Congress leader Jairam Ramesh
| Photo Credit: PTI

As financial markets went for a tumble on June 4 after the trends of the Lok Sabha poll results showed that the BJP was not getting a majority on its own, the Congress said the markets were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls and have now turned turbulent.

The Congress also recalled the words of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004 to say that the party is committed to an orderly and healthy development of the financial markets that reflect the fundamentals of the economy.

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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government provided a fear-free and intimidation-free 10-year period (2004-14) for the private sector that helped the country achieve its highest Gross domestic product(GDP) growth.

“Financial markets that were given an artificial booster dose by the exit polls are turbulent today. In this context, it is wise to recall the words of Dr. Manmohan Singh on May 17th 2004, the last occasion on which the markets were faced with prospect of such regime change,” Mr. Ramesh said in a post on X.

Recalling Mr. Singh’s words, he said, “There is absolutely no need for panic in the market. Very soon the alliance will unveil its Current Market Price[CMP]. The CMP will demonstrate the commitment of the United Progressive Alliance to fiscal discipline, realistic growth-oriented tax policies, control of unproductive and wasteful public expenditure and increased emphasis on agricultural growth, education, health, food security and social security in the context of a fast-growing economy that is integrating with the world as well.” “The Congress is committed to the orderly and healthy development of the financial markets that reflect the fundamentals of the economy. Our tax policies and foreign direct investment regime will be pro-growth and will create an environment favourable for both Indian and foreign enterprises,” Mr. Ramesh said, quoting Mr. Singh’s words.

Election Results 2024: NDA leading in 12 seats with less than 1% vote margin, in 16 seats with 1-2.5%

He added that what followed in 2004 was a “fear-free and intimidation-free decade for the private sector — a decade of the highest GDP growth India has ever seen, along with the highest private investment as a share of GDP”.

Early trends of the Lok Sabha poll results on June 4 threw up disappointing results for the BJP-led NDA, which appears to be losing big in its strongholds of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, although it is expected to form the government with about 290 seats.

New Delhi:

Bookies in Delhi have predicted a thumping victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, but put them well below the 370-seat target the ruling party had set.

The BJP will win over 300 seats alone, the bookies predict. A party or an alliance of parties needs to win at least 272 in the 543-seat Lok Sabha to form government at the centre.

Exit polls yesterday predicted an easy win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, with an aggregate of 12 such polls positioning the ruling alliance at 365 seats. Such predictions, however, do not always get it right.

The bookies put the BJP’s figures between 303 and 306 seats. This means those who bet on 303 seats will book a profit if the BJP wins less than that. Whoever bets on 306 seats will win if the BJP gets more than that.

Betting on election results is illegal in India, but shadow betting platforms flourish nationwide and even traders in the share market turn to such platforms for cues.

The bookies have predicted a BJP sweep in heartland states and a debut in Tamil Nadu.

The BJP will win 25-26 seats in Gujarat, 64-66 in Uttar Pradesh, 27-29 in Madhya Pradesh, 19-21 in Rajasthan, 10-11 in Chhattisgarh, 13-15 in Bihar, 10-11 in Jharkhand, 5-6 in Haryana, four in Himachal, and five in Uttarakhand, they expect.

In Delhi, the BJP will win all seven seats, according to the bookies. They will also open their account in Tamil Nadu for the first time with three Lok Sabha seats, they projected, suggesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relentless south push will bring good news for the saffron party.

In Odisha, where Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal holds power, the BJP has been projected to win 14-15 out of 21 seats. In Punjab, the bookies expect them to win two out of 13 seats, and 7-8 in Telangana.

In West Bengal, they may better their 2019 performance and win 19-21 seats out of 42 seats and in Maharashtra, the bookies project they will win 18-20 out of 48 seats.

New Delhi:

During the entire election season, the BJP stood by its target of 400 Lok Sabha seats for the NDA and its slogan of ‘ab ki baar 400 paar’ in the face of relentless mocking by the opposition. If three exit polls are to be believed, the ruling party is going to have the last laugh.  

While two of the polls have given ranges with figures of just over 400 on the upper end, News 24-Today’s Chanakya has predicted 400 as the NDA’s tally. The only rider this number comes with is that the margin of error is 15 seats. The figure then becomes 385 on the lower end and an astounding 415 on the upper side.

