Page 153 - Lok Sabha Elections

From apps to influencers, EC working to increase participation in K'taka

Encouraging the public to use various apps to putting QR codes on voter slips to locate polling booths, the Election Commission is coming out with several initiatives to increase turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka leveraging technology, EC officials said on Tuesday. Voter Helpline, 'Know Your Candidate' and updating details about number of voters in queue and kind of parking facilities available at polling booths and an elaborate booth election management plan are among the other measures being taken. The EC is also collaborating with social media influencers to encourage people to cast their ballot. Celebrities like head coach of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, Jnanpith awardee Dr Chandrashekhara Kambar and Paralympian Girish Gowda are the State election icons. The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for its 28 constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena told PTI that out of the 58,834 polling booths,

Congress Working Committee meets to finalise party's LS poll manifesto

Sources said the party's Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by Kharge, would discuss and finalise its candidates for remaining seats in the evening

We want Supreme Court-monitored Lok Sabha polls 2024: TMC's Derek O'Brien

The TMC party leader in Rajya Sabha wondered whether the BJP is so nervous of facing the people that it is turning the EC into "its party office"

Jharkhand Guv gets charge of Telangana, Puducherry as Soundararajan quits

Governor of Jharkhand C P Radhakrishnan has been appointed Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry by President Murmu, until regular arrangements are made

Ahmedabad East LS seat Cong candidate Rohan Gupta withdraws from poll fray

Congress candidate from Gujarat's Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat Rohan Gupta has said he has withdrawn from the contest due to his father's serious medical condition. Gupta is the Congress' national spokesperson and his name was in the list of candidates declared by the party on March 12. "Due to serious medical condition, my father is admitted in hospital and I am withdrawing my candidature for Ahmedabad east parliament seat as Congress Candidate. I will extend complete support to the new candidate nominated by party," Gupta said in a post on X on Monday. He also posted an image of his handwritten letter to Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil, informing about his decision to withdraw from the poll fray. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will witness polling in a single phase on May 7 and vote counting will be held on June 4. The Congress is yet to declare candidates for 19 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared 22 candidates in the state so far.

India's key Opposition alliance flounders as general elections near

India's finance minister last week defended the electoral bonds, saying cash received under the system was "legitimate"

India's key Opposition alliance flounders as general elections near

India's finance minister last week defended the electoral bonds, saying cash received under the system was "legitimate"

NDA files poll code violation complaint against CPI candidate in Kerala

The BJP-led NDA on Monday filed a complaint with the district collector against VS Sunil Kumar, the CPI candidate from Kerala's Thrissur, for allegedly violating the poll code. According to the complaint, Kumar violated the poll code by posting a picture with actor Tovino Thomas, who is an ambassador for the Election Commission's Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation programme (SVEEP). Ravikumar Uppath, the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Thrissur district coordinator, filed the complaint with the district collector, who is also the returning officer for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, alleging that the Left leader misused the actor's photograph to seek votes and, hence, violated the Model Code of Conduct. The complaint said the Left candidate and workers used the photograph for poll campaigning and asked the returning officer not to allow Kumar to contest the elections. Kumar recently met Thomas at a film set. Thomas later posted on social media, sayi

LS polls: BJP holds meetings to discuss candidates in various states

The states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Haryana, Odisha, Sikkim, Maharashtra and Gujarat were discussed in the meeting

LS polls: 4,914 weapon holders in Jammu directed to deposit firearms

In view of the Lok Sabha polls being announced, the Jammu administration on Monday directed 4,914 licensed weapon holders to deposit their firearms with police to ensure peaceful conduct of elections. Polling for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat will be held on April 26. "A screening committee led by District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya has scrutinised 4,914 arms licences and instructed their holders to submit their weapons to ensure the peaceful conduct of the general elections for the Lok Sabha," an official spokesperson said. Vaishya has asked the senior superintendent of police to ensure the implementation of an order in this regard. "The arms and weapons are to be deposited within a period of seven days, and the station house officers (SHOs) concerned shall intimate the licence holders for compliance," the order stated. These licensed weapon holders fall in the catagories of persons released on bail, arms licence holders with criminal offences and arms licence holder who have bee

Markets pricing NDA win in LS polls; eyeing budget proposals now: Analysts

The NDA, experts believe, already had a big boost ahead of the 2024 national elections in Dec 2023, winning assembly elections in three key states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh)

Highlights of the day: India, Cabo Verde hold Foreign Office consultations

Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here

Lok Sabha polls highlights: PM Modi holds road show in Coimbatore

Lok Sabha elections 2024 latest news: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to General Elections here

NDA seals Bihar deal: BJP to contest more seats than JDU in a first

As part of the seat sharing formula, the BJP will contest 17 seats, JDU 16, Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 5, Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) one each

PM Modi launches scathing attack on Rahul for 'destroying Shakti' jibe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "Shakti" remark, saying the opposition INDIA bloc was trying to destroy it. At a public rally in this district headquarters town, Modi said, Yesterday in Mumbai Shivaji Ground (park), INDI Alliance made an announcement that they want to destroy Shakti'. If they want to destroy Shakti', then worshipping Shakti' is our resolve. Gandhi had said at Shivaji park in Mumbai after the conclusion of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra': Our fight against Modi is not on a personal level. Modi is a mask' who works for a shakti' (power). He is a shallow man who doesn't have a 56-inch chest." In his nearly half-an-hour-long speech, Modi said when he heard the announcement to eliminate Shakti from Shivaji Park, he thought how it would have hurt Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray's soul. The Prime Minister noted that the announcement of eradicating Shakti was made at Shivaji Park where every child

LS polls: Gujarat govt appoints new home secretary following ECI order

Indian Administrative Service official AK Rakesh was on Monday appointed as additional chief secretary of the home department in Gujarat following an order of the Election Commission of India. Earlier in the day, seeking to ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha elections, the ECI ordered the removal of the home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Rakesh, a 1989 batch IAS official, will replace Pankaj Joshi, as per a Gujarat government order. "AK Rakesh, Additional Chief Secretary to Government Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar would hold the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar until further orders relieving Pankaj Joshi, IAS of additional charge of the post," the state government order said. The ECI order had noted that the home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh ..

PM Modi holds roadshow in Coimbatore; pays tributes to 1998 blast victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow here on Monday, amid non-stop chants of 'Modi, Modi' by BJP workers and he paid floral tributes to the portraits of 58 people killed here in the 1998 serial bomb blast. The roadshow, amid tight police security, comes days after the Madras High Court green-flagged the event, directing the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The police had initially refused permission citing reasons, including the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams in schools. As Modi began his roadshow in an open, flower-decked vehicle, people who gathered on both sides of the road showered flower petals on him, chanted slogans hailing him. While traditional music was played to welcome him, several of them danced and waved at him enthusiastically. This is the first time such a road show, on a grand scale, has been organised by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed a good turnout. "Meendum Modi, Vendum Modi," (Once again Mod

Shakti Remark: PM Modi slams Rahul Gandhi | Lok Sabha Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on March 18, reacted to Rahul Gandhi's 'shakti' comment and asked how anyone could talk about destroying 'shakti'.

2024 Lok Sabha elections: 'Chaar June ko Chaar Sau Paar', says PM Modi

'Congress aims to fill coffers by looting the public', said PM Modi at a rally in Karnataka's Shivamogga

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All you need to know about Phase 1 of elections

Lok Sabha polls: As many as 21 states and UTs will go to polls in phase one of the Lok Sabha elections. Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are among states to have their polls in one go on April 19