Page 89 - Lok Sabha Elections

Congress' Indore candidate Akshay Bam withdraws nomination, joins BJP

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Akshay Kanti Bam, the Congress candidate from Indore, withdrew his nomination on Monday

LS polls highlights: Opposition using fake videos to create social discord, says PM Modi

General Elections 2024 news updates: Catch all the latest news on the Lok Sabha polls here

UPA tenure lost decade, India's growth not arithmetic inevitability: FM

Calling the ten years of UPA tenure India's lost decade because of bad policies and corruption, Sitharaman said growth in GDP does not happen automatically and requires a lot of effort

36 out of 266 LS poll candidates in Gujarat face criminal cases: ADR data

Thirty six out of the 266 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat have criminal cases against them, with some also facing attempt to murder and dacoity charges, as per an analysis of their affidavits by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Elections to 25 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7. The BJP candidate from Surat seat has already been declared elected unopposed. "Out of the 266 candidates, 36, or 14 per cent, have criminal charges against them, as per details provided by them in the affidavits. Out of them, 21, or 8 per cent, have serious criminal cases against them," ADR's Gujarat coordinator Pankti Jog told reporters here on Monday. Serious criminal cases are those which attract a maximum punishment of 5 years or more, are non-bailable, related to murder, rape, kidnapping, bribery, assault, causing loss to the exchequer, crimes against women, hate speech, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, she said. Among the majo

123 of 1,352 candidates in third phase of Lok Sabha polls are women: ADR

Only 9 per cent of the 1,352 candidates contesting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections are women while 18 per cent have declared criminal cases against themselves, the ADR said in a new report. Seven candidates have also declared prior convictions, according to an analysis of details of candidates contesting the elections in the third phase by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and The National Election Watch. The third phase of the elections will be held on May 7. Among the 244 candidates with criminal records, five face charges related to murder while 24 have been booked in cases of attempted murder. Additionally, 38 candidates have been linked to crimes against women and 17 declared cases related to hate speech. The analysis, based on the self-sworn affidavits of the 1,352 candidates, has shed light on trends in criminality and wealth accumulation among political aspirants. The prevalence of criminal cases varies significantly across major political parties

Lok Sabha elections: Smriti Irani files nomination from Amethi seat

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Monday filed nomination papers from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Irani filed her nomination papers in two sets before District Election Officer Nisha Anant. Accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other BJP leaders, Irani held a 3-km roadshow, which started from the BJP office in Gauriganj, before filing her papers. The roadshow ended about 200 metres from the collectorate, as per the orders of the district magistrate. Uttar Pradesh minister Mayankashwar Sharan Singh and Irani's husband Zubin Irani also participated in the roadshow. Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, Irani said, "With the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I got the opportunity to serve Amethi five years ago. I could achieve in five years what was not possible in 50 years." Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi from 2004 to 2019, Irani said, "There was a time when due to the missing MP, the fa

Express unhappiness over abrogation of Art 370 through your votes: Mehbooba

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti asked the voters of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday to register their unhappiness over the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution through their votes in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Addressing a roadside meeting in the Larkipora area of Anantnag district, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, "This is not an Assembly election. This is not about whether the PDP, the National Conference or the Congress will win. This election is about sending a message that the decisions taken in 2019 and what followed are not acceptable to the people." The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370, which gave special rights to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories. Mufti said Jammu and Kashmir has been through very tough times in the past and the present situation is also a difficult one. "The people of Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed tough times in the past. Those di

LS polls: Smriti Irani files nomination from Amethi after holding roadshow

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Monday filed nomination papers from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other leaders, Irani held a road show from the BJP office in Gauriganj before filing her papers. The road show was stopped about 200 metres before the collectorate as per the orders of the district magistrate. Uttar Pradesh minister Mayankashwar Sharan Singh and Irani's husband Zubin Irani also participated in the road show. Irani had won the seat, regarded as the stronghold of the Gandhi family, by defeating Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2019. The Congress has not yet announced its candidate from the seat, though partymen here believe that Rahul Gandhi will contest from the seat again. Amethi is scheduled to go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 20.

SC extends stay on proceedings in hate speech case against K Annamalai

The Supreme Court on Monday extended the stay on the trial of a criminal case lodged against Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai for allegedly delivering a hate speech against Christians in an interview to a YouTube channel in October 2022. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta asked the complainant to file his response within six weeks. "Interim order to continue. Re-list the matter in the week commencing September 9," the bench said. At the outset, the bench noted that it is a private complaint and the state has not been made party in the matter. Senior advocate Indira Jaisingh, appearing for the complainant, V Piyush, informed that it is a private complaint and sought some time to file the counter-affidavit. The proceedings in the criminal case against Annamalai were stayed by the top court on February 26. After perusing the transcript of the statements given in the interview, the bench had observed, "Prima facie, there is no hate speech. No case is made out."

