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Politicians try to catch a wink in between their busy schedules. But recently Raju Waghmare, a former Congressman who is now in Shiv Sena, dozed off right in the middle of a press conference addressed by Neelam Gorhe in Shirdi. A little later, Gorhe sternly asked him in Marathi ‘utha atha’ (wake up now) and Waghmare was jolted out of slumber. There’s a lot in a name

Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the 'redistribution of wealth' controversy with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge writing a letter seeking PM's time to explain the grand old party's manifesto. Defending the Congress manifesto, Kharge said that the 'Nyay Patra' (manifesto) is aimed at providing justice to youngsters, women, farmers, labourers and marginalised people across castes and communities. Accusing the Prime Minister of seeking to divide society, Kharge said, «It has become your habit to seize on a few words taken out of context and create communal divide.»

Election Commission took note of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks and seved a notice to BJP preseident JP Nadda over the former's «infiltrator» comments during a campaign speech at Banswara in Rajasthan. It has also served a notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for Rahul Gandhi's campaign remarks on allegedly accentuating a «North-South» divide. Both parties have been asked to reply by April 29.

Lok Sabha seats in the northeast will be held on April 26, the second phase of the general election. Five of these seats are in Assam and one in Tripura. The same day, one seat in Manipur will see partial voting. On Friday, polling was held in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat and 15 of the 28 Assembly segments of the Outer Manipur (ST) parliamentary constituency.

Rahul Gandhi appealed to the voters to support the Congress and vote for the 'hand' symbol to form a 'government of the Indians'. In a video message shared on his official 'X' handle, Gandhi said that this election is meant to protect the Constitution and democracy while urging the citizens to «fulfil their duty towards democracy». «This election is an election to save democracy and principles. On one side, BJP and RSS are trying to destroy democracy and the constitution. And on the other side, Congress party and INDI alliance are making efforts to protect the constitution and democracy,» Rahul Gandhi said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has revealed its candidate for the upcoming bypoll in the Gandey assembly seat. Kalpana Soren, wife of the incarcerated former chief minister Hemant Soren, will be contesting in the election. The Gandey seat, situated in Giridih district, fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad. Kalpana Soren, a homemaker, boasts educational qualifications with both MTech and MBA degrees. She pursued her schooling in Baripada, Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, and furthered her engineering and MBA studies at various institutions in Bhubaneswar. Her foray into politics was highlighted by a speech delivered at the JMM's 51st foundation day celebration in Giridih district on March 4. In her address, she accused her husband's opponents of hatching conspiracies against them since the formation of the Hemant Soren-led coalition government in 2019. She also affirmed that Jharkhand would retaliate against those responsible for her husband's imprisonment.

enforcement agencies have seized drugs, unaccounted cash, liquor and valuables worth Rs 321.51 crore in Punjab since the model code of conduct came into force last month for the Lok Sabha polls. Amritsar district topped the list with seizures worth Rs 60.3 crore. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C said drugs worth Rs 287.23 crore, unaccounted cash worth Rs 6.89 crore, liquor (22.8 lakh litres) valued at Rs 14.93 crore, precious metals and other items amounting to Rs 12.46 crore were seized. The model code of conduct came into force on March 16.

elections are round the corner, Union minister and BJP candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia's wife Priyadarshini Raje Scindia has also landed in the fray to campaign in support of her husband. Scindia's wife on Thursday reached Bhadora village in Guna district and interacted with people here. She said that she did not reach there as a leader and her relationship with them (people) was not one or two generations old but it was a 300-year-old relationship. «I have not come here as a leader. The relationship between you (people) and us is not one or two generations old but a 300-year-old relationship. This family (Scindia) has settled many villages here and even today work is done in those villages,» She said.

Amroha is set to vote on April 26, 2024, in the second phase with results being announced on June 4, 2024, as per the ECI schedule. Congress has fielded Danish Ali from Amroha. Meanwhile, Ramesh Bidhuri was dropped by the BJP and the ticket for that constituency was given to Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. Uttar Pradesh holds a crucial position in Indian politics, with its 80 parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha making it the most influential state electorally. As the political fervor escalates, Uttar Pradesh braces for a three-cornered battle in eight Lok Sabha constituencies set to undergo polling in the second phase on Friday. Last week witnessed the commencement of the staggered elections, with the first phase witnessing a voter turnout of approximately 65.5 per cent across 21 states and Union territories.

Nyay Patra'. In his two-page letter, he told the prime minister that he is being misinformed by his advisers about things that are not even written in the Congress' manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress' 'Nyay Patra' aims at providing «nyay (justice)» to the youngsters, women, farmers, labourers and marginalised people across all castes and communities, he said. The Congress chief said in his letter to the prime minister, «It has become your habit to seize on a few words taken out of context and create a communal divide. You are lowering the dignity of the chair by speaking in this manner.»

N Bhaskara Rao, who chairs the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), a not-for-profit organisation, and has been tracking election spending for 35 years. Rao stated that this comprehensive expenditure encompasses all spending, direct or indirect, related to polls, including that by political parties and organisations, candidates, the government, and the Election Commission. With the BJP vying for a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, industry observers have noted the party's dominant presence in campaigns, irrespective of the mediums used for publicity.

