Page 10 - Elections

Sri Lankans seek change but stability crucial amid economic uncertainty

Sri Lanka's new leaders must demonstrate they are more responsible than the old guard they revile

BJD cautions against rushing through with simultaneous polls proposal

The Biju Janata Dal on Thursday cautioned against rushing through with the 'one nation, one election' proposal and called for a thorough legislative scrutiny of the measure it had supported initially. BJD MP Sasmit Patra told PTI Videos that several critical issues should be clarified before moving forward with the initiative of holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha, legislative assemblies and local bodies. "The party (Biju Janata Dal) initially supported the idea of 'one nation, one election', but what we are worried about are the contours, the ideas, and the fine print," Patra said. His remarks came after the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for 'one nation, one election' as recommended by the high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind. Patra emphasised the need for thorough scrutiny, cautioning against rushing the proposal through without proper consideration. "I hope the Centre does not rush through 'one nation, one election' as they

SC considers hearing pleas against parties promising freebies during polls

Describing the issue of political parties promising freebies during elections as "very important", the Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will not delete from its list of businesses pleas filed against the practice. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was told by lawyer and PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay that the pleas were already there in the list of business for the day and they needed to be heard. As the bench was seized of another part-heard matter, it was quite unlikely the PILs on freebies will be taken up during the day for the hearing, he said. The lawyer also urged that the pleas be kept on board so they can be heard at a later date. "This will not be deleted (from the cause list)," the CJI said, adding that the issues raised were "very important". The pleas were last mentioned for urgent hearing on March 20 this year. In his plea, Upadhyay also sought a direction to the Election Commission to invoke its powers to

Sri Lanka's workers live on margins, politicians still want their votes

Whoever Sri Lanka's next president is, Muthuthevarkittan Manohari isn't expecting much to change in her daily struggle to feed the four children and elderly mother with whom she lives in a dilapidated room in a tea plantation. Both leading candidates in Saturday's presidential election are promising to give land to the country's hundreds of thousands of plantation workers, but Manohari says she's heard it all before. Sri Lanka's plantation workers are a long-marginalised group who frequently live in dire poverty, but they can swing elections by voting as a bloc. Mahohari and her family are descended from Indian indentured labourers who were brought in by the British during colonial rule to work on plantations that grew first coffee, and later tea and rubber. Those crops are still Sri Lanka's leading foreign exchange earners. For 200 years, the community has lived on the margins of Sri Lankan society. Soon after the country became independent in 1948, the new government stripped them

Trudeau says there's 'more work to do' after party suffers by-election loss

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he's focused on the work ahead after the ruling Liberals lost in another by-election, raising more questions about his ability to lead the party into the next federal election. For the second time in recent months the Liberals lost in a former stronghold when the Bloc Quebecois won the vote in the electoral district of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun Monday in Montreal in a tight three-way race with the New Democratic Party. Obviously it would have been nicer to be able to win . . . but there's more work to do, Trudeau said in Ottawa. The big thing is to make sure that Canadians understand the choice they get to make in the next election," Trudeau said. "That's the work we're going to continue to do. Election Canada results show the Bloc candidate Louis-Philippe Sauve finished with 28% of the vote. Liberals' candidate Laura Palestini collected 27.2% and finished just 248 votes behind the winner. The NDP collected 26.1% and was about 600 vote

First Assembly poll in 10 years: Voting in Jammu & Kashmir from today

A total of 49 out of 238 candidates (21%) contesting in Phase II of the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves

J&K polls Phase II: 21% candidates face criminal cases, over 50% crorepatis

A notable 21 per cent of the candidates are facing criminal cases, with 16 per cent involved in serious charges like attempted murder and crimes against women

J-K polls: Election officials head to polling stations in Ramban with EVMs

Twenty-four Assembly constituencies across the UT will go to polls in the first phase, scheduled for September 18

Suspicious packages sent to election officials in at least five US states

Suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least five states on Monday, but there were no reports that any of the packages contained hazardous material. Powder-containing packages were sent to secretaries of state and state election offices in Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma, officials in those states confirmed. The FBI and US Postal Service were investigating. It marked the second time in the past year that suspicious packages were mailed to election officials in multiple state offices. The latest scare comes as early voting has begun in several states less than two months ahead of the high-stakes elections for president, Senate, Congress and key statehouse offices around the nation, causing disruption in what is already a tense voting season. Several of the states reported a white powder substance found in envelopes sent to election officials. In most cases, the material was found to be harmless. Oklahoma officials said the material sent to the ...

