Page 77 - Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha polls, phase 1: 7 women among 80 candidates in Uttar Pradesh

Among the 80 candidates in the fray for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, just seven or 8.75 per cent are women, according to official data. The figure is lower than the first phase of the 2019 general elections when 12 of the 91 contenders or 13.18 per cent were women. However, none of those female candidates were victorious. Of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, eight -- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit -- will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. Kairana, Moradabad and Saharanpur have two female candidates each and Muzaffarnagar has one. Bijnor, Pilibhit, Rampur and Nagina do not have any female contenders, the Election Commission website showed. In Kairana, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Iqra Choudhary while Priti Kashyap is representing the Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party. Ruchi Vira is the Samajwadi Party nominee and Sadhna Singh is an Independent candidate in Moradabad. In Saharanpur, .

Lok Sabha polls: Uttarakhand govt declares public holiday on voting day

The people of Uttarakhand will cast their votes in a single phase on April 19, according to the Election Commission of India

Public support in rally indicates BJP's victory: Tripura CM Manik Saha

The elections are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state

LS polls: No ticket for 12 of 20 MPs who won with highest margins in 2019

Only eight of the 20 MPs with the highest winning margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls have been re-nominated by their parties for the 2024 General Elections

Battleground 2024: Cong set to contest fewest Lok Sabha seats since 1951-52

With the latest list of candidates, the Congress has announced its contestants on 231 seats and is set to field its lowest-ever number of candidates for any general elections since 1951-52

BJP names 112 candidates for Odisha Assembly polls to challenge BJD

The BJP on Tuesday named 112 candidates for the Odisha assembly polls which will held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. The party's state unit president Manmohan Samal will contest from Chandabali while its former chief Suresh Pujari, an MP in the outgoing Lok Sabha, will fight from Brarajarajnagar. The Odisha assembly has 147 seats and the BJP has emerged as the main challenger to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal. Patnaik has been at the helm of the state since 2000. The BJP and the BJD were in talks for an alliance but the negotiations fell through over seat-sharing arrangement. The BJD and the BJP won 112 and 23 seats respectively in the 2019 polls in the state where the Congress is the third main party.

LS polls: EC appoints special observers to ensure level playing field

Election Commission on Tuesday appointed special observers for administrative, security and expenditure monitoring purposes in several states to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming elections. The special observers -- former civil servants with brilliant track record -- have been tasked with overseeing the electoral process with strict vigilance, particularly against the backdrop of challenges posed by the influence of money, muscle and misinformation, the poll panel said. Special Observers (General and Police) have been deployed in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar where the population is more than seven crore and also in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha where the simultaneous elections to the Assemblies are to be held, the poll authority said. Special Expenditure Observers have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, it said.

LS polls: Amit Shah interacts with JD(S) leaders for campaigning in K'taka

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a joint meeting with JD(S) and state BJP leaders, as the campaign of the alliance partners for the Lok Sabha polls is set to gain momentum in Karnataka. The meeting is being seen as a move by the BJP and JD(S) to have better coordination on the ground and thrash out potential issues of conflict. JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and some of his party's core committee members including its chief G T Devegowda, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, saffron party state President B Y Vijayendra and its General Secretary in-charge of elections in Karnataka Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, along with several other leaders from the two parties were part of the meeting. Kumaraswamy on Monday said he along with his party colleagues will apprise Shah and share feedback on poll situation in various constituencies across Karnataka ahead of Lok Sabha polls. "Preparations are going well in all constituencies. We don't want small minor issu

Pak defence min optimistic of improving ties with Delhi post elections

Most recently, India abstained from the adoption of a resolution on 'Measures to Combat Islamophobia' introduced by the Pakistan envoy at the UNGA

India will grow with growth of Odisha, says BJP's Dharmendra Pradhan

Pradhan is set to contest in the Lok Sabha polls from the Sambalpur constituency

Lok Sabha elections: MCD removes over 520,000 political ads in Delhi

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has removed 5,20,042 political advertisements from across its 12 zones in view of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, according to an official document. The advertisements were in the form of hoardings, posters, banners, wall paintings, signages and flags, it stated. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force on March 16 with the Election Commission (EC) announcing the schedule for the general elections. Delhi will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the seven-phase polls. Counting of votes is on June 4. The civic body has taken down 2,57,280 hoardings, 1,92,601 banners or wall paintings and posters, 40,022 removable signages and 30,139 removable flags, the document issued on Monday said. The action pertains to the EC's directives to take down all political advertisements from government, public and private properties in view of the MCC being in force till the elections conclude. According to the EC's order, any kin

