Page 9 - Elections

RBI to be less hawkish at October policy, says DBS Bank economist

Meanwhile, the recent escalation in tensions in the Middle East is being watched, Rao said, but they are unlikely to impact foreign investments into Indian government bonds

BJP to win 35 seats in J-K, will form govt with like-minded parties: Raina

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina on Monday asserted that his party will emerge as the single largest party in the region by securing 35 seats and will form government with the help of like-minded and independent candidates. He also said that the nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor is being carried out as per the Reorganisation Act. "We are confident of winning 35 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and with the support of independents and like-minded groups, who will secure around 15 seats, we will cross the majority mark of 50 to form the government," Raina told reporters here. "The people have voted for us, endorsing our vision for development and peace", he said. He said the BJP is set to perform exceptionally well and "the overwhelming public support for our party, demonstrated by the large crowds at rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah clearly indicates that people have voted for the BJP". The Congress would suffer a "crushing

Haryana Assembly polls record 67.90% voter turnout, inches closer to 2019

Haryana has recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent with Ellenabad assembly seat in Sirsa district witnessing the highest polling percentage at over 80 per cent, according to the updated figures of the Election Commission on Sunday. The polling for the 90-member state assembly was held on Saturday. In the 2019 assembly polls, the state had recorded 68.31 per cent turnout while in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for 10 seats, the percentage was 64.8. Poll panel data available at 11:55 pm Saturday showed the turnout was 66.96 per cent. Officials had said it would increase once all information comes in. There were more than 2.03 crore eligible voters in the state. Among the districts, the highest 75.36 per cent voting was recorded in Sirsa and the lowest 56.49 per cent in Faridabad district, Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said on Sunday. The BJP, the Congress, the INLD-BSP and the JJP-Azad Samaj Party alliances, and the Aam Aadmi Party were the key poll contestants. However,

Haryana Assembly polls 2024 highlights: Voting ends with 65% turnout by 6 pm

Haryana Assembly election Polls 2024 Live Updates: Catch all the latest Haryana election updates here

When do political parties split? Answer lies in diverging voter interests

When voter interests diverge, parties split. If space allows, both survive. If not, only one remains

After Nov polls, Sri Lanka to face third major election before 2024 ends

Amid continued economic troubles, Sri Lanka is to witness two more island-wide major elections before the end of the year, months after the recently concluded Presidential polls. The parliamentary election is scheduled for November 14 following the presidential election that was held on September 21 in the cash-strapped nation. Third would be the local council elections in December. Meanwhile, a one-off election scheduled for the southern province's Elpitiya local council will be held on October 26. Sri Lanka's independent Election Commission, in a statement late on Wednesday night, said arrangements would be made to hold the local election immediately after the parliamentary polls following the Supreme Court order of August 22. As per the order, the elections to 340 local councils are to be held between 30-35 days from November 14, meaning that it would be scheduled for the third week of December. The court ruled that the local council election should have been held at the earlie

J-K elections: Valmiki community votes for first time in Assembly polls

Long denied the right to vote, members of the Valmiki community exercised their franchise for the first time in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Tuesday and termed it as a "historic moment". The Valmikis were originally brought to J-K in 1957 from Punjab's Gurdaspur district for sanitation work by the state government. "I am a first-time voter at the age of 45. In my lifetime. We are thrilled and filled with enthusiasm to participate in J-K's assembly elections for the first time. It is like a big festival for us," Gharu Bhati, who voted at a polling station in Jammu, said. Bhati, who has led efforts for over 15 years to secure citizenship rights for his community said, "This is a festival for the entire Valmiki community. We have voters as old as 80 and as young as 18. Two generations before us were denied this right, but justice prevailed when Article 370 was abrogated, granting us citizenship of J-K." "For decades, our community, brought here for sanitation work, was

Who is Claudia Sheinbaum, scientist who will head Mexico as 1st female prez

Claudia Sheinbaum takes office Tuesday as Mexico's first female president in the nation's more than 200 years of independence. The 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor and lifelong leftist campaigned on a promise of continuity, of protecting and expanding the signature initiatives of her mentor, former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador. In the four months between her election and inauguration she held that line, backing Lpez Obrador on issues big and small. But Sheinbaum is a very different person; she likes data and doesn't have Lpez Obrador's backslapping personal touch. Mexico now waits to see if she will step out of his shadow. What's Sheinbaum's background? Sheinbaum's background is in science. She has a Ph.D. in energy engineering. Her brother is a physicist. In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Sheinbaum said, I believe in science. Observers say that grounding showed itself in Sheinbaum's actions as mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her city of some 9 mi

