Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxenas sudden visit to Kerala, just ahead of polling in the state, was odd enough to raise suspicions. He sought meetings with the heads of various churches and met a couple of them, triggering speculation that the visit was linked to the elections. Considering how the BJP has been aggressively wooing Christians in a desperate bid to achieve an electoral breakthrough in the state, the suspicion was only natural. The Congress took objection, choosing to call the mee

It is generally agreed that the BJP will win the election and the INDIA bloc will be rendered irrelevant. The debate is limited to the margin of the BJPs victory, with supporters claiming a two-thirds majority and detractors conceding a simple majority. Reasonably, the BJP may be expected to lower its tally. But the rise of the party has not been based on reason, so this is just another wild surmise among many enlivening a boring election with a foregone conclusion. Among these is the idea of th

LUCKNOW: With the Congress Election Committee (CEC) meeting slated for Saturday, and the second phase of voting for 88 seats across India including Rahul Gandhis Wayanad seat having wrapped up, all eyes are now on the electoral landscape of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the two bastions of the Gandhi family, in Uttar Pradesh, where the party is yet to announce its candidates. The meeting comes amid a fervent demand by Congressmen to field former party president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Congress Gen

MADIKERI: Smooth polling was recorded across Kodagu and the district recorded a voter turnout of 70.58% at 5pm. Voters from all sections of the society enthusiastically took part in the festival of democracy and cast their votes. The district had special polling booths even as foresters guarded the booths located in wildlife conflict zones. The minor glitches in EVMs were sorted out during the mock voting process held in all polling booths from 6 am to 7 am. From nearly 6.30 am, voters started t

Surat LS candidate Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Cong

Over 600 Tripura tribal voters boycott polls over bad road

PM is scared, may even shed tears on stage.: Rahul Gandhi's fresh salvo at Modi

CHITRADURGA: Assistant Presiding Officer at Hottepanahalli Gollarahatti polling station in Challakere taluk, Chitradurga parliamentary constituency, Yashodamma (58) tragically passed away from a heart attack while on poll duty. Assistant Returning Officer B Anand reported that Yashodamma experienced discomfort in the morning and was promptly taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Sector officials swiftly arrived at the scene to replace her. In the midst of this, the Chitradurga cons

No violation of model code in Ajit Pawar's funds for votes' remarks: Poll officials

Modi slams TMC over school jobs scam, says Bengal's youth paying the price

GARIABAND: A jawan of the Madhya Pradesh Special Armed Force deployed on poll duty died allegedly by suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district on Friday, police said. Gariaband falls in the Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency where polling is underway in the second phase of the general elections. The incident took place around 9.30 am at a government school in Kudedadar village under Piparchhedi police station limits where security personnel on poll du

BHUBANESWAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has urged Odisha BJP leaders to dedicate themselves fully for a month to ensure the party's victory in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state. Shah, who held a crucial meeting with BJP leaders of 13 parliamentary constituencies here on Thursday night, urged them to keep their differences aside and work together, party state president Manmohan Samal said after the meeting on Thursday night. Odisha needs a healthy, young and Odia-speak

JEYPORE/BHUBANESWAR: 5T chairman and senior BJD leader VK Pandian on Wednesday launched the partys election campaign from Bissam Cuttack and Gunupur and urged people to ensure the victory of BJD candidates in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls by a huge margin. Addressing an election meeting at Banguruguda village near Semiliguda in Pottangi Assembly seat, Pandian said people will again extend their support to BJD candidates because of the welfare programmes launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patna

HYDERABAD : Describing the BJP as the British Janata Party, Chief Minister and TPCC president A Revanth Reddy on Thursday alleged that the saffron partys agenda was like that of British rulers, which, according to him, has no reservation policy. Addressing the gathering while participating in a roadshow at Rajendranagar in the Chevella Lok Sabha constituency, he said: BJP is behaving like East India Company. Like East India Company came from Surat in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uni

BENGALURU: It was a pricey affair for hundreds of people in the city, who were heading out to their native places to cast their votes on Thursday. They struggled to catch buses and those who managed to catch one, had to shell out extra money to reach their destinations. With the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses, devoted to election duty to carry polling staff to their allocated booths, the general public complained t

BHUBANESWAR: Setting the tone for the BJPs election campaign pitch, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday tore into the BJD government for keeping Odisha underdeveloped when several backward states have made rapid progress with accelerated growth of four to five times. Addressing an impressive Vijay Sankalp Samabesh at Sonepur, the first election rally by any of the top guns of the BJP, Shah launched a scathing attack on the Naveen Patnaik government accusing it of failing to resolve basic p

