Page 75 - Lok Sabha Elections

Election Commission's credibility at all-time low: Kharge to INDIA partners

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge writes a letter to INDIA alliance leaders raising concerns on voting data discrepancies and registered voters' list by the ECI

LS polls: Rahul Gandhi to address two poll rallies in Jharkhand today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Jharkhand on Tuesday and address two election rallies in support of INDIA bloc candidates, a party spokesperson said. Gandhi will address his first rally at Tata College in Chaibasa, seeking votes for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Joba Manjhi for Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat. "His Chaibasa rally is scheduled at 11.30 am. Thereafter, he will address another rally at Gumla's Basia around 2 pm in support of Congress candidate Sukhdev Bhagat for Lohardaga Lok Sabha seat," party spokesperson Sonal Shanti said. Singhbhum and Lohardaga seats will go to polls on May 13 along with Khunti and Palamu. JMM has fielded Joba Manjhi as the INDIA bloc candidate in Singhbhum against BJP's Geeta Kora, who recently switched to the saffron party from Congress. In Lohardaga, Congress' Sukdhev Bhagat will contest against BJP's Samir Oraon. Gandhi had earlier stayed in Jharkhand for eight days during his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in February this year, Shanti

LS polls: Vote to save Constitution, democracy, says Cong chief Kharge

Urging people to vote in large numbers in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said they will exercise their franchise not just to elect their representatives but to decide whether they want to secure their constitutional rights or witness the nation "veer towards dictatorship". Voting is being held in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union territories in the third phase of the parliamentary polls. In a post on X, Kharge said, "Vote to save Constitution, vote to protect democracy! 11 crore people in 93 constituencies shall exercise their democratic right, not just to elect their representatives, but shall decide whether they want to secure their constitutional rights or witness our great nation veer towards dictatorship." "I sincerely urge you to choose democracy, so that our institutions can return to their independent form and are not pressed under the thumb of brute power," the Congress chief added. "We are right in the middle

Lok Sabha elections: Polling underway for 10 third-phase seats in UP

Polling began Tuesday morning for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including high-profile Mainpuri, in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Over 1.89 crore voters will seal the fate of 100 candidates in parliamentary constituencies of Sambhal, Hathras (SC), Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla and Bareilly, where polling began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm, according to the Election Commission. It is an important phase for Uttar Pradesh's Yadav family. The Samajwadi Party's (SP) Dimple Yadav is aiming to retain the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, which she won in the bypolls following the death of her father-in-law and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akshaya Yadav, the son of SP national principal general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, will try to reclaim the Firozabad seat. Aditya Yadav, the son of SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, is making his electoral debut from the Budaun constituency, which was won by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav in ...

Lok Sabha elections: Polling underway for 9 seats in Madhya Pradesh

Voting began Tuesday morning for 9 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh in the third phase of the general elections. Polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm across 20,456 polling stations, including 1,043 managed by women, an election official said. Prominent candidates include Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and former state chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh. Altogether 1.77 crore voters will decide the fate of 127 candidates who are contesting from Morena, Bhind (SC-reserved), Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh and Betul (ST-reserved) seats. These nine Lok Sabha constituencies are spread across 19 districts. Polling in Betul (ST) constituency was initially scheduled to be held in the second phase on April 26, but was deferred due to the death of a candidate. Altogether 127 candidates, including nine women, are in the fray for the third phase. At 22, Bhopal has the highest number of candidates, while Bhind has the lowest at 7. T

LS polls: Voting begins for 25 seats in Gujarat, BJP looks to repeat sweep

Polling began Tuesday morning for 25 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, and for bypolls in five assembly constituencies in the state. Voting began at 50,788 polling booths across the state at 7 am and will end at 6 pm, an official said. The BJP has already drawn first blood with Mukesh Dalal winning the Surat Lok Sabha seat unopposed after the nomination of the Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected over irregularities in the signature of proposers and other candidates withdrew. The BJP is looking to repeat its sweep of 2014 and 2019 in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Modi and Shah will cast their votes at booths in Ahmedabad city that fall under Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat. Modi will exercise his franchise at a booth in Nishan Public School in Ranip locality, while Shah will vote at Naranpura sub-zonal office in the city. As per poll officials, a total of 4.97 crore persons, comprising 2.56 crore males, 2.41 crore females and ..

Lok Sabha elections: Polling underway for 11 of 48 seats in Maharashtra

Polling began Tuesday morning for 11 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, including Baramati, where Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is pitted against Sunetra Pawar, wife of the veteran leader's estranged nephew and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Polling began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm at the 23,036 polling centres, set up for the third phase of the elections, an official said. The seats where polling is taking place are Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur and Hatkanangale. Prominent contestants also include royal scions Shahu Chhatrapati of the Congress in Kolhapur and BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara as well Union minister Narayan Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Altogether 2.09 crore persons are eligible to vote for 258 candidates in the third phase, the official said. There are 1,07,64,741 male voters, 1,02,26,946 female voters and 929 from the third gender in the third phase, he said. In the fourth .

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Gujarat among 11 territories voting in third phase

Tuesday's polling covers 93 seats in 11 states and territories, with Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and Karnataka in the south accounting for 50 seats

LS polls 2024: PM Modi casts vote, urges people to ensure record turnout

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday voted at a polling booth in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the single-phase voting for 25 seats in Gujarat. Modi reached the polling booth at Nishan Public School in Ranip locality of Ahmedabad city soon after the polling began at 7 am and cast his vote. Union minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, who is contesting to retain the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, was present when Modi reached the polling booth.

