News Analysis India

Tag: Lok Sabha Election 2024

  • They Contested Lok Sabha Polls From Jail And Won But Can They Take Oath? |

    New Delhi: Two candidates from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency are currently in prison on charges related to terrorism and have been elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The result was declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 4 which raised the unusual situation. 

    As per ECI, Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh secured a victory from the Khadoor Sahib seat of Punjab while terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid also known as Engineer Rashid won from the Baramulla parliamentary constituency of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Amritpal Singh secured victory from a margin of 1,97,120 votes against Congress leader Kulbir Singh Zira. Amritpal is the chief of the ‘Waris Punjab De’ outfit and is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail of Assam under the National Security Act (NSA). Rashid won from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat against  National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah by a huge margin. 

    On jailed candidates being elected in Lok Sabha seats, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh said, “…The number of legislators with criminal charges is on the rise… The makers of the Constitution would have never thought that such people would be elected to the Parliament. A constitutional amendment is needed to specify the charges, holding which, the candidates will be disqualified from contesting elections”

    “The irony is, that people in jails cannot vote, but can contest and win elections… A Parliamentary seat cannot lie vacant for more than 60 days, irrespective of whether they have taken an oath,” he said while speaking to ANI. 

    He further said that the Parliament should step in and not let such people get elected and in cases where they have to vacate their seats, they should not be allowed to recontest till the time they are out of custody. 

    “It is the need of the hour to bring a law addressing this issue… There is a provision somewhere which allows them to file their nominations by authorising someone, this is how they have contested elections,” he said.

    If Amritpal Singh and Engineer Rashid were to be convicted and jailed for a minimum of two years, they would immediately lose their seats, as per the Supreme Court judgment of 2013. 

  • ‘West Bengal, Haryana, and Rajasthan Rejected BJP,’ Says Congress Leader Sachin Pilot |

    New Delhi: In the Lok Sabha election 2024, the BJP-led NDA alliance fell short of gaining the expected numbers after which Congress leader Sachin Pilot said that states like West Bengal, Haryana, and Rajasthan rejected BJP. The Pilot alleged that the people didn’t like the BJP’s narrative of “Mandir-Masjid” and “Hindu-Muslim”.

    “The states in which the BJP expected to increase its numbers, like West Bengal, Haryana and Rajasthan, the people have rejected them there… The issues we brought up were liked by the people… Our narrative was optimistic, BJP’s narrative was Mandir-Masjid, Hindu-Muslim and Mangalsutra. The people may have not liked it,” Pilot said while talking to ANI.

    Responding to the party’s further strategies, the Congress leader said that the alliance has to make the political decisions.
     
    “The public has given a clear message to the ruling party that the kind of governance they were giving, is not acceptable and that is why their total tally has dropped to 60 to 65 seats. It’s a political message from the public through EVM and BJP should introspect this,” he further added. 

    The final count for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections concluded on June 3, BJP secured 240, far fewer than had been expected, while, Congress secured 99 seats which is the highest tally since the 2014 Lok Sabha Election.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term but this time BJP will need the support of other parties like JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP’s chief Chandrababu Naidu to reach the majority mark and form a government.

  • Live Updates | Amritsar Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: AAP Vs BJP Vs INC; Check Winner Here

    This pivotal electoral contest sees a roster of prominent candidates vying for the seat, including Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from the Aam Aadmi Party, Taranjit Singh Sandhu representing the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Gurjeet Singh Aujla from the Indian National Congress.

  • ‘Just Wait And See…Results Will Be Opposite’: Congress’ Sonia Gandhi Reacts To Exit Polls |

    New Delhi: A day before the Lok Sabha Election result, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi reacted to the exit polls results of the general election and said that the party is hopeful. On Monday, she exaggerated that the party is waiting for the results which are going to be announced on June 4. 

    When asked about her opinion on the exit poll prediction and her expectations for the counting of votes to be held tomorrow, June 4, Sonia Gandhi said, “We just have to wait and see.

    On being asked about Exit poll prediction and her expectations for the counting which is scheduled to be held tomorrow, Sonia Gandhi said, “We just have to wait and see.

    Sonia made the statement while leaving the DMK office after paying tribute floral to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Karunanidhi. Rahul Gandhi was also present with her.

