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LS polls: 5K electors to cast votes for first time at former Maoist hotbed

Around 5,000 electors from 'Budha Pahad'--a former Maoist hotbed --will cast their votes at their own booths for the first time after several decades in Lok Sabha polls, an election official said on Saturday. Located along Jharkhand's Latehar and Garhwa districts, Budha Pahad was freed recently from the red rebels' control by security forces after over three decades. There are five polling stations in Budha Pahad comprising around 5,000 voters. Earlier, these booths were used to be relocated to safe areas in view of Maoist activities, the official said. Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar along with senior police officers on Friday visited the difficult terrain of Budha Pahad, which falls under Palamu Lok Sabha constituency, and took stock of the facilities extended to the voters. The Palamu constituency will go to the polls on May 13. Kumar visited the polling booths and also talked to voters and polling officials. "The voters here will exercise their franchise

LS polls 2024: Over 68% polling recorded in J-K's Udhampur amid rains

An estimated 68 per cent of the total 16.23 lakh registered voters cast their ballot in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Udhampur, officials said, as Jammu and Kashmir witnessed incident-free polling in what was its first major electoral battle since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. In 2019, Udhampur parliamentary constituency had recorded a total poll percentage of 70.22 per cent. Voting began at 7 am at 2,637 polling stations across the constituency, including 31 near the International Border, to decide the fate of 12 candidates and ended at 6 pm. The voting percentage was around 68.27 per cent. It is especially highlighted that due to weather latest updated reports are awaited from some of the Polling Stations, specially located in remote hilly areas of Kishtwar, Gandoh, Ramban and Dudu-Basantgarh, the polling percentage is likely to increase slightly, the election office said in a statement shortly after midnight. It said once all polling parties, especially in .

LS polls Highlights: Nearly 60% polling till 5 pm in phase one, says EC

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the news updates on the announcements related to Lok Sabha polls here

As Lok Sabha elections phase 1 begins, Instagram encourages Indians to vote

Instagram sent an alert urging people to cast their votes in Lok Sabha elections 2024

How to download your voter slip online for Lok Sabha Elections 2024

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 commence on April 19. The Election Commission of India has already started sending the voter information slip (VIS) to registered voters whose names are in the electoral r

LS polls: 150 polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh to be managed by women

A total of 150 polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh, which goes to simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls on Friday, will be managed by women, a senior election official said here on Thursday. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said over 1,000 women officers and officials have been deployed across these stations to facilitate the electoral process, with women security personnel also stationed for assistance. Terming it as unique' for a record number of women to participate in the electoral process this time, the CEO highlighted that six district election officers (DEOs) in the state are women. "In Roing, the headquarters of Lower Dibang Valley district, the deputy commissioner, the superintendent of police and majority of the polling officials are women. It is a encouraging that women are contributing in the election process," Sain said. Altogether 50,842 government employees have been deployed for conducting polls in the state. The CEO informed that 2,073 polling

Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase-I: Here's how to download voter slip online

The Election Commission of India has already started sending the voter information slip (VIS) to registered voters whose names are in the electoral roll

'Reports of EVMs showing 1 extra vote during mock poll in Kasaragod false'

The Election Commission of India on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) showing one extra vote during a mock poll in Kerala's Kasaragod were false. The top court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), an independent vote verification system which enables an elector to see whether his vote was cast correctly. "These news reports are false. We have verified the allegation from the district collector and it appears that they are false. We will submit a detailed report to the court," senior deputy election commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. Vyas was present in the courtroom to apprise the bench about the functioning of EVMs. Earlier during the day, the top court asked senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the Election Commission, to look into the issue after advocate Prasha

TMC files complaint with Election Commission against Bengal Guv Ananda Bose

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose for allegedly interfering in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in the state. "A complaint against Governor C V Ananda Bose has been lodged with EC for repeatedly interfering with the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections, 2024 and attempting to visit poll-going areas during the silent period and on polling day," a TMC leader said. The Election Commission has advised the West Bengal Governor to call off his proposed tour of Cooch Behar on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls' first phase as it was violative of the Model Code of Conduct, sources said on Wednesday. Polling is scheduled in Cooch Behar on April 19 and the 48-hour silence period when campaigning is barred began on Wednesday evening.

