21:58
The ABP exit polls final predictions for 543 seats are: NDA 281, UPA 97, Others 161, AAP 4
21:03
Meanwhile, the exit poll conducted by Zee News suggests: NDA 289 UPA 101 Others 148 AAP 5
20:56
The ABP News Exit poll predictions in 529 out of 543 seats have a different story: NDA 276 UPA 90 Others 159 AAP 4
20:23
The Times Now exit poll predicts: NDA: 249 UPA: 148 Others: 146
20:02
Election Commission (EC) has identified 10 political parties, including BJP, Congress and CPI, for defaulting on their submissions to it of their election expenditure statements for various Assembly polls held recently in the country. Apart from the BJP, Congress and CPI, parties like AIADMK,...
20:00
Minutes after the ninth and the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi thanked the voters, the Election Commission and the social media in a series of tweets this evening.India has voted! Congratulations to the people of India on the...
19:55
ABP news: Jharkhand: Out of a total of 14 seats, BJP: 12, Cong: 1, Others: 1Lakshwadeep: Cong wins 1/1Andaman: BJP wins 1/1Puducherry: BJP wins 1/1
19:49
Chhattisgarh: Out of 11 seats, BJP: 10, Cong: 1
19:48
ABP News: Madhya Pradesh: BJP 26, Cong: 3
19:45
Highest ever turnout of 66.38 per cent recorded in this Lok Sabha poll; the last highest was 64.01 per cent in 1984.ABP news: Gujarat: 26, BJP: 24, Cong: 2 CNN IBN: Tamil Nadu: 39 seats: AIADMK: 31, DMK: 7 Cong 1
19:42
BJP wins in UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Seemandhra.
19:31
Times Now: Karnataka/ 28 seats: BJP: 18, Cong: 9, JDS: 1
19:26
BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi says, the exit polls are reiterating that people want a break from corruption and want good governance.
19:25
CNN IBN Kerala: UDF (cong +) 11-14, LDF 6-9
19:23
Seemandhra: Out of 25 seats: BJP+ 17, YSRCP: 8.Telangana: Out of 17 sets: TRS: 9, Cong: 4, BJP+ 2, Left: 2
19:17
ABP NEWS: UP+BIHAR+MAHARASHTRA= 99 for NDA, 37 for UPA, 31 for Others, 1 for AAP. That's a total of 168/543
19:14
ABP News: Maharashtra/48 BJP+ 32, Cong+ 15, AAP: 1
19:12
The India Today Group-Cicero, Lok Sabha projection: BJP+ 261-283 seats Cong+ 110-120 seats Others: 150-162 seats
19:08
The India Today Group-Cicero projection for Haryana: BJP: 7-9 seats CONG: 0-2 seats OTHERS: 0-2 seats
19:02
The India Today Group-Cicero projection for Rajasthan: BJP: 21-25 seats CONG: 0-4 seats OTHERS: 0-1 seats
18:56
Times Now: West Bengal: Of the 42 seats: TMC gets 20, Left: 15, Cong 5, BJP: 2ABP News: Bihar out of 40 seats: BJP; 19, LJP: 2, RJD: 10, Cong: 4, JDU: 5ABP's UP and Bihar predictions: 120/543 UP +BiharNDA: 67, UPA: 22
18:45
Congress is expected to draw a blank in Delhi, AAP may get 2 seats at the most, says CNN IBN.Times Now: Odisha: Out of 21 seats, BJD: 15, Cong: 5 Bihar out of 40: BJP: 28, JDU: 10, Cong 2ABP NEWS: Out of 80 seats, BJP: 46, Cong+ 8, BSP: 13, SP: 12
18:36
CNN IBN exit poll figures:Assam: 8/14 seats to BJPCong 5Arunachal: Punjab BJP-SAD: 6/9AAP: 1-3 seatsDelhi: BJP: 5-7/7AAP: 0-2/7
18:35
After facing a difficult election, Congress top brass including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi are expected this evening to deliberate on the strategy ahead. The Congress core group, headed by Gandhi, will be holding consultations at a time when exit polls would be...
18:24
Polling percentages according to Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zuthi:West Bengal 79.03% so far, expected to go upAzamgarh 57% as compared to 44.19% in 2009Varanasi 55.34% as compared to 43.34% in 2009Uttar Pradesh 55.29% so far, expected to go up.
18:12
Just in: Mukul Sinha, the lawyer, who consistently took on Gujarat govt on Godhra, post-Godhra riots and fake encounters, passes away. RIP.
