Page 122 - Lok Sabha Elections

Lakshwadeep LS polls: Women voters demand gynaecologists, better transport

"We need good hospitals as well as doctors. For better access to education, we need more schools as well as teachers," a woman voter from Lakshwadeep said

Congress' Muttemwar writes to EC over agitation by BJP near his Nagpur home

Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar has written a letter to the Election Commission seeking action against BJP activists for holding an agitation in front of his Nagpur home, calling the stir illegal and violation of the Model Code of Conduct in place for the Lok Sabha elections. The April 5 agitation also violated prohibitory orders enforced in the area where his residence is located, the former Union minister said. Muttemwar, in his letter to the EC, said as a Congress member he has been actively participating in election campaign of party candidate from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat Vikas Thakre and addressing poll meetings in his support. The Congress leader said he came to know from media persons that activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were planning an agitation in front of his residence for some statements made by him during the election campaign. "Around 6.30 pm on April 5, around 40 members the BJP came in groups and assembled at Shankar Nagar Square near my residence, ...

RO notifies postal voting dates in Udhampur LS constituency from April 14

Rakesh Minhas, the Returning Officer (RO) for Udhampur parliamentary constituency, on Thursday notified the dates for postal ballot voting. This enables the voters falling under the categories of senior citizens, persons with disability and COVID-19 suspect or affected persons to exercise their right to franchise for two days from April 14. In a proactive measure to ensure inclusion of all eligible voters in the electoral process, these categories of voters have been provided with the option to exercise their franchise through postal ballot, police officials said. The officials said this initiative aims to accommodate the specific needs and circumstances of individuals who may face difficulties in physically visiting polling stations on the election day. Under the supervision of respective assistant returning officers (AROs), the polling teams will conduct two home visits on April 14 and 15 in the respective assembly segments, they said. The officials said these visits will allow

LS polls: PM resorts to polarisation on critical issues, says Venugopal

The senior Congress leader and AICC member claimed that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would win all the Lok Sabha seats in Kerala

2024 Lok Sabha elections: BJD fields 33% women and 38% turncoats

In the 2019 elections, the BJD had bagged 12 LS seats, the BJP won 8 and the Congress managed just one

Bijnor's electoral journey: From BSP's legacy to 3-cornered battle in 2024

The history of Bijnor Lok Sabha constituency is intertwined with the rise of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its party chief Mayawati

Lok Sabha polls: Hoping to win by a margin of 500,000, says Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari, contesting Lok Sabha election from Nagpur as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was fresh as a daisy

Cong facing problems in supporting candidates due to fund issues: Ramesh

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday that the party is facing difficulties in supporting its candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, mainly due to financial crunch caused by "steps taken by the central government". Addressing a press conference here, he said the party will fare very well in the polls and the opposition alliance will secure a "clear and convincing majority" despite all attempts to scuttle its progress. "There has been an attempt to create problems for us. Our accounts were frozen and Rs 300 crore of money received through public funding were stolen by the PM," Ramesh said. In February, the Income Tax department has frozen four main bank accountants of the Congress on a tax demand of Rs 210 crore for 2018-19. The Congress leaders are humiliated daily and such attacks are being led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ramesh alleged. Asked if the party is facing any problems due to such action from the government, he said: "I will not disagre

Decision to quit AAP wasn't taken under pressure: Raaj Kumar Anand

A day after announcing his resignation as a minister in the Delhi government and quitting the AAP, Raaj Kumar Anand asserted on Thursday that he did not take the decision under any pressure but was unable to tolerate "injustice". The Patel Nagar MLA also kept people guessing about his next move by saying that "politics is a game of possibilities and no one knows what lies ahead in the future", even as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have claimed that he might join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Anand is still "technically" a minister although he has resigned, officials said. "He has claimed to have sent his resignation to the Chief Minister's Office but the chief minister is in judicial custody. There is no possibility in the near future that his resignation letter will reach the chief minister for his approval," a senior Delhi government officer said on Thursday. The resignation letter of a minister, approved by the chief minister, has to be forwarded to the lieutenant governor f

