Page 22 - Election Commission

Campaigning ends for 49 seats of 5th phase; Amethi, Rae Bareli in limelight

Campaigning concluded on Saturday for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls covering 49 constituencies in six states and two UTs including the high-profile Rae Bareli and Amethi seats from where former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Smriti Irani are in the fray respectively. In Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is among 22 candidates in the fray, held a roadshow in Soibugh - a central Kashmir village that was once a hotbed of militancy- on the last day of campaigning. While temperatures soared across the country, there was no let up in the campaign heat as the Lok Sabha election season entered the last fortnight. The Election Commission on Tuesday said it expects star campaigners, particularly of the national parties, to lead by example in the remaining three phases of the Lok Sabha polls and not vitiate the delicate fabric of society. With over 40 of these seats with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Prime Minister Narend

Kejriwal says BJP's 'dictatorial' rule will end on June 4 amid public anger

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday claimed the entire country is seething in anger against the BJP and will end its "dictatorial" rule on June 4, the counting day of the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a street meeting in West Delhi's Najafgarh area, he claimed the BJP would soon arrest AAP leaders such as Raghav Chaddha, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to crush the opposition. The AAP national convener made the comments on the day his aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested in connection with the alleged assault on party MP Swati Maliwal. He appealed to the people to vote for his party to stop him from going to jail again. "It's in your hands. If you want me to go to jail choose the BJP, otherwise choose the AAP." Kejriwal said the Lok Sabha poll results will prove to the BJP that the entire country is angry with its "dictatorial" rule. He exuded confidence that people will oust the BJP from power. Kejriwal, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi ex

Lok Sabha elections: BJP planning to ban RSS, says Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party was planning to ban its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), after winning a third term in power. Speaking at his last rally here before the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections ended in Maharashtra, Thackeray also said that the Election Commissioner who was "acting like Modi's servant" will be removed after the INDIA alliance government comes to power. "The way they tried to use and throw the Shiv Sena, a similar game will be played by Narendra Modi in future (with the RSS), and that has been stated by (BJP president J P) Nadda," he said. Thackeray was referring to Nadda's comments to a newspaper that when the BJP was a small party and less capable, it needed the RSS, but now the saffron party has grown, become more capable, and "runs itself". "Nadda said there was a need of the RSS until now, (but) we are capable now and we don't need the RSS. If they (BJP) came to

Modi's 'dhakad' govt brought down wall of Article 370: PM in Ambala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on the Congress on Saturday and said it was his "dhakad" (strong) government that brought down the wall of Article 370 and as a result, Kashmir is now moving ahead on the path of development. Modi said the history of the Congress has been of betraying India's forces and soldiers as he referred to the "Jeep scandal", the "first scam" during the grand old party's rule. "Could a weak government have changed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir?" Modi asked the gathering, addressing his first Lok Sabha poll rally in Haryana. Referring to Haryana contributing a sizable number of soldiers in the armed forces, he said when the Congress was in power, mothers in Haryana were a worried lot thinking about their children's safety. "Have such things stopped now or not?" he asked the audience that responded with a loud "yes". "Modi's dhakad (strong and decisive) government brought down the wall of Article 370 and Kashmir is now moving ahead on the

TMC files complaint with EC against Gangopadhyay for comments on Mamata

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against BJP candidate for Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency Abhijit Gangopadhyay, alleging that he made "sexist" remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a public rally. TMC leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja said the party will also take legal action against Gangopadhyay, a former judge of Calcutta High Court. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, TMC leader Derek O'Brien said, "In the said speech, Gangopadhyay has made certain highly offensive utterances, being: 'Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is 10 lakhs, why? Because you're getting your make-up done by Keya Seth? Mamata Banerjee, is she even a woman? I keep wondering sometimes." "This clearly shows the misogynist conduct of the BJP candidate. It is unfortunate that having being held a prominent position in the judiciary, he has chosen to attack on the dignity of women, especially

EC's home voting facility for elders, PwDs kicks off for Delhi LS polls

The home voting facility for the elderly voters and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in all seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi kicked off on Thursday. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi has started the facility that will continue till May 24, marking the first time such a facility has been made available in Lok Sabha elections, said a statement from the poll body. The home voting facility is available to voters above 85 years of age and PwDs, offering them the option to cast their votes from their homes, it said. Veteran BJP leader V K Malhotra was among those who used the facility to exercise their franchise. Delhi CEO P Krishnamurthy said their goal is to make the electoral process accessible to all and to encourage greater participation. "By providing the home voting facility to senior citizens and PwDs, we express our care and respect towards them," he added. In Delhi, 5,472 voters who are either above 85 years of age or are Persons with Disabil