18:09
Polling has ended at Varanasi. No incidents of violence were reported.
17:51
I met the future PM today. The environment is in favour of Modiji and the NDA, says PA Sangma of the National People's Party.
17:02
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Congress candidate from Varanasi Ajay Rai has come up with a reason for wearing a Congress pin on his kurta. Rai told Rediff.com, The symbol is always pinned to my kurta. This was the same kurta I was wearing the day Rahul came here. When I wore the kurta this...
16:53
Amidst stray violence in which 13 people were injured, over 67 per cent of the electorate today voted in West Bengal till 3:00 pm in the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the fifth and final phase of the polls.
16:52
Every mother wants to be loved. But is it possible my boy loves me a little too much? The first-person piece on Salon. Read
16:45
Indian-origin businessman Shireen Dewani, extradited to South Africa from the UK to face murder charges in the killing of his Indo-Swedish wife, today appeared in a court briefly with his lawyers successfully arguing that he was not yet fit to stand trial. Dewani, 34, wearing a dark suit and tie,...
16:39
Defence Ministry recommends Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag for next Army Chief; Recommendation sent to Appointments Committee of Cabinet.
16:25
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Varanasi has recorded a polling percentage of 45.2 per cent until 3 pm. The voting pattern remained consistent all through the day and crowds are still flocking in to cast their vote.Follow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
16:24
The Aam Aadmi Party today attacked the Election Commission for not taking action against erring media houses for showing Narendra Modi's video speech on the polling day, which is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and termed it as an ostrich approach.Aam Aadmi party is shocked to see the...
16:06
Boko Haram released a new video on Monday claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging the teenagers had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed. The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, speaks on the video obtained by AFP for 17...
16:05
A break from poll news, for this nice story: How do you say passion' in Pashto? Or in Chinese, for that matter? These and other vocabulary dilemmas will be resolved easily, thanks to a soon-to-be-released Chinese-Pashto dictionary that took almost four decades to complete.Read
16:00
The Election Commission today gave the go-ahead to the Defence Ministry to initiate the process of appointing the next Army chief, an issue that is caught in a controversy because of BJP's opposition.In a communication sent to the Defence Ministry this morning, the EC cited its March 27 order...
15:40
Western policy-makers have ignored the rising of the lower middle class across India, reports Jason Burke for the Guardian. Read
15:34
Congress core group to meet this evening after polling ends for Lok Sabha elections.
15:10
Sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata queue up to vote. Voting was by and large peaceful except in West Bengal where 13 people were injured in a clash between CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress supporters in North 24 Parganas district. Pic/Abhiroop Dey Sarkar
15:07
CBI constitutes Special Investigation Team under a joint director to probe multi-crore rupees Saradha chit fund scam. The Supreme Court verdict had asked the CBI to probe into the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. Investors who had been cheated by the ponzi schemes now want a court-monitored...
15:00
AAP's Yogendra Yadav has written to the EC about large-scale vote rigging in the Gurgaon constituency. Yadav is the AAP's Gurgaon candidate. AAP had also complained about rigging in the Amethi and Sultanpur polls on May 7, but the EC had dismissed the allegations. Follow latest poll updates...
14:51
If NDA returns to power, the speculation is that the Election Commission will be made into a five-member body. There has been criticism over its style of functioning during the poll season especially a lack of coordination and communication. The NDA feels that the three-member body of EC should...
14:44
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Some polling booths in Varanasi have witnessed protests over poor arrangements and voters slips not being distributed. Polling started at 7 am and as the day progressed the number of people at the booths increased. Many said voting slips had not been delivered home and...
14:17
A Students' Federation of India activist was pushed into a pot of boiling oil allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters in Barrackpore. Chandan Das, 27, escaped with burns on his hands but suffered serious head injuries after he was mercilessly beaten up when he managed to save himself from the...
14:12
No matter how many homes I own in Delhi, or any part of the world, as far as I am concerned, there is only one home and that is what was left in Kashmir in the 1990s. Prasanna D Zore meets Rahul Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit and author of Our Moon Has Blood Clots, a book that chronicles...
14:09
Narendra Modi will be attending the Telangana formation day on June 2 in Hyderabad along with senior BJP leaders, say highly-placed BJP sources. The final decision will be taken after the Lok Sabha poll results as the new government will be in the midst of a Parliament session. BJP...
