Page 80 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: Gujarat govt appoints new home secretary following ECI order

Indian Administrative Service official AK Rakesh was on Monday appointed as additional chief secretary of the home department in Gujarat following an order of the Election Commission of India. Earlier in the day, seeking to ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha elections, the ECI ordered the removal of the home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Rakesh, a 1989 batch IAS official, will replace Pankaj Joshi, as per a Gujarat government order. "AK Rakesh, Additional Chief Secretary to Government Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar would hold the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar until further orders relieving Pankaj Joshi, IAS of additional charge of the post," the state government order said. The ECI order had noted that the home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh ..

PM Modi holds roadshow in Coimbatore; pays tributes to 1998 blast victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow here on Monday, amid non-stop chants of 'Modi, Modi' by BJP workers and he paid floral tributes to the portraits of 58 people killed here in the 1998 serial bomb blast. The roadshow, amid tight police security, comes days after the Madras High Court green-flagged the event, directing the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The police had initially refused permission citing reasons, including the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams in schools. As Modi began his roadshow in an open, flower-decked vehicle, people who gathered on both sides of the road showered flower petals on him, chanted slogans hailing him. While traditional music was played to welcome him, several of them danced and waved at him enthusiastically. This is the first time such a road show, on a grand scale, has been organised by the BJP in Tamil Nadu, which witnessed a good turnout. "Meendum Modi, Vendum Modi," (Once again Mod

This is fight between 'Asuri Shakti', 'Daivik Shakti': Congress slams PM

The Congress on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that the INDIA bloc's manifesto talks about finishing 'Shakti', saying the elections will decide whether the country would be run by 'Asuri Shakti' (demonic power) or 'Daivik Shakti' (divine power). A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, at a rally in Mumbai, commented that the "fight against Modi is not on a personal level since Modi is a 'mask' who works for a 'Shakti' (power)", the prime minister asserted that the fight is between those who want to destroy 'Shakti' and those who worship it. Prime Minister Modi, referring to the opposition rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park, said, "They announced their manifesto... and said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'Shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'Shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's pujari." In retaliation, the Congress likened the BJP to 'Asuri Shakti' and alleged that the nation has seen atrocities .

Preparation for Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram's Aizawl in full swing

Preparations for election to Mizoram's lone Lok Sabha seat are in full swing, an official said on Monday. Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar, who also serves as the returning officer, told reporters that training for various official teams assigned to manage the upcoming polls in 12 assembly constituencies within Aizawl district has been largely completed. The initial phase of training for polling parties is scheduled for March 26 and March 27, she said. Randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has been finalised, and they are currently secured in strong rooms designated for each assembly constituency, she added. A total of 514 ballot units, 523 control units, and 541 VVPATs have been allocated for Aizawl district for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Kumar said. Voting is scheduled for April 19, with counting is on June 4. The deadline for filing nominations is March 27, while candidates have until March 30 to withdra

PM Modi has laid strong foundation for 'Viksit Bharat': BJP's Ashok Tanwar

A strong foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat' or developed India has been laid under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader and party's Sirsa Lok Sabha candidate Ashok Tanwar said. Tanwar, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party two months ago, said it is "Modi ji's guarantee" that India will soon become the world's third largest and reach the top spot in the years to come. He said the people of the country want to give a third term to Modi as the prime minister and the people of Haryana also want to contribute by giving all the 10 seats to the BJP like they did in the 2019 parliamentary election. Tanwar had quit the Congress in 2019 and joined the AAP in 2022. In between, he had floated his own party and even joined the Trinamool Congress for a brief period. The BJP has fielded Tanwar from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat from where he is a former MP. The seat is presently represented by BJP's Sunita Duggal. Tanwar said a strong foundation for a

EC launches special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout

The Election Commission has launched a special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to maximise voter turnout in 414 polling stations which registered less than 60 per cent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls. Bypolls to six assembly seats that fell vacant after disqualification of Congress MLAs would be held simultaneously with four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh in the last phase on June 1. The main focus of the campaign -- "Mission 414" -- is increasing the vote percentage in 414 identified polling stations which registered less than 60 percent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls, Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg told PTI on Monday. Awareness campaigns and cultural events would be held besides making these 414 stations model polling stations. Booth youth icons from first time voters would be roped in and special invitation cards made by children would be given to prospective voters, he said. Letters had been sent to the respective Deputy Commissioners in Febru