India TV-CNX has also given similar estimates and a range of 371-401, putting the NDA just over the mammoth target if it touches the upper limit of the range. India Today-Axis My India has predicted 361-401. 

Health Warning: Exit polls often get it wrong. 

The NDA’s tally was 352 in 2019 and the BJP had won 303 seats on its own. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make history if he gets a third straight term and the party and the alliance’s leaders and election machinery will have shown their prowess if the NDA even gets the lowest end of these figures.

A tally of 361, the minimum figure predicted by India Today-Axis My India, will mean that the alliance has bettered its performance in each successive election, which would be a huge feat on its own and indicate that anti-incumbency is not much of a factor. It will also be a testament to PM Narendra Modi’s popularity.

The opposition INDIA Alliance, which said on Saturday that it will win 295 constituencies, has been given 107 (plus-minus 11) by Today’s Chanakya, 109-139 by CNX and 131-166 by Axis My India. 

With its 80 Lok Sabha seats the most important state in every election is Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP had won 62 seats in 2019, when the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party were in an alliance. The Samajwadi Party is now allied with the Congress and all three polls have the BJP bettering its tally in the state. 

News 24-Today’s Chanakya’s prediction is 68 (plus-minus 7), India Today-Axis My India’s estimate is 67-72 and India TV-CNX has given the party 70-74. 

All three polls show the NDA doing better than it did in the South in 2019. Another big headline from the three exit polls is also that the BJP will get more seats that the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, with Axis My India going as far as giving 26-31 of the state’s 42 seats to the ruling party at the Centre.

Jalandhar, Punjab:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged people of Punjab to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in all the 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state during the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held on June 1.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a roadshow in Jalandhar on Monday. He was campaigning for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha candidate from Jalandhar Pawan Kumar Tinu.

Arvind Kejriwal said, “Home Minister Amit Shah has challenged 3 crore people of Punjab yesterday. He said after June 4 they are going dismiss the elected government of Punjab. This is dictatorship. People of the country will not accept it. I have come to ask all 13 seats from you. I assure that only the voice of Punjab will echo inside Lok Sabha. In the last 10 years whoever you elected has not raised your concerns. We will raise issues of Punjab in Lok Sabha and find out solution to all the issues which are pending with the centre.”

He further said that there is no use voting for BJP, Akali Dal or the Congress.

“If you vote for the BJP or Akali Dal then it is of no use. If you vote for Congress they will start quarrelling against us. Give all the 13 seats to AAP we will work together,” he added.

AAP’s Pawan Kumar Tinu, INDIA alliance’s Charanjit Singh Channi, NDA’s Sushil Kumar Rinku, and Akali Dal’s Mohinder Singh Kaypee will contest elections from Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

Earlier Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday targeted the AAP for not living up to the promises assured to Punjab and criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for making the state a hub of corruption.

Slamming the government of AAP, Amit Shah claimed that AAP is a government that is known for breaking promises. “This is the government of the AAP party, it is a government which breaks promises. Rs 1000 were not given to every mother and sister, Punjab was not made drug-free in a month, and 16 medical colleges were not opened up in the state,” Amit Shah said.

All 13 Lok Sabha seats of Punjab to go for polls in the 7th phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP’s) Lok Sabha candidate from Jalandhar Pawan Kumar Tinu and Punjab Minister Balkar Singh were also present.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Of the 8,337 candidates contesting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, as many as 1,644 have criminal cases registered against them, according to an analysis of the data shared by the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Among these candidates, 1,188 face serious criminal charges, including allegations related to murder, attempted murder, crimes against women and hate speech.

In phase 1, out of 1,618 candidates analysed, 252 have criminal cases and 161 serious criminal cases.

In the second phase, 1,192 candidates were analysed with 250 of them facing criminal charges and 167 serious criminal cases.

In phase 3, out of 1,352 candidates, 244 have criminal cases and 172 serious criminal cases.

Phase 4 had the highest number — of the 1,710 candidates analysed, 360 have criminal charges against them and 274 serious criminal charges.

Phase 5 included 695 candidates, of which 159 have criminal cases and 122 serious criminal cases.

In phase 6, out of 866 candidates analysed, 180 have criminal cases and 141 have serious criminal cases.

