Kumar Uttam covers politics and public affairs. He has been a journalist for 15 years.
Articles by Kumar Uttam
BJP’s mission 2019: Win more seats than 2014, focus on Modi govt’s achievements, says Amit Shah
Amit Shah asked the party not to fret about the opposition grand alliance in the making, noting that the BJP had individually defeated each of its prospective constituents in past elections.
Updated on Sep 09, 2018 01:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
BJP chief ministers’ meeting to be held today; PM Modi, Amit Shah to be present
BJP sources said the conference of chief ministers has assumed added significance due to the upcoming assembly elections in three states and the Lok Sabha polls and these would be likely discussed in the day-long meeting.
Updated on Aug 28, 2018 07:57 AM IST
New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
2019 Lok Sabha elections: BJP wants pre-poll pact in Tamil Nadu by October
Tamil Nadu is set to witness a multi-cornered contest with two main regional players – the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the DMK – and over half a dozen other smaller parties vying for the 39 Lok Sabha seats.
Updated on Aug 27, 2018 07:24 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Focus on government schemes in BJP’s Dalit outreach
The beneficiary conferences will take place at the district, state and national levels, last of which are proposed in Uttar Pradesh.
Updated on Aug 23, 2018 09:37 AM IST
New Delhi, Hindustan Times | Kumar Uttam
BJP war room in every state to prepare for 2019 Lok Sabha election
Named ‘state contact centres’, in each state Capital in the country, they will feed region-specific data to the central war room that has come up at the BJP’s former headquarters on 11, Ashoka Road in Lutyens’ Delhi.
Updated on Aug 20, 2018 08:58 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Vajpayee’s personal charisma paved way for BJP’s electoral successes
The BJP was born at an executive meeting called at New Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla grounds with Vajpayee as its first president and LK Advani, Sikander Bakht and Suraj Bhan as its general secretaries.
Updated on Aug 17, 2018 07:35 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Narendra Modi: From aggressive opponent to restless leader
Crowned prime minister in 2014, Modi faces another national election next year. On Wednesday morning, he presented a report card of the last four-and-a-half years and touched upon issues he raised in 2013.
Updated on Aug 16, 2018 01:06 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Parliament should be home of healthy debate, not disruption: Rajya Sabha deputy chairman
Harivansh, a Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member, was elected deputy chairman of the Upper House on Friday. He spoke to Hindustan Times
Published on Aug 14, 2018 07:03 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam and Prashant Jha
Taking no-trust vote head on paved way for smooth monsoon session: Ministers
The Telugu Desam Party sponsored no-trust motion, which the Congress and some others supported, was admitted on July 18 and a vote happened on 20.
Published on Aug 10, 2018 11:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Phone calls to allies, team to execute plan: How NDA won the Rajya Sabha battle
The aim was straightforward: ensure the NDA stayed together; get as many non-committal parties on to the ruling side; and ensure that those who could not vote for the NDA abstained.
Updated on Aug 09, 2018 11:43 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman election: NDA’s Harivansh a journalist who took up social cause
Janata Dal (United) leader Harivansh wore many hats — editor, author, bank official, public servant — before making his debut as Rajya Sabha MP in April 2014.
Published on Aug 09, 2018 01:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
PM’s phone call to Naveen Patnaik signals thaw in frosty BJP-BJD relations
The BJD‘s likely support to NDA candidate in the election for Rajya Sabha deputy chairman is the third sign in recent weeks of a new warmth in the otherwise frosty relationship between Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s party and the BJP.
Updated on Aug 09, 2018 08:39 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Wives of BJP MPs enter election mode at special workshop
The broad message from the event was that the wives should start building relationships with voters and party leaders and also spread word on the work done by the government.
Updated on Aug 04, 2018 10:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam, New Delhi
Modi, Shah to brainstorm on 2019 election with BJP chief ministers on Aug 28
The chief ministers of 15 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states will meet in New Delhi for a day-long brainstorming session on August 28 to discuss the political situation
Updated on Aug 04, 2018 07:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Four major challenges facing BJP after citizens’ draft list leaves out 40 lakh
Almost one out of four million people excluded from the NRC list include Bengali Hindus. The BJP will look to pacify this bloc for they not only maintain demographic balance in Lower Assam and Barak valley, but also to calm frayed nerves in Bengali Hindu-majority Bengal and Tripura.
