Page 28 - Elections

Amid rigging allegations, Pak caretaker PM hails successful elections

Internet monitor Netblocks also said that the real-time data shows that internet blackouts are now in effect in "multiple regions of Pakistan in addition to mobile network disruptions," reported Dawn

Vote counting begins in Pakistan, clear picture expected early Friday

Counting of votes began in Pakistan following conclusion of the polling on Thursday in an election marred by crackdown on jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan's party, sporadic violence and connectivity issues after the government suspended mobile and internet services to foil suspected terror attacks. The polling started at 8.00 AM and continued without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday was declared to enable more than 12 crore voters to cast their ballots. The time for voting ended but the people present inside the premises of the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes. The polling percentage is not yet known. The results of individual polling stations have started to pour in from across the country after the mandatory one hour restriction elapsed. But it may take a couple of hours before the complete result of any constituency is available. In total 266 National Assembly seats were up for grabs out of 336, but polling was postponed on at least one sea

Pakistani general elections: Citizens cast vote amid rigging claims

Millions of voters in Pakistan on Thursday began voting in the general elections in which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is hoping to secure a record fourth term with the backing of the powerful military amid a crackdown on his rival Imran Khan's party, rise in violence and economic stagnation. Amidst tight security, the polling started at 8.00 AM and will continue without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday has been declared to enable a total of 128 million registered voters to cast their votes and elect a new government that they hope to stabilise the country's economy. The counting will start soon after the conclusion of the voting. Nearly 650,000 security personnel have been deployed across the country as at least 30 people were killed on Wednesday in twin blasts in the restive Balochistan province. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja Wednesday talked to the chief secretaries and inspectors general of police (IGPs) of the four provinces a

From jail, Imran Khan asks supporters to wait by poll stations after vote

Any large-scale gathering of Khan's supporters near booths could raise tensions because of what they call a military-backed crackdown on him and his party that has restricted campaigning

Delhi AAP candidates not to enter villages during polls: Villagers body

A villagers body on Monday accused the MCD of not consulting them on preparing the budget and said the AAP candidates will not be allowed to enter the villages in the upcoming general and assembly elections. A group of people under the banner of Delhi Panchayat Sangh, an umbrella body representing 360 villages in Delhi, pasted a memorandum at the MCD headquarters here for not consulting them on preparing the budget 2024-25 as promised by the corporation. They also protested against Mayor Shelly Oberoi for not taking suggestions by the rural bodies to prepare the budget slated to be presented in the House on February 8. It claimed that the mayor did not give time to meet the leaders of the villages' when approached on Monday. "The mayor's neglect of the villagers will not be tolerated and the Aam Aadmi Party should be ready to bear the brunt of it. Aam Aadmi Party candidates will not be allowed to enter the villages in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections," the body said in

Ahead of Pak general elections, minority Hindus feel left out of process

Ahead of the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, members of the minority Hindu community feel they are mostly left out of the poll process despite having a notable presence, especially in the southern Sindh province. The census showed that Hindus account for just 2.14 per cent of the total population in Muslim-majority Pakistan and in Sindh itself their large concentration means they account for nearly nine per cent. Under Pakistan's Constitution, 10 seats are reserved for members of minority communities in the National Assembly and 24 seats in the provinces. Leaders and members of the Hindu community rue the fact that they are not given proper representation and many are not even registered as voters. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, noted that the Hindu community, especially those belonging to the lower economic sector or those living in remote villages in Sindh feel left out of the election process. In the national census carried o

Interim Budget 2024 highlights: Capex from govt will continue, says FM

Union Budget 2024 LIVE updates: FM Sitharaman in her Interim Budget speech stated the Centre is working towards making India 'viksit' by 2047. Catch the latest updates here

AAP to move Supreme Court for early hearing on Chandigarh mayoral election

The Aam Aadmi Party will move the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing of its plea on Chandigarh mayoral polls, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Wednesday. His statement came hours after the Punjab and Haryana High Court fused to grant any interim relief on the AAP's petition for setting aside Tuesday's mayoral election and seeking fresh mayoral polls. The HC also asked the Chandigarh administration to file its reply within three weeks and has adjourned the matter till February 26. The AAP-Congress alliance has alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer Anil Masih, a charge rejected by him and the BJP which won the election to all three posts. "We will move Supreme Court. We will seek an early hearing in the matter. There is a video of the whole thing," Mann said and questioned why the Chandigarh administration required three weeks to prepare a report. The chief minister was replying to queries at a news conference here on the sidelines of chairing

