Page 6 - Elections

MCD polls: 493 micro observers deployed at sensitive polling locations

The State Election Commission on Wednesday deployed 493 micro observers at sensitive and hypersensitive polling locations in Delhi ahead of the December 4 civic polls, officials said. These micro observers will remain stationed at these locations throughout the polling day and keep a close watch at the proceedings at the booths, the SEC, Delhi said in a statement. The votes will be counted on December 7, and 1,349 candidates are contesting the election. "The Commission today has deployed 493 micro observers at sensitive/hypersensitive polling locations. It has also issued instructions for webcasting at these sensitive/hypersensitive polling locations," it said. The SEC has also launched the web interface of the mobile app 'Nigam Chunav Delhi' wherein the functionalities of the app have been integrated with the web portal of the Commission. "The Commission has also launched a WhatsApp message facility through mobile number 9807980779. To use this facility, voters have to first send

Arizona county refuses to certify election despite lack of evidence

Republican officials in a rural Arizona county refused Monday to certify the 2022 election despite no evidence of anything wrong with the count, a decision that was quickly challenged in court by the state's top election official. The refusal to certify by Cochise County in southeastern Arizona comes amid pressure from prominent Republicans to reject results showing Democrats winning top races. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who narrowly won the race for governor, asked a judge to order county officials to canvass the election, which she said is an obligation under Arizona law. Lawyers representing a Cochise County voter and a group of retirees filed a similar lawsuit Monday, the deadline for counties to approve the official tally of votes, known as the canvass. The two Republican county supervisors delayed the canvass vote until Friday, when they want to hear once more about concerns over the certification of ballot tabulators, though election officials have repeatedly

Legendary sprinter P T Usha becomes first woman president of IOA

P T Usha will be the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association in its 95-year history and the first Olympian and an international medalist to head the national Olympics committee

SC flags concerns about ECI autonomy and 'lightning speed' CEC appointment

The SC's observations on the appointment of Election Commissioners have focused attention on one of India's most respected institutions

Counting of votes for Haryana panchayat, zila parishad polls underway

The counting of votes for panchayat samiti and zila parishad polls in Haryana was underway on Sunday, said officials. The exercise began at 8 am, they said. Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centres. The elections to 143 panchayat samitis and 22 zila parishads were held in three phases. Haryana has 22 zila parishads comprising 411 members. The members will in turn elect the 22 zila parishad chiefs. The state has 143 panchayat samitis, comprising 3,081 members who will further elect their respective presidents. Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh had said on Saturday that police and general observers will closely monitor the entire counting process. Videography will also be done at all the counting centres, he had said. Earlier, the results of elections for panches and sarpanches were declared immediately after the polling in each phase.

P T Usha throws her hat into IOA ring, to fight for president's post

In a surprise development, the legendary P T Usha on Saturday announced that she will contest for the post of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president when the sports body holds its election on December 10. Usha, a multiple gold medallists in the Asian Games and fourth place finisher in the 1984 Olympics 400m hurdles final, made the announcement through a tweet. "With the warm support of my Fellow Athletes and National Federations I am humbled and honoured to accept and file for the Nomination of the President Of IOA!," Usha tweeted. The deadline to file nomination papers for the IOA elections ends on Sunday. Usha, a top sprinter of her times, has also been elected as one of the eight Sports Persons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) by the Athletes Commission of the IOA. IOA elections returning officer Umesh Sinha said in an official statement that there were no nominations filed on Friday and Saturday.

