Election Financial News

Mint, “With the onset of early summer, beer demand has surged across India. "However, the industry is concerned that supplies may fall short. Prolonged elections and related restrictions are disrupting supply chains all over the country.

Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the BJP cannot remain with those who commit atrocities against women, referring to the sexual abuse allegations against JDS Lok Sabha poll candidate Prajwal Revanna. He also blamed the Congress government in Karnataka for not acting against the Hassan MP till the Lok Sabha polls in the Vokkaliga belt were over. Prajwal is the grandson of former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and son of former minister H D Revanna. He is seeking a re-election from Hassan on the JD(S) ticket. Just before the elections, a huge cache of explicit videos and photographs, allegedly involving him have gone viral in the social media, following which the Karnataka government constituted the SIT on the request of Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary.

Narendra Modi on Wednesday challenged the Congress to give a guarantee in writing that it will never give quota based on religion and asserted that as long as he is alive he will not allow anyone to «play the game of reservation». As the quota row escalated with five more phases left in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on its part asked Modi to clear his stance on whether he will remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation for Scheduled Castes(SC), Scheduled Tribes(ST) and Other Backward Class(OBC). The seven-phase elections concludes on June one. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said the BJP will never do away with reservations for SC/ST/OBC categories nor will it allow the Congress to do so. In his first public address in Gujarat as part of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in his home state, Prime Minister Modi said that as long as the BJP and he remain, the reservation granted to SC/ST/OBC and economically weaker sections will be safeguarded and not harmed.

bomb threat email sent to over 130 schools in the Delhi-NCR region, as the initial probe hinted at a deeper conspiracy by a terror group during the Lok Sabha elections, officials said on Wednesday. A case has been registered under relevant sections of law for offences like conspiracy and threat by the Special Cell and a dedicated team formed to conduct the investigation, an official said. «The matter is related to national security. It needs a deeper probe,» the official said. In a scare of unprecedented scale, over 130 schools in the Delhi-NCR area received an identical bomb threat by email early Wednesday, triggering mass evacuations and searches as panic-stricken parents rushed to pick up their children.

Indian stock market: The Indian stock market indices, Sensex and the Nifty 50, ended Tuesday, April 30, trading session in negative, attributed to a late-session selloff influenced by weak global cues. The stock market remained closed on Wednesday, May 1 on account of Maharashtra Day. On Tuesday, Sensex concluded the session 189 points lower, representing a decrease of 0.25 percent, settling at 74,482.78, while the Nifty 50 ended the day at 22,604.85, marking a decline of 39 points, or 0.17 percent.

Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party will never do away with reservations for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Class, nor will it allow the Congress to do so. Congress' tactic was to lie repeatedly, he alleged, and advised its president Mallikarjun Kharge not to speak lies for the sake of the «family» (referring to Nehru-Gandhi family) as eventually he would be blamed for its loss in the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a rally at Katghora town in Chhattisgarh in support of Saroj Pandey, the BJP candidate from the Korba constituency, Shah accused Congress of nurturing terrorism and Naxalism to win elections. «Congress has one formula — speak lies loudly, publicly and keep repeating them. They say if (prime minister Narendra) Modi gets majority for the third term, he will scrap reservations. They circulated my fake video. We have been in power for ten years, Modi did not remove reservations, nor will he ever do it,» the BJP leader said. The PM used his majority in Parliament to scrap Article 370 and ban triple talaq, construct the Ram temple in Ayodhya and introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he said. «I have come to give you Modi's guarantee that as long as there is even one BJP MP in Parliament, we will neither remove the reservation for STs, SCs and OBCs, nor will we allow the Congress party to do so,» the Union minister added.

YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday claimed that TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is wishing for harm to befall him, but asserted that the people will save him. The chief minister made the allegation at Bobbili in Vizianagaram district during a public meeting as part of the last day of his four-day whirlwind election campaign tour across the state. «I will not forget Chandrababu's remarks in the assembly that my father (Y S Rajasekhar Reddy) would vanish in thin air. Unable to face me, he (Naidu) is making these kind of untoward statements. Back then against my father and now against me,» said Reddy, addressing a public meeting. The YSRCP chief claimed that the alleged statements by Naidu are a demonstration of his «criminal nature». «Chandrababu is saying 'what is wrong if Jagan is killed'. Jagan will not die by Chandrababu's wishes, people will protect Jagan,» he asserted.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday said that they have revised protocol for handling and storage of Symbol Loading Unit of EVM (electronic voting machine) and VVPAT (voter-verified paper audit trail). The move comes following the directions of the Supreme Court of India which stated that machines should be sealed and secured in a container and stored in a strongroom along with the EVMs at least 45 days post the declaration of the results.

Automakers had sold 332,468 passenger vehicles a year ago in April 2023. Car sales had grown by 9.5% to 368,086 units a month before in March 2024. But even while the growth rate moderated last month, on a high base, in terms of absolute volumes April was the 16th straight month that automakers in the local market clocked best-ever monthly sales. Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer (marketing and sales) at the country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki said, “We have started this year on a high base. Compared to last year when supplies were disrupted due to the semi-conductor crisis, there is more stock in the network now. There is also some uncertainty due to the ongoing elections. Once the new government is formed, and policies are announced, there will be more certainty in the market. But overall, car sales are expected to grow in single-digits in FY25.”

