Election Campaign

BJP runs social media drive to engage NRIs ahead of Maharashtra polls

The BJP relies on micro-management to connect with the public. This strategy was successfully employed during the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024, utilizing social media to reach not only domestic

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

Amit Shah cancels Maharashtra rallies, returns to Delhi over Manipur crisis

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday cancelled his rallies in poll-bound Maharashtra and is headed back to Delhi as the situation in Manipur continues to be volatile, according to sources. The home minister is likely to hold a meeting to review the situation in the northeastern state, the sources said. Irate mobs set fire to the residences of three more BJP legislators, one of whom is a senior minister, and a Congress MLA in various districts of Imphal Valley on Saturday night even as security forces foiled an attempt by agitators to storm the ancestral residence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Shah was supposed to attend a few election rallies as part of the BJP's campaign in Maharashtra but he has cancelled them and is returning to the national capital, the sources said. Though there was no official word on the reason behind the cancellation of the minister's rallies, the sources indicated that it could be due to the volatile situation in Manipur. The home minister is likely

Poll merchandise retailers hit as parties prefer wholesalers in Maharashtra

The retail market for election campaign materials in Maharashtra is experiencing a significant slowdown, with many long-standing shops struggling to stay afloat. The shift in procurement practices by political parties, which now source materials directly from wholesalers in Surat and Ahmedabad, has left many retailers grappling with reduced demand and shrinking profit margins. "Political parties now procure campaign materials in bulk, well in advance for elections, directly from wholesalers in Gujarat, and distribute them to candidates. This has led to a significant decline in retail demand," said Yogesh Parekh of Parekh Brothers who runs a shop in Lalbaug area of Mumbai. Parekh brothers have been operating the shop selling poll merchandise in Mumbai's Lalbaug over the last 75 years. He explained that the landscape of the business has changed drastically in the past 5-6 years. Campaign materials such as flags, scarves, caps, wristbands, and turbansonce popular among political work

Elon Musk's Super PAC spent $200 mn to boost Trump's presidential campaign

America PAC's onground work and Musk $1 million voters sweepstake played a crucial role in Donald Trump's outreach efforts

SL prez holds more pledges as campaigning closed for parliamentary polls

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake concluded his campaigning for Thursday's parliamentary election by pledging economic consolidation under his new government. The snap parliamentary elections was called by President Dissanayake after he won polls in September on a promise to combat corruption and improve the country's economic situation. The ex Marxist group, National People's Power (NPP) seeks a fully powered assembly to carry out mainly their anti-corruption policies where they allege that all politicians from major political parties who had ruled the country from 1948 were responsible. Since being elected the government has reopened some of the past cases. However, the government has faced criticism for its failure to reverse some of the hard-hit economic reforms of the previous administration of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Dissanayake addressing his final campaign rally on Monday said in the new government budget to be presented in March there will be drastic cuts of the

BJP MP Ravi Kishan campaigns in Mumbai, asks for Bhojpuri community's unity

Kishan emphasized that the Bhojpuri community, which numbers over 50 million, should unite in Mumbai and vote for the BJP

Feeling good about early voting in US battleground states: Harris Campaign

As tens of millions of Americans cast their votes in the presidential election, the Kamala Harris Campaign said it felt good about early voting in the Keystone state of Pennsylvania and other battleground states. With Pennsylvania emerging as the most critical of the seven swing states with 19 electoral college votes, Harris spent the final few hours of her canvassing in the state and even went door-knocking in some residential areas. Vice President Harris, whose mother is from India, is locked in a historically tight electoral contest with Republican leader Donald Trump in the race for the White House to succeed President Joe Biden. Listen, we feel good about what we're seeing in Pennsylvania and across the battleground states, Harris' communications director Michael Tyler said. I think when you look at the early vote data, yes, there has been a mode shift because Republicans they used to disparage early voting and claim it was fraud, Tyler told Fox News. They have now embraced

Empty seats seen more often at Trump's final rallies ahead of vote

Donald Trump has spent nearly a decade bragging about his crowds. Lately, he's been making the same boasts to swaths of empty seats. In his third presidential bid, Trump for the first time is facing an opponent who stages her own massive rallies, calling further attention to the fact that his crowds, however enthusiastic they are, sometimes have failed to fill large venues and often thinned out as he spoke. In North Carolina this weekend, the former president and Republican nominee spoke at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, where the lower level of the 22,000-seat arena remained unfilled, with the upper level blocked off altogether. We've had the biggest rallies in history of any country. Every rally's full," he falsely claimed anyway. You don't have any seats that are empty. He began Monday, the eve of the election, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a late-arriving crowd came close to filling the venue but left a smattering of empty seats. In Reading, Pennsylvania, Trump took

Charged Rs 100 cr for advising political parties, reveals Prashant Kishor

Prashant Kishor said that 10 state governments currently employ his strategies, while adding that he has ample resources to fund his campaign needs in Bihar

Donald Trump says China's leader will bully Kamala Harris 'like a baby'

Donald Trump said Thursday that China's leader would handle Vice President Kamala Harris like a baby if she's elected to the White House, as the former president and his top allies increasingly have moved to infantilise the Democratic nominee. If somehow Kamala wins, she'd have to deal with Xi Jinping," conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt said of the Chinese president. How would he handle her? Trump replied, Like a baby. He'd take all the candy away very quickly, Trump continued. She wouldn't have any idea what happened. It would be like a grand chess master playing a beginner. Trump has built his political career around name-calling, inventing jeers for his opponents going back to his first run for president in 2016, when he slammed Republican primary rivals like Low Energy Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, and Little" Marco Rubio, the Florida senator. The former president also has a long history of belittling women. But Trump has unleashed a special array of personal of