No more elections will be held in India if Modi wins 2024 LS polls: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday expressed apprehension that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi might prefer dictatorship in case his party wins the upcoming polls. He urged people to keep away from the BJP and its ideologue RSS, alleging that they are "like poison". "This will be the last opportunity for the people to save democracy in India. If Narendra Modi wins another election, there will be dictatorship in the country," Kharge said while addressing a party rally. On the JD(U) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returning to the NDA leaving the Congress on Sunday, Kharge claimed it will not have any impact on the polls. "One person quitting Mahagathbandhan will not weaken us. We will defeat BJP," he said.

Russian authorities register Putin as candidate for March elections

Russia's election commission on Monday formally registered President Vladimir Putin as a candidate for the March presidential election, a vote in which he's all but certain to win another six-year term in office. Putin, 71, is running as an independent, but he retains tight control over Russia's political system that he has established during 24 years in power. With prominent critics who could challenge him either jailed or living abroad and most independent media banned, his re-election in the March 15-17 presidential vote looks all but assured. In 2018, Putin also ran as an independent, snubbing the United Russia party that nominated him to run in 2012. With his approval ratings hovering around 80 per cent, Putin is far more popular than United Russia, which is widely seen as a part of the Kremlin-controlled state bureaucracy rather than a political force. The Central Election Commission formally cleared Putin for the race after reviewing 315,000 signatures gathered by his campaig

CM Jagan sounds poll bugle, says target 100% Assembly, LS seats in state

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday sounded the poll bugle for the YSR Congress party for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls saying it is a 'Kurukshetra war' comparing himself with the Pandavas while the opposition TDP with the Kauravas (from the epic Mahabharatha). Addressing a rally of his party workers titled "Siddham" (Ready) at Bhimili near here, Jagan said the YSRCP Government has fulfilled 99 per cent of the poll promises unlike the TDP which has allegedly "dumped its manifesto in the dustbin." Seeking votes for the YSRCP in the coming elections, the CM said his government has disbursed Rs 2.53 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without giving any scope for corruption and as many as 2.13 lakh government jobs were given in the past 56 months of his rule. "This a Kurukshetra war. This side Pandavas. That (opposition) side Kauravas. I am not Abhimanyu who was entangled in the Padmavyuham. I am Arjuna who was supported by you people

EC collaborates with Rajkumar Hirani for short film on voter awareness

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has collaborated with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani for a short film to spread awareness about voting. Titled "My Vote My Duty", the short is compiled from video messages by cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar as well as actors Rajkummar Rao, Amitabh Bachchan, R Madhavan, Raveena Tandon, Vicky Kaushal, Boman Irani, Arshad Warsi, Bhumi Pednekar and Mona Singh. Hirani, who most recently directed Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Dunki", has produced the short film, which was shared by the ECI on its official handle on microblogging site X on National Voters' Day on Thursday. It is directed by Sanjiv Kishinchandani. "A short film 'My Vote My Duty' produced by #ECI in association with @RajkumarHirani featuring several renowned celebrities on the theme 'Value of one vote' was released on #NVD2024," read the tweet. The film aims to address attitudinal barriers such as indifference and apathy, and inspire citizens to recognise the significance of their votes. "The mos

Lok Sabha polls: BJP appoints election in-charges for 23 states, UTs

The BJP on Saturday appointed election in-charges and co-in-charges for 23 states and Union territories in view of the Lok Sabha polls this year. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde has been made the election in-charge for Bihar, while BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Jharkhand unit chief Deepak Prakash will be the co-in-charge, according to a party statement. Tawde is the BJP's in-charge for political affairs in Bihar. The BJP has appointed vice president Baijayant Jay Panda as the election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as that of Uttarakhand. BJP national vice president and Rajya Sabha member Laxmikant Bajpai will be the election in-charge for Jharkhand, the statement said. The appointments have been made by BJP president J P Nadda in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it said. BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been made the election in-charge for Haryana. BJP leader ..

