Page 30 - Elections

Govt's disinvestment target in FY25 could be its lowest in nine years

The Modi government has met its privatisation and divestment target only twice in the last decade, even though its track record outstrips that of previous administrations

Congress to focus on just 255 seats in Lok Sabha elections, says report

2024 general elections: The Congress leadership stated that seat-sharing negotiations with INDIA partners would commence soon

As it finalises preparations for LS polls, EC to visit states from Jan 7

The Election Commission (EC) will start reviewing preparedness of states for the Lok Sabha elections with a visit to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu next week. The commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and comprising Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel will be in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu between January 7 and 10. Ahead of the visit, deputy election commissioners will brief the full commission about the preparations in the two states on January 6. The deputy election commissioners have visited almost all the states to oversee the preparation for the Lok Sabha polls. It is usual for the EC to tour states ahead of assembly or Lok Sabha elections to meet political parties, senior police and administrative officials and its ground poll machinery. It is, however, not yet certain whether the EC will visit all the states and union territories. It may skip states where assembly polls were held recently. In 2019, the Lok Sabha elections were anno

Fear, panic plague Opposition in Bangladesh ahead of Jan 7 elections

The United States, the biggest buyer of Bangladesh's garments, has condemned the violence, and curbed visas for citizens of the South Asian nation believed to have a role in undermining elections

Pak Election Commission to set up over 92,500 polling stations for polls

The official polling scheme will notably be revealed 15 days before the scheduled February 8 general elections

In position, but not ready: Karnataka's political turmoil ahead of LS Polls

The incipient revolt against two recent appointments by a section of leaders indicated that the BJP may have to get its act together before challenging the Congress

AI-powered deepfakes rise in 2023; concerns of its impact on privacy

From politics to films and even war, the year 2023 has demonstrated that not everything one sees or hears on the internet may be real. With the ever-evolving Artificial Intelligence technology rapidly becoming a part of people's lives, a sharp rise in deepfakes has raised concerns in the country about its potential to influence electoral politics, especially during the Lok Sabha polls slated to be held next year. Deepfakes are manipulated videos or other digital representations that use artificial intelligence to create cogent videos or audio of individuals they never did or said, posing a risk of spreading misinformation and damaging their reputation. According to the '2023 State of Deepfakes Report' by 'Home Security Heroes' -- a US-based web security services company -- deepfake videos saw a five-times increase since 2019. In 2023, India witnessed scores of troubling instances related to deepfake videos, like the one involving actor Rashmika Mandanna, whose face was superimposed

2024 shaping up to be 'Hindutva vs popular welfare': Tharoor's dig at PM

General elections 2024: In 2024, the BJP will now revert to its core message and offer Narendra Modi to the nation as a Hindu Hriday Samrat, said Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

Rajasthan elections: 57% winners with cases won with vote share above 50%

Rajasthan Assembly elections 2023: On the other hand, 38% (53) out of 138 winners with clean backgrounds won with a vote share of 50% or above

LIVE news: Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu joins YSR Congress

Catch all the latest news updates LIVE from across the world

Sanjay Singh to challenge WFI suspension as govt 'didn't follow procedure'

Newly-elected WFI president Sanjay Singh on Thursday said that the sports ministry did not follow "proper procedure" while suspending the wrestling national body and will challenge the government's decision in a court. The sports ministry on Sunday suspended the WFI, three days after its elections were held, for flouting its own constitution while taking certain decisions, including the announcement of U-15 and U-20 National Championships. Sanjay, however, said that his "autonomous" and "democratically elected" body could not have been suspended by the government without hearing the WFI's side of the story. "We have won the elections (of WFI) democratically. The returning officer was the retired chief justice of J&K High Court, there were observers from the IOA and UWW (United World Wrestling). There were 22 state units (three absent out of 25 state associations) taking part in the elections, 47 votes were polled out of which I got 40," Sanjay told PTI. "After all these, if you ...

