Page 154 - Lok Sabha Elections

LS polls: Bihar seat-sharing finalised, BJP to contest 17, JD (U) 16 seats

Lok Sabha polls will commence on April 19 in seven phases. Bihar is one of the three states that will hold elections in all seven phases

ICAI 2024: CA exams to be rescheduled, new dates to be issued at icai.org

With the Lok Sabha election schedules clashing with the official CA exam dates, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) chose to reschedule these tests and issue new dates

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress, DMK finalise seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu

DMK will contest in 22 seats; Congress 9 seats; VC, CPI and CPIM will contest 2 seats each, while MDMK and IUML will contest 1 seat each

This is fight between 'Asuri Shakti', 'Daivik Shakti': Congress slams PM

The Congress on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti', saying the elections will decide whether the country would be run by 'Asuri Shakti' (demonic power) or 'Daivik Shakti' (divine power). A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, at a rally in Mumbai, commented that the "fight against Modi is not on a personal level since Modi is a 'mask' who works for a 'Shakti' (power)", the prime minister asserted that the fight is between those who want to destroy 'Shakti' and those who worship it. Prime Minister Modi, referring to the opposition rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park, said, "They announced their manifesto... and said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'Shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'Shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's pujari." In retaliation, the Congress likened the BJP to 'Asuri Shakti' and alleged that the nation has seen atrocities .

Preparation for Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram's Aizawl in full swing

Preparations for election to Mizoram's lone Lok Sabha seat are in full swing, an official said on Monday. Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar, who also serves as the returning officer, told reporters that training for various official teams assigned to manage the upcoming polls in 12 assembly constituencies within Aizawl district has been largely completed. The initial phase of training for polling parties is scheduled for March 26 and March 27, she said. Randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has been finalised, and they are currently secured in strong rooms designated for each assembly constituency, she added. A total of 514 ballot units, 523 control units, and 541 VVPATs have been allocated for Aizawl district for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Kumar said. Voting is scheduled for April 19, with counting is on June 4. The deadline for filing nominations is March 27, while candidates have until March 30 to withdra

Model Code of Conduct kicks in as election schedule announced: What is it?

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Here are the key things allowed, not allowed during Model Code of Conduct

What is the Model Code of Conduct? | Lok Sabha Elections 2024

On Saturday, March 16, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced the schedule to elect the 18th Lok Sabha. The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in 7 phases

Lok Sabha elections 2024: EC orders removal of home secretaries in 6 states

The Election Commission has ordered the removal of home secretaries in 6 states and Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal

Cong's Satheesan accuses CM Vijayan of 'creating space' for BJP in state

As the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls intensified, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Monday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of attempting to create "a space" for the BJP in the southern state. Speaking to reporters in Attingal near here, Satheesan also asserted that the saffron party would not secure a foothold in the state during the Lok Sabha polls. Referring to LDF convener E P Jayarajan's earlier statement that the BJP would come second in many constituencies in Kerala and that many candidates of the saffron party were good, Satheesan said what the CPI(M) leader stated was not echoed by BJP state chief K Surendran or his party. He alleged that Vijayan was influencing Jayarajan, "a poor man," to make such statements to "appease the BJP" at the Centre. Vijayan, who is apprehensive about investigations in various cases, "is trying to create space for the BJP," he alleged. Neither the CPI(M) nor the chief minister have

Ahead of LS polls, Kamal Nath's close aide, other functionaries join BJP

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a close associate of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and some other functionaries of the opposition Congress joined the ruling BJP on Monday. The Bahujan Samaj Party's state in-charge also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Syed Zafar, a former Congress spokesperson, joined the BJP in Bhopal in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the party's state head VD Sharma. Zafar, a native of Chhindwara, was considered a close associate of Congress veteran and former chief minister Kamal Nath. As per his profile on X, he was currently holding the post of MP Congress general secretary. However, state Congress media department chairman K K Mishra said Zafar was not holding any post in the party at present. Earlier this month, there were speculations that Nath might switch over to the BJP, but he refuted such reports as "creation of media." Besides Zafar, MP Congress general secretary Maneesha Dubey, some other party leaders and B

INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti': PM Modi in Telangana

Alleging that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the fight is between those who want to destroy 'Shakti' and those who worship them. Addressing a rally here, Modi said, for him, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'Shakti' and that he worships them. He said the nation dedicated 'Chandrayaan's' success to 'Shiv Shakti' and the opposition parties are talking of destroying 'Shakti'. "On Sunday in Mumbai, there was an INDI alliance rally after the announcement of the schedule for elections. They announced their manifesto in the rally. In Mumbai's Shivaji Park, they said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother, every daughter is a form of 'Shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'Shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's 'pujari', he said. "INDI alliance in its manifesto announced to finish/destroy Shakti. I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life for the security of mothers and sisters," he ...

