Ujjwal Nikam has replaced Poonam Mahajan from the North Central seat of Mumbai.
Tag: Lok Sabha elections 2024
-
Anantnag-Rajouri Election To Be Postponed? Omar, Mehbooba Voice Concern On ECI’s Query |
Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir – Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah today urged the Election Commission of India to not postpone the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha polls. The two leaders’ remarks came after the Election Commission of India wrote to the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and the Chief Electoral Officer of the region seeking a report about the constituency and the need for postponing the polls. The ECI wrote to the state election officer after several political parties including the BJP, Apni Party, and J&K Peoples’ Conference wrote to the ECI demanding the postponement of the polls citing adverse road conditions and inclement weather.
Responding to this, both Omar and Mehbooba wrote to the ECI, alleging that the BJP and its A, B, C teams are sensing defeat and thus making excuses regarding weather conditions. PDP chief and Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency candidate Mehbooba Mufti accused the BJP of attempting to sabotage the electoral process in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.
Mufti stated, “The BJP and other parties who have ganged up against me want to prevent me from reaching Parliament. The support I’m receiving from people across party lines in both the Kashmir and Jammu regions is making these parties fearful of my influence among the people, prompting them to write to the ECI to defer the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat.”
Mufti further asserted that the demand is entirely illogical as only a few days remain until the polls. She appealed to the ECI not to postpone the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency under any circumstances, stating, “This action would convey the wrong message, eroding trust in the electoral process and resulting in serious consequences.” Mehbooba Mufti wrote a detailed letter to the ECI demanding that the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency not be deferred.
NC Vice President Omar Abdullah addressed a press conference at the party headquarters in Srinagar over the issue opposing the postponement of the polls. “When they sense that the NC has the upper hand and the establishment-backed candidate is losing, they resort to these tactics. We have witnessed this in the past as well; when the former CM’s brother was on the verge of losing and the Anantnag elections were postponed, then no elections happened. The BJP and partner parties, along with the ECI, are attempting to do the same, citing the Mughal road problem.”
Abdullah added, “Some parties among those who have written this letter have nothing to do with these elections since they haven’t fielded a candidate, such as the People’s Conference and the BJP. Should I write a letter tomorrow for some seat in South India to have it deferred?”
Abdullah further said that if the polls are deferred, the NC will take the matter to court. “The ECI must instruct the administration to keep the roads open. I’ve been CM, and I know that machinery and manpower can keep the Mughal road open,” he stated.
Inclement weather conditions have led to frequent closure of the Mughal Road, which connects the Anantnag and Rajouri areas of J&K. Mufti also held a roadshow through the Mughal Road yesterday. In the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, all paperwork is complete, with 21 candidates contesting the polls while voting is slated to take place on May 7th, in the third phase.
-
Supreme Court To Pronounce Verdict On Pleas Seeking Mandatory EVM-VVPAT Cross-Verification Today |
In a significant development, the Supreme Court is set to rule on a series of petitions requesting complete cross-verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). A bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is expected to deliver the verdict.
The Supreme Court previously stated that it cannot “control the elections” or issue orders based solely on concerns raised about the efficacy of EVMs. The court had reserved judgement on the petitions, which also claimed that polling devices could be manipulated to influence results.
The court also clarified that it cannot change the minds of those who question the benefits of polling machines and advocate for a return to ballot papers. The bench also considered the responses to questions it posed to the Election Commission about the operation of EVMs, such as whether the microcontrollers in them are programmable.
Last week, the bench reserved its decision on a number of public interest litigations (PILs) in the case, noting that official acts are normally presumed to be valid under the Indian Evidence Act, and that nothing done by the Election Commission can be questioned.
One of the petitioners, the NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’, has requested that the poll panel reverse its 2017 decision to replace the transparent glass on VVPAT machines with an opaque one. The petitioners have also asked the court to restore the old ballot paper system.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Centre’s second highest law officer, criticised the petitioners for filing PILs on the eve of elections, claiming that a voter’s democratic choice is being turned into a joke. He added that the Supreme Court had already resolved the issue by dismissing previous petitions seeking similar relief.
