Page 105 - Lok Sabha Elections

CJI Chandrachud urges voters to not miss voting in 2024 general elections

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has urged citizens not to miss the opportunity to vote in the general elections, saying that it is the "foremost duties" in a constitutional democracy. In a video message for the Election Commission's 'My Vote My Voice' mission for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Justice Chandrachud said, "We are citizens of the world's largest democracy, which is our country. "The Constitution gives us a multitude of rights as citizens but it also expects that each of us performs the duty, which is cast upon us. And one of the foremost duties of citizenship is to cast a vote in a constitutional democracy," he said. "I will request every one of you please do not miss this opportunity to vote responsibly as citizens of our great motherland. Five minutes, every five years for our nation. It's doable, isn't it? Let's vote with pride. My vote, my voice," the CJI said. Justice Chandrachud said the citizens have a participatory role in electing the government and that is w

Will PM deliver on his 'promise' to put Ashok Chavan in jail asks Congress

The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and Parbhani. "Today's questions for PM Modi as he heads to Nanded and Parbhani: Will the PM deliver on his promise to put BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail? What is the BJP's plan to deal with Marathwada's worsening drought and water scarcity? Why has the Indian Railways performed so poorly in Nanded division," Ramesh said in a post on 'X'. Elaborating on what he dubbed as "jumla details", the Congress leader said the prime minister should revisit his words from his campaign in Nanded on March 30, 2014, when he launched a ferocious attack on Chavan -- "now the latest labaarthi of the 'BJP Washing Machine Yojana'". "The PM declared Chavan an 'Adarsh candidate', and said that 'the Congress is

LS polls: 5K electors to cast votes for first time at former Maoist hotbed

Around 5,000 electors from 'Budha Pahad'--a former Maoist hotbed --will cast their votes at their own booths for the first time after several decades in Lok Sabha polls, an election official said on Saturday. Located along Jharkhand's Latehar and Garhwa districts, Budha Pahad was freed recently from the red rebels' control by security forces after over three decades. There are five polling stations in Budha Pahad comprising around 5,000 voters. Earlier, these booths were used to be relocated to safe areas in view of Maoist activities, the official said. Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar along with senior police officers on Friday visited the difficult terrain of Budha Pahad, which falls under Palamu Lok Sabha constituency, and took stock of the facilities extended to the voters. The Palamu constituency will go to the polls on May 13. Kumar visited the polling booths and also talked to voters and polling officials. "The voters here will exercise their franchise

Supplier of 'aatank' now struggling to get 'aata': PM Modi on Pakistan

Referring to Pakistan's high inflation rate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the nation which was a supplier of 'aatank' (terrorism) is now struggling to get 'aata' (flour)

PM Modi running 'school of corruption' in country, says Rahul Gandhi

The former Congress chief claimed that the prime minister was teaching chapters on how the collection of donations is done through raids and how contracts are distributed after taking donations

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Tamil Nadu voter turnout at 69.46%, says EC

The EC has revised the voter turnout in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha polls held on Friday to 69.46 per cent, from the earlier 72 per cent. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo had on Friday said the state witnessed a turnout of 72.09 per cent. However, officials had then indicated there could be changes in the turnout figure. Asked about the difference in the figures, officials on Saturday said the earlier "figures were based on sample data from some polling stations," and that the accurate numbers were arrived upon past midnight. Of the 39 constituencies, Dharmapuri topped with an 81.48 per cent turnout while Chennai Central recorded the lowest at 53.91 per cent, according to latest EC data.

Even Pak politicians want PM Modi as their country's leader: MP CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that even politicians in Pakistan say they wish their country had a leader like him. He also alleged that India got divided due to the seeds sown by the Congress. Yadav was addressing gatherings on Friday evening during the campaigning in Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He claimed that the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) also want to become part of India as there is a crisis of survival in the neighbouring country. "Pakistan's leaders, including (former PM) Nawaz Sharif, are continuously saying that they wish Narendra Modi was there (in Pakistan). If you are a leader, then you should be such that even your enemy praises you. This leader (Modi) is making us proud," Yadav said in one of his addresses. He slammed the Congress, saying that there was a "stigma on the forehead" of the party of dividing the country into Bharat and Pakistan. "There was no BJP or Jan

BJP's 400-plus film has flopped on day 1 of polls: RJD's Tejashwi Yadav

Meanwhile, according to the Election Commission, voter turnout in Bihar was recorded at 48.88 per cent in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election

Scindia, Digvijaya among candidates in fray for 3rd phase of LS polls in MP

A total of 144 candidates, including those of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, have filed nominations for the elections to nine Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, where polling is scheduled in the third phase on May 7, a top poll official said. Earlier, polling for only eight seats was scheduled to take place in the third phase, but due to the death of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate in Betul (ST), election to this seat in the second phase was postponed. So, a total of nine seats will go to polls in the third phase. Guna, Vidisha and Rajgarh are some of the high-profile seats where polling will be held in the third phase. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are contesting elections from Guna and Vidisha, respectively, on the BJP tickets. The Congress has fielded former chief minister and its Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh from the Rajgarh seat. Madhya Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan said the ...

