RESULTS TABLE – Congress leads BJP in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, MP

Early election leads indicate a slight edge for the Congress in elections to five states, with the party leading in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.  Please refer to the table to see the updated results. STATE SEATS BJP CONG TRS/MSF MP 230 108 111 0 RJ 199 77 98 0 CG 90 21 63 0 […]

Modi govt schemes well-regarded in rural areas-Phillip Capital

Broking firm Phillip Capital said it saw “good execution” and “very positive feedback” on central government policies announced by Modi government over the last four years in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and said a close fight — regardless of the outcome — would not have a significant impact on the stock markets. “We keep hearing […]

Non-BJP parties likely to jointly ask EC for paper ballot in 2019

An array of politicial parties, including BJP allies Shiv Sena and BJD, are likely to write to the Election Commission to ask for the next general election to be conducted using ballot paper, media reported. The parties include opposition outfits like the Indian National Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Janata Dal, […]

Narendra Modi has a clear lead over Rahul in 2019 elections – Online Poll

An online poll conducted by Ultra News with 1,200 respondents indicated continued strong support for incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi compared to challenger Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress. The poll reached out to around 21,400 people on Facebook, out of which around 6% indicated their choice one way or the other (see below). […]

Ahmedabad cops deny permission to roadshow by Modi, Rahul

The Ahmedabad administration has denied permission to the ‘roadshows’ planned by Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad tomorrow. The separate roadshows would have featured Modi and Rahul Gandhi traversing the city in a last minute effort to boost their respective parties’ chances. Parts of the state, including Ahmedabad, are scheduled to go […]

I am low-caste, but I do high work – Modi replies to Aiyer

Mani Shankar Aiyar tried to undo the damage he caused to the party’s prospects in Gujarat by calling Narendra Modi — who hails from a group classified under the Other Backward Communities — ‘neech’ (low or low-caste), but Modi sought to take advantage of the controversy by seizing on the remark. “Hindi is not my […]

Nitish, Lalu and the ‘Post Truth’ Politics of Bihar

In the so-called ‘post truth’ politics, facts and ideology do not have a place – it is emotion and rhetoric that counts. When Nitish Kumar decided to part ways with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in late 2013 opposing the elevation of Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of its alliance partner BJP, the reason […]

Facebook joins Election Commission’s ‘No Voter Left Behind’ campaign

Social network Facebook said it has tied up with the Election Commission of India to remind Indians to register themselves to vote. “Starting from 1st July till 4th July, the voter registration reminder will be sent to people on Facebook in India who are eligible to vote,” Facebook said, on a day when the company […]

Bhushan & Yadav’s Swaraj India chooses ‘whistle’ symbol for MCD polls

Swaraj India, the political outfit floated by breakaway Aam Aadmi Party faction led by Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, will fight the upcoming election to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on the ‘whistle’ symbol. The move follows successful registration of the whistle symbol by 95% of the party’s candidates for the poll scheduled to be […]

Stock markets pricing in a BJP win in Uttar Pradesh – analyst

The recent strength in India’s key stock market indices indicates that market participants are pricing in a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, according to an stock market analyst. India’s largest state has been busy electing its next legislative assembly for almost a month. The first phase of elections in the state […]

Most UP MLAs saw big increases in wealth in 5 yrs, but some lost big

The average Uttar Pradesh MLA saw their wealth increase by 82% in the five years during their tenure in the state assembly from 2012 to 2017, an analysis of their wealth submissions by Association for Democratic Reforms found. The analysis was based on the filings made by 311 of the 404 existing members of the […]

UP POLLS: BSP gives most number of seats to Upper Castes; Muslims second

Bahujan Samaj Party has allocated the highest block of candidacies for the upcoming elections to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly to upper caste Hindus, followed by Muslims. Announcing the details, party supremo Mayawati said a total of 113 seats — amounting to 28% of the total 403 seats — have been given to candidates belonging […]

Will currency ban hit non-BJP parties in UP elections?

The currency ban could give the Bharatiya Janata Party an upper hand in the upcoming UP election by denying funding to opposition parties. The Congress has already attacked the move to ban 500 and 1000 rupee notes with effect from midnight today. Since nearly the entire money used to fight elections in India is in […]