39% candidates in phase 6 polls crorepatis, average assets Rs 6.8 cr: ADR

About 39 per cent of candidates contesting in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls are crorepatis with average assets of Rs 6.21 crore, according to poll rights body ADR. Among the candidates contesting in the sixth phase on May 25, the highest assets have been declared by BJP candidates from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal at Rs 1,241 crore followed by Santrupt Misra at Rs 482 crore and Sushil Gupta at Rs 169 crore, the analysis by Association of Democratic Reforms said. Out of the 866 candidates contesting the Lok Sabha polls, 338 (39 per cent) are crorepatis and the average assets per candidate contesting in the Lok Sabha phase VI election is Rs 6.21 crore. Among the major parties, all six candidates from BJD, four out of four candidates each from RJD and JD(U), 48 (94 per cent) out of 51 candidates from BJP, 11 (92 per cent) out of 12 candidates from SP, 20 (80 per cent) out of 25 candidates from Congress, 4 (80 per cent) out of 5 candidates from AAP and 7 (78 per cent) candidates o

Nearly 67% voter turnout in first four phases of Lok Sabha elections: EC

The cumulative turnout in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha elections has been recorded at 66.95 per cent, the Election Commission said on Thursday, adding 45.10 crore of the nearly 97 crore electors have voted so far in the ongoing electoral exercise. In a statement, the poll panel urged electorate to come out and vote in large numbers in the coming phases. According to the poll authority, the updated voter turnout in the fourth phase of polling held on May 13 was 69.16 per cent, 3.65 percentage points higher than the corresponding phase in the 2019 parliamentary polls. The updated voter turnout figures for the third phase of polling in the Lok Sabha election stood at 65.68 per cent. In the third phase of the 2019 general election, the turnout was 68.4 per cent. In the second phase of the election held on April 26, the turnout was recorded at 66.71 per cent as against the 69.64 per cent in the second phase of the 2019 polls. In the first phase of the ongoing general election

Lok Sabha elections: Kangana Ranaut's holdings show immovable asset skew

Real estate accounts for nearly 70% of wealth

ASHA, mid-day meal workers on poll duty to get Rs 200 a day: Punjab CEO

ASHA and mid-day meal workers who are engaged in election duties will receive an honorarium of Rs 200 a day, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said on Wednesday. All 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will go to polls on June 1 in the seventh and last phase of the general elections. In a statement, Sibin said mid-day meal workers will be tasked with preparing food for polling parties. In addition, considering the anticipated hot weather conditions during polling day on June 1, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) will be stationed at polling booths to provide immediate assistance to polling staff or voters experiencing health issues, he said. The CEO said ASHA workers will also be compensated at the rate of Rs 200 a day. He said a directive has been issued to all district election officers-cum-deputy commissioners of Punjab for the implementation of this honorarium scheme for mid-day meal and ASHA workers.

Expect politicians to lead by example, not erode fabric of society: EC

The Election Commission on Tuesday said it expects star campaigners, particularly of the national parties, to lead by example in the remaining three phases of the Lok Sabha polls and not vitiate the delicate fabric of society. The commission also said that it is "primarily" the responsibility of the leaders to "correct the course" of their statements or utterances in the remaining phases of the ongoing election. The statement comes against the backdrop of the poll authority issuing show-cause notices to BJP president J P Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on complaints of model code violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "At the outset, Commission expects top leaders of political parties, especially of the major national parties, most of whom are star campaigners, to set good examples of campaign discourse expected of them in the current elections," the EC statement said. It is primarily the leaders' responsibility to correct the cour

EC to use 160,000 EVMs for simultaneous LS, Assembly polls in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena on Sunday said 1.6 lakh new Electronic Voting Machines will be used in 46,389 polling stations for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state on May 13. Besides these, another 20 per cent more EVMs have been kept ready, he said. In a release, Meena said, "Initially, it was estimated that 1.45 lakh EVMs would be sufficient for 46,165 polling stations. However, the addition of 224 auxiliary polling stations necessitated the procurement of another 15,000 EVMs." He also noted that the Election Commission is striving to increase the polling percentage in the southern state to 83 per cent, compared to the 79.83 percentage registered during the 2019 polls. Further, he requested the voters of Andhra Pradesh to come forward and exercise their franchise, a right enshrined in the Constitution. The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh is 4.14 crore, which include 2.02 crore male voters, 2.1 crore female voters,