Lok Sabha polls: SDPI extends support to Congress-led UDF in Kerala

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), on Monday extended its support to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan told the media that the UDF has not reached any understanding with the SDPI. SDPI state President Muvattupuzha Ashraf Moulavi, who met the media here, said after considering all factors, the party has decided to support a secular front -- the UDF. "In Kerala, we have decided to support the Congress-led UDF which is spearheading the anti-BJP bloc," Moulavi told the media The SDPI leader said the party has not fielded any candidates in Kerala but has 18 candidates in various parts of the country. "Our Constitution is being challenged. The BJP is bringing in laws to provide citizenship on the basis of religion. Uniform Civil Code is planned, which will affect the diversity of the country

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All things to know about phase six of polls

Lok Sabha elections phase six will be conducted on May 25 in seven states and Union territories on 57 constituencies. Notably, Delhi will go to polls in this stage

LS polls: Congress leaders discuss candidates for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Top Congress leaders on Monday discussed the names of Lok Sabha candidates for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi along with senior party leaders from the respective states were present during the central election committee (CEC) meeting at the AICC headquarters. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh PCC chief Y S Sharmila were present during the separate meetings, besides AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. CEC members Madhusudan Mistry, Amee Yagnik and K J George were also present at the meeting. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls will begin on April 19.

LS polls: Katchatheecvu issue rekindles contention between DMK-AIADMK

The emotive issue of Katchatheevu, a tiny island ceded to Sri Lanka by the Indian government in 1974 has always been a bone of contention between late Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa and the latter even vowed to retrieve the islet as a part of addressing the fishermen's issues. The uninhabited island was ceded in 1974 when the then Prime MInister Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan area under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement with her counterpart Srimavo Bandaranaike, aimed at resolving the maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait. Further, another agreement signed in 1976 restricted the fishermen of both the countries from fishing in the other's exclusive economic zones. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday training his guns against the Congress and its ally DMK, in power at the Centre and the state, respectively then, the issue has now assumed centre stage in the poll season, just days ahead of the April 19 general election in Tamil Nadu. T

LS polls: FIR against Dhanbad's BJP nominee for threatening ex-party leader

An FIR was lodged against BJP nominee for Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency and Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato for allegedly threatening the district president of Marwai Sammelan Krishna Agarwal for opposing his candidature, police said. Barbadda police station officer-in-charge Sunil Kumar Ravi told media persons on Sunday that on the basis of the complaint of Agarwal, an FIR has been lodged against Dulu Mahto and Prince Khan under sections 387(extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 109 (abetment) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Agarwal, a former BJP leader, in his complaint stated that Khan, an alleged extortionist, through an audio clip had threatened him not to protest the candidature of Mahato. The Marwari Sammelan president in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police also expressed apprehension that on the directive of Mahto, Khan and his henchmen might attack him and his family members. On Friday, Agrawal and Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy held a .

BJP unveils campaigners list for Lok Sabha polls, bye-elections in Tripura

The upcoming general polls are scheduled to be held in two phases in the state. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Why political memes are no laughing matter

The race for creativity, the accessibility of tools, and the urgency of elections often blur the line between what is humorous and what is offensive

Highlights: Corrupt person, howsoever big, will face action, says PM Modi

LIVE updates: Opposition protests against CM Kejriwal's arrest, BJP unveils lineup of leaders for Tripura LS polls, and more. Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

LS elections: Prakash Ambedkar's VBA declares 11 more nominees for Maha

Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Sunday declared its second list of 11 candidates from Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. With this, the VBA has so far declared 20 candidates. The 11 constituencies include Hingoli, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Satara, Dhule, Hatkanangale, Raver, Jalna, Mumbai North Central, and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. Notably, VBA candidates finished third in many of these constituencies in the 2019 general elections wherein Congress or NCP (undivided) nominees could finish second, indicating that votes were split in favour of winning candidates, mostly from BJP and Shiv Sena (undivided). The VBA last week released its first list of nine candidates, fielding Ambedkar from Akola, signalling the outfit is no longer pursuing an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).