Page 7 - Elections

Elections can be rigged through social media: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that polls can be rigged through social media, and that if social media companies want, they can make any party win an election. Without naming any party, he also said that communal violence has been planted as a strategic weapon to cause disharmony in the society by one ideology and its leaders. Gandhi made these remarks while interacting with civil society members led by activists Medha Patkar and G G Parikh during the Bharat Jodo Yatra here. "Even if the EVM (electronic voting machine) is secure, Indian elections may be rigged through social media. If large social media companies want, they can make any party win an election. Systematic bias is being applied there and my social media handles are a live example of it," the Congress MP said. A statement by the Congress said during the meeting, the representatives raised relevant issues like political democracy and communal harmony, among others. Speaking about political democracy, Pa

Gujarat polls 2022: AAP releases names of 4 candidates in 17th list

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday released its 17th list of four candidates for the next month's Assembly polls in Gujarat, covering all but one seat in the 182-member House. After the latest list, just one Assembly seat - Bhavnagar West - is left for which the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has not yet declared its candidate. The party announced names of candidates for Kheralu, Visnagar, Mansa and Padra Assembly seats. Of these, it changed the name of candidate for Padra in Vadodara district. As per the latest list, the AAP has fielded Dinesh Thakor from Kheralu, Jayanti Patel from Visnagar, Bhaskar Patel from Mansa and Sandeep Singh Raj from Padra. Kejriwal's outfit, seeking to emerge as the main political rival of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat, started releasing the names of candidates from August itself. The AAP has fielded four women and three Muslims in its candidates for 181 seats. "The AAP believes that the more time the candidates get in their ...

Resentment brews in Delhi BJP over MCD election candidate selection

The Delhi BJP unit is reportedly questioning the party leadership over the choice of candidates for the upcoming civic body polls here, with many party workers and leaders registering their protest and 'threatening' to withdraw support. The Delhi BJP had on Saturday released its first list of 232 candidates for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections with the nominees including 126 women, three Muslims, seven Sikhs and nine former mayors, according to a party statement. It said that the remaining 18 candidates will be announced later. Party sources claimed that many BJP MLAs and MPs are upset over the chosen candidates, with the party symbol withheld on eight seats due to dispute over ticket distribution. Monday is the last day of filing nominations for the polls to 250 wards of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on December 4. Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha general secretary Teena Sharma tweeted a video saying, "What was the basis for giving tickets to these women? I want to

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Shoot me instead of humiliating me, Sadhu Yadav tells Lalu family

Bihar politician Sadhu Yadav, who was criticised by his niece and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya after the Bihar bypoll, sharply reacted to her barb and hit back at the family

Hopeful RLD candidate will be fielded for Khatauli bypoll: Jayant

Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary Tuesday said he hoped that his party's candidate will be fielded for the Khatauli bypoll as part of an alliance with the Samajwadi Party. Chaudhary, a Rajya Sabha MP, was here to inaugurate a volleyball competition. He was replying to queries by newspersons on the December 5 by-election to the Khatauli seat announced by the Election Commission earlier in the day. The Khatauli bypoll was necessitated after BJP MLA Vikram Saini was last month convicted in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case and handed a two-year jail term. The bypolls to the Rampur assembly seat and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat will also be held on December 5. Upon his conviction, Saini was disqualified as a lawmaker. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Secretariat notified the Khatauli seat as vacant on Monday. Chaudhary said the RLD had contested the Khatauli seat in the elections last time as part of the SP-RLD alliance and he was hopeful that the candidate for the bypoll to the seat

UP's Khatauli Assembly bypolls on Dec 5, counting on Dec 8

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the bypoll for the Khatauli Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh

Will waive farm loans in Telangana if Congress comes to power: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the 3,500-km 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Monday said farm loans would be waived in Telangana if his party comes to power in the next elections. Speaking at a public meeting in Jukkal constituency before entering Maharashtra, he said hospitals were being privatised and education system was being destroyed in Telangana. Farmers are not getting a supporting price. No farmer feels that farming is a profitable venture. The UPA government waived agriculture loans to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore. We promise farm loans will be waived when we come to power, he said. Alleging that the ruling TRS government is not implementing the Tribal Bill that the UPA government had brought, the Congress leader said the lands of Dalits and Adivasis that were allegedly grabbed would be returned to them. He alleged that education has become expensive and one has to spend lakhs of rupees to become an engineer or doctor. He charged BJP and TRS with working in tandem an

Bypolls results: Lotus blooms in four seats, Congress faces another setback

The BJP's bypoll win in four of the six seats it contested has invigorated the party ahead of assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. It has given tough competition to erstwhile ally Nitish Kumar's Grand Alliance in Bihar and ended the BJD's winning run in Odisha. The Congress drew a blank in the seven assembly constituencies -- Adampur, Gola Gokarannath, Dhamnagar, Andheri (East), Mokama, Gopalganj and Munugode -- in six states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Telangana that went to polls on November 3. The results were declared on Sunday. While the TRS managed to get a foothold by winning the high-stakes bypoll to Munugode Assembly constituency, it had to overcome a spirited challenge from the BJP. The bypoll assumed immense political significance as it was seen as a virtual semi-final ahead of next year's Legislative Assembly polls in Telangana. The TRS, recently renamed as Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), took it as a prestige issue as a loss would

