West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of bribing voters and has labelled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a major scam. She also predicted the BJP government at the Centre would fall in 2026.
The Madras High Court has issued notices to key political figures and the Election Commission following a petition alleging corrupt practices during the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, including the use of children to influence voters.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced a series of welfare measures, including free refrigerators for rice ration cardholders, if the party wins the 2026 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a strong attack on the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, accusing it of facilitating cultural changes through infiltration, presiding over a 'Maha jungleraj' in tribal areas, and betraying women, farmers, and youths.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
'This daylight robbery of elections is happening in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai city, so you can imagine what they will do to win elections in the interiors of India.'
'Bihar's voters' electoral memory is long, and their evaluations are relational; who came to the village, who followed up, who resolved a problem.'
As Delhi voters cast their ballots for the assembly polls on Wednesday, allegations of fake voting emerged in some parts of the national capital, including Seelampur and Kasturba Nagar.
US prosecutors' case against Gautam Adani and others may stumble on the extraterritorial application of American law.
Prime facie finding him guilty of violating the model code, the commission asked him to respond by March 7 as to why action should not be taken against him.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party looks set to retain Haryana, the Congress' poll campaign, which was built around various issues including unemployment, farmers' plight and Agnipath scheme, appeared to have failed to click with a majority of the voters.
UP BJP spokesperson Manoj Mishra said state BJP vice-president J P S Rathore, in a complaint letter sent to the Chief Election Commissioner, has accused Akhilesh of violating the model code of conduct.
Bucking anti-incumbency, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana to retain power and halt Congress' comeback attempt in the assembly elections, results of which were announced on Tuesday.
The Election Commission (EC) had in September last year recommended to the Union law ministry to tweak the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to ensure that voters on poll duty cast their vote at voter facilitation centre located where they are deployed.
'If there is a push towards a Marxist oriented government it will be dangerous.' 'We have seen this in Nepal and Myanmar and it will be a concern for India if it is surrounded by countries with such political dispensations.'
This election will be remembered for being the first election where the Election Commission failed to take action on gross violations involving the ruling party that repeatedly used religion, communal slurs, lies and undocumented allegations, observes Ramesh Menon.
Freebies being doled out by the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments ahead of the assembly polls Friday came under scrutiny by the Supreme Court which sought responses from the two states, the Centre and the Election Commission on a PIL alleging misuse of public money.
Polling in Rajarajeswari Nagar constituency has been deferred to May 28.
The BJP state unit is banking on the party's central leadership to shore up its prospects in the May 10 assembly polls as it fights anti-incumbency.
'Israel is counting on the United States to enter the fray on their behalf and perform destructive strikes against these targets that are beyond Israel's conventional capabilities.' 'They may well get their way if they start a war, because the United States is still committed to Israel's security, and it won't matter whether it is Trump or Harris in the White House.'
The 'ethical voting' campaign launched by the Election Commission of India has pulled big crowds in rural as well as urban centres of Garo hills areas under Tura parliamentary constituency in Meghalaya in the run up to the polling that is being held on Wednesday.
The Election Commission on Monday issued a notice of model code violation to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his reported remarks in poll-bound Goa where he had allegedly promoted bribery and asked him to respond by Wednesday.
'If he has not achieved 'Congress mukt Bharat' even now, the question of his creating a 'DMK mukt Tamil Nadu' does not arise,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Yuri Alemao, Altone D'costa and advocate Carlos Alvares Ferreira, the three Congress MLAs who didn't join the eight of their former party men in jumping ship speak up about their decisions and their motivations to stay with the 137-year-old Congress.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the poll panel that his remarks were aimed at containing graft and sought a review of its order to allow him to repeat the comments.
Innovative methods like transfer of funds through the RTGS banking system and concealment of currency wads inside car bonnets were detected by Election Commission as it took steps to curb the use of black money during the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls.
FIFA presidential hopeful Luis Figo will travel to the Caribbean this week hoping to tempt voters in the CONCACAF region with a plan to distribute more funds, $2.5 billion (1.7 billion pounds) over four years, to national associations.
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.
Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal has kicked up a controversy by asking voters in Delhi to take "bribes" from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress but to vote for his party in the upcoming Delhi assembly election.
The poll-panel called these seizures by its various field and technical enforcement teams a "historic milestone" achieved "for the first time in any assembly electoral process", meaning during simultaneously-held assembly polls.
With 99 per cent of the ballots counted, Netanyahu-led right-wing bloc has taken a comfortable lead with 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset, paving way for his triumphant return.
The BJP, which exit polls predicted would suffer a massive defeat, put up a spirited fight.
In a letter to Zaidi, Kejriwal had said that his remarks were aimed to containing graft.
The Election Commission is deploying 'flying squads' in poll-bound Assam to monitor the expenditure of all political parties and to prevent the practice of bribing voters. These squads have the power to file FIRs and seize 'bribe' material including cash.These flying squads would not only monitor the campaign but also take direct action, apart from reporting the matter to accounting teams.
The delegation comprised DMK leaders R S Bharathi, T K S Elangovan and Tiruchi N Siva.
Sushil Chandra will conduct the UP, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand elections before he retires in May 2022.
Jayanta Roy Chowdhury reports on how the West Bengal elections are being fought by the BJP and Trinalool Congress amid COVID challenges, 'Bangaliana', and campaigns based on religion, region, and caste.
A Delhi court fixed April 9 for recording of pre-summoning evidence against Arvind Kejriwal.
Polling in Vellore was scheduled on April 18.
'The EC should take permission from the PMO at the earliest and register FIRs against the two,' Kejriwal wrote in the letter.
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