Election Financial News

security personnel, including 102 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and 66 platoons of Odisha Armed Police, have been deployed for the May 20 simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. In the second phase, the fifth at the national level, five parliamentary constituencies — Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Sundargarh — and 35 associated assembly seats will vote. These are spread across nine districts, including Maoist-hit areas of Kandhamal, Boudh, Bolangir, and Baragarh. The first phase of elections, covering four parliamentary and 28 assembly constituencies, was conducted peacefully on May 13. Despite six Naxal-hit districts falling within the polling zones, no Maoist-related violence occurred during the polls due to robust anti-Maoist operations and real-time intelligence, DGP Arun Sarangi said on Sunday.

INDIA bloc leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Congress and RJD leaders of not attending the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya due to their 'Ghushpathiye' (infiltrator) vote bank. Addressing an election rally at Bettiah in West Champaran district in support of BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal, who is seeking re-election from Paschim Champaran Lok Sabha constituency, Shah said, «Congress and RJD were against the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya from the very beginning. Invitations for the ceremony were sent to them, but they did not come because of their 'Ghushpathiye' vote bank.» Shah accused Congress and RJD leaders of being scared that attending the ceremony would offend their vote bank. He also criticised the Congress-led opposition for raising fears about Pakistan's atomic power, stating, «Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar and ally Farooq Abdullah tried to scare us by saying that we cannot take back PoK because Pakistan has atom bombs. PoK belongs to India. It will remain so. We will claim it back.»

This phase includes key constituencies like Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South, Kalyan, and Thane. Notable candidates in this phase include:

post-study visa which allows graduates to stay on and work for up to two years after their degree course as part of efforts to curb soaring legal migration figures despite strong opposition from some of his ministers, a report claims on Sunday. According to 'The Observer' newspaper, Sunak is facing a Cabinet revolt over plans to scrap the Graduate Route scheme, the definitive factor for choosing UK universities among Indian students who have topped the tally of these post-study visas since it was launched in 2021. Downing Street is said to be considering «further restricting or even ending» the route despite the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) declaring it was not being abused and that it should continue as it helps UK universities make up for financial losses on the domestic front. «Sunak is now finding himself caught between the demands of right-wingers with one eye on the Tory leadership and Conservative moderates who fear the consequences of a lurch to the right on the party's reputation and election chances,» claims the newspaper, quoting sources close to ministers who oppose scrapping the visa.

Lok Sabha elections, being conducted in seven phases, continue with Phase 5 on Monday, May 20. This phase will see 695 candidates contesting in eight states and Union Territories. The Election Commission (EC) announced the poll schedule on March 16, with voting spanning from April 19 to June 1, and vote counting set for June 4. The elections aim to elect 543 members to the 18th Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament, comprises 545 seats, with elections held for 543 of them. The final two members are nominated. Schools, colleges shut on polling day As the nation prepares for Phase 5, the Election Commission has emphasized the importance of safety and smooth electoral operations. Schools and colleges will be closed on polling day to ensure the security of students, teachers, and staff. Many educational institutions serve as polling stations, and their closure facilitates the smooth conduct of elections without disrupting regular academic activities.

Hooghly constituency will see an intense clash between the parties for the Lok Sabha elections on May 20, marking the fifth phase of the electoral process. To elect 42 members of Lower House of Parliament, West Bengal will witness voting across all seven phases, spanning from April 19 to June 1. Hooghly Lok Sabha Election 2024: Important dates The election results will be announced on June 4, 2024. Hoogly will see voting on May 20. Hooghly Lok Sabha Election 2024: Candidates

Lok Sabha election 2024 will take place on May 20, covering 49 constituencies across eight states and Union territories. Polling stations will open at 7 am and close at 6 pm on Monday. In this phase, voters from the following areas will cast their ballots: Uttar Pradesh: 14 constituencies (Mohanlalganj, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, Kaiserganj, Gonda)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the BJP is winning only one seat in Uttar Pradesh. «Have you heard (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi is winning only one BJP seat of Kyoto (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh,» said Gandhi while addressing a joint poll meeting with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Prayagraj in support of INDIA bloc candidate Ujjawal Raman Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said that he will turn Varanasi into Kyoto, a picturesque town in Japan. «The fight is to save the Constitution. The BJP and the RSS are attacking it, and I want to tell them that no power can tear and throw the Constitution away,» Gandhi said while waiving a copy of the Indian Constitution.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday urged the Centre to order a probe into the twin terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir a day earlier and also asked Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism in the region. The former chief minister said if a probe is not ordered into the two gruesome incidents, his party would «invite an international committee» to conduct an investigation to find out the culprits behind such attacks. Terrorists struck at two places in Kashmir on Saturday night, killing Aijaz Sheikh, a former sarpanch affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in Shopian and injuring a tourist couple from Rajasthan in Anantnag. «I have been repeatedly saying that those sitting in Delhi are misleading the people by saying Article 370 was responsible for terrorism. How many years have passed since the abrogation of the Article? Has terrorism stopped?» Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an election rally in the Mendhar area of Poonch district.

high-profile candidates, from ministers to actors, would test their luck in the hustings on Monday as seven Lok Sabha constituencies in the southern part of West Bengal go for polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. A total of 1,25,23,702 voters — 63,51,320 men, 61,72,034 women and 348 third-genders — are eligible to exercise their franchise in 13,481 polling stations across the seven constituencies. The EC has identified over 57 per cent of the polling booths as sensitive and decided to deploy over 60,000 central forces besides 29,172 state police personnel for this phase, according to an official. Reopening of closed industries, poor health of jute mills and demand for jobs are the main demands of the electorate in Howrah, Hooghly, Serampore and Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituencies, situated on both sides of the banks of River Hooghly.

