Page 81 - Lok Sabha

LS polls: SP ally Congress under INDIA bloc to stop BJP juggernaut in UP

The coming general election may throw some surprising results in Uttar Pradesh with the SP-BSP alliance now replaced by the SP-Congress pact under the INDIA bloc. The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in 2019 had offered some resistance to the BJP on a handful of seats in the western and eastern parts of UP, but failed to make a big impact. With BSP supremo Mayawati deciding to duke it out alone this time, it will be up to the SP and Congress to stop the marauding juggernaut of the NDA, which has now has RLD on its side, as well as a number of caste-based regional parties in the Poorvanchal region. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and allies won 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party ceded some ground in the 2019 general election, when the opposition parties scraped their combined tally to 16. Even with the conventional anti-incumbency apprehensions at work, the saffron party laid its claim on the state winning 62 seats, bolstered further by two mo

LS polls: 49.2 mn electors, including 1.1 mn first-time voters in Gujarat

As many as 4.92 crore persons, including 11.32 lakh first-timers and 10,322 centenarians, will be eligible to exercise their franchise for the 26 seats in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha elections, a senior Election Commission official has said. Elections to all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7, with the nomination process beginning on April 12, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi said here on Saturday. Of the total registered voters, 2.54 crore are men and 2.39 crore are women. The state has 1,503 transgender voters, Bharathi said. The number of voters for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat has increased by 43,23,789 compared to the 2019 elections. A total 4,94,49,469 voters are registered as per the final electoral roll published on January 5, 2024, Bharathi told mediapersons. The State Election Commission is fully prepared to hold the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, and elaborate arrangements have been made in ...

25,000 CAPF personnel to be deployed for 1st phase polling in West Bengal

Around 25,000 central forces personnel will be deployed for the elections in the three Lok Sabha constituencies in northern West Bengal in the first phase on April 19, an official said on Saturday. Polling will be held in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seats in the first phase. "Around 250 companies of central forces will be deployed in the first phase of elections on April 19. There will be a control room in each of the districts, and senior officers will be in charge of those," the official said. One company of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) consists of around 100 personnel, meaning that around 25,000 personnel will be deployed for elections in these three seats. Chief Electoral Officer Ariz Aftab said all steps were being taken to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election in the state. "No disturbances will be tolerated," he said. He also urged leaders to have "control" over the statements they make during campaigning. "The Election Commission will

Number of voters in Andhra Pradesh rises to 40.9 mn from 40.7 mn: EC data

The total number of voters in Andhra Pradesh as of March 16 is 4.09 crore, an increase from 4.07 crore recorded on January 22, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena said on Saturday. The total voters include two crore men, 2.08 crore women and 3,346 of the third-gender, he said at a press conference here, on a day the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha polls. Andhra Pradesh will witness simultaneous legislative assembly and general elections on May 13. He said data on polling stations in the state will be sent to the commission. Currently, there are 46,165 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh, Meena said. The CEO said that 179 women-managed and 50 youth election officers-managed polling stations have been proposed to be set up. Some will be managed by specially-abled personnel, he said. Of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, four are reserved for scheduled castes (SC) and one for scheduled tribes (ST), Meena said. He added that 29 assembly ...

EC to use two laws to tackle misinformation during Lok Sabha election

The Election Commission will use a two-pronged strategy to deal with misinformation and fake narratives on social media during the Lok Sabha polls, with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar asserting that the poll body will "join the issue" to provide the correct picture to voters. Addressing a press conference to announce the schedule for elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, Kumar said the commission will soon launch a "Myth vs Reality" project to clear the air around fake news being spread on social media. "Misinformation troubles us a lot during elections. We are conscious of two facts -- that social media helps us in our outreach programmes and there is freedom to criticise anybody in a democracy. But one cannot be allowed to create fake news, which is not based on facts because it can disturb public order," he said. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar said that under sections 69 and 79 (3) of the IT Act, authorities in each state are empowered to ask to take down fake social

Highlights of the day: LS election counting on Jun 4 after 6 wks of voting

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Kerala LS polls: Debates on national issues will impact voter sentiments

