Page 125 - Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha polls: BJP drops 11 ministers, fields 10 former Rajya Sabha MPs

A third of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP)'s 303 members of Parliament are not contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

In Maharashtra deal, Uddhav's Sena gets lion's share, Cong takes back seat

Congress stepping back and allowing the Sena (UBT) to take the lead in the Lok Sabha fight was a sign of the national party's enlightened self-interest

Challenges for ECI

Young voters must be encouraged to vote

MCD takes down over 612,000 political ads from city ahead of LS elections

In view of the Model Code of Conduct in force for the Lok Sabha elections, the MCD has removed 6,12,729 political advertisement from across its 12 zones till date, according to an official document. Abiding by the Election Commission's order, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has removed 2,64,798 hoardings, 2,67,867 posters/banners/wall paintings, 45,971 signages and 34,093 flags. As per the Election Commission (EC) order, any kind of poster, hoarding or banner in a public place which promotes any political party or leader has to be removed within 24 hours of the election schedule announcement. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force on March 16 with the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the general elections. Delhi will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the seven-phase polls. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Lok Sabha elections: Party over family? AK Antony wants son Anil to lose

Anil Antony is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, after switching sides earlier this week

28% Phase 1 candidates crorepatis; 16% are booked in criminal cases

According to the ADR analysis, 836 (52 per cent) candidates have declared being a graduate or above

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Which party has more crorepati, criminal candidates

Lok Sabha election 2024: A report by the National Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that 16 per cent of candidates contesting in Phase 1

Election 2024: Candidates need not disclose every asset they own, says SC

Voters do not have an absolute right to such information and that candidates are not obligated to expose every detail of their lives, it says

Ex-Union minister Birender Singh, ex-MLA wife Prem Lata join Congress

Former Union minister Birender Singh and his ex-MLA wife Prem Lata joined the Congress on Tuesday, a decade after quitting the party. Their joining comes a month after their son Brijendra Singh joined the party after quitting the Congress. Birender Singh (78) is the maternal grandson of the farmer leader Sir Chhotu Ram and had quit the Congress in 2014 to join the BJP. He was Union minister for steel in the first government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also held the charge of rural development, panchayati raj, and drinking water and sanitation. On his return to the Congress, Birender Singh said, "It is not just my 'ghar wapsi' but also 'vichar wapsi'." Welcoming Birender Singh and Prem Lata into the Congress, party leader Mukul Wasnik said, "With their joining, I am sure the Congress will be strengthened in Haryana and help form the Congress government in the state." Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "With his (Birender Singh) rejoining, he has

Polygamy, child marriage not LS poll issues in Assam, says Assam CM Himanta

Asked if topics like polygamy or child marriage are election issues, Biswa replied in negative

MVA seat-sharing: Uddhav's Sena gets 21 seats, Congress 17 and NCP 10

Shiv Sena Uddhav (UBT) faction will be contesting polls on 21 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party will contest elections on 10 seats while Congress will fight the polls on 17 seats

Lok Sabha Elections: Candidate allotted 'slippers' as the election symbol

Independent candidate from Aligarh Pandit Keshav Dev has been allotted 'slippers' as the election symbol. He was seen carrying out the election campaign wearing a garland of 7 slippers around his neck

Lok Sabha elections: Women 8% of total candidates in phase 1 on April 19

Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura are going to polls with no women candidates

BJP leaders trying to placate party candidates upset over denial of tickets

The BJP leadership in Himachal Pradesh is making efforts to mollify party leaders who are disgruntled over distribution of tickets to six Congress rebels for the assembly bypolls, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said on Tuesday. They (disgruntled leaders) will fall in line as the BJP is a cadre-based party, the senior BJP leader told PTI. After announcement of tickets to all six Congress rebels for assembly bypolls, resentment was visible among BJP leaders who had lost the elections in 2022 to these Congress MLAs. Most of them denied tickets are considered close to Dhumal. Immediately after the announcement of tickets, senior party leaders, including former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, state party president, Rajiv Bindal and bypoll candidates Rajinder Rana and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal made a beeline to Dhumal's native village Samirpur to seek his blessings. Ranjit Singh from Sujanpur, Maya Sharma from Barsar, former minister Varinder Kanwar from Kutlehar and Rajesh Thakur fr

