Election Financial News

Lok Sabha elections on April 26, liquor shops across Noida and Greater Noida will remain closed for 48 hours from Wednesday evening, said officials. The order will be strictly enforced in Gautam Buddh Nagar, said District Excise Officer Subodh Kumar Srivastava, adding that violators will face legal action, including penalty or jail, in compliance with the rules. Speaking to PTI, Srivastava said, “As per rules, liquor outlets should close down 48 hours ahead of the election.

Karnataka gears for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26, the Election Commission on Wednesday said all the polling stations in the Bangalore Rural and Mysore constituencies will be webcast.As of now, a total of 189 cases have been booked against political parties or candidates for major violations under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), they said. Addressing a press conference, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said 1.4 lakh polling officials will be on duty at the 30,602 polling stations across the 14 constituencies which are going for polls in the first phase on Friday. Besides them, 5,000 micro observers, 50,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Parliamentary Force and State Armed Police force of other states will also be deployed for security at these polling stations, he said.

Wrestling Federation of India's Athletes' Commission here on Wednesday, completing a process that was mandated by the sport's world governing body. A total of eight candidates were in fray for the seven positions and after polling, conducted on ballot paper, seven members got elected. They then chose Narsingh as chairman of the commission. Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the Games-bound Narsingh had grabbed headlines when two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who missed the qualification event due to an injury, requested for a trial bout against him. Sushil moved the Delhi High Court and only after his appeal was rejected, it was confirmed that Narsingh would go to Rio Olympics.

Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) gave a clean chit to Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was named as the ruling NDA's surprise pick for Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, in the Rs 25,000 crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) 'scam' case. The EOW stated in its closure report that it did not see any criminality or wrongdoing in the matter, adding that the bank in question did not suffer any losses in the process of sanctioning loans or selling the Jarandeshwar Sugar Mill. The closure report comes at a time when the leaders in the Opposition combine--INDIA, have renewed their 'washing machine' charge at the BJP, claiming that probe agencies go slow on dissident leaders once they jump ship and join the ruling party at the Centre.

BJP has sidelined incumbent Lok Sabha member from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and announced Tashi Gyalson as its candidate from the lone Lok Sabha seat in Ladakh. The BJP has won the last two Lok Sabha elections in Ladakh but this time, the ongoing protest campaign led by the Apex Body Leh (ABL)and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a grouping of political, social, religious and business organisations in Leh and Kargil, has put a formidable challenge before the ruling party. Although Gyalson, who is also the chief executive councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh, has expressed willingness to engage in a dialogue with ABL and KDA, the two bodies are thinking of fielding their own candidate against the BJP.

Lok Sabha polls: Congress fields Ex-Himachal CM's son against Kangana from Mandi Kangana Ranaut's nomination from her hometown Mandi has added a layer of intrigue to the electoral contest for a constituency that has been a traditional Congress stronghold. To challenge the BJP, Congress has fielded the son of long-time late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh from the constituency. The Mandi constituency is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with the words "Amethi ki janta kare pukaar, Robert Vadra ab ki baar" were seen outside the grand old party's office in Gauriganj, Amethi on Wednesday. The Congress party is yet to announce its candidate for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi constituency. These posters sparked speculations about his potential candidacy, as the nomination filing deadline rapidly approaches.

₹16 lakh crore of his “billionaire friends" while also listing how money could have been used to prevent farmer suicides, help unemployed youth and women. In an extensive post in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi suggests that ₹16 lakh crore could cover the cost of waiving farm loans and subsidising LPG cylinders at ₹400 for the entire country for at least 20 years.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee says he thinks workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga made a mistake by voting to unionize under the United Auto Workers in a landslide election

Eknath Shinde hit back at Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray for his alleged 'neech' remarks, saying «they can't digest if a common labourer becomes the CM». «Yesterday he (Uddhav Thackeray) said that Eknath Shinde is „neech“. You abuse me by calling me „neech“. If a farmer's son, a common labourer becomes the chief minister then you don't like it, you are unable to digest it,» CM Eknath Shinde at an election rally in Buldhana. «If you look at it, this is not an insult to me, it is an insult to all the farmers' sons, it is an insult to the mothers and sisters of the poor and it is an insult to the society from which I come,» he added.

Repolling at eight polling stations in four assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh is underway on Wednesday, amid elaborate security arrangements, an official said. The repolling was necessitated following reports of violence, including damage to electronic voting machines (EVMs), during the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the northeastern state on April 19, he said. The Election Commission ordered repolling to Sario under the Bameng assembly constituency in East Kameng district, Longte Loth in the Nyapin segment in Kurung Kumey, and Bogne and Molom booths under the Rumgong seat in Siang. Dingser, Bogiya Siyum, Jimbari and Lengi under the Nacho constituency in Upper Subansiri are also on the list of booths where repolling is underway.

polling held on April 19 saw a voter turnout of about 64 per cent. The ongoing Lok Sabha Election is being held in seven phases. The last phase is scheduled on June 1 and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Omar Abdullah claimed that Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its 'C team'. Abdullah's statement comes after BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari notably urged members of the Pahari community to vote for Mehbooba Mufti in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Referring to this, the NC leader said, «If we have to defeat the BJP here, and the powers spreading poison in the whole country, then people should look at INDIA alliance leaders on all five seats of J-K. All others are connected to the BJP in some way. Be it the 'A' or 'B' team that meets Tarun Chugh sahib or PDP. I am assuming that now Mehbooba Mufti will put pressure on the BJP to get Mushtaq Bukhari's statement changed. PDP has joined BJP as its 'C' team.»

