With the upcoming elections approaching, the District Election Officer of an Indian state has thoroughly inspected the counting centres to ensure proper arrangements are in place. She has also reminded officials to maintain secrecy during the counting process and follow the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. Meanwhile, both major political parties in the state - BJP and Congress - are gearing up for a close fight in the upcoming polls.
Amid criticism of the Election Commission during the Lok Sabha elections, the Opposition INDIA bloc has continued their criticism in Parliament. Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party stated that he does not trust EVMs even if he wins all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while Congress's K C Venugopal called the ECI a "frontal organization" of the BJP. RJD's Manoj Jha also questioned the credibility of the ECI, comparing it to the village head in the popular TV series "Panchayat". The Opposition had previously targeted the EC over allegations of "faulty" electoral rolls and delay in turnout data, with the CEC stating the result was a vindication of the poll panel's impartiality.
In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar assured him that efforts are being made to secure the release of 34 Indian fishermen who have been in Sri Lanka's custody. The issue dates back to 1974 and the NDA government has been working towards addressing the livelihood interests of the fishing community since coming to office in 2014. The Indian High Commission in Colombo and Indian consulate in Jaffna are also working to expedite the release of the detained fishermen. With elections approaching in 2024, this has become a key issue for India's external affairs ministry.
Kanhaiya Lal Yadav, a graduate running as a candidate for the Jagrook Janta Party, will be running for the Nalanda constituency in Bihar for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. As per the election affidavit, Yadav has declared assets worth ₹9.8Lac and liabilities of ₹3.7Lac. The results will be announced on June 4th, as voting takes place on June 1st. This information has been provided by the Association for Democratic Reforms and sourced from the public domain of the Election Commission of India.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his dilemma over which constituency to represent as a Member of Parliament, saying that no matter what decision he makes, the people will be happy. He also claimed that the BJP lost in Ayodhya and Uttar Pradesh because they attacked the idea of India, mentioning the country's diversity and unity. The BJP won 240 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, down from 303 in 2019, and Gandhi claimed that the party had the support of the media, administration, ED, and CBI, while the election commission favored the Prime Minister.
The Banaras Hindu University has announced that it will not conduct a separate research entrance test for PhD admissions in the academic session 2024-25. Instead, scores from the UGC NET and CSIR NET exams in June 2024 will be used for admission, following the University Grants Commission's recent notification. Prospective candidates are advised to apply for these exams for admission to BHU's PhD programmes, with previous NET scores not being considered. Stay updated with all the latest news and information on India's political landscape and the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including candidate information and ground reports on NDTV.com's Elections section.
As counting for 14 Lok Sabha seats and one assembly by-election in Jharkhand began, BJP was leading in the early trends for 5 seats, while Congress and AJSU Party were leading in 2 and 1 seat respectively. Union minister Arjun Munda was trailing to Congress's Kalicharan Munda in Khunti seat, while sitting BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and VD Ram were leading in Godda and Palamu respectively. The state recorded an overall 66.19% turnout and the counting process is being conducted on 1,894 tables with heavy security arrangements in place.
Seven former High Court judges have written a letter expressing their concerns about the fairness of the general elections in 2024 to the President of India, the Chief Justice of India, and the Election Commission. They have stated that the present Election Commission has been the most reluctant in discharging its duties and that there could be a constitutional crisis if the ruling party loses the people's mandate. The judges have also raised concerns about hate speech targeting minorities and opposition parties, and the Election Commission's refusal to disclose the exact number of votes and make relevant forms available to the public. They have urged the authorities to uphold the Constitution and ensure a smooth and fair transition of power based on the people's mandate.
With the Lok Sabha Election 2024 results scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, 4 June, the excitement among citizens of India is at its peak. The official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and The Quint will keep you updated with the live counting of votes. The exit polls have predicted the BJP-led NDA to be in the lead, but the final results will only be known on Tuesday. Stay informed and play an active role in shaping journalism by following the live results.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to provide "factual information" and details about his claim that outgoing Home Minister Amit Shah had called 150 District Magistrates (DMs) after polling was completed for the Lok Sabha polls. In a letter to Ramesh, the poll body clarified that during the period of enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, all officers report directly to the Commission for any directions and that no DM has reported any undue influence from Shah. The poll body also emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the counting process and addressing such claims in the interest of the public.