NC led-ruling alliance heading towards majority in Nepal parliamentary poll

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition was on Friday heading towards winning a clear majority in Nepal's parliamentary elections with the alliance bagging 64 seats out of the 118 declared In the 275-member House of Representatives, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. A party or a coalition needs 138 seats to win a clear majority. The Nepali Congress was set to emerge as the single-largest party after winning 39 seats alone under the direct voting system. Its alliance partners -- CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist have won 12, 10 seats. The Lokatantrik Samajwadi and Rastriya Janamorcha have bagged two and one seat respectively. They all are part of the ruling alliance. The Opposition alliance led by former premier K P Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML has bagged 35 seats. The CPN-UML has won 29 seats. The CPN-UML partners - the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Ja

Nepal's political leaders start efforts for govt formation amid vote count

As the counting of votes in Nepal's parliamentary election is on, the country's top leaders have initiated efforts to explore possibilities for the formation of a new government to end the political instability that has plagued the Himalayan nation for more than a decade. Elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and seven provincial assemblies were held on Sunday. The counting of votes started on Monday. Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) (CPN-UML) chairman K P Oli on Thursday called CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda and the two leaders congratulated each other on getting elected to the HoR. Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba also telephoned Prachanda and Oli to congratulate them on their victory. All three top leaders have been elected to the HoR after registering victories in the election. During their telephonic conversation, Oli offered Prachanda to move ahead by forging collaboration in the process of ...

Nepal parliamentary polls: Nepali Congress-led coalition leads in counting

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress (NC)-led ruling coalition was on Thursday on its way to winning Nepal's parliamentary elections and has bagged 40 seats out of 65 declared so far. Out of the 275 Members of Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. Till now, the Nepali Congress has won 25 seats and is leading in 31 more. The CPN-Maoist Centre has bagged 7 seats, CPN-Unified Socialist 6 and Rastriya Janamorcha and Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party one each. They all are part of the ruling coalition. The Maoist Centre and CPN-Unified Socialist have been leading in 10 and 5 seats respectively. The main Opposition CPN-UML led by former premier K P Sharma Oli has won 15 seats and is leading in 29 others. The CPN-UML partners - the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Janata Samajwadi Party - have won two and one seats respectively. The newly-formed Rastriya Swotantra Party has wo

Nepal polls: PM Deuba wins from Dadeldhura; Congress ahead in tally

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected on Wednesday with a huge margin of votes from the Dadeldhura constituency in far west Nepal for the seventh consecutive time, with his Nepali Congress party leading in the election tally by winning 11 seats so far. Elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and seven provincial assemblies were held on Sunday. The counting of votes started on Monday. Deuba secured 25,534 votes against his nearest rival Sagar Dhakal, 31, an independent candidate who received 1,302 votes. Deuba has never lost any parliamentary election in the five decades of his political career. The 77-year-old Nepali Congress president Deuba is currently holding the post of Prime Minister for the fifth term. Dhakal is a young engineer, who had a verbal squabble with Deuba during a public debate at a BBC's Sajha Sawal programme five years ago, after which he decided to challenge Deuba saying that now youths should get a chance in politics and senior people like Deuba

Malaysian king meet lawmakers in continuing search for PM to end deadlock

Malaysia's king met lawmakers on Wednesday in a continuing search for a prime minister with majority support after inconclusive general elections that saw the rise of Islamists sparked anxieties in the multiracial nation. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, topped Saturday's poll with 82 parliamentary seats, but failed to reach the 112 needed for a majority. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin's Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance, won 73 seats. The hung parliament renewed a leadership crisis in Malaysia that saw three prime ministers since 2018. The biggest winner was the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the hard-line ally in Muhyiddin's bloc, with 49 seats more than double what it won in 2018. Known as PAS, it backs Islamic Shariah law, rules three states and is now the single largest party. As the contest for the top job drags on, police have tightened security as posts on social media warned of racial troubles if Anwar's multieth

Lesser known RSP emerges as dark horse in Nepal general elections

The Rastriya Swatantra Party, floated by a former television personality, has emerged as the dark horse in the Nepal elections, coming third behind heavyweights like the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, and leading in seven constituencies. The counting of votes started at 7 am local time on Monday and continued till 5 pm, a day after about 61 per cent polling was recorded across the Himalayan nation. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is floated by Rabi Lamichhane, a 48-year-old former television personality, who shot to fame while attempting to set the Guinness world record for hosting the longest-ever marathon talk show in 2013. The RSP is currently leading in three constituencies in Kathmandu and one in Lalitpur district. The ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which has so far won in one constituency, is leading in 32 constituencies, while CPN-UML led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli is leading in 17 constituencies. RSP is leading in 7 constituencies, while the Rastriya ...

