Page 46 - Lok Sabha

Zero electricity bill, tax tweaks: Govt's 100-day agenda, budget wish list

From a long-term perspective, however, the focus, Mirae Asset said, would be on infrastructure development, farm laws, skill development, and creating employment

Modi 'Jhoothon Ka Sardar', says Congress chief Kharge at Haryana rally

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'Jhoothon Ka Sardar' and claimed that the BJP wanted to end democracy. Addressing his first rally in Haryana, Kharge said people are fed up with the BJP. "There are a few people who say 'Modi, Modi'. He is a 'jhoothon ka sardar' (King of liars). Still you say 'Modi Modi'. I do not want to abuse anyone and I am not against Modi. But I am certainly against Modi's ideology and am fighting against it," Kharge said in the state's Jagadhri city. He said the Congress is fighting against the ideology of RSS -- a Hindu right body and the ideological parent of the BJP. "You are snatching the Constitution and we are fighting against it. You want to end democracy and we are fighting it," Kharge said. "Modi ji, you feel that you are smart. People of this country are smarter than you. People are fighting against you," he added. Kharge said the current fight is between the people and Modi, and the people and th

LS polls: INDIA bloc communal, casteist and dynastic, says PM Modi in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday alleged that the INDIA bloc was communal, casteist and dynastic, and all constituents of the alliance displayed these evils to a "severe" degree, "cent per cent". Modi launched the blistering attack at rallies in Mahrajganj and Purvi Champaran Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar, where he also predicted a "big blow" for the opposition alliance that stood for corruption, appeasement politics and "perverted anti-Sanatan mindset", on June 4 when Lok Sabha poll results would be out. The PM, who is seeking a third consecutive term in office, also underscored that he was leaving no "viraasat (inheritance)" since he considered the people of the country as his only "waaris (successor)". Modi also charged the RJD-Congress combine for having made Bihar, which gave India its first president Rajendra Prasad, infamous for extortion. He lambasted the Nehru-Gandhi family, which he referred to as "Congress' royal family", for "keeping mum" over controversial .

Tsunami-like wave for BJP in UP, NDA to win 75-80 seats: Sunil Bharala

Upbeat about BJP's "tsunami-like wave" in Uttar Pradesh due to schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala and Ayushman Bharat, party leader Sunil Bharala has predicted the NDA will win 75 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of BJP's Lok Sabha campaign here, Bharala said the slogan of 'abki baar, 400 paar' given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not merely a slogan, but a resolution. "It's a complete wave like a tsunami (for BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and we (NDA) are going to get 75 out of the 80 seats in the state," he said. In the 2019 parliamentary polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) had bagged two constituencies. In 2014, the BJP had won 71 seats while Apna Dal (Sonelal) had secured victory in two constituencies. "Through the PM Awas Yojana, we have provided homes to 80 lakh people in the state and you can't even imagine how popular the schemes of Ujjwala gas, toilets, Ayushman

LS polls: BJP has won 310 seats after 5 phases of voting, says Shah

Claiming that the BJP has bagged 310 seats after the completion of five phases of the Lok Sabha polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday urged the people of Odisha to free the state from babu-raj and allow the BJP to form government at the Centre and also in the state. Addressing an election rally in Sambalpur where the BJP has fielded Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Shah said this time lotus, the party's symbol, will bloom in Odisha. After the fifth phase of polls, the BJP has already bagged 310 seats. We will secure 400 plus seats after the sixth and seventh rounds of polls," He also alleged that the state has been ruled by a "handful of officers" and this election will end the ongoing babu raj in the state. Shah also accused the BJD government of insulting Odisha's pride, language, culture and tradition. The BJD government wants to convert the Jagannath temple to a commercial centre. The mutts and temples have been destroyed and all four gates of the temple are yet to

