Page 170 - Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha polls: EC readies plan to increase voter turnout in 10 UP seats

The Election Commission has devised a plan to encourage voters in Uttar Pradesh, which recorded a tepid turnout of 59.11 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, to exercise their franchise in the upcoming general elections. As part of its 'Turnout Implementation Plan' (TIP), the poll body has shortlisted 10 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha constituencies where the voter turnout was lower than the state's polling percentage. These parliamentary constituencies are Phulpur (48.57 per cent), Kanpur (51.39 per cent), Allahabad (51.75 per cent), Shravasti (52.05 per cent), Gonda (52.11 per cent), Domariyaganj (52.26 per cent), Pratapgarh (53.36 per cent), Bhadohi (53.45 per cent), Amethi (54.05 per cent) and Sant Kabir Nagar (54.15 per cent). Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 elections was quite low at 59.11 per cent, even though the state has the highest number of voters. "So, efforts are being made with utmost attention and in a ...

EC full bench to visit Bengal today, to take stock of poll preparations

The full bench of the Election Commission is scheduled to arrive in West Bengal on Sunday to take stock of the law and order situation, and poll preparation in the state, a senior official said. On Monday, it is scheduled to hold a meeting with all political parties in the state and have discussions with district magistrates and police superintendents, he said. The visit of the EC bench is "primarily to take stock of the law and order situation and preparedness ahead of the Lok Sabha polls", he said. "The full bench will also hold a meeting with the chief electoral officer here, the poll panel official said on Saturday.

Lok Sabha seat-sharing talks cliffhanger after splits, realignments in Maha

The BJP-led ruling alliance and the opposition bloc are united in their belief that winnability is the only formula for seat-sharing in Maharashtra, which sends the second highest number of 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha after 80 from Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra, the country's most industrialised state and its premier FDI magnet, however, has seen a political churn since 2019, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena breaking its long-time alliance with the BJP, and then suffering a split, just like the Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). A major chunk of the Shiv Sena is now with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and it is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The NCP also met a similar fate as Ajit Pawar walked away with a legislative majority last year and is also part of the ruling alliance. The splits and realignments have made seat-sharing a herculean task with claims and counter-claims, leaders from the ruling and opposition parties said. The BJP, which along wi

BJP will uproot tribals from forest land, if not defeated: Champai Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Saturday alleged that the BJP would loot tribal land and uproot them from forests and coal-bearing areas, if the saffron party is not defeated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He said that the BJP government at the Centre attempted to amend various laws that protect tribal rights but the coalition dispensation in the state would be protesting against such attempts. The CM was delivering his concluding remarks in the state assembly, amid the walk-out of BJP legislators from the House. The seven-day budget session of the assembly, which started from February 23, was adjourned sine die by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto. As many as four bills, including an International University Bill, 2024, were passed on the concluding day of the session. This budget session highlighted the achievements of the government in past four years. A budget of Rs 1,28,900 crore was passed for the fiscal 2024-25 and the government set a target to make Jharkhand a Rs 10

BJP will win all 29 seats in Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj

The BJP will win all 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is nominated from Vidisha seat, said on Saturday. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the heart of the people of Madhya Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win all 29 seats. We all will contest jointly," he told reporters at his residence and invoked "Fir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar, Abki Baar 400 Paar" slogan. He said BJP leaders, including MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state president VD Sharma, have held discussions about ensuring poll victory. "As a party worker, I will work with full strength," he said. The name of Chouhan and other leaders figured in the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP in Delhi. The party has announced the names of 24 candidates from MP. Chouhan had represented the high-profile Vidisha Lok Sabha seat for five terms before becoming the chief minister in 2005. The constituency was previously ...

People of Telangana want Modi to be PM for third time: G Kishan Reddy

Hitting out at the other parties in Telangana, he said that other parties won't be able to make any impact in the upcoming general elections

BJP fields 71% of its sitting MPs in list of 195 Lok Sabha candidates

Includes mix of veterans and new faces, drops underperformers

PM Modi congratulates leaders named in BJP's list of LS election candidates

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the BJP leaders named in the party's first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, expressing confidence that people will elect it to power again. "We are going to the people on the basis of our track record of good governance and ensuring the fruits of progress reach the poorest of the poor," Modi said in a post on X. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared candidates for some of the seats and will be announcing the remaining names in the coming days, he noted. "I congratulate all those who have been nominated as our party's candidates and wish them the very best," the prime minister said, adding, "I am sure that the 140 crore people of India will bless us yet again and give us even more strength in fulfilling their aspirations and creating a Viksit Bharat.

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP announces 1st list, PM to contest from Varanasi

The ruling BJP on Saturday announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union ministers in the first list of 195 candidates. The list also included two former ministers as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota in Rajasthan. Union ministers whose names have been announced by the BJP in the first list of candidates include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Mansukh Mandaviya, Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arjun Ram Meghwal, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Munda and Smriti Irani. Announcing the list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the party is confident that it would form the government for the third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a much bigger mandate. He also said the party has been working on further expanding its footprint across states and also to strengthen the ruling National Democratic Alliance. The list includes 28 women

Highlights of the day: 400 farmer unions to be at 'Mahapanchayat' in Delhi

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Shah to visit Maharashtra on March 5, hold BJP's election meeting, rallies

