Page 2 - Assembly Polls

PM Modi's home state vote could show trends for 2024 Lok Sabha elections

PM Narendra Modi ruled Gujarat for over a decade before moving to the national stage in 2014

J&K sees highest net increase of 772K voters in final electoral roll

The final electoral roll of Jammu and Kashmir was published on Friday with the highest-ever addition of more than 7.72 lakh voters, officials said. The final electoral roll has a total of 83,59,771 electors -- 42,91,687 males, 40,67,900 females and 184 third gender -- Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Salgotra said. The release of the electoral roll paves the way for holding of Assembly polls in the Union Territory, the first since Article 370 provisions were abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into Union territories in 2019. "There has been a net increase of 7,72,872 electors in the final electoral roll, i.e. a 10.19 per cent net increase of the registered electors over the draft roll," he said. The highest number of additions during a special summary revision was less than 2 lakh earlier. The elector-population ratio has increased from 0.52 to 0.58 during this special summary revision (SSR), he said. This was for the first time in the history o

BJP suspends 12 rebel leaders in Gujarat, six-time MLA among them

Cracking the whip, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat on Tuesday suspended 12 party leaders, including 6-term MLA Madhu Shrivastav and two former legislators, for filing nominations as independent candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections after they were denied tickets. The development came days after seven BJP leaders were suspended for filing nominations as independent candidates for the first phase of Assembly polls to be held on December 1. Now, 12 more leaders, who are contesting against official candidates in Assembly seats that will go to polls in the second phase on December 5, have been suspended by Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil, said a release by the state unit of the party. Notably, November 21 was the last date to withdraw nominations for the 93 seats that will vote in the second phase. None of the BJP rebels opted out of the poll race, inviting disciplinary action from the party. These leaders, who will now fight against BJP candidates on 11 ...

Gujarat polls: 788 candidates in fray for 89 seats in first phase on Dec 1

A total of 788 candidates, including 70 women, remain in the fray for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly polls for 89 seats on December 1 after the culmination of process of scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawal of candidature, officials said on Friday. These include candidates from 39 parties and 339 independents, a release from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Gujarat informed. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress have fielded their candidates on all the 89 seats, the Aam Aadmi Party will fight on 88 seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party on 57 and All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on six Assembly segments. In all 1,362 candidates had filed their papers for the 89 seats, which went down to 999 after scrutiny on November 15, and dipped further to 788 on November 17, which was the last date to withdraw nominations. The Election Commission has so far received 1,515 nomination papers for the 93 seats that

PM Narendra Modi to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday

His visit to Arunachal Pradesh is being seen as a key step towards boosting connectivity in the northeast region

Nadda, union ministers, CMs to address 89 BJP rallies in Gujarat on Friday

Senior BJP leaders, including its national president J P Nadda besides Union ministers and chief ministers, are expected to address public meetings on Friday in the 89 Gujarat assembly constituencies going to the polls in the first phase of elections on December 1. With the BJP intensifying its campaign, party sources said Nadda will hold rallies in three places -- Navsari, Ankleshwar and Rajkot East -- while Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar and Anurag Singh Thakur will speak at three, four and four meetings, respectively. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Shivraj Singh Chouhan will address three and four rallies, respectively. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union ministers V K Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste are among other party leaders who will be addressing rallies, they said. Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat are the regions going to the polls in the first phase while 93 seats in north a

Gujarat Assembly polls: PM Modi to hold road show in Vapi on Saturday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders are expected to hold several road shows and public rallies in Gujarat as the party looks to rev up its election campaign to retain power in the state. Modi is likely to hold a road show in Vapi in Gujarat on November 19 and other senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will also spearhead the mass contact programme in different parts of the state, party leaders said. After arriving in his home state on November 19, the prime minister is expected to hold public meetings across the state in the next two days. Shah, who has been frequently camping in the state to give final touches to the party's poll strategy and campaign, may hold over 30 public meetings for the elections scheduled for December 1 and 5, party sources said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari will also campaign intensively, they said. The BJP has won assembly polls in the state for six consecutive times since 1995 and is pulling o