Ball in BJP's court to hold early polls, no decision yet on next CM: AAP

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said it has put the ball in BJP's court by demanding early elections in Delhi in November, and now it is up to the opposition party to decide whether it was prepared to face CM Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal will tender his resignation as chief minister on Tuesday and the process to choose his replacement will start after that, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, adding that there has been no discussion on who the next chief minister will be. "Today is a holiday and tomorrow is the first working day of the week. He will tender his resignation tomorrow to Lt Governor and after the resignation is accepted, a meeting of party MLAs will be held to decide on the new name," he said at a press conference. Bharadwaj said the candidate chosen will then present their claim to the president through the LG. "We have the majority and we will be invited and then the process for oath taking will happen. This should take a week," he added. AAP supremo Kejriwal o

Cong coming to power in Haryana, says Hooda; asks criminals to leave state

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said the Congress will form the next government in Haryana and warned criminals to either give up crime or leave the state before October 8, the day poll results will be out. Addressing an election meeting in Assoda village here, Hooda said the aim of the Congress government will be to make Haryana "developed and safe". "A Congress government is going to be formed in the state on October 8. Before that, either stop your criminal activities or leave Haryana," Hooda said in a warning to the criminals of the state. "The aim of the Congress government will be to make Haryana developed and safe," he said and appealed to the people to vote for Congress candidate Rajendra Joon. Hooda told the gathering that when the Congress returned to power in Haryana in 2005, it eradicated crime, and law and order was maintained for 10 years. "Due to this, the state progressed, and Haryana became the number one state in the country in terms of ...

'I might be from the Mufti family but will have to earn my respect here'

"People now understand that their vote is going to be important; it's only politicians and parties who Are going to solve their problems," Iltija Mufti, PDP candidate in J&K Assembly elections

Trump planning to launch sons' crypto biz on Monday, 50 days before polls

Former President Donald Trump plans to deliver remarks next Monday about cryptocurrency and the launch of the company World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform controlled by the Republican nominee's sons Donald Jr. and Eric. His speech will come 50 days before Election Day, an extraordinary use of dwindling campaign time to promote a personal business. The Republican former president has long mixed his political and business interests and marketed sneakers, photo books and Trump-branded Bibles during his 2024 campaign. We're embracing the future with crypto and leaving the slow and outdated big banks behind, Trump said in a video posted Thursday to X, the social media site that will also host his address on the subject at 8 p.m. EDT on Monday from his Mar-a-Lago home. As part of his presidential campaign, Trump has pledged to turn the United States into the crypto capital of the planet, raising red flags that he could use the federal government to help support a business tied to hi

Who's vying to be Japan's next prime minister after Kishida's step down

Here are the leading contenders based on public opinion polls

Clans, cousins, next gen dynasts face off in Haryana's game of thrones

Until now, the BJP has announced candidates on 87 of the 90 seats

Haryana, J-K Assembly elections updates: BJP releases second list of 21 candidates for Haryana polls

J-K, Haryana Assembly polls updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the Assembly polls here

Ex-Dy PM Devi Lal's grandson joins INLD from BJP, gets poll ticket

The 46-year-old leader joined the INLD at a rally of the party in Chautala village in Sirsa district in the presence of the party's senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala

Climate change, natural disasters put voting rights at risk: Nepal PM Oli

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Wednesday emphasised that unpredictable weather patterns and natural disasters, exacerbated by climate change, can pose a significant threat to citizens' ability to exercise their right to vote, as he underscored the need for election officials to adapt and ensure the integrity of democratic processes. "Issues like climate change, migration and the rise of social media and the role of artificial intelligence are crucial for our democracies," Oli said at the inauguration of the 12th conference of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBOSA) here. "Unpredictable weather patterns and natural disasters due to climate change threaten our ability to ensure that every citizen can exercise their right to vote...Climate change is not only an issue related to the environment, it touches every facet of our society," he said. "The movement of people across borders and within, and within our countries have profound implications for ...

MCD ward committee election commences amid heavy security deployment

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi ward committee polls commenced at the agency headquarters here on Wednesday amid heavy security deployment. The long pending elections are being held for the first time after the unification of the MCD in 2022. Due to the political deadlock between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP, the polls could not take place and the matter became subjudice. Anticipating a face-off between the two parties, the police have beefed up security arrangements in and around the Civic Centre located in Central Delhi. A company of paramilitary personnel along with local police has been deployed at the spot. In this poll, councillors will vote to elect a chairman and deputy chairman for 10 of the 12 zonal-level ward committees, and one member each for the standing committee, MCD's highest decision-making body. Polls for the formation of the ward committees in two zones -- City SP and Keshav Puram -- will not take place as the BJP and the AAP did not make ...

BJP crisis deepens in J&K: Anger, exits, power clashes ahead of polls

The BJP's decision to contest only half the seats in the Valley during the first phase of voting has intensified frustrations, with loyalists feeling sidelined in favour of defectors and new entrants