Page 124 - Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha polls highlights: DMK never focused on Tamil Nadu's development, says PM Modi

General Elections 2024 Highlights : Catch all the updates of the announcements related to Lok Sabha polls here

Forests rights key issue in 103 BJP represented seats: Vasundhara report

BJP MPs represent 103 of the 153 Lok Sabha seats in the country where the implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006 is a major issue, according to a recent report. The Congress, which enacted the FRA, and the Biju Janata Dal represent 11 seats each, Shiv Sena 6, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSRCP 5 each, and the National Congress Party 4, the analysis by independent organisation Vasundhara found. Considered a milestone in redressing the historical injustice done to Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, the Forest Rights Act 2006 aims to recognise forest rights of such communities living in forests for generations. According to the analysis, there are 86 Lok Sabha seats where people demanding forest rights account for over 30 per cent of the electorate. Similarly, there are 45 seats where FRA eligible voters comprise over 40 per cent of the electorate. These include the Khunti Lok Sabha seat where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeated Tribal Affairs ...

Slew of resignations rock JJP's boat ahead of Lok Sabha elections

The party's political future seems in jeopardy after its coalition with BJP ended last month

LS polls: EC orders action on anonymous political hoarding after complaints

The Election Commission on Wednesday directed clear identification of the printer and publisher on printed election-related material, including hoardings, in a bid to ensure accountability and transparency in poll campaigning. The poll authority said the decision was taken by it after representations were received stating that in hoarding spaces controlled by municipal authorities, hoardings without the identity of the printer or publisher have been noticed. The Aam Aadmi Party had also approached the EC on the issue recently. The EC pointed to section 127A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 which prohibits the printing or publishing of election pamphlets, posters, placards, or banners without prominently displaying the name and address of the printer and publisher. This requirement of disclosing the identity of publishers serves as a cornerstone for regulating campaign financing and fixing of responsibility in case content is found unbecoming of the framework of the Mo

LS polls: Patnaik seeks public opinion for preparing BJD's poll manifesto

Odisha Chief Minister and ruling BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged people to provide inputs for preparation of the party's manifesto for the simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state. Patnaik also constituted a 38-member 'manifesto committee' headed by Berhampur MP Chandrasekhar Sahu. The panel will have discussions with various sections of society... and prepare a manifesto that will lead to transformation towards a New Odisha, Empowered Odisha', Patnaik said in an official notification. Senior party leader Amar Patnaik was appointed as convenor of the committee, while Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra will be the co-convenor, officials said. General elections and assembly polls will be held in Odisha between May 13 and June 1. The state has 147 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies.

LS polls: Amit Shah to address 3 rallies in MP, Maharashtra on Thursday

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday will visit Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra during which he will address three rallies to campaign for BJP candidates and attend other programmes, sources said. Shah will first travel to Mandla in Madhya Pradesh where he will perform puja at Maa Narmada Pujon Rapta ghat. After that, he will garland the statue of Rani Durgavati in the town. Subsequently, the senior BJP leader will address a rally at the local police ground under the Mandla Lok Sabha constituency, sources said. In the afternoon, he will travel to Katni in Madhya Pradesh where he will offer prayer at Vijaynath Dham mandir in the town and then he address a rally at the town, which comes under the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency. In the evening, Shah will travel to Nanded in Maharashtra where he will address a rally for the BJP candidate.

Mamata Banerjee misleading people on CAA, facilitating infiltrators: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "misleading" people on the CAA and "facilitating" infiltrators for vote bank politics, emphasising that refugees should apply for citizenship without apprehension. While addressing an election rally in Balurghat, his first in Bengal since the Lok Sabha polls were announced, Shah slammed the TMC government "for trying to save the culprits in the Bhupatinagar bomb blast case" and for filing cases against NIA officials. "Mamata didi is misleading people about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Why is she against refugees obtaining citizenship? I request refugees not to be afraid, please apply for citizenship, there will be absolutely no problem. No police case will be filed against you. Granting citizenship to refugees is our commitment," he said. The Centre last month implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament

LS polls: Rahul slams BJP, says history doesn't change by 'spewing lies'

Amid the BJP's repeated 'Muslim League imprint' barb over the Congress manifesto, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said history is witness as to who joined hands with the forces that wanted to divide the country and asserted that history does not change by "spewing lies" from political platforms. Gandhi said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are a fight between two ideologies, with the Congress, which has always united India, on one side and those who have always tried to divide people on the other side. "This election is a fight between two ideologies! On one side there is the Congress, which has always united India, and on the other side there are those who have always tried to divide people," the former Congress chief said in a post in Hindi. History is witness as to who joined hands with the forces that wanted to divide the country and strengthened them and who fought for the unity and independence of the country, Gandhi said. "Who stood with the British during the 'Quit India Movement'?

LS polls: Cong MP files complaint against Assam CM over MCC 'violation'

Congress MP and Lok Sabha poll candidate from Nagaon constituency in Assam, Pradyut Bordoloi, has filed a complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that he violated the model code of conduct by offering money to all ration cardholders during the ongoing election campaign. Bordoloi filed the complaint to the chief election commissioner on Tuesday night, alleging that Sarma, in a public meeting in Lakhimpur during the day, made a promise to transfer Rs 10,000 to the bank accounts of every ration cardholder after the election. Stating that such assurances are a "clear violation" of MCC, the Congress leader said, "Such promises are not only unethical but also an attempt to influence voters through financial inducements, thereby compromising the integrity of the electoral process". He urged the ECI to investigate the matter thoroughly and take appropriate action against the chief minister for his "misconduct". Bordoloi also filed another complaint with the chief ...

