Page 790 - Politics
49.80% voting reported till 3 PM in Karnataka
An estimated 49.80 per cent voter turnout was reported till 3 PM in 14 constituencies of Karnataka, where polls are underway in the second phase on Tuesday, poll officials said. The highest turnout was recorded at Shimoga with 54.88 per cent and the lowest in Gulbarga with 42.01 per cent till 3 PM, the officials said. In Shimoga, former Chief Minister and state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is pitted against another former Chief Minister S Bangarappa's son Madhu of the JD(S). Raghavendra had defeated Madhu during the bypolls held in November last year and is seeking re-election. Madhu isthe joint candidate of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance. In Gulbarga, the fight is between the Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP's Umesh Jadhav. Jadhav, against whom the Congress had moved the assembly speaker, seeking disqualification, had quit as Congress MLA ahead of the polls and joined the BJP. This election is said to be a tough one for ...
BJP dumps Udit Raj, names Hans Raj
The BJP on Tuesday named singer Hans Raj Hans as its candidate for the North West Delhi Lok Sabha seat, dropping the sitting and sulking MP Udit Raj.
LS polls: Over 50 pc voter turnout till 3 pm in gujarat
Nearly 50.32 per cent of the total 4.51 crore voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm in Gujarat where polling was underway in all 26 Lok Sabha seats of the state. There were complaints of technical glitches in EVMs at some booths, an election official said. The polling, which began at 7 am, was going on peacefully, he said, adding that no untoward incident was reported so far. Till 3 pm, an average 50.32 per cent polling was recorded, he said. Braving the scorching heat, people from all walks of life were coming out to exercise their democratic right as long queues were seen outside several polling booths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, party veteran L K Advani and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel cast their votes in the state. Shah urged people to come out in large numbers to vote during this "festival of democracy". State additional chief electoral officer Ashok ...
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh casts his vote in Assam
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday cast his vote at a polling booth here during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Assam. He was here along with his wife Gursharan Kaur. He arrived in Guwahati in a commercial flight on Tuesday afternoon and went to Dispur Government Higher Secondary School to exercise his franchise. Though Singh posed for photographers, he did not speak. He was accompanied by Congress' Gauhati constituency candidate Bobbeeta Sharma, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora, and the leader of the opposition in Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia. From the booth, Singh went to the residence of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia to take rest and meet senior Congress leaders from the state, including former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. He is supposed to return to Delhi in the evening.
Advani, Jaitley cast vote in Ahmedabad
BJP patriarch L K Advani and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have exercised their franchise in different localities here in Gujarat during Tuesday's single-phase Lok Sabha elections in the state. After casting his vote at a polling booth in a school in Shahpur locality, Advani, who is the sitting MP from Gandhinagar constituency in the outgoing Lok Sabha, predicted victory for the BJP in elections. Shahpur area falls under Ahmedabad (West) Lok Sabha constituency. Jaitley, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, voted at a polling booth set up at Chimanbhai Institute in Makarba locality in the city which is part of Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency. BJP president Amit Shah is in the fray from Gandhinagar while Ahmedabad (West) MP Kirit Solanki is seeking re-election from the reserved constituency. Advani, who flew from Delhi to Ahmedabad, reached a polling booth at Shahpur Hindi School located in the Muslim-dominated area in the noon with his daughter Pratibha ...
Francisco Sardinha never appealed to people to vote for BJP, says Congress
The Congress party on Tuesday said that its South Goa Lok Sabha candidate Francisco Sardinha never appealed to the people to vote for the BJP in the ongoing parliamentary polls."Francisco Sardinha has never appealed to vote for the BJP. It is the most foolish on the part of anyone who even spreads this as Francisco Sardinha is the winning candidate in South Goa Lok Sabha segment," said the Congress party in a statement."The statement made by Congress candidate for South Goa Lok Sabha Seat is deliberately twisted and misrepresented by elements with vested interested who are on payroll of BJP, AAP who by now have realised that they would not succeed to divide the Congress votes in South Goa and are desperately spreading this misinformation to confuse voters with a hope of receiving the remaining installment of payment from the BJP for dividing the Congress votes," the statement further state.
LS polls planned in a way to suit BJP leaders: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Tuesday questioned the timing of the Lok Sabha polls, claiming that the voting process was dragged for three months at the behest of the BJP. Addressing a rally here in Hooghly district, Banerjee also said that polls have never been held for such a long period of time in the history of the country. "It's our bad luck that Lok Sabha elections are being held in peak summer. It's so hot now. People have to cast their votes battling this heat. "Last year, we (West Bengal government) had finished the panchayat elections by March (last year). But they (the BJP) dragged the general election till May," she said. The general election was planned in a manner to suit the BJP leaders, she claimed. "Polls are being held in seven phases. It has been planned in such a way that the BJP leaders can move from one state to another for campaigning," she added.