Ahead of the April 26 Lok Sabha election in Kerala, the political scene in the southern state is buzzing with debates on various key national issues that have the potential to sway voter sentiments significantly. The upcoming elections are poised for a heated contest as critical issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), electoral bond controversies, Manipur's unrest, and human-animal conflicts in the state dominate the electoral landscape, setting the stage for a showdown between the CPI(M)-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led NDA. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has a considerable sway in Kerala's politics, is facing heavy scrutiny over many issues including the central agencies' probe into Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter's IT firm to the recent allegations of violence against the Left student organsiation, SFI. However, with its staunch opposition to the CAA, the stern secular stance opposing the BJP and the long list of development projects a

Voting in Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25

Voting in Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats will take place on May 25, the sixth phase of the general elections, with 1.47 crore people eligible for exercising their franchise, according to the poll schedule announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. The notification will be issued on April 29 and the last date for filing nominations is May 6. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is May 9. The city has 1.47 crore voters, including 79.98 lakh males and 67.42 lakh females. The Lok Sabha polls will be held across the country in seven phases beginning April 19 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4 for the world's biggest election exercise in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will bid for a third consecutive term. With the AAP and the Congress having entered a seat-sharing agreement for Delhi this time, the city is set to witness a direct contest between the alliance and the BJP which holds all the seven Lok Sabha seats of the national capital since 2014. The A

340,000 CAPFs with state forces to be deployed in Lok Sabha polls

The Election Commission is expected to deploy 3.4 lakh Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel along with state police forces in the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls in four states beginning April 19, officials said. A maximum of 92,000 personnel of CAPFs are likely to be deployed in politically volatile West Bengal, where elections will be held in seven phases, followed by 63,500 personnel in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, where polling will be held in five phases. As many as 36,000 personnel will be deployed in Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh, where polling will be held in three phases. The EC has considered the requests made by the state CEOs and decided to deploy a maximum of around 3,400 companies of the CAPFs in all states and Union territories in a phased manner to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, an official privy to the development said. A CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel. The entire force mobilisation will be completed in the

Lok Sabha election 2024: 12 states have more women voters than men, says EC

Twelve states have more women voters than men, with a total of 47.1 crore females registered in the electoral roll in the country, the Election Commission said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference on elections to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said gender ratio is 948 women to 1000 men in the country which is a "very healthy sign" of women participation in the electoral cycle. "There are 12 such states where the gender ratio is over 1000 which means that number of women voters is more than males and 1.89 crore new voters have joined, out of them in the age group of 18-19 years there are 85.3 lakh women electors so they are going side by side so that is a very healthy sign that women are also participating equally in our elections," he said. He did not give names of the states. Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and results will be announced on June 4, Kumar said. The other phases will

Assembly polls in J&K to be held after Lok Sabha election: CEC Rajiv Kumar

The Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will be held after the Lok Sabha polls as organising both simultaneously is not viable from the security point of view, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday as he announced the schedule of the general election and some Assembly and bypolls. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 and the results will be announced on June 4. Asked why Assembly polls are not being held in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha election, the CEC said forces have to be provided to every candidate in the Union Territory, which is not possible at a time when elections are being held across the country. He also said the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was amended in December 2023 after a delimitation exercise and the clock had started ticking for the Election Commission (EC) since then. "The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed in 2019. There was a provision for 107 seats, 24 of which

LS elections: AAP-Cong, BJP campaigns to have local, national issues

Political parties will go to the people with both national and local issues during their Lok Sabha poll campaigns in Delhi that sends seven members to the Lower House of Parliament. While the BJP is expected to base its campaigns on the works done by the Narendra Modi government in the national capital and across the country, alliance partners AAP and Congress will seek to challenge their rival on issues related to price rise, employment and even the recently implemented contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Lack of civic amenities for residents of unauthorised colonies who form a sizeable part of the electorate and the constant bickering on implementation of projects between the Lt Governor and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government will also feature in the campaigns. The Ayodhya Ram temple and the corruption cases against AAP leaders are expected to be put forth prominently by the BJP, while its rivals would look to raise the alleged targeting of opposition leaders by ...

