Page 77 - Lok Sabha Elections

PM Narendra Modi offers prayers at Ram temple in Ayodhya, holds roadshow

Modi's Ayodhya visit coincided with the conclusion of the campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, in which polling for 93 seats will be held on Tuesday

TDP quitting NDA in 2018 not a mistake, says ex-Minister Ashok

Telugu Desam Party quitting NDA in 2018 was not a mistake, senior party leader and former Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju has said. The regional party rejoining the alliance (NDA) was justified as BJP is saying it would do "something" for Andhra Pradesh, he added. The scion of the Vizianagaram royal family said he did not retire from politics, but only chose not to contest the ongoing polls due to health reasons. His daughter Aditi is vying for the Vizianagaram Assembly seat taking on the present YSR Congress legislator Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy. Aditi is likely to face headwinds to some extent as former TDP MLA Meesala Geetha is contesting as an independent after being denied ticket by the former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu-led party. "I don't think it (TDP leaving NDA in 2018) was a mistake. Because what had happened at that time (was that), there were certain commitments made in the legislation (AP Reorganisation Act) which needed to be attended to. Cert

Lok Sabha polls Phase 3: 93 seats go to polls on May 7; all details here

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Seats contested by key candidates Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Supriya Sule, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Dimple Yadav, & Pralhad Joshi, will go to polls on May 7

Vehicles vandalised outside Amethi Congress office, party accuses BJP

Lok Sabha Polls: Congress has fielded KL Sharma from the Amethi seat against the incumbent MP Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Raebareli

LS polls 2024: PM Modi to address two poll rallies in Andhra Pradesh today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two NDA election meetings in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, featuring alliance partners N Chandrababu Naidu from the TDP and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan. The first meeting is scheduled in the afternoon at Vemagiri in Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari district, followed by another one later in the day at Anakapalli. "The Prime Minister is expected to land at Rajamahendravaram airport around noon. He will address his first meeting here at 3:30 pm and then proceed to Anakapalli for the second meeting scheduled at 5:30 pm," a BJP leader said. The PM's meetings , titled "Prajagalam" (people's voice) in the southern state follow the first NDA poll rally at Boppudi village in Palnadu district on March 17, in the run-up to the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on May 13. State BJP chief D Purandeswari is contesting from the Rajamahendravaram Lok Sabha seat. She will take on the YSRCP's G Srinivasulu. The saffron party's C M Ramesh is fighting

LS polls: PM Modi begins two-day Odisha visit, to address 2 rallies today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday night to lead the BJP's campaign for its candidates on Monday, officials said. Modi was received by senior BJP leaders including party's Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Modi was seen flashing a lotus symbol to people who were standing on both sides of the road connecting the airport with Raj Bhavan. He is likely to visit Shree Lingaraj temple in the city on Monday morning, sources said. The PM is scheduled to address two election rallies in Berhampur and Nabarangpur on Monday. Sarangi said Modi will again visit Odisha on May 10 and hold a road show here. He will address an election rally in Bolangir on May 11, she added. Modi arrived at the state capital hours after BJP president J P Nadda left the city after releasing the party's manifesto ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections to be held between May 13 and June 1.

LS polls 2024: First-time voters in Delhi at 243,000, says poll body

The number of first-time voters in Delhi has risen to 2.43 lakh, the Chief Electoral Officer's office said on Sunday, citing the latest data. The final electoral roll published on January 22 had shown a significant increase in the number of first-time voters in Delhi to 1.47 lakh, it said in a statement. "The latest data reveals a remarkable increase from 1,47,074 (1.47 lakh) to approximately 2.43 lakh first-time voters enlisted in the voting list. The CEO (Chief Electoral Officer) hoped that the final figure would increase up to approximately 2.50 lakh after publication of the supplementary electoral roll," the Delhi poll body said. "This achievement stands as a testament to the effective implementation of voter awareness campaigns, targeting the youth demographic," it added. The concerted efforts of Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities have sparked a significant surge in youth voter registration across Delhi, the poll body said. SVEEP ...

Madhya Pradesh farmers struggle to make the most of soaring wheat prices

In poll season, dwindling wheat production is a matter of political debate

Fiscal prudent Odisha faces many challenges on socioeconomic front

In last decade, it has consistently remained a revenue-surplus state, allowing govt to invest in asset generation, introduce welfare schemes. But its socio-economic indicators leave much to be desired

Little room: Businesses struggle for expansion in Kolhapur and Sangli

Stifled growth: Businesses grapple with land shortage and soaring power tariffs

26-0 hat-trick in Gujarat? BJP upbeat but Congress sees opening

Nivedita Mookerji, who visited Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, and industrial hubs Dholera and Sanand, sums up the mood in Gujarat ahead of the May 7 polls

