Page 7 - Lok Sabha Elections

Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as LS member: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as the Lok Sabha member, amid a controversy after he won the Mumbai North West seat by a thin margin of 48 votes. The Vanrai police in Mumbai have registered a case against Waikar's brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon (which is part of Waikar's constituency) on June 4, when results of the general elections were announced. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Waikar's electoral victory is under suspicion, and a complaint has already been filed at the Vanrai police station in Mumbai. Due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the poll outcome, Waikar should be prevented from taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha." "It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," he added. Waikar, candidate of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekn

Political uproar over EVM 'unlocking'; Elon Musk joins debate. Key points

After claims that a relative of a Shiv Sena candidate used a phone to 'unlock' an EVM during vote counting, the poll body denied the allegations. Elon Musk's tweet on EVM hacking sparked a debate

Here's why opposition in India must offer people a credible alternative

India's electorate has clearly tired of giving Modi a free hand. Voters reduced the BJP to a minority in Parliament in the recent elections

Our govt has fulfilled 45% promises made in 'Sankalp Patra': Rajasthan CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said Sunday his government has fulfilled 45 per cent of the promises made in the BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' ahead of the election. He said the empowerment of youths, farmers and women and the welfare of the poor through policies and schemes are priority areas for his government. Sharma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 17th instalment of the Kisan Samman Nidhi soon after assuming office in his third term. The country will be prosperous and happy only with the prosperity of farmers, he added. The chief minister was addressing the felicitation ceremony of Union Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Chaudhary in Kishangarh. He said the Rajasthan government is working for the all-round development of all sections. "Our government has sped up work on the ERCP project in view of the water requirement of eastern Rajasthan," Sharma added. He said work is underway to give concrete shape to the Yamuna Water Agreement for the Shekhawat

EVMs in India are 'black box', nobody allowed to scrutinise them: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said EVMs in India are a "black box" which nobody is allowed to scrutinise, and asserted that "serious concerns" are being raised about transparency in India's electoral process. "Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," Gandhi said and tagged a media report which claimed that a relative of Shiv Sena's candidate, who won the polls from Mumbai's north west by 48 votes, had a phone that unlocks an EVM. The former Congress president also tagged the post on X by Elon Musk in which he talked about eliminating EVMs. "We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk had said in his post. The opposition parties have been raising concerns over EVMs for some time now and had demanded a 100 per cent count of the VVPAT slips which was not allowed.

Popularised by Rahul Gandhi, pocket version of Constitution drawing fancy

Measuring roughly 20 centimetres in length and nine centimetres in breadth, a leather-bound copy of the Constitution, which was frequently flashed by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha elections has a deep Lucknow connection thanks to its publishers, who first printed it in 2009. And if publishers Eastern Book Company are to be believed, people have started showing more interest in the coat pocket edition of the Constitution after Gandhi pulled it out on several occasions during the campaign. Sumeet Malik, one of the directors of the Eastern Book Company, told PTI that the idea of printing a court pocket edition came from Supreme Court advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who suggested that they should publish a version that fits easily in the lawyers' court pockets. "The first edition was launched in 2009 and there have been about 16 editions of this book, which have been published so far. And over the years, these copies have been purchased by many lawyers and

Mayawati ignored Bahujan movement: BSP founding member RK Chaudhary

Newly elected Samajwadi Party (SP) MP R K Chaudhary, one of the founders of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has claimed BSP chief Mayawati has been ignoring the Bahujan movement which has led to her party's rout in these Lok Sabha polls. Now, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is taking forward the Bahujan movement, demanding social equality for backward castes and disadvantaged communities, with the slogan of 'PDA' (backward, Dalit and minority), said Chaudhary, a four-time MLA and former state minister who is counted among Uttar Pradesh's prominent Dalit leaders. In a conversation with PTI, Choudhary, who has been elected MP from the Mohanlalganj seat on an SP ticket, discussed among other things the BSP's falling graph and what future holds for the party founded by Kanshi Ram. According to him, the core Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh has become leaderless at the moment, but in the coming times, the SP will carry forward the flame of Bahujanism awakened by Kanshi Ram. When asked about the .

