Page 23 - Election Commission Of India

Good if he is going for 'prayashchit': Kapil Sibal on PM's meditation plan

Raising questions over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation at Rock Memorial from May 30 to June 1, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said it is good if he is going to Kanyakumari for "prayashchit" (atonement). "The person who does not understand the meaning of 'vivek' (wisdom), what 'dhyan' (meditation) he will do. "If he is going for 'prayashchit', then it is a good thing or if he is going to take inspiration from writings and speeches of Swami Vivekanand, even then it is good," said Sibal. The prime minister will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by PM Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about Bharat Mata', BJP leaders said on Tuesday. Sibal alleged the BJP-led government at the Centre does not talk about its achievements because it has "nothing to show". "What have they done for the last 10 years? Has the prime minister said during his speeches what he did .

J&K records highest turnout in 35 yrs, assembly polls to be held soon: CEC

The Election Commission on Monday said the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir this time was the highest in a Lok Sabha election in the last 35 years with the Kashmir Valley witnessing a "massive" 30 percentage point jump in poll participation compared to 2019. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said this achievement sits on a 25 per cent increase in the number of contesting candidates since 2019. "This active participation is a huge positive for the assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory," he said. The poll panel also said the combined voter turnout at the polling stations for the entire Union Territory with five Lok Sabha seats was 58.46 per cent. On Saturday, CEC Kumar told PTI Videos that encouraged by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in this Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission will "very soon" initiate the process of conducting the assembly polls in the Union Territory. The voter turnout of 5

Supreme Court rejects BJP appeal against Calcutta HC ban on anti-TMC ads

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Calling the BJP advertisements 'disparaging', the top court urged restraint, reminding that political adversaries aren't enemies

Phase 6 turnout reaches 63.36%; ECI releases data for all completed phases

Lok Sabha elections 2024: West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout in Phase 6 at nearly 83%, Uttar Pradesh had the lowest at 54%

Highlights of the day: Highest temperature in Raj was recorded in Phalodi at 50 degrees C on May 25

From phase six of general elections to United Nations's top court's decision on Gaza conflict, catch all the latest news from around the world here

LS polls phase 6: 59.06% voter turnout; highest in WB, lowest in J&K

An approximate voter turnout of 59.06 per cent was recorded in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday in 58 constituencies across six states and two Union territories with the polling percentage in the Jangal Mahal region of West Bengal touching 78.19. Incidents of minor clashes and protests were reported from West Bengal while there were instances of EVM malfunctioning at some places, including Delhi. Jharkhand recorded a turnout of 62.74 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 54.03 per cent, Bihar 53.30 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir 52.28 per cent, Haryana 58.37 per cent, Odisha 60.07 and Delhi 54.48 per cent, according to the figures released by the Election Commission (EC) as of 7.45 pm. The EC said polling percentage in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat in Jammu and Kashmir is the highest in many decades. With the conclusion of this phase, polling is now complete in 486 seats in 28 states and Union territories. The last of the seven phases of polling is scheduled on June 1 and counting

LS polls: PoK belongs to India and we will take it, says HM Amit Shah

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a part of India and "we will take it", Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Saturday as he castigated the Congress for trying to "frighten us" by saying that the neighbouring country possesses atom bombs. "The Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) hamara hai, hamara rahega aur hum ise lekar rahenge (PoK is ours and it will remain ours. We will take it," Shah told a rally at Amb in Una district in support of Union minister Anurag Thakur, the BJP candidate from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already won 310 seats in the first five phases of Lok Sabha polls and the target of '400-paar' would be achieved in the sixth and the last phases, while Congress Rahul Gandhi would be restrained at just 40 seats. He also mocked the Congress by asking the crowd at the rally as to who will be the prime minister, if the grand old party comes to power. He also appealed to people to make the BJP victorious in the six assembly seat ..

Will begin process of holding assembly polls in J&K very soon: CEC Kumar

Encouraged by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission will "very soon" initiate the process of holding assembly polls in the Union Territory, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Saturday. He also told PTI Videos that the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve their government. Responding to a question on the turnout in various seats of Jammu and Kashmir and if assembly elections could be held soon, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar said the poll panel is very encouraged by people's participation in the parliamentary polls. "It's music to (my) ears. People -- youth, women -- are happily turning out in large numbers (to vote). The roots of democracy are being further strengthened, people are participating," he said. "They deserve their government. We will initiate that process very soon very encouraged to do this," the CEC added. While announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections in March, Kumar said holding assembly a

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: AAP, Cong join hands in hopes of unseating PM Modi In Delhi

In his campaign rallies, Kejriwal has tried to highlight bread and butter issues to supporters

