Visakhapatnam, Jan 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan held a huge roadshow here on Thursday evening.

The three leaders were standing in an open-top flower-bedecked vehicle waving at people lined up on both sides of the road. The roadshow began at Venkatadri Vantillu restaurant area in Siripuram Junction and concluded at Andhra University Engineering College ground, where the Prime Minister will address the public meeting after launching various development projects.

Hundreds of people, who were waiting for several hours, lustily cheered as the three leaders waved at them. Many were seen showering petals towards the vehicle as security personnel kept a tight vigil on the crowd.

BJP MP and party’s state president D. Purandeswari was also seen standing behind the Prime Minister during the roadshow held for about 1.5 km. Flags of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena and BJP were seen along the roadshow route. All three coalition partners mobilised a large number of people from various parts of north Andhra. Cultural programmes, reflecting the culture of north Andhra, were also organised during the roadshow.

Earlier, Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and senior officials accorded a warm welcome to the Prime Minister on his arrival. On his first visit to Andhra Pradesh after the TDP-led NDA formed the government in the State, the Prime Minister will virtually launch several major projects aimed at driving sustainable growth and infrastructure development, with a particular focus on North Andhra Pradesh.

He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore. This is Narendra Modi’s second visit to Andhra Pradesh after assuming office as the Prime Minister for the third term. In June last year, he had attended the swearing-in of Chandrababu Naidu and his ministers in Vijayawada. The Prime Minister was scheduled to visit Visakhapatnam on November 29 but the programme was postponed due to cyclone alert.

New Delhi: With an eye on the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, Congress on Wednesday announced ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’, promising to provide Rs 25 lakh health cover per family.

The announcement was made at a press conference by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here.

Gehlot termed the scheme a “game changer” in Delhi “…We have given a lot of coverage to the health… ‘Jeevan Raksha Yojana’ of the Delhi government will be similar to ‘Chiranjeevi Yojana’ of the Rajasthan government…I am happy that I got the opportunity to launch this scheme here,” the senior congress leader told reporters later.

“…The health insurance scheme of Rajasthan has been very successful and in Delhi we will do the same. It provides benefit to all whereas Ayushman Bharat has its limitations…,” he told reporters.

He also expressed optimism about the state polls, “…The situation in Delhi has changed now. Congress is doing a better campaign and this time, the results will be different.” Later Delhi Congress unit reposted a tweet by Vaibhav Walia, Secretary Communications, Indian National Congress,” Congress launched the second guarantee for Delhi elections today.

Every Delhiite will get free medical insurance cover of Rs 25 lakhs when Congress comes to power.” https://x.com/vbwalia/status/1876912357265518712 “In recent elections across the country, the Congress has started a new model of governance which caters to the welfare of each and every citizen with a special focus on the underprivileged sections.,” it added.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai claimed that the former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit had served the people of the National Capital, unlike her successor, Arvind Kejriwal.

Speaking on the upcoming Delhi assembly polls, Rai told media on Wednesday, “You have seen that in Delhi, Congress has always remained strong. Sheila Dikshit did so much work in Delhi, while Kejriwal did not do anything. This time we will see a change in Delhi which will be in favour of Congress…”

The Delhi assembly polls will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.

The last date for filing nominations is January 17. The date for scrutiny of nominations is January 18. While last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20.

New Delhi, Jan 8: The political tension in Delhi escalated on Wednesday as the BJP intensified its attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the ongoing ‘bungalow for CM’ controversy. The BJP’s state president, Virendra Sachdeva, raised pointed questions directed at Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, sarcastically asking, “Toh aakhir iss devi ko kitne bungalow chahiye?”

Speaking to Media, Sachdeva demanded clarity on the issue, asking, “Whose bungalow is this? This government residence where ‘Atishi’ is written — whose bungalow is it?

“If it was allotted to her, why is she asking for ‘Sheesh Mahal’? If it was being given to her, why didn’t she accept it earlier? How many bungalows does a Chief Minister need in Delhi? She lives in Kalkaji, yet refuses to reveal who occupies this one. Even locals are tight-lipped, though posters outside point to its occupant. So how many bungalows does this ‘devi’ need? We want an answer.”

Sachdeva further reacted to BJP leaders’ calls to turn the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ into a museum, suggesting, “I have said that the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ should be declared a museum of corruption. If the BJP forms the government in Delhi, no BJP Chief Minister will stay in that Sheesh Mahal.”

As Delhi Assembly elections near, the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ and ‘bungalow for CM’ controversy is becoming a central issue in the political debate.

The AAP has retaliated by dubbing the Prime Minister’s residence as the ‘Raj Mahal,’ accusing the BJP of overspending on it with a budget of Rs 2,700 crore.

This back-and-forth between ‘Sheesh Mahal’ and ‘Raj Mahal’ reflects the fierce political rivalry, with the AAP-led by Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP, and the Congress all gearing up for the February 5 elections.

The latest drama unfolded when AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj, were stopped by the police from entering the Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence.

The AAP had invited the media to tour the premises in an effort to counter the BJP’s criticisms of the Chief Minister’s residence. With only a month left before the Delhi Assembly elections, the political war over ‘Sheesh Mahal’, ‘Raj Mahal,’ and the fight for the capital continues to heat up.