In April 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to increase the number of VVPAT slips from one to five per Assembly constituency. It had issued guidelines for the mandatory verification of VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations after the final round of counting votes recorded in EVMs.
A VVPAT is regarded as an independent verification system for voting machines, allowing voters to confirm that they have correctly cast their votes. The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections began on April 19 and will end with the announcement of results on June 4. This verdict could have far-reaching consequences for India’s electoral process.
-
‘Congress Wants Islamisation Of India’: Yogi Adityanath Slams Religion-Based Reservation |
Amid the ongoing furore over the implementation of the religion-based reservation in Karnataka by the Congress government, the BJP has sharpened its attack on the grand old party. While Prime Minister and senior BJP leader said that the Congress is snatching the rights of OBCs, SCs and STs, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath said that the grand old party wants Islamisation of India. Yogi Adityanath further alleged that Congress is planning to implement the ‘Sharia law’ in the country.
Addressing a public rally in Amroha, Yogi said, “Congress has written in its manifesto about bringing personal laws for a particular community. Through this move, Congress aims to impose Sharia law, bringing a Taliban-style rule to India. This indicates that Congress and the INDI Alliance pose a threat to the Constitution crafted by Baba Saheb.”
कांग्रेस का वक्तव्य बहुत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है।
भारत के इस्लामीकरण और भारत को विभाजन की ओर धकेलने की कुत्सित कुचेष्टा का एक हिस्सा है… pic.twitter.com/ODhuLpVEvy
— Yogi Adityanath (मोदी का परिवार) (@myogiadityanath) April 25, 2024The Uttar Pradesh CM further said, “Whenever the people associated with the INDI alliance got the opportunity to come to power, they have made a despicable attempt to rob the rights of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward caste people in the country as well as the rights of the poor.”
Talking about the inheritance law, wealth distribution and former PM Dr Manmohan Singh’s 2006 speech related to minorities’ first claim on resources, Yogi Adityanath said that Congress wants to seize people’s property.
“The Congress and I.N.D.I alliance members betrayed the country by presenting a deceitful manifesto. While they promise to eradicate poverty, they are secretly planning to seize your property, as well as the jewellery of your daughters and mothers,” he said.
After the first phase of voting on April 19, issues like wealth distribution, Muslim reservations and inheritance law have become key talking points from the BJP while the Congress is responding to this accusation by the Modi government.
-
SC Verdict Today On Pleas Seeking 100% EVM-VVPAT Vote Verification |
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to declare its verdict on Wednesday regarding several petitions requesting complete cross-verification of votes cast through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) using the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). The VVPAT serves as an autonomous method for voters to verify if their votes have been accurately recorded. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will pronounce the specific instructions on the plea in which order was reserved by the apex court on April 18.
During the hearing the top court pointed out the importance of voter’s trust in the electoral system and their satisfaction. The SC told petitioners seeking direction to go back to using ballot papers, not to suspect the efficacy of EVMs and appreciate if the Election Commission does good work.
During the nearly two-day hearing, the bench discussed with senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas for about an hour to grasp the operation of EVMs. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the Election Commission, asserted that EVMs are standalone devices invulnerable to tampering, although he acknowledged the potential for human error.
On April 16, the SC depreciated the criticism of EVMs and calls for going back to ballot papers, saying the electoral process in India is a “humongous task” and attempts should not be made to “bring down the system”, reported PTI.
The NGO ‘Association for Democratic Reforms’ (ADR) sought the court to change a decision made by the election commission in 2017. This decision was about replacing see-through glass on voting machines with opaque glass. With the new glass, a voter can only see their vote slip when a light is on for seven seconds.
The ADR has requested that the number of votes recorded by EVMs matches the votes that have been reliably recorded as cast. They also want to ensure that voters can confirm through the VVPAT slip that their vote, as seen on the paper slip, has been counted as recorded.
At present, VVPAT slips from five randomly chosen EVMs in each Assembly segment undergo verification.
-
Purnia Lok Sabha Seat: Pappu Yadav’s Independent Bid Sets Tone For Triangular Contest With RJD’s Bima Bharti And JDU’s Santosh Kumar |
New Dekhi: Purnia has emerged as one of the most prominent constituencies among the 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar. The northern state of Bihar is going to polls in all 7 phases and the results will be counted on June 4. Purnia district has one of the highest Muslim populations with approximately 6.5 lakh voters. The seat has around 1.5 lakh Yadav, 3.5 lakh Kushwaha and around 1.5 lakh upper caste voters. Purnia parliamentary constituency is going to take place in the second phase on April 26 as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced.
