Page 2 - Assembly Elections

Maharashtra election: QR codes launched to help voters with polling booths

In an attempt to boost voter turnout in Thane district, a one-click facility has been introduced for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections wherein voters only have to scan QR codes to find out about polling stations. Talking to reporters, Thane collector and election officer Ashok Shingare said the initiative aims to enhance voter convenience and participation, particularly as the Election Commission raised concerns regarding low voter turnout in the Thane and Kalyan regions. He said the district administration has implemented several measures to engage voters and improve the overall turnout, including introducing a QR code system, which will guide voters across 18 assembly constituencies. The official said the QR codes will direct voters to their designated polling booths, providing them with critical information such as the exact location and address. Shingare reported that as of Monday morning, of the total 7.2 million voters in Thane district, 3.27 million (nearly 50 p

Campaigning ends for Maharashtra, second phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls

In Maharashtra, BJP-led Mahayuti alliance trying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine hoping for a strong comeback

Assembly elections: Seizures in Maharashtra, Jharkhand cross Rs 850 crore

Maharashtra reported poll-related seizures worth over Rs 660 cr this year, up from Rs 103.6 crore in the previous elections, while in Jharkhand, it totaled Rs 198 crore, against Rs 18.8 cr previously

BJP, its allies will win Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand: HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day Gujarat visit, on Monday evening expressed confidence about the BJP and its allies winning the assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Addressing a gathering of the ruling BJP organised on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city, Shah noted India was on its way to become the third largest world economy, from the fifth now, by 2027 under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was among key leaders who attended the informal gathering organized by the Ghatlodia assembly unit of the party, said a BJP release. Addressing party leaders and workers at the event, the former BJP president expressed confidence that the saffron outfit and its allies will emerge victorious in the assembly elections of Maharashtra and Jharkhand, said the release. Maharashtra, where the BJP is part of the ruling coalition, will vote in a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand, where the saffron party is in

Concentrate on winning polling booths: PM Modi's mantra to BJP workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked BJP workers to concentrate their strength on winning each polling booth in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections. During a virtual interaction with BJP workers as part of "Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot" programme, Modi also asked them to hold booth-level meetings of women, youth and farmers, and suggested that they circulate videos of BJP-led government's schemes. Modi asked BJP booth workers to involve involve professionals like doctors in propagating the party's message among voters. Accusing the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra of spreading lies, Modi said the BJP workers should make this fact known to the voters. Wherever I went, I saw the hard work of our workers, Modi said, and called them his representatives. BJP booth workers have to reach every home with message to make the Mahayuti alliance victorious in Maharashtra assembly elections, Modi said. People of Maharashtra want the BJP-led Mahayuti government to .

Over 4,000 candidates in fray in Maharashtra polls, 28% rise over last time

A total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections, a rise of 27.7 per cent over the number five years ago. There are as many as 2,086 independent contenders among them. The Election Commission on Thursday made available the final figures of each party's candidates after withdrawals and rejections at the scrutiny stage even as campaigning is underway in full swing. In 2019, when the fight was between BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP alliances, a total of 3,239 candidates contested the elections. This time, the political landscape is more fragmented with the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party splitting up in the last two years. The assembly has a total of 288 seats. Of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 149 candidates, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded 81 candidates, and deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fielded 59. In the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress has ...

Jharkhand Assembly elections Phase 1 highlights: 65% voter turnout in 43 seats till 5 pm

Jharkhand Assembly elections LIVE: Voters to decide if JMM stays in power or BJP-led NDA stages a comeback, catch all the LIVE updates here

J'khand polls: 65% voter turnout registered in 43 Assembly seats till 5 PM

A voter turnout of 59.28 per cent was recorded till 3 PM on Wednesday in 43 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting is underway in the first phase, officials said. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. A total of 683 candidates are in the fray, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Serailkela-Kharsawan district registered the highest voter turnout at 66.38 per cent, followed by Lohardaga (65.99 per cent), Gumla (64.59 per cent) and Simdega (64.31 per cent). Khunti recorded 63.35 per cent voting, followed by Latehar (62.81 per cent), Garhwa (61.06 per cent) and West Singhbhum (60.35 per cent). Ramgarh recorded 59.22 per cent polling, East Singhbhum (58.72 per cent), Chatra (58.23 per cent), Chatra (45.76 per cent) and Koderma (58.13 per cent). Hazaribag recorded 57.16 per cent, Palamu (56.57 per cent), while Ranchi district saw the lowest 53.40 per cent turnout till 3 PM. "Today is the first

Polling begins for 43 seats in 1st phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections

Voting for 43 assembly seats in Jharkhand commenced on Wednesday with a total of 683 candidates trying their luck, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Polling began around 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. However, voting in 950 booths will end at 4 pm, though people standing in the queue at that time will be able to exercise their franchise, an official said. While the JMM-led coalition is seeking to retain power riding on its welfare schemes, including Maiyan Samman Yojna, the BJP has been campaigning with its aggressive Hindutva agenda, infiltration and alleged corruption by the current dispensation. Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief JP Nadda, held several rallies where they attacked the JMM-led coalition over alleged corruption and infiltration. INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi, its president Mallikarjun .

