Page 19 - Voting

Gujarat Assembly polls phase-1 end: 59.2% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

An average voter turnout of 34.65 per cent wass recorded till 1 pm on Thursday in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections underway in 89 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and southern regions, the Election Commission said. Voting began at 8 am and 33 ballot units, 29 control units and 69 voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) were replaced in the first three hours of polling at different stations due to malfunctioning, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said. As many as 26,269 ballot units, 25,430 control units and 25,430 VVPATs were being used in polling stations across the 19 districts where voting was being held in the first phase to decide the fate of 788 candidates. Even as voting was underway in parts of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rallies at Kalol in Panchmahal and Chhota Udepur, where the elections will be held in the second phase on December 5. Out of the 19 districts where polling was underway on Thursda

Voting begins for 1st phase of Gujarat polls; 89 seats, 788 candidates

Polling began at 8 am on Thursday for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections in 89 out of the total 182 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch region and southern parts of the state to decide the fate of 788 candidates. The voting is being held across 14,382 polling stations, of which 3,311 are in the urban and 11,071 in rural areas, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said. Live webcasting is being done from 13,065 polling stations to keep a close eye on the process, it said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has ruled Gujarat for 27 years, is trying to retain power in the state for the seventh term in a row. If it succeeds, it will equal the record of the Left Front government which won the West Bengal elections for seven consecutive terms till 2011. This time, the BJP faces competition not just from its traditional rival Congress but also the new poll entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has tried to position itself as the main challenger

Best of BS Opinion: Voting against self-interest, fiscal deficit, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today:

India has 249,000 voters aged above 100: Chief Election Commissioner

There are 2.49 lakh voters aged above 100 in India, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday. Besides, 1.80 crore voters are over 80 years of age, Kumar said after flagging off a bicycle rally in Maharashtra's Pune city on Wednesday to create an awareness about voter registration as part of the national level launch of a special summary revision of the voters' list. The Election Commission of India's initiative is aimed at increasing the electoral rolls in urban areas. Explaining the robustness and beauty of the Indian electoral rolls, Kumar said the country has voters from the highest peaks of Himalayas, from the 6,000-km coastline in south, deserts in the west and regions from the east. "You will be happy to know we have close to 2.49 lakh voters in our rolls who are (aged) 100 plus and what a relief and ecstasy it gives when you interact with them and find that they have been voting all through their lives," he said. Besides, there are 1.80 crore voters who ar

Voting for gram panchayats rescheduled from Oct 13 to 16 in Maharashtra

The State Election Commission on Monday rescheduled the voting for gram panchayats in Maharashtra to October 16. The voting was earlier scheduled on October 13. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 17 instead of October 14, the SEC said in a statement. The polling will be held for the 1,166 Gram Panchayats or village-level elected governing bodies, which also include the election of sarpanches directly by voters. The voting will begin at 7.30 am and end at 5.30 pm. In the villages where Naxalites could affect the votingthe polling will be concluded by 3 PM, the statement said.

Mehbooba seeks all-party meet to oppose right to vote for non-locals

Former chief minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday sought an all-party meeting to oppose decision to allow voting rights to non-locals in Jammu and Kashmir.

Explained: What is e-EPIC, who is eligible and how can you download it?

e-EPIC is an electronic version of the voter ID card which can be easily downloaded online. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can download it and other details about it

Creating a bit of space for freedom

Governments have no incentive to secure the civil liberties of citizens

Voting for 1st phase of Madhya Pradesh civic body elections on July 6

A total of 10.4 million voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the first phase of MP urban body elections

Can a jailed MLA vote? Supreme Court says it will examine the laws

The SC was responding to pleas by two Maharashtra MLAs, Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik, who had sought permission to cast their votes in the MLC elections in the state

No proposal to enforce compulsory voting: Govt informs Lok Sabha

The voter turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls was the highest ever at over 67 per cent

How to read the Indian voter's mind

In economics, the issues surrounding individual choice when it comes to buying something have been discussed for a very long time

UP Assembly elections: 54.18% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

Over 54 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats on Monday.

8.5% polling in first two hours of voting for last phase of UP elections

Voting for the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 54 seats began on a dull note on Monday, with only 8.5% of voters exercising their right in the first two hours

Contribute towards strengthening democracy by voting, says PM Narendra Modi

As voting began for the fourth phase of the UP Assembly polls, PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed to the people to contribute towards strengthening democracy by casting their ballots.

Voter turnout nearly 72%, lowest compared to last 3 Punjab assembly polls

A voter turnout of nearly 72 per cent was recorded in Punjab where polling for 117 assembly seats was held on Sunday.

Voter lists and marketing research

Voter Lists were available for a small fee those days and all good market research agencies sourced these lists to create a sampling frame

A whopping 86% Indians want voting to be made compulsory: Survey

An overwhelming 86 per cent people want voting to be made mandatory in the country, according to a survey released on Tuesday on the occasion of the 12th National Voters' Day.

Elections & 'she' factor: Promises galore as parties put spotlight on women

In the poll-bound states, all parties are aggressively wooing women with promises of cash grants, a bigger voice in policy-making, and greater representation. But is this what women want?

UP Assembly polls: Here're the strategies and prospects of the main actors

Voting in Uttar Pradesh will be held in 403 Assembly seats over seven phases from February 10 to March 7