14:00
Just in: The Sigra Police have registered an FIR against Congress candidate Ajai Rai in Varanasi. The police will probe the poll code violation by Rai who sported the Congress symbol while voting this morning. Follow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
13:58
Just in: Four people been killed, while eight have been injured in a fire-cracker making unit in the Jaitapur village in Dhammaur constituency of Sultanpur. Of the eight injured, four are children. The cracker-making unit was in a home.
13:56
Who will be Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha? Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and Digvijaya Singh are in the race for Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Digvijaya is caught up with this second marriage controversy with a Rajya Sabha TV anchor, which may get in the way of becoming...
13:41
Sumitra Mahajan, SS Ahluwalia and Anath Kumar are the three names doing the rounds in BJP circles for the position of Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi is not being considered for this post since he's already 80 years old. Congress which has reconciled itself to sit in the...
13:24
Aam Admi Party leader at Varanasi, Rajesh Rishi, has been arrested by the police when he was trying to distribute cash to buy votes. The police are investigating the case.
13:22
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Standing in queue, voters say that while the campaign is over publicity cannot influence them. Many in Varanasi are sure Modi will win, but say the margin of his victory is important. The BJP's Varanasi office downplays Joshi's comment about the Rai issue being a small...
12:54
Nitin Gadkari has got a clean chit from the finance ministry over his investments in the Purti Power and Sugar Limites. The income tax issued a statement on Monday paving the way for his induction into the Union Council of Ministers in the event of NDA forming government. This comes as a...
12:48
The scorching sun has not deterred the people of Varanasi from voting. The Election Commission is keeping a close watch on people who may try to convey a political message in contravention of electoral norms.Voters standing in queue for nearly an hour say there has been so much hype surrounding...
12:15
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: What is Manish Sisodia still doing in Varanasi? A team of the Election Commission of India which is probing the matter says it got information about the presence of Sisodia and some Aam Admi Party workers in Varanasi.The presence has been noted despite the EC making it...
12:10
The Gandhi family's arrogance increased over years of inheriting power. The founder, Jawaharlal Nehru, was impatient and angry with superstition, stupidity and slowness. He was much loved for his leadership of the country, and could in the public eye, do no wrong. His descendants became...
12:06
If you've just joined us, Congress candidate Ajay Rai today landed in a controversy after he went to vote wearing his election symbol on his kurta, prompting Election Commission to launch an inquiry into the matter while BJP and Aam Aadmi Party demanded action against him. We have called for the...
12:02
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Back in Varanasi, Murli Manohar Joshi who has just voted says he is confident that the BJP will perform exceedingly well in the entire country. Joshi sought to play down the controversy surrounding his candidature from Varanasi. He said all is well and the BJP is...
12:01
The lozenges Jugni Lal sells are lumps of stained sugar twirled into counterfeit wrapping. His cardamoms are hard and dry as pebbles. He sells, among other things, crumbled, flea-ridden jaggery and dal that looks like grit.Read
11:56
Umesh Sinha, Chief Electoral Officer for Varanasi, says that the District Magistrate was informed about a party's sticker being displayed on a laptop, and action will be taken against the defaulter. The DM has been directed to carry out the investigation and action will be taken against Ajay Rai....
11:50
Over 41 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am in 17 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the fifth and final phase today. On an average 41.2 per cent polling was recorded in the first four hours of polling, state Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta said. Stating that voting was peaceful,...
11:44
A majority of the Jatavs are still with Mayawati in U.P., and most Yadavs with the SP, but there has been a shift in allegiance among the other Dalit and OBC communities. Read
11:43
Among those who exercised their franchise was sitting BJP MP Murli Manohar Joshi, who cast his vote in Ardali Bazaar area and exuded confidence that BJP would win with a huge majority in these elections. The senior BJP leader, who has vacated this seat for Modi this time and has moved on to...
11:40
It is unusual to see Narendra Modi highlight his OBC status -- something he has never done in his long political career. Read
11:23
Party which is winning with huge majority should not bother about such small things, says BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi, on Ajay Rai wearing his party symbol. Everyone takes their hand into a poll booth, should we cut it off? he asks. MM Joshi had won Varanasi in 2009 but had to leave his seat for...
11:14
Minus the regalia he adorns while on stage -- or, indeed, while going to file his nomination papers as the BJP candidate from Barasat -- PC Sorcar looks hatke, almost aberrant. Unless, of course, you are sitting across the table from him by when you notice his kohl-lined eyes behind large...
11:13
Mukul Kesavan on the unashamed shrillness of Modi's dog whistle politics. Read
11:05
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanas: Sensing stringent action, Ajay Rai the Congress candidate from Varanasi has taken a softer stance while defending his action of wearing the Congress symbol while he voted. It was not intentional and was done unknowingly, he told reporters in Varanasi. Earlier this...