In phase 7, 199 out of 904 candidates face criminal charges and 151 have serious criminal cases against them.

Overall, affidavits of 8,337 candidates out of a total of 8,360 candidates were analysed by the ADR.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed the Union home ministry to retain 25 companies of central forces in Andhra Pradesh even after counting of votes on June 4 following post-poll violence in the state as it conveyed its displeasure to the state chief secretary and the police chief over the incidents.

In a statement, the EC said “without mincing any words”, it directs the chief secretary and the director general of police to ensure that such violence is not repeated and all SPs to be tasked with take pre-emptive measures to avoid such a situation in future.

The poll authority had summoned chief secretary KS Jawahar Reddy and DGP Harish Gupta to Nirvanchan Sadan here to seek “personal explanation” over the incidents of violence reported on Monday and Tuesday.

“The Commission decided to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs to retain the 25 CAPF (central armed police force) companies in Andhra Pradesh for 15 days after counting, to control any violence after declaration of results,” the poll panel said.

It said the state government had requested that central forces be retained for 15 days post counting.

In the meeting, the poll authority sought timely filing of chargesheet against the culprits, preferably within the model code of conduct period. The poll code period usually ends after counting is completed.

During the briefing, the CS and the DGP shared their assessment of negligence and lack of supervision on the part of officials in violence-hit districts.

The Commission approved various proposals of the state government. These included investigation by a special investigation team and submit an action taken report to the Commission in two days in each of the cases.

FIRs will be updated with additional appropriate IPC sections and other relevant statutory provisions.

The EC also approved the transfer of district collector of Palnadu and initiation of departmental enquiry; suspension of SPs of Palnadu and Ananthapuramu districts and initiation of departmental enquiry.

It also gave its nod to the transfer of SP of Tirupati and initiation of departmental enquiry as well as suspension of 12 subordinate police officials in Palnadu, Anathapuramu and Tirupati districts and initiation of departmental enquiry.

Several incidents of violence were reported in Ananthapuramu, Palnadu and Tirupati districts on the poll-day and post poll day.

Incidents were also reported before the poll involving assault, setting the property and office of the opposite party on fire, threatening, damaging of the campaign vehicles and stone pelting.

The EC pointed out that most of these incidents happened in the districts of Annamaya, Chittoor and Palnadu and few incidents in Guntur, Anantapur and Nandyal.

The leaders of the ruling YSRCP and opposition TDP have levelled allegations against each other for the incidents.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Leh:

What should have been a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency is now a three-corner fight with an alliance of local groups fielding an Independent to challenge the national parties.

The seat, the largest in the country in terms of area (173.266 square kilometers), goes to polls on May 20 — the first major electoral battle in the region after it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir and granted Union Territory status in 2019. While the BJP has fielded Tashi Gyalson, chief executive councilor-cum-chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh), from the seat after dropping sitting MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, the Congress has nominated Tsering Namgyal as its candidate. Springing a surprise, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) fielded Haji Haneefa Jan, the Kargil district president of the National Conference (NC), which like the Congress is a constituent of the INDIA bloc.

The Congress has won the seat for the highest number of times — six — and had fielded Tsering Namgyal, the leader of opposition in the LAHDC, according to an agreement with the NC, as they were members of the INDIA bloc and the Leh Apex Body (LAB).

It was the LAB and the KDA that were spearheading the agitation in support of various demands of the Ladhaki people, including statehood and sixth schedule of the Constitution, for the past four years. But it hit a block in March after the BJP-led Centre did not agree with the demands.

However, now with the KDA fielding Jan, the challenges for the Congress as well as the BJP has increased in this seat that has more than 1.84 lakh voters — a majority (95,926) in Muslim-dominated Kargil district and 88,877 in Leh district. The resentment against the BJP over its government at the Centre not fulfilling the demands is palpable and the party, which is eyeing a third consecutive term from Ladakh, has rushed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to handle the situation. He arrived in the Union Territory (UT) on Saturday.

The agitation had intensified on March 6 with Leh observing a complete shutdown followed by a 66-day hunger strike which was suspended three days ago in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Renowned educationist and social reformer Sonam Wangchuk, who was also part of it, ended his 21-day hunger strike on March 26.