Farmers asking for MSP, youngsters want jobs, but no one listening: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP-led Centre on Thursday, saying farmers are asking for a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, youngsters are seeking employment, women want relief from inflation, but no one is listening. The upcoming Lok Sabha polls are about protecting the country's Constitution and democracy, the former Congress chief said. "It is an election of the backwards, Dalits, tribals and poor people in the general category," he said, addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Bikaner. Gandhi said the bank accounts of the Congress have been frozen. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre has taken money from big industrialists through electoral bonds, he claimed, adding that the upcoming election is a battle between the country's poor people and 22-25 billionaires. "Farmers are saying give us MSP, youngsters are saying give us employment, women are saying save us from inflation, but no one is listening," Gandhi said at the rally organised in ...

BJP doesn't discriminate between Hindus and Muslims, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the BJP does not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims and that the respect of women is of paramount importance to it, citing the ban on triple talaq. He was addressing a public meeting in Rewa Lok Sabha seat, where his party has fielded sitting MP Janardhan Mishra against Congress' Neelam Mishra. Singh also batted for the one nation, one election' idea and called the track record of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government remarkable. People say the BJP always talks of Hindus and Muslims. I want to say that we do not discriminate between Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jews, Singh asserted. The defence minister said his party takes along with it all. We believe all born in Bharat are the children of Bharat Mata. We don't discriminate, he said. The allegations of bias against the BJP grew sharper after it declared its intention to ban triple talaq. We did not end it (instant triple talaq) by fooling people. It was our resolve

UP govt ramps up wheat procurement centres to achieve 6 MT target

Payment for targeted purchase to cross Rs 13,000 crore

Why are country's borders shrinking: SP Chief Akhilesh hits out at BJP

In a veiled attack on the BJP-led central government, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday wondered why the country's borders were shrinking and how free was its press. Yadav attended the special prayers at Aishbagh Eidgah here on Eid-ul-Fitr and greeted people on the occasion. "People are noticing that our country that was once developing, what is the state of law and order here now, what is our unemployment level, how free our press is, where are we standing on the parameters of health and poverty index? Why are our borders shrinking?" Yadav said without taking any names. "People are going to vote on these issues and they have decided to bring a change," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said after initially declining to make any political comments "at the time of festivities". Earlier in the day, the Congress targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "ineffective and feeble" response to China for its border transgressions, and demanded that he apologises to

Maha Congress could have bagged better deal for LS seats: Varsha Gaikwad

Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday said the party's Maharashtra leadership should have pursued equal seat-sharing among the three Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies for the Lok Sabha polls to ensure a better deal in the metropolis. There are six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai - Mumbai North, Mumbai North-Central, which have been allotted to the Congress in the seat sharing deal, while four others - Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai North-East and Mumbai North-West went to the Shiv Sena (UBT). The MVA coalition in Maharashtra announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday with the Shiv Sena (UBT) securing a substantial portion with 21 seats, while the Congress will contest 17 seats, and the NCP (SP) 10 seats. Talking to reporters here, Gaikwad said, "Earlier, Congress used to contest five seats in Mumbai, leaving only Mumbai North-East to the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). So we were demanding equal seat-sharing this time.

We'll back only those leaders who genuinely support Maratha quota: Jarange

Activist Manoj Jarange has accused the Maharashtra government of cheating Marathas over quota and declared that the community will back only those political leaders who genuinely support reservation for its members. The bill passed by the state legislature providing quota for Marathas in government jobs and education won't stand any legal scrutiny, Jarange claimed while addressing Sakal Maratha Samaj members at Udgir in Latur district on Wednesday. The activist also slammed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleging that he wished to crush the Maratha agitation by hook or by crook. The government has deceived Marathas. It passed the Maratha reservation bill which we never demanded. I know the bill won't stand any legal scrutiny. We want the implementation of sage soyare' (kin from family tree). We want reservation under the OBC category only, he said. With just days to go for the Lok Sabha polls in the state, which will be held in five phases between April 19 and May 20, Jara

