CPI(M) today ruled out return of Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee into the party fold, saying &quot;the reason for which he was expelled still exists.

CPI(M) rules out return of Somnath in party

Press Trust of India

Exuding confidence that Third Front will be able to form government at the Centre, CPI today said it will neither support formation of a Congress-led government nor allow BJP to take advantage of the situation.

CPI confident of forming alternative govt at Centre

Terming exit polls as &quot;politically inspired&quot;, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh today said such projections cannot predict the fate of political parties as the results often prove otherwise.

Exit polls politically inspired: Amar Singh

Election Commission's efforts of setting up polling booths at high altitude districts of Lahual and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba in Himachal Pradesh have paid off with over 70 per cent voting recorded in these areas.

High altitude districts of HP register high polling of 70%

Dismissing as unrealistic the projections of exit polls, NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav today said the BJP-led alliance would get majority in the Lok Sabha.

Exit polls unrealistic, says NDA

Elaborate security arrangements have been made here for the May 16 counting of votes for 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Elaborate security arrangements in UP for counting day

As the Supreme Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to revoke charges under the NSA against Varun Gandhi, Congress today alleged the young BJP leader and BSP government had indulged in &quot;vote bank politics.

Varun & UP govt indulged in vote bank politics: Cong

Welcoming the Supreme Court order asking the UP government to revoke NSA against Varun Gandhi, BJP today said invocation of this provision was an act of vendetta on the part of BSP and the Congress.

BJP welcomes SC order on Varun Gandhi

With exit polls predicting a fractured verdict, Fourth Front leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan today discussed the future course of action for government formation at the Centre.

Mulayam, Paswan discuss Fourth Front's post-poll strategy

BJP top brass today held a meeting under the leadership of its prime ministerial candidate L K Advani to do some &quot;stock-taking&quot; after the final phase of polling got over and to chalk out a strategy for wooing prospective allies to form the next government.

BJP top brass holds meeting under Advani

Reaching out to estranged allies, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has spoken to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan apparently over government formation after the election results are out on Saturday.

Sonia reaches out to estranged allies

With the prospect of a hung Parliament when every MP counts in the process of government formation at the Centre, NDA is seeking to woo the Sikkim Democratic Front.

NDA seeks to woo Chamling

BJP today sought to junk TV exit polls that gave UPA an edge in the Lok Sabha elections and claimed that it would bag the maximum seats in the Lok Sabha polls and the NDA would emerge as the &quot;most credible pre-poll alliance.

NDA would emerge as "most credible pre-poll alliance": BJP

The Orissa council of ministers today recommended the dissolution of the Orissa Legislative Assembly (OLA) to the state governor M C Bhandare.

Naveen recommends dissolution of 13th state assembly

Business Standard

Post the Lok Shabha elections, chopper services are starting operations to Kedarnath and other religious shrines in Uttarakhand.

Chopper services to Chardham begins

Know where Mintokang is? Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan does &mdash; now. It is in Gangtok and that&rsquo;s where he had to travel to have dinner with Sikkim Chief Minister PK Chamling to assure him of the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), should he need it to form the government in Sikkim, which had elections to the Assembly along with the Lok Sabha.

Let the bargaining begin...

Now that the elections are over, most candidates are getting a well-earned rest. For various party spokespersons, however, the work&rsquo;s just begun and most of them are seen hopping from one television channel to the other arguing that their formations will come to power, picking holes in various exit polls, and so on. The other day, 20 BJP leaders were huddled in a room inside the party headquarters, taking tips from Arun Jaitley on how to make the most of television debates.

Look into the camera

A decade ago, the CPI(M) Politbureau didn&rsquo;t let Jyoti Basu become the country&rsquo;s prime minister, something that he later called a historic mistake. This time round, the party&rsquo;s leaders are trying to invoke regional sentiments. So, while campaigning in North Bengal, politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, &ldquo;The BJP can&rsquo;t give you a Bengali Prime Minister.

Historical correction

Even as the stakes are being weighed on who would form the next government, management experts feel that if Congress-led government is formed at the Centre, social welfare sector will get a major thrust while a BJP-led government will mean more impetus to industrial reforms. The equations would take change completely in case a third front forms the government.

Cong for social welfare, BJP for industrial reforms: experts

Attributed to use of EVMs and judicious use of paramilitary and police forces.

India sees its least violent elections

&quot;Everything is fluid,&quot; said NCP leader Praful Patel as political leaders confabulated with one-time allies, friends and foes hoping to bring them on to their side.

Parties begin hectic parleys on eve of counting

Lok Sabha Elections News: Get the latest news and updates on Lok Sabha election in 2024. Stay tuned for Special Reports, Videos & Photos of General Elections 2024 on Business Standard.

Lok Sabha Elections News, General Election 2024 News, Election Photos and Videos | Business Standard

Get the latest news and updates on Lok Sabha election in 2024. Stay tuned for Special Reports, Videos & Photos of General Elections 2024 on Business Standard.

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