BJP announces list of candidates for Lok Sabha and Assembly by polls

For the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls in Mainpuri, the BJP has announced Raghuraj Singh Shakya's candidature.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls: 55.65% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive fight, recorded a voter turnout of 55.65 per cent in the first five hours of polling till 3 pm on Saturday, the Election Commission said. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill. The assembly election is a crucial test for the BJP which is hoping to beat precedent and return to power while the Congress has urged voters to go by tradition of voting out the incumbent. Only around five per cent polling was recorded in the first hour, while till 11 am, it was 19.98 per cent. It notched up to 37.19 percent by 1 pm and till 3 pm, the state recorded a 55.65 per cent turnout. The highest polling of 62.75 per cent was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti district, followed by 60.38 per cent in Sirmour and 58.9 per cent in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur. The high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti had recorded

Double-engine govt necessary for development of Himachal: Anurag Thakur

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said a "double-engine" government is necessary in Himachal Pradesh to ensure faster development of the hill state. Addressing rallies on the last day of campaigning for the November 12 Assembly polls, Thakur said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at the Centre and in Himachal Pradesh have ensured all-round development of the state. "Double engine" is a term often used by BJP leaders to refer to the party ruling at the Centre and in a state. "Projects delayed for years were not only started but also completed," Thakur said, addressing rallies in Shimla Rural, Kasauli, Sujanpur and Hamirpur. Polling for the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to be held on Saturday. The BJP is locked in a tough fight with the Congress to retain power in the state. Thakur hit out at the Congress and accused the opposition party of putting up hurdles in the way of development projects in the state. "In 2003,

Don't waste your vote on Congress: Adityanath appeals to Himachal people

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday appealed to Himachal Pradesh people not to "waste" their vote on the Congress, alleging had they been in power at Centre, India's borders would not have been secure and neither Article 370 scrapped nor Ram temple built in Ayodhya. The country would have missed the efficient management of the Covid crisis by the Narendra Modi government and crores of Indians would not have received free vaccines, he claimed at poll rallies in Kullu, Mandi and Una districts on the last day of campaigning. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh which goes to the polls on November 12. "Would the 'Har Ghar Nal' scheme be implemented in Himachal Pradesh? Would Congress be able to give free vaccines and free rations during Covid?... When the Congress could not do all this and neither take care of your health nor give good institutes of learning or set up AIIMS or IIT here... why waste votes on Congress," he ...

Multiple CM faces our strength, not weakness: Congress President Kharge

The presence of several chief ministerial faces in Himachal Pradesh is not the Congress' weakness but its strength, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday as the campaign for assembly elections in the hill state drew to a close. The ruling BJP, in contrast, is going into elections banking just on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face because it is "aware of the failures of the chief minister (Jairam Thakur) and the state government", Kharge, who is overseeing his first elections after assuming charge as Congress president last month, said. "The PM is saying don't look at the candidate, vote for me. This attitude belittles the people of Himachal Pradesh. They know the prime minister will not be there in the state after the voting ends," the Congress veteran told PTI in an interview, referring to Modi's campaign speeches. Confident that the Congress will wrest power from the BJP because the people were determined to bring in change, Kharge said his party is going into the .

Ahead of assembly polls, 23rd tranche of electoral bonds opens for sale

Ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the 23rd tranche of electoral bonds opened for sale on Wednesday. The bond sale will close on November 15. The Gujarat assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, while Himachal Pradesh will go to polls on November 12. Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding. State Bank of India (SBI), in the 23rd phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds through 29 authorised branches from November 9-15, the finance ministry had said in a statement earlier this week. Usually, electoral bond tranches are open for sale between 1-10 of a designated month. For instance, the 22nd tranche of bond sales took place from October 1-10, 2022 while 21st tranche was from July 1-10, 2022. Sale of the first batch of electoral bonds happened from March 1-10, 2018. The authorised SBI

