Page 75 - Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha elections: The rise of the no-result political parties

More parties have begun contesting the elections, with an increase by 45 per cent between the previous election in 2014, and the election conducted in 2019

Lok Sabha polls: Govinda makes a political comeback. Tracing his journey

Lok Sabha elections: Bollywood actor Govinda on Thursday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, marking his re-entry into politics after a 14 year hiatus. Here is his journey

LS polls: Over 79K violations reported so far through C-Vigil app, says EC

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday said its C-Vigil mobile application has become an effective tool in the hands of people for flagging poll code violations and since the announcement of the Lok Sabha election, more than 79,000 complaints have been received. More than 99 per cent of the complaints have been resolved and close to 89 per cent of those were resolved within 100 minutes, the poll panel said. More than 58,500 complaints (73 per cent of the total number of complaints) received were against illegal hoardings and banners, the EC said, adding that over 1,400 complaints received pertained to money, gifts and liquor distribution. Close to 3 per cent of the complaints (2,454) were related to defacement of property. Of the 535 complaints received for display of firearms and intimidation, 529 have been resolved, the poll panel said. A total of 1,000 complaints were for campaigning beyond the prohibited period, including those related to the use of speakers beyond the permitt

Lok Sabha polls: Oppn seals Bihar deal; RJD to contest 26 seats, Congress 9

Lok Sabha polls: The RJD, which drew a blank in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, will fight on 26 seats in Bihar, while the Congress will contest on 9 seats, including its 2019 win - the Kishanganj constituency

Ceiling for LS polls expenditure: District poll panels fix menu, rates

Candidates in Punjab's Jalandhar can spend Rs 15 for a cup of tea and the same price for a samosa they offer to people during public meetings and campaign trails in the Lok Sabha elections. However, those in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla can spend Rs 7 for a cup of tea and another Rs 7.50 for a piece of samosa, considered a staple snack in many parts of the country. With polls to elect the 18th Lok Sabha approaching, district poll panels are fixing the rates for expenses as part of the election expenditure monitoring process. The candidates will have to manage their expenditure within the prescribed limit. These rate cards often become a subject of "meme-fest" on social media about the prices not being in sync with the current inflation level. In most states, including Andhra Pradesh, the expenditure ceiling for a Lok Sabha candidate is set at Rs 95 lakh. However, in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Sikkim, the limit is slightly lower at Rs 75 lakh per candidate. Similarly, for Union territori

Highlights: Govinda joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of LS

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

LG asks Delhi Police to launch probe in Shrinate's remarks against Kangana

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has sought a detailed probe report from Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora in connection with an allegedly derogatory social media post made by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday. A controversial comment was posted on social media platforms from Shrinate's accounts against Ranaut, the Bollywood actor who has been fielded by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Following a row, Shrinate removed the controversial remarks from all her social accounts, claiming that those were not posted by her but by someone else who had access to her accounts. BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj had given a complaint to the LG demanding an investigation and the registration of an FIR against Shrinate for "outraging the modesty of a woman", the officials said. Saxena has forwarded the complaint to the police ...

Savitri Jindal quits Cong, joins BJP days after son Naveen switched sides

The 84-year-old Savitri Jindal joined the BJP along with her daughter Seema in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other BJP leaders

Actor Govinda joins Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Govinda had earlier met Krishna Hegde, who is a spokesperson for Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, at his residence

BSP leader Ramlakhan Singh, Congress members join BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Former Lok Sabha member Ramlakhan Singh of the BSP, ex-Congress MLA Neelesh Awasthi, former legislator and Congressman Ajay Yadav, among others, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday as the saffron outfit continued to induct leaders from rival parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Welcoming them in the ruling party at a function here, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the BJP's family was continuously growing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "You all have joined the party after being inspired by the BJP's ideology and policies of Modiji. I welcome you," he added. This was the third time that Ramlakhan Singh has joined the BJP. In the past, he had left the BJP on two occasions and joined the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). He is a former BJP Lok Sabha member from Bhind. Over the last few months, Congress leaders are joining the BJP in droves in Madhya Pradesh. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has set a target .

Congress likely to hold meet on Sunday to finalise remaining LS candidates

The top Congress leadership is likely to hold a meeting of its Central Election Committee (CEC) here on March 31 to discuss and finalise the remaining candidates for the Lok Sabha polls starting April 19. Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, besides other senior leaders and members of the CEC, are likely to attend the meet. The sources said the names of the candidates that would be discussed during Sunday's CECs meeting would include those to be fielded from Delhi and Maharashtra. The Congress has so far announced a total of 208 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls that are scheduled to be held in seven phases staring April 19. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

LS polls: Cong to declare remaining candidates for Jharkhand seats by Apr 1

The Congress will announce the names of its remaining candidates for the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand by April 1, a party official said. The grand old party had announced the names of candidates for Lohardaga, Khunti and Hazaribag on Wednesday evening, following a go-ahead from the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC). Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Jai Prakashbhai Patel will contest the polls in Khunti (ST), Lohardaga (ST) and Hazaribagh seats, respectively, the party had announced in New Delhi. "Congress will announce the remaining candidates for four seats by April 1, while a consensus on seat-sharing is likely by tomorrow," the party leader told PTI. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in four phases for the 14 seats in Jharkhand, starting May 13. There are more than 2.54 crore voters in the state 1.29 crore males, 1.24 crore females and 413 transgenders.