In 2019, it had 20,69,559 electors, with 14,54,518 valid votes. Arjunlal Meena of the Bharatiya Janata Party clinched victory with 871,548 votes, defeating Indian National Congress' Raghuvir Singh Meena by 437,914 votes. Udaipur Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Dates

Attingal constituency is set to take place on April 26, 2024. The Election Commission of India had released the final schedule for the voting and result announcement in March. Voting for the Attingal Lok Sabha seat is scheduled for April 26, 2024, during Phase 2 of the elections. The results will be declared on June 4, 2024.

Maharashtra Bhavan will be built in Jammu and Kashmir and with the Centre's support, no one will dare to oppose it. Speaking at a rally in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Wednesday, Shinde claimed that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has opposed the construction of the Maharashtra Bhavan in Kashmir. «The state government has received land in Kashmir for building the Maharashtra Bhavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are with us. So no one will dare to oppose it,» the CM said. CM Shinde last year requested Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for a land parcel to construct the Maharashtra Bhavan to provide accommodations and facilities for tourists and officials from the state visiting the Valley.

Yogi Adityanath on Thursday criticised the Congress party's proposal for an inheritance tax, accusing them of intending to seize the property of common people. He said that the Congress, which has looted the country for 60-65 years, plans to distribute the proceeds among the Rohingyas as part of their vote bank policy. «The mindset of Congress for the country and the common people of the country was revealed during the UPA government regime and yesterday. There were hints even in the Congress manifesto. What Sam Pitroda said yesterday was advocated for by then Home Minister P Chidambaram too. Congress looted the country's resources for almost 60-65 years. Now, it has its eyes set on common people's property. That is why it is talking about Inheritance tax. It will distribute it among people who are intruders. Who doesn't know that behind the crores of intruders, Rohingyas in different parts of the country is Congress' vote bank policy? They have always done politics at the cost of the nation, inheritance tax is a part of it,» he said.

As per the manifesto, titled 'Shapatnama', the NCP (SP) commits to reviewing and suggesting modifications to various laws. These include the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register for Citizens (NRC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and other laws that are deemed 'conflicting' with constitutional principles. The manifesto also highlights the party's stance on empowering state and local governments. It emphasizes the need for reviewing power distribution and ensuring the enforcement of constitutional amendments.

Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively, sources told ANI on Thursday. According to the sources, the final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week. Phase 2 of the elections are scheduled on April 26. In this phase Wayanad from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting will go to the polls. Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has again been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat. As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state. Apart from its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress is also contesting on Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Kanpur.

First round elections were held across the nation on April 19, with the Northeastern states of Arunachal, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Sikkim. West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir are some of the other significant states. As of 5 PM in Phase One of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, around 60% of polling has been conducted, according to the Election Commission. Many states will hold their first round of voting on April 26, 2024, while some states will hold their second round of voting on the same day.

Supreme Court on Wednesday made it clear that EVM source codes «should never be disclosed» as the same can be misused. A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta made the verbal observation during the resumed hearing of a batch of pleas seeking directions to tally voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips with votes cast through EVMs during elections. Justice Datta questioned the counsel for one of the petitioners as to whether SC can issue directions regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) «merely on the basis of suspicion» of hacking and manipulating though there is no concrete proof to prove the same. The petitioner raised doubts about whether EVMs are hack proof. The bench assembled on Wednesday to seek a slew of clarifications from the Election Commission of India on the technical functioning of EVMs, flash memory, VVPATs etc.

Congress while distancing itself from Sam Pitroda's "inheritance tax" remarks attacked BJP, saying that the latter was trying to sensationalise the comments to divert attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's «malicious» poll campaign. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said Pitroda has been a mentor, friend, philosopher and guide to many across the world, and has made numerous and enduring contributions to India's developments. «Mr Pitroda expresses his opinions freely on issues he feels strongly about. Surely, in a democracy an individual is at liberty to discuss, express and debate his personal views. This does not mean that Mr Pitroda's views always reflect the position of the Indian National Congress. Many times they do not.» «Sensationalising his comments now and tearing them out of context are deliberate and desperate attempts at diverting attention away from Mr Narendra Modi's malicious and mischievous election campaign...,» Ramesh said in his post on X.

Rajasthan was as colourful as the traditional nine-metre long saafa. Leading from the front in providing colour and entertainment at public meetings was Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, a Jat leader hailing from Sikar. Dotasra became a sensation as he danced with gay abandon on stage in all his meetings, sometimes even twirling a saafa above his head to match the drum beats. His dances became the talk of the town. So much that youth icon and Sheo MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati remarked that probably Dotasra should speak on important issues rather than dancing like this. But that didn't deter Dotasra. If at all, the remark appeared to have added some more zest to his performances. But Dotasra insists he has «never danced really». «It started when I was filing my nomination for assembly elections,» he told ET. «Traditional songs dedicated to Teja ji (local deity of the Jat community) were being played and some people started dancing. I joined them and then later wherever I would go people demanded I dance. Janta is our mai-baap. We represent them and we should do what they demand.»