Page 50 - Lok Sabha Elections

Calcutta HC bans BJP's derogatory ads against TMC, slams ECI for inaction

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Calcutta High Court bars BJP from publishing slanderous ads against TMC citing Model Code of Conduct

Lok Sabha polls Phase 5: Below 50% turnout till 3 pm, Mumbai lags behind

Lok Sabha polls 2024: West Bengal recorded the highest polling percentage till 3 pm at 62.72 per cent, followed by the Union Territory of Ladakh where 61.26 per cent voters had cast their votes

Four suspected ISIS terrorists held at Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat

The Gujarat ATS is interrogating the suspected terrorists, who are said to be Sri Lankan nationals

'Brand Modi' outcome of people's trust gained over two decades, says PM

Describing himself as a doer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the perception of Brand Modi is the outcome of the trust of the people he has gained in his over two decades of public life. In an exclusive interview to PTI, the Prime Minister said he will do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047. He was replying to questions on the longevity of 'Brand Modi' and whether he saw himself becoming the prime minister in the ongoing elections as well as in 2029. "I was not born to become someone. I was born to do something. It is my mission to turn my country into a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. I have to do something and I keep doing whatever it takes to achieve this," Modi said. "I am just a doer and it is the people of the country who decide who will become what," the prime minister said. He said 'Brand Modi' worked because there was no conscious effort in building this brand. The prime minister what one perceives as 'Brand Mo

LS polls 2024 phase 5: Odisha records over 35% voter turnout till 11 am

Odisha recorded around 6.99 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments on Monday, officials said. Voting started at 7 am in Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh parliamentary constituencies along with 35 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats. Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha. Police said there was no report of any untoward incident in any polling booths Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal Monday said that the voting was underway in all the 9,162 polling stations across peacefully in five Parliamentary Constituencies and 35 assembly segments under their jurisdiction with some reports of EVM glitches. Till 9 am around 6.99 per cent of the over 79.69 lakh voters have exercised their franchise, officials said. Officials said EVM glitches were reported from Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency and they were addressed immediately.

LS polls phase 5: Over 34% polling in five seats in Bihar till 1 pm

Voting for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar began amid tight security arrangements on Monday, a senior election official said. Polling commenced at 7 am in Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saran and Hajipur constituencies and will continue till 6 pm, the official at the CEO office said. Over 95 lakh voters in the five seats will decide the electoral fate of 80 candidates at 9,436 polling stations. Of the total voters, 45.11 lakh are women, while 21 lakh are under 29 years of age and 1.26 lakh are in the age group of 18-19 years. Notable contestants include NDA ally Chirag Paswan in Hajipur, Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, who is pitted against two-term sitting BJP MP and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, and Muzaffarpur's sitting MP Ajay Nishad, who crossed over to the Congress after being denied a BJP ticket for a third term. Sudhir Kumar Ojha, an advocate who remains in the news for his petitions against top political figures, Bollywood stars and even forei

If INDIA bloc wins, will implement 'Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee': Cong

As the Siddaramaiah-led government completed one year in office, the Congress on Monday said it has successfully implemented all guarantees made to the people of the state and when the INDIA bloc inevitably gets the clear on June 4, the party will deliver by implementing 'Paanch Nyaya Pachees Guarantee'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said when the Congress makes guarantees to India's voters, it delivers. "It has now been one year of our government in Karnataka, where we have successfully implemented all guarantees made to the people. When the Congress and INDIA Janbandhan inevitably get the clear and convincing mandate of the people on June 4th, we will deliver again, by implementing our 'Paanch Nyay Pachees Guarantee'. Ramesh also gave a summary of the Karnataka government's guarantees which have been implemented such as 'Gruhalakshmi' under which every month, 1.21 crore women heads of the family receive 2,000 directly in their accounts from the government, combating ...

