Page 28 - Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi chairs review meetings on impact of cyclone Remal, heatwave

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired meetings to review the heatwave conditions and the post-Cyclone Remal situation, especially in the northeast region. Government sources said Modi is also chairing a meeting to review the 100-day agenda of the new government to be sworn in after the Lok Sabha results are announced on June 4. Exit polls broadcast on Saturday predicted a massive win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Modi set to retain power for a third straight term. Top bureaucrats were part of the meetings the prime minister chaired to review the post-cyclone situation and the prevailing heatwave conditions in parts of the country. He is also chairing a meeting to review the preparations to celebrate the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5. Much before the Lok Sabha polling exercise began, Modi had set in motion the exercise for different government ministries to prepare the 100-day agenda for the new government. He had asked his Counci

LS polls: Congress expresses confidence about winning Nagaland's lone seat

The Congress on Sunday expressed confidence about winning the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and forming the next government at the Centre. Addressing a press conference, AICC in-charge of Nagaland Girish Chodankar said the exit poll figures were imaginary and all would be clear in the next two days. "We will not only win the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland but the INDIA bloc will get majority seats in the country, while many other parties will also support the alliance. "India has voted against fake promises, misgovernance, unemployment, price rise and inflation. People have voted for the future of India and we are confident that we will prove the exit polls wrong," the Congress leader said. Chodankar, who arrived in Kohima on Saturday evening, said that it was decided at the extended executive meeting of state Congress that the party will contest the elections to the urban local bodies in the state scheduled on June 26. Except for the eastern Nagaland areas, Congress will conte

EC asks Jairam Ramesh to share details of claim on Shah calling up DMs

The Election Commission on Sunday sought factual information from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah has called up 150 district magistrates and collectors ahead of the June 4 counting of votes for the Lok sabha elections. In a letter to Ramesh, the poll panel has asked him to share details of his claim by 7 pm on Sunday. The EC referred to his post on X on June 1 in which he had claimed that "The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch.

People who kept 'hisab-kitab' for Pak, voted this time: J-K police chief

People who kept "hisab-kitab" (accounts) and acted as eyes and ears of the "enemy" in the past took part in the electoral process this time as the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the police ensured a safe space free from external threats, DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain said. This year's Lok Sabha election saw a remarkable voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir which signalled towards a shift in the region's political landscape, Swain told PTI, highlighting a newfound sense of freedom from fear among the people. In the first major electoral battle in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories in August 2019, the three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley -- Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri -- recorded their highest-ever voter turnouts in the last three decades. Director General of Police (DGP) Swain commended the security forces for their efforts in monitoring potential threats from external elements particularly

INDIA bloc to meet Election commission to discuss counting norms today

Ahead of the counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections, a delegation of opposition INDIA bloc leaders will meet the full bench of Election Commission of India on Sunday. Sources said the opposition leaders will discuss counting norms with the ECI, and also ask them to ensure that the laid down procedures are followed. On Saturday, senior leaders of the INDIA bloc met in New Delhi to discuss their strategy for the counting day, even as the TMC and PDP skipped the meeting. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who presided over the meeting, said they would meet the ECI on Sunday "to discuss certain issues". Opposition parties have asked their agents to monitor the process closely on the counting day on Tuesday, and ensure that form 17C, which contains the number of votes recorded at each polling station, is shared with them.

Akhilesh questions 'pro-BJP' exit polls, asserts INDIA bloc's victory

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday questioned the veracity of the exit polls, saying the opposition had already said that "pro-BJP media" would show the ruling party crossing 300 seats in the Lok Sabha. The exit polls, which had been prepared months before and are only being shown on TV channels now, would create scope for "fraud", Yadav alleged. He further alleged that using the exit polls, the BJP wanted to benefit from the share market which opens on Monday, and added that "disappointed faces" of BJP leaders are telling the truth. Insisting that the INDIA bloc was winning the Lok Sabha polls, the SP chief also called on the candidates and their poll agents to closely "monitor" the EVMs on counting day. Several exit polls, which were aired on Saturday evening, predicated a comfortable majority for the BJP-led NDA. Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls will be held on Tuesday. "Understand the chronology of the exit poll. The opposition had already said that ..

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LDF in Kerala rejects exit poll predictions, calls it politically motivated

The ruling Left in Kerala on Sunday termed as "suspicious" and "politically motivated" the exit poll predictions which said that the BJP-led NDA will open its account and end its electoral drought in a state dominated by the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF. LDF convener and veteran CPI(M) leader E P Jayarajan said the exit poll predictions were not arrived at through some scientific findings or experiments, "it was not based on public sentiments" and was not an observation following a proper analysis of the elections. "I suspect it is politically motivated. All the exit polls have taken a stand that repeats and strengthens what the BJP has been saying till now (about the poll results). That is what makes it even more suspicious," he told a TV channel. Jayarajan said that, therefore, there should be extreme vigil during the counting process on June 4. The exit polls predicted that the BJP will nationally win over 350 seats and that it will open its account in Kerala. Reject

Cong Chief Kharge, Rahul hold key meet with party's LS polls candidates

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi held a meeting on Sunday with the party's Lok Sabha candidates, legislative party leaders and state unit chiefs via video conferencing, and urged them to be alert and put in place measures to check any attempts of rigging on poll counting day, sources said. Kharge, Gandhi, party general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, along with other senior leaders, interacted with the party's Lok Sabha candidates and reviewed the preparations for the counting day on June 4. The meeting comes a day after exit polls predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Ramesh has said that the exit polls that came out Saturday evening are "completely bogus" and have been "orchestrated and masterminded by the man whose exit is inevitable and guaranteed on June 4". "These are all part of the psychological .

