Page 36 - Lok Sabha Elections

EC dedicated to incorporating principles of inclusivity in polls: CEC Kumar

The Election Commission on Wednesday said the last phases of the Lok Sabha elections have seen immense enthusiasm among voters of various sections such as persons with disabilities, senior citizens, transgenders, and members of particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Home voting facility for senior citizens above 85 years of age and persons with disabilities with 40 per cent benchmark disability was extended for the first time on pan-India basis in this parliamentary polls, the EC noted. An EC statement quoting Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, "It has been the deep founded resolve of the Commission to strive for continuous improvement in the electoral processes setting new standards globally." The EC, Kumar said, is determined to make the elections "truly reflective" of the spirit of plurality and diversity that is the pride of the country. "EC is dedicated to incorporating and deeply integrating the principles and practices of inclusivity and accessibility throughout

LS polls: Number of female candidates rise from 7% in 2009 to 9.6% in 2024

From 7 per cent in 2009 to 9.6 per cent in 2024, the number of female candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections saw a steady rise in 15 years, according to an analysis by the poll rights body ADR. This year, 797 women are in the fray, constituting 9.6 per cent of the total 8,337 candidates. This marks an increase from previous general assembly elections which recorded female representation of 9 per cent in 2019, 8 per cent in 2014, and 7 per cent in 2009, the analysis by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) showed. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, there were 556 female candidates, making up 7 per cent of the total 7,810 candidates. This number increased to 640 (8 per cent of 8,205) in 2014 and further to 716 (9 per cent of 7,928) in 2019. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads among the major parties with 69 female Lok Sabha nominees out of 440, making up 16 per cent of its total candidates. The Congress follows with 41 women out of 327 candidates, constitutin

'Market volatility routine event, don't link it with elections': Amit Shah

Amit Shah on Wednesday reiterated his confidence about the BJP's return to power on June 4

Centre recovered, returned Rs 17k cr from scams to citizens: Modi in Bengal

During an election rally in West Bengal's Ashoknagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the BJP will return Rs 3,000 crore to the people of Bengal defrauded by the Mamata Banerjee- government

Good if he is going for 'prayashchit': Kapil Sibal on PM's meditation plan

Raising questions over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation at Rock Memorial from May 30 to June 1, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said it is good if he is going to Kanyakumari for "prayashchit" (atonement). "The person who does not understand the meaning of 'vivek' (wisdom), what 'dhyan' (meditation) he will do. "If he is going for 'prayashchit', then it is a good thing or if he is going to take inspiration from writings and speeches of Swami Vivekanand, even then it is good," said Sibal. The prime minister will meditate from the evening of May 30 to the evening of June 1 at Dhyan Mandapam, the place where Vivekananda a spiritual icon admired by PM Modi is believed to have had a divine vision about Bharat Mata', BJP leaders said on Tuesday. Sibal alleged the BJP-led government at the Centre does not talk about its achievements because it has "nothing to show". "What have they done for the last 10 years? Has the prime minister said during his speeches what he did .

BJP govt harming tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday accused the BJP government at the Centre of harming small and medium businesses, including the tourism sector in Himachal Pradesh. Addressing a rally in Kullu, she alleged that people are now dying due to the Covid vaccine and the BJP had taken a Rs 52-crore donation from a manufacturer. She said if the INDIA bloc comes to power, poor women in the state will get Rs 10,000 every month --- Rs 8,500 as promised in the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and Rs 1,500 promised by the party's government in Himachal Pradesh. Gandhi was speaking at a public rally seeking support for Congress's candidate from Mandi parliamentary constituency Vikramaditya Singh.

'World didn't know Mahatma Gandhi till a movie was made about him': PM Modi

Targeting the Opposition, PM Narendra Modi asked whether it was not the country's job to secure a high level of global reputation for Gandhi in the last 75 years

LS polls: Rahul, Akhilesh will blame EVMs for election defeat, alleges Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party and Congress, saying they have decided to blame electronic voting machines for their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. At a public meeting in support of party candidate Pankaj Chaudhary here, he also claimed that the BJP has crossed the majority mark in the first five rounds of polls. "The counting is on June 4. In the afternoon the two 'shehzade' (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) will hold a press conference and say we lost the election because EVM was defective," he said. "Modi has crossed 310 seats in five rounds. Rahul baba you will not get even 40 seats and the other 'shehzade' (Akhilesh Yadav) will just get four seats," he said. He said the opposition does not have a PM candidate and say that they will have five PMs in five years. "This is not a general store but a nation of 130 crore people. Can such a PM work?" he asked. Targeting the opposition, he said Congress leaders say that Pakistan has an at

Percentage of 'crorepati' candidates has nearly doubled since 2009: Report

One in every five candidates in Lok Sabha elections 2024 has declared criminal cases against them

17 penny stocks zoomed up to 500x in the Narendra Modi era. Do you own any?

Jyoti Resins, Tanfac Industries, Olectra Greentech now trade above Rs 1,300 per share as against a single-digit stock price way back in May 2014, study shows.

