Page 17 - Election Commission

Election Commission lifts model code of conduct following LS poll results

The model code of conduct that came into force on March 16 with the announcement of the Lok Sabha election has been lifted. In a communication to the Union Cabinet Secretary and state chief secretaries, the Election Commission said as results of Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, along with some assembly bypolls have been declared, "model code of conduct has ceased to be in operation with immediate effect". The model code of conduct is a set of conventions agreed upon by all stakeholders and imposed during elections. Its objective is to keep the campaigning, polling and counting process orderly, clean and peaceful and check any abuse of state machinery and finances by the party in power. While it does not enjoy any statutory backing, the Supreme Court has upheld its sanctity on several occasions. The Election Commission is fully authorised to investigate any violation of the code and pronounce punishment. The poll code fi

Modi's allies want funds, cabinet positions as NDA gears to form new govt

Besides special status and cabinet positions, TDP is also seeking more funds for irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh and to complete the building of its new capital, Amaravati

President Murmu hosts dinner for outgoing Union Council of Ministers

Prime Minister Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were pictured at the dinner in Delhi

24 Muslim candidates win 18th Lok Sabha seats, two less than 2019 polls

As many as 24 Muslim candidates across the country have won the Lok Sabha elections and they include former cricketer Yusuf Pathan of the Trinamool Congress from Bahrampur in West Bengal and Congress' Rakibul Hussain from Dhubri in Assam. However, the community's presence in the 18th Lok Sabha has reduced marginally from 26 last time but is higher than the 2014 tally when 23 Muslim candidates were elected to the lower house of Parliament. As many as 78 Muslims were in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections this year, a significant drop from the last polls when 115 Muslim candidates were fielded by various parties. Among the Muslim candidates who won this time, Rakibul Hussain's victory in Dhubri was significant in terms of the winning margin. The Congress candidate secured 14.71 lakh votes and defeated his nearest rival Mohammad Badruddin Ajmal by one of the highest margins of about 10 lakh votes. On the other hand, first-time contender Yusuf Pathan beat Congress leader in the Lok Sab

We will take action to meet public's wish of not being ruled by BJP: Kharge

INDIA bloc partners will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday following the opposition alliance's first meeting after the Lok Sabha poll results. Addressing the media after the nearly two-hour meeting which was seen as the alliance keeping its options open and not staking claim at government formation for now, he said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the "fascist rule" of the BJP led by Narendra Modi even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the INDIA bloc. "We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP's government," Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence. He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice. The .

INDIA bloc leaders meet in Delhi to discuss possibilities of govt formation

Opposition INDIA bloc leaders began crucial deliberations on Wednesday, exploring the possibilities of government formation, the alliance's future strategy and whether to reach out to former allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu. The leaders met at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence here, a day after Lok Sabha election results were declared. While the BJP won 240 seats and the Congress emerged as the second largest party with 99 seats, the NDA has the majority number with 293 seats and is holding a parallel meeting on government formation. The opposition alliance has 234 seats. The opposition leaders are likely to deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results and whether to bring on board the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party to cobble up the numbers required for government formation. Top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attended the

Election results 2024: 73 women elected to Lok Sabha, 5 less than 2019

A total of 73 women have won the Lok Sabha elections, a slight dip from 78 elected in 2019. Of the total women MPs elected to the Lower House from across the country, West Bengal is leading with 11 female MPs. A total of 797 women candidates had contested the elections with the BJP fielding the maximum at 69 followed by the Congress at 41. This is the first election since the passage of the women's reservation bill in the Parliament to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. The law is yet to come into effect. According to an analysis of the Election Commission data, BJP's 30 women candidates won the polls this time, Congress' 14, TMC's 11, four of the Samajwadi Party's, three of the DMK, and two each of the JDU and LJP(R). With over 13.44 per cent female MPs, the 18th Lok Sabha will have one of the highest number of women members since 1952. The 17th Lok Sabha had the highest number of women parliamentarians at 78, constituting over 14 per cen

LS polls mark rise of Bharat Adivasi Party in Rajasthan's tribal belt

The just-ended elections marked the rise of the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in Rajasthan's tribal belt with the party making its debut in the Lok Sabha and also winning the Bagidora assembly by-election. Rajkumar Roat, the BAP MLA from the Chaurasi seat, secured a decisive win in the Banswara-Dungarpur Lok Sabha constituency, defeating BJP nominee Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya by 2.47 lakh votes. Roat's victory highlights the party's growing appeal among tribal voters. It was the Banswara-Dungarpur parliamentary segment where Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources. "This urban-naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your 'Mangalsutra'. They can go to that level," Modi had said, addressing a rally in Banswara ahead of the elections. The BAP made its presence

How India came under assault from global cyber groups during LS polls

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Reports reveal AI influence and cyber threats targeted India's 2024 General Elections

How 2024 was never a done deal

The exit pollsters owe us an apology, and so does the Congress to the Election Commission

Election Results 2024 highlights: Nitish Kumar to attend NDA meeting in Delhi on Wednesday

Lok Sabha Election Results News: ECI data showed that the BJP-led NDA had established a lead on 290 seats. And the INDIA bloc had put up a brave fight with a lead on 228 seats

Chirag Paswan wins Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar by 170,000 votes

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Tuesday won the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, where he defeated the nearest RJD rival by over 1.70 lakh votes, the Election Commission said. Paswan polled 6.14 lakh votes, while his nearest rival Shiv Chandra Ram got 4.44 lakh votes. Paswan, an NDA partner, gave up Jamui, from where he was enjoying a second consecutive term, to contest from Hajipur, represented by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan eight times. In 2019, the seat was won by the late leader's younger brother Pashupati Kumar Paras, who had split the LJP in 2021, but resigned from the Union cabinet recently when the BJP announced that it would back his nephew.

