Page 4 - Voting

Will Budget tax relief help BJP energise Delhi's middle class voters?

Banking on the Budget's tax relief, the BJP seeks to energise Delhi's middle class; the AAP is doing its bit too. But will their outreach mobilise this politically crucial yet disengaged electorate?

India nears 1 bn voters, with youth, women driving electoral growth: EC

The number of voters in India now stands at 99.1 crore, up from 96.88 crore when the Lok Sabha elections were held last year, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. In a statement issued ahead of National Voters' Day, the EC said the electoral rolls bear a youthful and gender-balanced look with 21.7 crore young electors in the 18-29 age group and a six-point increase in electoral gender ratio from 948 in 2024 to 954 in 2025. National Voters' Day is celebrated on January 25 every year to mark the foundation day of the EC, which was established on this day in 1950. Addressing a press conference here on January 7 to announce the Delhi assembly poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said India would soon create a new record of one billion-plus voters. "Electoral rolls were released yesterday (January 6). We are crossing 99 crore voters... We are going to be a nation of one billion voters very soon, which will be another record in voting," he said. "After

Parties get creative with merchandise to woo Delhi voters ahead of polls

Delhi is in the midst of an intense election season and political workers are flaunting their allegiances, sporting creatively designed merchandise with quirky catchphrases and one-liners to attract voters's imagination. The Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP, the Congress and other smaller players, all are trying to outdo each other as merchandise messaging gets sharper, wittier and personal in appeal. There are winter-friendly hoodies and colorful stoles, t-shirts and scarfs, funky sunglasses and key chains, custom-made car flags and cutouts, pens and posters, and even mousepads. Anything that can be leveraged is being leveraged. "These unique items, adorned with party logos and slogans, are not just tools of promotion but also a way to engage supporters in a more personal and vibrant manner," said a leader. The Aam Aadmi Party's hoodies and stoles come in their signature blue and yellow. "These feature the face of party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on the front and the party logo

Bangladesh CEC says 180 million people denied their voting rights

Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday said that almost 180 million people have been denied their voting rights and the Election Commission wants to end their deprivation, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. The CEC, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a training programme for election officers ahead of a voter list updating exercise, said the Election Commission (EC) wants to remove the fact that the people have been deprived of the voting right for so long. We want to remove the pain of their deprivation. We are steadfast in our commitment, he said. The countrywide door-to-door data collection for updating the list of possible voters will start on January 20. The CEC said they are here to hear the 180 million people who have been suffering from the deprivation of voting rights. We've taken the responsibility so that we can remove their deprivation, he said. He said the commission's main goal is to arrange a fair and credible election.

Delhi elections: Here's how you can vote even if you don't have a voter ID

Eligible voters in India can still cast their vote without a physical voter ID card by presenting one of 12 alternative documents, provided their name is on the electoral roll

Voter ID alone doesn't ensure voting rights: Delhi chief electoral officer

Delhi's Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls nears completion and the final voter list will be published on January 6, 2025

EC data on LS polls: Women outshine men again in exercising franchise

As many as 64.64 crore voters exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year with women voters outnumbering men, according to statistical data released by the Election Commission on Thursday. The female voter turnout stood at 65.78 per cent as compared to 65.55 per cent for male electors, the EC said. EC functionaries asserted that such granular data is not shared by any of the election management bodies in democracies across the world. The data on Lok Sabha polls, 2024 and four assembly elections -- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh -- held alongside parliamentary polls comes against the backdrop of allegations of non-disclosure by the EC. "This suo motu initiative is to enhance the public trust that constitutes the underpinning of India's electoral system," the EC said. Referring to women participation in the polls, EC said the number of female contesting candidates was 800, compared to 726 in 2019. Maharashtra had the highest number

Opposition stages protest against using EVM on Vidhan Bhawan steps

Opposition members staged a demonstration on the steps of the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan here on Monday and raised slogans against the use of EVMs in elections. The protest was held on the opening day of the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur. Leader of opposition in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve led the demonstration of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, who called for "saving" the Constitution and democracy and opposed the use of EVMs. They raised slogans like "EVM Hatao Desh Bachao", "EVM Hatao Constitution Bachao" and "EVM Hatao Democracy Bachao". Danve was joined by Congress legislators Vijay Wadettiwar, Nitin Raut, Bhai Jagtap and Vikas Thakre, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Bhaskar Jadhav, Varun Desai and Sachin Ahir, and NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad. Talking to reporters, Danve claimed the Electronic Voting Machines were "dangerous" for democracy and that people were opposing the use of EVMs in elections. "We think the EVMs should be remov