BELAGAVI: AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said on Thursday that the Election Commission of India (ECI), which was once a neutral body, is now controlled by the PM. The election commissioner was in the past elected by a three-member group comprising the Chief Justice of India, the Leader of Opposition, and the PM. Unfortunately, such an important institution has fallen into the pocket of Narendra Modi today. It is like a pen in Modis pocket, and hes using i

SHIVAMOGGA: Tamil Nadu BJP president, K Annamalai, said on Thursday that the BJP will emerge stronger than before in South India when the results of the ongoing General Elections are declared on June 4. Speaking to media persons here, Annamalai said that with a big contribution from Karnataka, followed by Telangana, the BJP would also open its account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He said the NDA would also emerge victorious in Puducherry and Goa. He said the BJP was at present in the third spot in

BHUBANESWAR: The nomination filing process for four Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 Assembly segments that go to polls in the state in first phase on May 13, came to an end on Thursday. As per the latest report, a total of 55 nominations have been received for the four Lok Sabha seats - Koraput (ST), Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Berhampur. Similarly, 336 candidates have filed their nominations for the 28 Assembly seats that will go to elections in the first phase. For the LS seats, as many as 17 n

MADIKERI: With wildlife conflict at peak due to the water crisis across Kodagu, special teams of foresters will be deployed at wildlife-sensitive polling stations. Sensitive and highly sensitive wildlife zones have been identified even as foresters have been deployed to ensure safety of voters during the polling process. Sources said the Chief Conservator of Forests has directed forest officers to deploy staff in wildlife sensitive areas. Similarly, Madikeri DCF Bhaskar confirmed that staff have

BENGALURU: From free Benne dosa, filter coffee, and ghee laddu to free beer for the first 50 customers, eateries in Bengaluru are all set to treat voters with tempting offers to increase voter turnout. Besides, cab aggregators also joined hands with Rapido, offering free rides to senior citizens and specially-abled voters across Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and Mysuru. PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association (BBHA) told TNIE, The initiative seeks to boost voter turnout, particularly in

BENGALURU: Bengaluru, the tech capital and state capital, is not important only for the income it generates, but also for the population it houses, more so the number of voters. All eyes are on all four parliamentary constituencies -- Bangalore Rural, North, and Central. Political parties, candidates and election officials have left no stone unturned to ensure the voting percentage rises. As per District Election Officer Tushar Girinath, the overall voter percentage in Bengaluru was around 54% i

VIJAYAPURA: Former Congress president and MP, Rahul Gandhi, will campaign for partys Vijayapura candidate Raju Algur on April 26. The event will be held on the new BLDE College premises on Solapur Road on the outskirts of Vijayapura. Rahul will be the first national level leader of any party to visit the district to campaign this elections. He is expected to be joined by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala and other prominent leader

SHIGGOAN/HAVERI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday hit out at the BJP government and leaders of the state. He said Union Minister Pralhad Joshi should be ashamed as he had done nothing for his constituency or the state. All BJP MPs in the state are afraid to speak to PM Narendra Modi, and demand our share, he taunted. Siddaramaiah was addressing the Prajadhwani-2 in Shiggoan taluk of Haveri district. He alleged that the BJP-JDS alliance is an illicit one, and leaders of both parties have s

KOCHI: TheSystematicVotersEducation and Electoral Participation Programme (SVEEP) under the Election Commission of India has joinedhandswith Katha Ads to create voter-awareness campaigns in Kerala. There is a narrative that casting a votecantmake any difference to society. We are trying to counter that narrative,says Ishan M,CEOof Katha. The platform intends to share short videos of people with their friends and family, emphasising the importance of voting through Katha. Thiswill complementSVEEP

BENGALURU: In the last 17 Lok Sabha elections, including those held when Karnataka was Mysore state, Karnataka never touched 70 per cent polling. Now, with 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state to polls on Friday, Election Commission officials are hoping that polling will reach 72 per cent. This time, there are 58,834 polling stations in Karnataka. As per data available with TNIE, the 2019 polling percentage of 68.81 is the highest ever in Lok Sabha polls in the state. Chief Electoral Officer, Karnata

BENGALURU: Polling in 14 constituencies of south and coastal Karnataka in Phase-2 Lok Sabha 2024 elections will begin at 7am and end at 6pm on Friday. However, given the weather conditions and heat wave alert issued by the India Meteorological Department, officials at the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) office said all those who enter the polling booth premises till 6pm will be allowed to vote beyond that time. To ensure smooth polling this time, keeping in mind previous incidents, the CEOs offic