2024 LS polls: 960 mn citizens, including 470 mn women, eligible to vote

Over 96 crore people, including 47 crore women, are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for which more than 12 lakh polling booths would be set up across India. Over 1.73 crore of those eligible to vote are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, according to Election Commission data. As many as 1.5 crore polling personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha. According to a 2023 letter sent by the EC to political parties, India had 17.32 crore registered voters in 1951, which rose to 19.37 crore in 1957. There were 91.20 crore voters in the 2019 polls. Out of the total voters registered in the electoral rolls, nearly 18 lakh are persons with disabilities. In the first Lok Sabha elections the voter turnout was recorded at 45 per cent. It was 67 per cent in the last parliamentary polls.

Pak SC gives relief to some leaders of Imran's party ahead of Feb 8 polls

In a relief to the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, the Supreme Court on Friday allowed its president Parvez Elahi, and some other senior leaders to contest the February 8 general elections. A three-member bench heard Elahi's appeal against the rejection of his candidature by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the election tribunal. The apex court also allowed other PTI leaders, Umar Aslam, Tahir Sadiq, Sanam Javed, and Shaukat Basra to contest the upcoming general elections. The beleaguered Khan and his PTI have suffered blow after blow ahead of the polls with the election commission snatching away its iconic cricket bat symbol and rejecting nomination papers of 71-year-old Khan and several top leaders on multiple grounds. The panel, after hearing the arguments, declared the decision to reject Elahi's nomination papers null and void and allowed him to contest the elections from a constituency of the Punjab assembly in his home province ...

Will he, won't he? Buzz on Nitish Kumar's BJP return amid INDIA rift

Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself sounded more open to such a possibility in a recent interview

Pakistani Taliban pledge not to attack election rallies ahead of Feb 8 vote

The Pakistani Taliban pledged Thursday not to attack election rallies, saying their targets are limited to the military and security forces, as political parties and independent candidates ramp up their campaigns ahead of the Feb 8 vote. We have nothing to do with these elections and the parties participating in them, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said in a statement. Other militant groups have not made similar pledges, and some previous Pakistani elections have been marred by violence. Two-time former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in a bomb attack in 2007 minutes after she addressed an election rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Her son, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, is leading the campaign for her Pakistan People's Party. Thursday's rare pledge by the TTP came after the government approved the deployment of troops in sensitive constituencies after intelligence agencies warned that militants could target rallies, which are usually held outdoors in public ...

Rahul Gandhi to be arrested after Lok Sabha elections: Assam CM Sarma

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, against whom an FIR has been registered here on the charge of instigating violence will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday. The Assam police suo motu registered the FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other leaders for wanton acts of violence here during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' on Tuesday. 'We have filed an FIR. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will conduct the investigation and he (Gandhi) will be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections', Sarma said on the sidelines of a programme at Nazira in Sibsagar district. The Lok Sabha elections are due within a few months in the country. Director General of Police G P Singh said that the case has been transferred to the Assam CID for a thorough investigation through an SIT to be constituted by the Additional Director General of Police (CID). Sarma had instructed the DGP to register a case against Gandhi for provo

Delhi's chief electoral officer rejects speculation over LS poll dates

The internal note circulated by the office of Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer with April 16 as the tentative "poll date" to help officials schedule various activities "in the build-up" to elections

Andhra Pradesh has 40.8 mn voters as per final electoral rolls 2024

The Election Commission on Monday published the final Special Summary Revision (SSR) of Electoral Rolls of Andhra Pradesh, pegging the total number of voters at 4.08 crore. Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena said there are 2,00,74,322 male voters and 2,07,29,452 crore female voters in the state. There are 67,434 service electors and 3,482 third gender voters. The final electoral roll rose to 4,08,07,256 voters from 4,02,21,450 counted in the draft roll, he said. Following the rationalisation of upper limit of voters per polling station at 1,500, the total number of polling stations rose to 46,165 from 45,951 Accordingly, draft electoral rolls were published on October 27, 2023 as per the rationalized polling stations and claims and objections were received till December 9, 2023. After the disposal of these claims and objections, final electoral rolls have been published on January 22, 2024, said Meena in a press release. According to the CEO, 22,38,952