Karnataka government is under scrutiny for its delayed response to the sex video case involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, sparking a contentious debate between the Congress and BJP, with questions arising about political motivations. Congress's decision to postpone action until after the initial phase of voting in the state on April 26 is seen as a strategic move. Sources suggest the party aimed to avoid alienating Vokkaliga voters, predominant in phase 1, due to tensions with the Kurubas, represented by CM Siddaramaiah. The Gowda family, including Prajwal, holds significant influence among the Vokkaliga community, a TOI report stated. Following elections in southern Karnataka, where three members of the Gowda family contested, Siddaramaiah's government established a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Prajwal, the grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, is seeking re-election from Hassan as an NDA candidate, while his father, HD Revanna, serves as a JD(S) MLA for Holenarsipur. Both were named in an FIR filed recently, alleging sexual harassment by a former domestic help and her daughter.

Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray led outfit will battle it out in three seats. While two seats will witness fights between the traditional rivals — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, in one seat the Shiv Sena (UBT) and BJP will fight it out. The six constituencies in Mumbai are Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West. These are among the 13 seats in Maharashtra that will go to polls in the fifth and final phase on May 20. Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-West will see a fight between the two Senas, while Mumbai North-East will be a BJP versus Shiv Sena (UBT) face-off. In Mumbai South, sitting MP Arvind Sawant of the Uddhav Thackeray will take on Yamini Jadhav of the Shinde-led Sena. Jadhav represents the Byculla assembly constituency in Mumbai. Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai is pitted against Rahul Shewale of the Shinde-led Sena in Mumbai South-Central.

Naveen Patnaik has declared assets valued at Rs 71.07 crore, up by over Rs 7 crore in the last five years, as mentioned in an affidavit filed by him in the Election Commission. The BJD chief had shown assets of Rs 63.87 crore in 2019. Patnaik on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the Hinjili assembly segment to seek election for the sixth time along with the 64-page affidavit in which he mentioned movable assets of over Rs 14.05 crore and immovable properties worth Rs 57.02 crore. His movable assets include term deposits in various banks and post offices, while Rs 13.66-crore Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar and a Rs 43.35-crore house at APJ Abdul Kalam Road, New Delhi are among his immovable assets.

BJP periodically repeats is that Mahatma Gandhi sought the abolishment of Congress, which sparked debates in 2017, 2019, and 2023. On Wednesday, Rajnath Singh said, "Mahatma Gandhi said that soon after Independence, the Congress should be abolished.

The BSE smallcap index, which is a gauge for smallcap stocks’ performance, rallied nearly 10%, while the midcap index jumped over 7%. This compares with a 1% rise in the BSE Sensex.

Americans have a message for news organizations as they prepare to cover the 2024 election: About half of Americans say they're concerned that outlets will report inaccuracies or misinformation

Congress MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy, who had quit the party over denial of ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, on Wednesday joined the AAP. While welcoming Goldy into the party fold, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann referred to him as his «younger brother» and a «hardworking youth». «We welcome him along with his supporters,» he said. Goldy worked a lot and became an MLA but he was ignored by the Congress, Mann, who was flanked by AAP candidate from Sangrur seat Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, said.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the wavelengths of the BJP and people of the state are «completely different». She termed BJP leaders as «migratory birds» and accused them of spreading lies about West Bengal. «Bengal and BJP are not a good match as their wavelength is completely different from ours. While we uphold our culture & tradition, the migratory birds from Delhi do nothing but spread lies on Bengal, in Bengal,» Banerjee said on X. This election is about «deciding their fate and punishing them for their conspiracies», she said, adding that «Bengal will show the path to the country».

Congress on Wednesday reiterated its 'Shramik Nyay' guarantees on International Labour Day, and said its promise of Rs 400 per day national minimum wage is the real '400 paar'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh listed the party's guarantees for labourers and alleged that the past 10 years have been of 'anyay kaal' for them. On the occasion of International Labour Day it is most appropriate to recall the 'Shramik Nyay' guarantees in the Congress Nyay Patra for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said. Elaborating on the guarantees, Ramesh said the Congress has promised 'Shram ka Samman' (Dignity for Labour)' with Rs 400 per day national minimum wage, including for MGNREGA.

exports through online medium are expected to figure in the commerce ministry's 100-day agenda roadmap for the new government, an official said. The commerce ministry's arm DGFT is already working with the RBI and concerned ministries, including the finance ministry, on several steps to promote exports through e-commerce medium as huge export opportunities are there in the sector. The exercise assumes significance as ministries have been asked to prepare a 100-day plan for the new government. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls, the world's biggest election exercise, kicked off on April 19 with the counting of votes set to take place on June 4.

mafia raj" was going on in Assam, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday claimed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was involved in multiple scams. Addressing an election rally in Dhubri, she claimed Sarma has a «secret understanding» with Badruddin Ajmal of the AIUDF just like BJP has with Assaduddin Owaisi in Telangana, both of which were aimed at defeating the Congress. She also hit out at the BJP on the sexual abuse allegations against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna and said that PM Narendra Modi sought votes for him and then did not stop him from leaving the country. The Congress leader also attacked the BJP on the electoral bonds issue.

Also read: US Fed meet begins today: What to expect amid sticky inflation? Top experts share their views According to data released by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics on April 10th, the US consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.4 percent month-on-month (MoM) and 3.5 percent year-on-year (YoY), surpassing Street expectations of 0.3 percent MoM and 3.4 percent YoY. Indian investors also will be closely watching how the Fed addresses the dilemma of balancing growth and inflation.