Page 32 - Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 7: Over 26.3% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Seventh phase will see voting in 57 of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, across seven states and one UT

Lok Sabha polls Phase 7: EVM in pond, violence mars final phase in Bengal

A mob reportedly threw reserve EVM and VVPAT machines into water after certain polling agents were denied access to a polling booth in Kultali of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Long, bitter election fight heads towards conclusion

Modi is spending the campaign's final days meditating on a small island off India's southern tip. Opposition figures described the island retreat as a stunt and a violation of election rules

Festival of democracy to be successful when it defeats dictators: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people on Saturday to vote for change and asserted that the "festival of democracy" will be considered successful only when democratic powers defeat the dictatorial ones. He said the last phase of voting to save the Constitution and democracy was underway in the country and the INDIA bloc was fighting the dictatorial powers with courage. "The battle is now in its final phase. The public has stood firmly with us in every phase. After six phases, people want to see us win," Kharge said in a post on 'X'. The people want to see the Congress' guarantees fulfilled, he added. "This time the country has supported and sided with 'Yuva Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay. "This festival of democracy will be considered successful only when the democratic powers defeat the dictatorial powers," the Congress leader said. "Today, when you press the EVM button for 57 seats in 8 states and Union territories, think about the Pre

LS polls phase 7: Voting underway in 57 constituencies in 8 states, UT

In the seventh and final phase of the general election on Saturday, polling is being held for 57 constituencies spread across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha. The voting is being held in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh. Polling for the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh are also taking place simultaneously. The voting began at 7 am. Voters were seen standing in queues in front of polling booths since early in the morning among severe heatwave conditions in several parts of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to exercise their franchise. "Together, let's make our democracy more vibrant and ...

Deal final blow to BJP govt which has become symbol of tyranny, says Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people on Saturday to vote in large numbers and deal a "final blow" to "this government which has become a symbol of arrogance and tyranny". Gandhi pointed out that the seventh and final phase of voting for the general election is being held on Saturday and claimed that according to the trends so far, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties is going to form the next government in the country. "I am proud that even in this scorching heat, all of you have come out to vote to protect democracy and the Constitution," the former Congress president said in a post in Hindi on X. "Even today, come out in large numbers and give your vote as a 'final blow' to this government, which has become a symbol of arrogance and tyranny," he said. The sun of June 4, when the poll results are scheduled to be announced, is going to bring a new dawn in the country, Gandhi added. Noting that this is the last phase of polling for

Opposition doing politics on PM Modi's mediation exercise, alleges BJP

The BJP on Friday accused opposition parties of doing politics on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation in Kanyakumari, saying they understand neither India nor Indianness. BJP spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Modi lives the cultural and traditional ethos of Indian nation which is represented in its temples in different parts of the country and even outside in a place like Balochistan. The opposition can never understand this because it seeks to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and fight 'Shakti', he said. Opposition parties hate India's traditions, temples and the exercise to rejuvenate its holy places, he alleged, adding that they also hate a leader engaged in a silent meditation, Trivedi said. But they have a tradition of offering tributes at the tomb of Mughal king Babur, he said, naming Jawaharlal Nehru and Rahul Gandhi. They also held iftars in which neither the host nor the guests kept fast, Trivedi said.

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Bhangar vote may decide Jadavpur's fate

In a sense, Jadavpur has a bit of everything. It has the posh and affluence of Tollygunge and Golf Green, the working-class bustle of Garia, and the grime of Bhangar

44-day polls: 10 hot takes

2024 was a one-candidate election. Narendra Modi was the only candidate for whom the BJP sought votes, and he was the only opponent most of its rivals wanted defeated

Optimism and despair visible in the last phase of West Bengal polls

Nine constituencies go to vote in West Bengal in the last lap on June 1

Where are all the job opportunities? A refrain of the youth in Chandigarh

Chandigarh votes on June 1. The BJP's Sanjay Tandon and the Congress' Manish Tewari are the leading contestants

PM Modi in fray as 57 Lok Sabha constituencies go to polls on Saturday

57 seats across seven states and Chandigarh in the fray in the final phase of Lok Sabha elections

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Florists, mithai shops get busy for D-Day

From florists in Ghazipur's phool mandi to sweet shop owners in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk, the preparations, if not the sales, have already begun

Economic strength or extreme euphoria: What's driving Indian stock markets?

Valuations in most parts of the Indian stock market, analysts said, are expensive with the extent of overvaluation increasing in inverse order of market-cap, quality, and risk

'Institutional investors not tracking whether NDA will cross 400+ seats'

Lok Sabha elections: Stability and continuity of the reform and growth-led agenda of the NDA government is what markets want

Phase 7 constituencies lag on contraceptive use, mobile phones for women

The voting to elect the 18th Lok Sabha concludes on Saturday

At least 25 poll staff among 40 heat-related deaths amid heatwave

India Friday reported at least 40 suspected heat-related deaths, 25 of them of staff deployed on Lok Sabha poll duty in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as heatwave conditions gripped a large swathe of the country. According to officials, heat-related deaths were reported from Odisha (10), Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4) and Uttar Pradesh (1) on Thursday also. Rajasthan has reported at least five heat-related deaths so far. Among the fatalities recorded on Friday, the maximum 17 were from Uttar Pradesh, 14 from Bihar, five from Odisha and four from Jharkhand, where officials said more than 1,300 people are hospitalised with heatstroke conditions. The soaring temperatures also caused water scarcity in some parts of the country including in Delhi where the residents faced continued acute shortages, with people in long queues struggling to secure enough to meet their daily needs. "I stand in line from 4 am, but due to the crowd, I cannot reach the water tanker... It's hard to get water," said Vibha

FIIs turn bearish ahead of June 1 exit poll outcome; index shorts at 87.13%

FIIs index futures long-short ratio plummeted to 0.15 on May 03, as against 0.98 a day earlier in the F&O segment. In cash market, net monthly sales rose to Rs 43,800 cr, the highest since June 2022.

Stalled attempts by Israeli firm to interfere in Lok Sabha polls: OpenAI

OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, has said it acted within 24 hours to disrupt deceptive uses of AI in covert operations focused on the Indian elections, leading to no significant audience increase. In a report on its website, OpenAI said STOIC, a political campaign management firm in Israel, generated some content on Indian elections alongside about the Gaza conflict. "In May, the network began generating comments that focused on India, criticized the ruling BJP party and praised the opposition Congress party," it said. "In May, we disrupted some activity focused on the Indian elections less than 24 hours after it began." OpenAI said it banned a cluster of accounts operated from Israel that were being used to generate and edit content for an influence operation that spanned X, Facebook, Instagram, websites, and YouTube. "This operation targeted audiences in Canada, the United States and Israel with content in English and Hebrew. In early May, it began targeting audiences in India wi

One nation, many elections

India needs more elections, not fewer of them