Post-election power struggles spark concerns over democracy across US

While the election was over a month ago, voters in some parts of the country are discovering that having their say at the ballot box is not necessarily the final word. Lawmakers in several states have already initiated or indicated plans to alter or nullify certain results. Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are moving to undercut the authority of the incoming Democratic governor, Republicans in Missouri are taking initial steps to reverse voter-approved abortion protections, and Democrats in Massachusetts are watering down an attempt by voters to hold the Legislature more accountable. The actions following the Nov. 5 election continue a pattern that has accelerated in recent years and has been characterized by critics as undemocratic. I think certainly when you're a voter and you're voting on the issue, you're not thinking about whether someone's then going to overturn or just ignore the things that you voted on, said Anne Whitesell, an assistant professor of political science

Jayant Patil raises concerns over EVMs, demands use of ballot papers

While the EVM is a simple calculator, it increases the vote count automatically at night, Maharashtra NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Jayant Patil alleged

SC dismisses petition for reverting to ballot paper voting in elections

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking to revert to ballot paper voting in elections in the country. "What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs (electronic voting machine) are not tampered. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with)," remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale. Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls. When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, "You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?". The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows. "Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different," the bench retorted. After Paul revealed he ha

Jairam Mahato's JKLM shakes up Jharkhand elections with Dumri victory

Jharkhand Assembly elections: 30-year-old 'Tiger' Jairam Mahato registered his party Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JKLM) just three months ago

What are postal ballots and how do they impact early voting trends?

Assembly elections 2024: The counting of votes for all 288 Maharashtra Assembly seats and 81 Jharkhand Assembly seats began at 8 am on Saturday

Assembly elections updates: 58.43% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Maharashtra, 68% in Jharkhand

Maharashtra, Jharkhand Election Voting: Catch all the updates on the Assembly elections here

Assembly polls: Maharashtra logs 45% voter turnout, Jharkhand 61% by 3 pm

The counting of votes for Maharashtra Assembly elections and Phase I and Phase II of Jharkhand Assembly elections will be conducted on November 23

Jharkhand Assembly polls: Nearly 48% voter turnout recorded till 1 PM

Nearly 13 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 9 AM on Wednesday in 38 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting is underway in the second and final phase, officials said. Polling began at 7 AM in 14,218 booths across 12 districts and will continue till 5 PM. However, polling in 31 booths will end at 4 PM though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise, the officials said. The ruling JMM-led INDIA bloc is seeking to retain power riding on its welfare schemes, while the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is trying to wrest it. "A voter turnout of 12.71 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling. Voting has been peaceful," an Election Commission official said. A total of 1.23 crore voters, including 60.79 lakh women and 147 third-gender electors, are eligible to exercise their franchise on Wednesday, another official said. Altogether 528 candidates, including Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, hi

Maharashtra election: QR codes launched to help voters with polling booths

In an attempt to boost voter turnout in Thane district, a one-click facility has been introduced for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections wherein voters only have to scan QR codes to find out about polling stations. Talking to reporters, Thane collector and election officer Ashok Shingare said the initiative aims to enhance voter convenience and participation, particularly as the Election Commission raised concerns regarding low voter turnout in the Thane and Kalyan regions. He said the district administration has implemented several measures to engage voters and improve the overall turnout, including introducing a QR code system, which will guide voters across 18 assembly constituencies. The official said the QR codes will direct voters to their designated polling booths, providing them with critical information such as the exact location and address. Shingare reported that as of Monday morning, of the total 7.2 million voters in Thane district, 3.27 million (nearly 50 p

Jharkhand polls: 46.25% turnout recorded in 43 Assembly seats till 1 pm

A voter turnout of 29.31 per cent was recorded in the first four hours of polling on Wednesday in 43 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting is underway in the first phase, officials said. Polling began at 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. A total of 683 candidates are trying their luck, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Long queues of voters were seen outside several booths in the morning. Khunti district registered the highest voter turnout at 34.12 per cent, followed by 33.86 per cent in Gumla, 33.44 per cent in Lohardaga and 33.18 per cent in Simdega. Serailkeala-Kharsawan recorded 32.65 per cent voting, followed by 31.10 per cent in Koderma, 30.59 per cent in Latehar and 30.38 per cent in Garhwa. Hazaribag registered 29.60 per cent polling, Chatra 29.52 per cent, West Singhbhum 29.42 per cent, Palamu 29.36 per cent and East Sinbhum 28.34 per cent. Of the remaining districts, Ranchi recorded 24.75 pe

Polling begins for 43 seats in 1st phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections

Voting for 43 assembly seats in Jharkhand commenced on Wednesday with a total of 683 candidates trying their luck, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. However, voting in 950 booths will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise, an official said. While the JMM-led coalition is seeking to retain power riding on its welfare schemes, including Maiyan Samman Yojna, the BJP has been campaigning with its aggressive Hindutva agenda, infiltration and alleged corruption by the current dispensation. Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief JP Nadda, held several rallies where they attacked the JMM-led coalition over alleged corruption and infiltration. INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi, its president Mallikarjun .

Trump built a new coalition that won more Latino & African American voters

US Presidential Election 2024 challenged the nothing of people of colour forming a monolithic voting bloc that only cared for social issues