Page 121 - Lok Sabha Elections

'J&K Assembly polls soon, statehood to be restored': PM Modi in Udhampur

Prime Minister says abrogation of Article 370 has put an end to the 'long sufferings' of people of Jammu and Kashmir

Nomination process for 4 Assam Lok Sabha seats in third phase begins

The nomination process for four Lok Sabha constituencies, including Guwahati, in Assam going to polls in the third phase began on Friday, the Election Commission said. The process started with issuance of the notification for the third phase across the country. Voting in Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar (ST) constituencies will take place in the third phase on May 7. As per the notification, the last date of filing nomination is April 19, while the scrutiny of the same will be done the next day. The last day for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed on April 22. The counting of votes will take place on June 4 along with the rest of the country. In the high-profile Guwahati constituency, BJP's new face Bijuli Kalita Medhi, who is a vice president of Assam BJP and the former president of the party's women wing in the state, is likely to have a direct contest with Congress first-timer Mira Barthakur Goswami, the president of Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress. From the ruling

Case booked against BJP TN prez Annamalai over alleged poll violation

A case has been booked against BJP state President and Coimbatore candidate K Annamalai and a few members of his party over an alleged poll campaign time violation, police said here on Friday. DMK workers and their allies, the Left parties, objected to BJP members campaigning beyond the Election Commission's stipulated time on Thursday night and this led to a quarrel between the two parties at Avarampalayam area, police said. Following a complaint lodged by a DMK member, Peelamedu police booked cases against four BJP functionaries under various sections of the IPC. Meanwhile, local DMK functionaries petitioned the district collector seeking action against the BJP candidate for allegedly campaigning beyond the deadline set by the Election Commission.

For 70 years, Congress nurtured Article 370 like its child: HM Amit Shah

Union Home minister Amit Shah on Friday attacked Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge over his recent remark on the abrogation of Article 370. Addressing an election meeting in Moradabad, Shah said, "Khargeji of the Congress asks what do people of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have to do with Kashmir. I want to tell them that every child of Moradabad is ready to give his life for Kashmir." "For 70 years, Congress has nurtured Article 370 like its child," he said. Shah added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kashmir has been united with India forever.

Lok Sabha elections: BSP releases fresh list with prominent candidates

The Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday released its fourth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding former state president of the party Bhim Rajbhar from Azamgarh and ex-MP Balkrishna Chauhan from Ghosi. Mohammad Irfan has been fielded from Etah, while Shyam Kishor Awasthi is the BSP candidate from Dhaurahra Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement. Sachidanand Pandey and Dayashankar Mishra have been fielded from Faizabad and Basti Lok Sabha constituencies respectively. From Gorakhpur, the BSP has given party ticket to Javed Simnani. Satyendra Kumar Maurya is the BSP candidate from Chandauli and from Roberstganj (SC) constituency, the BSP has fielded Dhaneshwar Gautam, it said.

LS polls: BJP spreading canards against Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

Hitting out at the BJP for alleging that West Bengal has become a safe haven for terrorists, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the accused in the Bengaluru blast case were arrested because of the state police's prompt action. The arrest of two accused in Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast case from West Bengal on Friday triggered a political slugfest in the state with the opposition BJP claiming that the TMC regime had turned the state into a safe haven for terrorists. "Heard one BJP leader saying that Bengal is not safe. The accused were arrested within two hours following a prompt response by police. What about the states where you are in power?" she said at a rally in Cooch Behar. "What about Uttar Pradesh Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Bihar? " she asked. Banerjee blamed the BJP for spreading canards against the state. The TMC supremo accused the saffron party of misusing central agencies and not allowing a "level-playing field for all political parties" in

Lok Sabha polls: CSDS survey reveals unemployment a key issue for voters

The CSDS-Lokniti 2024 pre-poll survey showed that 62 per cent of respondents across various demographics perceived a greater difficulty in securing employment in the past five years

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: What are the major issues for Indian Voters? CSDS-Lokniti 2024

The CSDS-Lokniti 2024 pre-poll survey showed that 62 per cent of respondents across various demographics perceived a greater difficulty in securing employment in the past five years.

LS polls: No BJP wave, only Congress and 5 guarantee waves, says Shivakumar

"How can Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda field their family members from the BJP and build the JDS party?" quipped DCM DK Shivakumar

'Royal vs ordinary citizen' battle erupts in Mysore Lok Sabha constituency

In a battle involving the 'royal' and the 'ordinary', the voters of Mysuru are faced with a dilemma of choosing between BJP's Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Congress's M Lakshmana in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. While Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family is making his political debut from the Mysore Lok Sabha segment, Lakshmana is state Congress spokesperson and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's confidant. It's no secret that Siddaramaiah has chosen to focus on this constituency given the number of his visits and campaign meetings in the region. "Voting for Lakshmana is like voting for me. His victory means my victory," says Siddaramaiah, who represents Varuna Assembly segment in the district. The Congress has also chosen to play the caste card, highlighting that Lakshmana is a Vokkaliga, the agrarian community that dominates the region. "National issues do matter but we have to think locally as well," Raju Gowda, a farmer, sitting at an 'Ashwatha Katt

Left devoting campaign to attack me, tactic can only help BJP: Tharoor

Accusing the Left of dividing anti-BJP votes in Thiruvananthapuram, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said the Left claims to be very concerned about opposition unity, but fails to address why it is devoting most of its energies in the constituency to undermining him instead of focusing on the "BJP's misrule". Tharoor, who is locked in a three-way contest with BJP leader and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI's Pannyan Raveendran in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, said it is ironical that the Left seeks to divide the anti-BJP vote in the parliamentary seat, and preach alliance dharma in Wayanad, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting. In an interview with PTI, the former Union minister said that putting up a candidate against him is something the Left has done every time, and he can't criticise them for that, since he took the seat from them in the first place in 2009. "But devoting their entire campaign to attacking me is a tactic which can only help the BJP. The Left claims

