Page 3 - Lok Sabha Elections

Survival or revival? How 2004 win, 99 seats in 2024 shaped Congress

Congress is silently acknowledging it overread the verdict of the last general election. You can see it in easy concession to SP. It will likely be more reasonable in Maharashtra & Jharkhand

Wayanad Lok Sabha bypolls on Nov 13; Priyanka Gandhi eyes poll debut

Rahul Gandhi chose Rae Bareli, vacating Wayanad, after winning both seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress party said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest the bypolls there

J&K polls: Lal Singh suffers another defeat in Basholi after LS elections

Veteran Congress leader Choudhary Lal Singh was defeated on Tuesday by BJP candidate Darshan Kumar in his traditional stronghold of the Basholi seat in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. According to the Election Commission (EC) website, 66-year-old Lal Singh secured 15,840 votes but lost to Kumar by a margin of 16,034 votes. Kumar, who maintained a lead from the outset, garnered 31,874 votes. BSP candidate Pankaj Kumar and PDP candidate Yoginder Singh each received 368 votes and forfeited their security deposits. "We were confident about winning the seat and contributing to the party's majority. Voters supported our agenda of development and peace. I express my gratitude to the people of my constituency. I humbly bow before them," Kumar told reporters after his victory was declared. Kumar, a 48-year-old businessman from Basholi, pledged to prioritise the region's development. Three-time MLA and two-time MP Choudhary Lal Singh faced a challenging task in reclaiming his tradition

Congress spent Rs 585 cr on 2024 Lok Sabha election, 4 Assembly polls

The Congress, which had claimed a cash crunch ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, has now reported to the Election Commission that it spent around Rs 585 crore on the parliamentary polls and the state elections held alongside. In its election expenditure report for the general election and the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim, the Congress said it has spent Rs 410 crore on advertisements and media campaign, and around Rs 46 crore on virtual campaigns through social media, apps and other means. The party also stated that it spent around Rs 105 crore on air travel for its star campaigners during the high-pitched Lok Sabha poll campaign, including on party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, besides Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders. The Congress also gave a lump sum payment of Rs 11.20 crore to its key Lok Sabha candidates, including Rahul Gandhi and some others, to contest the elections. The party also spent a tota

Haryana records 65.65% voter turnout in elections, surpasses LS polls

Fatehabad topped the turnout charts with 74.51 per cent followed by Yamunanagar with 73.27, Mewat with 72.83, and Panchkula had the lowest turnout at 54.71 per cent

SC is right: Onus on politicians to refrain from weaponising religion

Over the years, the judiciary and the ECI have tried, but largely failed, to check dog-whistle politics

Will try to build consensus on 'one nation, one election' in Parl: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the BJP-led government is going to table a bill on one nation, one election' in Parliament and will try to build a consensus as holding the Lok Sabha and assembly elections together across the country will help save three lakh crores. Addressing an election rally at Sainik Colony here, Singh said the plan behind one nation, one election' is to reduce expenses and rightful use of administrative resources among others. We are bringing the bill to hold the assembly and Lok Sabha elections together and efforts are on to bring all the parties on board. It has many benefits like rightful use of administrative machinery, financial and fiscal resources, one election calendar, proper use of human resources and increasing the voter turnout, he said. The defence minister said if both elections take place together in the country, an amount of Rs three lakh crore could be saved. Singh said the country is moving forward and becoming independent with

Vote for change: 'One Nation, One Election' cleared by Union Cabinet

Govt to form implementation group, make efforts to build consensus

Traders shy away from Modi-linked stocks in shift to defensive sectors

A few recent policy reversals highlight the element of uncertainty that investors must grapple with after a decade of certainty, as Modi increasingly leans on coalition partners

Terror funding accused Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer gets bail: Who is he?

Lok Sabha MP Rashid Engineer reached Srinagar on Thursday after getting an interim bail. In his first comments, he vowed to fight for justice while targeting the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370

Capex conundrum: Did election-related curbs slow economy in first quarter?