Election Commission issues notification for fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls

According to the poll body's notification, the last date for making nominations is April 25. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 26

General elections: Campaigning ends for 102 seats going to polls in phase 1

The election campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections concluded at 3 pm today in the North East, and in other areas, it ended at 6 pm

Referring to electoral bonds, Rahul calls PM Modi 'champion of corruption'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged the electoral bonds scheme was the biggest "extortion scheme" in the world and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the "champion of corruption". Addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav here, Gandhi said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP will be limited to 150 seats. Yadav said the winds of change will start blowing from Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh to Ghazipur and the BJP will be given a grand farewell in the Lok Sabha elections. "We have to ensure that not a single vote is divided in the Lok Sabha polls," Yadav said. Criticising the now-scrapped electoral bonds, Gandhi said the prime minister claims that the scheme was brought to bring transparency in poll funding but then why was it struck down by the Supreme Court. "The electoral bonds scheme is the biggest extortion scheme in the world. India's businessmen kn

LS elections: Poll strategists turn campaign makers in political war rooms

It is said elections are fought on emotions and they are an art more than science, but the rise of poll strategists would suggest otherwise

LS polls: 15 'crorepati' candidates in fray for five seats in Assam

Of the 35 candidates in the fray for the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam going to the polls on April 19, fifteen are 'crorepati' with the richest being independent woman candidate Diluwara Begum Chowdhury from the Kaziranga seat. The five Lok Sabha constituencies going to the polls on April 19 are Jorhat, Kaziranga, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur. Five BJP candidates, three of Congress, two of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one each of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Bharatiya Gana Parishad (BGP) and three independents have assets over Rs one crore, according to the affidavits filed by candidates. The average assets of AAP candidates are the highest at Rs six crore, followed by the BJP candidates at over Rs four crore, the Congress at Rs three crore, the AITC and the BGP at Rs one crore each. Independent candidate Diluwara Begum Chowdhury who owns fuel stations has total assets of over Rs 17.58 crore, comprising Rs 4.65 crore as movable and Rs 12.92 crore as immovable

Election Commission issues notice to BRS chief KCR over remarks on Congress

The Election Commission has asked KCR to explain his stand in respect to his remarks by 11 am on April 18

Freebies announced during elections a matter of concern: NHRC chief

General announcement of "freebies" during the elections must be "pondered" as to whether it furthers directive principles or thwarts their objectives, NHRC chairperson Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra said on Tuesday. Mishra said this in his address during an event here. He also said the constitutional mandate is to form a uniform civil code, which is "necessary to abolish discrimination" against women. Women are provided safety, security and dignity in the workplace, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chief was quoted as saying in a statement. "To empower women, we have to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women on the grounds of gender, particularly in respect of education, employment, inheritance and property. World over, women are discriminated against for civil rights, and there is a necessity for a standard civil code to make men and women equal by clearly defining the parameters of gender equality. Women must enjoy social equality, improved status and ...

Elections 2024: ECI receives 200 complaints on code violations; acts on 169

BJP has filed 51 complaints, Congress 59 and other parties 90 with the Election Commission

Platform X withholds some posts in India after ECI's takedown order

India, with nearly a billion eligible voters, will commence the world's largest electoral exercise on April 19

Not found it correct to take step that could overlap legal process, says EC

Amid allegations by opposition parties that the government was misusing probe agencies to target its leaders, the Election Commission on Tuesday asserted that while it remains committed to protecting level playing field and campaign entitlement of parties and candidates, it has not found it correct to take any step that could overlap or overrun the legal judicial process. In a statement, the poll authority said it was guided by constitutional wisdom when presented with "live situations" involving political persons which have been under active consideration and orders of the courts based on criminal investigations. "While the Commission remained unwaveringly committed to protection of level playing field and campaign entitlement of political parties and candidates, it has not found it correct to take any step that could overlap or overrun the legal judicial process. Several political parties from the INDIA bloc had approached the poll panel, accusing the government of using probe ...

Lok Sabha polls: ECI has seized over Rs 100 crore per day since March 1

Lok Sabha polls: The Election Commission of India seized Rs 3,475 cr during the entire 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This time it has seized Rs 4,650 crore already