Page 32 - Elections

State results show BJP in pole position but the Opposition can still fight

The BJP has twice now won majorities in India's parliament by sweeping almost every constituency in the north and the west of the country

Gauging impact of freebies promised in elections on state finances

While Telangana and Chhattisgarh are in a better position to offer freebies promised by parties in elections, Rajasthan is in a shaky situation to do so

Fractious politics can slow reforms, derail policymaking: Fitch Ratings

Fractious politics can slow reforms and derail policymaking, and contentious elections can encourage the prioritisation of short-term growth, Fitch Ratings said on Monday as a large number of nations go to the polls. In its Global Sovereigns Outlook 2024, Fitch highlighted that a large number of elections are scheduled in 2024, including Bangladesh, Croatia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and the US. UK elections must be before the end of January 2025. "Fractious politics can slow reforms and derail policymaking, and contentious elections can encourage the prioritisation of short-term growth objectives over longer-term structural initiatives," it said. Fitch said lower inflation might not help incumbents much, given prices remain well above pre-pandemic levels in most countries. The international environment is marred by two major conflicts entering 2024, neither of which appears to be on

Telangana poll results: Meet Revanth Reddy, a politician on 'merit quota'

"I am on the merit quota. He is on the management quota/NRI quota. Everyone knows KTR as KCR's son. We have nothing to do with KTR. Our political fight is with KCR," Reddy told the media

Madhya Pradesh Assembly election results 2023: Who's leading at 2:30 pm?

Madhya Pradesh Assembly election results 2023: BJP is leading on 162 seats followed by the Congress on 66 seats

Assembly election results 2023: BJP leading in three of four states

Assembly election results 2023 latest: The BJP was leading in all three heartland states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Assembly elections: D-Day looms as counting to begin for 4 states at 8 am

The polling in five states, straddling the north, east and southern parts of the country, is tipped to set the course of the political headwinds going into the Lok Sabha elections next year

Rajasthan Assembly election 2023 result: Date, time & where to watch

Rajasthan Assembly Election Results 2023: 199 out of 200 constituencies went into polls on November 25 and the counting of all 5 poll-bound states will take place on December 3. Check details here

Mizoram Election Results 2023: Date, time, how & where to watch counting

Mizoram Assembly Election Results 2023: A party needs to secure 21 or more seats to gain a majority in Mizoram Assembly

Pakistan's election commission to issue schedule for Feb 8 election in Dec

The chief of Pakistan's top election authority on Friday said the schedule for the upcoming general election will be announced around the middle of December amidst rumours of a possible delay in polls. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has already announced that the general election will be held on February 8, 2024. During an informal conversation with journalists, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja when asked about the election schedule said: Count 54 days backwards from February 8. Raja also said the ECP has been proactively handling election-related responsibilities ahead of the schedule. He said that updated constituency lists had been released and all other election prerequisites were scheduled to be completed smoothly. The remarks by the election commission chief come as political circles were expressing doubts about timely elections as the ECP was not giving any timetable for the process leading up to polling day. The ECP has already failed to h

INDIA bloc eyeing 13 of 14 Lok Sabha seats from Jharkhand in 2024: Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has said the INDIA alliance hopes to win 13 of the 14 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the state. He said his party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), stood strongly behind the INDIA alliance formed with a view to preventing division of anti-BJP votes in the parliamentary elections next year. "We (INDIA bloc) have started preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. We hope to win 13 of the 14 seats in the state," Soren said on Thursday. In 2019, the BJP-AJSU Party alliance had won 12 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while the Congress and the JMM bagged one each. The JMM executive president claimed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be defeated in the assembly elections in five states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. The CM alleged that the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi made false promises to people and they would show it the exit door in the next Lok Sabha polls. He

Edge to BJP in Madhya Pradesh, a close fight in Rajasthan: Exit polls

The counting of votes in these five states, which is also the last round of Assembly polls before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in April-May, is scheduled for Sunday

Chhattisgarh Assembly elections 2023: All you must know before exit polls

Chhattisgarh elections 2023: The contest is between Congress Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which lost in 2018 after being in power in the state for 15 years

Telangana polls: BRS alleges use of 'deepfake' technology by Congress

The BRS in Telangana has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against the Congress alleging that the party used 'deepfake' technology to create fabricated content, targeting BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and other prominent party leaders and candidates contesting in the Assembly elections in the state. In the complaint addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer and state DGP on Wednesday, the BRS said reliable sources have provided information indicating that the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) was "involved" in the creation and dissemination of "fake audio and video" content through the use of 'deepfake' technology and artificial intelligence. The fabricated content features prominent leaders of BRS, including KCR, K T Rama Rao, Minister Harish Rao, MLC K Kavitha and other contesting candidates of the party, it said. The BRS sought immediate action against the alleged unlawful use of technology by the TPCC. "We .

