AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday for more than 13 hours in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board under his chairmanship, officials said. He reached the ED office in central Delhi around 11 am and left after midnight following more than 13 hours of questioning. Sources said he has been asked to appear before the agency next week. Khan told reporters while leaving that he deposed before the ED on the directions of the Supreme Court and that his statement was recorded by the agency. He said he has been asked to provide some documents to the agency in connection with this probe. Khan said reports of his arrest were "rumours". AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Atishi and other party leaders visited Khan's house Thursday evening and met his family members expressing their solidarity with them. Atishi told reporters outside Khan's house that they were getting news of their MLA's arrest. She said the case against him was fake. "We are getting the news that AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan ji has been arrested," she had said. The deposition of the 50-year-old legislator from the Okhla assembly seat came after the Supreme Court last week refused to entertain his anticipatory bail application in the case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board during his chairmanship. The apex court had directed him to join the investigation on April 18. Speaking to reporters before entering the ED office, Khan had claimed that he followed the rules when he was the chairman of the Waqf Board and did everything after taking legal opinion and as per the new Act (for the board) that came in 2013. The money laundering case against Khan stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR and three Delhi Police complaints. The ED, which had conducted raids on his premises, has claimed Khan acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash through illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those to purchase immovable assets in the name of his associates. The ED had alleged in a statement that "illegal recruitment" of staff took place in the Waqf Board and "illegal personal gains" were made by unfairly leasing the Waqf Board properties during Khan's chairmanship (2018-2022). This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:35 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that there is a lack of knowledge about our identity among the countrymen, adding that people should proudly acknowledge that their identity is Hindu. The RSS Chief was speaking at a launch event of a book titled 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh' in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on Thursday. Addressing the event, Bhagwat said, "Again and again someone comes and we become slaves due to our mistakes. It needs to be addressed. This disease needs to be treated; otherwise, such things will keep happening. We need to treat some of our basic mistakes." He further said that the country needs to organise the entire society with a common thread so we can be clear about our identity. "Due to dis-orientation, there is lack of knowledge in our country about who we are and who is ours, about our identity and there is no clarity about it. Due to several years of slavery, there is mental suppression," the RSS chief said. "Hence, we need to organise the entire society with a common sutra which unites us all. We should know our identity clearly and tell the world as well. If we know who we are then we also know who is ours and that our identity is Hindu and we should say with pride that we are Hindus," he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:30 AM IST | Nagpur | ANIThe voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Manipur is scheduled for Friday. The northeastern state has seen ethnic violence since May 2023. Polling will start at 7 am and continue until 4 pm. All 32 assembly segments of the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency and 15 Assembly Segments of the Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituency will go to the polls today. A total of 15,44,652 voters, including 7,41,849 males, 8,02,557 females, and 246 transgender voters, will exercise their franchise in phase 1, according to an official release. There are a total of 2107 polling stations. It is worth mentioning that 645 polling stations will be completely managed by all-woman polling personnel. It is also notable that 2 polling stations will be exclusively managed by Persons with Disabilities (PwD) polling personnel. In addition, 85 special polling stations have been set up for internally displaced voters in Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi districts. A total of 18091 internally displaced voters will exercise their franchise today. Over 8,000 polling personnel are being deployed, the release added. A total of 6 candidates are in the fray for the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, while 4 candidates shall be contesting for the Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituency. Arrangements for webcasting have been made at 1256 polling stations. Adequate CAPF has been deployed in all polling stations. In addition, micro observers have been deployed in all critical polling stations and special polling stations. A total of 11582 PwD electors and 289 Centenarian voters will exercise their franchise today. Two volunteers have been engaged in each polling station to assist voters. Voter assistance booths have also been set up in all polling stations. ASHA workers have been identified for every polling station to provide immediate health care for the voters. In addition, Anganwadi workers have been engaged to facilitate pregnant and lactating mothers voting with ease. First-aid kits have been provided for all polling stations, the release added. The movement of EVMs is being tracked with the help of the e-Traccar app, which is embedded in the mobile phones of polling personnel and sector