Page 50 - Elections

Winning ways

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Rise of 2 new parties in Nepal ends monopoly of traditional forces

The recently concluded election in Nepal has witnessed two new parties - Janamat Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party - entering into Parliament from the Terai or Madhes region, ending the monopoly of the two traditional parties in the southern plains bordering India. In fact, the combined strength of both the traditional forces of Terai - Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) led by Upendra Mahato and Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP) led by Mahantha Thakur - has been reduced by 50 per cent in the just concluded polls. Five years ago, the two Terai-based parties had a combined strength of 33 in the House of Representatives. However, their combined strength has been reduced to just 16 seats, with the emergence of two new political parties in the region. In the recent election, JSP has bagged seven seats under direct voting and it will get five more seats under proportionate voting. Similarly, LSP has won just 4 seats but it would not get any seat under proportionate voting as the party failed to

MCD polls: Counting of votes for 250 wards to begin at 8 am today

The counting of votes for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi election will be held to decide the winner of the civic polls where the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party face each other

Here is what exit polls predict for Gujarat, Himachal, Delhi civic body

The outcome of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections will be declared on December 8 while Delhi civic body reults will be declared on December 7

Chhattisgarh by-polls 2022: Voting begins in Bhanupratappur on Monday

Amid heavy security, polling for the byelections in Maoist-hit Bhanupratappur Assembly constituency of Chhattisgarh will be held on Monday. Seven candidates are in the fray for the bypolls in the constituency, which is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes. The byelection has been necessitated after the death of Congress MLA and Deputy Assembly Speaker Manoj Singh Mandavi due to a heart attack on October 16. All preparations have been completed for conducting a free and fair byelection in Bhanupratappur on December 5. The polling time is from 7 am to 3 pm," an official said here on Sunday. According to poll officials, 1,95,678 voters, of which 95,186 men, 1,00,491 women and one third gender person will exercise their franchise. A total of 356 polling stations have been set up, of which 239 are in rural areas and the rest in the urban part of the constituency, they said. The counting of votes will take place on December 8. Polling parties were dispatched to their respective booths on

MCD polls today: Delhi set for three-way contest among BJP, AAP and Cong

As voters will throng the polling stations today to exercise their franchise in the elections to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, setting the stage for the high-stakes civic polls

Gujarat Assembly polls: Over 60% voter turnout recorded in Phase 1

A voter turnout of 60.48 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections which covered 89 constituencies of Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat region. This was 8 per cent le

Gujarat Assembly elections 2022: BJP's prestige battle to defend its turf

Not just as the home state of PM Narendra Modi, but also as a major producing and exporting state known for its trade and enterprise, Gujarat holds a special place for all political parties

MCD polls: 493 micro observers deployed at sensitive polling locations

The State Election Commission on Wednesday deployed 493 micro observers at sensitive and hypersensitive polling locations in Delhi ahead of the December 4 civic polls, officials said. These micro observers will remain stationed at these locations throughout the polling day and keep a close watch at the proceedings at the booths, the SEC, Delhi said in a statement. The votes will be counted on December 7, and 1,349 candidates are contesting the election. "The Commission today has deployed 493 micro observers at sensitive/hypersensitive polling locations. It has also issued instructions for webcasting at these sensitive/hypersensitive polling locations," it said. The SEC has also launched the web interface of the mobile app 'Nigam Chunav Delhi' wherein the functionalities of the app have been integrated with the web portal of the Commission. "The Commission has also launched a WhatsApp message facility through mobile number 9807980779. To use this facility, voters have to first send

Arizona county refuses to certify election despite lack of evidence

Republican officials in a rural Arizona county refused Monday to certify the 2022 election despite no evidence of anything wrong with the count, a decision that was quickly challenged in court by the state's top election official. The refusal to certify by Cochise County in southeastern Arizona comes amid pressure from prominent Republicans to reject results showing Democrats winning top races. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who narrowly won the race for governor, asked a judge to order county officials to canvass the election, which she said is an obligation under Arizona law. Lawyers representing a Cochise County voter and a group of retirees filed a similar lawsuit Monday, the deadline for counties to approve the official tally of votes, known as the canvass. The two Republican county supervisors delayed the canvass vote until Friday, when they want to hear once more about concerns over the certification of ballot tabulators, though election officials have repeatedly

Legendary sprinter P T Usha becomes first woman president of IOA

P T Usha will be the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association in its 95-year history and the first Olympian and an international medalist to head the national Olympics committee

SC flags concerns about ECI autonomy and 'lightning speed' CEC appointment

The SC's observations on the appointment of Election Commissioners have focused attention on one of India's most respected institutions

Counting of votes for Haryana panchayat, zila parishad polls underway

The counting of votes for panchayat samiti and zila parishad polls in Haryana was underway on Sunday, said officials. The exercise began at 8 am, they said. Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centres. The elections to 143 panchayat samitis and 22 zila parishads were held in three phases. Haryana has 22 zila parishads comprising 411 members. The members will in turn elect the 22 zila parishad chiefs. The state has 143 panchayat samitis, comprising 3,081 members who will further elect their respective presidents. Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh had said on Saturday that police and general observers will closely monitor the entire counting process. Videography will also be done at all the counting centres, he had said. Earlier, the results of elections for panches and sarpanches were declared immediately after the polling in each phase.