Jharkhand Lok Sabha constituencies — Chatra, Koderma and Hazaribag — and by-poll in Gandey assembly seat will take place on Monday amid tight security, officials said. Over 58.22 lakh electors including 28.29 lakh female voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, while 3.15 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Gandey by-poll, an election official said. As many as 54 candidates are in the fray for polls in three Lok Sabha seats, while 11 candidates including Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, are contesting in the Gandey assembly by-election, the official said. Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar told PTI, «In a bid to conduct free and fair polls, all preparations have almost been completed including the security arrangements.

Stocks to buy or sell: GAIL to Ashok Leyland — Sumeet Bagadia recommends three stocks for May 21 The Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra are structured across five phases, with the first four taking place on April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13 respectively. The final phase is slated for May 20, followed by the tallying of votes on June 4. In light of the fifth phase of the general election, banks in Maharashtra will remain closed on May 20.

Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party and launched a scathing attack against the Opposition, saying that the Congress and the Samajwadi party get tensed whenever we talk about crossing 400 seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. «Only one voice is resonating in the whole country… 'Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar, Ab ki baar 400 Paar'… Whenever we talk about crossing 400 seats, Congress and the Samajwadi Party get tense. They think, how can someone cross the mark of 400 seats?,» said Yogi Aditynath. He further stated that the people will only vote for the BJP over Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. «A voice comes from people who say that we will bring those who brought Lord Ram. This whole election is between 'Ram Bhakt' and 'Ram Drohi'...» he added.

BJP on Sunday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should not indulge in theatrics and instead break his «silence» on the alleged assault on his party MP Swati Maliwal at the CM residence by his aide Bibhav Kumar. The reaction came after Kejriwal and his party workers and leaders held a massive protest near the BJP headquarters against Kumar's arrest in connection with the case. «Kejriwal should break his silence instead of his dramebazi and answer specific questions,» BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said in a post on X. The BJP leader asked Kejriwal if he ordered the alleged attack on Swati Maliwal and gave patronage to Bibhav Kumar because he knows his «dark secrets».

Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India, and «we will take it back». Shah was addressing an election rally in Prayagraj to seek votes for BJP candidate Neeraj Tripathi. "Farooq Abdullah and Mani Shankar Aiyar say give respect to Pakistan because it has atom bomb...Rahul baba, today from the sacred land of Prayagraj I will say this PoK is ours, will remain ours, and we will take it back," he said while referring to Aiyar's atom bomb remark that has sparked a political row. In a purported video clip that has gone viral on social media, Aiyar was heard saying that India should give respect to Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it as it also possesses the atom bomb.

Balangir, which had a glorious past of having the first x-ray machine as well as the printing press in Odisha, a transport system, and the facility of power generation through a generator, has significantly attracted the attention of several as a royal couple here is contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Patna State was a princely state in the Eastern States Agency of India during the British Raj. It had its capital at Balangir. Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Patna (in Odisha's Balangir), is contesting the Assembly election from Patnagarh on a BJP ticket, while his wife Sangeeta Singh Deo has been fielded by the BJP from Balangir Lok Sabha, which is going to poll on May 20.

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana encouraged young voters to participate in large numbers for the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. The Election Commission of India (ECI) enlisted Khurrana to encourage young voters to participate in large numbers in the upcoming elections. The ECI's initiative aims to maximise voter turnout and ensure citizens exercise their democratic right to vote in choosing their representatives.

BJP threw its support behind Chirag, aligning with his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which was allocated five seats for Lok Sabha elections as part of a seat-sharing agreement. In contrast, the rival faction of the LJP led by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who was a Union minister at the time, was not allotted any seats. Now that Chirag has filed his nomination for Hajipur, the onus is on him to prove he enjoys the support of the Dalit community and is the “real” political heir to his father Ram Vilas Paswan, who represented this Lok Sabha seat eight times in the past. This marks Chirag's first Lok Sabha election without the presence of his father, who passed away in October 2020, leaving him without his guidance. With his uncle Pashupati Paras and his faction of the party refraining from supporting Chirag, the 42-year-old is facing the most challenging electoral battle of his ten-year political career. Previously elected from Jamui, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, in both 2014 and 2019, Chirag has now shifted his focus to Hajipur for the upcoming election on May 20. This move is an attempt to assert his claim to his father's political legacy, which remains a point of contention between him and his uncle.

WASHINGTON—As court adjourned for lunch Tuesday in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, the former president’s lawyers, family and friends poured into the court’s holding room for some of New York City’s finest pizza. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, among them, popped in and out to defend Trump in front of news cameras.

Monday in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024. This marks the final polling process in the state, which has been conducted over five phases: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday began his protest march against Bhartiya Janata Party with other AAP leaders. The Delhi CM started marching towards BJP headquarters after addressing a public gathering where he challenged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send him and his party workers to jail. Section 144 has been imposed on DDU Marg and there is no permission for any kind of protest, said DCP Delhi Central, Harsha Vardhan Mandava earlier today. The traffic police has also issued an advisory in view of the protest planned outside the BJP office at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, while entry and exit have been disallowed at the nearest ITO metro station.