Our guarantee to give special category status to Andhra Pradesh: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said it is its guarantee that it will give special category status to Andhra Pradesh, as promised by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, if it comes to power. The reiteration of Congress' promise made in its 2024 manifesto assumes significance amid reported efforts by the INDIA bloc to win over the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which was leading on 16 seats in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP is currently part of the BJP-led NDA. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "INDIA will finish the unfinished business of 2014: On Feb 14th 2014, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh pledged special category status to the new state of Andhra Pradesh for 5 years. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu countered by saying BJP if elected to power will extend it for 10 years. Two months later Narendra Modi, in the holy city of Tirupati, repeated the promise." "For the past 10 years the outgoing Modi government did nothing," he said. It, in fact, abolished the very policy of special category .

Jailed Khalistani separatist, Indira Gandhi assassin's son lead in Punjab

Amritpal Singh is leading from Punjab's Khadoor Sahib while Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of one of the assassins of the late PM Indira Gandhi, is ahead in the electoral contest in Faridkot LS seat

BJP leading in all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi: Election Commission trends

The BJP is leading in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi on Tuesday, according to trends on the Election Commission (EC) website. The BJP's Praveen Khandelwal was initially trailing the Congress' Jai Prakash Agarwal in the Chandni Chowk seat but has now moved ahead to secure a lead of 27,041 votes, EC data showed. The BJP's North-East Delhi candidate Manoj Tiwari, who is pitted against the Congress' Kanhaiya Kumar, was leading by a margin of 73,781 votes. BJP West Delhi candidate Kamaljeet Sehrawat, who is up against AAP's Mahabal Mishra, was ahead by a margin of 69,296 votes, and the BJP's North-West Delhi candidate Yogender Chandoliya was leading by 1,05,266 votes against the Congress' Udit Raj, the data showed. On the East Delhi seat, AAP's Kuldeep Kumar was trailing by a margin of 14,134 votes against the BJP's Harsh Malhotra. The BJP's Ramvir Singh Bidhuri was ahead by a margin of 63,675 votes against AAP's Sahi Ram Pahalwan from South Delhi, while in the New Delhi constituen

Conclude polls before summer: CEC Kumar shares his 'biggest learning'

Says EC must be prepared for 'false narratives' emerging within the country

Deepfakes, AI managed well during elections, says CEC Rajiv Kumar

The commission also launched a Myth Vs Reality register on its website to bust fake news on a regular basis during the elections

Candidates before counting day: Some rest, others stay with party workers

With the campaign frenzy now a fading echo and the polls over, a palpable tension gripped the air as candidates of various political parties faced the anxious moments for the EVMs to be opened. To pass that time, some candidates preferred to stay with the party workers, others decided to take some rest after the heat and dust of electioneering, while some others took timeout to meet parents before the results were announced. Sougata Roy, veteran TMC MP from the Dum Dum, is one such candidate who is making the most of this period by giving time to himself. I read books and sleep during this period, he said while talking to PTI. However, not everyone spends the way Roy does. For BJP's Medinipur candidate Agnimitra Paul, there is no time to die or rest. I have lots of work to do before the EVM machines are opened for counting of votes. Setting up camps near the counting centres, selecting and briefing the counting agents along with other party workers - I have been busy with all thes

Decided to keep forces in some states to prevent post-poll violence: CEC

In a bid to prevent post-poll violence, the Election Commission (EC) has for the first time decided to continue with the deployment of central forces in some states even after the expiry of the Model Code of Conduct period, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. He said while the EC believes that there would be no post-poll violence, to prevent any flare-up, the election body has, for the first time, decided to deploy central forces even after the provisions of the model code are lifted following Tuesday's counting of the votes cast in the Lok Sabha polls. The states where the central forces would continue to be deployed include Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Kumar said. "Wherever we think there is a possibility (of violence)," he told a press conference here. Sources had said on Saturday that the EC has provided central forces to various states beyond the June 4 counting day to prevent any untoward incident, based on the assessment ..

Lok Sabha elections: Count of postal ballots will commence first, says CEC

Citing the Conduct of Election Rules, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the count of postal ballots will start first across all counting centres and asserted that there was "no doubt about it". Responding to questions at a press conference here, he said after half-an-hour of the start of the postal ballot count, the counting of votes recorded in the electronic voting machines will commence. A delegation of the opposition parties had on Sunday met the Commission to demand that postal ballot count should start first and the results of postal ballots should be announced first. "Rules clearly state (Rule 54A) that postal ballot count will start first. On all centres in the country it will start first, no doubt about it. After half-an-hour we start the EVM count. So, there are three countings which are happening simultaneously -- it happened in the 2019 elections, it happened in all the assembly polls held thereafter. It happened yesterday also in case of Arunachal .