sonam – had scouted multiple locations before settling on the secluded Wei Sawdong area to execute the plan.

The reconstruction of the crime, described by Syiem as “very successful,” offered investigators a clearer understanding of the sequence of events.

“We recreated how the weapon was thrown, and this has given us a very clear picture,” he said.

The postmortem confirmed that Raja died due to sharp weapon injuries to the head, two of which were deemed fatal.

Investigators have also uncovered disturbing details about the involvement of Sonam, who not only witnessed the attack but allegedly instigated it.

“Sonam gave the hint to eliminate Raja,” said Syiem.

“She was nearby during the murder and fled the scene after the first blow. She also destroyed her phone to eliminate digital evidence.”

Initial findings point to a love triangle as the motive behind the murder.

Raja, reportedly an employee in Sonam’s father’s company, had been in a relationship that appears to have soured amidst growing tensions and jealousies.

“Sonam has admitted to the whole scheme,” Syiem revealed.

Raj, another accused, remained in touch with Raja’s family to avoid suspicion in the days following the crime.

While the police have made several key breakthroughs, SP Syiem emphasised that other angles are being explored.

“We are deepening our probe. While the love triangle is a prominent angle, we are not ruling out other motives that may have contributed to this crime,” he said.

The case, which has rocked the serene hills of Meghalaya, continues to unfold with chilling revelations emerging by the day.

–IANS

tdr/dan

CM Omar Abdullah urges officials to take swift action to restore essential services in J&K

Srinagar, Dec 28, (IANS) Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday convened a video conference meeting with all districts across the Union Territory to review snow clearance operations and restoration of essential services following heavy snowfall in Kashmir valley, an official statement said.

The snowfall, which began on Friday has disrupted normal life in many districts across the valley.

During the meeting, Deputy Commissioners presented updates on snow clearance, restoration of power and water supply and emergency response to deal with the inclement weather.

“The Chief Minister directed Deputy Commissioners to personally supervise snow clearance operations, emphasising the need to obtain photographic evidence of cleared areas to ensure thorough removal and prevent freezing road conditions as temperatures drop,” the statement said.

“He called for a proactive approach, urging officials to deploy adequate manpower and machinery on the ground.”

District administrations were instructed to provide two-hourly updates to the CM’s office and the Chief Secretary’s office to keep the government apprised of the situation.

The Chief Engineer of Public Health Engineering (PHE) informed the CM that 90 per cent of the water supply across the valley has been restored, with efforts underway to address the remaining 10 per cent. The Divisional Commissioner of Jammu reported that power and water supply in Jammu districts remain unaffected, while the Chief Secretary confirmed steady progress in restoring electricity feeders and assured that district hospitals are functioning smoothly.

“The Chief Minister stressed the importance of ensuring 100 per cent attendance of doctors and paramedical staff at all district and sub-district hospitals to effectively manage emergencies,” the statement added.

“Special instructions were issued to Deputy Commissioner, Budgam to coordinate with airport authorities to assist stranded tourists and to provide transportation if required.

The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir assured that sufficient stocks of essential commodities, including food and other civil supplies, are available in all districts.

Commending officials for their efforts, the Chief Minister urged them to remain vigilant, proactive, and responsive to the needs of the people during this challenging period.

“He emphasised the importance of seamless coordination and uninterrupted services to mitigate the impact of the snowfall on the public,” the statement further added.

–IANS

zi/kvd

Rahul Gandhi misleading people on Caste Census: BJP leader K Laxman

Bhopal, June 7 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP and national president of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) OBC Morcha, K. Laxman, on Friday accused the Congress of failing to conduct a caste census despite being in power for nearly 60 years.

He targeted the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the people on the caste census issue, and making a false claim that Prime Minister Narendra agreed to conduct the census under pressure.

Laxman, who participated in a workshop of Madhya Pradesh BJP’s OBC Morcha focusing on preparations for the caste census, posed a slew of questions on Congress, especially targeting Rahul Gandhi.

“Congress was in power for nearly 60 years, and three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family became Prime Ministers during that period. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi why the Congress never thought about the caste census,” the BJP leader asked during a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Bhopal.

The BJP leader sought an answer on why the Kaka Kalelkar Commission was opposed by the Congress, and it wasn’t brought into the Parliament for discussion. He also asked why the Congress had opposed the Mandal Commission.

Hitting further at the Opposition, Laxman said that several proposals for reservation for backward class were brought by different committees at different times, but all those proposals were opposed by the then Congress. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the constitutional status to Backward Class Commission. He also made a provision for 11 per cent reservation for OBC children in Kendriya Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools. Besides, he took several other initiatives in the interest of OBC in the past 10 years,” Laxman added.

The meeting organised at BJP headquarters in Bhopal was also attended by Madhya Pradesh BJP leader VD Sharma and several other organisational leaders, especially from the party’s OBC Morcha. This worship was organised two days after the BJP-led Centre announced that the process of the caste census would begin by March 1, 2027. This will be the country’s first digital census, and the first in independent India to include an enumeration of castes as well.

The census will be conducted in two phases from February 28, 2027, and the data will have a reference date of 12 a.m. on March 1, 2027.

–IANS

pd/uk