While the polling so far has been peaceful, police had to open fire in the air in Purnia to disperse a crowd trying to disturb voting, even as people boycotted polling at 12 booths in Katihar in protest against barriers not being set up at two railway crossings.
Whenever they are announced, the bypolls to 20 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu will be a mini referendum on the state government's performance. It will also be a do-or-die battle for the ruling AIADMK, opposition DMK, as well as the rebel AMMK, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
With Delhi witnessing the highest-ever voter turnout, women may turn out to be game changer for political parties as they came out in large numbers to cast their ballots.
The overall voting percentage in the bypolls to 51 assembly seats was nearly 56.84 per cent, the Election Commission said while releasing data available till 7 pm, adding that the polling passed off peacefully.
Delhi picked up the pace and a 67 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm.
Health Minister Rajesh Tope also urged people to observe strict discipline
Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha will be held simultaneously in the first phase.
The Parli assembly seat in Beed district will again see his daughter Pankaja Munde and nephew Dhananjay Munde lock horns for supremacy.
They have been expelled for their decision to contest elections against party candidates.
Brisk polling began on Thursday morning in 91 constituencies spread across 18 states and two union territories in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. As people queued up across the nation to cast their vote, there were some famous faces in the lines at different polling stations. Take a look.
Taking a dig at the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party government, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that his party will revive in Uttar Pradesh and bring development to the state, during his visit to Ambedkar Nagar."The Congress will change the fortunes of Uttar Pradesh," said Gandhi, adding that people who were playing politics over religion have failed."The future of the country lies in the hands of the people residing in the villages," said Gandhi."
As the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress go all out to woo Dalits on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, the district authorities in Ambedkar Nagar on Wednesday told Rahul Gandhi that he could garland the Dalit icon's statue only after the ruling party's function got over.Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tewari said his party had sought written permission from the district administration so that 39-year-old Rahul could garland Ambedkar's statue."We had sought wr
It is alleged that the attackers included a group of men against whom Joshi had filed a complaint on July 16 accusing them of harassing his niece after he had objected to their betting racket in the locality.
Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Kamal Nath had allegedly given shelter to five people who were accused in one of the seven cases.
'I was never a politically active student throughout my life. But now I have to do it because they (those in power) are not listening.'
BJP made inroads into the Congress and NCP strongholds, winning 851 seats. Shiv Sena won 514, NCP 638, Congress 643, MNS 16, BSP 9, unrecognised parties 119, local coalitions 384, CPM 12 and Independents 324 seats.
"I am MP of Amethi first and its people are most important for me," Rahul Gandhi said on his first visit to his Lok Sabha constituency after being elevated as Congress vice president.
Unfazed by Yeddyurappa's unceremonious exit, the BJP on Thursday fielded its senior leader S Suresh Kumar, a fifth term MLA, for the post of the Speaker whose election will precede the trust vote.
As the Uttar Pradesh assembly election battle hits new lows, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani walks you through all you need to know about the fifth phase of polling on February 27.
After addressing college students at Bhaidas Hall in Veile Parle, Rahul boarded a commuter train to Dadar and then switched raliway lines to travel to Ghatkopar.
The bench also disagreed with the appellants that claim that their nominations were rejected 'arbitrarily and malafidely', saying 'cogent and convincing evidence needs to be led to prove this' and such a finding cannot be arrived at based on mere documents and annexures in a writ petition.
Around 40,000 Delhi Police personnel, 190 coys (companies) of Central Armed Police Forces and 19,000 Home Guards have been deployed for smooth conduct of election in the national capital, officials said.
The cricketer-turned-politician has sort of demolished his opponents, securing close to seven lakh votes, leaving close rivals -- Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely and Aam Aadmi Party's Aatishi -- way behind.
Somaiya, an old BJP hand and one of its leading speakers on economic issues in Parliament, had been a trenchant critic of the Sena.
The party is faced with allegations of receiving "dubious" funds.
'If the Biden-Harris team makes it to the White House, India's headaches will multiply,' observes Aditi Phadnis.
The Delhi government sought the intervention of the external affairs ministry in providing "protection" to three Ugandan women after they alleged they were held hostages by drug mafias in the Malviya Nagar area of South Delhi.
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The Delhi poll results have thrown up several "giant killers" who led a life of anonymity and were political novices before they entered the electoral battle on AAP tickets.
Continuing his campaign of reaching out to less privileged sections, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Mhow in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, the birthplace of Dr BR Ambedkar around whose work and ideology struggles of the suppressed classes are centred.
The opposition demanded that the concert either be postponed or given permission after the BMC poll process is completed.
From Bollywood strong men to cricketing greats, celebrities upped the glam quotient this poll season. Some we will see as future MPs, the others just have to get back to business. Rediff.com takes a look at some popular faces, who fought Election 2019 and here's the verdict on them.
The 62-year old MLA, born on June 10, 1958 incidentally died on his 62nd birthday today and he is the first legislator victim of COVID-19 in the state and perhaps the first elected representative to die of the virus induced illness in the country. Anbazhagan battled severe COVID-19 triggered pneumonia and his health condition rapidly deteriorated early morning on Wednesday, Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, where he was treated said in a statement.
Mumbai police is likely to take assistance of the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate for probe into the disproportionate assets case involving senior Congress leader Kripashankar Singh, his family members and aides.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has gone into self-quarantine after developing sore throat and fever, and will get himself tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, officials said on Monday.
With the announcement of list of candidates for the December 1 assembly elections, rebellion is out in the open among Bharatiya Janata Party rank and file in Rajasthan's Hadoti region, once a stronghold of the opposition party.
If the DMK under Stalin is unable to do well in the Lok Sabha elections, his personal and political standing in the party will be threatened. But if the party does well, Stalin is the next kingmaker to watch out for. T E Narasimhan and Aditi Phadnis report.
Women will have a decisive say as chairpersons in seven of Jammu and Kashmir's 20 districts.
The Election Commission on Tuesday goofed up the name of the election observer for Amethi (Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Nagar) district and his cadre while trying to clarify that his transfer to Goa had no connection to his action against Robert Vadra. The observer was allegedly transferred for hauling up Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra for taking out a motorcycle poll rally in the district without requisite permission.
Strong rooms spread across the city storing the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being heavily guarded, with a 'three-layer security ring'. Tight security arrangements have also been put in place at various centres across the national capital.
BSP's poor show in Delhi assembly elections may cost it national party status.