Lok Sabha polls: Modi's south India visit, Kejriwal skips summon; 10 points

Lok Sabha elections: PM Modi is set to hold rallies in south Indian states on Monday. His visit follows two days after the Election Commission announced the poll dates, which will commence on April 19

LS elections 2024: PM Modi to address rally at Jagtial in Telangana today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Jagtial, part of the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in the state on Monday. The meeting is also expected to have an impact on the neighbouring Karimnagar LS constituency as well. Both Nizamabad and Karimnagar are held by BJP in the outgoing Lok Sabha. BJP had won four out of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in 2019 general elections and is looking to improve its tally in 2024, where it will be going solo. Winning more seats from Telangana forms part of BJP's plan to make significant electoral inroads in the south. Modi has already held a roadshow in the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat in Hyderabad and addressed a public meeting at Nagarkurnool in the state last week. In the rally at Nagarkurnool on March 16, a day after the arrest of BRS leader K Kavitha in a money-laundering case, Modi alleged that the BRS has entered into a partnership with other "hardcore corrupt parties", while asserting that no corrupt person will be able to

After Madras HC's nod, PM Modi to hold roadshow in TN's Coimbatore today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow here on Monday, days after Madras High Court green-flagged the event, asking the police to allow it with reasonable conditions. The PM will take out the roadshow in the city's Mettupalayam Road and is likely to end it at RS Puram later today. This will be his first political engagement in the state after the announcement of the seven-phase schedule of the Lok Sabha polls. The district BJP unit had on Friday moved the HC against the local police denying permission to the PM event, citing, among others, the "communally sensitive" nature of the area, and the ongoing public exams. However, the court had dismissed the contentions and asked the police to allow the roadshow with "reasonable conditions", such as erecting no flex boards by the organisers. The BJP, with a newfound vigour under its aggressive state unit president K Annamalai, is making all efforts to make significant inroads into Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian heartland that has ..

Over 24.3 mn to vote in upcoming LS polls in Assam; polling in 3 phases

The Chief Electoral Officer in Assam said that there will be 1,409 women-managed polling stations, 262 model polling stations and 15,777 polling stations where webcasting will be held

Poll positions

Enforcing the model code of conduct could be a challenge

2024 Lok Sabha polls: Women to overseas voters, here's what numbers say

The seven phases in the 2024 polls are scheduled for April 19 (102 seats), April 26 (89 seats), May 7 (94 seats), May 13 (96 seats), May 20 (49 seats), May 25 (57 seats) and June 1 (57 seats)

Political ad spends on Google already up 9x ahead of Lok Sabha polls

BJP emerges as largest advertiser so far in 2024

No change in CUET-UG schedule in view of Lok Sabha elections: UGC chairman

The Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG will be conducted between May 15 and May 31, 2024, as announced earlier, and there will be no change in view of the Lok Sabha election schedule, according to UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. The date sheet will be released after the registration process is completed. The University Grants Commission (UGC) chief had earlier this month said the exam dates could change depending on the schedule of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Election Commission on Saturday announced that polling for the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held in seven phases, starting with 102 seats in the first phase on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4. "The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct CUET-UG, as announced earlier, between May 15 and May 31, 2024. In this period, two dates overlap with the election dates on the 20th and 25th of May. "After the last date for filling out applications on March 26, 2024, we will know the number of students

Cabinet sends Lok Sabha election dates to President Murmu for notification

The government on Sunday is learnt to have initiated the process of notifying the dates of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections by sending the Election Commission's recommendation to President Droupadui Murmu. The first notification will be issued on March 20 for the first phase of polls on April 19 in 102 seats. The nomination process begins for a particular phase with the issuance of the notification. The elections for the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. According to sources, the Cabinet meeting held this morning recommended to the President to issue the notifications for the different phases. The EC sends the mandatory recommendation to the Union Law Ministry to notify the Lok Sabha election dates. Under Section 14 (2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 the EC sends its recommendation to the government w

