Page 3 - Election Campaign

Democrats insists Biden to reconsider runup to their own party convention

Democrats worried about President Joe Biden's ability to win this November are making a renewed push for him to reconsider his reelection bid, using mountains of data, frank conversations and now, his own time off the campaign trail after testing positive for COVID, to encourage a reassessment. Biden has insisted he is not backing down, adamant that he is the candidate who beat Republican Donald Trump before and will do it again this year. But publicly and privately, key Democrats are sending signals of concern, and some hope he will assess the trajectory of the race and his legacy during this few days' pause. Over the past week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have spoken privately to the president, candidly laying out the views of Democrats on Capitol Hill, including their concerns. Separately, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, spoke with the president last week armed wit

As UK poll campaigning enters final hours, Sunak tries to turn a corner

Rishi Sunak has covered thousands of miles in the past few weeks, but he hasn't outrun the expectation that his time as Britain's prime minister is in its final hours. United Kingdom voters will cast ballots in a national election Thursday, passing judgment on Sunak's 20 months in office, and on the four Conservative prime ministers before him. They are widely expected to do something they have not done since 2005: Elect a Labour Party government. During a hectic final two days of campaigning that saw him visit a food distribution warehouse, a supermarket, a farm and more, Sunak insisted the outcome of this election is not a foregone conclusion. People can see that we have turned a corner, said the Conservative leader, who has been in office since October 2022. It has been a difficult few years, but undeniably things are in a better place now than they were. Labour also is warning against taking the election result for granted, imploring supporters not to grow complacent about poll

Biden's campaign raises $40 mn in 5 days including $8 mn with Clinton

President Joe Biden is again joining forces with former President Bill Clinton to rake in campaign cash, with a joint fundraiser with the two men Tuesday set to raise USD 8 million part of a roughly USD 40 million total that Biden's reelection campaign has pulled in the last five days. The vast majority of the USD 40 million sum, confirmed by a Biden campaign official, comes from Saturday's glitzy, star-studded fundraiser with Biden and former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles that raised more than USD 30 million. Meanwhile, first lady Jill Biden has been on her own personal fundraising swing that has brought in USD 1.5 million. Biden and Clinton, who appeared together with Obama at a March fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York, are headlining Tuesday's event, which is being held at the home of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton adviser. Jill Biden and former first lady Hillary Clinton will also be at the fundraiser in McLean, Va., a tony suburb o

Nehru's idealism, Ambedkar's social justice: Yogendra Yadav on Rahul Gandhi

Political commentator Yogendra Yadav analyses the Congress' performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, noting that Rahul Gandhi believes in 'socialist principles of economic equality'

PM Modi performs 'Surya Arghya' at Kanyakumari's Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his meditation exercise, on Friday performed 'Surya Arghya' during sunrise at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial here. Modi carried out 'Surya Arghya,' a ritual associated with spiritual practice involving salutations to the Almighty, manifested in the form of sun and offered prayers with folded hands. A short video clip, 'Sunrise, Surya Arghya, Spirituality,' posted by the BJP on its 'X' handle showed the PM pouring little water from a traditional, beaker-like small vessel into the sea as an offering (Arghya) and prayed using his prayer beads (Japa mala). The BJP also posted photographs of the Prime Minister, clad in saffron shirt, shawl and dhoti, engrossed in meditation at the Dhyan Mandapam, where incense sticks, in front of him, could be spotted burning slowly. Modi also walked around the mandapam with his japa mala in his hands. Photographs of Modi in meditating posture have been apparently clicked during different times and similar is the

Lok Sabha polls: Varanasi among 13 seats going to vote in UP on June 1

Thirteen Lok Sabha seats, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi, will go to polls in the last and seventh phase of the general elections on Saturday. Polling in the state, which sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament, was held in all seven phases of the election. The bypoll for the Duddhi (ST) assembly constituency in Sonbhadra district will also be held on Saturday. Six candidates are contesting from the seat that fell vacant after BJP MLA Ram Dular's disqualification following his conviction in a rape case. The parliamentary seats where polling will take place are Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj (SC), spread across 11 districts. Uttar Pradesh is a seeing a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the coalition of INDIA bloc members Samajwadi Party and Congress. Besides Prime Minister Modi, who is a seeking a third term from Varanasi, there are 143

Battleground 2024: After longest poll campaign, top leaders head to temples

As the campaigning ended for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the PM began his 45-hour long meditation at Kanniyakumari's Vivekananda Rock Memorial

PM Modi notches up over 200 rallies, 80 interviews as LS poll campaign ends

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his whirlwind Lok Sabha poll campaign with a rally in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Thursday, closing out his electioneering the way he began -- by focussing on a region where he has invested heavily over the years for the BJP to make a mark outside its strongholds. Modi notched up a total of 206 public-outreach programmes, including rallies and roadshows, since the Election Commission (EC) announced the poll schedule on March 16. The prime minister surpassed his nearly-145 public engagements on the stump during the 2019 polls by a big margin. The campaign period this time was of 76 days, compared to the 68 days in the polls held five years ago. When the EC announced the polls, Modi was on a political tour of southern India, covering all five states in the three days between March 15 and March 17. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eying to boost its fortunes in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh -- three states where it won no seat in 2019 -- and ...