EC allows candidates to apply for rally permissions on 'Suvidha 2.0' app

The Election Commission has updated its mobile application to allow candidates and parties seek permission for rallies and other campaign-related activities. Candidates and parties, the poll body said, can now apply for campaign-related permissions also in the new and upgraded Suvidha 2.0 mobile application. So far, candidates and parties could only track the status and download approvals on the app and applications for seeking permission could only be done through offline mode or a web-based portal. The platform works on a 'first in, first out' principle and ensures transparent permissions, thereby removing any discretion. The Election Commission constantly endeavours to leverage technology to provide a level-playing field for candidates and parties in elections and the launch of Suvidha 2.0 is yet another step towards technologically empowered elections as candidates who are always on the move during polls can now easily apply and track permissions from their mobile phones, Chief

Kamala Harris attacks Republican rival, says 'Trump unfit to be president'

Launching a scathing attack on her Republican rival former president Donald Trump, Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday charged that he is unfit to lead the country. Yesterday we learned that Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired four-star general, confirmed that while Donald Trump was president, he said he wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had, Harris told reporters at her official residence in the American Capital. Donald Trump said that because he does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution. He wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally, one that will obey his orders even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the Constitution of the United States, she said. In just the past week, Donald Trump has repeatedly called his fellow Americans the enemy from within, and even said that he would use the United States military

Elon Musk's PAC spends just 3.6% of social media ad dollars on his X

Through Monday, Musk's America PAC spent about $201,000 on political ads on X, according to updated disclosures from the company, formerly known as Twitter

'Reparations for black Americans deserve review,' says Kamala Harris

Issue of reparations for Black Americans has gained momentum with California in 2023 becoming first state to put a potential dollar value on multi-generational inequality as a direct result of slavery

Campaigning kicks off for Japan's parliamentary election on October 27

Official campaigning for Japan's October 27 parliamentary election began on Tuesday with new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeking a mandate for his policies and for reforms after the governing party's political funds scandal. More than 1,300 candidates were expected to enter the races for the 465-seat Lower House before registration closes later Tuesday. Ishiba called the snap election after he took office as prime minister on October 1. As customary for Liberal Democratic Party leaders over the past decade, he was to start his campaign in Fukushima to renew his pledge to support the area's recovery from the 2011 nuclear disaster. With the early election, Ishiba is seeking to secure a majority in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two parliamentary chambers, before the congratulatory mood fades. The move has been criticized as prioritizing an election rather than policies and for allowing little debate. A majority for the ruling coalition would be 233 seats between his

AR Rahman records 30-minute performance, bid to boost Harris' campaign

Legendary music composer A R Rahman has recorded a 30-minute performance video in support of Vice President Kamaal Harris, which is expected to give a big boost to her presidential campaign ahead of the November 5 general elections. Rahman, 57, is the first major international artist from S Asia to have endorsed Harris, who is of mixed Indian and African origin. With this performance, A R Rahman has added his voice to a chorus of leaders and artists who are standing up for progress and representation in America, said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund. This is more than just a musical event, it's a call to action for our communities to engage and vote for the future we want to see, he said after AAPI Victory Fund announced that Rahman, the globally renowned Indian composer and musician, has recorded an exclusive 30-minute performance in support Harris's 2024 presidential campaign. This powerful endorsement by one of the most iconic voices in the South Asian commun

Amid election fever, Trump launches diamond watches worth up to $1 lakh

Latest Trump bling unveiled: Former US President Donald Trump launched Official Trump Watch Collection, priced up to $100,000, just 40 days ahead of his election showdown with Kamala Harris

Amit Shah woos tribals of Poonch, Rajouri during campaign trail in J&K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Saturday that the tribals of Rajouri and Poonch are defenders of Jammu and Kashmir and the entire country was proud of them, as he slammed rival parties -- Congress, NC and PDP -- for giving "stepmotherly treatment" to these marginalised communities. Seeking support of the Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Paharis for the ongoing assembly elections, Shah urged them to "cover the hills with lotuses (BJP's poll symbol)" and end the "monarchy" of the Gandhis, Abdullahs and Muftis, who he claimed have kept the Pir Panjal region underdeveloped for the last 75 years. Addressing four rallies on Saturday, starting in Mendhar (Poonch) followed by Thanamandi and Rajouri, Shah attacked the National Conference (NC) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress, saying the three parties have enabled the spread of terrorism in J-K since the 1990s. "People here say that the Army and security forces are protecting them. But when you go to Gujarat, Maharashtra, or Bengal,

California guv signs laws to crack down on AI-created election deepfakes

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed three bills Tuesday to crack down on the use of artificial intelligence to create false images or videos in political ads ahead of the 2024 election. A new law, set to take effect immediately, makes it illegal to create and publish deepfakes related to elections 120 days before Election Day and 60 days thereafter. It also allows courts to stop distribution of the materials and impose civil penalties. "Safeguarding the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it's critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public's trust through disinformation - especially in today's fraught political climate," Newsom said in a statement. "These measures will help to combat the harmful use of deepfakes in political ads and other content, one of several areas in which the state is being proactive to foster transparent and trustworthy AI." Large social media platforms are also required to remove the deceptive material under a ...