Winds of change blowing across Himachal: Sachin Pilot in Palampur

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said that winds of change are blowing across Himachal Pradesh and exuded confidence that his party will form the government in the state

Congress leader Himanshu Vyas joins BJP in Gujarat ahead of elections

Senior Congress leader Himanshu Vyas joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here on Saturday. BJP leader and Union home minister Amit Shah welcomed him into the party fold. The development came ahead of the next month's Assembly elections in Gujarat. Vyas, who held the post of secretary in the Congress, blamed the party leadership for his decision to quit, saying those who work for the party are ignored while sycophants get ahead. "The Congress leadership has failed in people's eyes and also failed in communicating with party workers," he told reporters. "The leadership is surrounded by people who do not allow true workers to approach the leadership," he added. He had been sidelined in the Congress for the last two years, Vyas claimed. Vyas had fought election twice from Wadhwan Assembly seat in Surendranagar district of the state but lost both the times.

Assembly bypolls: Counting of votes on seven seats in six states on Sunday

Counting of votes will be held on Sunday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states including former chief minister Bhajan Lal's family bastion Admapur in Haryana. Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi, who contested on a BJP ticket, and RJD's Neelam Devi, whose husband Anant Singh's disqualification necessitated the by-election in Bihar's Mokama, are among the prominent candidates in the fray. The other constituencies where results of the November 3 bypolls will be out were Gopalganj in Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats which witnessed a stiff contest between the BJP and the regional parties, the saffron party held three and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. Main

Campaigning formally kicks off for Malaysia's general elections

Campaigning for Malaysia's general elections formally started Saturday, in a highly competitive race that will see the world's longest-serving coalition seeking to regain its dominance four years after a shocking electoral loss. The Nov. 19 election will determine if Barisan Nasional (BN), or National Front coalition, can make a strong comeback or whether political reformers can secure another surprise win that will see their leader, Anwar Ibrahim, achieve a long-held dream of becoming prime minister. Led by the United Malays National Organization, BN has ruled since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957. But anger over government corruption led to its defeat in 2018 polls to Anwar's Pakatan Harapan (PH), or Alliance of Hope. The election victory sparked hopes of reforms as once-powerful UMNO leaders were jailed or hauled to court for graft, but it was short lived after defections caused the PH government to crumble in early 2020 and brought UMNO back to power. Scores of ...

First voter of independent India Shyam Saran Negi passes away in Himachal

As per official record, he had also participated in the 1951-52 general elections, the country's first.

Imran Khan addresses nation, says he knew about the assassination plot

I already knew about their plan to attack me but I will continue to call out the corrupt who are stealing people's money, said Khan in his address to the nation a day after he was shot in the leg

Assembly by-elections: More than 45% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

An average voter turnout of 45.60 per cent was recorded till 3 pm Thursday in the by-elections to seven assembly constituencies underway in six states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. The contest is symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and the regional parties. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. In Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the main contests are between the BJP and the TRS, SP and the BJD respectively. The Munugode assembly bypoll recorded the highest turnout till 3 pm of 59.9

Assembly bypolls: Voting underway in seven constituencies in six states

Voting was underway on Thursday in the by-election to seven assembly constituencies in six states a contest symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and regional parties. The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the voting. Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. In Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the main contests are between the BJP and the TRS, SP and the BJD respectively. While a victory in the bypolls will be inconsequential to their position in the assemblies, the parties have n

Voting begins for bypoll in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri, BJP and SP to lock horns

The main contest is between the BJP's Aman Giri, the son of Arvind Giri, and SP candidate and former Gola Gokarannath MLA Vinay Tiwari.

Over 80% polling recorded in first phase of Haryana panchayat elections

A high turnout of more than 80 per cent was recorded in the election for panches and sarpanches in nine Haryana districts in the first of the three-phase voting on Wednesday. "Barring a stray incident, polling remained peaceful," Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh told PTI. According to the figures of the Haryana State Election Commission available at 10 pm, 81.4 per cent voting was recorded in the nine districts. The polling was held between 7 am and 6 pm in the districts of Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Mahendragarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat and Yamunanagar. Counting of votes was taken up immediately after the end of polling. Haryana Director General of Police P K Agrawal said polling has been conducted in a peaceful manner. According to the DGP, there was no poll-related violence reported from anywhere till the completion of the polling process. "However, a few incidents of clashes outside polling booths in Jhajjar and Kaithal districts as well as the breakin

China increasingly involved in Nepal's domestic politics ahead of elections

On November 20, Nepalis will head to the polls to elect their 11th government since the country became a democratic republic in 2008.