Page 25 - Lok Sabha Elections

Conclude polls before summer: CEC Kumar shares his 'biggest learning'

Says EC must be prepared for 'false narratives' emerging within the country

All roads lead to Delhi as parties await Lok Sabha election results

BJP leaders met on Monday to review the party's internal assessment of the results

Nifty Bank index races past 50,000 mark in post-election euphoria

Public-sector undertaking (PSU) banks were among biggest gainers on Monday, leading to a 8.4 per cent rise in the Nifty PSU Bank index, a index of only government-owned lenders

2019 redux in exit poll-driven rally; foreshadowing BJP-led NDA dominance

If the outcome is along predicted lines, experts say the current euphoria may continue for some more time until the focus shifts to valuations and earnings

Don't be intimidated: Kharge to bureaucrats ahead of Lok Sabha polls result

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote an open letter to the country's bureaucracy on the eve of counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, urging officers to adhere to the Constitution and serve the nation without fear, favour and ill-will against anybody. "Do not get intimidated by anyone. Do not bow down to any Unconstitutional means. Do not be afraid of anyone and discharge your duties, based on merit, on this counting day," he wrote. "We owe it to future generations, a vibrant Democracy and a long-lasting Constitution, as penned by the makers of modern India," he said. The counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha polls will be held om Tuesday. "In this hope that India remains truly Democratic in nature, I extend good wishes to each one of you, and expect that our eternal ideals of the Constitution remain untarnished," the Congress chief said. In his appeal to all civil servants and officers, he said he is writing in his capacity of the Leader of the Opposi

Deepfakes, AI managed well during elections, says CEC Rajiv Kumar

The commission also launched a Myth Vs Reality register on its website to bust fake news on a regular basis during the elections

LS polls highlights: EC has agreed to count postal ballots first, says Cong leader Singhvi

General Elections 2024 Live: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

Candidates before counting day: Some rest, others stay with party workers

With the campaign frenzy now a fading echo and the polls over, a palpable tension gripped the air as candidates of various political parties faced the anxious moments for the EVMs to be opened. To pass that time, some candidates preferred to stay with the party workers, others decided to take some rest after the heat and dust of electioneering, while some others took timeout to meet parents before the results were announced. Sougata Roy, veteran TMC MP from the Dum Dum, is one such candidate who is making the most of this period by giving time to himself. I read books and sleep during this period, he said while talking to PTI. However, not everyone spends the way Roy does. For BJP's Medinipur candidate Agnimitra Paul, there is no time to die or rest. I have lots of work to do before the EVM machines are opened for counting of votes. Setting up camps near the counting centres, selecting and briefing the counting agents along with other party workers - I have been busy with all thes

Decided to keep forces in some states to prevent post-poll violence: CEC

In a bid to prevent post-poll violence, the Election Commission (EC) has for the first time decided to continue with the deployment of central forces in some states even after the expiry of the Model Code of Conduct period, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. He said while the EC believes that there would be no post-poll violence, to prevent any flare-up, the election body has, for the first time, decided to deploy central forces even after the provisions of the model code are lifted following Tuesday's counting of the votes cast in the Lok Sabha polls. The states where the central forces would continue to be deployed include Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Kumar said. "Wherever we think there is a possibility (of violence)," he told a press conference here. Sources had said on Saturday that the EC has provided central forces to various states beyond the June 4 counting day to prevent any untoward incident, based on the assessment ..

Over 25,000 polling staff to be deployed at 55 counting centres in Bengal

The stage is set for counting of votes on Tuesday for 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, an election official said. Counting will start from 8 am amid tight security. The trends are expected around 9 am, the official added. Over 25,000 polling staff, including observers and micro observers, will be deployed by the Election Commission for the counting process, which will take place at 55 centres across the state. The EC has arranged a three-tier security measure outside every counting centre, with 92 companies of central forces along with 2,525 personnel of state police. The first level of security will consist of constables and ASI-ranked policemen, the second level will have armed state policemen, and the central forces will be present at the innermost circle surrounding the counting centres. Section 144 will be enforced up to 200 metres around each counting centre, and only one observer per assembly will be allowed inside each counting centre, the official added. The poll body

Lok Sabha elections: Count of postal ballots will commence first, says CEC

Citing the Conduct of Election Rules, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the count of postal ballots will start first across all counting centres and asserted that there was "no doubt about it". Responding to questions at a press conference here, he said after half-an-hour of the start of the postal ballot count, the counting of votes recorded in the electronic voting machines will commence. A delegation of the opposition parties had on Sunday met the Commission to demand that postal ballot count should start first and the results of postal ballots should be announced first. "Rules clearly state (Rule 54A) that postal ballot count will start first. On all centres in the country it will start first, no doubt about it. After half-an-hour we start the EVM count. So, there are three countings which are happening simultaneously -- it happened in the 2019 elections, it happened in all the assembly polls held thereafter. It happened yesterday also in case of Arunachal .

