Page 44 - Elections

Markets in consolidation phase; prudent to book profit now: Analysts

Thus far in fiscal 2023-24 (FY24), the S&P BSE Sensex has moved up around 5% to nearly 62,000 levels. The Nifty50 index, on the other hand, has gained 5.5% to 18,300 levels, data shows

Sohiong bypoll in Meghalaya over peacefully, 91% voter turnout recorded

By-election to Sohiong assembly constituency in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district was peaceful with 91 per cent of eligible voters exercising their franchise till the end of polling on Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor said. No untoward incident was reported during the polling that began at 7 am, he said. "Polling was scheduled to be closed at 4 pm. However, voting continued till 7 pm in a few of the 63 polling stations as there were long queues. There was enthusiasm among electorates," the CEO told PTI. Over 91 per cent of more than 34,000 eligible voters exercised their franchise, he said. There were long queues in front of several polling stations an hour before the voting process started, he said. "No law and order issue was reported. Some issues regarding EVMs were reported in a few polling stations and those were fixed. Voting was held in a free and fair manner," he said. However, over 1,450 litres of liquor worth around Rs 4 lakh were seized during the

Over 92% of 34,783 voters cast votes in Meghalaya Assembly by-election

Over 92 per cent of the 34,783 voters cast their votes on Wednesday in the by-election to the Sohiong Assembly constituency in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district

Nearly 70% of Karnataka electorate cast vote in Assembly elections

Counting of votes for the 224-member Assembly will be taken up on May 13

UP Assembly bypolls: Suar records over 33% polling, 32% in Chanbey

Amidst allegations by the Samajwadi Party that police were preventing voters from casting votes in some booths, the Suar seat recorded over 33 per cent polling while Chhanbey recorded 32.64 per cent till 3 pm for the assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. Voting started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. In a tweet on its official Twitter handle, the SP charged, "In Khempur, Rasoolpur, Faridpur, Samodia in the Suar seat of Rampur, police are preventing voters from voting. Voters are returned from polling booths. Election Commission should take cognisance and ensure fair elections". In a separate tweet, it alleged that Cabinet minister Ashish Patel (of Apna Dal-S) was calling SP workers and threatening them to affect polls. Officials, however, denied any discrepancies and said free and fair polls are being ensured in the state. There is a direct contest between the ruling coalition and the opposition Samajwadi Party in the bypolls. A total of 774 polling booths have been set up by t

Odisha election: 55.20% voting till 3 pm in Jharsuguda assembly bypoll

A total of 55.20 per cent of the 2.21 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm on Wednesday in Odisha's Jharsuguda assembly constituency, where a by-election is underway, an Election Commission official said. Long queues were seen in front of several polling stations even before the voting process started at 7 am. "There is no report of any untoward incident. Voting is underway peacefully amid tight security arrangements in all 253 polling stations. At least 55.20 per cent of eligible voters have exercised their franchise till 3 pm," Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal said. Dhal said the pace of voting reduced in the afternoon due to intense heat as 42 degrees Celsius was recorded in Jharsuguda at 3 pm. He said drinking water and watermelon were distributed among the voters standing in the queue. The voting will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.21 lakh voters, including 63 members of the transgender community, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the ...

Why elections being delayed in Jammu and Kashmir, asks Farooq Abdullah

Veteran politician and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday wondered why there was a delay in holding Assembly elections in the Union territory and said it was time to have an elected government. In an interview to PTI Video, Abdullah, the 85-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, said that when BJP leaders announce publicly that they will win 50 seats in elections, what prevents them from holding the democratic exercise. Abdullah, who talked about a range of issues, again advocated for early resumption of dialogue with Pakistan for ensuring lasting peace in the subcontinent. The National Conference president also spoke about the country's decline on various fronts such as human rights issue, growing religious intolerance and corruption, saying "all these things don't augur well for this great nation". On the delay in conducting Assembly elections, Abdullah said as far as the government goes, it has been saying all the time that conditions are alright ...

Elections in country will take place on same day: Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Saturday said elections in Pakistan will take place on the same day, Dawn reported

K'taka polls: Ahead of May 10, Lingayat shrines draws political visitors

Shri Siddaroodha Swami Math and Moorusavir Math, the two top Lingayat shrines in Karnataka, are yet again the centre of attention of key political players vying for power in the poll-bound state

Karnataka polls: CM Bommai seeks fourth consecutive term from Shiggaon

Shiggaon in Haveri district has emerged as a high profile constituency in this Assembly election, with the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive time from the segment. The Congress has not been able to win the seat, once considered its stronghold, since 1999. The JD(S) and independent candidates won from here in 1999 and 2004 respectively. Bommai first contested the Assembly elections in 2008 as a BJP candidate, after quitting Janata Dal (United). Shiggaon has a sizeable Muslim population, and has elected a Muslim MLA in the past. The Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan from the constituency, while Shashidhar Yeligar is the JD(S) candidate. The Congress had initially announced a ticket for Mohammad Yusuf Savanur, President of Anjuman-e-Islam of Hubballi from Shiggaon, but subsequently replaced him by fielding Pathan, a former Zilla Panchayat member from Bommanahalli in neighbouring Hangal taluk. In 2018, Bommai polled 83

Pakistan planning to hold provincial, national elections at the same time

Khan wants to hold snap elections but the ruling coalition planned to complete the government's term, which would mean national elections in October