Japan's incoming PM Ishiba calls election for Oct 27, aims to unify party

Ishiba began picking government and party officials who will contest the upcoming general election with him

Austrian far-right Freedom Party takes lead in election, shows data

The far-right Freedom Party had a lead over the governing conservatives in Austria's national election on Sunday and was well-placed for its first win in a parliamentary vote, a projection showed. But its chances of governing were unclear. The projection for ORF public television, based on partial counting, put support for the Freedom Party at 29.1% in the parliamentary election and Chancellor Karl Nehammer's Austrian People's Party at 26.3%. The centre-left Social Democrats were in third place with 20.9%. Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and longtime campaign strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, wants to become Austria's new chancellor on the back of the first far-right national election win in post-World War II Austria. But to become Austria's new leader, he would need a coalition partner to command a majority in the lower house of parliament -- and rivals have said they won't work with Kickl in government. The voter has spoken. Change is wanted in our ..

Not possible to restore Article 370 through Assembly: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution is not possible through the assembly, asking people not to get misled by false promises of the politicians and vote for development and progress. Addressing a series of election rallies in support of his party's candidates in Jammu on the last day of campaigning, Azad voiced concerns over the promises made by various political parties regarding the return of Article 370 and said these promises are not grounded in reality. We all want the return of Article 370, but we cannot expect anything from the BJP. Even the Congress fails to speak on this crucial issue. It is not possible to restore Article 370 through the assembly, but we can introduce legislation to ensure that no outsider can buy land or secure jobs in our region. This was the essence of Article 370, Azad, a former chief minister, said. The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) founder said he do n

Delhi Mayor asks for postponement of standing committee member election

Just an hour ahead of the poll to elect the last vacant standing committee seat, Mayor Shelly Oberoi directed MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to stall the election on Friday so that it could be held on October 5, as per her earlier instructions. Following disruption over frisking of the councillors on Thursday, the election to the MCD Standing Committee was postponed till October 5 by Mayor Shelly Oberoi. Later Lt Governor VK Saxena, however, overturned the postponement of the elections and directed MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to hold the election on Friday at 1 pm. In a letter, Oberoi asked the commissioner to ensure due legal compliance in holding the standing committee election on October 5. She also asked him to declare the poll scheduled for Friday to be "illegal and unlawful". Oberoi, in her response to the commissioner, termed the LG's directive unconstitutional. "This order is illegal, unconstitutional as it is a gross violation of the statutory scheme of the DMC Act and

Leadership contest for Japan's next prime minister heads to run-off

The scramble to replace current premier Fumio Kishida was sparked in August when he announced his intention to step down

Delhi MCD Commissioner orders Standing Committee member election today

Earlier, the election for the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was postponed on Thursday as the house meeting was adjourned

Japan's PM race: Old problems, new faces, and a 30-year debate on surnames

As candidates vie for the role of prime minister, the debate over surnames has become symbolic of Japan's appetite for reform or the desire to cling to the status quo

Singapore to start landmark graft trial of former minister S Iswaran

The case against Iswaran, a former party member, is a test for a party that has long relied on its reputation for clean governance to win all elections since Singapore's independence in 1965

Sri Lanka's leftist President Dissanayake takes office as IMF worries grow

Dissanayake, 55, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa after two rounds of counting in the country's first-ever runoff, sweeping Ranil Wickremesinghe, the previous president out of power

Election Commission failed to perform its duties in Feb 8 elections: Pak SC

Order also expressed 'some doubts about whether the commission has the power to reject the certificate of intra-party elections' which resulted in all kinds of legal and political implications for PTI

J&K startups hope for internet friendly environment post elections

While a Supreme Court ruling in January 2020 curtailed the length of shutdowns, the fallout continues to reverberate through the entrepreneurial landscape

Polling begins in Sri Lanka, island nation to elect next president

Polls opened on Saturday in Sri Lanka's crucial presidential election -- the island nation's first major electoral exercise since its worst economic meltdown in 2022. Some 17 million people are eligible to vote at over 13,400 polling stations. Over 200,000 officials have been deployed to conduct the election which will be guarded by 63,000 police personnel. Voting started at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. Results are expected by Sunday. Voters will choose among 38 presidential candidates. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, is seeking re-election for a five-year term as an Independent candidate, riding on the success of his efforts to pull the country out of the economic crisis, which many experts hailed as one of the quickest recoveries in the world. The three-cornered electoral battle will see Wickremesinghe facing stiff competition from Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 56, of the National People's Power (NPP), and Sajith Premadasa, 57, of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) a