Sunday holidays linked to Christians, one district tried to change it: Modi

Lok Sabha elections 2024: While addressing election rally in Dumka, Jharkhand, Modi says one district in Jharkhand tried to change weekly-offs from Sunday to Fridays

Amit Shah's remarks boost Thakur's campaign, stakes high for Sukhu

Stakes are high for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur in Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency where revolt in the Congress and four simultaneous six assembly byelections have made the parliamentary contest exciting. Thakur won the 2019 elections by 3,99,572 votes, 2014 polls by 98,403 votes, 2009 by 72,732 and 2008 byelection by 1,74,666 votes. Union Home minister Amit Shah's remarks that Hamirpur has got a ready-made minister and will not get an MP like him even if the people search with a lamp have given a boost to Thakur's campaign. It is also likely to benefit the BJP in the assembly byelections. Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri are intensively campaigning in the constituency and accusing Thakur of making tall promises and claiming that the Congress will wrest the seat this time. The Hamirpur parliamentary constituency is considered a bastion of the BJP. Out of the 17 elections including two byelections hel

Over 82% Indians oppose GenAI use in poll campaigns, says Adobe study

A high percentage of Indians, around 93%, agreed that it was important to know if the content they are consuming is generated using AI

LS polls: INDIA govt to scrap Agnipath scheme if voted to power, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that the INDIA bloc, if voted to power, would scrap the Agnipath scheme of recruitment in defence services and deposit Rs 8,500 to every woman's account in each month. Addressing an election rally at Bakhtiyarpur in Bihar, he asserted that Narendra Modi will not be able to become the prime minister again, since there is a clear wave in favour of the INDIA bloc across the country. When the INDIA block will form the government, the Agnipath scheme will be withdrawn, Gandhi said. The scheme, announced by the Narendra Modi government in 2022, envisages recruiting young soldiers on a contractual basis for four years and retire 75 per cent of them without certain benefits enjoyed by those who were not employed under this programme. After the formation of the INDIA block government at the Centre, Gandhi said, From July, Rs 8,500 will be deposited in women's accounts every month. This will change the financial condition of every family. Takin

INDIA bloc leaders to meet on June 1 to assess LS poll performance

Top leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc are likely to meet on June 1 to assess their performance in the Lok Sabha elections and chalk out their strategy ahead of the results. Sources said the proposed meeting will be convened in Delhi on the afternoon of June 1 when the last phase of polling will be underway. The opposition leaders will discuss their strategy ahead of the June 4 results and assess their performance in the seven-phase elections, the sources said. The opposition alliance has been claiming that it would be able to stop the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from returning to power at the Centre and cobble together a government of its own. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has convened the meeting, the sources said. The ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also claimed that it would form the government at the Centre for the third successive time after these elections. Twenty-eight opposition parties came together to form the INDIA bloc. ..

Highlights: PM Modi addresses a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur ahead of Phase 7 elections

From death of newborn babies in fire at Delhi's hospital to PM Modi's poll rallies catch all the live updates here

First time hearing about work from jail, Union min Rajnath slams Kejriwal

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he had heard about "work from home" but it is the first time that he is hearing of "work from jail". Addressing an election rally in Khanna for the BJP's Fatehgarh Sahib candidate Gejja Ram Valmiki, Singh said, "Here, AAP is the ruling party. You don't need to be told much about what kind of work it is doing." "There is also an AAP government in Delhi. But the AAP leader was jailed in the liquor scam," Singh, said referring to Kejriwal's arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The defence minister said he thinks every leader should have the moral courage to resign from their post if they face any allegation until being cleared of the charges. This is morality, he said. "AAP leader Kejriwal was jailed in the liquor scam. Even after that, he says he will continue to occupy the chief minister's post. He says he will work from jail," Singh said. The

LS polls: SC to hear on Monday BJP's plea against Calcutta HC order on ads

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea filed by the BJP challenging a Calcutta High Court order that had refused to interfere with a single-judge verdict restraining the party from issuing advertisements that are allegedly "violative" of the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha polls. According to the cause list of May 27 uploaded on the apex court website, a vacation bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and K V Viswanathan is scheduled to hear the plea. On May 22, a division bench of the high court had said it was not inclined to entertain the appeal against the interim order passed by the single-judge bench. The single-judge bench on May 20 had restrained the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from publishing advertisements that violated the MCC until June 4, the day the Lok Sabha poll results are scheduled to be declared. The court had also restrained the saffron party from publishing the advertisements mentioned by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal

Oppn will change Constitution, give reservation to Muslims, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday branded the opposition INDIA bloc as communal and casteist, and claimed they have decided to change the Constitution to give reservation to Muslims. While the SP-Congress is dedicated to vote bank, Modi is dedicated to rights of backwards and the poor, he said addressing a poll meeting here in support of NDA alliance partner Apna Dal's candidate from Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat Anupriya Patel and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seat Rinki Kol. "People of the country have identified the people of 'INDI alliance'. These people are staunch communal, casteist and dynast (parivar wadi). Whenever their government is formed they take decision on this basis," he said. He also accused the Samajwadi Party of neglecting the talent of people of the Yadav community and giving ticket to only family members of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

People have seen 'changing India' under PM Modi's leadership: UP CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said people have seen a "changing India" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and added that there is a "huge difference" between the India before 2014 and the India of 2024. CM Adityanath said that before 2014, there was "mistrust and identity crisis" but now the world looks at India with respect. Wherever Prime Minister Modi goes in the world, the entire country comes out to welcome him, he said. Addressing a rally in support of BJP candidate from Ghazipur Parasnath Rai, in which Prime Minister Modi was also present, Adityanath appealed to people to include Ghazipur too in 'iss baar 400-paar'. Adityanath said that all the parties of the INDIA bloc, including the Congress, SP, and RJD are scared because they never dreamt of fighting on 400 seats. Whereas the BJP is moving towards achieving this goal due to the contributions made to the country under the leadership of PM Modi with people's blessings. The UP .

We need to dispel doubts, suspicions around electoral processes: CEC

Kumar commited to addressing concerns about the integrity of the electoral process

LS polls 2024: PM Modi to address rallies in Himachal, Punjab today

Prominent campaigners from both major political parties, the BJP and Congress, are vigorously supporting their candidates