Page 156 - Lok Sabha Elections

LS polls: SP ally Congress under INDIA bloc to stop BJP juggernaut in UP

The coming general election may throw some surprising results in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-BSP alliance now replaced by the SP-Congress pact under the INDIA bloc. The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in 2019 had offered some resistance to the BJP on a handful of seats in the western and eastern parts of UP, but failed to make a big impact. With BSP supremo Mayawati deciding to duke it out alone this time, it will be up to the SP and Congress to stop the marauding juggernaut of the NDA, which has now has RLD on its side, as well as a number of caste-based regional parties in the Poorvanchal region. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and allies won 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party ceded some ground in the 2019 general election, when the opposition parties scraped their combined tally to 16. Even with the conventional anti-incumbency apprehensions at work, the saffron party laid its claim on the state winning 62 seats, bolstered further by two mo

LS polls: PM Modi to address first rally in Andhra along with Chandrababu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday evening address a grand National Democratic Alliance rally 'Prajagalam,' (the voice of the public) in Palnadu district, the first joint public meeting of NDA partners in Andhra Pradesh after ten years. Modi will be joined by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan in the public meeting, and this is the first time all the three leaders will share the stage in a rally for the 2024 polls. Named Prajagalam, the meeting will mark the first NDA election meeting in Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to the simultaneous Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled on May 13. Janasena said Prajagalam is aimed at "chasing away atrocious politics" for the golden future of Andhra Pradesh. The TDP, Janasena and BJP are mobilising their cadres in large numbers for the meeting. In preparation for the meeting, the TDP released a special logo featuring the images of Modi, Naidu and Kalyan. The NDA partners finalised their seat-sha

LS polls: Social media influencers emerge as go-to campaign mediums

As the country gears up for the world's biggest electoral exercise, messaging platforms like WhatsApp and social media influencers have emerged as the go to mediums for political parties to influence voter psychology, ad gurus and political analysts say. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, political parties are extensively using social media to propagate their achievements and seek support from voters. How Parties Are Wooing Voters? The BJP is trying to engage with the voters by sending them a personalised 'Letter from the Prime Minister' on WhatsApp which has over 500 million active users monthly in India highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and seeking feedback from voters. The party launched the website 'My First Vote For Modi,' which allows visitors to pledge to vote for Modi and submit a video stating the reason behind their choice. The website also hosts several short videos highlighting the development work done under the NDA government.

LS polls: 49.2 mn electors, including 1.1 mn first-time voters in Gujarat

As many as 4.92 crore persons, including 11.32 lakh first-timers and 10,322 centenarians, will be eligible to exercise their franchise for the 26 seats in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha elections, a senior Election Commission official has said. Elections to all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7, with the nomination process beginning on April 12, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi said here on Saturday. Of the total registered voters, 2.54 crore are men and 2.39 crore are women. The state has 1,503 transgender voters, Bharathi said. The number of voters for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat has increased by 43,23,789 compared to the 2019 elections. A total 4,94,49,469 voters are registered as per the final electoral roll published on January 5, 2024, Bharathi told mediapersons. The State Election Commission is fully prepared to hold the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, and elaborate arrangements have been made in ...

LS polls: 92 mn people eligible to cast vote for 48 seats in Maharashtra

A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, an increase of 34 lakh from 2019, according to a senior state Election Commission official. The Lok Sabha polls for the 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20 and votes will be counted on June 4. According to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam, there are 4,78,50,789 male and 4,41,74,722 female voters in the state as of March 15. The state has 5,559 transgender voters. The number of voters has increased by 34,69,534 since 2019, he said. There are 1,78,84,862 voters in the age group of 18 to 29 years. Maharashtra has 13,15,166 eligible voters aged over 85 years, including 52,908 over 100. The state has 97,325 polling centres, the official said. The Lok Sabha polls in the country will be held in seven phases spread over 44 days starting April 19, Chief Election Commiss

EC launches 'KYC' app to know if candidates have criminal backgrounds

The Know your Candidate (KYC) app is available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, the Election Commission posted on its website while also sharing the QR code to download the app