EAM Jaishankar expresses concern over rising deaths of Indian students in US "Now I read that article and I wanted to say listen, in that heat my lowest turnout is higher than your highest turnout in the best run," Jaishankar said. Jaishankar stressed that "They (West) actually think they are part of our electorate", adding, "I think it's time today that we disabuse them, and the best way that we do that, is by confidence." 'They need to calm down': Jaishankar dials Iran, Israeli counterparts The EAM said that the Western media also slams the Bharatiya Janata Party by calling it "unfair", and added, "In a kind of way, today, we are at a very important inflection point.". "They will question your election system, your EVM, your election commission, even the weather," Jaishankar said.

Pecker, 72, testified in a New York court that the Enquirer paid two people who were peddling stories of Trump's sexual misbehavior but never published them — a practice known as «catch and kill.»

Top Events of the Day: India is all set to witness various political, legal, scientific, and financial events including PM Modi's Lok Sabha election campaign in Bhopal, Amit Shah's poll rally in Goa, ISRO's second test flight of Gaganyaan mission, and ED's reply to Arvind Kejriwal's plea today, April 24. Take a look at top events of the day in detail below, - Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two public rallies in Sagar and Betul Lok Sabha constituencies along with a roadshow in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal today. - Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a public meeting in Chikkamagaluru and participate in Hubballi roadshow.

Supriya Sule has cried foul over the Election Commission of India allotting an independent candidate in Baramati the trumpet symbol and calling it 'Tutari'. Incidentally, the symbol of the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP is that of a man blowing a blowhorn, which is called 'tutari' in Marathi. Though the symbols are visibly different, ECI labelling the trumpet as a 'tutari' has riled NCP-SP.

A politician is always a politician: Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu may no longer be an active BJP leader but loves to meet people, deliver lectures and travel to various parts of the country. After receiving Padma Vibushan, Naidu met friends and well-wishers over breakfast where he announced that he would be more active now in his interactions. He also expressed his ire over leaders switching parties for instant gains and plum posts, saying a true leader would not change colours. Interestingly, most defections in recent times have been to BJP. Pleadings and allegation season: BJP's Bardhaman-Durgapur candidate Dilip Ghosh has sought support from the Left parties and their followers to strengthen Narendra Modi's hands. It is believed that a substantial number of Left votes backed BJP in 2019. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has been alleging a 'Ram-Bam' (BJP and Left) connection and claiming that Congress, Left and BJP are teaming together to defeat Trinamool.

Alappuzha, the citadel of the Communists in Kerala and the land of the historic Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and the martyrs column, huge hoardings of KC Venugopal, the influential AICC general secretary (organisation) and a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, are all over. Venugopal is fighting to wrest the CPM seat, the only Lok Sabha constituency that stood by the Left in 2019 when the Congress-led UDF swept 19 of the 20 seats from the state.

Assam's Nagaon is seeing a three-pronged contest, with the Congress, the BJP and the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) vying for the trust of voters in this Muslim-dominated constituency. Voting here is scheduled for April 26. In the 2019 general election, the AIUDF had supported the Congress and helped it win this seat after a gap of almost 25 years. While Congress parliamentarian Pradyut Bordoloi is seeking re-election, the BJP has fielded former militant-turned-politician Suresh Bora for this seat. Bora, who had left the militant outfit ULFA in 1999, was president of the Nagaon District Congress Committee before joining the BJP. Bora has contested Assembly polls thrice and lost on all occasions.

Hanuman Chalisa' or 'holding a shobha yatra during Ram Navami' in Karnataka and Rajasthan during its rule. Addressing a rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur on Tuesday, Modi referred to the attack on a shopkeeper, allegedly for 'listening to Hanuman Chalisa' in his shop. He claimed Congress 'protected such miscreants' when it was in power for 'appeasement politics'. «A shopkeeper was badly beaten up as he was listening to Hanuman Chalisa. Look at the work of Congress in Karnataka. A shopkeeper was made to bleed in his own small shop for remembering Lord Hanuman in his prayers. You can imagine that even listening to Hanuman Chalisa becomes a crime in their rule. Under Congress rule, it becomes difficult to even follow your faith,» Modi alleged. Hanuman Jayanti was being celebrated in different parts of the country on Tuesday.