61% voting recorded in Nepal elections, 1 killed in poll-related violence

About 61 per cent polling was recorded on Sunday in Nepal's parliament and provincial assemblies elections, marred by sporadic violence and clashes that left one person dead and disrupted voting at several polling stations, officials said. The polling started at 7 am local time at over 22,000 polling centres and closed at 5 pm. "The nationwide voter turnout has stood at around 61 per cent. This is likely to increase slightly as we continue receiving details from districts across the country," Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya told reporters. "This is certainly less than what we had expected," he added. The voter turnout is significantly lower as compared to the past two elections - 77 per cent in 2013, and 78 per cent in 2017. More than 17.9 million voters were eligible to cast their votes to elect a 275-member House of Representatives and provincial assemblies. Thapaliya said the elections were held largely in a peaceful manner except for a "few minor incidents.

Nepal elections pass off largely peacefully, total turnout 61%: CEC

Nepal on Sunday held largely peaceful elections to the federal Parliament and provincial Assemblies with some cases of violent clashes between party cadres reported

Nepal votes to elect new parliament, provincial assemblies amid instability

Millions of Nepalese began voting on Sunday to elect a new parliament and provincial assemblies amid tight security, hoping to end the political instability that has plagued the country for more than a decade and impeded growth. The polling started at 7 am local time at over 22,000 polling centres and will close at 5 pm. The counting of the votes will begin soon after the polling ends but final results are expected within a week. More than 17.9 million eligible voters will elect a 275-member House of Representatives. Out of a total of 275 Members of Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. At the same time, voters will also choose representatives to seven provincial assemblies. Out of a total of 550 members of the provincial assemblies, 330 will be elected directly and 220 will be elected through the proportional method. Political observers closely watching the elections have predicted

Nepal President tells people to enthusiastically participate in voting

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday urged all people for their enthusiastic participation during the November 20 elections, stressing that voting is the highest exercise of civil rights. More than 17.9 million eligible people will on Sunday vote across the Himalayan nation to elect 165 out of a total of 275 members of the federal Parliament, and in provincial elections in seven provinces. The remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. Issuing a message on the eve of the polls, Bhandari urged the voters to participate enthusiastically in the elections to the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies being conducted in a single phase across the country. Bhandari expressed her belief that the democratic system and institutions will gradually become more responsive to the people through the general elections conducted in a free, fair, fearless manner. The elections will help establish good governance and transparency that the people are

Former bureaucrat Arun Goel appointed as Election Commissioner

Former bureaucrat Arun Goel was on Saturday appointed as Election Commissioner. A Punjab cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Girl will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel. His appointment was announced by the government in a press statement. Sushil Chandra had retired as the chief election commissioner in May this year after which Rajiv Kumar took charge.

17.9 mn people set for national and provincial elections in Nepal on Sunday

Nepal will hold national and provincial elections on Sunday which the Nepali Congress-led ruling coalition is expected to win but unlikely to provide much-needed political stability in the country sandwiched between India and China. More than 17.9 million people are eligible to vote in seven provinces across the Himalayan nation. The polling will start at 7 am local time and close at 5 pm. Out of a total of 275 members of the federal Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportional electoral system. Similarly, out of a total of 550 members of the Provincial Assembly, 330 will be elected directly and 220 will be elected through the proportional method. All preparations and security arrangements have been completed. Political observers closely watching the elections have predicted a hung parliament and a government that is unlikely to provide the required political stability in Nepal. Political instability has bee

Shadow of India-China tussle, high inflation over Nepal elections

About 18 million people are eligible to vote for the 275-member Parliament, as well as the 550 members of seven Provincial Assemblies

Indo-Nepal border sealed for 72 hours ahead of general elections in Nepal

Following the decision, the people will not be allowed to travel between these two countries from midnight of November 17