The country's economic growth slipped to a decade-low of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13 and is estimated at 4.9 per cent in the current financial year.
Election Commissioner V S Sampath announced that Delhi will go to polls on February 7.
Expressing "serious concern" over repeated violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Union minister Beni Prasad Verma, the Election Commission on Thursday censured him for making "highly insulting" remarks against Narendra Modi while addressing an election rally in Kanpur.
Police on Thursday registered a case of murder into the deaths of two teenage girls whose bodies were found in a field in Unnao even as a post-mortem revealed no injury marks.
The Bench did not agree with the submission that in the past, Centre had postponed presentation of Budget due to assembly polls.
A video of the purported incident is also in circulation on social media, as the entire episode was captured on CCTV.
Favouring reservation for Muslims, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday said that 27 per cent Other Backward Class quota should be increased by making constitutional amendment to include backward Muslims in it. "The Bahujan Samaj Party government favours quota for Muslims. The Centre should amend the constitution and increase 27 per cent quota of OBCs to include muslims in it. Our party will support it," Mayawati said addressing a rally in Lucknow.
The nationwide ban comes into force at 6 am Tuesday, the poll panel said.
Narendra Modi on Tuesday denied having violated the Model Code of Conduct in his reply to the Election Commission notice over his "khooni panja" remark made during poll campaign in Chhattisgarh.
The Election Commission has decided to set up call centres across in the five poll-bound states -- Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry -- which will operate round the clock. These centres will receive complaints about the violation of the model code of conduct by the various candidates and their supporters.
Congress MP and Jindal Steel and Power Cjairman Naveen Jindal on Tuesday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against two news channels belonging to a group for allegedly telecasting false news against him.
Pawar has been asked to give an explanation by Sept 15.
Delhi Election Commission on Friday directed all mobile service providers to stop "political" bulk SMS services 48 hours before the assembly election to ensure that parties do not influence voters during this period.
Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chief Mohan Prasad Thapliyal said the prime minister offered prayers at the temple for around 20 minutes and was given a greeting card made on a "bhojpatra" (birch leaves) by the temple's priests.
Cracking the whip, the Election Commission on Tuesday banned BJP leader Giriraj Singh from campaigning in Jharkhand and Bihar for his controversial remarks that people who do not vote for Narendra Modi will have to find a place in Pakistan.
Devotees were not allowed to enter inside the temple premises when Modi was offering prayers.
'Bihar and Jharkhand have witnessed the most communal campaign but the Election Commission is conspicuously silent,' says an editorial in the latest issue of RSS mouthpiece Organiser.
With the announcement of poll schedule for five states, the Election Commission has directed the authorities to enforce the model code of conduct strictly and also asked parties in power to ensure that there is no cause for complaint.
The plea claims that the recommendation sent to the President to reject the mercy plea did not contain the signature of Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain.
Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla has taken strong exception to the withdrawal of cases against Karnataka ministers and mining magnates Reddy brothers.
The elections to legislative assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha will be held simultaneously along with the Lok Sabha polls
The Election Commission on Wednesday served a notice to veteran CPI-M leader Anil Basu for using certain "obscene" remarks against Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee saying "prima facie" his utterances violated model code of conduct.
The results for the polls will be announced on May 18, Election Commission sources said.
With just 50 days to go for the polling day, the commission might get more tough.
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Congress on Monday approached the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it accused him of "misusing state machinery" and "abusing authority" over the broadcast of his 'Mann ki Baat' address on All India Radio ahead of Assembly polls later this month.
In the five poll-bound states, the poll machinery has said that all politicians' faces need to be covered or removed.
Saharanpur Congress candidate Imran Masood has stirred up a controversy by threatening to "chop Narendra Modi into pieces", inviting sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party which termed the remark as "inflammatory" and sought strict action by the Election Commission.
It said even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the Congress activist, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.
'Although the Election Commission remains convinced about the EVM's integrity, as a fair umpire of the game it was necessary to travel the last mile to convince political players that the entire process was not only fair but transparently so.' A fascinating excerpt from former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla's new book, Excerpted from Every Vote Counts: The Story Of India's Elections.
Former Union Minister and Congress candidate from Chhota Udepur, Naranbhai Rathwa, has approached the Election Commission taking objection to the shooting of Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation's campaign involving megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla has taken strong exception to the withdrawal of cases against Reddy brothers in Karnataka.
The poll body also termed as "scurrilous" the AAP leader's claim that the Commission is encouraging bribery by restraining him from uttering such statements.
With the political class coming under severe attack for undue interference in the functioning of the bureaucracy, the United Progressive Alliance government has decided to amend the Model Code of Conduct for ministers to include a reference to the need for upholding the impartiality of the civil service.
Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party with the violating law by bringing out its manifesto on a day when polling for Lok Sabha polls is underway and seeking votes in the name of religion by mentioning Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Congress on Monday asked the Election Commission to take action against the party.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday gave Maharashtra Government ten more days to appoint the new state police chief after the government submitted that it had sought confirmation of the new appointee from Election Commission, in view of the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India gave a clean chit to Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra and N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in the IPL spot-fixing scandal. But for both the Delhi and Mumbai police, the report of the BCCI is nothing but a piece of paper which will have no bearing on their case. It is the trial before the court based on the police investigation which will be final.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics, with various members urging the government not to exclude single parents and the LGBTQ community from using this procedure.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has been issued a notice to appear within 10 days at a local court in Kutch district, Gujarat for his alleged breach of model code of conduct during his fact finding tour of Gujarat last month.
In a major relief to Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah, the Election Commission on Thursday lifted its ban on his participation in Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh after he assured the poll body that he would not disturb the public tranquility and law and order.
Counting of votes will take place on February 23. Model code comes into force.
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