Congress looted Rajasthan; Gehlot, Dotasra would be jailed soon: Minister

Rajasthan minister Madan Dilawar on Wednesday accused the previous Congress government of making crores of rupees by leaking exam papers and asserted that former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra would soon go to jail for it. In a video statement, Dilawar, the state's education minister, said the Congress leaders were trained in corruption and ever since the BJP came to power in Rajasthan, they are worried about where to hide their ill-gotten wealth. "Congress leaders have indulged in loot. They sold (exam) papers and earned crores of rupees. Now they are worried about where to keep the money because the SOG and other investigating agencies are doing their work," Dilawar said. "Ashok Gehlot sahab and Govind Singh Dotasra sahab you are about to go to Tihar Jail soon where you will meet (Delhi CM Arvind) Kejriwal. Tell him that in Rajasthan you have committed so many bad deeds," he added. Dilawar said due to the Congress government's corruption in

Why CBI, ED action against Adhikari, Tapas Roy stalled: Cong to PM Modi

The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he was withholding Rs 7,000 crore of paddy procurement funds to West Bengal and if the CBI case against Suvendu Adhikari has got "washed away" in the BJP's washing machine. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked if the prime minister prioritised his PR over vaccines and funds under the National Health Mission. "Today's questions for the outgoing PM's West Bengal visit: Is the outgoing PM withholding Rs 7,000 crore of ration funds so that his face is plastered on ration shops? Did Suvendu Adhikari's CBI case get washed away in BJP's washing machine? Does the PM prioritise his PR over vaccines for India's children?" he asked in a post on X. He posed the questions on a day the prime minister is campaigning in West Bengal for the last phase of elections on June 1. "In an incredibly petty move, the Centre has been withholding National Food Security Act funds from West Bengal for not displaying the outgoin

PM Modi's big victory expected to fuel Indian rupee's nascent rally

The currency, which has been at the mercy of the central bank's vise-like grip recently, is set for a breakout and poised for its best month in almost a year

India summer temperature hits 50 degrees: 5 cool stocks for your portfolio

Infra stocks such as - Larsen & Toubro, Adani Ports, BPCL, Ashok Leyland and Container Corporation of India can rally up to 17 per cent, technical charts suggests.

Encountering 'dead' voters: Myriad experience of poll officials in Bengal

From encountering 'dead' voters to navigating pitch-dark school corridors, revelling in the scenic beauty of a dam to scrubbing neglected toilets, polling officials encountered an array of extraordinary challenges while conducting elections in West Bengal. It's this effort to uphold democracy with an unwavering commitment that poll personnel strive to achieve despite the myriad obstacles coming their way which perhaps ensures that a vast and complex process of conducting parliamentary elections in a nation like India culminates successfully edition after edition. Even as six of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha polls in the country drew to a close, PTI spoke to some polling officials in West Bengal who returned to their base to share their riveting tales. Arup Karmakar, a school teacher from Durgapur, is one among those who spoke about his remarkable experience during the poll assignment. "My duty was at a booth at a school in Barabani assembly segment under Asansol Lok Sabha ...

LS elections: PM Modi needs tough reforms in 3rd term to lure foreign firms

Even with an improvement in business sentiment, there's been no major boost in actual investment yet

Lok Sabha election winner will first need to repair household balance sheet

A trifecta of slow wage growth, elevated interest rates, and heavy borrowing by the average household has weakened the spending impulse of more than 300 million families

if Cong voted to power, poor in Odisha will get Rs 26K each month: Leader

If the Congress is voted to power in Odisha and at the Centre, each poor family in the state will get financial assistance of at least Rs 26,000 per month, a party leader said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference here, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said if the party forms a government in Odisha, it will provide poor women with the assistance of Rs 2,000 under the 'Gruh Laxmi Yojana', Rs 2,000 pension to farmers, widows, persons with disabilities and old age people. Similarly, the Congress has promised to provide the people of Odisha with up to 200-unit free electricity, which will be around Rs 2,000 per month. The MSP of paddy will be enhanced to Rs 3,000 per quintal while the LPG cylinder will be made available at Rs 500, he said. If the Congress comes to power here, it will provide each poor family of the state with around Rs 10,000 per month, said Kumar, the AICC in-charge of Odisha. Similarly, if the INDIA bloc is voted to power at the Centre, the central government will ...

PM Modi needs to win 303-plus seats to extend stock market rally: Investors

Indian equities have risen to records, while the currency and bond markets are near their highest levels in over two months days ahead of the election results on June 4

Adversaries of Lord Ram never found lasting peace, says CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders seem to have lost their minds on the issue of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and asserted that the "adversaries of Lord Ram have never found lasting peace". He also said only a Ram Bhakt (devotee of Lord Ram) will rule Delhi and that people will dump the Congress and the SP, which "follow the politics of appeasement". Addressing an election rally in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said, "Congress says the construction of the temple has sent a wrong message globally and should not have been built, whereas the Samajwadi Party dismisses the temple as useless. The leaders of both parties seem to have lost their minds." "The Ram Bhakts (devotees) have built an international airport named after Maharishi Valmiki in Ayodhya, a waiting room named after Shri Ram's friend Nishadraj, and a restaurant named after Mata Shabari. They have also installed a 56-foot statue in honour of Nishadraj in Prayagraj," he ...