Indian Election Highlights, March 12: PM Modi Unveils Railway Projects Worth 85,000 Crores, Calls It 'A Landmark Day For Indian Railways,' And More

Tuesday, March 12 witnessed significant developments in the Indian election campaign: PM Modi inaugurated the Vande Bharat Express, while the BJP reshuffled Haryana's leadership amid coalition tensions. Rahul Gandhi's Congress pledged a caste census and unveiled its Lok Sabha candidate list, featuring political legacies. Additionally, the State Bank of India complied with a Supreme Court directive on electoral bond data, signaling a push for electoral transparency amidst evolving political landscapes.

The 12th of March witnessed significant Indian political developments: PM Modi inaugurated the Vande Bharat Express, while the BJP reshuffled Haryana's leadership amid coalition tensions. Rahul Gandhi's Congress pledged a caste census and unveiled its Lok Sabha candidate list, featuring political legacies. Additionally, the State Bank of India complied with a Supreme Court directive on electoral bond data, signaling a push for electoral transparency amidst evolving political landscapes.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pledged to conduct a caste census and an economic survey if his party comes to power. Emphasizing on ensuring proportional development for tribals, he vowed to strengthen laws like the Forest Rights Act and Land Acquisition Act, criticizing the BJP for allegedly weakening them and denying tribals access to forests.

Additionally, Gandhi promised legislation to guarantee Minimum Support Price for agricultural and forest produce during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Nayab Singh Saini as the new Chief Minister of Haryana following Manohar Lal Khattar's resignation amid tensions with the alliance partner, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), over seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Saini took oath along with other ministers, including Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Mool Chand Sharma, Jai Parkash Dalal, and Independent MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala.

The BJP, with 41 MLAs in the 90-member House and support from independents, formed the government after dissolving the cabinet. Khattar's resignation fueled speculation of his candidacy for the Lok Sabha polls. Central BJP leaders oversaw the developments in Haryana, indicating significant political shifts in the state.

The Congress party released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, featuring the sons of prominent leaders Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot. Among the 43 candidates announced, Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, will contest from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, while Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will run from Jalore. Gaurav Gogoi, son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, will stand for reelection from Jorhat.

Additionally, the party nominated Harish Meena, Rajasthan's former police chief, to contest from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, along with Rahul Kaswa from Churu and Brijendra Ola from Jhunjhunu.

Following a landmark Supreme Court order, the State Bank of India (SBI) has reportedly submitted all data regarding electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI), complying with the court's directives. The ECI confirmed the receipt of the data via a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), stating that it will collate and release the information by 5 pm Friday, as mandated by the court.

This development comes after the apex court rejected an SBI plea for an extension to the deadline, accusing the bank of willful disobedience and warning of potential contempt proceedings. Despite SBI's arguments about the time needed to collect and cross-check data stored in separate "silos," the court maintained that donor details were readily available.

The Supreme Court's previous verdict had declared the electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional and instructed SBI to disclose all associated data by March 6, with the ECI tasked to make it public by March 13.