MYSURU: In a startling revelation that has sparked widespread concern, the BJP in Mysuru stands accused of engaging in a significant electoral violation, casting a shadow on the upcoming polls. Several messages have been circulating on BJP WhatsApp groups and communities, hinting at potential voter intimidation tactics. The messages, allegedly originating from a WhatsApp group named King Yaduveer MP for Mysuru have made the shocked community apprehensive. One message, comprising six points (in K

ALAPPUZHA: Dropping a bombshell on the eve of elections, BJPs Alappuzha Lok Sabha candidate Sobha Surendran claimed LDF convenor E P Jayarajan had approached her about joining the BJP. Sobha named Jayarajan at a presser in Alappuzha after controversial middleman T G Nandakumar raised allegations against her in Delhi. A decision on [EP] joining BJP was almost reached. However, he feared CPM retaliation. Jayarajans son was also involved in the talks and sent me WhatsApp messages. I met him at a ho

MYSURU: Apart from deciding the fate of candidates, the elections to the 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to polls on Friday, will be a battle of prestige for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa and JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy. The two blocs -- Congress, and BJP and its ally JDS -- are waging a bitter contest in the high-stake battle for Old Mysuru region of Southern Karnataka where a majority of the seats fall. Chief Minister Sidda

Rahul Gandhi has a tummy ache. After Amethi 2019, there is no way he wants a headache in Wayanad, the constituency he represents in the Lok Sabha, where even his fanboys admit he is not visible often enough. In this green undulating expanse of coffee plantations and tea estates scalloping the mountainsides and the homes of wealthy landowners looking down upon verdant valleys, the population is predominantly Muslim and Christian. Rahul has sent sister Priyanka to campaign in his place, the day be

KALPETTA: With hours left for voting, allegations are flying thick and fast over the seizure of food kits in Wayanad constituency. The row erupted on Wednesday when the police and election officers recovered around 1,500 kits containing essential food items based on a tip-off from a wholesaler in Sultan Bathery. Later, various political parties hurriedly convened press conferences trading charges against each other on Thursday. The LDF and UDF came out alleging that the BJP was distributing food

KOCHI: Over 6,000 police personnel, including from the paramilitary force, have been deployed across Ernakulam district to ensure peaceful voting on Friday. There are 185 sensitive booths, all of them in the Ernakulam rural police limits, which cover parts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Chalakudy and Idukki Lok Sabha constituencies. Hence, a major chunk of the personnel around 4,500 will be posted in the rural limits and tasked with manning all 1,538 polling booths here as well as maintaining law and

IDUKKI: Despite the BJPs efforts to prop her up a star campaigner, 87-year-old Mariyakutty of Adimaly didnt flinch a second to extend her support for Idukki UDF candidate Dean Kuriakose. Mariyakutty revealed that she had received calls from BJP state leaders to participate in the partys poll campaigning. But, I have been a Congress supporter ever since I settled in Adimaly, she said. Now, 78-year-old Mariyakutty drags Kerala governmenttocourt over pension Mariyakutty was seen as the face of prot

LDF CPM, CPI, Kerala Congress (M), JDS (T), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), RJD, Indian National League, Congress (S), Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (Skaria Thomas) Highlights The Left campaigns primary focus was on the Citizenship Amendment Act, using it as a plank to cash in on anti-BJP sentiments. The Left banked heavily on anti-incumbency against the Centre and sitting UDF MPs. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remained the star campaigner throughout, travelling across the state t

CHENNAI: Following the viral video of a five-year-old girl showing the sad state of her school in Mogappair that was used as a polling booth for the Lok Sabha elections, education officials and the councillor of ward 92 allegedly threatened the childs parents, school management committee chairman, and an educationist associated with the institution for bringing the issue to light. The school authorities had earlier demanded to ensure the institutions and its premises remain clean and undamaged a

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the silent day of the campaign, Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha candidate Shashi Tharoor had to reiterate that the fight between the LDF and NDA was to get the second place. Meanwhile, CPI leader and LDF candidate Pannian Raveendran stepped up his attack against Tharoor claiming that unlike him, he had been living in Thiruvananthapuram for the past 40 years. On Thursday morning, Tharoor visited the Thiruvananthapuram DCC office and took stock of the situation. Speaking to rep