Telecom tariff hike imminent, expect 15-17% rise after elections: Report

The telecom industry is expected to take a 15-17 per cent tariff hike post general elections, according to an analyst report that termed the tariff increase in the sector as "imminent" with Airtel as the biggest beneficiary. The general election in the world's largest democracy is scheduled to be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1, and results will be declared on June 4. "We expect the industry to take a 15-17 per cent tariff hike post the elections," a report by Antique Stock Broking said, as it described the tariff hike as imminent and Bharti as the biggest beneficiary. The last hike of about 20 per cent was in December 2021, it said. Offering a break-up of ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) for India's second largest telco, the brokerage note said Bharti's industry-leading current ARPU of Rs 208 is set to go up to Rs 286 by end of FY27. This will be driven by a tariff hike contributing Rs 55, upgradation of 2G customers to 4G contributing Rs 10, and customer upgradat

No bar on political parties from contesting municipal polls: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has said there is no bar under the Constitution on political parties, which are granted recognition by the State Election Commission (SEC), from contesting municipal polls. The court has also said the allocation of poll symbols to political parties by the SEC for municipal elections is reasonable and not arbitrary. The court passed an order to this effect while dismissing a petition that had sought a direction to the SEC here to stop putting the reserved symbols for political parties on the list of contesting candidates. The plea had also sought a direction to the SEC to conduct the election to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) without the reserved symbols, which allegedly violated the petitioner's fundamental rights as enshrined under Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution. "In light of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, the recognition granted by the SEC to the political parties to contest municipal elections is within its jurisdicti

Lok Sabha polls: Former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta joins BJP

Former Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta joined the BJP on Thursday, marking the defection of yet another visible opposition face to the ruling party in the election season. Gupta, along with some other leaders, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and its national general secretary Vinod Tawde. He had resigned from the Congress last month after withdrawing his candidature from Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha constituency. Gupta had blamed his "constant humiliation and character assassination by a leader connected with communication department" of the Congress for his decision. Recently, another former Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh had also joined the BJP.

Under strong Modi govt, terrorists killed on their own turf, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said under the "strong" BJP-led government at the Centre, the country's security forces are eliminating terrorists on their own turf. Addressing an election rally here, Modi said the echoes of 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' were being heard across the country as people have seen the benefits of having a stable government. "Enemies took advantage and terrorism spread whenever there were weak and unstable governments in the country. But under a strong Modi government, our forces are killing terrorists on their own turf," Modi said. The prime minister said he stopped the corrupt from looting the country and their anger against him was at its height. He also asked the people of Uttarakhand to give a befitting reply to the Congress for talking about eliminating "Shakti" which is symbolised by the revered goddesses of Uttarakhand -- Maa Dhari Devi and Jwalpa Devi. PTI ALM He also said the "weak" Congress governments in the past could not strengthen t

LS polls: BJP manifesto promises protection to rights of Sikkimese people

The BJP on Thursday released its Sikkim election manifesto which promised to ensure the protection of the rights of the Sikkimese people and to make the Himalayan state an educational hub, if the party wins the Assembly elections. BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday released the party's Sikkim Assembly election manifesto here in the presence of BJP Sikkim incharge, Dilip Jaiswal, Sikkim state president, DR Thapa and other party leaders. "Enough is enough, it is time Sikkim comes to join the mainstream. We have had enough of regional parties in Sikkim. We have to say goodbye to regional parties and corruption which these regional parties are involved in" said Nadda. He said that the BJP wanted a people-oriented, progressive and development-oriented government in Sikkim. "We want the lotus to bloom even in the mountains. Our manifesto ensures that every Sikkimese gets the best from the schemes and policies being given to the citizens. We want a clean government in Sikkim. Development