Page 14 - Voting

BSP's electoral strategy: Going solo at 2024 LS polls to reclaim past glory

The party is trying to shun the image of a 'B-team of the BJP'

LS polls: Rajasthan wears Ram on sleeve, carries business in mind

Dust settles on campaign trail in 12 Rajasthan seats, voting on April 19

LS polls: Slowing exports, labour crunch pinch textile hub Tiruppur

When Business Standard reached Tiruppur, the city appeared to be least active compared to last year. A major reason is the decline seen in knitwear exports during the last financial year

Lok Sabha polls: Here's why voting lasts six weeks in general elections

India's eligible voters, at 968.6 million, number more than twice the European Union's population of 448 million. The figure has grown 8 per cent since the 2019 elections

Ahead of polls, Indo-Nepal border sealed, movement closed: U'khand CEO

This time, we have got around 60 companies of paramilitary forces for elections. And we believe that we will conduct peaceful elections

92% turnout in J-K's Udhampur on first day of home voting for elderly

The process of 'home voting' on Monday commenced in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency for elderly citizens and persons with disabilities, with a remarkable 92 per cent turnout on the first day, officials said. Elderly and differently-abled persons exercised their franchise through postal ballots from their homes in different places of Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts, all part of the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, which is scheduled for polling in the first phase on April 19. "Out of 621 eligible electors, 92 per cent cast their votes under these categories in the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency," Rakesh Minhas , the Returning Officer for the Udhampur parliamentary constituency, told PTI on Monday evening. This initiative allows voters aged above 85 years and differently-abled persons meeting the 40 per cent disability criteria to avail of the optional home voting facility, the officials said. Electors under this category have begun exercising their voting

EC seizes record $557 million in illicit cash, goods before LS elections

The commission has vowed to crack down on black money used to bribe voters in the world's biggest election, which kicks off on Friday

BJP's historic pursuit: Targeting 370 seats in 2024 LS polls challenge

For the past three decades, political parties with regional footprints accounted for 200 or more seats, and nearly half the votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections

Story in Numbers: Voters' pie in population getting larger, shows data

Current estimates suggest that voters now make up almost 70 per cent of total population

Manipur LS polls: Over 24k displaced people to vote from relief camps

Eleven months of conflict, over 50,000 displaced people and an anti-poll sentiment among few---the Election Commission in violence-hit Manipur is gearing up for the challenging task of holding Lok Sabha elections in the state where the poll scene is muted. Chief Electoral Officer, Pradeep Kumar Jha said over 24,500 displaced people have been identified as eligible to vote in the upcoming elections and special arrangements have been made for them to cast their franchise from relief camps. "A total of 2,955 polling stations will be set up in the state for the Lok Sabha elections, out of which around 50 per cent have been identified as sensitive, vulnerable or critical. We are also setting up 94 special polling stations to facilitate voting by internally displaced persons (IDPs), Jha told PTI. As per Election Commission of India (ECI) norms, a vulnerability mapping of hamlets, villages and electoral segments vulnerable for threat and intimidation, is conducted ahead of polls. "Special

LS polls: Maoist-hit areas of Singhbhum to witness voting for first-time

Come May 13, many interior areas in the Maoist den of Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand will witness voting for the first time, or after decades-long gap, as polling teams and materials will be air dropped from helicopters to enable people living in Saranda, Asia's densest Sal forest, to exercise their franchise. As many as 118 remote booths will be set up by personnel and materials dropped from choppers. "We are committed to ensuring that no voter is left out... we have identified many areas where polling will be conducted for the first time or after nearly two decades as these locations were badly affected by Maoist insurgency," West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner cum District Election Officer Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI. Despite improvement in the situation, West Singhbhum remains one of the worst left-wing extremism-affected districts of the country. It had witnessed 46 Maoist-related incidents resulting in 22 deaths last year. Polling stations such as Middle School, Nugdi an

EC identifies 266 parl seats with lower voter turnout; plans intervention

The Election Commission on Friday said it has identified 266 parliamentary constituencies, including 215 in rural areas, with low voter turnout and is planning targeted intervention to enhance voting percentage in Lok Sabha polls. Municipal commissioners from major cities and select district election officers (DEOs) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh discussed enhancing voter engagement and participation in identified urban and rural Lok Sabha seats. At its conference on low voter turnout here, the EC said 266 parliamentary constituencies -- 215 rural and 51 urban -- with low voter turnout have been identified. Eleven states and union territories, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, had a voter turnout lower than the national average of 67.40 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stressed that 'one size fits all' approac

