Page 19 - Elections

Will not step down over party's loss in special elections, says Japan's PM

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday his governing party's major defeat in last weekend's by-elections was largely due to a political fundraising scandal and that he would not step down or replace party executives to take responsibility. Instead, Kishida said he will push anti-corruption measures and political reforms. As I take the results seriously, I believe as president of the governing party we must tackle the challenges we face one by one and achieve results, and this is the way I will take responsibility," Kishida said. By doing so, I will regain the people's trust. Kishida said the scandal dealt a big and heavy hinderance to the party. The scandal centres on dozens of lawmakers in Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party who allegedly pocketed profits from ticket sales to political events by falsifying accounting reports. Asked if he would take responsibility for the election loss, Kishida denied he would step down or replace top LDP posts, and pledged to pursue par

LS polls: EC to hand out diamond rings to Bhopal voters to boost turnout

Concerned about the low turnout during the initial phases of the Lok Sabha elections, election officials in Bhopal have decided to conduct a lucky draw every two hours on voting day

LS polls highlights: Opposition using fake videos to create social discord, says PM Modi

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the latest news on the Lok Sabha polls here

123 of 1,352 candidates in third phase of Lok Sabha polls are women: ADR

Only 9 per cent of the 1,352 candidates contesting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections are women while 18 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves, the ADR said in a new report. Seven candidates have also declared prior convictions, according to an analysis of details of candidates contesting the elections in the third phase by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and The National Election Watch. The third phase of the elections will be held on May 7. Among the 244 candidates with criminal records, five face charges related to murder while 24 have been booked in cases of attempted murder. Additionally, 38 candidates have been linked to crimes against women and 17 declared cases related to hate speech. The analysis, based on the self-sworn affidavits of the 1,352 candidates, has shed light on trends in criminality and wealth accumulation among political aspirants. The prevalence of criminal cases varies significantly across major political parties

PM Modi opens up on 'inheritance tax', Rahul's 'X-ray' remarks: Details

PM Modi, during a recent interview, rejected the proposal of introducing an inheritance tax while slamming the wealth redistribution ideology

'Zero electricity bill, surplus power': PM Modi's goals for Viksit Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal for Viksit Bharat 2047 includes slashing electricity bills to zero by facilitating the adoption of rooftop solar panels in every household

INDIA bloc's 7 sitting MLAs to contest from Jharkhand, BJP chooses 3

Intriguing dynamics in Jharkhand's political landscape has come to the fore in the wake of the candidate lists that have been finalised by the state's ruling INDIA bloc and its prime opposition, the BJP. While the INDIA alliance has opted for continuity by nominating seven sitting legislators, the BJP has chosen three MLAs as candidates across the state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies. These decisions underscore a combination of factors, including trust in incumbent representatives and a perceived shortage of viable contenders. Interestingly, two sitting legislators from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have decided to contest independently, reflecting potential internal discord within the party. The elections, scheduled to commence on May 13, are poised to witness the participation of 2.56 crore eligible voters in the state. The ruling alliance, comprising the Congress, JMM, RJD, and CPI-ML(L), has delineated seat-sharing arrangements, with Congress contesting seven seats and JMM .

Lok Sabha election: Nearly half of the Bengaluru voters give polls a miss

Despite EC's efforts to enhance voter participation, Bengaluru saw a notable drop in voter turnout during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with only around half of eligible voters casting their votes

Separatist Amritpal Singh to fight Lok Sabha polls, confirms his mother

Separatist Amritpal Singh's mother Balwinder Kaur announced that her son has decided to contest Lok Sabha polls to fight the issues facing the Sikh community

BJP's Tejasvi Surya booked for 'soliciting votes on the ground of religion'

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer said BJP leader Tejasvi Surya posted a video on social media soliciting votes on the grounds of religion

After EC's reply to SC queries, verdict on EVM-VVPAT case likely today

In the last hearing, the Supreme Court panned EVM criticism and the calls for a return to ballot papers, saying that efforts should not be made to undermine the electoral process

Election 2024: What's closed, what's open tomorrow in Noida, Greater Noida?

Gautam Buddh Nagar is scheduled for polling on April 26, in the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Bringing them home: Parties rally NRIs in large numbers to vote in LS polls

Kerala is once again leading the way in courting NRIs to return home to vote

Lok Sabha Elections: Did BJP really get its first win from Surat constituency

In a first in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already marked its first poll victory. BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal has been declared the winner from the Surat

Maldivian President Muizzu-led PNC secures majority in Parliamentary polls

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has secured a "supermajority" in Parliament by winning over 60 seats in Sunday's crucial parliamentary election, seen as a litmus test for the pro-Beijing politician whose policies are being closely watched by both India and China amidst regional power dynamics. According to information released by the Elections Commission (EC), 207,693 people cast their ballots as of 5:00 pm local time, making for a voter turnout of 72.96 per cent. This includes 104,826 men and 102,867 women. A total of 284,663 people were eligible to vote to elect lawmakers for 93 constituencies in the 20th People's Majlis. A total of 368 candidates were in the fray, including 130 independent candidates, 10 candidates from Jumhoory Party (JP), 39 from The Democrats, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) 4, Adhaalath Party (AP) 4, and Maldives National Party (MNP) 2 nominees. According to a sun.mv news portal report, PNC contested for 90 constituencies, while main opposition Maldivi

A first in LS polls: Corporate-backed political party enters the fray

The party is fielding two lawyers, Charlie Paul in Chalakudy and Antony Judy in Ernakulam

BSP announces names of candidate for four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday announced its candidates for all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh. State BSP chief Narayan Azad said his party would expose the "anti-Scheduled Caste stance" of both the BJP and the Congress and would contest the election on the plank of justice to the poor and scheduled castes and tribes. He said that Anil Kumar will contest from the Shimla (Reserve) seat, Hem Raj will be the party candidate from the Hamirpur seat, while Prakash Chand Bhardwaj and Rekha Rani will contest from Mandi and Kangra seats respectively. A party meeting was held at Una recently where the names of the candidates were discussed and sent to the party high command for approval.

CAA will be repealed when 'INDIA' Bloc comes to power, says P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be repealed in the first session of Parliament after the INDIA Bloc forms the government at the Centre. Chidambaram said the intention of the Congress party is to repeal the CAA even though it is not mentioned in its manifesto. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) has been constantly lashing out at the Congress saying its manifesto fails to mention the CAA. Talking to the media here, Chidambaram claimed it was not mentioned in the manifesto "because it became too long". The former union minister said the 10-year-rule of the BJP has caused tremendous damage to the country as it misused the "brute majority" in Parliament. "There is a long list of laws among which five laws will be absolutely repealed. Take it from me, I am the chairman of the manifesto committee. I wrote every word of it, I know what the intention was. The CAA will be repealed, not amended. We

LS polls 2024: Over 62% turnout registered in phase 1 covering 102 seats

A voter turnout of nearly 63 per cent was recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence at some places and an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh that left a CRPF jawan dead. The Election Commission said polling for the first and biggest phase of the seven-phase elections remained largely peaceful. Voters braved the heat in most parts while at some places, they waited patiently in pouring rain as the world's largest poll exercise got underway at 7 am. The National Democratic alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Tripura recorded the highest turnout of 80.17 per cent, followed by West Bengal at 77.57, Meghalaya 74.21 per cent, Puducherry 73.50 per cent, and Assam ..

Lok Sabha election 2024: How much does it cost to hold elections in India?

Based on previous years' trends, the 2024 election is expected to cost approximately double the amount of the last election, amounting to a staggering Rs 1,00,000 crore