LS polls: President Murmu casts vote in New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency

President Droupadi Murmu cast her vote in the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday, officials said. Murmu reached the polling booth at Dr Rajendra Prasad Kendriya Vidyalaya, inside the President's Estate, around 9 am, they said. After voting, Murmu held up her inked finger as she posed for photos for media persons outside the polling booth, which was decorated in pink and white colours. Voting for seven constituencies of Delhi -- Chandni Chowk, North East Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North West Delhi, West Delhi and South Delhi -- began at 7 am. Murmu, who hails from Odisha, was sworn in as the 15th President of India on July 25, 2022. She received her new voter identification card with the updated address on November 28 last year. Her old voter ID carried her Odisha address.

LS polls: All you need to know about India's monumental election logistics

The voter rolls for all 543 parliamentary constituencies are available online, ensuring transparent stakeholder verification

LS polls 2024: Democracy thrives when people are engaged says PM Modi

Union Home Minister also appealed to the voters to come out and vote against appeasement and corruption

Lok Sabha polls 2024: 60K police personnel, drones deployed in Delhi

The Delhi Police has made robust security arrangements for the Lok Sabha election in the city on Saturday, deploying over 60,000 personnel on the ground to ensure peaceful, free and fair polling, officials said. They said the city police are also maintaining a strict vigil in areas bordering Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. According to the department, 51 companies of paramilitary forces and 13,500 home guards from Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, besides drones and CCTV cameras will also strengthen the security apparatus. Voting for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi began Saturday morning in the sixth phase of the general election. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Election Cell) Sanjay Sehrawat told PTI that an elaborate arrangement has been made to ensure peaceful voting. "Around 60,000 police personnel have been deployed in Delhi and at least 33,000 of them are guarding voting centres. There are 2,628 voting centres, of which 429 are 'sensitive'. Extra paramilitary personnel

LS polls phase 6: Two former CMs among prominent candidates in fray

The Lok Sabha will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise

LS polls: SC refuses to issue EC direction to upload voter turnout data

The Supreme Court on Friday refused an NGO's plea to issue the Election Commission directions to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website during the Lok Sabha polls, saying it would be difficult for the poll panel to to mobilise manpower. A vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma said it cannot issue any such directions at the moment as five phases of polling have concluded and two remain. The top court adjourned the interlocutory application filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) to be listed before the regular bench after the elections and pointed out that prima facie it appears the prayers in the application are similar to the main petition pending since 2019 on the issue. The bench said it would be difficult for the poll panel to mobilise manpower for uploading the voter turnout data on its website. Granting any relief in IA will amount to granting relief in the main petition which is pending, the bench said. On M

Lok Sabha elections: What is Form 17C that EC has refused to make public

The ECI's decision has sparked controversy, especially amidst concerns over delays in releasing final voter turnout data and discrepancies between provisional and final figures

Lok Sabha polls Phase 6: List of constituencies, key candidates. Details

Lok Sabha elections: Eight states and UTs including Delhi and Haryana will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25

Publishing polling booth-wise data will 'vitiate' electoral space: EC

The Election Commission has opposed in the Supreme Court an NGO's demand to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling for each phase of the Lok Sabha elections, contending it will "vitiate" the electoral space and cause "chaos" in the poll machinery in the midst of the general elections. A vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to hear the plea of NGO Association for Democratic Reforms', which has also sought direction to the poll panel that scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part-I (Account of Votes Recorded) of all polling stations be uploaded immediately after the polls. In its counter affidavit, the poll panel said there is no legal mandate to provide Form 17C to any person other than the candidate or his agent. It said that public posting of Form 17C - which gives the number of votes polled in a polling station - is not provided in the statutory framework and could lead t

LS polls: 60,000 personnel, cameras to ensure peaceful voting in Delhi

With 60,000 personnel, including 51 companies of paramilitary forces and 13,500 home guards from Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and drones and CCTV cameras, the Delhi Police is all prepared to conduct the Lok Sabha polls in the city. The voting for all seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi is scheduled on May 25 in the second last phase of the elections. These seven seats include East Delhi, New Delhi, North East Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi and Chandani Chowk. Deputy Commissioner of Police (election cell) Sanjay Sehrawat told PTI that an elaborate arrangement has been made to ensure peaceful elections in the national capital. Around 60,000 police personnel will be deployed in Delhi on the polling day and at least 33,000 of them will be guarding voting centres, DCP Sehrawat said. "There are a total of 2,628 voting centres of which 429 are sensitive. Extra paramilitary personnel with drones and CCTV cameras will be deployed in these sensitive poll centres,"