25,000 CAPF personnel to be deployed for 1st phase polling in West Bengal

Around 25,000 central forces personnel will be deployed for the elections in the three Lok Sabha constituencies in northern West Bengal in the first phase on April 19, an official said on Saturday. Polling will be held in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seats in the first phase. "Around 250 companies of central forces will be deployed in the first phase of elections on April 19. There will be a control room in each of the districts, and senior officers will be in charge of those," the official said. One company of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) consists of around 100 personnel, meaning that around 25,000 personnel will be deployed for elections in these three seats. Chief Electoral Officer Ariz Aftab said all steps were being taken to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election in the state. "No disturbances will be tolerated," he said. He also urged leaders to have "control" over the statements they make during campaigning. "The Election Commission will

Number of voters in Andhra Pradesh rises to 40.9 mn from 40.7 mn: EC data

The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh as of March 16 is 4.09 crore, an increase from 4.07 crore recorded on January 22, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena said on Saturday. The total voters include two crore men, 2.08 crore women and 3,346 of the third-gender, he said at a press conference here, on a day the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha polls. Andhra Pradesh will witness simultaneous legislative assembly and general elections on May 13. He said data on polling stations in the state will be sent to the commission. Currently, there are 46,165 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh, Meena said. The CEO said that 179 women-managed and 50 youth election officers-managed polling stations have been proposed to be set up. Some will be managed by specially-abled personnel, he said. Of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, four are reserved for scheduled castes (SC) and one for scheduled tribes (ST), Meena said. He added that 29 assembly ...

Ram mandir to govt jobs: Issues that may dominate Lok Sabha elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantees, Ram temple in Ayodhya, and Congress' demand for a caste census would be among major issues in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh will be held in four phases on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Following are the key issues in the state for the Lok Sabha polls: Narendra Modi: If the November 2023 state elections are any indicator, the prime minister would be the ruling party's biggest poll plank. It would highlight Modi ki guarantee (Modi's promises) such as free food grains for the poor, and the achievements of the Union government in the past ten years. Ram temple: The BJP would take credit for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and attack the Congress for turning down the invite to the inauguration ceremony. Congress could try to blunt the criticism by pointing out that the lock of the earlier make-shift Ramlalla

EC to use two laws to tackle misinformation during Lok Sabha election

The Election Commission will use a two-pronged strategy to deal with misinformation and fake narratives on social media during the Lok Sabha polls, with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar asserting that the poll body will "join the issue" to provide the correct picture to voters. Addressing a press conference to announce the schedule for elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, Kumar said the commission will soon launch a "Myth vs Reality" project to clear the air around fake news being spread on social media. "Misinformation troubles us a lot during elections. We are conscious of two facts -- that social media helps us in our outreach programmes and there is freedom to criticise anybody in a democracy. But one cannot be allowed to create fake news, which is not based on facts because it can disturb public order," he said. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar said that under sections 69 and 79 (3) of the IT Act, authorities in each state are empowered to ask to take down fake social

Highlights of the day: LS election counting on Jun 4 after 6 wks of voting

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Vote for leadership which has vision, track record of doing work: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the country has witnessed a historic decade of good governance, security, welfare of all sections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed to everyone to vote for a leadership which has a track record of doing work and a vision to make India developed. He also appealed to youths, women and all voters of the country to participate in this great festival of democracy by voting in maximum numbers to elect the BJP-led NDA which will put the nation first. "The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have been announced today by the Election Commission. Elections are a great festival for the world's largest democracy. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed a historic decade of good governance, security, welfare of all sections and reconstruction of cultural heritage. "To maintain the pace of India's development journey, cast your vote for a leadership which has a track record of doing work an