Bypolls in Wayanad Lok Sabha & 31 Assembly seats spread across 10 states

Bypolls will be held on Wednesday in 31 assembly seats spread across 10 states and Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, from where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut. Though these bye-elections are not going to have any bearing on the governments, they are seen as a big test for the Congress and the INDIA bloc which failed to put up a united show in the recent Haryana assembly polls. Most of these seats fell vacant after the sitting MLAs contested the Lok Sabha elections and won while in some constituencies, the bypolls are being held due to death of the representatives. The Wayanad seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi, who also won from the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency which he kept. Voting will be held in seven seats in Rajasthan, six in West Bengal, five in Assam, four seats in Bihar, three in Karnataka, two seats in Madhya Pradesh, and one seat each in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala and Meghalaya. Votes will be counted on ...

BJP lost in Maharashtra where PM held rallies during LS polls: Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the BJP lost 10-12 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where its top leader addressed poll rallies. Modi is on a campaign trail in the state on Tuesday, addressing election rallies at Chimur in Chandrapur district, Solapur and Pune. "It is the right of the prime minister to address election rallies. There is no need to pay much attention to it," Pawar told reporters here. "But keep one thing in mind, the prime minister addressed 16 rallies during the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP lost 10-12 seats where he addressed rallies. So, let him come," the former Union minister said in response to a question on the prime minister's rallies scheduled for Tuesday. In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, the BJP's number of seats came down to nine from its 2019 tally of 23. Pawar dismissed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's charge of promoting caste-based ...

Jharkhand Assembly elections: Check date, time for first phase of polling

Jharkhand Assembly polls 2024: Out of the state's 26 million registered voters, 13.7 million are eligible to vote in the first phase of the Assembly elections

Corruption, populism, infiltration: Key issues in Jharkhand Assembly polls

The 81 seats in Jharkhand Assembly will go for voting in two phases on November 13 and 20, with the results to be announced on November 23

Maharashtra elections 2024: School bus services stopped on November 19-20

Several schools in the state will serve as polling stations, and many teachers have been assigned election duties, resulting in a shortage of staff for regular classes

Congress-ruled states ATM of party's 'shahi parivar', says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that wherever a Congress government is formed, that state becomes the ATM (Automated Teller Machine) of the party's shashi parivar'. We won't let Maharashtra become the ATM of Congress, Modi said, addressing a campaign rally in Akola for the November 20 state assembly elections. I challenge the shahi parivar of Congress to prove if they ever visited Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's panchteerth, Modi said. Modi has coined the term panchteerth to denote Amedbkar birthplace in Mhow, the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK, Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism, his Mahaparinirvan Sthal' in Delhi, and Chaitya Bhoomi' in Mumbai. People of Haryana foiled the conspiracy of Congress by following the Ek hai to safe hai' (we are safe if we are united) mantra, Modi said. The Congress knows that it will be strengthened only if the country is weakened. The policy of that party is to pit one caste against the other, he ...

News updates: Terrorists kidnap, kill 2 village defence guards in J&K's Kishtwar

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

528 candidates in fray for second phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls

Altogether 528 candidates are in the fray for the second phase of Jharkhand assembly polls after 32 aspirants withdrew their nominations on Friday, an election official said. In all, 38 assembly constituencies will go to polls in the second phase on November 20. Initially, 634 aspirants submitted nomination papers from October 22 to 29, but after scrutiny, 74 nominations were rejected. On Friday, 32 candidates withdrew their papers leaving 528 nominees in the fray, Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar said. Dhanwar assembly constituency registered the highest number of candidates at 24, while Deoghar recorded the lowest at 7, he said. In 2019, 583 candidates from 38 seats contested the polls. Disgruntled BJP leader and former Jharkhand minister Satyanand Jha 'Batul' also withdrew his nomination on Friday, reportedly following a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who urged him to step aside in favour of the BJP. The elections to the 81-member assembly will tak

BJP raking up Waqf issue with eye on Assembly elections, bypolls: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday alleged that BJP was raking up the "Waqf issue" with an eye on the upcoming assembly by-polls in the state and elections in neighboring Maharashtra. Following allegations by a section of farmers in certain parts of the state that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, he reiterated that none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn. "BJP is doing politics. Notices were issued during their (BJP) tenure too, what do they have to say about it? During BJP's tenure over 200 notices were given. One should not practice such dual politics," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, the CM said, "I have already said that the notices will be withdrawn, where is the issue? In case the notices are issued they will be withdrawn and no one will be evicted, where is the issue?" "Whichever district it is...They (BJP) had also given notices in several districts. Why did they give? Why are they doing such politi

Ahead of Assembly polls, Maharashtra govt reshuffles 260 police officials

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday reshuffled more than 260 policemen, including 150 from Mumbai, ahead of the November 20 assembly elections in the state, an official said. He attributed the transfers to a directive of the Election Commission about the relocation of officials who had served in their home districts or current posting for over three years. About 150 Mumbai police officials, including senior inspectors, have been moved to various districts, including Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Nagpur and Washim. A few police officials from Navi Mumbai and Mira Bhayandar, Vasai Virar Police commissionerate have also been transferred, he said. Accordingly, police officials from various districts have been posted in Mumbai, which has 36 of the state's 288 assembly seats. Sending out a stern message, the Election Commission last month sought an explanation from the Maharashtra chief secretary and the state's police chief for failing to fully implement its orders on the transfer

Congress getting good signals for upcoming Maharashtra polls, says Baghel

Baghel said two days are left for the nomination filing and the process of ticket distribution is also in the final stage