LS polls: INDIA bloc approaching victory with each phase, says CM Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said with the completion of each phase of the Lok Sabha polls, it is becoming clearer that the Narendra Modi government is on its way out and the INDIA bloc is coming to power on June 4. Addressing a virtual press conference, Kejriwal said the INDIA bloc will give a stable government to the country. "With each passing poll phase, it is becoming clearer that the Modi government is on its way out and tge INDIA bloc will come to power on June 4," he said. The chief minister claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath abused him in their poll rallies held in Delhi on Monday. Attacking Shah, he said, "You have been chosen by the prime minister as your heir, so you are showing arrogance. You have not become the prime minister yet." "You said Kejriwal has no support in India and has more supporters in Pakistan. You can abuse me but do not curse the people of the country. If you curse the publi

Violence mars fifth phase of polls in Bengal, 73% voter turnout till 5 pm

Scattered incidents of violence marred the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls to seven parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, with 73 per cent of the 1.25 crore voters exercising their franchise till 5 pm on Monday, officials said. Voter turnout was lesser than the previous four phases, and also in comparison to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The final voter turnout for this election, however, will be released later. "Polling was more or less peaceful, barring a few scattered incidents of violence in some constituencies. But we took immediate steps to address those," state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab told PTI. Although no major incident was reported, scattered disturbances could not be averted despite the poll body deploying over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen, the highest number of security forces deployed in any of the phases so far in the state, the official said, adding a total of 1,992 complaints were received. Arambagh Lok

LS polls highlights: Biggest allegation I have faced is owning 250 pairs of clothes, says PM Modi

From the elections in 49 LS seats to Rahul Gandhi's warning to poll officials to abide by their oath to the constitution, catch all the latest election news here

LS polls phase 5: Over 34% polling in five seats in Bihar till 1 pm

Voting for five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar began amid tight security arrangements on Monday, a senior election official said. Polling commenced at 7 am in Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saran and Hajipur constituencies and will continue till 6 pm, the official at the CEO office said. Over 95 lakh voters in the five seats will decide the electoral fate of 80 candidates at 9,436 polling stations. Of the total voters, 45.11 lakh are women, while 21 lakh are under 29 years of age and 1.26 lakh are in the age group of 18-19 years. Notable contestants include NDA ally Chirag Paswan in Hajipur, Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, who is pitted against two-term sitting BJP MP and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, and Muzaffarpur's sitting MP Ajay Nishad, who crossed over to the Congress after being denied a BJP ticket for a third term. Sudhir Kumar Ojha, an advocate who remains in the news for his petitions against top political figures, Bollywood stars and even forei

LS polls 2024 phase 5: Nearly 42% voter turnout in Jharkhand till 1 pm

Polling for three Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand began on Monday morning, marking the second phase of elections in the state and fifth nationally, officials said. Voting began at 7 am in Chatra, Koderma and Hazaribag seats, and will continue till 5 pm. In this phase, 22 candidates are contesting from Chatra, 15 from Koderma, and 17 from Hazaribag. Approximately 58.34 lakh voters, including 28.35 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in these three constituencies. Voting also began for the Gandey assembly by-poll in the state. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said this phase covers seven districts across three parliamentary constituencies, with polling materials and parties dispatched to 65 interior booths via choppers. Kumar noted that there are a total of 6,705 booths, including 6,130 in rural areas, with 73 booths managed by women, 13 by persons with disabilities, and 13 by youths. In Chatra parliamentary constituency, there are 16.89 lakh voters, includ

LS polls: Over 48% voter turnout in 7 Bengal constituencies till 1 pm

Polling for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls commenced across seven parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal amid tight security on Monday, an official said. Voting commenced in Bangaon (SC), Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, and Arambag (SC) Lok Sabha constituencies at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. A total of 1,25,23,702 voters, comprising 63,51,320 men, 61,72,034 women, and 348 belonging to the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise across 13,481 polling stations. The Election Commission has designated over 57 per cent of the polling stations as sensitive and deployed over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen. The number of security forces deployed for this phase surpasses that of any of the four earlier phases in the state. A total of 88 candidates are contesting in the fifth phase, with the highest number of 15 candidates in Bongaon, where Union Minister Shantanu Thakur is contesting against TMC's

LS elections: Brisk polling in Baramulla as 35% polling recorded till 1 pm

Polling began on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency where 22 candidates, including former chief minister Omar Abdullah, are in the fray, officials said. Voting began at 7 am. People were seen lining up outside the polling stations to exercise their franchise in some areas of the constituency, the officials said. The constituency is spread over 18 assembly segments in the three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora, and also includes two segments of Budgam that were included on the recommendations of the delimitation commission two years ago, they said. Voting is scheduled to end at 6 pm. More than 500 centenarians are among the 17.37 lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise, with political observers expecting a high turnout on the back of the huge crowds that thronged election rallies and roadshows. The first major political battle post the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 will decide the fate of Abdullah, the National Conference ...