    Most of the exit polls have predicted that the BJP-led NDA is likely to form a government with a majority.

    “We are very hopeful that our results are completely opposite to what the exit polls are showing,” she further added.

    According to India Today-Axis My India exit polls, NDA is likely to win 361-401 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, while the INDIA bloc is expected to win 131-166 seats and  8 to 20 seats may go to others.

    As per the Republic PMarq exit poll, NDA is expected to secure victory on 359-543 seats, 154 seats may go to the INDIA bloc and others may win 30 seats. While, the Republic Matrize poll gave 353-368 seats to NDA, 118-113 may go to INDIA bloc and 43-48 to others. 

    The NewsX Dynamics predicted 371 seats to NDA, 125 for INDIA bloc and 47 for others. 

  • Zee AI Exit Poll: NDA Likely To Win 52-58 Seats in UP, INDIA 22-26, Check For All States Here |

    New Delhi: Seven phases of the Lok Sabha Election ended and wait for the results began. The counting for all the seats is going to take place on June 4. On Sunday,  ZEE NEWS brought an AI exit poll for the first time.  AI technology has been used in data collection and data processing and the figures that ZEE NEWS will show are the figures of the survey agency. This exit poll used Artificial Intelligence and took opinions from 10 crore people.  This result is just an AI exit poll prediction, not a real result. 

     NDA Likely To Gain In Uttar Pradesh

    According to the AI exit poll, NDA is predicted to get 52-58 seats in Uttar Pradesh and INDIA Alliance may get 22-26 seats.

     

    ZEE NEWS पर AI एग्जिट पोल LIVE : ZEE News के AI Exit Poll में चौकाने वाले आंकड़े, उत्तर प्रदेश में NDA को 52-58 और I.N.D.I.A. गठबंधन को 22-26 सीटें मिलने का अनुमान#AIExitPollOnZee #Elections2024 #AIExitPoll #ExitPoll2024 #ZEENIA@ShobhnaYadava @anuraagmuskaan @pratyushkkhare pic.twitter.com/37tsWjfIxm
    — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 2, 2024

     

    Who Is Leading In Bengal?

    As per the AI exit poll, NDA is likely to get 20-24 seats in West Bengal and TMC can get 16-22 seats. While the INDIA alliance may get 0-1 seats.

     

    ZEE News के AI Exit Poll में चौकाने वाले आंकड़े, पश्चिम बंगाल में NDA को 20-24 और TMC को 16-22 सीटें मिलने का अनुमान #AIExitPollOnZee #Elections2024 #AIExitPoll #ExitPoll2024 #ZEENIA@ShobhnaYadava @anuraagmuskaan @pratyushkkhare pic.twitter.com/Uuc9qmCVhN
    — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 2, 2024

     

    Is It A Good Opening For BJP In Southern States?

    This time southern states are going to play a prominent role as BJP has set all its efforts during the election to gain their vote bank. According to AI exit polls, NDA is expected to get 10-12  and INDIA may get 21-27 in Tamil Nadu.  In Telangana, NDA is expected to get  04-06 seats while 10-14 seats may go to the INDIA alliance.

     

    ZEE News के AI Exit Poll में चौकाने वाले आंकड़े, तेलंगाना में I.N.D.I.A. गठबंधन को सबसे ज्यादा सीटें

    NDA: 04-06 सीटें
    I.N.D.I.A. गठबंधन: 10-14 सीटें
    Others: 00 सीटें #AIExitPollOnZee #Elections2024 #AIExitPoll #ExitPoll2024 #ZEENIA@ShobhnaYadava @anuraagmuskaan… pic.twitter.com/SMnGUR40EH
    — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 2, 2024


    NDA Likely To Get 52-58 Seats In Maharashtra

    As per AI exit polls, NDA is expected to get 26-34 seats while the INDIA alliance may get 15-21 in Maharashtra.

  • LS Polls 2024: EC Asks Congress’ Jairam Ramesh To Share Details Of Amit Shah’s Pre-Counting Day Calls To DMs |

    New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) sought factual information from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday on his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah has called up 150 district magistrates and collectors ahead of the June 4 counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls. In a letter to Ramesh, the poll panel has asked him to share details regarding his claim by 7 pm on Sunday.

    The EC has referred to his post on X on June 1, in which the Congress general secretary had alleged that “the outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is….”

