News Analysis India

Tag: Polling

  • Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 61.41 pc voter turnout recorded till 5 pm in Jharkhand

    A voter turnout of 61.41 per cent was recorded till the end of polling in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand at 5 pm on Saturday, officials said. Voting, which commenced in Giridih, Dhanbad, Ranchi and Jamshedpur constituencies at 7am as part of the third phase of elections in the eastern state and sixth round nationwide, was peaceful.

    Giridih registered the highest polling at 64.75 per cent, followed by Jamshedpur (64.30 per cent), Dhanbad (58.90 per cent) and Ranchi (58.73 per cent).

    “Today, I exercised my right to vote at Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration, Ranchi. I urge all voters to exercise their right to vote. Ensure your participation in this great festival of democracy,” Governor C P Radhakrishnan said in a post on X. Former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni cast his vote at a booth in JVM Shyamli School in Ranchi. Dhoni was accompanied by his wife Sakshi, father Pan Singh and mother Devaki Devi. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesKalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, posted on X, “Today, I exercised my right to vote by participating in this great festival of elections for the massive victory of justice over injustice. An appeal to all of you is to reach your polling booth in large numbers and exercise your right to vote to protect democracy and the Constitution. If Hemant is there, then there is courage! Jharkhand will not bow down! INDIA will not stop!” Tata Steel Managing Director T V Narendran exercised his franchise with wife at a booth in Jamshedpur. Odisha Governor and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das also cast his vote in the steel city and said this election will take the country to newer heights. Twenty-seven candidates are in the fray from Ranchi, 25 each from Dhanbad and Jamshedpur, and 16 from Giridih.

    Around 82.16 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in these four constituencies, with Dhanbad having the highest number of electors at 22.85 lakh, and Giridih having the lowest at 18.64 lakh.

    Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said all 8,963 booths were being closely monitored. Of these, 186 are being managed by women and 22 by the youth. Additionally, there are 15 unique booths, showcasing the specialties of the respective areas.

    About 36,000 poll personnel have been deployed in this phase, Kumar said.

    In the Ranchi Lok Sabha seat, Congress’ Yashaswini Sahay, daughter of former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay, is contesting against BJP MP Sanjay Seth.

    Dhanbad is witnessing a fight between BJP’s Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato and Congress’ Anupama Singh, wife of the party’s Bermo legislator Kumar Jaimangal.

    In Jamshedpur, BJP MP Bidyut Baran Mahato is pitted against JMM’s Baharagora MLA Samir Mohanty.

    In Giridih, AJSU Party’s Chandra Prakash Chaudhary is up against JMM’s Tundi MLA Mathura Mahato. A student leader, Jairam Mahato, has added a twist to the contest by challenging candidates of both the INDIA bloc and the NDA.

  • Lok Sabha Election 2024: Voter Turnout Dips To 64%, Voters Boycott Polling In Assam; Key Points From Phase 2 |

    New Delhi: Amid a handful of incidents of scuffle and a few complaints to the Election Commission, the second phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 concluded on Friday with a provisional voter turnout of 64.2. The poll panel described the voting as “peaceful”.

    In the second phase, over 15.88 crore voters, including 8.08 crore males, 7.8 crore females and 5,929 third gender were eligible to vote.

    Voters of two polling stations in Assam’s Silchar constituency boycotted polling over development issues. The electorate of 110 Durganar Bagan lower primary school and Chittaranjan lane did not participate in the polling process.

    Cricketing icons Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath were seen voting at different polling stations in Bengaluru, however, nearly half of its voters did not turn up to cast their vote. The approximate voter turnout in Bangalore Central was 52.81 per cent, Bangalore North – 54.42 per cent and Bangalore South – 53.15 per cent.

    According to the voter turnout figures shared by the district information office, Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency recorded a poll percentage of 53.30 down from 60.47 per cent in 2019 elections

    In Bihar, the polling time was extended till 6 pm at many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies to facilitate the voters in hot weather conditions. Special arrangements were made to combat the heat, including provision of ‘shamiyana’, drinking water, medical kits and fans for the convenience of the voters

    In phase two, the EC said, voters from 46 villages in Bastar and Kanker constituencies in Chhattisgarh cast their vote in a polling booth set up in their own village for the first time in a Lok Sabha election.

    Rajasthan recorded a tentatively 61.60 per cent voter turnout as 25 Lok Sabha seats went for polls in the second phase of general elections. A 108-year-old woman, Bhuri Bai, cast her vote at the Gunjara polling booth in the Kota-Bundi constituency. She was brought to the polling booth in a wheelchair by her family members.

    Lok Sabha Polls Phase II: 2024 VS 2019

    In the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 held in 95 constituencies across 13 states, the turnout was 67.6 per cent while the second leg of the 2024 general elections witnessed a decline in voter turnout nearly by 3% and stood at 64.2.

    In the first phase, the turnout was 65.5 per cent compared to 69.43 per cent in phase one of the 2019 parliamentary polls. Some of the constituencies were different then and the total number of seats which went to poll was 91.

    The heat wave is believed to have contributed towards several voters not turning up at polling stations in both the phases.