Polls in outer Manipur to be in 2 phases; voting from relief camps allowed

Voting in the Outer Manipur constituency will be held in two phases, and those living in camps in violence-hit state will be allowed to vote from their camps, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday. As the Election Commission announced the dates for Lok Sabha polls, queries were raised over the number of seats totalling up to 544, instead of 543. Kumar said the increase was due to Outer Manipur being counted twice, since polls will be held there in two phases. The elections for two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. While Inner Manipur and some segments of Outer Manipur will vote in the first phase on April 19, the remaining segments of Outer Manipur will vote in Phase 2 on April 26. Asked about the situation in Manipur, the Chief Election Commissioner said, "we will make all arrangements." "We have drawn a scheme, which we have notified... to allow the voters in the camp to vote from the camp. Like there is a scheme for J

Lok Sabha elections: Key seats to watch in UP, Punjab, Raj, other states

The BJP won all four Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it is fighting a divided Congress. The seats include these. * Hamirpur: The BJP has fielded Union minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, the Lok Sabha seat he has been winning since a 2008 bypoll. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri also represent assembly segments in Hamirpur. Five of the six Congress MLAs who recently rebelled against the party were also elected from Hamirpur assembly segments. * Mandi: Members of the region's erstwhile families have tried their luck here. Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh currently represents the constituency which also sent her husband Virbhadra Singh to Parliament in the past.

Voting in Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25

Voting in Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25, the sixth phase of the general elections, with 1.47 crore people eligible for exercising their franchise, according to the poll schedule announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. The notification will be issued on April 29 and the last date for filing nominations is May 6. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is May 9. The city has 1.47 crore voters, including 79.98 lakh males and 67.42 lakh females. The Lok Sabha polls will be held across the country in seven phases beginning April 19 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4 for the world's biggest election exercise in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will bid for a third consecutive term. With the AAP and the Congress having entered a seat-sharing agreement for Delhi this time, the city is set to witness a direct contest between the alliance and the BJP which holds all the seven Lok Sabha seats of the national capital since 2014. The A

340,000 CAPFs with state forces to be deployed in Lok Sabha polls

The Election Commission is expected to deploy 3.4 lakh Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel along with state police forces in the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls in four states beginning April 19, officials said. A maximum of 92,000 personnel of CAPFs are likely to be deployed in politically volatile West Bengal, where elections will be held in seven phases, followed by 63,500 personnel in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, where polling will be held in five phases. As many as 36,000 personnel will be deployed in Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh, where polling will be held in three phases. The EC has considered the requests made by the state CEOs and decided to deploy a maximum of around 3,400 companies of the CAPFs in all states and Union territories in a phased manner to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, an official privy to the development said. A CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel. The entire force mobilisation will be completed in the

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Voting schedule extends six days longer than 2019

Polling for 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be conducted in seven phases, between April 19 and June 1, followed by counting of votes on June 4

General Election 2024: Here's what it will take to elect 18th Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha polls: To conduct the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 1.048 million polling booths will be set up, and 5.5 million electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used

Biggest festival of democracy here, BJP-NDA fully prepared: PM Modi

Asserting that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is fully prepared for the general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the opposition as "rudderless" and "issueless" and expressed confidence about retaining power. Soon after the Election Commission announced the seven-phase schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, Modi, in a series of posts on X, highlighted the "glorious turnaround" India has seen in the 10 years of his government and said the ruling alliance will go to people based on its track record of good governance and service delivery across sectors. "The biggest festival of democracy is here! EC has announced the 2024 Lok Sabha election dates. We, the BJP-NDA, are fully prepared for elections," he said with the hashtag 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' ('once again Modi government'). Reiterating his confidence about winning the polls, the prime minister said the war against poverty and corruption will go on at an even faster pace in his third term and the .

Lok Sabha election 2024: 12 states have more women voters than men, says EC

Twelve states have more women voters than men, with a total of 47.1 crore females registered in the electoral roll in the country, the Election Commission said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference on elections to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said gender ratio is 948 women to 1000 men in the country which is a "very healthy sign" of women participation in the electoral cycle. "There are 12 such states where the gender ratio is over 1000 which means that number of women voters is more than males and 1.89 crore new voters have joined, out of them in the age group of 18-19 years there are 85.3 lakh women electors so they are going side by side so that is a very healthy sign that women are also participating equally in our elections," he said. He did not give names of the states. Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and results will be announced on June 4, Kumar said. The other phases will