    The process of counting votes is a sacred duty cast upon every returning officer and such public statements “tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest”, the EC has told Ramesh.

    It has also told the Congress leader that when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, all officers are under the deemed deputation of the commission and they report directly to the poll watchdog for any directions.

    “However, no DM has reported any such undue influence as alleged by you…,” the EC’s letter to Ramesh has stated.

    “It is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the Home Minister along with the factual matrix/basis of your information are shared by 7 pm today — June 2, 2024, so that appropriate action can be taken,” it has told the Congress leader.

    It has said that being a responsible, experienced and very senior leader of a national party, Ramesh must have made such a public statement ahead of the counting day on the basis of facts or information he believes to be true.

  • Mamata Banerjee Not To Attend INDIA Bloc meet On June 1, Cites Polling, Post-Cyclone Relief Work |

    New Delhi/ Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she will not attend the meeting of the INDIA bloc on June 1 due to the last phase of Lok Sabha polls and ongoing relief work after cyclone ‘Remal’ hit the state’s coastal regions.

    According to sources, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders in the afternoon of June 1, coinciding with the last round of polling.

    Addressing an election rally in Kolkata, Banerjee mentioned her inability to attend the INDIA bloc meeting due to the scheduled elections in the state on that day.

    “The INDIA bloc meeting has been fixed on June 1. But I have already said I can’t go on June 1 as there is an election in our state on that day. So far I know there are elections in Punjab, UP and Bihar. Voting will continue till 6 pm, and at times it extends beyond that (6 pm),” she said.

    Banerjee highlighted the dual challenges of post-cyclone relief work and ongoing elections, emphasising her priority towards relief efforts.

    “How can I leave everything behind and go? My priority is relief work. Even if I am holding a meeting here, my heart goes out to those people (affected by the cyclone),” she said at the Kolkata rally.

    Cyclone Remal, with wind speed reaching 135 kmph, claimed four lives in West Bengal and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and property in the state’s coastal areas as it tore through West Bengal and Bangladesh, officials reported on Monday.

    The TMC had withdrawn from the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January but affirmed its commitment to remain part of the opposition alliance at the national level.

    During the election campaigns in the last two months, Banerjee had expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would win the Lok Sabha elections and affirmed her involvement in the anti-BJP alliance at the national level.

    Sources in the TMC revealed that voting will be conducted on nine seats, including two seats in Kolkata, in West Bengal on June 1, which are crucial for the party.

    Apart from the Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar, other constituencies in the state that will go to polls on that day include Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur and Diamond Harbour.

    TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other top leaders will exercise their franchise on the day, and, therefore, they will be unable to attend the meeting, a source said, adding that the party has attended all meetings of the opposition bloc so far.

    The source added that the TMC has conveyed this to the organisers.

    The first meeting of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in Patna on June 23 last year, followed by meetings in Bengaluru on July 17-18, 2023, and in Mumbai between August 31 and September 1, where the opposition parties adopted resolutions to contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly.

    The fourth meeting of the opposition bloc was held in Delhi on December 19.

    The next gathering of opposition leaders took place in Delhi on March 31, where top leaders shared the stage at the “Save Democracy” rally held against the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. A similar ‘Ulgulan’ rally was held in Ranchi on April 21.

    The TMC has been part of all these meetings and rallies.

    At the March 31 rally in Delhi, TMC’s parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, announced that the party would remain part of the INDIA bloc.

    The TMC, which is in power in West Bengal, does not have any seat-sharing deal with the Congress or any other INDIA bloc partner in its home state. But its candidate Laliteshpati Tripathi in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi has been supported by ally Samajwadi Party.

    Twenty-eight opposition parties came together to form the INDIA bloc. However, some parties such as Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) later switched over to the NDA.

  • Jihadis From Across Borders Supporting SP, Congress: PM Modi |

    New Delhi: Aiming for a third consecutive term, Prime Minister and BJP senior Leader Narendra Modi accused the INDIA alliance of receiving support from Pakistan and jihadis. On Sunday, while addressing the rally at Uttar Pradesh’s Bansgaon rally BJP leader said that prayers are being read in Pakistan for the Samajwadi Party and the Congress who are appealing for “vote jihad” here.

