Imagine the irony: The man responsible for conducting the biggest elections in the world almost never got to vote. When Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla went to vote, he found his name did not figure in the electoral rolls. It seems Chawla wanted his name, and that of his wife and daughter, to be listed in the polling booth in Nirman Bhawan, which houses various government offices. Their names, however, were part of the voters&rsquo; list in another booth and not at Nirman Bhawan.

CEC gets to vote, just about

Business Standard

A host of radio jingles, based on popular Bollywood songs, exhort potential voters not be &lsquo;pappus&rsquo; and go out and vote (the chorus of one jingle, based on the song from Jaane tu ya jaane na, is &lsquo;but pappu doesn&rsquo;t vote, ha ha&rsquo;). The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has decided to pitch in to help the BJP after several years, assured the party that its volunteers had contacted a million voters in the capital to persuade them to vote.

No more &#39;pappus&#39;

Four killed in fourth phase

Weeks of campaigning to persuade people to cast their votes seem to have had little effect on the voters in Delhi today as they barely managed to outdo their counterparts in Mumbai. Just 50 per cent of the electorate in the national capital managed to turn up at the polling booths today as the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections took place in eight states.

Delhiites outdo Mumbaikars

Nandigram remained at the centre of controversy on the polling day in West Bengal as supporters of the ruling CPI(M) were denied access to a large number of booths there allegedly by activists of the opposition Trinamool Congress (TC). Nandigram comes under the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency where CPI(M) strongman Laxman Seth was pitted against Trinamool&rsquo;s Shubendu Adhikary. The CPI(M) alleged that its agents were denied entry in the area and a large number of booths were captured by armed TC supporters. According to estimates by local CPI(M) leaders, at least 90 per cent of the 243 booths in Tamluk were captured by the Trinamool. Since the CPI(M) is not expecting to mop up a lead of not more than 30,000 votes from all other Assembly segments under the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency, it might have a devastating consequence on the poll outcome of Tamluk for the party.

Minor violence in Nandigram, Singur sees large turnout

Clearing the air, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s olive branch to the Left for a post-poll tie-up did not hurt the alliance between the two parties in West Bengal.

Rahul's offer to Left didn't hurt Cong-TC alliance: Mamata

Press Trust of India

His speech at a well-attended public meeting here didn&rsquo;t even mention the Sri Lankan crisis &mdash; an issue which rival Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and even some of his allies are belabouring daily. Instead, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat focused on economic woes and power cuts to retain his party&rsquo;s hold over this industrial hub of Coimbatore.

Karat talks economy to retain Left hold over Coimbatore

In the midst of the din of the Lok Sabha elections, a mere by-election &mdash; for the Jamtara Assembly seat in Jharkhand &mdash; has not attracted much attention. But it could change the terms of the state&rsquo;s politics.

A by-poll may change course of Jharkhand politics

The textile city of Punjab is weaving a contest in which the Congress will meet its past, as the two main rivals of the party candidate here are former Congressmen.

Congress meeting its past in Ludhiana

In an ultimatum to Mulayam Singh Yadav over the Azam Khan issue, SP leader Amar Singh has threatened to quit the party after the Lok Sabha polls, accusing the Muslim leader of making &quot;intolerable utterances&quot; against him.

Amar threatens to quit SP over Azam Khan issue

RJD President Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan, who have voiced resentment over Congress overtures to JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, have decided to keep away from the meeting of the Union Cabinet today.

Lalu, Paswan to skip cabinet meeting

P Chidambaram is sure that his work in the government would help him breeze through this election, but his rivals are gnawing through his achievements saying he did nothing to ease the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Chidambaram sure of win; rivals play up Lankan Tamils plight

Principal Home secretary Afzal Amanullah told reporters that adequate security arrangements have been made for the repoll in 70 booths spread over Sasaram, Karakat, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya Lok Sabha constituencies.

Repoll in 70 Bihar booths tomorrow

With the final phase of the general elections approaching on May 13, the income-tax department is gearing up to scrutinise all the income and assets details filed by the candidates before the Election Commission.

Taxmen to take I-T returns of poll candidates under scanner

BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today exuded confidence that his party would go far ahead of the Congress and emerge as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP would emerge as the single largest party : Advani

BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik to play important role in formation of non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls, says CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat.

NEWSALERT: Naveen to play key role in non-Cong, non-BJP govt: Karat

The Orissa chief minister and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik today exuded confidence that his party will get the required majority to form a stable government in the state.

We are going to form stable govt in Orissa: Naveen

Advertising gets a new meaning after the EC banned cutouts in public places.

TN campaigns shrink to order

I awoke on polling day to see the newspaper filled with exhortations to vote. From celebrities urging fans to exercise their rights, to dubious discounts for people with the black mark on their fingers in a Delhi water-park (and what does having a good splash have to do with being a good citizen?) &mdash; there was little other news on the first few pages of my daily.

Geetanjali Krishna: Voter IDs that aren't IDs

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s recent appreciation of the development work done by the party&rsquo;s political rivals has not gone down well with those whom the Congress hopes to ally after May 16 when a new government is to be formed.

Rahul Gandhi remark sours TC-Cong ties

Subrata Mukherjee, working president of the West Bengal unit of the Congress party, is a worried man. Though a veteran in the state Legislative Assembly, this time he contested from the Bankura Lok Sabha constituency, which went to the polls on April 30. But his worries have nothing to do with the possible outcome of the polls.

'Alliance with TC has made Cong redundant in south Bengal'

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Visit Business Standard for the latest updated information on the general election results 2024, including the candidate lists for the BJP and Congress, Lok Sabha Election Dates, Exit Polls, Opinion Polls, and Election Results.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Election Results News, PM Candidates, Narendra Modi | General Election

Visit Business Standard for the latest updated information on the general election results 2024, including the candidate lists for the BJP and Congress, Lok Sabha Election Dates, Exit Polls, Opinion Polls, and Election Results.

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