Talking to reporters after arriving here on Saturday, Kiren Rijiju said, “…all the big demands of the people can only be fulfilled by the central government. I have come here to convey the message that any pending issue will be resolved by the (Narendra) Modi government alone.” Seeking cooperation and support of the people of Ladakh, Kiren Rijiju said it is imperative for the BJP to win the seat because “if we lose the elections, we will be sad after doing so much for the region over the years, including fulfilling the dream of UT status”. He said it is the right of the people to raise their issues and “it is our responsibility to safeguard the future of Ladakh which is a very sensitive and fragile region having distinct culture, traditional practices, customs and language…”.

Thupstan Chhewang won the seat for the BJP for the first time in 2014. However, he resigned from the party’s basic membership in 2018 and is currently heading the LAB.

The BJP managed to retain the seat in 2019 with Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was denied the ticket by the party this time and who openly revolted against the decision. However, he joined the campaigning for Gyalson after being persuaded by the BJP leadership.

Trouble for the Congress candidate started when the KDA unanimously decided to field Jan as an Independent and also persuaded two others, who were contesting as Independents, to withdraw their candidature in his support.

The entire NC unit of Kargil resigned from the party on May 6 to revolt against the its leadership for “putting pressure” on them to support INDIA bloc candidate Tsering Namgyal instead of Jan. The NC has won the seat twice in the past, while independents have won it thrice.

After attaining UT status, Ladakh witnessed elections to both Leh and Kargil chapters of the LAHDC in October 2020 and 2023, respectively.

While the BJP retained power in the Leh hill council elections by winning 15 seats — five short of its 2015 election tally, the Congress increased its tally from six to nine seats while two seats went to Independents.

In the Kargil hill council elections, the NC-Congress combine won 22 seats against two by the BJP and two by Independents. The NC on its own got 12 seats and the Congress 10.

Amid intensified Lok Sabha poll campaigning, which also saw several BJP leaders, including national general secretary Tarun Chugh, reaching out to the voters, Gyalson had said his primary focus will be resumption of dialogue between the Centre and the Ladakh leadership for resolution of “pending issues”.

“My primary focus will be resumption of stalled dialogue (between the Ladakh leadership and central government). I don’t believe that the dialogue is derailed but because of the Model Code of Conduct, no headway has taken place. Once the new government is in place, I am sure about the resumption of the dialogue,” he had said.

Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal said his party has taken a historic decision to include granting sixth schedule to Ladakh in its manifesto.

“We support the four-point demand of the LAB and the KDA and we will forcefully raise the demands within and outside Parliament to fulfill the aspirations of the people,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi has tied up with a bike taxi company under which eligible voters will be provided a free ride from the polling booths to their homes on voting day.

As Delhi prepares for Lok Sabha polling day on May 25, the collaboration between the office of Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and Rapido aims to address transportation barriers and encourage citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote, said a statement by the Delhi CEO’s office.

As per the arrangement with Rapido, eligible voters in Delhi will be provided with an option to avail a free of charge ride from the polling booths to their home on the day of voting.

On the day of polling, voters after casting their vote can conveniently book and avail a complimentary bike ride using the Rapido app. A dedicated rider will pick up the elector from the polling station and ensure their safe return to home, the statement said.

Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi P. Krishnamurthy said, “By offering option of free bike rides on the polling day, we aim to ensure ease of voting experience and to encourage citizens to exercise their vote and contribute to the democratic process. Every vote counts and it is essential to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their vote without hindrance.” 

Rapido has a pool of eight lakh bike drivers in Delhi with a subscriber base of 80 lakh. The availability of bike riders across Delhi will be facilitated and ensured at the designated polling booths, the statement said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Betul, Madhya Pradesh:

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday ordered repolling at four booths in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul Lok Sabha seat on May 10 after electronic voting machines were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling personnel post-voting caught fire, an official said.

The bus was ferrying election staffers and electronic voting machines after polling in the Betul Lok Sabha seat during the day when it caught fire on Tuesday at around 11 pm near Gola village, causing damage to a few EVMs, he said.

However, no one was injured in the incident, Betul Collector Narendra Suryavanshi told PTI earlier.

