Page 14 - Election

Chhattisgarh polls: 6,400 voters opt for ECI's 'vote-from-home' facility

More than 6,400 voters in Chhattisgarh have decided to avail the Election Commission of India's vote-from-home facility introduced for people above 80 years of age and persons with more than 40 per cent disability in the state assembly elections to be held this month, officials said. A total of 6,447 voters have decided to avail this facility, the poll officials said on Thursday. In the elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly to be held in two phases on November 7 and 17, a total of 2,03,93,160 voters, including 1,01,35,561 males, 1,02,56,846 females and 753 transgenders, will be able to exercise their franchise, a statement issued by the poll authority said. Of the total voters, 2,457 are those who have completed the age of 100 years and are witness to the festival of democracy (elections) since its beginning, while 7,29,267 voters in the age category of 18-19 are first-time electors, it said. "The Election Commission has introduced the facility of voting through postal .

Defying ED summons, Kejriwal takes part in election roadshow in MP

Defying the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday took part in a roadshow for the party's Assembly elections candidate in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli city. He was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. Kejriwal, who is the AAP's national convener, did not appear before the ED for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked case earlier in the day, and instead wrote to the agency demanding the withdrawal of the notice summoning him claiming it was "illegal and politically motivated". He and Mann took part in a roadshow here for the party candidate from Singrauli and AAP's state president Rani Agrawal. Agrawal is also the mayor of the Singrauli city, a major electricity generation hub. She won the mayoral election last year, springing a surprise in a state dominated by the BJP and Congress. The polls for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly will be held on November 17.

Chhattisgarh polls: Cameras installed to keep vigil on liquor movement

"Moreover, the inter-districts and interstate barriers have also been equipped with CCTV cameras to deal with the illegal transportation of liquor," the officer added

Rajasthan-like raids in poll-bound MP in next four days: Digvijaya Singh

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday claimed that central agencies will carry out raids in election-bound Madhya Pradesh similar to the ones they recently conducted in Rajasthan, who also goes to polls next month. Earlier this week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and the party candidate from Mahua assembly seat as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged exam paper leak case in the state. Assembly elections in the BJP-governed Madhya Pradesh and Congress-ruled Rajasthan will be held on November 17 and November 25, respectively. Talking to reporters in Bhopal, Singh said, On one hand they (BJP) are intimidating officers, on the other, they are going to conduct raids in Madhya Pradesh like they did in Rajasthan. If this happens, then you will come to know where all Digvijaya Singh gets information from. Asked about the names of the people who could face such action, Singh said, See it for yourself

Telangana polls: Congress conducting discussion on candidates' list

The meeting was chaired by Cong President Kharge and the meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, besides members of the Committee and Telangana leaders, including PCC chief A Revanth Reddy

3,000 police, 5,000 central forces to be deployed for Mizoram elections

At least 3,000 police personnel and 450 sections of central armed police forces (CAPFs) will be deployed for the November 7 Mizoram assembly polls, a senior election official said on Wednesday. Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Madhup Vyas said the poll panel is making massive efforts to ensure a smooth, free, fair and peaceful election. "Ten companies of Border Security Force BSF) personnel and five companies each of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have already reached Mizoram and are in their places of deployment," Vyas told reporters here. A section comprises 12 personnel. So, 450 sections will amount to 5,400 personnel of CAPFs. Vyas said arrangements have also been made to keep a helicopter on standby in Aizawl on the polling day. According to the official, cash, drugs, liquor and other contraband items worth Rs 36.32 crore were seized so far since the election was announced. Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly will be held in a

Madhya Pradesh Assembly met for an average 16 days per year, report shows

According to the ADR report, 91 per cent of bills introduced in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly were passed and as many as 29,484 questions have been asked by its members

174 candidates in fray for Mizoram assembly polls scheduled on November 7

A total of 174 candidates are in the fray for the Mizoram assembly polls scheduled on November 7, a senior official said on Monday. The nominees represent five political parties, and the number includes 27 independents, he said. Mizoram Additional Chief Electoral Officer H Lianzela said that none of the 174 candidates, including 16 women, who cleared scrutiny earlier, had withdrawn their candidature on the last day of the process on Monday. The number of contesting candidates this time is 35 less than the figure in 2018. Polling for the 40-member Mizoram assembly will be held in a single phase on November 7 and counting of votes will take place on December 3. A total of 8,56,868 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections. Earlier on Saturday, scrutiny of nominations was conducted and 173 candidates cleared the process. The nomination paper of Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) candidate Lorrain Lalpeklian Chinzah from Lawngtlai East assembly was accepted after be

Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: Congress announces third list of 7 candidates

With this third list of 12 names, the Congress has now announced the names of 90 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh

MP elections: BJP releases fifth list of 92 candidates, fields 12 women

The BJP on Saturday released a fifth list of 92 candidates for the next month's MP assembly polls dropping sitting Indore-3 MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, son of the party stalwart Kailash Vijayvargiya who is in the fray from the Indore-1 segment. The BJP has fielded Rakesh Golu Shukla from the Indore-3 constituency in place of Akash Vijayvargiya. Several sitting MLAs are dropped by the BJP in the latest list. The ruling party has so far declared 228 out of 230 candidates for the forthcoming elections except for the Guna and Vidisha seats. The latest list includes the names of 12 women candidates, including former state ministers Maya Singh and Archana Chitnis from the Gwalior East and Burhanpur assembly segments, respectively. Incumbent minister Usha Thakur is renominated from Mhow seat. The single phase polling for 230 seats will be held on November 17 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 3. Among other prominent candidates who featured on the fifth list are former state

Raj polls: BJP names 83 candidates, fields Vasundhara Raje from Jhalrapatan

The BJP on Saturday named 83 more candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly polls, including former chief minister Vasundhara Raje from her traditional Jhalrapatan seat. Fifty incumbent MLAs have been given tickets while nine have not been renominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has also not named any MP in the second list. Of the 83 candidates, 10 are women. With this, the BJP has so far named 124 candidates for the November 25 polls to the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly. Some of the supporters of Raje, including two former state ministers, have also been given tickets. The saffron party has decided to field Narpat Singh Rajvi from Chittorgarh after its earlier decision to deny the five-term MLA, who is the son-in-law of BJP stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, renomination from his Vidhyadhar Nagar seat. This triggered a backlash from a section of party workers. The BJP leadership's about turn on Rajvi's candidature is being seen as a damage-control exercise after the l

Cong releases list of 33 candidates in Rajasthan; Gehlot, Pilot included

The Congress on Saturday released its first list of 33 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly elections, fielding Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot from Sardarpura and his former deputy Sachin Pilot from Tonk. Speaker C P Joshi will contest from his Nathdwara assembly seat, while the party's state unit president, Govind Singh Dotasra, has been fielded from Lachhmangarh. Minister Harish Chaudhary will contest from Baytoo and Mamata Bhupesh from the Sikrai-SC seat. The Congress is yet to declare candidates on a majority seats as its Central Election Committee will meet on Sunday to finalise names for more seats. The polls to the 200-member assembly will be held on November 25 .

Best of BS Opinion: Tax uncertainty, the prospects of Mandal 2.0, and more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Truth cannot be termed 'defamation', argues CM Gehlot in Delhi court

Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat had filed a criminal defamation case against Rajasthan Chief Minister for claiming he had a role in the Rs 900 crore Sanjivani Cooperative Society scam

Telangana Assembly elections: BRS manifesto matches Congress guarantees

The Congress unveiled its 'six guarantees' for the state last month, similar to the ones the Congress government has implemented in neighbouring Karnataka

Mizoram voters wrestle with Zoramthanga's leadership ahead of Nov 7 polls

Regardless of the election outcome, Mizoram is signalling that change is on the horizon

Ticket distribution going 'smoothly', selection on winnability: Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the ticket distribution process for the upcoming assembly polls is going on "smoothly" and asserted that candidates would be selected on the basis of winnability as well as the feedback received from a survey conducted. He made the remarks ahead of the screening committee meeting here. Later in the evening, the screening committee met in the party's war room at 15, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road to discuss the names of the candidates put forward by the state's election committee headed by Rajasthan unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra. Lok Sabha member Gaurav Gogoi heads the screening panel for Rajasthan polls, with Ganesh Godiyal and Abhishek Dutt being the other members. Gehlot, Dotasara and senior leader Sachin Pilot are among the other members. "After a very long time, the election committee of the RPCC went to the districts and took feedback... Yesterday, the party chief asked everyone to come to Delhi and give their opinions to the .

Money seized during I-T raids in Karnataka was to be used in polls: BJP

Madhya Pradesh BJP chief V D Sharma on Saturday claimed that the Rs 42 crore recovered by the I-T department during raids on contractors in Karnataka on Friday was meant for next month's polls in five states as he sought to link the seizure with the Congress. Assembly elections will be held in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram between November 7 and 30, and the counting of votes will be on December 3. This money was found on the premises of contractor Ambikapathy, who on behalf of the Congress, had falsely charged the then BJP government in Karnataka as a 40 per cent commission government, Sharma said while addressing a press conference here. Despite being voted to power in the southern state, Sharma alleged, the Congress could not prove the allegation of 40 per cent commission government. The Income Tax (I-T) Department recovered more than Rs 42 crore in cash, stashed in a residential premise in Bengaluru, on Friday as part of its tax evasion searches against som

Telangana Congress demands CM KCR's resignation, governor rule in state

In light of the transfer of many police, revenue, and excise officials by ECI on Wednesday, the CM has no moral right to continue in the post

Freebies: A zero-sum game

The urge to retain hand-outs that perpetuate power equations has left governments with less to spend on the things that really matter to people