LS polls: ECI censures Jagan Mohan, Chandrababu Naidu for flouting MCC

The Election Commission on Monday censured YSRCP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), directing them to remain careful during public utterances. The poll body recognised that both the leaders have violated the provisions of the MCC by attacking each other with derogatory personal attacks during public addresses while electioneering in the southern state over the past several days. Therefore, the Commissionstrongly censures Jagan Mohan Reddy, president, YSRCP with the direction to remain careful in his public utterances in the future, said Avinash Kumar, Principal Secretary, Election Commission, in an order addressed to the chief minister. Kumar issued a similar order to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo Naidu. The Election Commission took note of Reddy hurling taunts such as habitual offender', rogue', sadist', and others at Naidu, including portraying him as a villaino

LS polls: INDIA bloc will usher 'jungle raj' if it wins, says HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday alleged that there will be jungle raj in the country if INDIA bloc partners - Congress and RJD - are voted to power. He also claimed that the cash recovery in Jharkhand proves leaders of the opposition alliance are corrupt. Addressing an election rally in favour of BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in Bihar's Samastipur district, Shah said, This is not the first time earlier Rs 350 crore was recovered from the house of a Congress MP in Jharkhand, and now the recovery of more than Rs 30 crore. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday claimed to have recovered a huge amount of "unaccounted" cash during searches at the premises of a domestic help allegedly linked to the secretary of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam. If they (INDIA bloc partners Congress and RJD) come to power, there will be a complete 'jungle raj' in the country as well as in Bihar," Shah asserted. I must tell you the NDA government will no

LS polls: Opposition remembers people only during elections, says Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged that his opponents remember the people of the state only during elections and have no sincerity towards them. Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bhawanipatna and Khariar in the Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency, Patnaik claimed that they disappeared after the elections. "Leaders of the opposition party tell lies to the people and shed crocodile tears during elections. They are only seen during elections and then they disappear," he said. He asked the people if his government's social welfare schemes were helping them, to which they responded with a loud "yes". Urging the people to vote for candidates of his party in the twin polls, he said, "Please bless Naveen Patnaik and vote twice on the conch symbol, one for the MP and another for the MLA." The chief minister was accompanied by his close aide VK Pandian, who claimed that Patnaik will take oath as the chief minister for the sixth time on June 9. He also criticised

Lok Sabha polls: Getting migrant voters back key for Satara suitors

Shinde says his priorities on getting elected will be to work for setting up an industrial estate and IT park and encourage tourism

There is no impact of elections on the market: Ashok Leyland MD & CEO

Agarwal talks about the company's capex, funding plans in EV arm Switch and growth in bus sales

Lok Sabha polls: Stagnant wages, respiratory ailments plague Firozabad

Firozabad, a hub of industry with nearly 8,000 registered units, is preparing for its moment at the polls on May 7

LS polls: Nomination process concludes in Delhi, 269 candidates file papers

The nomination process in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday, with 269 candidates filing their papers. Filing of nominations began on April 29. Among the prominent candidates who filed their nominations on Monday were the Congress' North East Delhi nominee Kanhaiya Kumar and former AAP leader Raaj Kumar Anand, who joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and is contesting from the prestigious New Delhi seat. Kumar, who is contesting against the BJP's incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari, has movable assets of Rs 8 lakh. He also has Rs 2.65 lakh in immovable assets, according to his self-sworn poll affidavit. Kumar holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Anand declared total assets of more than Rs 17 crore. He and his wife have vehicles worth Rs 51 lakh. According to data shared by the Chief Electoral Officer's office, 50 candidates -- the highest among the national capital's seven seats -- have filed their nomination papers from North East Delhi. South Delhi has the l

LS polls: In Mainpuri, a grilling test of Mulayam Singh Yadav's legacy

Mainpuri is a stronghold of other backward classes (OBCs), where of around 1 million voters, the Yadavs number around 425,000

Concerns on low voter turnout 'myth'; focus on absolute numbers: Report

Terming concerns on low voter turnout in the first two phases of 2024 general elections a "myth", an economist at the country's largest lender SBI has said comparing the absolute number of votes cast is a better way to analyse the turnout. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, the group chief economic adviser at SBI, said there has been 0.4 per cent increase in the absolute number of votes cast in the first two phases. "The unending debates propagated around supposedly low voter turnout in the first two phases of the General Elections 2024 is a myth. A better measure of votes cast is the absolute number of voters," he said in a report. The Election Commission has been working to increase the voting percentage in the remaining phases of the polls. Ghosh, who is also a part time member of the 16th Finance Commission, said the voting is about 3.1 percentage points below the trend observed in the last general elections of 2019, but was quick to add that the numbers can "swell" in the remaining 5 phases

Lok Sabha polls: Key seats, battle of prestige in Phase-III vote on Tuesday

BJP logged strong performance in these seats in last election; PM likely to cast vote at Ahmedabad

LS polls: Will remove 50% cap on caste-based reservation, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed the BJP-led NDA will not even get 150 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and that these elections were aimed at saving the Constitution which the saffron party and RSS want to change. Addressing an election rally at Jobat town in Alirajpur district under the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also said the Congress government will ensure the 50 per cent cap on reservation is removed in the interest of the people. The former Congress president again batted for a caste census, saying it will reveal everything about the status of people and change the direction of politics in the country. "BJP leaders have clearly said that they will change the book (Constitution). They have given the slogan of 'abki baar, 400 paar'. Leave aside 400, they won't even get 150 seats," Gandhi claimed. "These Lok Sabha elections are for saving the Constitution which the BJP and RSS want to scrap, change and throw away," he further ...