Govt clears 23rd tranche of electoral bonds; open for sale on Wednesday

Ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the government on Monday approved issuance of the 23rd tranche of electoral bonds that will open for sale on November 9. The Gujarat assembly elections will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5, while Himachal Pradesh will go to polls on November 12. Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding. State Bank of India (SBI), in the 23rd phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds through 29 authorised branches from November 9-15, the finance ministry said in a statement. Usually, electoral bond tranches are open for sale between 1-10 of a designated month. For instance, the 22nd tranche of bond sales took place from October 1-10, 2022 while 21st tranche was from July 1-10, 2022. Sale of the first batch of electoral bonds happened from March 1-10, 2018. The authorised SBI branches

Gujarat Assembly polls: Congress announces first list of 43 candidates

The Congress on Friday released its first list of 43 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections scheduled to be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. According to the list released here, former Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadiya has been fielded from Porbandar, Himanshu Patel from Gandhinagar South and Hiteshbhai Vora from Rajkot South. The list was declared after candidates' names were finalised during a meeting of the party's central election committee (CEC) chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge here. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined the meeting online, while the rest of the participants attended it physically at the AICC headquarters here. The Congress is seeking to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from government in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the saffron party has been in power for more than two decades. Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases -- December 1 and 5 -- and the votes

HP Assembly polls: 'Cong promises jobs, old pension scheme', says Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said her party will provide 1 lakh jobs, restore the Old Pension Scheme and provide financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to every woman in the state if it is voted to power in the upcoming Assembly polls. Addressing a rally here, Vadra said the Congress will also fight the drug menace, which is ruining the future of the youth and build English-medium schools in every Assembly constituency. She also targeted the state government, saying the state has "drowned" in debt under the BJP dispensation and 63,000 government posts are lying vacant. Citing the work done by the Congress in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the only two states where the party is in power on its own, Vadra said her party will fulfil its promises in Himachal as well. "The Congress will create 1 lakh jobs... Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is sitting here, he has provided 5 lakh jobs in three years. The Congress government in Rajasthan has provided 1.30 lakh jobs,"

Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls: PM Modi to address two rallies on Nov 12

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies in Sindar Nagar and Solan on Saturday in his campaign for the BJP in the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls scheduled for November 12. Official sources said he will also visit Radha Soami Satsang in Beas in Punjab. The sect has a large following in the hill state as well. The BJP will release its 'vision document' (manifesto) for Himachal Pradesh a day later in Shimla on Sunday. It was earlier expected to be released on Friday. The BJP is in power in the state and is pulling out all stops to remain in the saddle by breaking the precedent of the incumbent being voted out.

Himachal Assembly polls: A total of 5,093 cast vote through postal ballot

The number of postal ballot cast were 366 in Kangra, 297 in Kullu, 1,991 in Mandi, 528 in Una, 838 in Bilaspur, 315 in Solan, 669 in Shimla, and 89 in Kinnaur

Assembly byelections 2022: Polls for 7 vacant seats over 6 states tomorrow

Voting will be held on Thursday in bypolls to seven assembly seats in six states - a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties. While in Haryana former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family is trying to hold on to its bastion of five decades, Bihar will see the first electoral test for the Nitish Kumar-led 'Mahagathbandhan' government, formed less than three months ago after the JD(U) parted ways with the BJP. The saffron party is seeking to retain Gola Gorakhnath seat in Uttar Pradesh and Dhamnagar in BJD-ruled Odisha, banking on sympathy votes as it has fielded the sons of sitting MLAs whose death necessitated the bypolls. The BJP and the ruling TRS had been campaigning aggressively in Manugoda in Telangana, where the Congress MLA had resigned and is fighting on the saffron party's ticket. The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling, including the deployment of 3,366 state police and 15 companies of central security personne

Himachal Assembly polls: J P Nadda to release BJP's manifesto on Friday

BJP president J P Nadda will release on Friday the party's 'vision document' (manifesto) for the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls. The elections to the 68-member assembly is scheduled for February 12. Party sources said Nadda would release the manifesto in Shimla on November 4. They added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address at least two public meetings each on November 5 and 9. On Saturday, he will address rallies in Mandi and Solan, they said. The BJP is in power in the hill state and is pulling out all the stops to remain in the saddle by breaking the precedent of the incumbent being voted out.