MVA's Lok Sabha election victory is beginning, not end, says Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said the victory of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra is the beginning and not the end, and expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will win the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, was addressing a joint press conference of the MVA members in south Mumbai, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan also spoke. The three parties also held a preliminary meeting for the state assembly polls scheduled later this year. Thackeray said people of the state showed how hollow the myth of Bharatiya Janata Party's invincibility is. "Lok Sabha poll victory for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is not the end, it is the beginning," the former chief minister said. Congress leader Chavan said after the Lok Sabha poll results, change of government was imminent in Maharashtra. Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Pawar sai

Former CMs Kumaraswamy and Bommai quit as MLAs after winning LS polls

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai, who have been elected as MPs in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, on Saturday resigned as members of the state Legislative Assembly. Kumaraswamy and Bommai submitted their resignations to Assembly Speaker U T Khader at his office here, an official statement said. While Kumaraswamy represented Channapatna Assembly segment Bommai was an MLA from Shiggaon seat. Kumaraswamy, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Mandya constituency, is now Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries in Prime Minister Narendra Modi- led cabinet, while Bommai represents Haveri Lok Sabha seat. With both these Assembly seats now falling vacant, the Election Commission will have to announce by-polls to these segments.

LS poll results: BJP's arrogance, pride crushed, says TMC's Abhishek

Hailing the Lok Sabha elections as that of "protest, resistance and revenge", senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said the poll results have "crushed BJP's arrogance and pride into dust". He also accused the saffron party of "abusing central agencies, corrupting the judiciary, gagging the media and manipulating the Election Commission to cling to power". In a Facebook post late on Friday night after meeting party workers and common people in his Diamond Harbour constituency, from where he was re-elected by a record margin of over 7 lakh votes, the TMC national general secretary said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be etched in golden letters in history as 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar). "The 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar) will be etched in golden letters in the history. This Lok Sabha election was one of 'protibaad, protirodh and protishodh' (protest, resistance and revenge). BJP's arrogance, pride, and backbone have been crushed into dust," he said. Altho

After Rahul expresses dilemma over LS seats, Kerala's Cong chief drops hint

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi assured his supporters that both the Wayanad and Rae Bareli constituencies would be content with his final decision

Modi would have lost if Priyanka had contested polls from Varanasi: Rahul

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that had his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested the Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have lost by two or three lakh votes. Rahul Gandhi was addressing a rally to thank the people of Rae Bareli and Amethi for the Congress victories in the two constituencies. Gandhi won from Rae Bareli, and a family confidant K L Sharma from adjoining Amethi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi also attended the rally. In a jibe at the BJP for its defeat in the Lok Sabha seat of Faizabad, which covers the Ayodhya district, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignored the common people and gave top industrialists and other personalities prominence during the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, and the masses taught the party a lesson. "Not only in Ayodhya, in Varanasi too the prime minister virtually had a narrow escape. ...had she (Priyanka Gandhi) contested from Varanasi, the prime minister of Indi

Will Priyanka Gandhi mark her electoral debut from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat?

In the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Rahul Gandhi contested and won both Wayanad and Raebareli constituency, however, will have to give up one of the seats as per the rules

Lok Sabha to get LoP after 10 yrs, Oppn hopes deputy speaker gets elected

With the INDIA bloc parties' numbers increasing in the 18th Lok Sabha, the lower house is set to get a leader of the opposition (LoP) after ten years, and opposition leaders also hope that a deputy speaker will be elected soon, a post that had been vacant for the last five years. The 17th Lok Sabha, which was dissolved on June 5, did not have a deputy speaker for its full term, and it was the second consecutive term of the lower house without an LoP. All eyes are set at the lower house which will get an LoP, and is also expected to have a deputy speaker, a post which usually goes to the opposition ranks. While the INDIA bloc has not yet held any coordination meeting on its strategy for the Parliament, an opposition leader said they will mount pressure that the deputy speaker's post is not left vacant this time. "The BJP government has been rejected by people, they did not elect any deputy speaker in last five years... Hope they have learnt a lesson and will elect a deputy speaker t