  • ‘Loyalist’ Kharge? ‘Change seeker’ Tharoor? Congress polls underway to choose non-Gandhi president

    By Express News Service

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The voting for the Congress presidential election has started at the State party headquarters at Indira Bhavan. State Congress working president Kodikunnil Suresh opined that Shashi Tharoor MP should have withdrawn from the presidential poll.

    Indira Bhavan which is the cynosure of all eyes saw a large posse of KPCC office bearers and also those who don’t have voting rights converge at the party headquarters much before the start of the election. The voting began at 9 am. A large queue was formed in front of Indira Bhavan where leaders from across the State came to cast their votes.

    ALSO READ | Gandhi’s Kharge? Independent Tharoor? Congress to elect party chief after two decades 

    The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former  MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran. Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united.

    “But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.

    ALSO READ: Sixth time in its 137-year-history Congress all set to have internal elections for its president

    P T Ajayamohan, Veliyankode block in Ponnani Assembly constituency in Malappuram and son of former legislator P T Mohanakrishnan was the first KPCC office bearer to cast his vote. State Congress general secretary K A Thulasi whose leg was in a cast was wheeled inside a wheelchair and was accompanied by her husband, V K Sreekandan, Palakkad MP.

    Her leg was fractured during the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Kerala Pradesh Returning Officer G Parameswara and Assistant Returning Officer, V K Arivazhagan told reporters that anyone who puts other than a tick mark will be considered as an invalid vote.

    “The voting would conclude at 4 pm. There are two polling booths. The two sealed ballot boxes would be taken to New Delhi on Monday itself”, said Parameswara.

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The voting for the Congress presidential election has started at the State party headquarters at Indira Bhavan. State Congress working president Kodikunnil Suresh opined that Shashi Tharoor MP should have withdrawn from the presidential poll.

    Indira Bhavan which is the cynosure of all eyes saw a large posse of KPCC office bearers and also those who don’t have voting rights converge at the party headquarters much before the start of the election. The voting began at 9 am. A large queue was formed in front of Indira Bhavan where leaders from across the State came to cast their votes.

    ALSO READ | Gandhi’s Kharge? Independent Tharoor? Congress to elect party chief after two decades 

    The polling agents for Mallikarjun Kharge are MP V K Sreekandan and MP Dean Kuriakose and former  MLAs V S Sivakumar and A A Shukkoor. The polling agents for Tharoor are Mannamoola Rajan, R Sivakumar, Sanal Kumar and Vijayachandran. Prior to the start of the election, Kodikunnil said once the elections are over the party will be united.

    “But Tharoor should have withdrawn from the race. There is no scope of rivalry once the elections are over”, said Kodikunnil.

    ALSO READ: Sixth time in its 137-year-history Congress all set to have internal elections for its president

    P T Ajayamohan, Veliyankode block in Ponnani Assembly constituency in Malappuram and son of former legislator P T Mohanakrishnan was the first KPCC office bearer to cast his vote. State Congress general secretary K A Thulasi whose leg was in a cast was wheeled inside a wheelchair and was accompanied by her husband, V K Sreekandan, Palakkad MP.

    Her leg was fractured during the course of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Kerala Pradesh Returning Officer G Parameswara and Assistant Returning Officer, V K Arivazhagan told reporters that anyone who puts other than a tick mark will be considered as an invalid vote.

    “The voting would conclude at 4 pm. There are two polling booths. The two sealed ballot boxes would be taken to New Delhi on Monday itself”, said Parameswara.

  • Guwahati municipal council election passes off peacefully

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The elections to the Guwahati Municipal Council (GMC) held on Friday passed off peacefully.

    The polling was held in 57 of the 60 wards as the BJP had won the three others unopposed earlier.

    The Congress had contested the highest number of wards at 54, followed by the ruling BJP 53 and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 39. The Asom Gana Parishad contested seven wards as per its seat-sharing arrangement with its ally BJP.

    The BJP went to polls high on confidence after having won 75 of 80 municipal boards statewide recently. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had led its campaign.

    The Congress campaign was spearheaded by the party’s state chief Bhupen Borah. The Congress has been embattled by a series of defections of its MLAs and leaders.

    The AAP attempted to make inroads into the state through the GMC elections. The party had roped in its Delhi MLA Atishi Marlena to take part in a roadshow, indicating the party’s seriousness about the civic body elections.

    The AAP had opened its account in Assam by winning two wards in Tinsukia and Lakhimpur earlier.

    Altogether 197 candidates contested the GMC elections in the 57 wards.

    There were 7,96,829 voters – 3,96,891 males, 3,99,911 females and 27 belonging to the third gender section. The votes will be counted on April 24.

  • To give corona vaccine to 30 crores, elections like polling booths will become ‘vaccine booths’

    300 million people of the country have been placed in high risk group. The central government’s plan is to give Kovid vaccine to the people of this group first. States have been asked to include frontline workers as a priority in the vaccine of coronavirus. They should be vaccinated on the basis of this.

    It says that in the same way the polling booths are set up to cast votes in an election, in the same way a team of people who are vaccinated should be formed by creating a vaccine center. In every state, preparation should be done by making this strategy according to the block level. Paul said that government and private doctors would have a big responsibility to deliver the coronavirus vaccine to the common people. Efforts are being made by the Central Government to run a large-scale vaccination campaign in the country with the help of people’s participation and training.