Page 33 - Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi to meditate at Vivekananda Memorial Rock: What makes it special?

The historical significance of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial adds depth to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit

PM Modi to begin two-day meditation at Kanyakumari rock memorial today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday embark on a near two-day meditation exercise at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here, and the district has come under a thick security blanket following the high profile event. All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Modi's 45-hour stay at the famed, mid-sea memorial, named after the revered Hindu saint. Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, here following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign later today, BJP leaders had said. The PM had undertaken a similar exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll campaign. As the meditation coincides with the silence period ahead of the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections on June 1, opposition Congress and DMK have expressed reservation and moved the Election Commission against the PM's spiritual sojourn. Modi will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the .

PM Modi arrives in TN, to embark on 'dhyan' at Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday to embark on a 45-hour long meditation session at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here. The PM arrived from nearby Thiruvananthapuram and he is scheduled to offer worship at the Bhagavathi Amman temple and later reach Vivekananda Rock Memorial and perform meditation for nearly two days. Ahead of his departure on June 1, Modi is likely to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue, next to the memorial. Both the memorial and statue were built on tiny islets, that are separate and mound-like rocky formations in the sea. All arrangements, including heavy security, are in place for Modi's 45-hour stay at the famed, mid-sea memorial, named after the revered Hindu saint. Modi will meditate at Rock Memorial, a monument built in tribute to Swami Vivekananda, here following the culmination of the Lok Sabha polls campaign later today, BJP leaders had said. The PM had undertaken a similar exercise in a Kedarnath cave after the 2019 poll ...

PM Modi begins 45-hr meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his 45-hour long meditation at the famed Vivekananda Rock Memorial here on Thursday evening. After arriving from nearby Thiruvananthapuram by a helicopter, Modi worshipped at the Bhagavathi Amman temple and reached the rock memorial by a ferry service and started meditation that is scheduled to go on till June 1. Clad in a dhoti and a white shawl, Modi prayed at the temple and circumambulated the 'garbhagriha'. Priests performed a special 'arthi' and he was given temple 'prasad' that included a shawl and a framed photograph of the presiding deity of the temple. Later, he reached the rock memorial by a ferry service operated by the state government-run shipping corporation and began his meditation at the 'dhyan mandapam.' Before he embarked on the dhyan exercise, for a while, Modi stood on the stairs leading to the mandapam that offers breathtaking views of the sea that surrounds the memorial from all sides. Ahead of his departure on June 1, Modi

PM Modi performs 'Surya Arghya' at Kanyakumari's Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his meditation exercise, on Friday performed 'Surya Arghya' during sunrise at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial here. Modi carried out 'Surya Arghya,' a ritual associated with spiritual practice involving salutations to the Almighty, manifested in the form of sun and offered prayers with folded hands. A short video clip, 'Sunrise, Surya Arghya, Spirituality,' posted by the BJP on its 'X' handle showed the PM pouring little water from a traditional, beaker-like small vessel into the sea as an offering (Arghya) and prayed using his prayer beads (Japa mala). The BJP also posted photographs of the Prime Minister, clad in saffron shirt, shawl and dhoti, engrossed in meditation at the Dhyan Mandapam, where incense sticks, in front of him, could be spotted burning slowly. Modi also walked around the mandapam with his japa mala in his hands. Photographs of Modi in meditating posture have been apparently clicked during different times and similar is the

Blocked attempts from Israel-based firm to influence LS elections: OpenAI

Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says it is a threat to democracy

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Who are the 6 candidates up against PM Modi in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced significant competition, contending with 41 candidates in 2014 and 26 opponents in 2019. Currently, he is up against a field of six contenders

Election 2024: Congress not to participate in Lok Sabha exit poll debates

The Congress has decided not to participate in any Lok Sabha exit poll debates on the television channels and said it does not want to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP. Congress spoksperson and media department chairperson Pawan Khera said the voters have cast their votes and their verdict has been secured. "The results will be out on 4th June. Prior to that, we do not see any reason to indulge in speculation and slugfest for TRP," he said in a statement shared on X. "The Indian National Congress will not participate in the debates on Exit Polls. The purpose of any debate should be to inform the people. We will happily partake in debates from 4th June onwards," Khera said in a statement. The decision was taken after consultations within the party, the sources said.

