Page 17 - Election Campaign

Today marks last day of campaigning for 1st phase of Gujarat Assembly polls

The campaigning for the first phase of elections in 89 out of the total 182 seats in Gujarat will end on Tuesday. Elections for the first phase will be held on December 1. Voting for the remaining 93 seats will be held on December 5. Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda and Union minister Smriti Irani will on Tuesday campaign in Bhavnagar and Gandhidham (Kutch district), respectively, for the BJP candidates contesting in the first phase. Among notable candidates in the first phase is Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief ministerial face Isudan Gadhvi, who is contesting from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district. Former Gujarat minister Parshottam Solanki, six-time MLA Kunwarji Bavaliya, Morbi 'hero' Kantilal Amrutiya, Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja's wife Rivaba and Gujarat AAP president Gopal Italia are also among the prominent candidates in the fray for the first phase of the state Assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nadda and

Congress complains against PM for 'misuse' of children in Gujarat campaign

The Congress on Tuesday filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for using children for their political campaign in the run up to the Gujarat assembly polls. The complaint was filed by the Congress' social media department chairperson Supriya Shrinate to the chairman of the NCPCR Priyank Kanoongo, after the prime minister shared a video in which a girl was seen speaking about BJP's governance in Gujarati. "We have lodged a complaint before Priyank Kanoongo of NCPCR against misuse of children for election and political campaigns by PM Modi in Gujarat. Have also marked a copy to the Election Commission for violation of the model code of conduct. Mr Kanoongo, you have been conspicuously quiet. Why?" she asked on Twitter while sharing her complaint. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "This is an open and shut case of violation of child rights and misuse of children for electioneering by

Will Kharge be a rubber stamp or a connect between party and family?

Kharge began life as a trade union lawyer and knows what it is to struggle

Priyanka Gandhi to launch Congress' poll campaign in Himachal Pradesh today

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will launch the party's election campaign in Himachal Pradesh on Friday with a rally in Solan district of the state. AICC general secretary Vadra's 'Parivartan Pratigya Rally' comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the hill state. During his visit ahead of the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh by the year-end, Modi launched a slew of development projects in Una and Chamba. In Una, he flagged off a Vande Bharat Express, the fourth train in the series. Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III in Chamba to upgrade 3,125 km of rural roads. Gandhi will also visit the Maa Shoolini Temple around 12 noon prior to the rally, a party statement said.

BJP spent over Rs 340 cr on poll campaigns in five states, maximum in UP

The Bharatiya Janata Party spent over Rs 340 crore in the assembly polls in five states held earlier this year, while the Congress shelled out more than Rs 194 crore for its campaigning in these states, according to the election expenditure reports of the two parties. According to the report filed by the BJP and put in public domain by the Election Commission, the party spent more than Rs 340 crore on its campaigns for the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab assembly elections held early this year. The BJP's spending report showed that it spent over Rs 221 crore in Uttar Pradesh, over Rs 23 crore in Manipur, Rs 43.67 crore in Uttarakhand, more than Rs 36 crore in Punjab and Rs 19 crore in Goa. According to the report filed by the Congress, it spent over Rs 194 crore for campaigning and related expenditure in the five states. The BJP and Congress are recognised national parties. Parties contesting Lok Sabha and assembly polls are mandated to file their election ...

SC directs listing of pleas in election freebies case to three-judge bench

The Supreme Court on Friday directed listing of pleas, which have raised the issue relating to the practice of political parties promising freebies, before a three-judge bench. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said it was argued before it that the 2013 judgement delivered by a two-judge bench of the apex court in the matter of S Subramaniam Balaji vs The Government of Tamil Nadu and others required reconsideration. "Looking into the complexities of the issues involved and the prayer to overrule the judgement rendered by a two-judge bench of this court in Subramaniam Balaji, we direct listing of the set of petitions before a three-judge bench after obtaining the orders from the Chief Justice of India," the bench said. The top court said these pleas would be listed after four weeks. In the 2013 judgement, the apex court had noted that after examining and considering the parameters laid in section 123 of the Representation of People Act, it arrived at a conclusion that the .

What are now being considered freebies are actually welfare schemes: Gehlot

The discussions around freebies gained traction after prime minister Narendra Modi criticised the Revdi culture in the country promoted by political parties in exchange of votes

Pakistan's election commission to hold general elections by October: Report

Pakistan's election commission is preparing to hold general elections by October, one year ahead of schedule, according to a media report on Thursday. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed the work of delimitation of constituencies and eliminated any objections regarding them, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted sources as saying. "Work has been completed in all constituencies for all national and provincial seats, it quoted the source as saying. The commission had earlier assured the country's Supreme Court that it would complete the delimitation of constituencies by August 4. The ECP will publish the list of voters and constituencies by the end of August, said the source. The last general election was held in July 2018 and the term of Pakistan's current National Assembly is till October 2023. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) -- which mostly comprises political parties in the ruling coalition, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) -- last we

Explained: What is e-EPIC, who is eligible and how can you download it?

e-EPIC is an electronic version of the voter ID card which can be easily downloaded online. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can download it and other details about it

EC restores number of star campaigners for state polls as Covid cases fall

Recognised national and state parties can field a maximum of 40 star campaigners and other parties which are registered but not recognised can now have 20 star campaigners

UP Assembly Elections: Voting for first phase to begin on Thursday

Polling scheduled to take place in 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state

State polls: Plane charters lose out to FB, Google as campaigns go digital

Flight charter companies have been badly hit by bans on physical rallies even as Big Tech eyes greater footfalls from digital political campaigns

R-Day functions should not be used for political campaigning: Odisha SEC

The State Election Commission (SEC) in Odisha said that the approaching Republic Day functions should not be a platform for political campaigning

Farmer bodies urge political parties to suspend poll campaign in Punjab

Farmer bodies protesting the Centre's agriculture laws on Friday appealed to political parties to suspend their election campaign till the schedule for the Punjab Assembly polls is out

India gears up for robot campaigners in 2022 Assembly elections

The states that go to the polls in 2022 are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Gujarat

West Bengal polls: Elections campaigning ends for eighth and final phase

Amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases, the fierce campaigning for the final phase of polling in West Bengal ended on Monday

Covid situation turning dangerous, PM should cancel rallies: Rajasthan CM

Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Prime Minister should stop his political programmes and rallies

Plea in High Court for compulsory masking during poll campaigns

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought response of the Centre and the Election Commission on a plea seeking to ensure that masks are worn mandatorily by everyone involved in poll campaigns

Assam Election 2021 LIVE: 72.1% polling recorded till 6 pm, says ECI

Assam Election 2021 LIVE updates: Around 8,109,815 voters will decide the fate of 264 candidates which includes big shots like Chief Minister Sarbananada Sonowal

EC frets as parties flout distancing norms during poll campaign amid Covid

Separate instructions for strict compliance of guidelines are being issued to chief electoral officers and state governments of poll-going states