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar gets Z security after IB report

Under Z-category protocols, a comprehensive security detail has been deployed for the protection of CEC Rajiv Kumar

PM campaigning intensively in Bihar as BJP-led NDA is jittery: Tejashwi

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday claimed that the BJP-led NDA was "jittery" in Bihar, a reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign in the state was being intensified. Yadav made the remark when journalists drew his attention to the fact that while Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in Aurangabad was scheduled on Wednesday, Modi was likely to address an election meeting in Gaya on April 16. The Lok Sabha polls in Bihar have been staggered across all the seven phases, and Modi has already held two rallies at Jamui and Nawada. While his Gaya visit is yet to be confirmed by the BJP, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, an NDA partner who is trying his luck from Gaya, claimed that the PM has agreed to canvass in his favour. People do visit different places during elections, but it is becoming clear that the BJP is jittery this time. The attention of its top leaders, as also the ED and CBI, which are being used for settling political scores, seems focused on Bihar

EC asks CBDT to verify Rajeev Chandrasekhar's poll affidavit details

The Election Commission on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to verify any mismatch in affidavit details submitted by Union minister and BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat Rajeev Chandrasekhar, sources said. The Congress had moved the poll panel claiming a mismatch in actual and declared assets in the affidavit filed by Chandrasekhar, who is in the fray against former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor. According to procedure, the EC has directed the CBDT to verify any mismatch in affidavit details submitted by Chandrasekhar, the sources said. Any mismatch and falsification of affidavit is dealt with under Section 125 A of the Representation of the People Act 1951, they said. As per the law, concealing any information in nomination papers or affidavit is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with a fine, or both.

AAP begins door-to-door campaign in Delhi under 'Jail ka Jawab Vote se'

The AAP on Tuesday began a door-to-door drive in Delhi's Shahdara as part of its "Jail ka Jawab Vote se" campaign to seek support for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, and the party in the Lok Sabha elections. Under the campaign, AAP leaders will visit every house in the four Lok Sabha constituencies where the party has fielded its candidates. Gopal Rai, the AAP's Delhi convenor, kicked off the campaign in Shahdara. He was accompanied by the party's East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail. Contesting the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance with the Congress, the AAP has fielded candidates on four seats -- New Delhi, East Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi. The Congress is contesting the remaining three seats in the national capital. Polling for the seven Lok Sabha

Cong insulted Lord Ram by refusing invite for 'pran pratishta': PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress of making several attempts to stall the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for insulting Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation for the 'pran pratishta' ceremony. Addressing an election rally here, Modi also said that the Congress is immersed in the swamp of appeasement and can never come out of it. "The Congress made several efforts so that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is not constructed. But when the people of the country made such a beautiful temple by contributing every penny, and when the temple people forgave all your sins, and invited you for the 'pran prathistaa', you insulted Lord Ram by rejecting the invitation and expelled leaders, who attended it, for six years," he said. "Every family of the country contributed according to their devotion. The people of Pilibhit also gifted a huge flute to Ayodhya. But, the people of INDI alliance had hatred even before the construction of Ram temple and they have hatred

LS polls: 1,210 candidates to contest across 13 states in phase two

As many as 1,210 candidates are in fray for phase two of Lok Sabha polls to be held on April 26, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. In phase two, Kerala has a maximum of 500 nominations from 20 parliamentary constituencies, followed by 491 nominations from 14 seats in Karnataka. The least number of 14 nominations were received from one constituency in Tripura, while Nanded seat in Maharashtra received a maximum of 92 nominations, the poll authority said. A total of 2,633 nominations were filed for 88 constituencies across 12 states and UTs going for polls in phase two. After the scrutiny of 2,633 nominations filed, 1,428 were found to be valid. But after some candidates withdrew nominations, 1,210 remain in race. Monday was the last day to withdraw from the electoral race. Fifteen assembly segments in Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency will go to polls on April 19 in phase one and 13 assembly segments of the Lok Sabha seat will go to polls on April 26 in phase two.