Page 63 - Lok Sabha

Ram temple issue now over, nobody discussing it any more: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said nobody was discussing the issue of Ram temple in Ayodhya any more, suggesting that the ruling BJP may not get any political benefit from it in the current Lok Sabha elections. He made the statement while speaking to a few reporters at Purandar in Pune district on Thursday. When asked about whether the Ram temple would play any crucial role in the ongoing elections, he said, "The issue of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is now over, and no one is discussing it any more." "During a meeting, some women pointed out and complained that although the idol of Lord Ram has been installed, goddess Sita's idol is not there," the former Union minister said. However, Pawar's remarks drew criticism from the BJP, with the party's state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule saying that the former chief minister should have gathered information about the Ram temple in Ayodhya before commenting. "Lord Ram is there in his child form, but Pawar saheb is just interested in

Lok Sabha polls: Over 50% votes cast till 1 pm in West Bengal's 3 seats

A voter turnout of 50.96 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal where elections were underway in the first phase on Friday, officials said. Polling started at 7 am in Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars seats, where a total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote, they said. "Till 1 pm, the voter turnout in Coochbehar was 50.69 per cent, while that in Jalpaiguri was 50.65 per cent, and in Alipurduars was 51.58 per cent," an election official said. All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs. A total of 37 candidates are in the fray in the three constituencies where voting will continue till 6 pm.

Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah files nomination from Gandhinagar seat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday submitted his nomination papers for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat from where he is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. Shah was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel when he submitted the nomination papers to Gandhinagar collector and district election officer in the state capital exactly at 12.39 pm, considered as Vijay Muhurat'. The former BJP president had won from the Gandhinagar constituency in the 2019 general elections by a margin of more than 5 lakh votes. Voting for all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held in the third phase on May 7.

Veteran BJP leader and former Minister Malikayya Guttedar joins Congress

Former Minister and BJP leader Malikayya Guttedar on Friday joined the Congress. The six-time MLA from Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district has been upset with the induction of his brother Nithin Guttedar into the BJP. M Y Patil from Congress had won the seat in the 2023 Assembly election, in which Malikayya Guttedar had finished third behind Nithin, who contested as an independent. The 67-year-old Malikayya Guttedar had been criticising BJP veteran and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his son B Y Vijayendra who is BJP state president after his brother's move. Welcoming Malikayya Guttedar into the party fold, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar claimed that many BJP leaders are willing to join the ruling outfit in the State. Kalaburagi is the home district of Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge, who had won from the seat in the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections but lost in the 2019 polls. Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is contesting .

As Lok Sabha elections phase 1 begins, Instagram encourages Indians to vote

Instagram sent an alert urging people to cast their votes in Lok Sabha elections 2024

Lok Sabha polls 2024 phase 1: What was the voter turnout till 11 am?

In the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls, 102 out of 534 constituencies have gone to polls in 17 states and four Union territories. Votes will be counted on June 4

Lok Sabha polls 2024 phase 1: Over 9.7% voter turnout recorded till 9 am

The first phase of the Lok Sabha polls will see 102 out of 534 constituencies go to polls in 17 states and four Union Territories

Lok Sabha polls: Unemployment key issue for Assam's first-time voters

Unemployment is the primary concern for Assam's first-time voters in addition to other national and state issues including inflation, GDP, infrastructure development, foreigners' problem, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Talking to PTI, youths flagged a host of issues from local college and university matters to broader national concerns, emphasising their intention to vote based on candidates' manifestos. "We have seen that the ruling parties are carrying out development works. But I want to say that development is an ongoing process and it should continue forever. I believe that the most important issue is the foreigners problem," said Arunav Dutta, the general secretary of Jagannath Barooah College Students' Union. The related issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is also very important nowadays and first-time voters are aware of the "consequences" of this law, he added. "Moreover, the unemployment issue is very important for us. Price rise of various essential item

LS polls: Voting begins in Udhampur in first phase of elections in J-K

Voting started in the first phase of general elections in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur parliamentary constituency on Friday with over 16.23 lakh electorate eligible to exercise their franchise. The polling began at 7 am in all 2,637 polling stations across the constituency despite pouring rain and will decide the fate of 12 candidates, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh who is eyeing a third term after winning the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This is the first major electoral battle after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. Prominent among others in the fray include Congress leader and two-time former Member of Parliament Choudhary Lal Singh and DPAP's G M Saroori besides Six independents. Braving inclement weather, the early morning voters were seen heading for the polling stations before the start of the voting, officials said, adding more than 11,000 polling staff, .