Carpool, minimise paper use, waste disposal: EC for sustainable polls

Avoiding single-use plastics, keeping paper use to the minimum, using eco-friendly vehicles and carpooling are part of the Election Commission's directions to the poll machinery and political parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to ensure a "sustainable election". According to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is sensitive to environmentally sustainable elections. "In a step towards sustainable or eco-friendly elections, we are making efforts to minimise single-use plastic and encourage eco-friendly practices in the election process. A set of instructions has been issued to the poll machinery and political parties for waste management, minimisation of paper and reducing carbon footprint," Kumar said during a press conference on Saturday when he announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls. The commission has instructed to avoid single-use plastic completely, ensure separate collection bins and proper signage and adequate disposal ...

Lok Sabha polls: Development, jobs key focus of parties in Madhya Pradesh

The BJP dominated all the six regions of Madhya Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it won 28 out of the 29 parliamentary seats in the state and will seek to repeat its performance this time as well. The saffron party will also try to wrest Chhindwara, the lone seat won by the Congress in the 2019 polls in the home turf of former chief minister Kamal Nath. Development and issues pertaining to employment have been the key focus areas of the BJP and Congress in the six regions of the state. The BJP has declared its candidates in all 29 seats, while the Congress has so far announced names of its candidates for 10 seats. Out of the 29 seats, five are reserved for the Scheduled Tribe and four for Scheduled Caste candidates. In the 2019 polls, all these seats were won by the BJP. The state broadly has six regions - Gwalior-Chambal, Central MP (Bhopal), Malwa-Nimar, Mahakoshal, Vindhya and Bundelkhand. The Malwa-Nimar region has the highest number of eight Lok Sabha seats. 1. ...

BJP targets Congress LS candidates in Chhattisgarh through cartoons

The ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh has come up with a set of cartoons on social media to target the opposition Congress' Lok Sabha poll candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, over politics of appeasement and other issues. While the BJP said it has only portrayed some incidents which happened during the previous Congress regime through the cartoons which are not meant to hurt anyone, the grand old party accused it of releasing such illustrations out of frustration. The 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh will see polling in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India. The cartoon posters were released over the last one week. One such poster targeting former CM Baghel, who has been fielded by the Congress from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, was posted with the comment "Rajnandgaon or Jihadgaon...selection is yours". The post shows a caricature of Baghel leading a queue, holding a green flag with "jihadi

LS polls in Maharashtra gets interesting after splits in Shiv Sena, NCP

Splits in key political parties Shiv Sena and NCP have made the battle for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra more interesting, besides the focus on traditional issues like unemployment and farmer suicides. Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. The BJP-Shiv Sena won 41 of the 48 seats in the 2019 polls, but the Sena has split since and a vast majority of the Bal Thackeray-founded party is now allied with the BJP. The Nationalist Congress Party also split as well with Ajit Pawar joining the ruling alliance in the state, led by Eknath Shinde. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP emerged the top party with 23 seats, followed by the undivided Sena with 18. The undivided NCP had emerged victorious on four seats, the Congress one, while the AIMIM and an Independent accounted for the remaining two. A total of 9.2 crore persons, including more than 50,000 centenarians, are ..

LS polls: Reluctance of ministers to enter fray puts Karnataka Cong in spot

Reluctance of some ministers and lawmakers in Karnataka to contest the Lok Sabha polls seems to have put the Congress scouting for "winnable" candidates in a spot of bother in finalising contestants for bulk of the seats. It has been ten days since the Congress announced its candidates for seven segments while the process to pick nominees for the remaining 21 seats is on. The Congress' first list released on March eight did not have names of any of the ministers and legislators. According to party sources, the Congress leadership has been making efforts to convince some ministers and lawmakers to contest, as they have faced problems in identifying winnable candidates in several segments. Senior Congress leader and Home Minister G Parameshwara had recently said there are discussions in the party to field seven to eight ministers. Some ministers instead of themselves contesting, are said to be pushing for the candidature of their family members and, according to sources, the party .