'Why Varanasi Port to Adani?: Congress' barrage of 272 questions for Modi

Days before the Lok Sabha poll results, the Congress launched a fresh attack on PM Narendra Modi on Friday with a list of 272 questions, which included raising issues about his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat

Stock Market Highlights, May 31: Benchmarks snap 5-day losing run ahead of Lok Sabha exit polls

Stock Market Highlights on May 31: Sensex, and Nifty indices closed up to 0.19 per cent higher ahead of exit polls, Q4FY24 GDP data

LS polls: 70,000 security personnel deployed for Jun 1 elections in Punjab

Around 70,000 security personnel, including central forces, have been deployed in the wake of polling in 13 Lok Sabha seats on June 1, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C said here on Friday. Besides, 1.20 lakh polling staff have been deployed for the voting in the state, he said. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place from 7 am till 6 pm on Saturday. Addressing the media here, the Punjab CEO said the total number of voters in Punjab is 2,14,61,739 comprising 1,12,86,726 male voters and 1,01,74,240 female voters and 773 transgender voters. In comparison to the total number of voters during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, there was an increase of around seven lakh in number of voters, said the Punjab CEO, accompanied by nodal officer and IPS officer M F Farooqui. The CEO said 5,38,715 voters belong to the 18-19 age group, who are eligible for casting their votes for the first time. He further said that a target of achieving more than 70 per cent voter turn

Lok Sabha Elections: You can watch poll results on June 4 in this theatre

Moviemax Cinemas has planned to screen the Lok Sabha election results live on June 4 in selected cities across India

Going back to jail on Jun 2, they will try to break me, won't bow: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he will be surrendering on June 2 and asserted that he will not bow down even if he is harassed in jail. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 1 for Lok Sabha election campaigning. After being released from jail, Kejriwal campaigned in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and Maharashtra. "I have to surrender on June 2 and I do not know how long I will stay in jail this time. I am going to jail for saving this country from dictatorship and I am proud of it," the chief minister told a virtual press conference. "They tried to break me. They stopped my medicines while I was in jail. My weight reduced by six kg after being arrested. My weight was 70 kg when I was arrested. I have not gained weight after coming out of jail," Kejriwal said. Doctors have advised several tests and "they feel this could be a sign of some underlying medical condition", he added. The chief minister said

Modi govt revived banking sector, Rs 10 lakh cr bad loans recovered: FM

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the Modi government has turned around the banking sector through various reforms and improved governance which has led to banks recovering more than Rs 10 lakh crore from bad loans between 2014 and 2023. She said the Enforcement Directorate has investigated around 1,105 bank fraud cases, which resulted in the attachment of Rs 64,920 crore worth of proceeds of crime. As of December 2023, assets amounting to Rs 15,183 crore have been restituted to the Public Sector Banks (PSBs). "Recently, India's banking sector achieved a significant milestone by recording its highest-ever net profit, crossing Rs 3 lakh crore. The banking sector turned around due to PM Shri @narendramodi's strong and decisive leadership. Our government atoned for the UPA's sins in the banking sector through comprehensive and long-term reforms," Sitharaman said in a post on X. She said there has been no leniency in recovering bad loans, especially from large ...

Incumbency and Churn-II: India's first-time MPs more than most peers

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu lead in electing new MPs

Yogendra Yadav's revised poll prediction 'fascinates' Tharoor. Here's why

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's reaction followed Yadav's recent interview where he suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party could secure fewer than 250 seats

Lok Sabha polls: Varanasi among 13 seats going to vote in UP on June 1

Thirteen Lok Sabha seats, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi, will go to polls in the last and seventh phase of the general elections on Saturday. Polling in the state, which sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament, was held in all seven phases of the election. The bypoll for the Duddhi (ST) assembly constituency in Sonbhadra district will also be held on Saturday. Six candidates are contesting from the seat that fell vacant after BJP MLA Ram Dular's disqualification following his conviction in a rape case. The parliamentary seats where polling will take place are Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon (SC), Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj (SC), spread across 11 districts. Uttar Pradesh is a seeing a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the coalition of INDIA bloc members Samajwadi Party and Congress. Besides Prime Minister Modi, who is a seeking a third term from Varanasi, there are 143

LS polls: SC refuses to entertain plea seeking re-polling in Bihar's Munger

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India to hold re-polling in certain booths of Bihar's Munger constituency. A vacation bench of Justices S C Sharma and P B Varale asked the petitioner to approach the high court. "Why don't you go to the HC? The high courts are not closed in this country," the bench said. The counsel for the petitioner alleged that huge rigging and booth capturing took place in the elections in Munger with the connivance of the local administration. The top court said it was not inclined to entertain the matter after which the petitioner withdrew the plea. The matter was dismissed as withdrawn. The top court was hearing a plea filed by RJD candidate Kumari Anita seeking a direction to the poll panel to conduct re-polling in 45 booths in Munger. The plea alleged serious manipulation, booth capturing and rigging by JD(U) workers with the help of officials. It also sought direction to remove D

Lok Sabha elections: How close 2019 exit polls were to result? Check list

Lok Sabha polls: People are eagerly waiting for the conclusion of the polls on June 1. After this, exit polls will be broadcast, giving an early glimpse of the results, set to be announced on June 4

Lok Sabha polls Phase 7: Key candidates, list of constituencies. Details

Lok Sabha elections: On June 1, the last leg of the Lok Sabha elections will be held in which 57 constituencies will go to polls across eight states and UTs