EC issues guidelines for genuine electors to cast vote without voter I-card

Seeking to ensure that no genuine elector is deprived of the right to vote, the Election Commission has told state poll officers to ignore clerical or spelling errors provided the voter's identity can be established through the voter I-card. It has also said that a voter I-card issued by the electoral registration officer of another assembly constituency will be accepted for identification provided the elector's name is in the electoral rolls of the polling station where he or she has turned up. In case of a mismatch of photograph, the elector will have to produce one of the alternative photo documents listed out by the EC. In an order issued last month, the EC said the electors who are not able to produce their voter I-card will have to furnish one of the alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity. These include the Aadhaar card, MNREGA job card, passbooks with photograph issued by a bank or post office, health insurance smart card issued by the Labour ..

NOTA vote share declines in 2019 LS polls to 1.06% from 1.08% in 2014

A statewise look at the data shows that in 2019, Bihar recorded the highest percentage of NOTA vote share of 2%

Bias at the ballot box: The ways voters are influenced in elections

Authority figures to availability choice: Our voting decisions are often coloured by biases that are often unconscious

LS polls: Over 58,000 voters opt for home voting option so far in Rajasthan

More than 58,000 voters in Rajasthan have so far opted for home voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, an official said on Wednesday. For the first phase of the general election, 35,542 people, including 26,371 senior citizens and 9,171 persons with disabilities, have registered for home voting, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said. Registration for home voting in the first phase of the polls will be completed Wednesday, he said. Returning officers will share the list of registered home voters with all recognised political parties and candidates by April 1. Booth-level officers are completing the registration process of eligible home voters in all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, Gupta said. After the names of the candidates for the constituencies are finalised, door-to-door voting will be conducted, he said. "So far, over 58,000 eligible voters have opted to vote from home. These include 43,638 senior citizens and 14,385 persons with disabilities," the

Postal ballot voting: Eligibility and process for Lok Sabha elections 2024

Everything you need to know about voting by mail ahead of the 2024 general elections and state Assembly polls

Lok Sabha elections, phase 1: Nomination process begins, voting on April 19

The nomination process for 102 parliamentary constituencies spread across 21 states and Union territories, where polling would be held in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, began on Wednesday with the issuance of a notification. According to the notification issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the President, the last date for filing nomination papers is March 27. However, due to a festival, March 28 is the last date for filing nominations for the Lok Sabha seats in Bihar going to polls in the first phase. Voting in four out of 40 seats in Bihar will be held in the first phase. Nomination papers will be scrutinised on March 28. For Bihar, it would be done on March 30. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 20 while for Bihar, it is April 2. 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. The counting of votes is on June 4. The states where

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rajasthan declares holiday on voting days

A paid holiday has been declared for all workers in private, industrial institutions and government undertakings on the voting day for the Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that the Rajasthan government has issued a notification in this regard. According to the notification, there will be a holiday in the offices and work places in the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday, April 19, for the first phase of voting and the 13 constituencies in the second phase on Friday, April 26, so that the voters can exercise their franchise on the said dates. According to Section 135 'B' of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, there is a provision for granting paid leave to employees on the day of voting. This includes people employed in any business, profession, industrial undertaking or any other establishment. Those entitled to vote will be given leave on the day of polling, an official statement said. These provisions shall not apply to voters wh

No road, no vote: villagers puts up banner outside Amethi ahead of polls

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, local people have put up a banner saying "no road, no vote" outside their village in the Gauriganj tehsil here, drawing attention to their problems. A banner came up outside Purey Alpi Tiwari hamlet in Sarmeny village under Jamo block on Monday warning to boycott the coming elections with the locals raising slogans. Amethi, which is considered as a VVIP constituency, was represented by the Nehru-Gandhi family until Union minister Smriti Irani wrested the Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Gauriganj SDM Digvijay Singh on Tuesday said information about the villagers' protest has been received and effort will be made to solve the problem following further investigation. Omprakash Ojha, a resident of the hamlet, told reporters that there are seven small roads connecting the village to nearby areas but all of them are unpaved. "Due to lack of access to the village, we have to perform the marriages of our sons and daughters elsewhere. Even bikes cannot mov