LS polls: Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses Tharoor of defamation, sends notice

Union Minister of State for Information Technology and Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sent a legal notice to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accusing him of making defamatory statements against the BJP leader on a TV channel recently. Chandrasekhar, who is facing off against Tharoor in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming polls on April 26, has alleged that the Congress MP disseminated "patently false information" regarding bribing of key voters and influential figures such as parish priests, among others, by the BJP leader. The notice has claimed that the statements by Tharoor were made with an intent to harm Chandrasekhar's reputation and image and that his remarks also disrespected the entire Christian community of Thiruvananthapuram and its leaders by accusing them of engaging in cash-for-votes activities. It has also contended that the Congress MP's statements were in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The notice also claimed that the ...

LS polls: Lalu's two daughters among 22 RJD candidates from Bihar

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday formally announced its candidates for all but one of the 23 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar where the party is contesting as a constituent of the opposition Mahagathbandhan. Party president Lalu Prasad's daughters - Rohini Acharya and Misa Bharti - are among the RJD nominees. According to a release issued by RJD state president Jagdanand Singh late in the evening, Acharya will contest from Saran which her father had won many times. Prasad represented the seat until his disqualification in 2013 when he was convicted in a fodder scam. Bharti, his eldest daughter who is enjoying her second term in the Rajya Sabha, will try her luck in the Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency. A party functionary said that a candidate is yet to be announced for Siwan where the RJD had for years been fielding late Mohd Shahubuddin. After Shahubuddin's disqualification, his widow Heena could never win the seat. It has been understood that Heena has a strained relationshi

Stalin likens PM's poll campaign to migratory birds arriving at sanctuary

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday took strong exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign in the state and likened the latter's visits to a migratory bird arriving at the sanctuary during season and posed him questions on a series of issues. The Prime Minister has come to the state with a set of guarantees for the 2024 general elections as his Gujarat model and Chaukidar role has been exposed, he said. Prime Minister Modi himself hovers over Tamil Nadu during the election season just like migratory birds come to the sanctuary during the season. will you give these guarantees? Stalin, who is president of the ruling DMK, asked in a post on the social media platform X. He sought to know from Modi, if he could guarantee conducting caste-wise census, remove the ceiling on reservation, strictly implement reservation for SC, ST and OBC, exempt Tamil Nadu from National Eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET), never to impose Hindi and Sanskrit, and transferring ...

Lok Sabha polls: Varun, Maneka Gandhi miss PM Modi's rally in Pilibhit

he mother-son duo were absent from the rally after they were not included in the list of star campaigners released by the party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections

Summer cheer for beer firm United Breweries as margins remain stable

Cheaper raw material prices and growth in premium segment expected to help company

LS polls: Special polling stations set up in Gujarat's remote areas

Election authorities in Gujarat have set up special polling stations in 11 remote and difficult-to-access places, including deep forests and small islands, to ensure no eligible person is deprived of voting in the Lok Sabha polls. All the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in a single phase on May 7. The Election Commission has already erected necessary infrastructure for the special polling stations. One such remote area is Banej, situated deep inside the protected Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, where a polling booth has been set up for a lone voter, Mahant Haridasji, who is the priest of a Lord Shiva temple there, a release from the office of the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer said. The nearest human-populated area from Banej is several kilometers away, as per the release. While the area falls under the jurisdiction of Gir Somnath district, Banej booth comes under Junagadh Lok Sabha seat. "A special polling booth has been set up for this single voter during every election

Constitution will remain unchanged, will resign if that happens: Athawale

Union Social Justice minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday dismissed the Congress' allegation that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government was planning to change the Constitution. He would resign if there is any attempt to change the Constitution, said Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra and BJP ally. The minister, who heads the Republican Party of India, was here to campaign for Sunil Mendhe, candidate of the ruling alliance from Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seat. "With no issues against the present Modi-led NDA government, Congress along with other opposition parties is trying to mislead people alleging that if this government wins 400 plus seats, it would change the Constitution. Their accusation is completely baseless.... if government makes any such attempt, I will resign from the cabinet and withdraw support to the BJP," he said. Modi is a "man with vision", and working for the progress of the country, Athawale added.

LS polls: PM Modi to hold rally in Nagpur today to support NDA candidate

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second-largest after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 seats it contested in alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena

Congress stands committed to unity, BJP wants artificial uniformity: Jairam

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that the party is committed to "unity" while the BJP wants "artificial uniformity". Addressing media persons here at Congress Bhavan in Dimapur, the AICC general secretary, who arrived in the state during the day to campaign for Congress candidate S Supongmeren Jamir, said the 2024 elections will be the most important one for the people of the country as it will be a "battle between unity and uniformity". The Congress wants to strengthen unity by celebrating the country's diversity while the BJP and its allies want to impose artificial uniformity, he said. Article 371 (A) was included in the Constitution of India in 1963 when the state of Nagaland was formed, he said, adding that the Article that provides special provisions for Nagaland will "come under attack as the BJP had removed Article 370 from the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The framework agreement was signed between the Government of India a

Sky-high demand: Politicians drive helicopter rates up 15-20%

BJP, Congress dominate advance bookings, helicopter charter firms say

Battleground 2024: Next govt to pursue reforms agenda, says Citigroup

Citigroup said simple consolidation of Opposition votes is unlikely to significantly affect electoral outcomes for BJP given its dominant vote share in 2019