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Akola, Jalgaon and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra on March 5 to take part in election-related meetings and programmes organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, its state unit chief said on Saturday. Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April or May this year. Shah will chair a meeting of the BJP's election management committee and its core committee in Akola at 11 am on Tuesday to discuss the Lok Sabha constituencies of Chandrapur, Buldhana, Akola, Yavatmal, Wardha and Amravati, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. After Akola, Shah will visit Jalgaon, where he will address the 'Maha Yuva Sammelan', a youth convention, at 2 pm, he said. The former BJP chief will then address a public rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 6 pm, he added. A day before Shah's visit, BJP president J P Nadda will address the youth at 'Namo Yuva Sammelan' in Nagpur on March 4, he said. "Around one lakh youth from Maharashtra

Five-time MLA Arabinda Dhali resigns from BJD, says will join BJP

Five-time MLA Arabinda Dhali on Saturday resigned from the ruling BJD, and said that he would join the opposition BJP. Dhali, the MLA of Jayadev in Khordha district, said he has sent his resignation letter to BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik via e-mail. He, however, did not mention any reason for his resignation. Dhali was first elected to the assembly from the Malkangiri seat in a by-election in 1992 on a BJP ticket. He retained the seat for two consecutive terms. He then joined the BJD, and was elected to the assembly from Jayadev in 2009. He also won the 2019 election from the seat. He was the transport and corporation minister in Patnaik's government. Last month, expelled BJD MLAs Pradeep Panigrahy and Prashant Jagdev also joined the BJP. Former state minister Debasis Nayak of the BJD also switched sides recently. The assembly elections in the state are slated to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls.

Modi attacks TMC over corruption, sets target for to win all 42 LS seats

Launching a scathing attack on the ruling TMC over corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday set a target for the state BJP to win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. Addressing a public rally in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, he alleged the TMC means 'Tu, Main aur Corruption'. "Seeing you all gathered here in such huge numbers is giving me the confidence to say 'NDA sarkar, 400 paar'," he told the crowd at the 'Bijoy Sankalpa Sabha' here. "The TMC is synonymous with atrocities, dynasty politics and betrayal. People of West Bengal are disappointed by the way the state government is functioning," he said. Referring to the incidents in Sandeshkhali, where women have accused TMC leaders of sexual abuse, Modi claimed that instead of supporting the "distressed mothers and sisters" of the area, the state government sided with the accused. "The mothers and sisters kept pleading for justice, but the TMC government did not listen to them. They took votes in the name of '

Another step towards developed WB: PM unveils projects worth Rs 15,000cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled development projects worth Rs 15,000 crore in West Bengal on Saturday. The prime minister unveiled the projects at an official function in Krishnanagar in Nadia district. "Today, we are taking yet another step towards a developed West Bengal. Yesterday, I laid the foundation of and inaugurated projects worth Rs 7,000 crore. The initiatives included development projects related to railways, ports and petroleum, among others. Today, again, I am laying the foundation of and inaugurating projects worth Rs 15,000 crore," Modi said. "These projects will provide momentum to West Bengal's economic growth and create job opportunities," he added. Modi said that West Bengal acts as the "eastern gate" of India. "This gate has the potential to become the entry point of development in the east," he said. "Our govt is developing infrastructure for connectivity via roadways, railways, waterways, and airways in the region," he said. The PM laid the foundatio

Govt failed to realise 'Make in India' due to 'complete inaction': Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday targeted the Centre on 'Make in India' and alleged that the government has failed to realise the initiative due to "complete inaction" in creating jobs and utilising funds. He posed several questions on why the government did not create enough jobs and on the under-utilisation of funds in key sectors to promote manufacturing in the country. "The Modi government failed to realise 'Make in India'! The loud drumbeating on their interventions in the manufacturing sector has been drowned by complete inaction," he said in a post on X. Posing several questions, the Congress chief asked why the value added by manufacturing in India's GDP declined from 16 per cent to 13 per cent over the past decade. He also asked why the average manufacturing growth plunged under the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It was 7.85 per cent during Congress-UPA which dropped to almost 6 per cent only," he said. Recalling that the Centre had promise

Cong leader Rahul Gandhi-led 'Nyay Yatra' to enter Madhya Pradesh today

The Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', after the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', aims to cover 6,700 km through 15 states, with Lok Sabha polls around the corner

LS Polls: U'khand CEO orders increased monitoring of liquor sales, seizures

The CEO also directed that the sudden increase in liquor sales should be monitored by analyzing the daily sales in liquor shops for the last two years

No alliance with BJD in Odisha, says BJP state chief Manmohan Samal

BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal on Friday said there would be no alliance with any political party, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Following his return from the national capital, where he attended the party's election management committee meeting, Samal told reporters that the BJP will field its candidates in all 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly constituencies in Odisha. "It is a rumour being spread by some unknown force. We have no plans for any alliance with the BJD," Samal said.

Highlights: Bengaluru cafe blast case booked under UAPA, others by police

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BJP's poll body mulls over Lok Sabha candidates for nearly 16 states

The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) in its meeting for deciding Lok Sabha poll candidates has deliberated on the party's nominees for nearly 16 states amid indications that several heavyweights may figure in the first list. The CEC members, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party's national president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, pored over the probables for states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa and Uttarakhand among others to finalise the nominees. The CEC meeting, which began around 10:30 pm on Thursday and lasted for more than five hours, was held at the party's headquarters here. Before that, Shah and Nadda hat met Modi at his residence to hold consultations, sources said. They said the first list may have the names of Modi, Shah and Singh from their current seats Varanasi, Gandhinagar and Lucknow respectively besides several Union ministers, including some who will be ...