PM Modi invoking Goebbels while speaking about Cong Nyay Patra: Ramesh

The Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking inspiration from Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels while speaking about the party's Nyay Patra for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "For his MA in Entire Political Science, Mr. Narendra Modi must definitely have read Joseph Goebbels on the value of propaganda and taken inspiration from him." He noted that Goebbels had stated that "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Ramesh said he also wrote in 1941 that "The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big and stick to it." Goebbels was the propaganda minister of German ruler Adolf Hitler. "In his latest interview to a TV channel, which is being headlined, the outgoing PM has yet again blatantly, brazenly and shamelessly lied about the Congress's Nyay Patra. It once again proves that Mr.Modi's motto has always been 'Asatyameva Jayate.' Tr

Congress planning religion-based quota, will not let this happen: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of planning religion-based reservation in the country for the sake of vote bank politics, but asserted that he will not let it happen. He said this Congress proposal is to appease minorities as the SC/ST and OBC community is now with the BJP. "In Karnataka, Congress has started a campaign to change the Constitution and to snatch away the rights of SC/ST and OBCs. Our Constitution does not accept religion-based reservation. But the Karnataka government has given part of OBC reservation to Muslims," Modi said. Addressing a mega election rally in this district headquarters town, he said, "they (Congress) will not settle with this. They had earlier too in their manifesto said about coming out with a law to provide religion-based reservation. There is a similar signal in their manifesto this time." "I want to make my Dalit, SC/ST and OBC brothers and sisters aware about Congress' intentions. These people on the basis of ...

SC refuses plea seeking postponement of CA exams scheduled in May

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking postponement of certain papers of the Chartered Accountancy (CA) exams scheduled for May on account of the Lok Sabha polls. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has not fixed the examination on election dates. It noted that the general elections to the Lok Sabha are to be held on May 7 and 13 and no exam has been scheduled for May 6 and May 12. Altering the examination date would disrupt the extensive arrangements already in place for the conduct of the examination and it could result in grave injustice for some students, it said. The scheduling of exams pertains to policy decisions, it said while refusing to entertain the PIL. But weighing the importance of the right to vote we have examined the position of candidates who shall be appearing for exams and would also need to vote. 591 centres are there and

Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana files nomination from Gandey assembly seat

Jailed Jharkhand ex-CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana on Monday filed her nomination as the JMM candidate from Gandey assembly seat in the state. Bypoll to the seat is scheduled on May 20 along with the parliamentary elections in the state. The seat in Giridih district fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad. Kalpana, 48, was accompanied by Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and brother-in-law Basant Soren, among others, when she filed her papers. Kalpana, a homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, completed her school education from Baripada in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district and obtained her engineering and MBA degrees from separate institutions in Bhubaneswar. Her political journey began at the 51st foundation day celebration of the JMM in Giridih district on March 4, when she claimed that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019 and that Jharkhand will give a befitting r

Amit Shah hits out at INDIA bloc considering 'one year one PM' formula

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc has not projected its PM face for the 2024 general elections

PM Modi opens up on 'inheritance tax', Rahul's 'X-ray' remarks: Details

PM Modi, during a recent interview, rejected the proposal of introducing an inheritance tax while slamming the wealth redistribution ideology

LS polls: Smriti Irani holds roadshow in Amethi before filing nomination

As part of her campaign activities, the BJP leader rode a scooter, a day before filing her nomination through various localities, greeting residents and seeking their support.

LS polls: Rajnath Singh holds roadshow in Lucknow before filing nomination

Lucknow will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Rajnath Singh will face Samajwadi Party candidate Ravidas Mehrotra from this seat

'Zero electricity bill, surplus power': PM Modi's goals for Viksit Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal for Viksit Bharat 2047 includes slashing electricity bills to zero by facilitating the adoption of rooftop solar panels in every household

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Phase 2 voter turnout

Phase 2 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 concluded in 88 constituencies across 13 States and Union Territories on April 26. Here is a look at state-wise voter turnout recorded in Phase 2

LS polls: This party wants to be voice of 'mard' to defend their honour

Unlike other political parties, winning or losing elections does not matter to the Mera Adhikaar Rashtriya Dal (MARD), which has jumped into the electoral battle to be the voice of the mard' and to defend men's honour. MARD has lost deposits on all seats it has contested so far since it was formed in 2018 but its leaders say they are undeterred by elections losses. The party has released its MANifesto' for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls with the slogan "Beton ke samman me, mard' utre maidan me" (In honour of sons, men have stepped on to the battleground). The party has so far announced candidates for three seats - Lucknow, Ranchi and Gorakhpur. The MARD party has previously contested in seven different elections Lok Sabha polls in Varanasi and Lucknow in 2019, bypoll in Bangarmau assembly seat in 2020, assembly polls in Bareilly, Lucknow North, Bakshi Ka Talab (Lucknow) and Chauri Chaura seats in 2022. "We have jumped into the fray in honour of men, to raise the voice for those who