Farmers' body writes to EC, calls for 'transparent' counting on June 4

Samyukt Kisan Morcha wrote an open letter on Sunday to the Election Commission of India urging to ensure "free and transparent" counting. Counting for the seven phases of Lok Sabha elections will be conducted on June 4. In the open letter, the SKM, which had spearheaded the protests against the now-withdrawn farm laws, said they are apprehensive about tampering in the counting process. "On behalf of the farmers across India, we wish to bring to your kind attention our apprehension on any eventuality of tampering with the counting process - scheduled for June 4, 2024, to subvert the people's verdict to help the present regime to cling on power," the SKM said. "Unlike the past elections, the farmers of India had directly opposed the election campaign of the BJP against the gross betrayal in implementing the written agreement with SKM especially regarding MSP and loan waiver and to expose its corporate policies," they said. The SKM, a coalition of over forty Indian farmers' unions, s

Cong to leave no stone unturned to fulfil guarantees in Telangana: Sonia

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Sunday said the party's government in Telangana led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will leave no stone unturned to fulfil the 'guarantees' made to people. Gandhi's video message was played at the 10th Telangana state formation day celebrations organised by the state government at the Parade Grounds here. The former Congress president, who began her speech by paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of statehood to Telangana, recalled that she had promised at Karimnagar in the state in 2004 that the grand old party would fulfil the people's demand for a separate state. There was dissent within the party after the announcement, with many people quitting the party. However, the people's resolve gave her the strength towards fulfilling the statehood demand, she said. Telangana people have given her a lot of love and respect during the past 10 years, she observed. The former Congress president said she considers it her duty to .

Exit polls 'bogus', 'deliberate attempt' to justify rigging: Congress

Terming the exit polls "bogus", the Congress on Sunday said they were a "deliberate attempt" to justify rigging of the elections and part of "psychological games" being played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower the morale of the INDIA bloc workers. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also hit out at Prime Minister Modi for holding several meetings, including a long brainstorming session to review the 100-day agenda of the "new government", saying these were "pressure tactics" to send out a signal to the bureaucracy and the administrative structure that he is coming back. "These are mind games -- 'I am coming back, I am going to be the prime minister again'. He is sending a signal to the bureaucracy, the administrative structure of the country and we hope that the civil servants who have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuing a fair counting of votes will not be intimidated and not be frightened by these pressure tactics," Ramesh told PTI at the AICC headquarters

LS poll result, RBI interest rate decision key events to watch this week

Trading in the equity market will largely depend on two major events this week - general elections result and the RBI interest rate decision - analysts said, adding that the benchmark indices may rally on Monday on exit polls' prediction of a massive win for the BJP-led NDA and strong GDP data. Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the NDA expected to win a big majority in the polls. Counting of votes will take place on June 4. "All eyes are now on the most significant event of the past five years the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for Tuesday. Before that, market participants will react to the exit polls on Monday. "The market is approaching the event with caution, and the positive surprise from exit polls can lead to a rally as majority of the exit polls are giving 350+ seats to the NDA. Conversely, a negative surprise from actual results might trigger a knee-jerk reaction in the market,

Stocks, bonds set to gain as exit polls show landslide win for PM Modi

The polls suggest the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance will clinch substantially more seats than the 272 required for a majority in the 543-seat lower house of parliament

Shankar Sharma's market strategy post Lok Sabha exit poll: Stay strapped in

Meanwhile, every government since 1991, Shankar Sharma said, has performed exceedingly well in different ways and with different strategies

FPIs take out over Rs 25,586 cr from equities in May on poll jitters

Foreign investors pulled out a massive Rs 25,586 crore from Indian equities in May due to uncertainty surrounding the outcome of general election and outperformance of Chinese markets. This was way higher than a net outflow of over Rs 8,700 crore in April on concerns over a tweak in India's tax treaty with Mauritius and a sustained rise in US bond yields. Before that, FPIs made a net investment of Rs 35,098 crore in March and Rs 1,539 crore in February, while they took out Rs 25,743 crore in January, data with the depositories showed. Going ahead, election results, which will be out on June 4, could determine FPIs flows into Indian equities in the near future. In the medium term, US interest rates will exert more influence on FPI flows, Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services, said. According to the data, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) made a net withdrawal of Rs 25,586 crore from equities in May. The relatively high valuations and weak earnings, .

LS election result: Exit polls corporate game and fraud claims Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday described the exit polls as a "corporate game and a fraud" and claimed there was pressure on the media companies which conduct it. Speaking to reporters here, the Rajya Sabha member claimed the opposition INDIA bloc will win 295 to 310 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha and form government. Raut also said they do not require the exit polls as they work on the field and know the "undercurrent". Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls. Raut claimed, "There is lot of pressure on these media companies. The exit poll exercise is a corporate game and a fraud." "Do these companies conduct exit polls for free?" he asked. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed the opposition INDIA alliance will win 295 to 310 seats. "This is not an exit poll but the figures are taken through a people's poll," he said. In ..

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Exit polls predict major gains for BJP in Odisha, Bengal, southern India

Congress may see marginal improvement, while regional players could face setbacks, say exit polls

BJP MP Ram Kripal files police complaint about attack on convoy in Patna

Yadav, a second-term MP and former Union minister, is pitted against Misa Bharti, the daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in Patliputra