    “Prayers are being read for the win of the INDI alliance of SP and Congress in Pakistan. Jihadis are supporting them from beyond the borders. SP and Congress are appealing for ‘Vote-Jihad’,” he said.

    #WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | In his Bansgaon rally, PM Narendra Modi says, “‘Lekin kuch taakatein aisi bhi hain jinhein Bharat ki pragati se pet me dard ho raha hai, ye log 4 June ko lekar alag hi sapne dekh rahe hain’. Prayers are being read for the win of the INDI alliance of SP… pic.twitter.com/icRGUVdY1t


    — ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2024

    Addressing a rally in Bansgaon, PM Modi asserted that June 4 is going to decide the future of India and on the same day India’s race to become the third-largest economy will also begin.

    “June 4, 2024, is going to decide the future of India. The country will spread its wings and take a new flight on June 4 towards the resolve of ‘Amrit Kaal’, building a developed India, and fulfilling the dreams of 140 crore Indians. Millions of people are eagerly waiting for that day. On June 4, the countdown of India’s race to become the third largest economy will also begin,” he said.

    Modi also said that there are many youths are getting benefits out of the Mudra scheme, “Those 3 crore poor who will get pucca houses, elderly people above 70 years of age who will get free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakhs, crores of youth who will be benefitted out of Mudra scheme,” he said.

    “Those 3 crore sisters of self-help groups who will become ‘Lakhpati didi’ and crores of people who will be getting free electricity under PM Surya Ghar scheme are waiting for June 4,” he also added. 

  • BSP Should Join INDIA Bloc: Akhilesh Yadav’s Request To Mayawati’s Party In 2024 Polls |

    New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader and candidate from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat Akhilesh Yadav urged the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the INDIA alliance to save the constitution. As the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls wrapped up on Monday, Yadav exaggerated that this time INDIA bloc is going to secure the victory and will surely form the government.

    “I would request the Bahujan Samaj (Party) to help the INDIA alliance to save the Constitution…The (INDIA) alliance will surely form the government,” he said.

    Yadav also hits out at the Modi-led government for discriminating against farmers, youth and businessmen for the last 10 years. He further claimed that the BJP will yearn for even 140 seats.

    “This government has discriminated against farmers, youth and businessmen for ten years. This election is to protect the Constitution… The public will make them yearn for even 140 seats,” Yadav said.

    Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav were forced to cut short the public meeting in Prayagraj’s Phulpur constituency on Sunday after the crowd broke the barricades. This incident created a stampede-like situation.

    After the incident, both the leaders of the INDIA Bloc left the rally without addressing the people of the Phulpur constituency. The campaign in Prayagraj was organised in support of SP candidate Amarnath Maurya contesting from the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

    The workers from both parties went out of control and attempted to reach the stage to get near the prominent leaders Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav. 

  • Congress To Move Gauhati HC Over Voting By Police Personnel In LS Polls |

    Aizawl: Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Monday said that it will move the Gauhati High Court against the Election Commission for not facilitating voting for about 1,047 police personnel who were deployed for poll duty in other states. They had failed to cast their votes in the Lok Sabha polls held on April 19 in the state, the MPCC said.

    It said that the party had on May 13 written to the state chief electoral officer (CEO) asking him to take steps so that the policemen could exercise their franchise.

    As per the reply of the CEO, the Election Commission is unlikely to arrange voting facilities for the policemen, who did not cast during the elections due to their deployment for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the MPCC said.

    The party said that it will file a Public Interest Litigation at the Aizawl bench of Gauhati High Court to ensure that the police personnel cast their votes before the counting of votes.

    Although they were supposed to exercise their franchise at facilitation centres, no such arrangements could be made for them as they had to leave the state, before the candidates could be finalised, due to direction from higher authorities, officials said.

    The state election department has claimed that it requested the Election Commission at least two times to allow the police personnel to cast their votes for the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat.

    However, the Central poll panel rejected the requests, the CEO office in the state said.

    On Saturday, the People’s Conference (PC) party also wrote to the Election Commission principal secretary S B Joshi, urging the poll panel to allow 1,047 policemen from Mizoram, to cast their votes.

    The party blamed the authorities for failing to arrange the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) for the police personnel.

    It said that 1,047 votes will have a meaningful impact on the poll results in a small state like Mizoram.