officers. Besides, polling personnel will be able to report any sort of EVM malfunctioning or any untoward incident happening in the polling station. This will enable the returning officer & assistant, it added. Returning officers to take immediate corrective action. The Poll Star App is also used for timely reporting of voter turnout and other vital information by the polling officials. Control rooms have been set up in every district headquarters and in the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur, it added. In order to ensure free, fair and smooth election, certain restrictions have been imposed on poll day in the polling station premises. Providing free conveyance to voters to and from the polling stations by a candidate/his agent is a corrupt practice and strictly forbidden. As provided in Section 130 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, canvassing within a polling station or any public or private place within a distance of 100 meters of a polling station is strictly prohibited. Cellular phones, cordless phones, etc., shall not be allowed except by officers on duty within 100 meters of a polling station. Besides, no campaign-related posters or banners within 100 metres of the polling booth are allowed. The use of loudspeakers within a 100-meter polling station is also strictly prohibited. Candidates shall also not set up booths within 200 metres of the polling booth, the release added. The Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur, has appealed to all voters to come out in large numbers, exercise their franchise, and be a part of the democratic exercise. Voters are expected to produce an elector's photo identity card (EPIC) for their identification at the polling stations before casting their votes, it added. Those voters who are not able to produce EPIC shall produce one of the 12 alternative identity documents for establishing their identity: Aadhaar Card, MNREGA Job Card, Passbooks with photographs issued by Bank/Post Office, Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of the Ministry of Labour, Driving Licence, PAN Card, Smart Card issued by RGI under NPR, Indian Passport, Pension document with photograph, Service Identity Cards with photographs issued to employees by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies, Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs and Unique Disability ID (UDID) Card, M/o Social Justice Empowerment, Government of India. The following states and Union Territories will be conducting Phase 1 of voting: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Vote counting will take place on June 4. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:09 AM IST | Imphal | PTIVoting started in the first phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur parliamentary constituency on Friday with over 16.23 lakh electorate eligible to exercise their franchise. The polling began at 7 am in all 2,637 polling stations across the constituency despite pouring rain and will decide the fate of 12 candidates, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh who is eyeing a third term after winning the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This is the first major electoral battle after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. Prominent among others in the fray include Congress leader and two-time former Member of Parliament Choudhary Lal Singh and DPAP's G M Saroori besides Six independents. Braving inclement weather, the early morning voters were seen heading for the polling stations before the start of the voting, officials said, adding more than 11,000 polling staff, including reserve, have been deployed while security arrangements are foolproof to ensure free and fair elections. Udhampur encompasses an expansive area of 16,707 square kilometres. It consists of 18 assembly segments spanning across five districts -- Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur and Kathua. The constituency, which was reshaped with three assembly constituencies of Reasi district carved out on the recommendations of the delimitation commission in 2022, had recorded 70.2 per cent polling in Lok Sabha elections in 2019. According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, a total of 1,472 polling stations, out of 2,637, have been equipped with webcasting facilities in the constituency having a diverse electorate comprising 16,23,195 eligible voters. Among them 845,283 are men, 777,899 are women and 13 are third gender voters. Of the 2,637 polling stations, 2,457 are in rural areas and 180 in urban areas. The highest 701 polling stations are in Kathua, 654 in Udhampur, 529 in Doda, 405 in Kishtwar and 348 in Ramban. Of notable mention is the inclusion of 23,637 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) within the electoral roll, encompassing 14,362 males and 9,275 females besides 403 persons above 100 years of age who have been enrolled to participate in the electoral process. There are a total of 84,468 potential first-time voters, aged 18-19 years, of which 45,825 are men, 38,641 are women and two are third genders, the officials said. They said the constituency also has a sizable elderly population, with 12,020 men and 13,612 women aged 80 and above, totalling 25,632 seasoned voters contributing to the electoral discourse. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 08:03 AM IST | Jammu | PTIPolling began at 7 AM on Friday in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu for the 2024 general election, amid tight security arrangements. People arrived at the polling stations enthusiastically and waited for their turn to vote, with personnel of the state and central police forces standing guard. The fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris) and Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's K Annamalai (Coimbatore), L Murugan (Nilgiris) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran (Theni) are among the prominent candidates. Polling also began in neighbouring Puducherry where the Congress and BJP are in a direct fight. