Page 109 - Lok Sabha Elections

LS polls: Election officials climb hills, ford rivers to reach voters

The Election Commission has to set up more than 1 million polling stations for the nearly two-month duration, with 15 million officials and security personnel fanning out for the task

'Reports of EVMs showing 1 extra vote during mock poll in Kasaragod false'

The Election Commission of India on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) showing one extra vote during a mock poll in Kerala's Kasaragod were false. The top court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), an independent vote verification system which enables an elector to see whether his vote was cast correctly. "These news reports are false. We have verified the allegation from the district collector and it appears that they are false. We will submit a detailed report to the court," senior deputy election commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. Vyas was present in the courtroom to apprise the bench about the functioning of EVMs. Earlier during the day, the top court asked senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the Election Commission, to look into the issue after advocate Prasha

Over 7.5 mn voters to decide fate of 38 candidates in 4 seats of Bihar

The stage is set for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Bihar where more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates standing in four constituencies. Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as "sensitive", given these districts' long history of naxal violence. Of the four seats, Nawada has the highest number of 20.06 lakh voters, where altogether eight candidates are in the fray though the contest is primarily between Vivek Thakur, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP seeking entry into the Lok Sabha, and RJD's Shravan Kushwaha. The pitch has, however, been queered by Independent candidate Binod Yadav, who resigned from the RJD after Kushwaha was fielded from the seat. Yadav is the younger brother of Raj Vallabh Yadav, a former MLA whose wife Vibha Devi is a sitting MLA and who wields considerable influence and muscle power in the area. Gaya has th

LDF to lodge complaint with EC over EVM wrongly recording votes for BJP

The CPI(M)-led LDF said on Thursday that it would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission over a few voting machines allegedly having recorded votes wrongly in favour of the BJP candidate during a mock poll conducted in Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency. Talking to PTI, senior CPI(M) leader K P Satheesh Chandran alleged that there were instances where two or three voting machines exhibited such errors during the mock poll on Wednesday, and a complaint will be filed before the EC. CPI(M) leader M V Balakrishnan is contesting against Congress leader and current Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan and BJP's M L Ashwini in the constituency for the April 26 Lok Sabha polls.

India seems to be moving from Cong to BJP-dominated system: US expert

India appears to be transitioning from a Congress-dominated system to one controlled by the BJP but it is yet to be seen whether the party can penetrate South India or not, an eminent American expert has said, as he joined a debate whether overwhelming power to a single entity can be a concern for the health of democracy. Ashley J Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment think-tank, observed that the ruling party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per latest opinion poll trends, seems to be headed for a third consecutive term. If the opinion polls are correct, Prime Minister Modi will be elected likely with a comfortable enough majority to dominate politics for another five years, Tellis said at a panel discussion on India in Modi's Third Term on Wednesday. Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs and professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University, and Ashok Malik, a partn

NE's integration with rest of India happened under Modi govt, claims Nadda

BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday claimed that integration of North East with the rest of the country has happened under the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing the Congress of keeping the region in "isolation and ignorance". He alleged that the opposition parties are not bothered about people's welfare, and are out to save themselves from being indicted in multiple scams. Addressing a rally here for NDA candidate Jayanta Basumatary, Nadda said, "Congress' policy was to keep North East in isolation and ignorance. It is the Modi and Himanta Biswa Sarma governments which worked to join you with the rest of the country." "Ten years ago when you visited Delhi, people asked which country you are from. But now integration is complete," Nadda said in the tribal-dominated region. Referring to the peace accords signed under the Modi regime, especially with Bodo militant outfits, the BJP chief claimed insurgent attacks and the number of civilian deaths have decreased drastically in the

Cong will win up to 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, says CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the response from voters towards Congress is "very good" and the party would win up to 20 seats in the state in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The guarantee schemes launched by his government will not be stopped for any reason, Siddaramaiah asserted as he claimed that the Congress will return to power after completing the current term, and they would continue. "The response is very good from the voters in Karnataka, but I do not know about the other parts of the country. As far as Karnataka is concerned, we will win up to 20 seats this time," Siddaramaiah told reporters here. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the Congress and its then alliance partner JD(S), which were running a coalition government at the time, had won just one seat each, while the BJP secured 25, and had also ensured the victory of an independent supported by it. This time, the JD(S) is in an alliance with the BJP,

Sensing defeat in LS polls, Congress standing by Naxals for votes: BJP

The BJP on Thursday alleged the Congress is advocating for Naxals for votes as it has sensed its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Wednesday described Naxals killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh as "martyrs" and raised questions over the action against the extremists. Security personnel gunned down 29 Naxals in Kanker, Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, in the biggest encounter ever in the state which has been facing the Naxal menace for the past three decades. "We have seen a very important operation in Chhattisgarh in which 29 Naxals were eliminated by security personnel. It was indeed a big achievement for the security forces," Poonawalla said. "Instead of welcoming the action by the security forces, the Congress has done what is expected of them. However, it is unthinkable that it claimed that the Naxals

Lok sabha polls: Home Minister Amit Shah holds mega roadshow in Ahmedabad

Union Home Minister Amit Shah embarked on a roadshow on Thursday morning in Sanand town of Gujarat's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. Shah, while standing on a specially-designed vehicle, greeted the people and BJP workers who gathered in large numbers on the route - from the APMC Chowk to Nalsarovar Chowk. Ahead of the roadshow in Sanand, Shah in a post on X said, "Today I will appeal to my brothers and sisters of Gandhinagar Lok Sabha Constituency to make BJP victorious and give their blessings to Modi ji so that he becomes Prime Minister once again to make the country No. 1 in every sector and to make Gandhinagar one of the most developed Lok Sabha constituencies in the country." The senior BJP leader, who is seeking re-election from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency for a second term, will file his nomination papers on Friday, state party spokesperson Yagnesh Dave said. This is one of the three roadshows to be