I didn't meet Sonia Gandhi, Rahul's claim 'baseless', says Ashok Chavan

BJP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Chavan, who last month quit the Congress, on Monday said he did not meet Sonia Gandhi before leaving the grand old party and dismissed Rahul Gandhi's comments in this regard as "baseless". Addressing a rally in Mumbai on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed a leader from Maharashtra cried in front of his mother Sonia Gandhi, saying he felt ashamed that he could not "fight this power any more and didn't want to go to jail. Reacting to it, Chavan in a video message on Monday said Rahul Gandhi made the statement in a rally on Sunday and did not take anybody's name. "But if he is saying that about me, then it is illogical and baseless. The truth is that till I resigned from the Congress, I was working at the party headquarters. I resigned from the post of MLA and a few moments later resigned from the party also. Till then, no one knew that I had resigned," the former state chief minister said. "I never met Sonia ...

Remembering 'Shakti': Why PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi are talking about it

Stating that he considers every mother, daughter, and sister, as well as 'Bharat Mata' as 'Shakti', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he accepts Congress' challenge

PM Modi has laid strong foundation for 'Viksit Bharat': BJP's Ashok Tanwar

A strong foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat' or developed India has been laid under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader and party's Sirsa Lok Sabha candidate Ashok Tanwar said. Tanwar, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party two months ago, said it is "Modi ji's guarantee" that India will soon become the world's third largest and reach the top spot in the years to come. He said the people of the country want to give a third term to Modi as the prime minister and the people of Haryana also want to contribute by giving all the 10 seats to the BJP like they did in the 2019 parliamentary election. Tanwar had quit the Congress in 2019 and joined the AAP in 2022. In between, he had floated his own party and even joined the Trinamool Congress for a brief period. The BJP has fielded Tanwar from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat from where he is a former MP. The seat is presently represented by BJP's Sunita Duggal. Tanwar said a strong foundation for a

EC launches special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout

The Election Commission has launched a special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to maximise voter turnout in 414 polling stations which registered less than 60 per cent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls. Bypolls to six assembly seats that fell vacant after disqualification of Congress MLAs would be held simultaneously with four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh in the last phase on June 1. The main focus of the campaign -- "Mission 414" -- is increasing the vote percentage in 414 identified polling stations which registered less than 60 percent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls, Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg told PTI on Monday. Awareness campaigns and cultural events would be held besides making these 414 stations model polling stations. Booth youth icons from first time voters would be roped in and special invitation cards made by children would be given to prospective voters, he said. Letters had been sent to the respective Deputy Commissioners in Febru

Lok Sabha polls: Modi's south India visit, Kejriwal skips summon; 10 points

Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi is set to hold rallies in south Indian states on Monday. His visit follows two days after the Election Commission announced the poll dates, which will commence on April 19

Can LS elections, IPL revive mood in media stocks? Here's what charts say

Analysts believe that Lok Sabha polls and IPL may provide short-term earnings boost, but the overall sentiment depends on how the RIL-Disney deal shapes up or a revival in Zee-Sony India merger talks.

LS elections 2024: PM Modi to address rally at Jagtial in Telangana today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Jagtial, part of the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in the state on Monday. The meeting is also expected to have an impact on the neighbouring Karimnagar LS constituency as well. Both Nizamabad and Karimnagar are held by BJP in the outgoing Lok Sabha. BJP had won four out of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in 2019 general elections and is looking to improve its tally in 2024, where it will be going solo. Winning more seats from Telangana forms part of BJP's plan to make significant electoral inroads in the south. Modi has already held a roadshow in the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in Hyderabad and addressed a public meeting at Nagarkurnool in the state last week. In the rally at Nagarkurnool on March 16, a day after the arrest of BRS leader K Kavitha in a money-laundering case, Modi alleged that the BRS has entered into a partnership with other "hardcore corrupt parties", while asserting that no corrupt person will be able to

After Madras HC's nod, PM Modi to hold roadshow in TN's Coimbatore today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow here on Monday, days after Madras High Court green-flagged the event, asking the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The PM will take out the roadshow in the city's Mettupalayam Road and is likely to end it at RS Puram later today. This will be his first political engagement in the state after the announcement of the seven-phase schedule of the Lok Sabha polls. The district BJP unit had on Friday moved the HC against the local police denying permission to the PM event, citing, among others, the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams. However, the court had dismissed the contentions and asked the police to allow the roadshow with "reasonable conditions", such as erecting no flex boards by the organisers. The BJP, with a newfound vigour under its aggressive state unit president K Annamalai, is making all efforts to make significant inroads into Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian heartland that has ..

Elections 2024: Electoral bonds may not be Opposition's core campaign issue

Without establishing quid pro quo and given their own handicaps, it is unlikely the Opposition parties can present an effective narrative about 'corruption' involving electoral bonds to the voters