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:59 AM IST | Chennai | PTIArunachal Pradesh is set to vote on Friday for the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, with the Election Commission setting up dedicated women-centric polling stations in various constituencies. Voting will notably take place in the northeastern state to elect two Lok Sabha MPs and 50 MLAs. There are 133 candidates in the fray for the assembly constituencies and 14 for Lok Sabha seats. "To ensure the safety of women, women-centric polling stations have been established. We have set up 100-200 pink polling stations, and good arrangements have been made in those polling stations. My message to all women would be that everyone has the right to vote, so women should be able to vote without any influence," Chemy Doker, Presiding Officer of the Shyaro polling station under the Mukto Assembly constituency, said. "There are 77 polling stations in the district, hence 77 teams. One team going to Luguthang has already been dispatched. By evening, all teams will have reached their booths. Polling will commence at 7 am and continue until 5 pm," she added. Tashi Chhota, another presiding officer of 2/14 Tawang Higher Secondary School, said, "Our polling station is hardly 1km from here, so after we reach, we will inspect all the preparations. Polling will start at 7 am tomorrow. Our team consists of 8 people, including polling staff and security personnel, and we will stay there overnight. We have around 670 voters at our polling station." The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed all-women-led teams comprising the District Collector, Superintendent of Police, and Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), along with all polling parties, including security personnel, in the Lower Dibang Valley district of the state. Visuals from the Upper Siang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday showed security personnel being deployed. Given the mountainous terrain of Arunachal Pradesh, polling teams traverse difficult terrain to reach their respective polling booths. Polling teams could be seen reaching their respective polling booths in the East Kameng district on Thursday. Another depicted polling team was seen navigating the stunning hanging bridge of Lower Heyo. Arunachal Pradesh has two parliamentary constituencies, Arunachal East and Arunachal West. In 2019, the BJP won both Lok Sabha seats. While in the assembly, the BJP emerged victorious with 41 seats. The JD (U) won seven seats, the NPP won five, and Congress won four seats. The PPA won one seat and independent candidates won two seats. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:55 AM IST | Tawang | ANIThe Lok Sabha Elections 2024's first phase began on April 19 and featured a number of well-known candidates and high-profile contests. In an effort to increase BJP's influence in the South, K Annamalai of the BJP faces up against Ganapathy P Rajkumar of the DMK and Singai Ramachandran of the AIADMK in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, reported ANI. In his post on X, Annamalai said, "For an honest political change to take place in Tamil Nadu, for youth politics to be born, for equal opportunities to flourish for all, for the pride of Kongu land to be known throughout the country, for Coimbatore to travel on the path of development, I earnestly request all the voters of the Coimbatore Parliament to vote for the lotus symbol." Meanwhile, Congressman Vikas Thakre is running against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur, Maharashtra, hoping for his third straight victory. Relying on his prior successes and a sizable vote share in 2019, Gadkari promises to improve Nagpur's infrastructure, exuding confidence in his triumph, the report added. Gadkari, who recently released 'Vachan Nama' for Nagpur, had previously said, "We plan to open an organic fruits and vegetables and foodgrains market in Nagpur. I am 101 per cent sure of my victory. This time I will win the election with a very good margin. Given the support of the public, their enthusiasm, and the hard work of the party workers, I will try my best to win with a margin of more than 5 lakhs." Gadkari won a second term after the 2019 polls in which he defeated current Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole with a victory margin of 2,16,009 votes, the report added. Reportedly, the BJP in UP replaced Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit and instead nominated Jitin Prasada, a former Congressman who will take on Bhagwat Saran Gangwar of the SP and Anis Ahmed Khan of the BSP. Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is running from the Gaya seat in Bihar which has 14 candidates in the fray for the seat. In Gaya, the BJP is allied with HAM-S, and Manjhi is hopeful about public support, the ANI report added. He, speaking to ANI said, "Wherever we are going, everyone is raising slogans of 'Abki baar 400 paar'. People themselves are saying that they will vote for PM Modi. We don't see any challenge." According to the report, Vivek Bunty Sahu of the BJP will be running against former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath, the party hopes to unseat Congress' lone seat in Chhindwara. However, Nath exuded confidence and had earlier said, "I have full faith that the people of Chhindwara will give their love and blessings to me again," Nakul Nath said after filing the nomination papers." Last but not least, Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress faces off against Topon Kumar Gogoi in Assam's Jorhat, a seat that the BJP has long held. Gaurav, who is a sitting MP from Kaziranga (erstwhile Kaliabor), decided to fight from Jorhat surprising everyone. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be concluding on June 1 and the votes will be counted on June 4.