LS polls: BJP refuses to mention minorities' in its manifesto, says Owaisi

Alleging that the BJP has hatred towards minorities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the saffron party even refused to mention the word "minorities" in its manifesto, instead saying it as "marginalised". Owaisis said AIMIM's alliance in Uttar Pradesh with Anupriya Patel's Apna Dal (K) will continue even in the Assembly polls and the party will support Prakash Ambedkar in Akola and Anand Ambedkar in Amaravati in Maharashtra. "I have seen the BJP's advertisement on April 17 in various newspapers. Please see when they talk about giving loans or help to start a business from the government, it says ST and OBC. The BJP is even refusing to mention word minorities forget about Muslims. The word minorities is mentioned in the Constitution of India and the BJP has a great hatred for the word M," Owaisi told PTI videos on Wednesday. "They have not mentioned the word minorities. They say scholarships will be given to marginalised communities," he said. He claimed that there are highest numb

Out of power in Delhi since 2013, Cong hopes Kanhaiya can be a game changer

Rahul Gandhi's decision to field the former students' union leader in North East Delhi is an attempt to breathe new life into the party in the national capital

Rahul Gandhi has no courage to contest from Amethi, says Rajnath Singh

Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Thursday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that after his defeat from Amethi Lok Sabha seat in 2019, he does not have the courage to stand from there this time. Singh said Gandhi, following his defeat, migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh. "However, I have heard that the people of Wayanad have decided not to make him their MP," he claimed while speaking at an election meeting in the Pathanamathitta Lok Sabha constituency to garner support for BJP candidate Anil K Antony. Singh also said that while various space programmes and projects were being launched in the country, "the launching of Congress' young leader has not happened for the last 20 years". "The Congress party's 'Rahulyaan' has neither been launched nor has it landed anywhere," he said taking a dig at the Congress MP from Wayanad. During his speech, Singh praised Congress stalwart A K Antony and called him a disciplined and principled person whose honesty and integri

BJP nominates Union Minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat

2024 Lok Sabha Elections: BJP releases 13th list with one candidate name, nominating Rane against Shiv Sena (UBT)'s MP Vinayak Raut

BJP fires up campaign in Tamil Nadu as state prepares to vote for LS polls

Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank that also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month starting from March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu is the most keenly watched constituency

EC's prior nod must for Goa mines dept to execute lease deed: Officials

Goa poll authorities have said it was binding on the state mines department to obtain prior permission of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to execute a lease deed during the period of the model code of conduct (MCC). State Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Masurkar said this in a letter written to the ECI on Wednesday after an NGO complained that the Goa government and Vedanta Limited signed a lease deed on March 22 for the commencement of mining operations. This amounted to violation of the MCC, the Goa Foundation (NGO) claimed. The MCC came into effect on March 16 with the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls. Masurkar on Wednesday wrote to the ECI's principal secretary, claiming the reply filed by the state Directorate of Mines and Geology is "not satisfactory." "The reply filed by the Directorate of Mines and Geology is examined by this office and the same is found not satisfactory," the letter said. "It is observed that the mining lease deed executed by the Depar

After saying no, EC allows environment ministry to issue green clearances

The environment ministry had sought permission to environmental clearances while the Model Code of Conduct is in place

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Phase 1 Voting, Key constituencies & Candidates | Elections 2024

As India gears up for the first of the seven phases of Lok Sabha elections 2024, starting April 19…. Here is all you need to know about the Phase 1 polling

LS polls: Exercise right to vote to elect 'pro-Bahujan' govt, says Mayawati

On the eve of polling for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday appealed to people to exercise their right to vote and elect a "pro-Bahujan" government. In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the right to vote is a "democratic power to obtain the master key to power" which will enable the poor, weak and neglected people to uplift themselves. "A strong appeal to you to elect a pro-Bahujan government for the poor, the working class and the deprived by fearlessly using your valuable constitutional right to vote in the first round of polling for the seven-phase elections for the 18th Lok Sabha," Mayawati said in a post in Hindi. She also asked voters to ensure that their votes are not "misused" in the name of temple-mosque or bought using money power. "It is necessary to prevent the misuse of government machinery and violation of the model code of conduct by the ruling party," she added. Polling will be held in Saharanpur, ...

Several statements of PM violate Model Code of Conduct: Sitaram Yechury

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making statements which were allegedly violative of the Model Code of Conduct during his Lok Sabha poll campaign in various parts of the country. Yechury said that he has given a complaint in this regard to the Election Commission listing out the statements made by Modi allegedly "aimed at sharpening communal polarisation on the issue of Ram". The veteran CPI(M) leader was speaking to the media in this north Kerala district where he also criticised the Congress and the UDF for accusing the Left front of not opposing Modi and the BJP. He said that it was "strange" that the Congress and the UDF were accusing the LDF, particularly the CPI(M), of being silent on attacking Modi. Yechury said that he was one of the first political leaders to be arrested for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Left party was the one which moved a habeas corpus plea in the Supreme Court against allege

Our backbone, DNA of party: Rahul Gandhi posts message for Cong workers

In a post on X from Congress' official handle, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP-RSS are against the idea of India