Jet: Pawar to meet PM, union claims foreign airlines fleecing
Political heavyweight and Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar has assured Jet Airways employees to take up their cause with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the elections in the state.
Mulayam Singh Yadav casts his vote in Mainpuri
Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is contesting for the fifth consecutive term from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, cast his vote in the third phase of polling on Tuesday. He was accompanied by his wife Sadhna Gupta, son and party chief Akhilesh Yadav and daughters-in-law Dimple Yadav and Aparna Yadav.
Kerala registers 43.91% voting till 1 p.m.
Technical glitches notwithstanding, close to half of the over 2 crore voters in Kerala cast their votes in the first six hours of polling till 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
PM Modi hits out at BJD over attacks on BJP workers in Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed the Biju Janata Dal (BJP) and said that fear of defeat has made Chief Minister Navin Patnaik-led party lose the sense of civility.Lambasting the BJD for orchestrating attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Odisha, the Prime Minister asked voters to not be afraid of anyone."BJD is frustrated and that is why it is indulging in attacks on BJP workers in the state. I urge the voters and our party workers to work fearlessly. BJD's exit and BJP's entry in Odisha is guaranteed this time," said Prime Minister Modi at a public rally here.PM Modi also highlighted that Odisha was surrounded by the ocean and had huge scope for business and trade. He added that one the BJP comes to power in both the state and the centre it will work on making the coastal regions a hub for development in the country."A large part of Odisha is surrounded by oceans, there are immense opportunities for industries and trade here. It will be one of the ...
SP's Dharmendra Yadav alleges conspiracy in Badaun
Lodging a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against the malfunctioning of EVMs, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Badaun Dharmendra Yadav on Tuesday accused the district administration of conspiring for his defeat in the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.
Ex-Jharkhand CM says he got death threat in letter
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi said on Tuesday that he received a death threat in a letter that asked him to stay away from the polls or he would be killed.
Manipulation of EVMs the only worry: Pawar
People are in a mood to change the Modi-led government but manipulation of EVMs is the "only worrying factor", NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here Tuesday. He was speaking at a joint media interaction addressed by leaders of the Congress, NCP, TDP, Trinamool Congress, AAP CPI(M), CPI and DMK. "EVMs are vulnerable to programming errors," TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu said. The BJP can get votes only through manipulation, he added. EVMs can be manipulated, hacked and even malfunction, he said. Only 18 countries have so far adopted EVMs, he added. Naidu said the economy, business and agriculture are in a bad shape under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the Election Commission is acting like Dhritrashtra. "You press any button, the vote goes to the BJP," he said. Counting of 50 per cent VVPAT machines is not an unreasonable demand, senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde said.
UK's May under fire as Parliament returns from Brexit break
British Prime Minister Theresa May faced renewed pressure Tuesday from her restive Conservative Party to resign as lawmakers returned to Parliament and to Brexit wrangling after an 11-day Easter break. Britain's European Union exit, long scheduled to take place last month, has been delayed as the government tries to win Parliament's backing for a divorce deal. The bloc has given Britain until October 31 to ratify an agreement or leave the 28-nation EU without a deal to smooth the way. Most economists believe that a 'no-deal' Brexit would plunge Britain into recession as customs checks would likely be installed at UK ports and tariffs imposed on trade between the UK and the EU. Talks on striking a compromise Brexit agreement are set to resume between May's government and the main opposition Labour Party. But several days of talks earlier this month failed to produce a breakthrough, and there are few signs the gap between the two sides is closing. Anger is growing among pro-Brexit ...
SC refuses to close 'chowkidar' matter, Rahul issued contempt notice
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice of criminal contempt to Congress President Rahul Gandhi while rejecting a plea for closing the matter related to his 'chowkidar chor hai remarks incorrectly attributed to the top court.
Nearly 52% polling in Bengal (4th Lead) (1 p.m.)
Amid reports of violence, hurling of crude bombs, intimidation and EVM failure, nearly 52 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the first six hours of polling in phase three of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Tuesday.
National opposition leaders attack EVM-VVPATs
Leaders of various opposition parties on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)-VVPATs, claiming they are ridden with glitches and vulnerable to programming error.
Low voter turnout may hit Mufti's prospects in Anantnag
With the overall voter turnout in the first of the three-phase polling in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency settling below 10 per cent till 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the fate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti hangs precariously in the balance in what was till recently her party's bastion.
Central forces influencing Bengal voters towards BJP: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused Central forces personnel of influencing voters to cast their vote in favour of the BJP and said her Trinamool Congress party haa lodged an "official complaint" with the Election Commission (EC) against the offenders.