Election Financial News

The recent Lokniti pre-poll voter survey was played up in press reports for the wrong reasons. Voters’ party preferences got headlines, but pre-poll findings on party shares are always suspect because voters may not have finally chosen, or might not reveal their true choice even if they have. What the survey yielded of value was issues of concern to voters.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the obscene videos case involving former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson and JD(S) Lok Sabha candidate from Hassan constituency, Prajwal Revanna, on Thursday issued a lookout notice against him.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter to Phase 3 candidates, Congress president Kharge launched a scathing attack on the PM by claiming that the lies in the speeches are not having the effect intended. «From the tone and content of the letter it seems that there is a lot of desperation and worry in you which is leading you to use language that does not suit the office of the Prime Minister. The letter makes it look like the lies in your speeches are not having the effect you intended and now you want your candidates to amplify your lies. Repeating a lie a thousand times will not make it the truth,» said Kharge in the letter shared on social media X.

₹5.66 crore. The richest candidate in the South Goa constituency for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Pallavi Shrinivas Dempo, boasts wealth amounting to ₹1,361 crore. Meanwhile, Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia, contesting from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, possesses assets worth ₹424 crore.

Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7. The states in fray are — Goa, Gujarat, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Of these, Gujarat and Goa will be under spotlight as all Lok Sabha seats will go to polling on May 7 in these two states.

In a post on X, Sharma wrote, "My satta prediction: A. If BJP/NDA comes with expected numbers, no major market move/ slightly down B. If INDIA comes, huge fall, then mind-boggling rally, because first thing, they will cut LTCG to zero, as they did in earlier reign." Sharma's post comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is vying for a consecutive third term.

Congress' candidates for the Amethi and Raebareli constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, once considered a stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family. According to sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is already on the Congress ticket from Wayanad in Kerala, which polled in the second phase on April 26, is likely to put himself in the fray from Amethi as well. Rahul's candidature from the seat he lost to Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irin 2019 will be formally announced on Thursday, and he will file his nomination from the constituency on Friday, sources said.

PM Modi to BJP candidates: ‘Sensitise voters’ against Congress' divisive agenda He alleged that the Congress wanted to divert the reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and give it to Muslims. On Wednesday, Modi visited the BJP's office in Gandhinagar and addressed two allies in Deesa town of Banaskantha and Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha.

Mint takes a close look at what's in store for investors in the coming weeks and months following the ongoing national election, how the market behaved before and after previous elections, which sectors could shine after the poll results are declared, and how domestic and foreign flows will be affected. With the market already having factored in policy continuity, there's a sense that investor anxiety is low this time around.

Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Karnataka on May 2 amid suspense over his candidature from Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh. According to his campaign schedule, the Wayanad member of parliament (MP) will address a public meeting in Shimoga Lok Sabha seat at 1 pm, where he is expected to discuss key issues and party's agenda for general elections 2024. This will be followed by another public meeting in Raichur seat at 4.25 pm, where he will interact with voters.

Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah on Wednesday alleged that deferment of elections on Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat is a conspiracy of the ruling BJP to deprive nomads from exercising their right to vote. Abdullah accused the Election Commission of India of dancing to the tunes of the BJP lamenting that keeping any hope from this institution is futile. The ECI on Tuesday informed that elections on Anantnag-Rajouri seat have been deferred citing a report from union territory administration following the postponement request of the BJP, J&K Apni Party, J&K People’s Conference, Democratic Progressive Azad Party and others. The NC and People’s Democratic Party had opposed the deferment and wrote letters to the ECI as well. “We had also sent a letter to ECI stating that deferment of elections is a conspiracy as those people are demanding deferment who are not even fighting in this constituency. The aim of deferment is not to help the candidates or voters but to help BJP and its conspiracies,” said Abdullah. The BJP and J&K PC have not fielded candidates in this constituency. The NC leader, who is fighting elections from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in northern Kashmir said that the ECI isused the order citing weather conditions on a day when rain stopped.

Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the ruling party of harping on '400 paar' in the Lok Sabha polls so that they could change the Constitution and end reservations and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he will support an amendment to the Constitution for the purpose. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here today, party general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said that the party had some questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi — specifically, his views on removing the 50 per cent cap on SC, ST and OBC quota. He alleged that the BJP is «talking about '400 paar'» to change the Constitution as the «BJP and the RSS are against secularism and social justice.»

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday officially declared AnjSoren, sister of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, as its candidate from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat in Odisha. She is the daughter of JMM founder Shibu Soren. Anjani is all set to take on BJP's Naba Charan Majhi and BJD's Sudam Marndi, who was once spearheading the JMM in Odisha.

Donald Trump used a break in his hush money trial to stage back-to-back appearances in two Midwestern battleground states Wednesday — but kept his legal woes front-and-center as he accused President Joe Biden of weaponizing the courts against him. The former Republican president, who is running for a return to the White House, rallied supporters in Wisconsin and Michigan, among the most hotly contested states in his expected rematch with Democrat Biden in November.

Arizona Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal the state's 1864 ban on abortion, which could otherwise have taken effect within weeks. The repeal was passed by the Senate in a 16-14 vote and is expected to be quickly signed by Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat. Two Republican senators crossed party lines to vote in favor of repealing the ban.

Muslim Reservation' debate, the Telugu Desham Party (TDP) has lent its support to the cause, advocating for reservation for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at a Praja Galam meeting in Guntur, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised that the TDP has actively fought for Muslim reservations in the state, asserting that it is the party's obligation to fulfil its promises. «We will preserve the 4 percent reservations for Muslims and will provide Rs 5,000 in financial assistance every month for mosque maintenance in the state,» he said.

Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies in Uttar Pradesh is likely to end today, April 2. Congress general secretary on Wednesday said the decision would be announced in the next 24-40 hours. Amethi and Raebareli will go to the polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 20.

IMD predicts thunderstorms from May 4, issues red alert for severe heatwave Yesterday, the Telangana police recovered cash and liquor worth over ₹3.5 crore since the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. In Telangana's sensitive border district, Bhadradri Kothagudem 72 Naxalites have been killed in encounters in about a year, especially in three months.

India's goods and services tax (GST) collection hit an all-time high of ₹2.1 lakh crore in April, underlining the robust economy and kicking off the new fiscal year on a strong note. This also creates room for the much-anticipated reform of the GST regime when the new government takes charge after general elections. «GST collection crosses ₹2 lakh crore benchmark, thanks to the strong momentum in the economy and efficient tax collections,» finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman posted on X, formerly Twitter. GST collection rose 12.4% in April from ₹1.87 lakh crore a year earlier on the back of a 13% rise in domestic transactions that point to healthy local demand. The previous monthly record was ₹1.87 lakh crore in April 2023. India's economy is estimated to have grown 7.6% in FY24. The IMF expects India's GDP to expand 6.8% in FY25, retaining its status as the world's fastest-growing major economy. Total GST collection was ₹1.78 lakh crore in March while the monthly average for FY24 was ₹1.68 lakh crore.

The Indian Express. ALSO READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rajnath Singh reiterates ‘abolish Congress’ remark Rangeela also said that he will contest “wholeheartedly" and will visit Varanasi this weekend to file his nomination papers, the report added.

Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Gujarat -Number of heatwave days is likely to be above normal by about 2-4 days in May over remaining parts of Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Chhattisgarh -Number of heatwave days will also be higher than normal by 2-4 days in May over interior Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, north interior Karnataka, Telangana and isolated pockets of north Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh According to a Reuters report, the eastern part of India, including West Bengal, Odisha, experienced its hottest April on record as heatwave scorched India. This comes as Lok Sabha Elections 2024, after completing two phases, now gears up for the remaining for phases, even as IMD predicts an even hotter May.