LS election: AAP-Cong seek to end BJP all-seat winning streak in Delhi

It will be a direct fight between the AAP-Congress alliance and the BJP on the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. The BJP, which won all the seats in the 2019 as well as the 2014 polls, is optimistic of repeating the feat, despite the INDIA bloc partners coming together in an attempt to end its streak. Of the parliamentary constituencies here, New Delhi and South Delhi are the seats to watch out. In the past these have sent prominent leaders from both the Congress and the BJP to the Lok Sabha, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former deputy prime minister LK Advani, Madan Lal Khurana, Sushma Swaraj and Lalit Makan. The North East Delhi seat will see BJP's Manoj Tiwari trying to retain it for a third time in a row. He is the only sitting MP that the party has repeated here for the polls. The other Lok Sabha seats are Chandni Chowk, East Delhi, North West Delhi and West Delhi. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting four constitue

Gujarat key LS seats: Amit Shah in Gandhinagar, Mandaviya in Porbandar

Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the electoral battle in Gandhinagar, where Union minister Amit Shah is in the fray to retain his seat, will be among the most keenly watched one in the ensuing elections. Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Following are the Lok Sabha seats to watch out for in Gujarat: 1. Gandhinagar: This urban seat has been a BJP bastion for long, having sent stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani to Parliament. It is now represented by Shah, who defeated Congress' C J Chavda by 5.57 lakh votes in the 2019 polls. 2. Porbandar: The BJP is the dominant party here due to the large presence of Leuva Patidars, a sub caste of the numerically and electorally strong Patel community. The party has fielded Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, a Leuva Patidar, from the seat. The minister, who hails from Bhavnagar district, has so far reached Parliament through the Rajya Sabha route. The

YSRCP releases list of candidates for 25 LS, 175 Assembly seats in Andhra

The Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP on Saturday announced the list of candidates for all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies and 175 Assembly segments in Andhra Pradesh, allotting 50 per cent of the seats to SC, ST, BC and minority communities. The ruling YSRCP announced the list of candidates at the 'samadhi' (grave) of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in the presence of party supremo and CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and senior leaders at Idupulupaya in Kadapa district. Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh read out the names of the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections while Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao did so for the Assembly polls. "Earlier it was only limited to rhetoric. After Jagan came to power in 2019, for the first time in this state, people from poor and minority sections were given high representation in political power," said Rao, addressing a press conference. He said the YSRCP is now taking one more step ahead to include even more people from these communities t

Stage set for world's largest democratic exercise: What 2019 numbers say?

So will the ruling BJP snatch a record third term? Or the Opposition Congress and its allies will script a success story? This is something the ballot will decide now

Singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP ahead of LS polls at party's headquarters

After joining the party, the singer expressed happiness saying, it was her fortune that she was becoming a part of the BJP

Congress' five guarantees: From health benefits to employment promises

Under Swasthya Adhikar, Cong promises to deliver the right to health that will provide universal healthcare, including free medicines, treatment, essential diagnostics, among other health benefit

Prominent Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP, praises PM Modi

Noted Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal joined the BJP here on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a joint press conference with BJP leaders at the party's headquarters, Paudwal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said she was happy to join the party led by him. The famous playback singer, who was conferred the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, joined the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders, including national general secretary Arun Singh and chief spokesperson Anil Baluni.

BJP's RS MP Ajay Pratap Singh quits party, expresses dissatisfaction

Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, Ajay Pratap Singh, on Saturday said he has resigned from the party's primary membership, saying he was not happy with the ruling outfit's process of selecting candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Singh shared his resignation letter in a post on his official X account on Saturday morning. "I am resigning from the primary membership of the party," he stated in the one-line letter addressed to BJP chief J P Nadda. He didn't mention any reason behind his resignation in the letter. Singh was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the BJP in March 2018. His tenure as Rajya Sabha member will end on April 2. He was not re-nominated by the party. Talking to reporters, Singh expressed displeasure over the party's process of selecting candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He said although he wanted to contest from the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat, the BJP fielded Rajesh Mishra from there.