In the ongoing Lok Sabha Election, Purnia has become a hot seat after the INDIA alliance in Bihar fielded RJD candidate Beema Bharti ignoring Pappu Yadav, who later filed his nominations as an independent candidate. On the other hand, NDA has re-nominated JD(U) sitting MP Santosh Kumar from the seat.
Tejashwi’s INDIA vs NDA Pitch
During the Purnia rally, RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav urged the crowd to support his party candidate Beema Bharati and said there is a direct fight between the INDIA alliance and NDA. “Choose INDIA bloc, and if you do not choose INDIA’s Bima Bharti, then choose the NDA. Saaf Baat! Saaf Baat!” he said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, JD(U) candidate Santosh Kumar secured a victory against Congress candidate Uday Singh Alias Pappu Singh. Kumar had bagged 6,32,924 votes while Singh had polled 3,69,463 votes. In 2014, the contest was between the same candidates with Kumar emerging as the winner. That time, the JDU had got 4,18,826 votes while Pappu Singh had received 3,02,157 votes. In 2019, Kumar increased his vote share by around 13 per cent.
-
‘Lies, Hate Speech’: Congress Claims PM Modi’s ‘Wealth To Muslims’ Remark Shows INDIA Is Winning 1st Phase Of Polls |
In a fiery rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegations, the Congress party claimed on Sunday that the PM has resorted to “lies” and “hate speech” to divert the public’s attention away from real issues, following a “disappointment” in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The counterattack came in response to PM Modi’s claim that if Congress wins power, it will redistribute wealth to Muslims, citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that the minority community has the first claim to the country’s resources.
At a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, Modi claimed that the Congress intends to distribute people’s hard-earned money and valuables to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge retaliated, claiming that no prime minister in India’s history has degraded the dignity of the office more than Modi. He accused Modi of using “lies” and “hate speech” to divert attention, and claimed that the Prime Minister’s actions reflect the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Kharge also claimed that lying for power, making false references, and levelling baseless accusations against opponents are hallmarks of the Sangh and BJP’s training. He promised that the country’s 140 crore people would no longer fall for such “lies”.
Kharge siad that the Congress manifesto is for all Indians and promotes equality and justice for all, claiming that the party’s Nyaya Patra is founded on truth.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that after “disappointment” in the first phase of voting, “the level of lies of Narendra Modi has fallen so much that he now wants to divert the people’s attention from the issues as he is rattled”.
The trends of massive support for Congress’ “revolutionary manifesto” have begun to emerge, Gandhi stated in a Hindi post on X.
“The country will now vote on its issues, including employment, family, and the future. “India will not be diverted,” the former Congress chief stated.
In his remarks in Rajasthan, Modi said, “The Congress manifesto states that they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, gather information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom- – Manmohan Singh’s government stated that Muslims have the first right to the country’s assets.”
“Previously, when their (Congress) government was in power, they stated that Muslims have first priority over the country’s assets. This means, to whom will this property be distributed? “It will be distributed to those who have more children,” the prime minister stated.
The Congress has stated that its manifesto does not mention “redistribution” and that it supports a “comprehensive socio-economic caste census”.
-
Repolling Ordered At 11 Polling Stations In Manipur, ECI Nullifies Results Amidst Reports of Violence
There were reports of shooting, intimidation, the destruction of EVMs at some voting booths, and charges of booth capturing in conflict-torn Manipur, which had a 72 percent turnout in its two Lok Sabha constituencies – Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur.
-
Lok Sabha Polls: Modi`s Rallies In Bihar, Bengal, MP; Congress Goes All Out With Its Manifesto
While the BJP has planned several rallies today, the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi is promoting its manifesto claiming that it can change the face of India.
-
2024 Polls: Pappu Yadav`s Independent Bid From Purnia May Hurt Congress-RJD
Pappu Yadav had won the Purnea seat thrice in the 1990s.