Election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Cooch Behar district on Sunday to launch the BJP's campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections, a senior party leader said. Modi is scheduled to address the BJP's 'Bijoy Sankalpa Sabha' at the historic Ras Mela grounds in the afternoon, marking the start of the party's intensified outreach in north Bengal, with the aim of consolidating grassroots support in a region that has become a saffron stronghold over the years and a critical electoral battlefield. During the rally, the PM is expected to outline the party's vision for a "developed West Bengal", highlight issues raised in the BJP's recently released 'People's Chargesheet' against the ruling TMC in the state, and focus on governance, law and order, and alleged corruption. This will be Modi's first election rally in the state, following the declaration of assembly polls, and the fourth public meeting at the Ras Mela grounds, after his previous rallies at the same venue during his .

BJP's Kerala chief outlines poll strategy, targets ldf-udf rule, pushes development agenda, jobs plan and minority outreach while seeking mandate to form government in state

The Assam government declared a public holiday on April 9 as assembly polls are scheduled on that day, according to notifications. The public holiday has been declared under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, according to a notification issued by the General Administration Department's Commissioner and Secretary, MS Manivann. All government and non-government offices, urban local bodies, educational institutions, business and commercial establishments, including banks, will remain closed on that day, according to the notification. Another notification issued by the Labour Welfare Department said April 9 will be a paid holiday in all factories, tea plantations, shops and public entertainment or amusement establishments. Polling for the 126-member assembly will be held on that day, with the counting of votes scheduled on May 4.

Thailand's incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul won a vote in Parliament on Thursday to remain in office, according to an official tally. The leader of the Bhumjaithai Party garnered 293 votes, exceeding the required majority of the 498 members who attended the session in the House of Representatives. Anutin is expected to take office a few days after obtaining a formal appointment from King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the new cabinet is expected to be appointed in the following weeks. Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party won 191 seats in February's general election, according to official results, and has since built a coalition with several other parties to form a governing majority. Among those partners is the populist Pheu Thai Party, which placed third with 74 seats. The progressive People's Party, which finished second with 120 seats, has said it will not join the Bhumjaithai-led government. Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut received 119 votes after being nominated in what the

Balendra Shah's party won a landslide in the election that followed Nepal's Gen Z revolution. His style is pugnacious

Mr Shah, popularly known as Balen, rode a wave of GenZ discontent to defeat four-time former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli

China on Monday said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's massive victory in the midterm polls, a result widely seen as fuelled by public resentment over Beijing's strong opposition to her, reflects some deep-seated structural problems and shifting ideological currents. Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party won more than two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday's election. The election results in Japan reflected some deep-seated structural problems as well as evolving trends of ideological currents, which deserve profound reflection by visionary individuals from all walks of life in Japan and the international community at large, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters. He was replying to a question at a media briefing here whether Beijing's tough stance toward Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan, persisting with diplomatic tension, influenced the outcome of elections in her favour. China never interferes in the internal affairs of other .

Takaichi's ruling coalition secures supermajority in lower house; Japan's first female leader gambled on rare winter snap election

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not endorse elections in military-ruled Myanmar, Malaysia's foreign minister said Tuesday, citing concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation. Myanmar's military-backed political party appeared headed for a parliamentary majority after the second round of voting earlier this month in the country's first general election since the army ousted a civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover triggered widespread opposition that has grown into a civil war. Human rights and opposition groups say the polls were neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimise its rule. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Parliament that ASEAN leaders decided at their summit in October not to send observers to Myanmar because conditions for a credible election were not met, though some member countries chose to do so individually. Myanmar's Information Ministry said last month that ASEAN .

Around half the electorate voted in the BMC and 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra, with exit polls projecting a Mahayuti alliance win in Mumbai as counting is set for Friday

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which runs roads, water supply, healthcare and infrastructure, is India's richest civic body and a major political power centre

The Election Commission on Saturday appointed four more Special Roll Observers (SROs) for West Bengal to strengthen supervision of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Those named as SROs were Ratan Biswas, Vikas Singh, Sandeep Rewaji Rathod and Dr Shailesh, according to a notification. "The SROs will closely monitor the revision and verification exercises and ensure strict adherence to statutory instructions," an official said. "The SROs were appointed to ensure transparency, accuracy and uniform implementation of instructions related to electoral rolls. They will independently review the process on the ground and flag any deviations for immediate corrective action," he added. Besides SROs, the EC has appointed observers at multiple levels to oversee the SIR exercise. "The focus is on strengthening public confidence in the integrity of the electoral rolls," the official said. The appointments will take effect immediately and remain in force until furt

The parental mapping of 70 per cent voters in Jharkhand with that of the 2003 electoral rolls when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was last held has been completed, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), K Ravi Kumar, said on Saturday. Kumar asked the officials to prioritise the mapping of voters in urban areas. The CEO held a meeting with district election officers (DEO), electoral registration officers (ERO), assistant electoral registration officers (AERO) and deputy election officers on Saturday to assess the pre-revision exercise of the proposed SIR. He said the parental mapping of 70 per cent of voters of the current voter list with that of the 2003 electoral rolls has been completed. Kumar asked the officials to organise camps in government offices to train all officers and employees for mapping. He said that voters who came from outside the state should be mapped with the voter list of the previous SIR of their respective states, and their names should be entered in the ...

More than 3.67 crore voter names have been omitted from draft electoral rolls after the second round of the Special Intensive Revision. The deletions span 11 states and Union Territories

Bangladesh has been rocked by protests and political tension after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key leader of the July uprising and an election candidate, who succumbed to gunshot injuries in Sin

Speaking at the conclave, RPSG Group Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said that over the last 15 years, the group has invested Rs 26,500 crore in the state

Following the SIR, the draft roll is expected to include around 70 million voters, down from nearly 76 million electors listed before the SIR

The project, named Dasnac Westminster, will be developed on a 1.94-acre plot and will comprise 264 premium apartments

Ukrainian officials were expected to hand their latest peace proposals to United States negotiators Wednesday, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also said Ukraine would be ready for elections within three months if partners can guarantee a safe vote during wartime and if its electoral law can be altered. Zelenskyy was responding to comments by US President Donald Trump in which he questioned Ukraine's democracy and suggested the Ukrainian leader was using the war as an excuse not to hold an election. Zelenskyy told reporters late Tuesday that he is ready for an election but would need help from the US and possibly Europe to ensure security for a vote to happen. He suggested that Ukraine could be ready to hold balloting in 60 to 90 days if that proviso is met. To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security how to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks; and a question regarding our military how they would vote, Zelenskyy .

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday said the booth-level agents appointed by political parties will be provided with a list of dead, shifted and dead voters before the publication of the draft voters' list in the 12 states and Union territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is underway. The draft electoral rolls in these nine states and three Union territories will be published on December 16. The EC said the chief electoral officers (CEOs) of the 12 states and Union territories have been asked to share a booth-wise list of absent, shifted and dead or duplicate voters with the booth-level agents (BLAs). These are the voters with whom the booth-level officers (BLOs) could not establish contact despite three attempts. The EC had followed a similar procedure during the Bihar SIR.