Page 11 - Elections In India

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 6: Over 25.76% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Sixth phase will see voting in 58 of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, including all seven seats in Delhi

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 6: Over 10.8% voter turnout recorded till 9 am

The sixth phase will see voting in 58 of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, including all seven seats in Delhi

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

LS polls: Voting in Haryana for 10 seats on Saturday, ex-CM Khattar in fray

Polling in the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana and for the Karnal assembly bypoll will be held on Saturday that will decide the fate of 223 candidates, including big guns like former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Congress' Kumari Selja. A total of 223 candidates -- 207 men and 16 women -- are in the fray in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls and more than 2 crore people are eligible to vote in the state. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting the Karnal byelection. Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the 2019 general elections. For the Lok Sabha elections, Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar, former chief minister Manohar Lal and Congress heavyweights Kumari Selja and Deepender Singh Hooda are among the candidates. Khattar, the BJP candidate from Karnal, is facing Haryana Youth Congress president Divyanshu Budhiraja. Haryana is witnessing a direct fight between the ruling BJ

WB to move higher court to challenge HC order on OBC certificates: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her government will approach a higher court, challenging the Calcutta High Court order that cancelled all OBC certificates issued in the state since 2010. Addressing an election rally in Sagar in South 24 Parganas district, she said the state government would appeal to the higher court against the order after summer vacation. We do not accept the order that scrapped OBC certificates. We will contest at a higher court after summer vacation," Banerjee said. The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday struck down as illegal the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010, sparking a political debate in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections. The court observed that the inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list of backward categories was to treat them as a vote bank. Banerjee urged electors "not to cast a single vote to the BJP or any other party except the TMC so that the INDIA bloc can form a govern

LS polls: AAP alleges BJP nominee Hiranmoy's claims in affidavit false

The Aam Aadmi Party has lodged a complaint to the Election Commission, alleging that BJP's Ghatal Lok Sabha nominee Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya has provided "wrong" information about his educational qualification in the affidavit and sought cancellation of his candidature. The AAP also accused the actor-turned-politician of making a false claim that he is a research fellow at IIT Kharagpur. We have observed a discrepancy in the election affidavit declaration of Hiranmoy Chattopadhyaya regarding his educational qualification/accomplishment. He has claimed to be a research fellow at IIT Kharagpur since May 2023. However, a recent RTI reply from IIT Kharagpur has revealed that he is neither a research associate, nor scientist, nor staff, nor in any other category, as per the institute rules and regulations," the AAP wrote in the letter on Thursday. It is evident that Chattopadhyaya has given "falsified personal information in his election affidavit which is a violation of rules and ...

Commonwealth Games Village designated strong room, traffic advisory issued

The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory for Friday for the area around the Commonwealth Games Village, which has been designated as a strong room-cum-counting centre for the Lok Sabha elections. In a post on X, the Delhi Traffic Police on Thursday said, "In view of the Lok Sabha elections, the Commonwealth Games Village is a strong room-cum-counting centre. On 24.05.24, from 9 am to 5 pm, movement of a large number of buses and other vehicles related to election duties are expected." The police advised commuters travelling from Sarai Kale Khan/MGM towards National Highway-24 to proceed straight to Akshardham flyover and take a left turn to reach Pusta Road, ITO or Vikas Marg. People coming from the ITO or Pusta Road side should proceed up to the Akshardham flyover, take a U-turn after crossing the flyover, and then continue on National Highway-24 towards Delhi, it added. The police requested the commuters to cooperate by avoiding the roads mentioned and utilising public ...

BJP hits out at Congress govt in K'taka, terms capital city Udta Bengaluru

The development comes after the Bengaluru Police busted a rave party at a farmhouse here recently which was allegedly attended by 86 people

Will PM Modi scrap Agnipath amid opposition from Himachal, asks Congress

The Congress on Friday said the people of Himachal Pradesh have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the Agnipath scheme and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commit to scrapping the "ill-conceived" military recruitment programme. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posed several questions to the prime minister ahead of his rallies in Himachal Pradesh. "How much did the attempt to topple the state government cost the BJP? Will the outgoing prime minister commit to scrapping the Agnipath scheme? Why has the Modi sarkar not delivered on railway projects? Why did the outgoing prime minister not declare the July 2023 floods a national calamity?" the Congress general secretary asked. He also alleged that the BJP's blatant disregard for democratic values has been on full display in Himachal Pradesh. The six MLAs who were disqualified from the assembly for selling out to the BJP during the Rajya Sabha elections have shamelessly been named as candidates for the seats they vacated, he .

LS polls 2024: PM Modi to address rallies in Himachal, Punjab today

Prominent campaigners from both major political parties, the BJP and Congress, are vigorously supporting their candidates

What are the two triggers for the India stock market crash? Wood answers

That said, the reality so far Wood believes, a repeat of the shock BJP defeat in 2004, remains unlikely in the extreme.

LS polls: Pre-poll violence in Bengal's Nandigram after BJP worker's murder

Violence erupted in Nandigram on Thursday, which comes under Purba Medinipur, a Lok Sabha constituency scheduled to go to polls on May 25

BJP to win 305 seats in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, predicts Eurasia Group

Lok Sabha elections 2024: After Prashant Kishor, American political scientist Ian Bremmer expects Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure a third term in office

If 'double engine' govt in Odisha, bulldozers to run over mafia: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said if the 'double engine' government is formed in Odisha, bulldozers will be used against all kinds of mafia. Addressing an election rally in the Chilika assembly constituency under the Puri Lok Sabha seat, Yogi said, Give us strength to form a double engine government in Odisha so that we can clear the path by running bulldozers on 'land, sand, forest and cattle' mafia in the state, as we did in Uttar Pradesh." The term "double engine" is used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state. The BJD government is surrounded by servile coterie and when they surround any government, it gives birth to dictatorship. Then corruption increases, the poor are exploited and the administration collapses, he alleged.