LS polls: Notification issued for 2nd phase of polling in 3 Bengal seats

The Election Commission on Thursday issued notification for the second phase of polling in three parliamentary constituencies of West Bengal on April 26. Voting will take place in the Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat Lok Sabha constituencies in the second phase. "The notification for the three Lok Sabha constituencies going for polls in the second phase has been issued today," an EC official told PTI. The notable candidates in the second phase are BJP's West Bengal president and sitting MP from Balurghat, Sukanta Majumdar, who is pitted against TMC's Biplab Mitra. In the Darjeeling constituency, the TMC has nominated Gopal Lama against BJP MP Raju Bista. BJP's Kurseong MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma, however, has announced that he would contest as an independent candidate against the party's official nominee from the Darjeeling seat. Sharma had earlier told PTI that he would remain within the BJP while contesting as an independent, and the party can take any disciplinary action it des

LS polls: As elections near, call for eco-friendly campaigning grow louder

As election campaigns started across the country, environmentalists demand that political parties take the digital and other non-conventional ways of electioneering to minimise the impact of non-biodegradable poll materials on nature. Political parties should rely mostly on social media to reach voters and shun flexes and plastic flags that litter streets once the polling is over and many a time reach waterbodies polluting them or block drains causing them to overflow. Parties blame the need for visibility factor in elections behind the use of those materials and promise to address the issue. Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh asked, Why can't we come out of campaigns by putting up flexes, plastic flags even in remote rural parts which create a non-biodegradable mess and put a strain on the environment? Shifting to the digital mode for election campaigning should not be a distant dream in the present age as mobile phones with internet are available even in remote areas of the ..

Assam politician lambasted for sleeping on pile of Rs 500 notes in pic

Benjamin Basumatary, a suspended member from Assam's United People's Party Liberal was seen resting on a heap of banknotes in a photo ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024

FIR lodged against BJP leader Dilip Ghosh for remarks against CM Mamata

He expressed regret for his remarks on Wednesday, acknowledging that both his party and the general public had reservations about his choice of words

BJP's move to field Navneet Rana from Amravati invites wrath of allies

The BJP's decision to induct independent MP Navneet Rana into the party and fielding her from the Amravati Lok Sabha seat has not gone down well with some ruling allies in Maharashtra as they termed the development as "downfall of democracy" and "political suicide". Rana, who currently represents the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party's state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule's residence in Nagpur along with her supporters late Wednesday night. The BJP's Central Election Committee announced her name as the party candidate for the Amravati seat, and Bawankule said she would file her election nomination on April 4. However, the development has invited criticism not only from the opposition Congress, but also from independent MLA Bacchu Kadu, an ally of the ruling side, and former MP Anandrao Adsul, who belongs to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Kadu described Rana's candidature as the "downfall of democracy" and said she

Lok Sabha elections: Filing of nominations for second phase begins

The process of filing nominations for 88 parliamentary seats across 12 states in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections began on Thursday. The notification for the second phase of the parliamentary polls -- to be held on April 26 -- was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the president early on Thursday. The last date for filing nomination papers for this phase is April 4. On April 5, the nomination papers will be scrutinised in all states and Union Territories, except Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu and Kashmir, the scrutiny will be held on April 6. Polling in one part of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency will also be held during this phase. The notification for elections in the Outer Manipur constituency was included in the gazette notification issued for the first phase on March 20. Fifteen assembly segments in the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19. Thirteen assembly segments of the constituency will go

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Amravati MP Navneet Rana joins BJP in Nagpur

Navneet Rana, an incumbent MP from Amravati, joined the BJP in Nagpur late on Wednesday night in the presence of the party's state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. She joined the BJP at the Bawankule's residence in Nagpur along with her supporters and in the presence of senior party leaders from Amravati, Nagpur, Wardha and other places. Her husband Ravi Rana, an MLA, was also present when she joined the BJP. The BJP's Central Election Committee on Wednesday announced her name as the party's candidate for the Amravati seat. Bawankule said she would file her election nomination on April 4. Addressing a press conference around midnight at Bawankule's residence, Navneet Rana said that she followed the development path of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the last five years as a supporter of the NDA. Rana expressed happiness over joining the BJP and said that she would ensure that the Amravati parliamentary constituency would be among the 400 seats that

Cracks in MVA: Congress, Uddhav Sena spar over candidates in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday objected to the Shiv Sena (UBT) announcing its candidates for the Bhiwandi, Mumbai South Central and Sangli Lok Sabha seats, saying MVA partners must stick to "coalition dharma". Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat urged Sena (UBT) to reconsider its decision. However, his party colleague Sanjay Nirupam adopted a more belligerent stand, attacking their leadership for letting the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit grab most of the seats in Mumbai. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have been holding seat-sharing discussions for the 48 constituencies in Maharashtra, where the Lok Sabha polls will be held in five phases starting April 19. Amid the talks, Sena (UBT) earlier in the day released its first list of 17 candidates for the upcoming elections and said it will contest a total of 22 seats in the state. Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat said the announcement was not