When will Assembly polls be held in J-K, Jairam Ramesh asks PM Modi

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur, the Congress accused the BJP-led Centre on Friday of suspending democracy in the Union Territory and asked it when would the Assembly polls be held there. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said while the prime minister was in Udhampur, in its attempt to retain power in the erstwhile state, the BJP-led government has suspended almost all tiers of democracy and refuses to hold fresh elections. "PM Modi must answer for his suspension of democracy," Ramesh said while posing several questions to the prime minister. He said the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been under the Centre's direct rule ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government in 2018, citing a "deteriorating security situation". "The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been left without an elected government since then. Four seats in the Rajya Sabha also remai

Congress in Kerala demands probe by central agency into Kannur blast

The Congress in Kerala on Friday demanded a probe by a central agency into the recent blast in Kannur district that claimed one life and injured three others, alleging that the state police cannot be trusted to safeguard the evidence in the case. Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil, while talking to reporters in this district, said that a probe by a central agency was necessary to ensure that the police do not destroy the evidence in the case. "Bomb making is a serious issue," he added. Similar views were aired by P K Firos, the general secretary of the Muslim Youth League's Kerala State Committee. Firos claimed that the police were hiding details about the case as well as the health condition of those injured in the blast. Therefore, there is an apprehension that the police might not carry out a proper probe, he alleged. A country-made bomb, while being made, had exploded on April 5 at Panur in Kannur and had stirred the political waters in the state which is headi

Sitharaman takes exception to Stalin's 'migratory bird' jibe at PM Modi

Senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday took exception to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's "migratory bird" jibe made at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent visits to the state, saying the very usage was not proper. She also slammed the ruling DMK over issues including the drug menace in the state. "The chief minister says the PM is coming to Tamil Nadu like a migratory bird. Anyone can travel anywhere in the country. The very usage is wrong... CM is in such a situation that he makes remarks like these," she said addressing an election meeting here. She was canvassing votes for the party's Krishnagiri nominee for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, C Narasaimhan here. The PM has brought investments and the Defence Corridor, which has benefited Hosur in the district, but "they (DMK) come here only for collection," she said. In an apparent reference to the DMK's first family, she said there was much "proof" that alleged drug kingpin Jafar Sadiq, arrested by the NCB i

AAP's Sisodia moves court seeking interim bail for election campaigning

AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who has been arrested by the CBI and ED in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case, on Friday moved a court here seeking interim bail for poll campaigning. Special Judge for the CBI and ED, Kaveri Baweja, is likely to take up the application for hearing later in the day. The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries allegedly diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies have alleged. The former deputy chief minister was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the "scam". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sisodia in a money-laundering case stemm

LS polls: Even oppn believes NDA govt will return to power, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the BJP used its majority in Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms to strengthen the country while the Congress used its decades-long majority to strengthen its "family", asserting that even the opposition believes that his government will retain power for a third term. In an interview to Hindi daily Hindustan, Modi underlined his commitment to taking strict action against the corrupt amid criticism by opposition parties that probe agencies were used by his government to target their leaders. Steps against corruption are being taken even in states where the BJP is in power, he said, adding that the narrative that only political corruption is being targeted is being circulated by people who are under the sword of investigative agencies. He said, "Of the corruption cases probed by the Enforcement Directorate, only three per cent have people associated with politics. The remaining 97 per cent cases are linked to officials and criminals. Those wh

Gujarat officials to send over 2 mn invites to voters to increase turnout

Election authorities in Gujarat will dispatch more than 20 lakh invites to voters, particularly women, across the state in their attempt to increase voter turnout in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, officials said on Friday. The initiative will target over 13,000 polling stations where the difference between men and women voters remains at over 10 per cent, and where the overall voter turnout was less than 50 per cent during the last legislative elections, an official release said. Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi will extend the invitation to about 20.3 lakh voters, mainly women, urging them to participate in the ensuing general elections, it said, adding that families will be requested to vote together. The 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in the third phase on May 7. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Gujarat registered a voter turnout of 64.11 per cent, compared to the national average of 67.40 per cent. The Chief Electoral Officer has appealed to wo

LS polls: Rahul to address election rallies in TN, share stage with Stalin

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address election rallies in Tamil Nadu on Friday, in his first set of such engagements after the announcement of the poll schedule. The Wayanad MP will address a public meeting in Coimbatore along with DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. He will also address a rally in Tirunelveli. The Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 19.

MoS Ajay Bhatt complains against Cong candidate for 'false ad' on MP fund

The BJP candidate said that the false statement published by the Congress candidate is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct

Nomination process begins for Phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections on May 7

The nomination process for the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 94 constituencies across 12 states on May 7 began on Friday. The process started after a notification was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the President. April 19 is the last date for the filing of papers. Separately, another notification was issued for the "adjourned" poll in the Betul constituency of Madhya Pradesh, the EC said. The election in the Betul Lok Sabha seat was "adjourned" following the death of the BSP's candidate. In case a candidate of a recognised national or state party dies before the polls, the election is postponed to allow the party to identify and field a fresh candidate. Voting in the Betul constituency was earlier scheduled to be held in the second phase on April 26. The states and union territories included in the third phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya