Page 27 - Election Commission

Lok Sabha polls: 77.35% turnout in second phase in 5 seats in Assam

An estimated 77.35 per cent of 77.26 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, election officials said on Saturday. The final polling percentage could be further revised as the compilation of figures is yet to be completed, an official said. Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.56 per cent, followed by 78.41 per cent in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar (SC), 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent in Diphu, they said. Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase. Assam Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya is pitted against Surya Kanta Sarkar of the Congress in Silchar, while BJP's Amarsing Tisso is contesting against Congress's Joyram Engleng in Diphu. Nagaon's sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is contesting against BJP's Suresh Bora, while Karimganj's BJP MP Kripanath Malla is pitted against Congress's Hafiz Ahmed Rashid Choudhury. In Darrang-Udalg

Lok Sabha polls: 61% cast vote in Phase 2, Maharashtra sees lowest turnout

According to this newspaper's estimates, calculated from the data provided on the EC's turnout app at 9 pm, the voter turnout was almost 65 per cent

LS polls Highlights: Nearly 61% turnout recorded in 2nd phase of elections

Eighty-eight Lok Sabha seats (including parts of the outer Manipur seat), across 13 states and Union Territories, are set to vote today

LS polls: Omar, Mehbooba ask EC not to postpone voting in Anantnag-Rajouri

NC leader Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday asked the Election Commission not to postpone polls in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat. The former chief ministers made the appeal after the EC sought a report from Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the Chief Electoral Officer on representations submitted by some parties and three candidates seeking rescheduling of elections in the constituency due to adverse weather conditions, including snowfall on the Mughal road. "I appeal to the EC that such a step should not be taken.The demand for postponement is not from all parties. The weird thing is that some of the people who have written to the EC are not contesting. If I write to the EC about constituencies in Tamil Nadu etc. will they take notice," he told a press conference in Srinagar. Speaking to reporters in Surankote area of Poonch district, Mehbooba said, They all have ganged up against me because they do not want to see me in Parliament. The people, cutting across

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Political mercury rising, 2nd phase of voting today

The BJP and its allies won 62 of the 87 seats in 2019

2024 LS polls, costliest ever, expenditure may touch Rs 1.35 trn: Report

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are on track to break past records and become the most expensive electoral event in the world, according to a poll expert. The estimated expenditure is expected to reach a staggering Rs 1.35 lakh crore, more than double the Rs 60,000 crore spent in 2019, claimed N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a not-for-profit organisation, and has been tracking election spending for 35 years. Rao stated that this comprehensive expenditure encompasses all spending, direct or indirect, related to polls, including that by political parties and organisations, candidates, the government, and the Election Commission. With the BJP vying for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, industry observers have noted the party's dominant presence in campaigns, irrespective of the mediums used for publicity. In an interview with PTI, Rao said he revised the initial expenditure estimate from Rs 1.2 lakh crore to Rs 1.35 l

LS polls: Over 1.7 million voters to decide fate of 22 candidates in Jammu

The Jammu parliamentary constituency is all set to go to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid tight security arrangements on Friday. Over 17.81 lakh eligible voters are set to exercise their franchise across 2,416 polling stations to decide the fate of 22 candidates. The Jammu Lok Sabha seat is one of the 89 constituencies in 13 states and Union territories across the country going to polls on Friday. The campaigning for the elections to the Jammu Lok Sabha seat concluded peacefully on Wednesday evening. "The preparations are underway. Tomorrow is the election date. The teams have been dispatched. The process started at 9 am. The teams will reach the polling stations in Jammu by evening," said Sachin Kumar Vaishya, the returning officer for Jammu Lok Sabha constituency. The officials said that all arrangements have been put in place for an incident free polls. Security and other related arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting. A .

Kerala Oppn leader complains to EC against Delhi LG for MCC violation

On the eve of polling day in Kerala, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan on Thursday urged the Election Commission to take action against Delhi's Lt Governor for allegedly visiting heads of churches in the southern state to "lure" them to take a stand in favour of BJP in the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Satheesan, in a letter to the Commission, alleged "blatant violation of the model code of conduct" by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena through his meeting of church heads in Kerala. "I am writing to invite your attention to the blatant violation of the model code of conduct by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena by visiting various church heads in Kerala to lure them to take a stance in favour of BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," the opposition leader said in his complaint. Satheesan claimed that Saxena, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, requested an audience with the heads of the Syro Malabar Church, Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, ...

EC seeks response from PM Modi, Rahul on allegations of hate speech

'Political parties will have to take primary responsibility for the conduct of their candidates, especially star campaigners,' says EC

Poll body answers SC's queries, Court reserves judgement in EVM-VVPAT case

The Supreme Court said it is clear from the Election Commission of India's replies that the flash memory of the microcontrollers in EVMs cannot be reprogrammed

Campaigning ends for phase two of Lok Sabha elections in 89 seats

Campaigning ended on Wednesday for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar where electors will decide the fate of 50 candidate in the second phase of polling on April 26. Leading the NDA charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Purnea, a seat which is being contested by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed his first election meeting in Bihar at Bhagalpur, a seat the party is contesting after more than two decades. The party has fielded MLA Ajeet Sharma against JD(U) MP Ajay Mandal from the seat. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed rallies in Kishanganj, the lone seat the party secured in Bihar in 2019, and at Katihar, where former Union minister Tariq Anwar is trying to wrest back his pocket borough from JD(U) MP Dulal Chandra Goswami. The Congress is contesting nine of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats, and three of these are going to polls in the second phase. The JD(U) holds all but one of the five seats going to polls in

Cross-verification of votes: SC reserves verdict after noting EC's answers

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) after taking note of answers to queries it had raised before the Election Commission. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta sought answers from an official of the poll panel to five questions related to the the functioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), including whether the microcontrollers fitted in them are reprogrammable. Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas, who had earlier made a presentation to the court on the functioning of EVMs, was summoned by the bench at 2 PM to answer the queries. The bench had said it needs clarification on certain aspects as there was some confusion over the answers given by the EC to 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) about EVMs. "We have some doubts and need clarification and that's why we have listed the matter for directions

Supreme Court questions ECI on five technical aspects of EVM-VVPAT case

The top court is hearing a petition concerning the cross-verification of votes cast in electronic voting machines with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail

SC seeks EC clarification on EVM functioning, calls panel official at 2 pm

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought clarification from the Election Commission on certain aspects regarding the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and summoned a senior poll panel official at 2 pm. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, which has reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), said it needs clarification on certain aspects as there was some confusion in answers given by the EC in its 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) on EVMs. "We don't want to be wrong but doubly sure in our findings and hence we thought of seeking the clarification," the bench told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati who was appearing for the EC. It asked Bhati to call senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas at 2 PM. Vyas had earlier given a presentation to the court on the functioning of the EVMs. It flagged some points on which the court

LS polls: NCP (SP) moves EC over poll symbol allocation in Baramati

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the symbol of a trumpet-like instrument allotted to an independent candidate contesting from its stronghold, Baramati, in Maharashtra's Pune district. The NCP (SP) has claimed the ECI has allotted a trumpet-like symbol to independent candidate Shaikh Soyalshah Yunusshah and has identified it as "tutari". The ECI has allotted "a man blowing turha" (a traditional trumpet) as the poll symbol for the NCP (SP). The complaint filed by Laxmikant Khabiya, the poll representative of the party's candidate, Supriya Sule, stated that there is a similarity in both names, which can cause confusion among voters. Khabiya submitted the complaint to the returning officer on April 20. "The symbol given to the independent candidate is a trumpet. In Marathi, it cannot be called 'tutari'. We have requested the ECI to call the symbol 'trumpet' instead of 'tutari'," he stated in the complaint. The

Election Commission declines to comment on PM Modi's Rajasthan poll speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Congress party, if elected to power at the Centre, would distribute people's property, land and gold among Muslims

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Second phase to test BJP's poll dominance

Of the 87 seats, the BJP and its former allies won 62, or 71% of the seats, and another seat was won by its current ally, the JD(S) in the previous general election

LS polls: EC holds meeting to discuss measures to mitigate heatwave risks

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu chaired the meeting

EC files FIR against Karnataka BJP official for illegally carrying cash

An FIR was registered on Sunday against BJP Office Secretary Lokesh Ambekallu and two others for illegally carrying Rs 2 crore cash in a car, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said. The matter came to light on Saturday when the Static Surveillance Team (SST) of Chamrajpet intercepted a car here carrying cash of Rs 2 crore at 4.05 pm and intimated income tax officials, they said. According to the EC officials, the Income Tax department summoned office bearers of the BJP and concluded that there was no violation under IT laws as the source of the money was legitimate. But as per ECI (Election Commission of India) direction, cash more than 10,000 given to party functionaries and candidates' agents for political activities shall be done through cheque or online mode. ECI had also advised political parties not to carry huge amounts of cash. As there is a violation of ECI directions and the recipient's list was not produced, based on the suspicion that the money may be used for .

LS polls: Undercurrent in favour of INDIA gaining strength, says Congress

A day after polling for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Saturday claimed that the INDIA bloc is far ahead of the BJP and an undercurrent in favour of the coalition is gaining strength. Polling in the first phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories took place on Friday. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "BJP's Graph: South Mein Saaf, North Mein Half! Here's what we know after the first phase of voting: In the first phase, voting was held on 102 seats in 21 states. Ground reports clearly show the INDIA coalition far ahead of BJP." "We have swept Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, and performed strongly in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh," he claimed. Ramesh further said that the BJP's performance in key states has been "remarkably poor". "The BJP leadership is in panic due to these trends - the PM's tweet is an indication of the desperation in their camp," he claimed. Ram