10:59
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanas: An FIR is likely to be filed against Ajay Rai based on the recommendation of the Election Commission of Indiam the Election Commission currently is viewing the footage of Rai sporting the Congress symbol as he cast his vote.The district administration too has sprung into...
10:31
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Barely four hours into polling, Varanasi has already witnessed four unscheduled power cuts. This is really disgusting. says Geeta, a voter at the Mahavir Mandir polling booth. Whoever wins should address this issue. All through the day Varanasi...
10:27
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Election Commission officials say that Ajai Rai's actions of sporting his party symbol after voting is an offence. The EC has sought video footage of Ajay Rai casting his vote. Further action will be initiated after the footage is observed, EC sources...
10:23
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: After being driven away from polling booths for sporting party colours, polling agents have returned in plain clothes.Follow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
10:18
Varanasi has recorded 20 per cent voter till 9 am. Voters have been making their way to the polling booths early to beat the heat. The polling is expected to pick up as the day progresses. The voting experience for the residents of Varanasi has been smooth so far.
10:02
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: The holy city may witness a high voter turn out this time. In at least 10 booths, people were seen standing in queue since 6am. Some wanted to be the first ones to cast their vote. Others just wanted to beat the heat by coming in early.No missing names in voters...
09:40
Indrani Roy @ West Bengal: Sporadic violence has been reported from various parts of West BengalFollow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
09:38
Indrani Roy @ West Bengal: 21 people have been shot at by miscreants in Haroa, Bosirhat city in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The attack happened when a group of people was on their way to vote.Follow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
09:36
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: More controversy. A Samajwadi Party agent was sent out of a polling station as he was working on his laptop which had the sticker of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh. The agent was sent out of the polling booth.Follow latest poll updates on...
09:32
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Ajay Rai, the Congress candidate from Varanasi who triggered a controversy on Monday morning by sporting his party symbol after voting, now says that he did nothing wrong. I am a candidate and am allowed to wear my party symbol. There is a difference between...
09:28
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: The Election Commission really seems to be cracking the whip in the last phase of polling.The poll body has cracked down on poll agents across all polling booths in Varanasi. Polling agents, in a desperate bid to promote their candidate,...
09:23
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: The BJP is up in arms against Congress candidate Ajay Rai for sporting the Congress symbol as he came out of the polling booth. Ajay Rai was seen with the Congress symbol pinned to his kurta while casting his vote. This is objectionable, the BJP says...
09:23
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Meanwhile, a flying squad of the Election Commission has taken strong exception to polling agents of the BJP wearing saffron caps and T-shirts. The incident occurred at the Mahavir Mandir polling booth.The EC team pulled up the workers and asked them to...
09:15
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: The Aam Admi Party, which has deputed 250 self styled sleuths to monitor the elections at Varanasi, has urged the people to end corruption and crony capitalism. Tweeting from its official handle, the AAP says: 'Todays polling will play a crucial role in the...
09:11
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Banaras ki ek ray, Ajay Rai, says the Congress candidate from Varanasi after emerging from the polling booth.At the polling station, when voters were asked about the outsider tag of Narendra Modi, they say he will retain Varanasi as this would help him...
09:09
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Brisk voting at Varanasi. Looks like the 2009 polling percentage of 42 per cent will be surpassed. Murli Manohar Joshi sitting MP from Varanasi expected to cast his vote shortly.Follow latest poll updates on Twitter: @RediffElections
09:07
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: Massive security arrangements have been made in Benaras. Around 25,000 police personnel and 20,000 central forces are patrolling the holy city, which has over 16 lakh voters. Senior police officials have been asked to inspect the situation...
08:47
A day after cases against 200 persons were registered in connection with a communal clash that left seven injured here, authorities ordered the closure of all schools in the city in Uttar Pradesh. Security was, meanwhile, intensified here where an uneasy calm prevailed following Friday's...
08:39
Vicky Nanjappa @ Varanasi: EC says no campaign material will be allowed 100 meters near the booth. Unwarranted assembly of people will not be allowed. Only one polling agent per candidate allowed at the booth. EC officials say that all EVMs in Varanasi have been checked and are...
08:28
The marathon Lok Sabha elections, one of the most bitterly fought in recent memory, will come to a close on Monday as polling began in 41 constituencies in three states where stakes are high for BJP and regional parties Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP. Over nine crore voters are expected to...