Page 64 - Lok Sabha Elections

How will the market react if'Abki Baar 400 Paar' doesn't happen?

It has been a volatile three-four weeks for the markets as they digested global economic and geopolitical developments. Back home, the progress of LS elections 2024 and the falling voter turnout

Congress alleges Centre undermining land acquisition act under PM Modi

The Congress on Sunday accused the central government of trying to weaken the land acquisition act since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also alleged that BJP-ruled states have weakened the law by not following its statutes and are acquiring land by violating its provisions. In a video message posted on X, he dubbed the Modi government "anti-farmer" and said farmers have not been given the price of land as prescribed by the law. The Congress general secretary said that in September 2013, when Manmohan Singh was prime minister, a progressive and historic bill was brought for land acquisition that replaced the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The main highlights of this law was a four-fold increase in the compensation amount in rural areas and two-fold hike in urban areas. There was also a provision that no land would be acquired without the consent of farmers, Ramesh claimed. Conditions were also put in place for the law to have retrospective

Preventing voters from casting votes a crime: Akhilesh Yadav warns BJP

A day before the fourth phase of polling for the general elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday warned the BJP not to come in the way of the public and said preventing voters from casting their votes is also a crime. The Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Dhaurahara, Sitapur, Hardoi, Misrikh, Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur and the Bahraich constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will go the polls on Monday. Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X, "The BJP is warned not to come in the way of the public. Preventing voters from casting their votes is also a crime. The public has come to know about the conspiracy hatched by the BJP to prevent people from casting their votes by misusing power. BJP supporters are bent on violence..." "Samajwadi Party supporters will cast their votes in the face every oppression and violence. Tomorrow (Monday), when millions of people will come out to defeat the BJP in Kannauj and all other seats, let us see how the BJP can stop them by usi

Checking a 'routine exercise', Shah's chopper was also searched: Bihar CEO

The Bihar Chief Electoral Officer on Sunday dismissed charges that checking of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's helicopter on Saturday was an "instance of targeting the opposition", asserting it was a "routine procedure" and those of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda were also searched. Kharge had addressed a couple of election rallies in the state on Saturday and his helicopter was checked by authorities at Samastipur, the venue of his first public meeting, triggering protests from his party and alliance partners. The Bihar CEO, in a social media post, said, "The allegation that only the helicopter of a leader of one national party was checked is baseless." In the post, the CEO did not mention Kharge or Congress by name but pointed out that helicopters of Shah and Nadda were similarly checked when they were in Bihar last month. "The checking of helicopters during elections follows the SOP laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The ...

BJP holds protest against Sandeshkhali videos; TMC legislator 'heckled'

BJP workers on Sunday demonstrated against the circulation of purported videos "to malign the image" of saffron party leaders in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, and allegedly heckled the local TMC legislator for spreading "misinformation" over complaints of sexual abuse, lodged by women in the area. They also beat up a local TMC activist in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district for allegedly being involved in "disseminating false information about atrocities on women" in the area. Led by BJP's Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency candidate Rekha Patra, the protestors demonstrated in front of Sandeshkhali Police station, also demanding the release of a party activist arrested in a "false dacoity" case. Patra accused police of "slapping trumped-up charges on BJP activists" in Sandeshkhali, while "turning a blind eye to the filming and circulation of fake videos" implicating her party leaders and women in the area. A section of women protestors allegedly dragged the local TMC activist fro

Battleground 2024: 96 Lok Sabha, 203 Assembly seats go to polls on Monday

Elections to all 25 of Andhra Pradesh's Lok Sabha and all 175 of its assembly seats will be held. Polling will also be held on 28 of Odisha's 146 Assembly seats and four of its 21 Lok Sabha seats

Fight for the future: BJP, Congress pull out all stops for Pune seat

The BJP won the seat in 2014 and 2019 with its candidate Girish Bapat emerging victorious

Lok Sabha polls: In chilli capital, fiery electoral battle on cards

Guntur chilli farmers await sops, Jagan bets on social sector schemes to woo voters

With 'Arvind Kejriwal's guarantees', AAP turns up the heat on BJP

AAP chief lists 10 guarantees if the INDIA bloc comes to power

Phase IV of LS polls: Most constituencies lag on key development metrics

All 96 constituencies likely to miss 2030 anaemia target for women

Lok Sabha elections: Between reserved seats and unreserved controversy

With reservation on the ropes and political consensus moving into the arena of contention

A thorn in Behenji's side: Nephew's removal signals BSP's identity crisis

Weight of leadership? With Mayawati's throne in peril, a churn in Dalit politics in UP, and allegations the BSP had become 'BJP's B-team', could eventually turn the tide

