Election Financial News

UltraTech Cement but downgraded MGL to sell. Jefferies downgraded IIFL Finance to hold and JPMorgan maintained an overweight rating on RIL.

Joe Biden has warned that a second Donald Trump term would mean a return to «chaos, division and darkness,» CNN reported. He highlighted the progress his administration has made in its first term in office. In a statement, Biden wrote, «Four years ago, I ran because of the existential threat Donald Trump posed to the America we all believe in.» He spoke about the US' progress under his administration on jobs, inflation, prescription drug prices, and gun control.

youth ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to announce a 10-point poll promise for the youth and unemployed people of the country in a rally in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, according to the sources. According to sources, the Congress MP will announce the poll promises in the rally that will be addressed by him and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Badnawar District of Madhya Pradesh today. With election season fast approaching, the Congress Election Committee (CEC) headed by Kharge is likely to meet on Thursday to finalise candidates for a clutch of states like Kerala and Karnataka. The BJP has so far announced 195 candidates.

By Alexandra Ulmer and Nathan Layne

Many shall be restored that now are fallen and many shall fall that now are in honour— Horace After having fallen during covid, the Indian economy now finds itself among the most honoured globally. Most high-frequency indicators are firing vigorously and recent headline GDP numbers have been buoyant beyond expectations. A fiscally restrained budget in an election year and sensible policy interventions have ensured that confidence in the economy and the government’s ability to manage it is high, and the stock market is undergoing one of its periodic bouts of exuberance.

Alberta’s budget had lots of good news — unless you own an electric car, which will now be taxed at $200 a year. The provincial surplus is expected to be $5.6 billion this fiscal year, followed by a wafer-thin $0.4 billion next. Even though resource revenues are down, program spending isn’t being cut. It rises 3.7 per cent in fiscal year 2024-25.

By Anjana Anil and Ashitha Shivaprasad

By Stephanie Kelly

Delhi government's new scheme, Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, which promises ₹1,000 per month to women above 18 years of age is not «revdi» (freebie) but a social welfare initiative aimed at empowering women and boosting economic liquidity, Delhi finance minister Atishi has said. Speaking to ET, Atishi said AAP government's schemes had been criticised as «revdi» by political opponents but the state government was utilising taxes paid by the people for their welfare. «If we can run the government in fiscal surplus and also give the citizens of Delhi everything (free electricity, water, healthcare and education), why shouldn't we? What is bothering the opponents so much? Atishi presented the Budget 2024-25 on Monday, announcing the programme for women over 18 who are not income-tax payers, have a government employment, or get a pension. According to Delhi government estimates, 45-50 lakh women out of 67 lakh women voters will be eligible under this initiative.

India and the UK are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement with time running out as New Delhi gets ready to hold general elections in the next two months. A team of British trade negotiators is visiting New Delhi to iron out differences on India's demand for more visas for its workers and a social security agreement, and UK's asks for access in India's government procurement and inking a bilateral investment treaty before a trade pact. Officials said most talks have been completed at the negotiator level and a final decision on signing the FTA now rests with the two governments.

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered transfer of investigation into an attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali on January 5 from the West Bengal government to CBI. It directed that documents and custody of suspended Trinamool leader Shahjahan Sheikh should be immediately handed over to CBI. Sheikh is at present in CID's custody after he was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29. HC, in its order, observed that Sheikh is «an elected representative of the public, holding the highest office in a Zilla Parishad, he was fielded as the candidate at the elections held for the said post by the political party which is ruling dispensation. Thus, it has become imperative and absolutely necessary for doing complete justice and enforcing the fundamental rights of the public...» «It is beyond one's comprehension that without a pre-planned effort more than thousand people or three thousand people...could have assembled in that area armed with deadly weapons to attack ED officials and CRPF… We agree with the submissions made on behalf of the appellant ED that except for one offence all were bailable offences and the state police have underplayed the entire situation,» it said.

Chinese influence" may have played a role in encouraging the Leftist unity in Nepal with PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' dropping the Nepali Congress as its partner and form an alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)-UML led by K P Sharma Oli. The year-long Nepali Congress and Prachanda-led CPN (Maoist Centre) coalition collapsed on Monday, with Prachanda joining hands with the CPN-UML to revive the «Left alliance». Thereafter, Prachanda reshuffled his cabinet to include ministers from the Communist party and created an eight-point programme to run Nepal. Despite contesting the elections in a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, Prachanda became the Prime Minister on December 26, 2022, with the UML's support. But the partnership could not last long after his party decided to support the Nepali Congress in the presidential election. The UML had pulled out of the government on February 27 last year, and Prachanda and Nepali Congress joined hands to form the government.

the choice seems to be simple. Both political parties already have clarity over who their nominees will be, as Joe Biden (Democrat leader) and Donald Trump (Republican leader) have cruised through the early voting states. Super Tuesday is the primary election day the most states hold their primaries and caucuses and decide on the bulk of delegates for candidates in their respective parties.

SBI — or GoI — doesn't like, with Digital India galloping along like a bareback horse in a Ladakh landscape, one would have thunk that retrieving info regarding purchases of electoral bonds for political party funding would be easy-peasy. Unless, of course, it's hard.

Mahila Morcha in West Bengal on 7 March. The BJP seems to be going all out on the “Mahila" or the women-centric poll agenda ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Political analysts believe this very women centric agenda had brought Mamata Banerjee back in power in West Bengal, an agenda that BJP missed.

Assam government has requested to hold Lok Sabha polls in the state before Bohag Bihu festival. The agrarian festival is celebrated in the second week of April. An Election Commission of India (ECI) delegation is on a two-day visit to Assam. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We have requested the Election Commission to hold an election before Bohag Bihu.” Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats. This is the first election in Assam after the delimitation exercise was carried out last year. The first electoral roll after delimitation of assemblies and parliamentary constituencies was carried out was published in December last. It has found around 2,43,02,460 electors in the state.

Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said that it has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 12.78 crore of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, in immovable properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). «ED, Kolkata has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 12.78 Crore in the form of 14 immovable properties in the nature of apartment, agriculture land, land for fishery, land and building[s] etc. in Gram Serberia, Sandeshkhali and Kolkata and two bank accounts under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the matter of Shahjahan Seikh and others,» the ED said in a statement on X. Sandeshkhali, a village in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, had seen massive protests over the allegations against TMC leader Sheikh and several of his strongmen. Many local women had accused Sheikh and his supporters of land grabbing and sexually assaulting them under coercion.

Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) has revised interest rates on fixed deposits with effect from March 01, 2024. Interest rates for 25-month tenor was revised by 41 basis points (bps).

As India gears up for yet another Lok Sabha election in 2024, investors find themselves at a familiar crossroads. The phenomenon of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) witnessing a surge in stock prices leading up to elections, followed by a subsequent correction, has been a recurring trend over the past two decades. Examining the data reveals a compelling pattern that investors should take heed of before making their next move.

Super Tuesday emerges as a pivotal moment, with 15 states and one U.S. territory casting their votes today. This electoral extravaganza is set to shape the trajectory of both Democratic and Republican races, providing a clearer glimpse into the potential nominees for the highest office in the land.

Finance Minister Atishi said on Tuesday, adding she expects it to translate into more women votes for the AAP in the Lok Sabha polls. Atishi presented her maiden budget with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore in the Delhi Assembly on Monday. In an interview to PTI, Atishi said the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana will be notified after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is lifted and expressed hope that the scheme will roll out from September-October. Another key scheme that will be rolled out in the 2024-25 fiscal is the Business Blasters scheme in Delhi government-run universities.