SBI, Power Grid can turbocharge your portfolio; 5 PSU stocks to bet on

PSU banks, CPSE stocks rally post exit poll verdict: SBI, Power Grid, Coal India, Hindustan Aeronautics and Union Bank of India seem to be favourably placed on the charts.

From postal ballot to J&K polls: What EC said in 1st presser before results

This is the first time when the Election Commission of India held such a post-election, pre-result briefing

Lok Sabha election results 2024: Date, time, & where to watch poll results

According to the Election Commission of India, the counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the state polls will begin at 8 am on Tuesday, June 4

LS results: BJP targets Gujarat sweep again, Cong aims to stop saffron wave

All necessary arrangements have been made for the counting of votes on Tuesday for polls to 25 Lok Seats in Gujarat where the BJP is looking to repeat a clean sweep while the Congress aims to stop the saffron juggernaut. The counting of votes will be held from 8 am on Tuesday at 26 centres amid three-tier security arrangements, officials said. Elections to 25 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat were held in a single phase on May 7. More than 250 candidates contested the polls which witnessed 60.13 per cent voter turnout. The BJP has already drawn first blood with Mukesh Dalal winning the Surat Lok Sabha seat unopposed after the nomination of the Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected over irregularities in the signature of proposers and other candidates withdrew before the polls. The BJP is looking to repeat its sweep of 2014 and 2019 in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. There will be one counting centre each in 24 Lok Sabha ..

Over 8,000 candidates compete in LS elections; 47% independent contestants

Over 8,000 candidates are contesting in the Lok Sabha elections of which 16 per cent have been fielded by national parties, six per cent by state parties, while 47 per cent of candidates are independents, a report by PRS Legislative Research said. The 2024 general elections were held in seven phases between April 19 to June 1. Counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. This is the highest number of candidates since 1996, when a record 13,952 candidates were in the fray. In the 2019 polls, there were 8,039 candidates. According to PRS, 8,360 candidates from 744 parties, including six nationally recognised parties, are contesting elections across 543 constituencies. Overall, 16 per cent of candidates have been fielded by national parties, six per cent by state parties, and 47 per cent of candidates are independents. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one of the six national parties, has fielded the highest number of candidates -- 488. Among national parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP

LS polls: Delhi bookies predict over 340 seats for NDA, 200 for INDIA bloc

In line with most of the exit poll predictions, bookies in Delhi feel the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will get more than 340 seats in the Lok Sabha polls while the INDIA opposition bloc may secure around 200 seats. According to the calculations of bookies and punters in Delhi, the NDA could get between 341 and 343 seats while the number could be between 198 and 200 for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a source working in the bookie network told PTI. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may win 310 to 313 seats on its own, the Congress's numbers could be between 57 and 59, the bookies have predicted. Of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, they have given one seat to the INDIA bloc, the source said. The betting market opened two weeks ago and bets of crores have been placed on the poll results so far in Delhi-NCR, he said, adding that the punters are not only from the capital but also from abroad. In the betting circle, a person w

Delhi election body gears for D-day with over 8,921,000 votes to count

The arrangements for the D-day for counting of over 89.21 lakh votes that will begin at 8 am across the seven constituencies of Delhi have been notched up with the authorities deploying a three-tier security arrangement at the counting centres. The officials at the Delhi poll body said that a total of 7,000 personnel would be deployed at the seven counting centres. "We have made all the necessary arrangements for the counting tomorrow which will start at 8 am sharp. The required security deployment has been made which includes a three-tier security arrangement at the counting centre. The manpower of counting staff is trained and ready," Delhi Chief Electoral Officer P. Krishnamurthy told PTI. "There will be a total of 7,000 personnel and each segment will have about 1,000 personnel, which includes a lot of support staff who will assist in works such as carrying the EVMs from the strong room to counting halls and back," he added. Digital monitors will be set up outside the counting

Lok Sabha polls: 'Political parties used caste, religion to garner votes'

As India waits with bated breath for the Lok Sabha poll results, political analysts say this year's election was "one of the most polarised" with parties using caste and religion to garner votes. While the BJP focused on integrating various backward castes under the Hindutva fold, the INDIA bloc tried to win over Other Backward Caste (OBC) voters by promising to conduct a caste survey if it is voted to power, they said. Jagdeep Chokar, the co-founder of the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), said this election was "one of the most polarised" he has ever witnessed. "There was polarisation along the lines of caste, religion and region. It was not like this before. Caste has always been one of the most important mobilising factors in elections, but here, both caste and religion-based politics were at play," he told PTI. Dr Iftekhar Ahmad Ansari, an associate professor at Aligarh Muslim University, pointed out that the realignment of castes has presented a ...

LS polls: EC reports record 642M voters, vows to combat fake narratives

Addressing the press a day before the poll results, the poll body chief spoke of the major learning during General Elections 2024, minimal poll violence and the need to fight fake narratives