Karnataka elections: Here's what all Congress has promised in its manifesto

The Congress party promised an increase in the current ceiling of reservation from 50% to 75% for SC/ST/OBC/minority and other communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas

AP govt sets up checkposts to stop liquor, cash flow to poll-bound K'taka

The Andhra Pradesh government has set up 45 integrated checkposts in its districts bordering Karnataka to rein in the flow of illegal liquor, cash and other inducements to the poll-bound state, Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy said on Monday. The checkposts would be manned by officials from police, excise, commercial taxes, revenue and other departments, he said. "Already, 3,008 litres of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL), 444 tetra packs of 90 ml liquor cartons and two and half kg of marijuana have been confiscated," the Chief Secretary said in a video conference organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI). On Monday, senior AP government officials attended an ECI video conference meeting focused on restricting the movement of liquor, cash and other inducements to influence voters during Karnataka's single-phase elections to be held on May 10. Officials from Telangana, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu also attended the meeting. "On Monday, Chief Election Commissio

Cong's Randhawa asks ministers to strengthen party ahead of state polls

Amid rumblings in Rajasthan Congress, the party's in-charge for the state Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Saturday held separate meetings with the ministers and asked them to strengthen the organisation ahead of elections due later this year. He also held a meeting with Speaker C P Joshi. Prior to Randhawa, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot also met Joshi. Pilot called it an informal meeting. After meeting the speaker, Randhawa told reporters that he has an old relationship with Joshi, whom he termed as an encyclopedia of the Congress. When asked about chances of cabinet reshuffle in the state ahead of the assembly elections, Randhawa said, "If everyone says then we will do but I think we do not have any such plan right now." Earlier, Randhawa held separate meetings with ministers. Randhawa said he was taking feedback from the ministers and asking them to strengthen the party organisation. "I have told the ministers that you should work for the organisation as well as the .

Conviction rate in election-related offences high in Karnataka: EC official

The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena has said that there were over 50 per cent convictions in the cases related to the model code of conduct (MCC) violations in the state. He said the Election Commission (EC) closely follows the MCC violation cases, which made this happen. "Karnataka is one the states where the highest convictions have happened. Last time, 2,000-odd cases were booked. All were charge-sheeted, all were tried and I think more than 50 per cent conviction we have done in Karnataka," Meena told PTI in an interview. According to an EC official, these convictions pertain to the elections that have taken place from 2013 to 2019. Explaining further, Meena said, "Decisions have happened in all the cases but in more than 50 per cent cases, the convictions were in our favour. It is a big number. I don't know about other states but it is very rare that in election-related cases convictions are happening." Stating that Karnataka has done better, compared

Scrap Rs 500 notes to curtail money power in elections: Chandrababu Naidu

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday requested the Central government to abolish Rs 500 denomination currency notes as such a move would come in handy during elections to curtail the distribution of money. Speaking at a conference hosted by a private news channel in Delhi, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister pointed out that India is far ahead of other nations when it comes to digital payments and that demonetising the Rs 500 currency would not be a big problem. "If you control political corruption or political donations, it will go a long way for the country," he added, among several other issues he touched upon during the interaction. Everybody in India should achieve middle-class status or above without room for poverty by 2047, Naidu said, adding that creation of wealth is necessary to distribute it to all and eradicating poverty should be the focus of a sustainable economy. "My vision is to bring India above the poverty line by 2047," Naidu said, adding that the right

Will end Telangana's 'unconstitutional' Muslim quota if BJP wins: Amit Shah

During a rally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated BJP's commitment to ensuring the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs

Yadgir candidate pays Rs 10k deposit money in coins collected from voters

Bommai who has been fielded from the Shiggaon Assembly constituency in the Haveri district will file his nomination today. He has been holding this seat since 2008

Hopeful of forming alliance to take on BJP: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said SP is hopeful of forming an alliance of opposition parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in next year's Lok Sabha polls and that the Congress should join regional parties in their bastions to fight the BJP. I am hopeful that chief ministers like K Chandrasekhar Rao, Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar and the way we are trying, some alliance or front will be formed which will take on the BJP (in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls), Yadav told reporters at the Indore Press Club. Earlier, the SP chief also paid tribute to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 132nd birth anniversary at the Dalit icon's memorial in Mhow. Replying to a question on opposition unity against the BJP, he said the Congress is a national party and it has to decide its own role in this regard. The Congress has got an opportunity to stand with regional parties in places where the latter are strong to take on the BJP, he said. He added that since the Congress is a big .

Those who will vote for BJP in 2024 LS polls will bring destruction: Nitish

Launching a veiled attack on the BJP-led NDA, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said those who will vote for them in the next year's Lok Sabha elections will bring destruction on themselves. Kumar, who dumped the BJP in August last year and formed the Mahagathbandhan government, claimed that he has been working to forge opposition unity. I am working towards forging opposition unity...but I am not a claimant for the prime minister's post. All opposition parties are united over forming an alliance against the BJP-led government at the Centre before the 2024 general elections," the JD(U) supremo said. He was addressing party workers at a JD(U) office here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution. "I must tell one thing that those who will vote for them (BJP) in the coming general elections will bring destruction on themselves and the country and those who will vote for us will ensure the well-being of themselves, t