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: UDFs Attingal candidate Adoor Prakash on Thursday reiterated his allegation of rampant duplication in the voters list, saying the district collector had failed to address the issue. Addressing a press conference on the eve of the vote in the state, Prakash said the High Court had directed electoral officials and the district collector to hand over all the details about duplication in the voters list to candidates. But officials have only provided partial details, he claimed.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena visited various Church heads in the state, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan approached the Election Commission of India seeking action against the former for trying to garner votes for the BJP. Satheesan accused Saxena of violation of model code by attempting to lure them to take a stance in favour of the BJP. Kerala Oppn cries foul as Delhi Lt-Governor meets church heads ahead of polls The Delhi Lieutenant Governor,

MUMBAI: The second voting phase on April 26 in Maharashtra will take place for eight seats. While three phases are still remaining to cover all 48 seats in the state, a few significant factors have come to the fore for the April 26 polls: a victory or defeat in this phase will, in all probability, decide the political careers of many stalwarts. It will settle long, disputed legacy issues involving Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, on the one hand, and the Pawar family, on the other. For the BJ

There were murmurs of discontentment within a section of BJD in Kendrapara district when Anshuman Mohanty, former Congress MLA from Rajnagar and son of late veteran leader Nalini Kanta Mohanty, was inducted to the party and subsequently fielded as the partys candidate from Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat. The fact that he is pitched against Baijayant Panda, the BJP national vice-president, has made his task all the more tough. In an interview with Bijay Chaki, Anshuman exudes confidence and says he wi

BHUBANESWAR: BJD, BJP and JMM are all set for a fierce triangular battle of supremacy in the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency. Odisha: Anjani gets second chance as JMMs Mayurbhanj LS candidate While the two major players BJD and BJP have changed their candidates, JMM has once again nominated its state president Anjani Soren, daughter of veteran leader and founder of JMM Shibu Soren from the seat. However, the electoral fight in the constituency this time will be mainly between BJD candidate Sud

BHUBANESWAR: In Nabarangpur, voters of hamlets like Gurmaiguda, Talang, Tangnikot, Bagra and Jholaguda in the cut-off area of Indravati will no longer have to cross the reservoir to reach the mainland to exercise their franchise. This election, they can vote from the convenience of their own area, well within the reservoir. The chief electoral officer (CEO) has facilitated setting up of new booths within Indravati reservoir to reduce the travelling time of the voters. Under Nabarangpur Assembly

COIMBATORE: Amid allegations that several eligible voters in Tamil Nadu couldnt vote in the April 19 Lok Sabha election, a protest was organised under the banner of People for Annamalai here. K Annamalai, the BJP candidate for the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat, had alleged on the election day the names of thousands of people were missing from the electoral rolls. The protesters, most of them with electoral stains on their fingers, raised slogans against the Election Commission. Holding placards they

CUTTACK: The BJP is plagued by dissidence within its ranks over the selection of candidates for the Assembly segments in both Cuttack and Kendrapara parliamentary constituencies. On Wednesday night, the growing friction in the saffron party came to fore as rival factions fought a pitched battle at Podamarai in Mahanga of Kendrapara district. The violence exposed the state of affairs within the party at the rally organised by the partys Mahanga Assembly segment candidate Sumant Ghadei and MP cand

NEW DELHI: The BJPs three-term Member of Parliament, Varun Gandhi, has turned down his party leaderships request to take on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is likely to be fielded by the Congress from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh. According to sources, Varun was approached by BJP president J P Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah and a few other senior leaders of the party with the offer in the last couple of weeks. But he refused to accept the offer. Sources said Varun told

BHUBANESWAR: In a confidence building measure for the BJP leaders and workers, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the saffron party is going to form its first government in Odisha and a young dynamic Odia will be the chief minister. Interacting with Assembly and Lok Sabha candidates of 13 parliamentary constituencies, election in charges, state and district functionaries at a convention centre near Cuttack-Puri by-pass road, Shah said he could clearly see that this is a golden time f

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court consisting of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq on Thursday disposed of a petition filed by a BJP leader, seeking disqualification of Virudhunagar Congress candidate Manickam Tagore for allegedly bribing the voters. The petition was filed by R Sasikumar, Madurai West district president of the BJP. He said that FIRs were registered against the Congress candidates four agents NR Kamaraj, G Seeni, Karuppaiah and Pandi by the Virudhunagar

CHENNAI: BJPs assembly floor leader Nainar Nagenthran, who contested in Tirunelveli parliament seat in the BJP ticket, said he will appear before the Tambaram police on May 2 or earlier for inquiry regarding the seizure of Rs 3.99 crore from persons known to him. Claiming that he is being targeted, he said though Rs 200 crore had been seized in the state during the election, only the seizure of Rs 3.99 crore is being widely discussed. Answering questions about his connection with the persons who