LS polls: Telangana parties' quest to find their political equilibrium

While Congress faces acid test, BJP feels pressure to prove potential, and BRS fights to stay relevant; industry pushes for MSME benefits and GST easing

Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi holds grand roadshow in Bihar's Patna

The high-voltage campaign led by the Prime Minister saw a sea of supporters, who had come to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister during the roadshow

Highlights: PM Modi addresses rally in Bengal, gives 5 guarantees to the state

Latest LIVE updates: Catch all the latest updates related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Bengal here

EC to use 160,000 EVMs for simultaneous LS, Assembly polls in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena on Sunday said 1.6 lakh new Electronic Voting Machines will be used in 46,389 polling stations for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state on May 13. Besides these, another 20 per cent more EVMs have been kept ready, he said. In a release, Meena said, "Initially, it was estimated that 1.45 lakh EVMs would be sufficient for 46,165 polling stations. However, the addition of 224 auxiliary polling stations necessitated the procurement of another 15,000 EVMs." He also noted that the Election Commission is striving to increase the polling percentage in the southern state to 83 per cent, compared to the 79.83 percentage registered during the 2019 polls. Further, he requested the voters of Andhra Pradesh to come forward and exercise their franchise, a right enshrined in the Constitution. The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh is 4.14 crore, which include 2.02 crore male voters, 2.1 crore female voters,

LS polls: Only 12% of candidates in fray in phase 5 are women, says ADR

The representation of women in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls continues to remain dismally low, as only about 12 per cent of the candidates in the fray in the fifth phase are female, according to an analysis by poll rights body ADR. The ADR analysis also showed that nearly 23 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves and about 18 per cent have serious criminal cases pending. Out of the total 695 candidates in the fifth phase on May 20, only 82 of them are women, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said. In the first phase of the elections, 135 (8 per cent) female candidates contested while 100 (8 per cent) women candidates fought in the second phase. Similarly, in the third phase of the elections, 123 (9 per cent) female candidates contested while in the fourth phase, as many as 170 (10 per cent) such candidates are in the fray. Out of the 695 candidates under scrutiny in the fifth phase, 18 per cent (122 candidates) have serious criminal cases pending, includi

Kejriwal to campaign for INDIA candidates in UP, Jharkhand, Maha next week

Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will campaign for the Lok Sabha poll candidates of the INDIA bloc parties in Lucknow, Jamshedpur and Mumbai next week. The national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will campaign in favour of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidates across the country, Sandeep Pathak, the party's national general secretary (organisation) said in a statement on Sunday. Kejriwal will campaign in Lucknow on May 15, in Jamshedpur on May 16 and in Mumbai on May 17, he added. Kejriwal, who came out of Tihar Jail earlier this week, said he will work tirelessly and campaign across the country to end the "dictatorship" of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. Pathak said the AAP leader has been working day and night for people. He is making every possible effort to ensure the victory of the INDIA bloc in the ongoing polls and will, therefore, go to different parts of the country to support the alliance partners, Pathak added. Al

LS elections: Poll-related seizures in Madhya Pradesh cross Rs 296 cr mark

Liquor, narcotics and precious metals form a major part of poll-related seizures worth more than Rs 296 crore in Madhya Pradesh since the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha elections kicked in on March 16, a senior official has said. The seizures include illegal cash of Rs 23.04 crore, 32 lakh litre liquor with a collective value of Rs 46.89 crore, 2,492 kg gold and silver costing Rs 15.15 crore, 30,227 kg narcotics with an estimated value of Rs 36.64 crore and other items of Rs 174.72 crore, state chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan told reporters. The model code of conduct came into force on March 16 when the Election Commission of India declared the schedule for seven-phase Lok Sabha polls. 191 flying squad teams (FSTs) and 257 Static Surveillance Teams were keeping a watch on inter-state and intra-state movements of goods and freebies for conducting a free and fair elections in the fourth and the last phase in MP on Monday, Rajan added. In the 2019 general elections, seizures

If you choose AAP on May 25, I won't have to go back to jail: CM Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow in Delhi on Sunday said if people choose Aam Aadmi Party on May 25, he won't have to go back to jail. Accompanied by his Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal held a roadshow in Moti Nagar in support of party's New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Somnath Bharti. "I have to go back to jail after 20 days. If you choose jhadu (AAP's symbol), I won't have to go back to jail," the chief minister said. The AAP national convenor is out on interim bail till June 1. He has to surrender on June 2. "They sent me to jail because I worked for you. The BJP does not want that work of Delhi people are done," he said. Kejriwal alleged that his insulin injections were stopped for 15 days inside TIhar jail. "If I went back to jail, the BJP would stop your work, free electricity, degrade schools and shut down hospitals and Mohalla Clinics," he charged. He also asked people to vote for Bharti since he would be available for people in need even