Congress didn't revoke Article 370 for appeasement politics: HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday attacked the Congress, saying the party did not revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir for appeasement politics. Addressing an election rally here, Shah reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and "we will take it back". The senior BJP leader also attacked the grand old party on the Ram temple issue, saying top Congress leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi did not take part in the temple's consecration ceremony to please its minority vote bank. Targeting Congress on Kashmir, he said "For appeasement politics, they did not revoke Article 370." The Congress did not revoke the article despite a rise in terrorism in the area, he said. "You all made Narendra Modi ji the Prime Minister for the second time, and on August 5, 2019, he scrapped the Article 370. And now our tricolour proudly flutters in Kashmir," he said. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is contesting the Karnal assembly bypo

Congress let national interest suffer in dealing with Pak, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at the Congress for "orchestrating endorsements" from Pakistani leaders for electoral gains and said the opposition party often let national interest suffer when it came to dealing with Pakistan. In an exclusive interview to PTI here, the prime minister also slammed the Congress for statements by its leaders questioning the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force in Balakot in response to the 2019 terror attack in Pulwama. "Well, politicians from Pakistan are entering the electoral discourse of India by endorsing the Congress party's 'shehzada'," Modi said in response to a question on Pakistani leaders commenting on elections in India. Former Pakistani minister Chaudhary Fawad Hussain had shared a video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on social media and praised him. "Perhaps the Congress party thinks orchestrating such endorsements will serve it well. That is how disconnected they are from ground realities. Further, it is also

LS polls 2024 phase 5: Nearly 42% voter turnout in Jharkhand till 1 pm

Polling for three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand began on Monday morning, marking the second phase of elections in the state and fifth nationally, officials said. Voting began at 7 am in Chatra, Koderma and Hazaribag seats, and will continue till 5 pm. In this phase, 22 candidates are contesting from Chatra, 15 from Koderma, and 17 from Hazaribag. Approximately 58.34 lakh voters, including 28.35 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in these three constituencies. Voting also began for the Gandey assembly by-poll in the state. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said this phase covers seven districts across three parliamentary constituencies, with polling materials and parties dispatched to 65 interior booths via choppers. Kumar noted that there are a total of 6,705 booths, including 6,130 in rural areas, with 73 booths managed by women, 13 by persons with disabilities, and 13 by youths. In Chatra parliamentary constituency, there are 16.89 lakh voters, includ

LS polls: Over 48% voter turnout in 7 Bengal constituencies till 1 pm

Polling for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls commenced across seven parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal amid tight security on Monday, an official said. Voting commenced in Bangaon (SC), Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, and Arambag (SC) Lok Sabha constituencies at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. A total of 1,25,23,702 voters, comprising 63,51,320 men, 61,72,034 women, and 348 belonging to the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise across 13,481 polling stations. The Election Commission has designated over 57 per cent of the polling stations as sensitive and deployed over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen. The number of security forces deployed for this phase surpasses that of any of the four earlier phases in the state. A total of 88 candidates are contesting in the fifth phase, with the highest number of 15 candidates in Bongaon, where Union Minister Shantanu Thakur is contesting against TMC's

LS elections: Brisk polling in Baramulla as 35% polling recorded till 1 pm

Polling began on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency where 22 candidates, including former chief minister Omar Abdullah, are in the fray, officials said. Voting began at 7 am. People were seen lining up outside the polling stations to exercise their franchise in some areas of the constituency, the officials said. The constituency is spread over 18 assembly segments in the three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora, and also includes two segments of Budgam that were included on the recommendations of the delimitation commission two years ago, they said. Voting is scheduled to end at 6 pm. More than 500 centenarians are among the 17.37 lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise, with political observers expecting a high turnout on the back of the huge crowds that thronged election rallies and roadshows. The first major political battle post the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 will decide the fate of Abdullah, the National Conference ...