DD News comes under Opposition fire over new saffron logo ahead of LS polls

On Tuesday, national broadcaster DD News launched its new logo, which was changed from ruby red to saffron

PM Narendra Modi to campaign in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengaluru and neighbouring Chikkaballapura district for the Lok Sabha poll campaign on Saturday. He will address mega rallies both in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura. Modi held mega rallies in Kalaburagi and Shivamogga last month. On April 14, he addressed a rally in Mysuru, during which he shared the dais with JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, and later held a roadshow in Mangaluru. According to the state BJP, the Prime Minister is scheduled to address a mega public meeting at Chokkahalli village in Chikkaballapura district at 2 PM, covering Chikkballapur and Kolar Lok Sabha constituencies, and later at 4 PM he will participate in a massive rally in Bengaluru's palace ground, covering Bangalore North, Bangalore South, Bangalore Central and Bangalore Rural segments. Bangalore -North, South and Central have been BJP's bastions, while Rural is represented by Congress' D K Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K ...

LS polls 2024: Over 68% polling recorded in J-K's Udhampur amid rains

An estimated 68 per cent of the total 16.23 lakh registered voters cast their ballot in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Udhampur, officials said, as Jammu and Kashmir witnessed incident-free polling in what was its first major electoral battle since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. In 2019, Udhampur parliamentary constituency had recorded a total poll percentage of 70.22 per cent. Voting began at 7 am at 2,637 polling stations across the constituency, including 31 near the International Border, to decide the fate of 12 candidates and ended at 6 pm. The voting percentage was around 68.27 per cent. It is especially highlighted that due to weather latest updated reports are awaited from some of the Polling Stations, specially located in remote hilly areas of Kishtwar, Gandoh, Ramban and Dudu-Basantgarh, the polling percentage is likely to increase slightly, the election office said in a statement shortly after midnight. It said once all polling parties, especially in .

LS polls: Congress, Left have become ideologically bankrupt, says Nadda

BJP chief J P Nadda on Friday said parties within the INDIA bloc, such as the Congress and the Left, have become "ideologically bankrupt". He highlighted their fierce electoral battles with each other outside of Delhi while maintaining cordial relationships within the national capital to oppose the BJP. Apart from Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram, Nadda addressed election meetings in Palakkad and Kottayam as well. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of a roadshow organised by the BJP-led NDA in Sulthan Bathery for its candidate K Surendran, the BJP chief cited the electoral battle between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and LDF's Annie Raja of the CPI in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. He pointed to this fight between the Congress and the Left parties to reinforce his claim, highlighting the apparent camaraderie among their top leadership in New Delhi despite the rivalry elsewhere. "The double standards and hypocrisy of Rahul Gandhi, the Indian National Congress, CPI(M), and CPI are visible h

LS polls: High turnout in first phase in Bengal raises hope for BJP, TMC

Both ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP hoped that the high turnout of 77 per cent recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in three constituencies in northern West Bengal will be in their favour. While the TMC exuded confidence that despite the BJP "terrorising" its activists, it will win by massive margins, the saffron party said that the "strong arm tactics" of the ruling party in the state failed under watchful eyes of central forces people "ignored intimidation and threats of TMC leaders". Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee said, "A large number of women voted in the three seats of north Bengal. This shows people, particularly women, have not been misled by the false propaganda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." He alleged that the BJP did not find polling agents in all booths in Alipurduars. BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said "strongarm tactics" of TMC leaders have been countered by ordinary people, including women. "The high voting percenta

LS polls: In Bangalore Rural, Congress-JD (S) rivalry, two Dr Manjunaths

In a bypoll in 2002, after the sitting Congress MP passed away, Deve Gowda defeated Shivakumar from the seat. The constituency votes in the second phase on April 26

Cricket to climate change, 'dropped' candidates find avenues to keep busy

Some other actors, such as Jaya Prada and Raj Babbar, who lost the 2019 polls are also missing in action five years later

Shia-Sunni dynamic, special status: Key factors at poll play in Kashmir

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is contesting from Baramulla, which is closely watched due to shifts in electoral dynamics post-delimitation

62% voter turnout on Lok Sabha polling Day 1, down from 2019's 69%

In 2019, turnout in the first phase comprising 91 seats was 69.43 per cent, suggesting a dip in total voting percentage this time

LS polls 2024: Over 62% turnout registered in phase 1 covering 102 seats

A voter turnout of nearly 63 per cent was recorded in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories amid sporadic incidents of violence at some places and an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh that left a CRPF jawan dead. The Election Commission said polling for the first and biggest phase of the seven-phase elections remained largely peaceful. Voters braved the heat in most parts while at some places, they waited patiently in pouring rain as the world's largest poll exercise got underway at 7 am. The National Democratic alliance (NDA) under Prime Minister Modi is seeking a stronger majority for a third consecutive term, while the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Tripura recorded the highest turnout of 80.17 per cent, followed by West Bengal at 77.57, Meghalaya 74.21 per cent, Puducherry 73.50 per cent, and Assam ..

BSP releases sixth list of candidates, fields Syed Neyaj Ali from Varanasi

The Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday released its sixth list of candidates for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and fielded its MLC Bhimrao Ambedkar from Hardoi (SC) seat. In all, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) named 11 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. The party changed its earlier candidate fielded from the high-profile Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting, and has made Syed Neyaj Ali as its candidate. Earlier, the party had named Athar Jamal Lari as its candidate from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. The party in a statement said that Mohammad Alam has been fielded from Sant Kabir Nagar Lok Sabha seat, while Manish Singh Sachan has been fielded from Fatehpur. Chaudhary Basheer is the BSP candidate from Firozabad, Mahendra Singh Yadav from Sitapur and Mohammad Mausame Alam from Maharajganj. The BSP has named BR Ahirwar as its candidate from Misrikh (SC) seat, Kripashankar Saroj from Machhlishahr (SC) seat, Athar Ansari from Bhadohi and Jagannat