P T Usha throws her hat into IOA ring, to fight for president's post

In a surprise development, the legendary P T Usha on Saturday announced that she will contest for the post of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president when the sports body holds its election on December 10. Usha, a multiple gold medallists in the Asian Games and fourth place finisher in the 1984 Olympics 400m hurdles final, made the announcement through a tweet. "With the warm support of my Fellow Athletes and National Federations I am humbled and honoured to accept and file for the Nomination of the President Of IOA!," Usha tweeted. The deadline to file nomination papers for the IOA elections ends on Sunday. Usha, a top sprinter of her times, has also been elected as one of the eight Sports Persons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) by the Athletes Commission of the IOA. IOA elections returning officer Umesh Sinha said in an official statement that there were no nominations filed on Friday and Saturday.

NC led-ruling alliance heading towards majority in Nepal parliamentary poll

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition was on Friday heading towards winning a clear majority in Nepal's parliamentary elections with the alliance bagging 64 seats out of the 118 declared In the 275-member House of Representatives, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. A party or a coalition needs 138 seats to win a clear majority. The Nepali Congress was set to emerge as the single-largest party after winning 39 seats alone under the direct voting system. Its alliance partners -- CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist have won 12, 10 seats. The Lokatantrik Samajwadi and Rastriya Janamorcha have bagged two and one seat respectively. They all are part of the ruling alliance. The Opposition alliance led by former premier K P Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML has bagged 35 seats. The CPN-UML has won 29 seats. The CPN-UML partners - the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Ja

Nepal's political leaders start efforts for govt formation amid vote count

As the counting of votes in Nepal's parliamentary election is on, the country's top leaders have initiated efforts to explore possibilities for the formation of a new government to end the political instability that has plagued the Himalayan nation for more than a decade. Elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and seven provincial assemblies were held on Sunday. The counting of votes started on Monday. Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) (CPN-UML) chairman K P Oli on Thursday called CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda and the two leaders congratulated each other on getting elected to the HoR. Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba also telephoned Prachanda and Oli to congratulate them on their victory. All three top leaders have been elected to the HoR after registering victories in the election. During their telephonic conversation, Oli offered Prachanda to move ahead by forging collaboration in the process of ...

Nepal parliamentary polls: Nepali Congress-led coalition leads in counting

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress (NC)-led ruling coalition was on Thursday on its way to winning Nepal's parliamentary elections and has bagged 40 seats out of 65 declared so far. Out of the 275 Members of Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. Till now, the Nepali Congress has won 25 seats and is leading in 31 more. The CPN-Maoist Centre has bagged 7 seats, CPN-Unified Socialist 6 and Rastriya Janamorcha and Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party one each. They all are part of the ruling coalition. The Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist have been leading in 10 and 5 seats respectively. The main Opposition CPN-UML led by former premier K P Sharma Oli has won 15 seats and is leading in 29 others. The CPN-UML partners - the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Janata Samajwadi Party - have won two and one seats respectively. The newly-formed Rastriya Swotantra Party has wo

Nepal polls: PM Deuba wins from Dadeldhura; Congress ahead in tally

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected on Wednesday with a huge margin of votes from the Dadeldhura constituency in far west Nepal for the seventh consecutive time, with his Nepali Congress party leading in the election tally by winning 11 seats so far. Elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and seven provincial assemblies were held on Sunday. The counting of votes started on Monday. Deuba secured 25,534 votes against his nearest rival Sagar Dhakal, 31, an independent candidate who received 1,302 votes. Deuba has never lost any parliamentary election in the five decades of his political career. The 77-year-old Nepali Congress president Deuba is currently holding the post of Prime Minister for the fifth term. Dhakal is a young engineer, who had a verbal squabble with Deuba during a public debate at a BBC's Sajha Sawal programme five years ago, after which he decided to challenge Deuba saying that now youths should get a chance in politics and senior people like Deuba

Malaysian king meet lawmakers in continuing search for PM to end deadlock

Malaysia's king met lawmakers on Wednesday in a continuing search for a prime minister with majority support after inconclusive general elections that saw the rise of Islamists sparked anxieties in the multiracial nation. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, topped Saturday's poll with 82 parliamentary seats, but failed to reach the 112 needed for a majority. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin's Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance, won 73 seats. The hung parliament renewed a leadership crisis in Malaysia that saw three prime ministers since 2018. The biggest winner was the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the hard-line ally in Muhyiddin's bloc, with 49 seats more than double what it won in 2018. Known as PAS, it backs Islamic Shariah law, rules three states and is now the single largest party. As the contest for the top job drags on, police have tightened security as posts on social media warned of racial troubles if Anwar's multieth

Lesser known RSP emerges as dark horse in Nepal general elections

The Rastriya Swatantra Party, floated by a former television personality, has emerged as the dark horse in the Nepal elections, coming third behind heavyweights like the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, and leading in seven constituencies. The counting of votes started at 7 am local time on Monday and continued till 5 pm, a day after about 61 per cent polling was recorded across the Himalayan nation. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is floated by Rabi Lamichhane, a 48-year-old former television personality, who shot to fame while attempting to set the Guinness world record for hosting the longest-ever marathon talk show in 2013. The RSP is currently leading in three constituencies in Kathmandu and one in Lalitpur district. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which has so far won in one constituency, is leading in 32 constituencies, while CPN-UML led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli is leading in 17 constituencies. RSP is leading in 7 constituencies, while the Rastriya ...