
Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh and Opposition Member of Parliament Ketan Lal, who were both at the COP 29 meeting in Baku have exchanged harsh words on social media. Mr Lal stated despite pushing his way into the delegation at the last minute, after it had already been finalized, Mr Charan’s presence in Azerbaijan added little value to Fiji’s efforts. “He traveled in business class, with stopovers in Sydney and Dubai, all at the expense of taxpayers, yet only managed to attend two side events during the entire trip in Baku Azerbaijan,” said Mr Lal. “Even more troubling is that his speeches at these events were written by the same hardworking staff who were tirelessly negotiating on Fiji’s behalf until the early hours of the morning.” Mr Lal claimed Mr Singh was “lost and found” during the whole conference. “This is a blatant misuse of government funds and resources. Minister Charan not only wasted taxpayers’ money but also collected a hefty allowance for what amounted to a ceremonial appearance.” Mr Singh also posted a rebuttal on social media, stating “I am not like you here as a lapdog of another political party wasting Fiji’s taxpayers fund.” “By the way I didn’t even hear you on any side events at this COP29.” “You should be ashamed of traveling on the strength of Peoples Alliance majority led Government.’ “Please refund all your air ticket and per diem claims to the state if you walk your talk.”The beginning of the end? A look back on the King's 2024
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AU Deals: Pay Low Coins for Super Mario and Reduced Rupees for a Zelda, Hot Humble Bundles, and More!1 2 Jaipur: BJP achieved a decisive triumph in the Rajasthan assembly bypolls on Saturday, winning five of seven seats and solidifying the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the party's face in the bypoll campaign. The results delivered a major blow to Congress, which managed to secure just one seat and suffered humiliating defeats in the remaining six constituencies. Congress finished third in four of these six. BJP won Jhunjhunu, Deoli-Uniara, and Ramgarh, wresting the three from Congress, and Khinvsar, from Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. The ruling party retained Salumber, increasing its strength in the state assembly from 114 to 119 in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly. Congress managed to retain only Dausa, where former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot has a significant influence. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue Beyond the numbers, bypoll results highlighted the diminishing influence of key political families in Rajasthan. In Dausa, BJP's Jagmohan Meena, Cabinet minister Kirori Lal Meena's brother, lost, denting Kirori's stature within the saffron party. In Jhunjhunu, Amit Ola, a member of the influential Ola family that lost just three elections since 1980, faced defeat in his first electoral contest. In Khinvsar, RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal's wife Kanika Beniwal lost, signalling an existential crisis for the Jat leader's party, which is now entirely unrepresented in the state legislature. BJP state president Madan Rathore attributed the party's decisive victory to the chief minister and party workers' persistent efforts. The CM conducted a series of meetings with first-time ministers and party members to address internal dissent swiftly on some of the seats. BJP's win in constituencies like Ramgarh, Jhunjhunu, and Deoli-Uniara was attributed to effective management of rebel leaders such as Jai Ahuja, Bablu Choudhary, and Vijay Baisla. To this effect, the bypoll win was a resounding success for Sharma, who ably pacified rebels and consolidated their support at a time when BJP senior functionaries like former CM Vasundhara Raje and former LoP Rajendra Rathore were notably sidelined from the election process, including in candidate selection and campaign strategy formulation. On a broader canvas, BJP's defeat in Dausa is also likely to impact Cabinet minister Kirori Lal Meena's "unrestrained style" of work. The loss in Dausa put the spotlight on his resignation as cabinet minister, after he took the blame for the party's Lok Sabha losses in Dausa, Bharatpur, and Tonk-Sawai Madhopur. Even Congress, despite its embarrassing performance, targeted BJP for the latter's loss in Dausa. PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasra said, "BJP may have won more seats, but it lost moral ground in these polls." "In Dausa, the entire govt machinery was deployed and cabinet minister Kirori Lal Meena dedicated himself solely to campaigning for his brother. Even CM Bhajan Lal Sharma attended the candidate's nomination and led a roadshow. Despite this and resorting to booth capturing, the BJP failed to secure victory in Dausa," Dotasra alleged. In Jhunjhunu, Gehlot's former minister Rajendra Gudha, who ran as an independent, siphoned off critical Rajput, Muslim, and Dalit votes, securing 38,751 votes, ensuring the defeat of Congress candidate Amit Ola. "The seat, vacated after Brijendra Ola's recent Lok Sabha victory, was expected to remain a Congress stronghold but turned into an unexpected loss. The party failed to address demands for a Muslim candidate, leading to a shift in community votes to Gudha, who campaigned extensively in Muslim-dominated areas," a party insider said. The Congress' dependence on MPs like Harish Meena (Tonk-Sawai Madhopur) and Brijendra Ola (Jhunjhunu) for candidate selection proved costly. Harish Meena's strong opposition to party rebel Naresh Meena, who contested as an independent and secured second place in Deoli-Uniara, and Brijendra Ola's overconfidence in fielding his son as a candidate, despite severe opposition, contributed to the loss of two crucial seats. The Congress tally in the state assembly dropped from 69 to 66, raising concerns about Party president Dotasra. "Dotasra's failure to strategise effectively with BAP and RLP left Congress directionless in this election," remarked a party functionary. The 14-month-old Bhartiya Adivasi Party (BAP) managed to retain its stronghold in Chorasi while narrowly losing Salumber, maintaining its overall strength in the Rajasthan assembly to four. Banswara MP and BAP founder Rajkumar Roat expressed disappointment over the missed opportunity in Salumber, attributing to the lack of Congress support. "Had Congress supported us in Salumber, our candidate would have won by a good margin," Roat told TOI.