Tag: Assembly Elections

BJP names Goutam Samantray as candidate for Jeypore assembly seat in Odisha

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidate for the Jeypore assembly seat in Odisha. The party fielded Goutam Samantray from the Jeypore assembly seat in Koraput district, which goes to polls on May 13.

Samantray, a businessman by profession, had also contested in the 2019 assembly elections from Jeypore. He is now pitted against the sitting MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati of the Congress and BJD’s Indira Nanda, wife of former minister Rabi Nanda.

With this, the BJP has so far announced the names of 132 candidates of the 147 assembly seats in Odisha. The Congress has announced candidates for 138 assembly seats, while BJD named 135 nominees.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Congress announces candidates for Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, fields YS Sharmila from Kadapa

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Andhra Pradesh Election 2024: The Congress on Tuesday announced its candidates for 114 Assembly seats and five parliamentary constituencies in Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming simultaneous polls in the state. Voting for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh will be held in a single phase on May 13. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

The Congress has fielded its Andhra Pradesh unit chief Y S Sharmila from the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of the Reddy family and currently represented by her cousin and YSR Congress Party leader YS Avinash Reddy.

Sharmila, who is the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, joined Congress earlier this year and was soon appointed as the new president of the party’s Andhra Pradesh unit.

Besides the Kadapa seat, the party has fielded MM Pallam Raju from Kakinada, Gidugu Rudra Raju from Rajahmundry, JD Seelam from Bapatla and PG Rampullaiah Yadav from Kurnool.

Congress releases a list of 114 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/e6bsAnnNWh

— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2024

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, YSRCP registered a landslide victory, taking away 22 of the 25 seats in the state. The remaining three seats were won by N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The Congress and the BJP couldn’t open their accounts in the state.

In the 2019 state elections, the YSRCP secured most seats, winning 151 of the 175 Assembly constituencies, restricting the TDP to 23 seats. The Jana Sena Party managed to get only one seat, while national parties like Congress and BJP drew a blank.

For the 2024 simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP has allied with the Telugu Desam Party and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party.  The ruling YSR Congress Party is contesting alone while the Congress is backed by the INDIA alliance members.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Odisha Assembly elections 2024: BJP releases list of 112 candidates, retains 21 of 22 sitting MLAs

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Odisha Assembly Elections 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released a list of 112 candidates for Odisha Assembly elections. The lone legislator denied a ticket was Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra from Brahmagiri in Odisha’s Puri district. Mohapatra’s niece Upasana Mohapatra has been nominated by the BJP from the Brahmagiri Assembly seat.

Of the 112 candidates announced by the BJP, eight are women. It has also fielded five turncoats from BJD — Arabinda Dhali, Akash Das Nayak, Siddhant Mohapatra, Purna Chandra Sethi and Priyadarshi Mishra. The Odisha Assembly has 147 members.

Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases. As many as 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on May 13. After this, voting in 35 Assembly seats and 5 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on May 20, followed by 42 Assembly segments and 6 Lok Sabha seats on May 25 and the remaining 42 Assembly seats and 6 Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase on June 1.

The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

During the 2019 Odisha Assembly elections, the ruling Biju Janata Dal, led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, grabbed 112 of the 147 Assembly constituencies and received a 44.71% vote share. The BJP stood second with 23 seats and got 32.49% votes. The Congress was limited to nine seats, while two seats went to CPI(M) and one for an Independent candidate.

Here’s a complete list of BJP candidates announced so far for the 2024 Odisha Assembly polls:

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Sikkim Assembly elections 2024: Dates, schedule, list of candidates and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Sikkim Assembly Elections 2024: Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls will be held simultaneously in Sikkim in a single phase on April 19. The vote counting for the Sikkim Assembly elections will occur on June 2, while results for the general elections will be declared on June 4.

The present government’s tenure in the northeastern state will end on June 2.

During the 2019 state elections, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won 17 of the 32 Assembly seats with a vote share of 47.17%. On the other hand, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which remained the dominant party in the state for 25 years, was restricted to 15 and got 47.63% votes.

Also in the contest were the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress – both drawing a blank.

On March 23, the BJP called off its alliance with the ruling SKM in Sikkim and announced its decision to go solo in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

However, the SKM has not ruled out the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the saffron party on the lines of an arrangement made after the 2019 elections in the state.

In 2024, the Prem Singh Tamang-led Sikkim Krantikari Morcha is eyeing a second consecutive term in the state, while the Sikkim Democratic Front, led by former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, is looking forward to returning to power.

Here’s a list of candidates announced by the parties for the 2024 Sikkim Assembly elections:

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Andhra Pradesh assembly polls 2024: Sons of six former CMs in fray

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election 2024: The sons of six former Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers will be contesting in the forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections in the state.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is contesting from Pulivendula constituency is the son of former CM Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.

Rajasekhar Reddy had represented the Pulivendula constituency, a YSR family bastion, six times between 1978 and 2009. He died in a chopper crash on September 2, 2009, shortly after assuming the role of the chief minister for a second time.