Karnataka CM launches registration of fifth poll guarantee 'Yuva Nidhi'

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday launched the registration of the fifth and last poll guarantee 'Yuva Nidhi' here offering unemployment assistance to graduates and diploma holders. The disbursement of the scheme will start from January 12, 2024, which is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The scheme offers monetary assistance of Rs 3,000 to the graduates and Rs 1,500 to the diploma holders who passed in the 2022-23 academic year. The money would be given to those who do not get a job even after completion of 180 days from the date of passing of the degree/diploma, officials said, adding that the candidates are required to prove domicile of Karnataka for a minimum of six years. The unemployment allowance would be given for a period of two years from the date of announcement of the result or till he/she becomes employed/self-employed whichever is earlier. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the beneficiaries. Candidates who are ..

No alternative to PM Modi in 2024, says Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said that as of now there is "no alternative" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country. Pawar was replying to a query by reporters on the opposition parties planning to challenge Modi's leadership ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due next year. "As of now, there is no alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the country. Such a decision is taken based on various aspects and not just one or two things," Pawar said. "You people do a lot of propaganda," he told the mediapersons. But questions like who will protect the country's interests, in whose hands the country will be safer and stronger, and who raised the country's image at the international stage, these factors matter a lot, Pawar said. "We have also seen results (of recent assembly polls) in three states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A guess work before the elections does not mean results will be the same," he said. The BJP won the polls in these

Disinvestment to miss target again in FY24, raises over Rs 4 trn in 10 yrs

With general elections on the horizon, the government's privatisation bandwagon has almost but stalled as a government wary of being accused of selling family silver opts for minority stake sales on stock exchanges over outright privatisation. The result -- the disinvestment target for current fiscal year is again likely to be missed. Big ticket privatisation plans such as that of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and CONCOR are already on the backburner and analysts feel meaningful privatisation can happen only after April/May general elections. In the current fiscal, out of the budgeted amount of Rs 51,000 crore, about 20 per cent or Rs 10,049 crore has been collected through minority stake sales via IPO (Initial Public Offering) and OFS (Offer For Sale). Strategic sale of a host of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), including SCI, NMDC Steel Ltd, BEML, HLL Lifecare and IDBI Bank, are in the pipeline for completion in the current

50 elections globally amid wars cast doubt on 2024 economic outlook

Next year could see increasing volatility as persistent military conflicts and economic uncertainty influence voting in national elections across the globe

With BJP on a roll, UP a sour grape for Opposition ahead of LS polls

The question lingers: Is the heady blend of a bold excise policy and airport expansion enough of a pick-me-up? ADITI PHADNIS writes

BJP's rite of passage as it eyes historic electoral triumph in LS polls

From political 'guarantees' to quest for 300-plus seats, BJP charts a visionary course, intertwining Hindutva principles with welfarist initiatives for historic electoral triumph. ARCHIS MOHAN writes

Focus on youth, poor, women and farmers: PM Modi at BJP office bearer meet

Bharatiya Janata Party's national office bearers' meeting was held on Friday, which was presided over by party president JP Nadda

Congo's 2nd day of voting faces delays; Oppn leaders raise concerns

Congo was wrapping up its second day of voting Thursday after a chaotic rollout and lengthy delays forced officials to extend the balloting in the general election. The problems drew criticism from some opposition candidates as concerns mounted that the logistical hurdles could affect the credibility of the results. At stake was the future of one of Africa's largest nations and one whose mineral resources are increasingly crucial to the global economy. Congo has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent, and there's little confidence among many Congolese in the country's institutions. President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking his second and final five-year term, has spent much of his time in office trying to gain legitimacy after a disputed 2018 election. Some 44 million people almost half the population were expected to vote in this year's presidential contest and in legislative and provincial elections held simultaneously. Tshisekedi was the likely winner of the ...

Steel demand in FY25 likely to be slower as elections loom: Analysts

"We expect finished steel consumption in India to increase by 9 per cent in FY25, following a 12 per cent rise in FY24," Fitch Ratings said