Lok Sabha elections: Modi missing, it is Pawar vs Pawar in Baramati

The electoral battle here is shaped by a slew of local factors as well as the ongoing tussle between the two Pawar factions

Highlights: BJP will ensure reservation for SC, ST, OBC; even if one BJP MP in Parliament, says Shah

From Congress' star campaigners list for Lok Sabha elections to PM Modi's roadshow in Ayodhya, catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Seeking votes on basis of AAP govt's work in two years: Punjab CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said he is seeking votes on the basis of the work done by the AAP government during its two years at the helm. Addressing a gathering in support of the AAP's Anandpur Sahib candidate Malvinder Singh Kang in Mohali, Mann said around 43,000 government jobs have been provided in two years. People are getting free electricity (up to 300 units per month) and canal water is being supplied to farmers for irrigation, he said. "We are seeking votes on the basis of the work done in the last two years," the chief minister said. "Aam Aadmi clinics have been set up where people are getting free medical treatment and medicine," he added. Mann claimed big companies such as Tata Steel are investing in the state and added that setting up of new industrial units will generate employment opportunities. He added he wants Punjab's youngsters to become "job-givers" instead of "jobseekers". "You (youngsters) set up factories here. Start your own work. The

Blue corner notice issued against Prajwal Revanna: K'taka HM Parameshwara

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Sunday said a Blue Corner notice has been issued and Interpol's help is being taken to bring NDA's Hassan Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna, who is facing sexual harassment cases, back to India. A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime. The minister said the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the sex scandal will decide on how to bring Prajwal back. "Already Blue Corner notice has been issued. The Interpol will inform all the countries and locate him," Parameshwara told reporters here. Appreciating the work of SIT, formed to probe the case, he said the team is doing its job and has acted as per law on the complaints it has received. He recalled it has arrested the 'accused,' apparently referring to Prajwal's father HD Revanna, who was apprehended in an abduction

Devender Yadav takes charge as Delhi Cong Prez, says will win all LS seats

The turbulence in the Delhi Congress started after its chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from Congress and joined Bharatiya Janata Party

Kangana campaign: Visiting temples, taking selfie requests, jabbing rivals

Actor Kangana Ranaut, who is the first Bollywood celebrity to contest Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh, has been maintaining a distance with the media during campaign but has been welcoming to common voters: dancing with them at times, interacting in their dialects and obliging to their selfie requests. She has so far been concentrating on small gatherings and roadshows, where people first try to get a glimpse of her from close quarters and then potentially get clicked with the "Queen" star. Selfies and group photos with the actor, who has been fielded by the BJP from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, are in vogue as it is the first time a celebrity is contesting elections in Himachal Pradesh. Videos of Ranaut, who hails from Mandi, dancing with local women and sweeping temple premises during her campaign have gone viral. To forge an instant connect, she often interacts with her prospective voters in their dialects and emphasises that she a daughter of Mandi. Known for her unfilt

PM Modi heading towards 400 seat mark after 3rd phase of LS polls: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday exuded confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be heading towards the 400-seat mark after the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. He also opined that the number of seats gained by the BJP after the first two rounds of polling would have crossed 100. Addressing an NDA rally here, Shah accused the ruling YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh of encouraging corruption and crime in Andhra Pradesh. Mocking INDI Alliance partners, Shah said none of the INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were fit to lead the country, while on the other hand, the whole country has decided to make Modi the Prime Minister for the third time. Taking a dig at the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government, he said the BJP, Telugu Desam Party, and actor Pawan Kalyan-led Janasena forged an alliance to bring to an end the alleged rule of goondas and criminals, rampant corruption and sand mafia in the state and to make Amravati the capital of Andhra Pradesh once

LS polls: Priyanka to spearhead Congress' campaign in Rae Bareli, Amethi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead the Lok Sabha poll campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi, and camp in these parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh from Monday to ensure the party's victory in the two high-profile seats, according to sources. Ending days of suspense, the Congress on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will fight from Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi has already taken command of the campaigns and will remain camped in Rae Bareli and Amethi from Monday onwards, till the end of polls. She will campaign aggressively to ensure the victory of her brother Rahul Gandhi and Sharma, sources told PTI. With Rahul Gandhi campaigning across India, Priyanka Gandhi has taken it upon herself to take charge of the campaigns in the two family bastions. The Congress has resolved to ensure ...

Cong govt in Karnataka to give financial aid to Prajwal rape victims

The Congress government in Karnataka will provide financial assistance to those allegedly sexually assaulted by JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, the national party said on Sunday. Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala made this announcement at a press conference here in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had demanded that appropriate action be taken against the accused. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced financial assistance to the rape victims who are in hundreds, since it is a unique case which has never happened in the last 75 years," Surjewala said. Prajwal, the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, is the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and nephew of former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. He is wanted in a case pertaining to rape and molestation after hundreds of explicit videos allegedly came out in open. Flanked by ...