19 April,2024 07:46 AM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondentPrime Minister Narendra Modi urged eligible voters in India to vote in record numbers on Friday, as the seven-phase Lok Sabha Elections 2024 began. Polling is currently underway in 102 seats. PM Modi encouraged young and first-time voters to vote in significant numbers. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 commence today! As 102 seats across 21 States and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers. I particularly call upon the young and first-time voters to vote in large numbers. After all, every vote counts and every voice matters!" The 2024 Lok Sabha elections commence today! As 102 seats across 21 States and UTs go to the polls, I urge all those voting in these seats to exercise their franchise in record numbers. I particularly call upon the young and first time voters to vote in large numbers. After all,… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 19, 2024 He made similar appeals in various other Indian languages including Marathi. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be carried out in seven phases from April 19 to June 1; per an agency report, this is going to be the second-longest polling exercise in electoral history. The first general election was held over five months between September 1951 and February 1952. According to the report in ANI, the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 were also held in seven phases. In elections that began on Friday, people will be casting their votes in a total of 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories while the counting is scheduled to take place on June 4. Voting for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 1 is underway in the following states and union territories: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. Reportedly, the voting in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will be taking place in all seven phases while states like Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and union territories like Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Lakshadweep will be taking place in single-phase on Friday, the ANI report stated. Apart from the general elections, voters in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the northeast will be casting their ballots for their assembly elections as well. The ANI report also stated that from a total of 96.8 crore registered voters, 49.72 crore are men and 47.1 are women.
19 April,2024 07:46 AM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe 2024 Lok Sabha polls will kick off today with polling for the first phase scheduled in 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union territories and among those in the fray are Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbanada Sonowal and Bhupendra Yadav, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress, DMK’s Kanimozhi and K Annamalai of BJP. Simultaneously, assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats) and Sikkim (32 seats) will also be held. Voting will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm. The Election Commission has deployed over 18 lakh polling personnel across 1.87 lakh polling stations where over 16.63 crore voters will exercise their franchise. Voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender. There are as many as 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years. An election official during the distribution of EVM and other polling material on the eve of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. Pic/PTI While the BJP-led NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a stronger majority, the constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc are hoping for a rebound after facing reverses in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Polling will be held in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1). Besides, there will be voting in 12 seats in Rajasthan, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, 4 in Bihar, 3 in West Bengal, 2 seats in Manipur, and one seat each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh. Uttarakhand: BJP seeks hat-trick Dehradun: Polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand will be held on Friday with the BJP aiming to retain the seats for a third time and the Congress looking to regain lost ground in the state. Voting will begin at 7 am across 11,729 polling stations and continue until 5 pm, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande said. The BJP won all the five seats in Uttarakhand in 2014 and 2019 general elections. The five seats going to polls on Friday are Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and the lone reserved seat of Almora. More than 83 lakh voters will decide the fate of 55 candidates in the fray. Sitting BJP MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah and Ajay Tamta have been fielded by the party from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri Garhwal and Almora, respectively. High stakes in Coochbehar Kolkata: All eyes will be on Coochbehar constituency which goes to polls along with two other seats in north Bengal in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal (WB). Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik is taking on TMC’s Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia in Coochbehar (SC), which saw the death of four people in firing allegedly by central forces in Sitalkuchi during the 2021 assembly elections, that has been made an issue by the TMC in the current poll campaign also. Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST) are the other two constituencies which will go to polls in the first of the seven-phases in WB, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats. J-K: Amid ceasefire, peaceful voting expected in Udhampur Security personnel and polling officials transport EVMs at Dusra Village in Doda. Pic/PTI Jammu: In view of the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan and the heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, the voting process is expected to be peaceful in 2,637 polling stations in the Udhampur, an official said. The seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls on Friday. “Out of the 2,637 polling stations (in Udhampur), 31 are located along the International Border in Kathua district. Necessary arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful polling,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang K Pole said. “Because a ceasefire is holding (between India and Pakistan since February 2021) without any major ceasefire violations, the polling is expected to be peaceful,” Pole said. “All arrangements are in place for free, fair and peaceful voting tomorrow (Friday). The security measures are foolproof with adequate deployment of police and CAPF personnel,” Returning officer for Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency Rakesh Minhas told PTI. Sikkim Assembly polls showdown Gangtok: Sikkim CM and SKM supremo Prem Singh Tamang, former CM and SDF chief Pawan Kumar Chamling are among the 146 candidates in fray for 32 assembly seats which will go to the polls amid elaborate security arrangements in the Himalayan state. Tamang, who is spearheading the ruling SKM’s bid to retain power, is contesting from two assembly seats, Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The SKM chief who is seeking a seventh consecutive term as MLA, is locked in a multi-cornered contest in both assembly constituencies with former minister and SDF nominee Som Nath Poudyal being his main challenger in Rhenock assembly constituency, while SDF candidate AD Subba is his main opponent in Soreng-Chakung assembly constituency. The SKM supremo’s wife Krishna Kumari is contesting from Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituency where she is locked in a quadrangular contest in which the SDF has put up Bimal Rai. Nagaland:Three candidates vie for lone seat Kohima: All arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of elections to the lone Lok Sabha in Nagaland where over 13.25 lakh voters on Friday will decide the fate of three candidates in the fray. Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha are contesting the elections. BJP President J P Nadda, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Ministers T R Zeliang and Y Patton addressed several rallies in support of their candidate. Andaman and Nicobar Islands ready for unique poll challenge Port Blair: Arrangements have been made for conducting polls for the lone seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with polling personnel traversing deep jungles and crocodile-infested mangrove swamps to set up booths in remote areas to ensure all the 3.15 lakh voters get an opportunity to vote. Of the 3.15 lakh voters, 1.64 lakh are men and 1.51 lakh are women, while there are four third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 39 voters of the Great Nicobarese tribe of Strait Islands, 68 members of the Onge tribe at Hut Bay and 98 members of the Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar Island. Tight security as Manipur gears up Imphal: Tight security arrangements have been put in place for the first of the two-phased Lok Sabha elections in Manipur, which had been rocked by ethnic violence over the last one year, officials said on Thursday. The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 32 of the 60 assembly segments in the state, and 15 assembly segments of the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on Friday. Voting will be held in the remaining 13 segments of Outer Manipur in the second phase on April 26. A total of six candidates, including Education Minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh of BJP and Angomcha Bimol Akoijam of Congress, are contesting Inner Manipur seat. Madhya Pradesh: All six constituencies ready for first phase Bhopal: All preparations have been made across the six constituencies in Madhya Pradesh where polling will be held on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, an official said. Of the 29 parliamentary constituencies in the BJP-ruled state, Shahdol, Mandla (both reserved for Scheduled Tribes), Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Sidhi will go to polls in the first phase. Altogether, these constituencies cover 13 districts and 27 assembly segments. Voting will start at 7 am and end at 6 pm in most places, the state’s chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan told reporters here on Thursday. Due to security reasons, polling will be held from 7 am to 4 pm in Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada assembly segments of the Naxal-affected Balaghat constituency, he added. As many as 88 candidates, 81 men and seven women, are in the fray across the six constituencies. Jabalpur has the highest 19 candidates while Shadold has the lowest ten candidates in the fray. Polling teams have already started arriving at 13,588 booths. Women officials will be in charge of 1,118 polling booths, Rajan informed. Bihar’s poll drama: Tight security as 38 candidates vie for votes Patna: The stage is set for the first phase in Bihar where more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 38 candidates standing in four constituencies. Tight security arrangements are in place at Nawada and Aurangabad, besides reserved seats of Gaya and Jamui, where a majority of nearly 5,000 polling booths have been marked as sensitive, given these districts’ long history of naxal violence. Of the four seats, Nawada has the highest number of 20.06 lakh voters, where altogether eight candidates are in the fray. Bastar braces: High security amid Maoist threat Raipur: Amid heightened security measures, the Naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh will go to polls in the first phase of general elections on Friday, where 11 candidates are in fray. Maoists’ call to boycott elections poses a challenge to security forces, but their morale seems to be high following a major counter-insurgency operation in Kanker district on April 16 in which 29 Naxals were gunned