Pakistan's election commission receives petitions seeking delay of polls

Two separate petitions seeking the postponement of general elections in Pakistan on February 8 landed before the election commission, citing growing terror threats and inclement weather. The petitions, filed by individuals hailing from the restive Balochistan province, cited security issues and snowfall in several districts as reasons to seek the postponement of elections, the Dawn newspaper reported. One of the petitions filed by Meena Majeed, a general councillor from Mand tehsil of Kech district through Advocate Fatima Nazar, stated Balochistan was grappling with heightened security concerns. Specifically, the Mekran division has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities, ranging from target killings of innocent daily wage earners to alarming incidents such as IED blasts and women suicide bombing, it stated. The impact was most pronounced in districts such as Kech and Gwadar, where 61 acts of terrorism during the last three months alone claimed 32 lives, it read. According to t

T'gana sees nearly 37% voter turnout till 1 PM, polling peaceful: CEO

Around 7.78 per cent voters turned up to vote till 9 AM in the election to the 119-member Telangana Legislative Assembly on Thursday. Union Minister and state BJP president G Kishan Reddy, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao, his sister and MLC Kavitha, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi were among leaders who exercised their franchise in the initial hours of polling, which began at 7 AM. Several film personalities, including Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh and Allu Arjun also cast their ballot. Hailing India's democracy, Kishan Reddy, president of BJP in Telangana, said one does not get the right to criticise the political system without fulfilling the responsibility of voting. Finding fault with the distribution of money and liquor to lure voters, he urged the electorate to vote fearlessly and without being influenced by any inducements. Noting that he has fulfilled his duty as a citizen, Rama Rao asked people of Telangana to step out and exercise their franchise in large numbers. Referrin

Rajasthan model healthcare across country if voted to power in 2024: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hailed the healthcare programme for the poor initiated by the Rajasthan government, saying that if the party secures power at the Centre post the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, similar initiatives will be rolled out nationwide. Gandhi made these remarks while addressing the audience following the inauguration of a new block at a private hospital in Sulthan Bathery, situated within his Lok Sabha constituency, Wayanad. The former Congress chief emphasised the need for a reevaluation of healthcare at the national level. He said that the union government should prioritise providing affordable healthcare to the poor as a fundamental guarantee to its people. "I think at the national level we need to rethink the way we think about healthcare and I think one of the guarantees that the national government should think about is healthcare at really low cost, especially to the poor people. "We have done some work on this in Rajasthan and hopefully if we come t

Bhutan votes in preliminary round of elections, results likely on Friday

Nearly half a million of the country's fewer than 800,000 people are eligible to vote for the five political parties that are in the fray

Telangana decided to choose transparent, people-friendly govt, says Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday said the people of Telangana have decided that they will choose a transparent and people-friendly government that has a safety net for the disadvantaged. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi urged the people of Telangana to vote in large numbers and vote for the Congress. Polling is underway to elect 119 members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, with voters queuing up to exercise their franchise amid tight security on Thursday. In a post on X, Kharge said, "People of Telangana have decided that they will choose a transparent, people-friendly government, with a safety net for the disadvantaged." "'No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come'Let us ensure a Prajala Telangana now! This is the time to come out and vote in large numbers to make it happen. This is the time to realise the countless dreams and aspirations of Telangana's people, for which you have shed your sweat and blood for years," he said. "We welcome our first-

Amit Shah's rally expected to set tone for BJP's LS campaign in Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a mega rally here on Wednesday and is likely to lay the groundwork for the BJP's upcoming campaign in West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Shah will embark on a whirlwind tour of West Bengal this afternoon with BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar confirming that the union home minister will be "leaving the state this evening after the rally". "Amit Shah ji is likely to set the tone for next year's Lok Sabha polls in Bengal," Majumdar had said on Tuesday, echoing sentiments expressed during a rally in April when Shah set a target of winning more than 35 seats from the state. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BJP secured 18, out of the 42 constituencies, in West Bengal. However, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) downplayed the significance of Shah's rally, asserting that it would "not yield positive results" for the saffron party. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "The BJP launched a mega campaign during the 2021 assemb