Page 61 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: Large number of Sikhs, including DSGMC members, join BJP

A large number of Sikhs, including members of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, joined the BJP on Saturday. Citing a host of measures taken by the government to help the minority community, BJP president J P Nadda on the occasion said if anybody has really worked for the community, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda also cited central government decisions such as the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, the FCRA registration for donations to the Golden Temple and the action against accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. He said the BJP highly regarded the contribution and sacrifices of the community for the country and will keep working for its welfare. The BJP has been in an overdrive to deepen its bond with Sikhs and is looking to put up a strong fight in the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, where they are in a majority. A number of well known Sikh politicians from the state have joined the party recently.

India set to sign trade deal with Oman to expand its West Asia ties

India has agreed to reduce duties on some petrochemicals, aluminium and copper from Oman, while capping imports of such goods

LS polls: Varsity students keen to vote, say it's only way to change nation

First-time voters from higher education campuses of the city expressed their resolve to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls on grounds that the real issues' confronting the student community and society at large would otherwise remain unaddressed. They argue that turning their backs to the festival of democracy' would mean issues like stalemates in functioning of universities, recruitment scams occupying centre-space and basic needs of food, shelter and livelihood would be relegated to the political backburner. Ritushree, a first-time voter from Presidency University in central Kolkata, is determined to vote. She seeks a government free from religious exploitation and controversies surrounding educational institutions. A student of philosophy, Ritushree feels that the fundamental needs of food, shelter, and clothing are getting neglected in the poll discourse of parties. Despite the disillusionment, she believes in the importance of voting. "I believe my vote can bring

LS polls: Cong may discuss Amethi, Raebareli seats in today's CEC meeting

According to party sources, leaders of the UP Congress and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of UP, Avinash Pandey, have also been called for a meeting today

Lok Sabha polls: 77.35% turnout in second phase in 5 seats in Assam

An estimated 77.35 per cent of 77.26 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, election officials said on Saturday. The final polling percentage could be further revised as the compilation of figures is yet to be completed, an official said. Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency recorded the highest voter turnout of 80.56 per cent, followed by 78.41 per cent in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar (SC), 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent in Diphu, they said. Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase. Assam Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya is pitted against Surya Kanta Sarkar of the Congress in Silchar, while BJP's Amarsing Tisso is contesting against Congress's Joyram Engleng in Diphu. Nagaon's sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is contesting against BJP's Suresh Bora, while Karimganj's BJP MP Kripanath Malla is pitted against Congress's Hafiz Ahmed Rashid Choudhury. In Darrang-Udalg

TDP will 'rebuild' Andhra, take it out of debt trap: K Ravindra Kumar

A senior TDP leader has said the priority of the party is to "rebuild" Andhra Pradesh and take the state out of the debt trap by getting rid of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) National Coordinator (Election) and ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedal Ravindra Kumar said Andhra Pradesh has suffered more losses during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government than during the creation of the two Telugu states in 2014 when resources were shared with Telangana. According to the state government data, the public debt of Andhra Pradesh has increased from 31.02 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2019-20 to 33.32 per cent in 2023-24 fiscal, indicating deterioration in the fiscal health of the state in the last five years. "Under the role of Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra CM) in the state, our party's priorities have changed. Our main priority is to get rid of Jagan Mohan Reddy and rebuild the state which has gone back 20 years," Kumar told PTI in an ...

Amritpal Singh to contest LS polls from Khadoor Sahib as Independent

The Pro-Khalistani leader is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Some of the most keenly watched contests

The once-in-five-year festival of democracy in the world's most populous nation has actors, sport stars and millionaires battling it out alongside the career politicians

SC's EVM verdict 'tight slap' to Congress-led Opposition: PM Modi

'I will not allow reservations meant for SCs, STs and OBCs to be diverted for vote bank politics. This is Modis guarantee', he said

BJP's agri manifesto for Lok Sabha polls: The perils and the promise

Significant progress has been made in the production, yields and the cultivation area of pulse and oilseed between FY19 and FY23

Lok Sabha polls: 61% cast vote in Phase 2, Maharashtra sees lowest turnout

According to this newspaper's estimates, calculated from the data provided on the EC's turnout app at 9 pm, the voter turnout was almost 65 per cent

Most SC/ST candidates fight without the backing of a political party

Indicative data shows a decline in the proportion of SC and ST candidates who participated in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections compared to previous elections

LS election phase 2: FM Sitharaman, Rahul Dravid among early voters

Polling was underway on Friday in 88 constituencies spread across 13 states and union territories in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging people to cast their votes in record numbers. Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Asserting that their vote is their voice, Modi especially told the youth and women voters to turn up at the polling booths in great numbers, and said a high voter turnout strengthens democracy. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also urged voters to come out and vote to protect democracy from the clutches of dictatorship. He also said that the Constitution should reverberate in their hearts before they push to voting button. In Kerala and Karnataka, long queues of voters were seen outside polling booths as soon as voting started. However, there were reports of EVM breakdowns in various booths across Kerala, delaying the election process in those places. Polling in underway at 20 Lok Sabha seats in .

Cong will continue the campaign on greater use of VVPATs: Jairam Ramesh

The Congress will continue with its political campaign on greater use of VVPATs to increase public trust in the electoral process, the party said on Friday after the Supreme Court rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs. The Congress was not a party, directly or indirectly, to the petition on VVPATs rejected by the Supreme Court today, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. "We have taken note of the verdict of the 2-judge bench and our political campaign on the greater use of VVPATs to increase public trust in the electoral process will continue," Ramesh said in a post on X. The Supreme Court has rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and said "blindly distrusting" any aspect of the system can breed unwarranted scepticism. Maintaining that "democracy is all about striving to build harmony and trust between all institutions", a bench of Justices Sanjiv Kha

LS polls Highlights: Nearly 61% turnout recorded in 2nd phase of elections

Eighty-eight Lok Sabha seats (including parts of the outer Manipur seat), across 13 states and Union Territories, are set to vote today

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, .