Google Doodle marks start of first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024

Google released a new Doodle on April 19 to mark the commencement of Lok Sabha elections 2024 in India

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Choose strong, decisive govt, says Amit Shah

As voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls began Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to people to choose a strong and decisive leadership that has shown the determination to free the country from corruption, nepotism and appeasement while fulfilling its promises. Shah also said this vote was not only meant to determine the fate of a Lok Sabha or a candidate but also to shape a bright future for India. It is an important day, he added. "My appeal is to choose a strong and decisive leadership that has shown the determination to free the country from corruption, nepotism, and appeasement while fulfilling its promises," Shah wrote on 'X'. The minister also appealed to people to elect a government that has not only accelerated development but also ensured infallible security along the borders, provided health, housing, electricity and gas facilities to every poor person, and preserved, promoted and nurtured India's culture and cultural symbols. "I appeal to all the vote

Voting begins in first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024: 10 key points

The first phase will see voting in 102 out of 534 Lok Sabha seats, across 17 states and four Union Territories

LS elections: Polling begins in 39 TN seats, voting delayed in some booths

Polling began at 7 AM on Friday in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu for the 2024 general election, amid tight security arrangements. People arrived at the polling stations enthusiastically and waited for their turn to vote, with personnel of the state and central police forces standing guard. The fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris) and Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's K Annamalai (Coimbatore), L Murugan (Nilgiris) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran (Theni) are among the prominent candidates. Polling also began in neighbouring Puducherry where the Congress and BJP are in a direct fight. Voting was delayed by an hour in some ..

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Polling begins for 12 of 25 seats in Rajasthan

Polling for 12 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan began on Friday morning in the first phase of elections. Voting began at 7 am in Churu, Nagaur, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa constituencies. It will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.54 crore voters are eligible to vote in this round in the two-phase election in Rajasthan. Altogether, 114 candidates are in the contest for the 12 seats. A total of 23,000 polling booths have been set up in the first phase where around 75,000 policemen have been deployed to ensure law and order, ADG Law and Order Vishal Bansal said earlier. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure elections in a free and fair manner, Bansal said. In the first phase, the number of sensitive booths is 10,000. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all 25 seats in Rajasthan on its own in 2014, and in 2019, NDA won 25 seats, the saffron party won 24 seats and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party

Lok Sabha elections 2024: First phase of voting in West Bengal begins

Polling in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri seats began on Friday, an Election Commission official said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding 56.26 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise. A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik, are in the fray in the three constituencies. Voting is taking place at 5,814 polling stations, of which 2,043 are in Cooch Behar, 1,904 in Jalpaiguri and 1,867 in Alipurduars. All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs. The poll body has declared 746 polling stations as sensitive, including 391 in Jalpaiguri, 196 in Cooch Behar and 159 in Alipurduars. The EC has deployed 112 companies of central forces (one company comprises 100 personnel) and 4,500 state police personnel in Cooch Behar, which is more than the other two constituencies that have rem

LS polls: Polling underway for Mizoram's lone seat under tight security

Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram is underway across the state under tight security arrangements, officials said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm, At least 6,500 polling personnel, over 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the Lok Sabha polls in the state. All international borders and inter-state borders have been sealed to ensure peaceful elections, a senior police officer said. Over 8.56 lakh voters, including 4.4 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise. Although there are six contenders, it is believed that the fight will be mainly among ZPM, MNF and Congress. The ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) nominated debutant Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded sitting Rajya Sabha member K Vanlalvena. The Congress has fielded former state home secretary Lalbiakzama, who is also a newbie in politics.

Economic management: The one thing Biden could learn from PM Modi

While India's economy might be posting impressive growth numbers, employment and wages haven't kept up

In Tamil Nadu, BJP hopes to blunt criticism, break '2-party' poll system

The MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), along with its allies, such as the Left parties and the Congress, has set the target of bettering its 2019 performance by winning all 39 seats

Sunita Kejriwal will go everywhere as voice of Delhi CM: AAP's Gopal Rai

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, will be her husband's voice and carry his message wherever needed in the country during the Lok Sabha polls, AAP's city unit convenor Gopal Rai said on Thursday. In an interview with PTI, Rai asserted that the people of Delhi are firmly behind the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress candidates fielded in the parliamentary polls after Kejriwal's arrest and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently trailing in all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. Kejriwal has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. Sunita Kejriwal will tour Gujarat as a star campaigner for the AAP. The party is contesting the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat. Replying to a question on whether Sunita Kejriwal, in the absence of his husband, will campaign in other states, Rai answered in the affirmative

India can take action against terrorism even across border: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that India possesses the capability to counter terror activities by taking action across the border, if required. "If anyone tries to encourage terrorist activities in India, we have the power to deal with it here and, if required, take action even on the other side of the border," the minister said. Singh made the statement here while criticising the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF for having sought proof of the cross-border airstrike in 2019 carried out by Indian defence forces on terror camps across the border. Addressing a poll rally organised by the BJP-led NDA in the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency, he dubbed the questions of the Congress and the Left as "anti-national in nature", and said the people in the country are aware of that. Senior Congress leader Kodikkunnil Suresh is the UDF candidate in Mavelikkara, where CPI's C A Arun Kumar is contesting as the LDF candidate, and the NDA is represented by Baiju Kalashala