Updated on Aug 03, 2018 02:23 PM IST
HT Correspondent, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Move to reset SC/ST law helps BJP stave off Opposition
The LJP, headed by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, was at the forefront of protests recently, and had demanded a bill be brought before a nationwide protest given by Dalit groups on August 9.
Updated on Aug 02, 2018 12:02 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
BJP yatras a key poll strategy ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, all ruled by the BJP, will vote in November-December to elect a new government, and West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, are the ‘greenfield’ states where the BJP expects to make major gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls
Updated on Jul 29, 2018 11:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
BJP’s old Ashoka Road headquarters to be new poll ‘war room’
A BJP leader, on condition of anonymity, said that there is a feeling among some members of the party that the new HQ has not been lucky for it and that the war room for 2019 shouldn’t be located there.
Updated on Jul 26, 2018 08:31 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Moushumi Das Gupta & Kumar Uttam
No-confidence motion moved in Lok Sabha: BJD walks out, Shiv Sena boycotts
Top leaders of the two parties, including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, will take part in the debate which will conclude with a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
7 things to know about the no-confidence motion against Modi govt today
The motion, to be moved by the Telugu Desam Party, is supported by the Congress, the CPI(M) and other opposition parties.
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 06:01 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Modi govt confident of sailing through no-confidence motion, seeks to make a statement
BJP president Amit Shah met BJP floor leaders in the Lok Sabha and asked them to ensure maximum attendance on Friday for the no-confidence motion. He also spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and expects the ally to vote with the NDA.
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 10:34 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
How the numbers stack up for no-trust vote against Modi government
The no-confidence motion has the support of the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a bitter rival of the TMC, among others.
Updated on Jul 19, 2018 11:11 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Surprise Opposition: PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah’s strategy behind Friday’s no-confidence motion
The government apparently wants the no-confidence motion to be wrapped up quickly so that the remaining days of the monsoon session could be devoted to getting important bills passed.
Updated on Jul 19, 2018 06:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
As Amit Shah tours different states, BJP general secretaries to follow up on his visits
The BJP general secretaries will submit status reports on targets set for different states to the party on a regular basis until the next Lok Sabha election in 2019.
Updated on Jul 17, 2018 09:08 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
BJP may appoint an OBC leader as party chief in Uttar Pradesh
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is considering another change of guard in Uttar Pradesh, and may appoint an Other Backward Class (OBC) politician as the party’s president
Updated on Jul 15, 2018 09:53 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Actors to sport stars: Who BJP aims to field as 2019 election candidates
2019 Lok Sabha election: Prominent Bollywood names including actors Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher and Nana Patekar might be fielded by the BJP which is looking at winning seats it hasn’t been able to before.
Updated on Jul 15, 2018 10:42 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Eye on 2019: BJP begins screening process, several MPs may not make cut
Last month, a survey was started on the NaMo App to elicit public feedback on how people rated their elected representative such as Lok Sabha members, a BJP leader said.
Updated on Jul 13, 2018 11:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
‘PM contender’ Mayawati tapping regional parties across India for tie-ups before 2019 election
BSP chief Mayawati has a pact with Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka and Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana, and recently discussed a tie-up with former CM Ajit Jogi’s Chhattisgarh Janta Congress. She is also keen to partner Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.
Published on Jul 13, 2018 07:26 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Mayawati, Ajit Jogi discuss tie-up for Chhattisgarh elections
An alliance between the two in Chhattisgarh would replicate the experiment in Karnataka, where Mayawati had a pre-poll tie-up with the Janata Dal(S).
Published on Jul 05, 2018 11:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam
Ahead of 2019, BJP eyes electoral gains with decision to hike MSP for crops
A BJP leader said the MSP hike was highest in recent times, and would benefit farmers, including those in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that go to polls in December this year.
Published on Jul 04, 2018 11:08 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Kumar Uttam