Several renowned experts and agencies, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), have blamed the MCC for the 6.7 per cent growth in the first quarter - a five-quarter low

'Fear of BJP vanished after 2024 Lok Sabha results': Rahul Gandhi in US

In the US, Rahul Gandhi spoke about how people across India had realised they would no longer tolerate assaults on the Constitution, religious traditions, or regional identities

SC junks plea over impact of exit polls on investors during LS elections

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, described the PIL as a 'political interest litigation'

Rahul Gandhi visits US on 3-day trip: Top things on agenda explained

Rahul Gandhi left for the US on Friday, marking his first international trip since the Lok Sabha elections in June, in which the Congress-led INDIA bloc recorded impressive victories against the BJP

Lok Sabha election results gave India chance to breathe: Manish Tewari

The 2024 Lok Sabha election results were not so much about the numbers but about giving India a chance to "breathe" and for its institutions to start functioning again, says senior Congress leader Manish Tewari. In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, the former Union minister also asserted that the BJP may acknowledge it or not but the government's recent "U-turns" on certain issues are reflective of the realities of coalition politics. Tewari said he believes India requires a "second wave of democratic reforms" whereby structures which really underpin the democratic edifice of India need to be more participatory, inclusive and democratic. The Congress Working Committee permanent invitee also exuded confidence that his party and its allies were headed for a victory in the upcoming assembly polls which would have a positive impact on national politics. Asked about the scenario post Lok Sabha poll results, Tewari said, "You need to roll back to ...

PM Modi's popularity slips, but the BJP leader still towers over his rivals

According to India Today's Mood of the Nation survey, the approval ratings gap is narrowing between Narendra Modi (49 per cent) and Rahul Gandhi (22.4 per cent) as the preferred next prime minister

Modi's body language, confidence changed after Parl poll results: Rahul

Striking an emotional chord with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he considers himself their soldier in New Delhi, and added his doors are always open for party workers -- "the lions of the Congress". Taking a dig at the prime minister, Gandhi said Modi's body language and confidence have drastically changed after the parliamentary poll results. "You know my relationship with you. It is not a political connection. It is a relationship of love and that of my family's background. My family comes from your state," the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha told Congress workers here. He was addressing them on the second and concluding day of his visit to poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir. "So, you should always feel that you have a sepoy in Delhi. I am your sepoy. Whatever you need, my doors are always open for you," he said. "You only have to give me an order, and I will be present before you," Gandhi said amid amid huge applause. Flanked by Con

Made mistake by fielding my wife against my sister in LS polls: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. One should not allow politics to enter home, Pawar, who is currently on a statewide 'Jan Samman Yatra', told Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra. As part of his mass outreach programme ahead of the state assembly polls, the deputy CM has been promoting the government's 'Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana', aimed at providing financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to women. In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Sunetra Pawar unsuccessfully contested the election from Baramati seat against sitting NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, daughter of Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar. Sunetra Pawar was later elected to the Rajya Sabha. In July last year, Ajit Pawar and a number of other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded Sharad Pawar. The Electi

PIL seeks disqualification of all Cong MPs for financial guarantees

A PIL has been filed before the Allahabad High Court seeking the disqualification of all 99 Congress MPs, arguing that the party's 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee Scheme' launched during the Lok Sabha poll campaign amounted to bribery under law. The public interest litigation (PIL) has also sought direction against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of failing to act against the Congress campaign. Despite the ECI's advisory issued on May 2 this year, warning political parties against such practices, the petition alleged that the Congress continued its distribution of these cards compromising the fairness of the electoral process. According to the PIL, the 'Ghar Ghar Guarantee Scheme' involves the distribution of guarantee cards that promise various financial and material benefits in exchange of votes. The promise amounts to bribery under Section 123(1)(A) of the Representation of People's Act, 1951 and is punishable under Sections 171B and 171E of the Indian Penal Code, it .

Bull market logic

In four of the first five months of this year, foreign investors were big sellers, but they have changed tack and are now sailing with the wind