After the district administration submitted a report on the fire incident, the EC on Wednesday ordered re-election at four polling stations of the constituency. The repolling is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm on May 10 (Friday) on these booths located under the Multai assembly segment of the parliamentary seat, the official said.

These booths were set up at Government Integrated High School, Rajapur, Government Integrated High School, Raiyat, Government Primary School Kunda, Raiyat and Government Integrated High School, Chikhlimal, he said.

The fire broke out because of a spark in the bus, the collector said.

Six polling parties and half a dozen EVMs were in the bus at the time of the incident and four of the voting machines were damaged, Suryavanshi said.

In the four affected EVMs, either a control unit or a ballot unit suffered damage, he said.

An estimated 72.65 per cent polling was recorded in the Betul Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, a poll official said.

Betul was among nine seats in Madhya Pradesh where voting took place in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amid speculations of the merger of Janata Dal-Secular with the BJP, former Karnataka Chief Minister and JDS-BJP candidate HD Kumaraswamy said on Saturday that if everything goes smoothly, there is no question of JDS being absorbed into the BJP and they will work together.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, HD Kumaraswamy said, “There is no question of merging our party with any other party. Categorically, I am telling you. There is no question. If the BJP treats us well and everything goes smoothly, there is no question of JDS being absorbed into the BJP. We will work together.”

“I would like to tell Siddaramaiah that even if 100 Siddaramaiahs come against us, they can’t do anything to our party. They can’t damage it,” he said.

Going back in time, in 2006, HD Kumaraswamy rebelled and walked out of the JD(S)-Congress coalition with 42 MLAs, reportedly against the wishes of his father, former PM and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda, citing a threat to the party, and formed the government with the BJP.

He was asked whether inviting Deve Gowda to the ”Pran Pratishtha” ceremony can be considered a personal connection between PM Modi and Deva Gowda, which led to the BJP-JD(S) alliance. HD Kumaraswamy elaborated on the dynamics between PM Modi and Deve Gowda, stating, “When Narendra Modi ji entered national politics, at that time Deve Gowda was one of the main critics of PM Modi’s national entry. Then, despite whatever he said at that time, after Modi Ji became PM, he went to meet him. Deve Gowda ji wanted to resign from his MP constituency, but Narendra Modi ji advised him that his advice was required and he must continue in parliament. This is the respect shown by the Prime Minister for Deve Gowda ji. After assuming the role of Prime Minister, they met several times, and each time the PM showed respect to Deve Gowda ji and sought his advice.”

He also discussed Deve Gowda’s political journey. “In 2018 Deve Gowda ji joined hands with Congress. Throughout his career of 60-62 years, he has always aligned with secular forces. By using regional parties, Congress has destroyed several regional parties. Congress has humiliated Deve Gowda ji in several ways.”

“In 1995, when this United Front supported Deve Gowda Ji as a PM candidate, they (the Congress) did not. When they removed him, they had no reason at all. Even at that time, he also supported Inder Kumar Gujral. In 2004, again, they ditched Deve Gowda Ji. That time also, he respected Congress, even though, at that time, Arun Jaitley met him to join hands with BjP. Deve Gowda ji rejected it. At that time, he also joined hands with Congress and after joining, he watched how they treated him for 20 months. Even at that time, the health of Deve Gowda Ji deteriorated,” he added.

He said, “Then, in 2009, he joined hands with the third front. That is a different issue. Then, even after Deve Gowda ji handed over the power to the BJP at that time again, his Congress friend wanted to split our party. Continuously, they were trying to destroy our party. Even after this, Deve Gowda Ji joined hands with Congress only.”

When asked why his party did that, he said he made several wrong decisions by trusting his Congress friends. “I am totally against Congress. I know how they are going to treat us and how they treated me as the Chief Minister.”

Hitting back at the Congress’ remark where it slammed the JD (S) for joining hands with the NDA and opined that the party should write to the Election Commission and drop the word ‘secular’ from their party’s name, HD Kumaraswamy said, “What is the meaning of secularism? I wanted to question the Congress. Every day they are misusing the caste composition; they are using the caste composition and they wanted to get benefit from it for their party.”

“According to me, there is no meaning to secularism or communalism. For example, let’s talk about DMK. They joined hands with the Centre, with both the Congress and the BJP. Whatever the reason was, they took the decision in their own interest, not for secularism or communalism,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)