Rahul, Akhilesh abandon rally in Phulpur due to 'stampede-like' crowd

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders were scheduled to address a joint meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh but left without giving speeches

Lok Sabha polls 2024: We fulfil our manifesto promises, PM Modi on UCC

Indicating implementation of the One Nation, One Election and Uniform Civil Code plans if he returns to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government fulfils promises made in the BJP's election manifesto. In an interview to PTI, the prime minister said he has added 25 more days to the 100-day plan for his next term to seek suggestions from the youth of the country on what they expect from the government immediately after coming back to power. Before the Lok Sabha elections were announced, Modi had asked all ministries to prepare a 100-day plan for implementation of projects for the next government. "And now, I have added 25 more days in this plan, where I would take the suggestions of India's Yuva Shakti. What they expect us to do the first thing after coming back to power? It is ultimately their expectations that I am here to fulfil and how they want the nation to develop," he said. Asked whether One Nation, One Election and a central law on UCC would be part of th

LS polls phase 5: Scattered incidents of violence reported in West Bengal

Scattered incidents of violence marred the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls in seven parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal on Monday, as TMC and BJP workers clashed in various parts of Barrackpore, Bongaon, and Arambagh seats. Although the poll panel has claimed that the polling has been peaceful so far, it said it has received 1,036 complaints until 11 am from different political parties alleging EVM malfunctioning and agents being stopped from entering booths. Clashes broke out between supporters of TMC and BJP in Khanakul area of Arambagh constituency as both parties clashed over stopping polling agents from entering the booths. Two live crude bombs were also recovered from the area by security personnel. "BJP goons have unleashed a reign of terror in the area and are intimidating voters," TMC candidate Mitali Bag said. BJP candidate Arup Kanti Digar rubbished the allegations and blamed the TMC for letting loose violence on the day of the polls. In neighbouring Hooghly ...

Complaints from voters about facilities outside booths: Aaditya Thackeray

Amid voting underway in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed there were lot of complaints from electors about facilities outside the polling booths. Voters were trying to beat the heat and exercise their franchise in large numbers, the former state minister said, adding that electors should at least be made to queue up in shade and provided fans. Polling was underway since 7 am in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra, including six in Mumbai, and will continue till 6 pm. "A lot of complaints from voters about the facilities outside the booths @ECISVEEP Atleast having the voter lines in shade/ fans could help. They don't want much, just basics to stay cool. Please look into it," Thackeray said in a post on X. Some of the electors in Mumbai said they went to the polling booths early in the morning to beat the heat. Altogether 2.46 crore persons are eligible to cast vote to decide the fate of 264 candidates in th

Congress Chief Kharge lauds Adhir Ranjan as party's combative soldier

Days after snubbing him for questioning the trustworthiness of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday heaped praise on West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, lauding him as a "combative soldier" of the party. Kharge had snubbed Chowdhury, five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur, last week for his remarks that Banerjee cannot be trusted and that she might go with the BJP. "Vo hamarey ladaku sipahi hain (combative solider)," he said about Chowdhury, who has only intensified his offensive against the West Bengal chief minister by alleging that she has used violence to crush the Congress in the state and has been helping the BJP. Asked if the Congress was making the same mistake with Chowdhury as it had made with Banerjee in 1998 when she had quit the party to form her own protesting its coyness in the face of Left "atrocities" on party cadres in Bengal, Kharge told PTI, "I do not want to speak about an individual. He is a combative soldie

Odisha has made up mind for change, difficult for BJD to survive: PM Modi

Eyeing major gains for the BJP in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he is witnessing a high intensity of anti-incumbency against the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal, making it very difficult for the regional party to survive. In the eastern state for another day of hectic campaigning, Modi told PTI Videos in an interview late Sunday that people have made up their mind for a change in Odisha, where the assembly polls are being held alongside the parliamentary elections. People will vote positively for the BJP in choosing a government at the Centre, he said, adding that a section of society will do negative voting due to the anti- incumbency for the state government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Modi said, "We will win the elections on the basis of people's faith. Even though we don't have a big face, we are still the second largest party in the Assembly. In Lok Sabha also, we have been at number two. My party has worked very hard in the last five years to reach ...

LS polls: Voters cast their votes early in Phase 5 to avoid scorching heat

Monday's phase has the least number of seats being contested, with 89.5 million voters set to choose representatives for 49 seats

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 11 am?

In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 49 out of 543 constituencies went to polls in six states and two Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4