Page 58 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: Rajasthan records over 40% turnout in 13 constituencies till 1 pm

Over 40 percent voting was recorded till 1 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan where elections are being held in the second phase on Friday. 40.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm across the 13 parliamentary constituencies. At the same time, 51.50 percent voting took place in Bagidora assembly constituency, according to official data. The voting percentage in the first four hours in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls is above that of the first phase. The polling percentage in 12 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls on April 19 was 33.73 per cent by this time. Around 2.8 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the polls. This is the final phase of polling in Rajasthan. Voting is underway in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a bypoll is underway. The highest voter

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 2: Over 27.5% voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Tripura records the highest voter turnout, of 36.42%, till 11 am on Friday

Arvind Kejriwal's wife to lead AAP's national election campaign, seek votes

Sunita Kejriwal will begin her campaign with a road show in East Delhi constituency on Saturday

LS polls: Voter turnout in Chhattisgarh at 53.09% till 1 pm in three seats

More than 35 per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in three Lok Sabha constituencies, all having Naxalite presence, of Chhattisgarh in the second phase of general elections on Friday, an official said. Amid tight security, polling in Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituencies began at 7 am and is underway smoothly. Till 11 am, 35.47 per cent polling has been registered, a poll official said. Till 11 am, Kanker seat had recorded a 39.38 per cent turnout, Mahasamund 34.43 per cent and Rajnandgaon 32.99 per cent, he said. Among the early voters, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and former MP Abhishek Singh cast their votes in Kawardha town in Rajnandgaon seat, BJP candidate Santosh Pandey and his wife in Sahaspur-Lohara (Rajnandgaon), BJP nominee Rupkumari Chaudhary in Harratar village (Mahasamund), and BJP candidate Bhojraj Nag and his wife in Antagarh (Kanker). The polling booth at Sivni village in Balod district (Kanker se

LS polls: Over 22% polling in 14 LS seats in Karnataka till 11 am

An estimated 22.34 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in 14 constituencies in Karnataka on Friday. Long queues were seen at many polling booths, as people, especially senior citizens and morning walkers, came out to vote during the early hours of the voting, which began at 7 am. According to election officials, the voter percentage till 11 am was about 22.34 per cent. Out of 14 segments that are going to polls today, highest turnout of 30.98 per cent was recorded in Dakshina Kannada, followed by Udupi-Chikmagalur 29.03 per cent, and the least 19.21 per cent in Bangalore Central. The turnout was 19.81 per cent in Bangalore South, and 19.78 per cent in Bangalore North. In the first phase, the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance in (NDA) in September last year, in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar. Besides the three, .

LS Polls 2024: Ex-Foreign Secy Harsh Vardhan Shringla votes in Darjeeling

Darjeeling has been a BJP bastion since 2009, with the Trinamool Congress never managing to wrest the seat from the principal opposition party in the state

LS elections 2nd phase: Actor Prakash Raj casts vote in Bengaluru

The actor, clad in a red printed shirt and white trousers, arrived at his designated polling station in Bengaluru to get his finger inked

Lok Sabha polls Phase 2: BJP's Sukanta Majumdar, TMC clash at polling booth

The BJP state chief was allegedly miffed at his name being absent from the initial list, only to find later that it was there

Lok Sabha polls 2024 Phase 2: Over 9% voter turnout recorded till 9 am

Lok Sabha elections 2024: The second phase will see voting in 88 constituencies in 13 states and Union territories (UTs)

Don't be swayed by diversionary tactics, vote and save democracy: Kharge

As polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections began, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged voters to come out and vote to protect democracy from the clutches of dictatorship. In a fervent appeal to voters, he said this is not an ordinary election and they should not be swayed by any diversionary tactics. He said the Constitution should reverberate in their hearts before they push to voting button. Kharge also appealed to first time voters to come out in large numbers and vote as they were the real changemakers in this movement for democracy. "'We, the people of India' - this soul of the Constitution of India, should reverberate in your hearts and minds, before you push the voting button.Do not forget that this is not an ordinary election. It is an election to protect Democracy from the clutches of dictatorship," he said in his message on X. "To all my dear citizens, from 89 Constituencies in 13 States and UTs, do not get swayed by any diversionary tactics

Stage set for Lok Sabha elections in Ghaziabad, Noida today; 5.6 mn to vote

Gautam Buddh Nagar is set for the Lok Sabha election on Friday and around 20,000 personnel will be on polling duty to facilitate the process for more than 26.75 lakh registered voters in the constituency, according to officials. "Of the personnel on poll duty, around 11,000 are from the security, including police, paramilitary, civil force, and homeguards, while about 9,000 are administrative staff and officers who will be deployed at voting booths and stations," District Election Officer Manish Kumar Verma told PTI. There are 1,852 booths in the constituency and live web casting will be done on 931 of them, while the remaining will have provisions for either CCTV or videography. The constituency has 164 vulnerable booths and 165 critical booths, he said. "Micro observers will be stationed at vulnerable and critical booths," Verma said. He added that all booths will have at least four polling officials and paramilitary personnel will be deployed. He said 20 per cent extra EVMs are

2024 LS polls, costliest ever, expenditure may touch Rs 1.35 trn: Report

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are on track to break past records and become the most expensive electoral event in the world, according to a poll expert. The estimated expenditure is expected to reach a staggering Rs 1.35 lakh crore, more than double the Rs 60,000 crore spent in 2019, claimed N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a not-for-profit organisation, and has been tracking election spending for 35 years. Rao stated that this comprehensive expenditure encompasses all spending, direct or indirect, related to polls, including that by political parties and organisations, candidates, the government, and the Election Commission. With the BJP vying for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, industry observers have noted the party's dominant presence in campaigns, irrespective of the mediums used for publicity. In an interview with PTI, Rao said he revised the initial expenditure estimate from Rs 1.2 lakh crore to Rs 1.35 l