Which way the Sangh blows

Occasional lovers' tiffs have marked the history of RSS-BJP relations. To think that Nagpur will bring about any change in leadership is a misreading of both its intent and its power

BJP leader seeks Maha minister's expulsion, claims he backed Cong candidate

A BJP leader has demanded the expulsion of Maharashtra Minister Abdul Sattar, alleging that he had supported the Congress candidate in the Jalna seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. In a letter to BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday, the party's Sillod city unit chief Kamlesh Katariya alleged that Shiv Sena leader Sattar and his supporters had helped Congress candidate Kalyan Kale, who defeated former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve by a margin of over one lakh votes in Jalna. The ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Katariya claimed that Sattar, who represents Sillod in the state assembly, had worked against (the BJP candidate) in his segment, which is part of Jalna Lok Sabha constituency. "The BJP has a voter base in Sillod, and Sattar is trying to finish off the party here. False cases are registered against party workers," he alleged in the ...

Elected from two constituencies, Sikkim CM Tamang vacates Soreng-Chakung

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday announced his decision to vacate Soreng-Chakung assembly constituency and continue to represent Rhenock seat. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha supremo was elected from the two seats in the assembly elections. The SKM swept the polls, winning 31 of the 32 constituencies. In a Facebook post, Tamang said, "I apologise to the people of Soreng-Chakung constituency as I have decided to step aside, allowing an honest and loyal party functionary to serve you as your legislator." The announcement came a day before the SKM supremo was bound to take a decision as per the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, under Section 67/A, which mandates that one of the two constituencies must be relinquished within 14 days of the announcement of results. "Tomorrow, 15th June, marks the last day for this decision. Thus, with a heavy heart, I must make this crucial announcement, today," Tamang, the senior-most MLA in the assembly serving a seventh straight term, ...

Looking to contest 20 assembly seats in Maha, says BJP-Sena ally Kadu

Prahar Janashakti Party (PJP) chief Omprakash Kadu on Thursday said his outfit, an ally of the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition, was looking to contest 20 of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra where state polls are due in October. Kadu, whose outfit is a part of the ruling Mahayuti but still fielded its candidate against BJP's Navneet Rana in the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, said the PJP is assessing whether it can contest 20 seats independently or with an alliance with another outfit. "We are strong in 20 seats and we are working on it over the last one year. We have started preparations. With whom we will contest the seats will be decided later. We will be assessing whether we can contest the 20 seats independently or with someone," Kadu said. The former state minister informed the party is planning to soon hold a conclave of its workers at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra to discuss the issue. Asked whether he will quit the Mahayuti, he said, "There is no ...

AAP leaders review LS poll results, pledge to work harder for next election

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders discussed the results of the Lok Sabha elections and pledged that they would work harder for the next general elections, a party leader said on Thursday. AAP fought at 22 Lok Sabha seats and managed to win just three in Punjab. Despite an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, it lost all the four seats it contested at the hands of the BJP. "AAP definitely got fewer seats than expected, but the game is not over yet. We will come with new energy in the next election," AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said. He said that the decision of the people of Delhi was a top priority for the party. We acknowledged that "there must have been some shortcomings in our hard work" and pledged to work harder to win next time. Pathak said Assembly elections in Haryana and Delhi and by-elections in Punjab were the next goals of the party. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that the top party leaders, including national convener and Delhi Chief Minist

SAD reflects on LS poll outcome, reposes faith in Badal's leadership

Amid voices emerging within the party calling for a change at the top, the Shiromani Akali Dal core committee Thursday held a detailed discussion on its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, and reposed full faith in Sukhbir Singh Badal's leadership SAD leader Charanjit Singh Brar wrote an open letter to party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, suggesting him to form a committee in the larger interests of the party. The Badal-led SAD faced a drubbing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it could manage to win only the Bathinda parliamentary constituency out of total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. The SAD also saw a drop in its vote share from 27.45 percent in 2019 to 13.42 percent in 2024 polls. The meeting of SAD's core committee, which is the party's top decision making body, started at 3 pm and continued till 9:30 pm. In a statement, the party said the core committee held a prolonged and in-depth discussion on the prevailing political situation in the state, including analysis and introspection of