LS polls: Big guns missing in Maneka's low-decibel campaign in Sultanpur

In Sultanpur, near high-profile Amethi, BJP's Maneka Gandhi appears to be fighting a lone battle to retain her parliamentary seat with few top leaders of her party canvassing for her and no opposition biggies campaigning against her either. Sultanpur goes to polls on May 25 and Thursday is the last day of campaigning. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed a public meeting in support of Maneka Gandhi in Qazipur on Wednesday. Her son Varun Gandhi, who has been benched by the BJP in this Lok Sabha election, is expected to join her for campaigning on Thursday. Her nephew Rahul Gandhi and niece Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have visited Uttar Pradesh multiple times to canvass for INDIA bloc candidates but have not campaigned against her. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati campaigned in Sultanpur in support of her party's candidate Udraj Verma, an OBC, on Wednesday and attacked both the BJP and the Congress. Despite little help from the BJP's big guns, Maneka Gandhi is .

LS polls 2024: Who made Haryana number 1 in unemployment, Cong slams BJP

The Congress on Thursday alleged that despite repeated promises, the BJP government has "failed" to provide permanent employment opportunities in Haryana and instead, it is promoting temporary contractual jobs through the skill employment corporation. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rally in Haryana's Mahendragarh. "Outgoing PM. Now that we have his attention, here are today's questions for him in Mahendragarh: Who made Haryana Number 1 in unemployment? Why has BJP slowed down private investment in Haryana? Why are Bhiwani residents being forced to protest for clean drinking water and proper sewerage?" Ramesh said in a post on X. Ramesh, citing the latest data from the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE), said Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in India at 37.4 per cent, far surpassing the national average. "Despite repeated promises and announcements, the BJP government has failed to provide .

BJP responsible for unemployment, corruption in Haryana, says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the BJP government for "unemployment, corruption and inflation" in the Haryana. "There is a huge wave of Congress in Haryana. Haryana has the highest unemployment in the entire country, the price of which is being paid by the youth here. "The public is fed up with the rampant inflation, corruption and instability of the BJP and is going to bring about a big change)," she said in a post in Hindi on X. The Congress will win all seats in the state with a huge margin, she said. Earlier, she led a roadshow to garner support for party nominee Kumari Selja for the May 25 Lok Sabha poll in Haryana. Standing in an open vehicle along with Selja and former Haryana minister Kiran Choudhary, Priyanka waved towards people during her roadshow, which lasted for about an hour. It was her first such election outing in Haryana. Holding party flags, Congress workers raised slogans 'Congress party Zindabad' and showered flower petals on her.

Kejriwal travelling with accused shows where his loyalty lies, says BJP

The BJP said on Thursday that no one should hamper the probe into the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal, claiming it is part of the investigation to ascertain who were present at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence and the role they played when the incident occurred. "Who all were present at Kejriwal's residence from his family and office, the role they played and what they witnessed when Maliwal was being beaten up are part of the investigation. I am a spokesperson of the BJP, not the police. I will only request that no one should hamper the investigation," Union Minister Smriti Irani said at a press conference. She was responding to a question about the AAP's attack on the BJP over the Delhi Police's move to question Kejriwal's parents over the issue. The fact that Kejriwal has been seen travelling with the accused, his aide Bibhav Kumar, signals where his loyalty lies in the case, she said. "Can he be expected to do justice?" Irani asked. Taking a swipe at th

LS polls 2024: Election is fight to safeguard Constitution, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday charged that the BJP always wanted to "tear and throw away" the Constitution, and asserted that the Lok Sabha elections this time is a fight to safeguard it. At an election meeting in northeast Delhi's Dilshad Garden in support of party candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, he claimed that the BJP always wanted to change the Constitution. "These people (BJP) have always wanted to tear and throw it (Constitution) away. They never accepted neither the Indian Constitution nor the Indian flag. In this election finally they have accepted that they want to change it," he charged. "In this election, the fight is for safeguarding the Indian Constitution. It is not simply a book, our Constitution carries thousands of years of ideological heritage of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru ji," the Congress leader said. The former Congress president said the BJP has finally "accepted" in this election that it wanted to change the Constitution. However, the BJP will have to f

LS polls: Cong slams BJP for not fulfilling promises made to farmers

The Congress on Thursday hit out at the BJP for not fulfilling the promises made to farmers' organisations and asserted that an INDIA bloc government will implement all its guarantees to the tillers, including the legal guarantee of MSP. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that elections have been held in 428 constituencies and now polling on 115 seats, including those in Punjab and Haryana, are left. In a video statement on X, he said the farmers' movement has been going on in Haryana and Punjab since five years and though the government took back the "three black farm laws", it has "not fulfilled the promises" it made to farmer organisations "For the last five years, the Modi government has continuously ignored the farmers' movement of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Atrocities were committed against the farmers. Now they are talking about snatching the MSP from the farmers of Punjab and Haryana for burning stubble," Ramesh said and asserted that the Congress strongl