Share of unspent funds under MPLAD doubled during 17th Lok Sabha

This exponential rise in the share of unspent money is despite the fact that the scheme remained suspended for nearly 18 months during Covid

Rajiv scrapped inheritance tax to save Indira Gandhi's wealth: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday alleged that former PM Rajiv Gandhi had abolished inheritance tax in 1985 after his mother Indira Gandhi's death to save her wealth from going to the government, as he continued his relentless attack on the Congress over wealth redistribution and inheritance tax. Modi also claimed at a poll rally in Morena in Madhya Pradesh that after benefitting from the abolition of estate duty--a levy imposed on inherited movable and immovable assets, the Congress now wants to bring back the levy. As the political slugfest over the issue of inheritance tax escalated on the eve of the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress hit back at Modi, calling his remarks on Rajiv Gandhi "lies". The opposition party also cited the then finance minister V P Singh's budget speech in 1985 on scrapping of inheritance tax. If the Congress comes to power, it will snatch more than half of the earnings of the people through inheritance tax, Modi claimed. A day afte

LS polls: Over 1.7 million voters to decide fate of 22 candidates in Jammu

The Jammu parliamentary constituency is all set to go to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections amid tight security arrangements on Friday. Over 17.81 lakh eligible voters are set to exercise their franchise across 2,416 polling stations to decide the fate of 22 candidates. The Jammu Lok Sabha seat is one of the 89 constituencies in 13 states and Union territories across the country going to polls on Friday. The campaigning for the elections to the Jammu Lok Sabha seat concluded peacefully on Wednesday evening. "The preparations are underway. Tomorrow is the election date. The teams have been dispatched. The process started at 9 am. The teams will reach the polling stations in Jammu by evening," said Sachin Kumar Vaishya, the returning officer for Jammu Lok Sabha constituency. The officials said that all arrangements have been put in place for an incident free polls. Security and other related arrangements are in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting. A .

LS elections: Sunita Kejriwal likely to join AAP's campaign in Delhi

The Aam Aadmi Party's campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls will get a boost with Sunita Kejriwal likely to hold roadshows in Delhi beginning this weekend in the absence of her husband Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, party leaders said on Thursday. Sunita is slowly emerging out of the shadows to assume a bigger role to give a fillip to the AAP's campaigning which has been affected by Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in March. The Delhi chief minister's judicial custody has been extended till May 7. "The chief minister's wife is scheduled to attend her first roadshow in Kondli reserved assembly constituency represented by Kuldeep Kumar, who is the AAP's East Delhi Lok Sabha seat candidate, in the coming weekend," said a party functionary. Sunita will also attend roadshows in the other three Lok Sabha seats contested by the AAP in Delhi, he said. Delhi AAP convener Gopal Rai said the next phase of party's Lok Sabha campaign 'Jail Ka Jawa

Modi standing as wall between you and Congs' plan to loot you: PM to people

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stepped up his attack on the Congress and said he was standing as a wall between the people and the grand old party's plans to loot them. Addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh's Morena city, Modi said former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had abolished the inheritance tax after his mother Indira Gandhi's death to save her wealth from going to the government. After benefitting from it, the Congress now wants to impose it again on the people of the country, he said. If the Congress comes to power, it will snatch more than half of the earnings of the people through inheritance tax, he said. A day after Rahul Gandhi's remark that those who call themselves "deshbhakt" are scared of the 'X-ray' of caste census, Modi said the Congress wants to confiscate people's jewellery and small savings by conducting an X-ray of their properties and valuables. "Listen with your ears wide open about the sins that the Congress has committed. I want to put

LS polls: Elections have slipped out of Modi's hands, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed the difference between his party's guarantees and 'Modi Ki Guarantee' is clear and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows that the elections have "slipped out of his hands". In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the Congress guarantees a "government of Indians". Listing some promises made by the Congress, Gandhi said women will get Rs 8,500 per month, youth will get a job that pays Rs 1 lakh per year, recruitment will be carried out for 30 lakh vacancies and legal MSP will be provided to farmers. "Modi's guarantee: Adanis' government - The country's wealth in the pockets of billionaires; donation business extortion gang; Constitution and democracy are over; farmers facing a paucity of finances; the difference is clear!" the former Congress chief said. "Congress will create crores of millionaires in India and Modi ji knows that the election has slipped out of his hands," he said. Addressing a rally in Amravati, Gandhi on Wedne

Air India Express offers discounted tickets to young first-time voters

The deal is available to first-time voters aged between 18 and 22, who have a valid voter ID and are travelling to or from airports near their respective home constituencies

Kerala Oppn leader complains to EC against Delhi LG for MCC violation

On the eve of polling day in Kerala, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan on Thursday urged the Election Commission to take action against Delhi's Lt Governor for allegedly visiting heads of churches in the southern state to "lure" them to take a stand in favour of BJP in the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. Satheesan, in a letter to the Commission, alleged "blatant violation of the model code of conduct" by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena through his meeting of church heads in Kerala. "I am writing to invite your attention to the blatant violation of the model code of conduct by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena by visiting various church heads in Kerala to lure them to take a stance in favour of BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," the opposition leader said in his complaint. Satheesan claimed that Saxena, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, requested an audience with the heads of the Syro Malabar Church, Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, ...