Cong claims Kharge's helicopter checked in Bihar, says EC targeting Oppn

Rathorre, who is the chief spokesperson of the Congress' Bihar unit, shared a video to claim that chief electoral officer of Bihar is herself monitoring checking of Kharge's helicopter in Samastipur

LS polls: Phase 4 campaigning ends, 96 constituencies to vote on May 13

ECI further mentioned that the average number of contesting candidates in a parliamentary constituency for the fourth phase is 18

Voter turnout in phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections at 65.68%, says EC

The updated voter turnout figures for the third phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections stood at 65.68 per cent, the Election Commission said on Saturday. The poll panel had given a similar voter turnout figure on May 8, a day after the third phase of voting took place. In a statement on Saturday, EC said 66.89 per cent of men, 64.4 per cent of women and 25.2 per cent of the registered transgender voters turned up at polling stations. In the third phase, 17.24 crore citizens, including 8.85 crore males and 8.39 crore females, were eligible to vote. Voting for the third phase was held on Tuesday in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union Territories with stray incidents of violence. In phase three of the 2019 parliamentary polls, the turnout of voters was 68.4 per cent.

LS polls: Extremely difficult for Modi to form next govt, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday claimed that it will be "extremely difficult" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form the next government in the country. Addressing a press conference here, along with Bihar allies Dipankar Bhattacharya, who heads the CPI (ML) L, and Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD, Kharge also said the PM's speeches, of late, have been "devoid of the earlier spark". "I was addressing rallies in Andhra Pradesh when Modi was in adjoining Telangana. The bluster (abhiman') and pride (garv') that characterised his speeches in the past were missing, said Kharge. "After three phases of Lok Sabha polls, I can safely say it is going to be extremely difficult for Modi to become the PM again - a reason why he has given up speaking about achievements of his 10 years in power and is trying to create a Hindu-Muslim divide, the Congress chief alleged. He also slammed the PM for holding out an olive branch to former BJP ally in Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and NCP ..

'Means to deter an elector': EC pulls up Kharge over turnout data charge

On May 7, Kharge wrote to the leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc regarding the alleged discrepancies in the voting data

Between hard rock & an election

From its hard rock triumphs to its geographical proximity to China, to the aspirations of its youth, all will play a role in Sikkim's electoral dynamics and the outcome on June 2

INDIA bloc leaders meet EC over voter turnout data, allege MCC violations

Leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc will meet the Election Commission on Thursday over their demand to promptly release the absolute voter turnout figures in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls after each phase, sources said. They will also raise the issue of alleged "use of religious symbols" by the BJP in their campaign, they said. The sources said leaders from the INDIA bloc will meet the full bench of the Election Commission of India on Thursday afternoon, submit a memorandum and also discuss the issues with the poll panel. INDIA bloc parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have written to the poll panel separately so far, expressing concern over the alleged "delay" in the release of the voter turnout data in the first two phases. Amid the opposition's allegations, the poll body had asserted that booth-wise data of the "actual number of votes polled" is available with the candidates soon after the voting ends. In a statement iss

Free pilgrimage to Ayodhya for 500,000 Odiyas if BJP wins: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the BJP will ensure free pilgrimage of five lakh people from Odisha to Ayodhya's Ram temple if the party is voted to power in the eastern state. Addressing an election rally at Kalimela here, the senior BJP leader also took a swipe at the ruling BJD for naming villages with numbers in Malkangiri district. In Assam, I have decided to take one lakh people to Ayodhya, and the state government will bear the cost. As Odisha is bigger than Assam, 5 lakh people should get this facility. A new BJP chief minister will facilitate this pilgrimage if the party is voted to power in Odisha, Sarma said. Sarma also sought to connect with the large number of Bengali-speaking population in Malkangiri district, assuring the people that Bengali teachers will be appointed, among other promises. About one lakh Bengali-speaking people were rehabilitated in Malkangiri district after the 1971 Bangladesh war. On names of villages in the district bea