Rahul, Akhilesh abandon rally in Phulpur due to 'stampede-like' crowd

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders were scheduled to address a joint meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh but left without giving speeches

LS polls phase 5: Scattered incidents of violence reported in West Bengal

Scattered incidents of violence marred the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls in seven parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal on Monday, as TMC and BJP workers clashed in various parts of Barrackpore, Bongaon, and Arambagh seats. Although the poll panel has claimed that the polling has been peaceful so far, it said it has received 1,036 complaints until 11 am from different political parties alleging EVM malfunctioning and agents being stopped from entering booths. Clashes broke out between supporters of TMC and BJP in Khanakul area of Arambagh constituency as both parties clashed over stopping polling agents from entering the booths. Two live crude bombs were also recovered from the area by security personnel. "BJP goons have unleashed a reign of terror in the area and are intimidating voters," TMC candidate Mitali Bag said. BJP candidate Arup Kanti Digar rubbished the allegations and blamed the TMC for letting loose violence on the day of the polls. In neighbouring Hooghly ...

Congress Chief Kharge lauds Adhir Ranjan as party's combative soldier

Days after snubbing him for questioning the trustworthiness of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday heaped praise on West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, lauding him as a "combative soldier" of the party. Kharge had snubbed Chowdhury, five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur, last week for his remarks that Banerjee cannot be trusted and that she might go with the BJP. "Vo hamarey ladaku sipahi hain (combative solider)," he said about Chowdhury, who has only intensified his offensive against the West Bengal chief minister by alleging that she has used violence to crush the Congress in the state and has been helping the BJP. Asked if the Congress was making the same mistake with Chowdhury as it had made with Banerjee in 1998 when she had quit the party to form her own protesting its coyness in the face of Left "atrocities" on party cadres in Bengal, Kharge told PTI, "I do not want to speak about an individual. He is a combative soldie

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 11 am?

In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 49 out of 543 constituencies went to polls in six states and two Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

LS polls 2024 phase 5: 15.93% voter turnout till 11 am in Maharashtra

Polling began Monday morning for 13 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, including six in Mumbai, in the fifth and last phase of general elections in the state, an official said. Voting began at 7 am in 24,553 polling centres and will end at 6 pm, the official said. Altogether 2.46 crore persons are eligible to cast vote to decide the fate of 264 candidates in Mumbai North, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai South, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Palghar, Nashik, Dindori and Dhule seats. Union ministers Piyush Goyal , Bharati Pawar and Kapil Patil are among the key nominees of the BJP, which has also fielded lawyer Ujjwal Nikam. Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad are also in the fray. The main contest is between the ruling Mahayuti comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP). Mumbai, Thane and Palghar ...

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections 2024: What was the voter turnout at 9 am?

In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, 49 out of 543 constituencies went to polls in six states and two Union Territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

LS polls: BJP to score big in South, NDA will cross 400, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in the south, as he remained unwaveringly confident that his NDA alliance will cross 400 seats in Lok Sabha when election results come out on June 4. Our strategy for the entire nation is the same. Phir ek baar modi sarkar. Aur chaar June 400 paar, Modi said in an interview to PTI Videos on Sunday night. Modi said his opponents have created a myth that the BJP has no strength or presence in the southern states. Look at 2019 elections. The largest party even then in the south was BJP. Again, I say this: the largest party in the South this time will be BJP, and its allies will add more (seats) to it, he said. In a separate written reply to questions submitted by PTI, Modi said we will be the single largest party in Southern India and by an even bigger margin than the last time. We have seen a jump in mind-share already. We will see a big jump in seat share and vote share for us across the

Young voters set to shape India's political future in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

The rising power of young voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections: How new demographics are shaping India's political future