down by them. Rajasthan: 12 seats up for grabs as Union minister among contestants Jaipur: Twelve of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan will go to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday. A Union minister is among the 114 candidates in the fray. Polling will be held in twelve out of 25 Lok Sabha seats Churu, Nagaurm, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa, from 7 am to 6 pm. According to chief electoral officer Praveen Gupta, a total of 2.54 crore voters are set to vote in the first phase. The BJP won all 25 seats in Rajasthan in 2014, and in 2019, NDA won 25 seats. Mizoram gears up with six aspirants in fray Aizawl: All arrangements have been made for Friday’s polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram in which six candidates are in the fray, a senior election official said. Over 6.56 lakh electorates, including 4.4 lakh female voters are eligible to cast their votes, he said. Mizoram additional chief electoral officer H Lianzela told PTI that voting will begin in all 1,276 polling stations across the state at 7 am. The official said that the international border with Myanmar and with Bangladesh has been sealed. Besides, movement of traffic in the state boundaries with Assam, Manipur and Tripura has been restricted. Tripura: BJP’s Biplab faces off against Cong in high-stakes contest Agartala: All arrangements for conducting elections in Tripura West Parliamentary constituency and by-poll to Ramnagar Assembly seat to be held on Friday have been completed, an official said. Although nine candidates are in the fray in Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, the battle will be mainly between BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and state Congress president Asish Kumar Saha. A total of 14.61 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. Of them, 7.33 lakh are male while the number of female voters is 7.28 lakh. Assam gears up for triangular contests Vehicles requisitioned for first phase parked in Tinsukia, Assam. Pic/PTI Guwahati: Assam is all set to witness direct and triangular contests for the first of the three-phased Lok Sabha polls in five constituencies to decide the fate of 35 candidates, including that of Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal. A total electorate of 86,47,869, comprising 43,64,859 women who outnumber the 42,82,887 male voters, and 123 third genders, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 10,001 polling booths. West UP: Stage set for three-cornered battle Lucknow: The voters of eight Lok Sabha constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh, falling in the Jat and sugarcane belt, are set to exercise their constitutional right as polling for the first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary election begins on Friday. The seats going to polls on Friday are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit. The poll campaign for the first phase ended on Wednesday evening. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said no campaign-related activity by candidates is allowed in these eight constituencies now and the final preparations for polling are on. The stage is set for a three-cornered poll contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Employment, education and development are among the leading issues for the voters in these constituencies. Tamil Nadu: Modi’s hostile push, Dravidian giants’ standoff Chennai: Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. Puducherry: BJP vs Cong battle for lone seat Puducherry: The fate of 26 candidates in fray for the Lok Sabha polls will be sealed when voters spread across four regions will pick the lone MP from this union territory, where the fight is largely confined between the ruling BJP and Congress. BJP leader and Home Minister A Namassivayam, fielded on behalf of the AINRC-BJP combine, will face-off Congress MP and PCC president V Vaithilingam, while AIADMK’s G Tamizhvendhan is also testing his luck as a debutant. The UT has a total of 10,23,699 voters spread over Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions. Polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm Friday.
19 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesA day before the first phase, Rahul Gandhi told party workers that this is no ordinary election but one to save the Constitution, and exhorted them to tell people that the BJP is “destroying the idea of India”. In a video message, Gandhi told the Congress workers that they have a huge responsibility. “You are the backbone of our party. I thought that since it is election time, I should talk to you directly. This is not an ordinary election, this is an election to save the Constitution and democracy in which ‘Babbar Sher’ (lion-hearted) workers like you have a huge responsibility,” Gandhi said in his message delivered in both Hindi and English. “This is because the thinking and ideology of the Congress party is ingrained in you, it is in your veins,” he said. The BJP-RSS are against the idea of India, Gandhi said. “They are attacking our Constitution, the country’s democratic structure, our institutions, including the Election Commission, as well as the legal framework of India,” he alleged. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:33 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe ECI informed the Supreme Court that allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) showing one extra vote during a mock poll in Kerala’s Kasaragod were false. The top court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), an independent vote verification system which enables an elector to see whether his vote was cast correctly. “These news reports are false. We have verified the allegation from the district collector and it appears that they are false. We will submit a detailed report to the court,” senior deputy election commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2024 07:30 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