Nara Lokesh, son of three-time CM and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, will be contesting for a second time in the upcoming elections after his first attempt to win from Mangalagiri in 2019 ended in failure. This time around, Lokesh will be challenged by YSRCP’s M Lavanya.

Lokesh is also the grandson of former CM and Tollywood legend N T Rama Rao (NTR), who founded the TDP in 1982.

Tollywood actor and sitting Hindupur MLA N Balakrishna, who is the son of NTR, is contesting from the same constituency again.

Hindupur, a stronghold of the NTR family was earlier represented by Rama Rao and his elder son N Harikrishna.

Balakrishna won from Hindupur segment in 2014 and 2019 and will be aiming for a hat-trick.

Janasena leader N Manohar, who is contesting from Tenali constituency on behalf of the NDA comprising the TDP, Janasena and BJP is the son of former CM N Bhaskar Rao.

N Ramkumar Reddy, son of former CM N Janardhan Reddy, is contesting on a YSRCP ticket from Venkatagiri constituency and K Surya Prakash Reddy, son of another former CM K Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy will be trying his luck on a TDP ticket from the Dhone segment.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections 2024: Congress announces 34 candidates; check list here

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Congress party on Thursday, March 21, released its first list of 34 candidates for the Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh. Voting for the Assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in the state simultaneously on April 19. The counting of votes for Assembly elections will be held on June 2, while the results for the 2024 general elections will be announced on June 4.

Arunachal Pradesh has a total of 8,86,848 eligible voters, including 4,49,050 females, 5,740 service voters and five third-gender voters. The Election Commission recently said that the state has 2,226 polling booths –156 of which will be managed entirely by women.

In the 2019 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a landslide victory, bagging 41 of the 60 seats with a 50.9% vote share. The JD(U) won seven seats, while the National People’s Party (NPP) managed to bag five. The Congress and Peoples Party of Arunachal were restricted to a mere four seats and one seat each. The state witnessed an 82.17% voter turnout last time.

There are a total of 60 seats in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly. Of these, 53 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the rest are unreserved.

Here’s a complete list of 34 candidates announced by the Congress party:

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier announced its candidates across all the 60 seats in the state. The ruling party dropped 14 of its sitting MLAs, including three ministers in the state government. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has been announced as BJP candidate from Mukto, the seat he represented in 2019 as well.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

EC changes counting of votes for state assembly polls in Arunachal, Sikkim to June 2

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday revised the date of counting of votes for elections to the state legislative assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to June 2. The two states will vote on April 19.

“…The term of house of both the Legislative Assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim is due to expire on June 2, 2024. In view of this, the Commission has decided to amend the following in respect of Schedule for General Election to State Legislative Assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim…” the ECI said in a statement.

The counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections in both states remains on June 4, as announced earlier on Saturday.

Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Election: Polls to be held on April 19

The Election Commission on Saturday, March 16, announced that Arunachal Pradesh will go to the polls on April 19, 2024, for both the Lok Sabha and the state assembly. Arunachal Pradesh has two Lok Sabha seats and 60 assembly constituencies.

Of the total 63 assembly seats, 53 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, and the rest are in the general category.

Sikkim Assembly elections 2024: Total number of seats  and other key details

The voting for the 32-member Sikkim assembly will be held in a single phase, the EC announced on Saturday. The polling will take place on April 19. Last time in 2019, the state witnessed 81.43% voter turnout.

In the Sikkim Assembly elections 2019, SKM won 17 out of 32 seats in the state, ending the 25-year rule of Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). SDF managed to get only 15 seats.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Odisha Assembly Elections 2024: First phase of voting on May 25, check result date

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Odisha Assembly Elections 2024: The Election Commission on Saturday, March 16, announced that Odisha will go to polls on  for the state Assembly on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

The result will be declared on June 4. The elections will be held for the 147-member legislative assembly.

In 2019, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by incumbent Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, returned to power with a landslide victory by winning 112 out of total 147 seats.

Here’s a look at key factors as Odisha gears up for the upcoming Assembly elections 2024.  

Total seats and majority mark to form government

Political parties will be contesting for a total of 147 seats. A party needs to win 74 seats to get a majority and form the government.

2019 Odisha Assembly election results

In the 2019 Odisha Legislative elections, BJD won 112 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came second with 23 seats. Congress won only nine seats while Communist Party of India (Marxist) and an Independent candidate won one seat each.

Naveen Patnaik 

BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik is the current chief minister of Odisha. He has become the second longest-serving CM of any Indian state after former Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, who remained in power for 25 years.

Naveen Patnaik has been holding the post of CM for the last 24 years ever since he took over office on March 5, 2000.

In 2019 election, he won from both Hinjili and Bijepur constituencies and later vacated the Bijepur seat.

Key political battle in Odisha

The state has been witnessing a triangular fight among the ruling BJD, Opposition BJP and Congress, which has been pushed to third position after the 2019 elections.

In 2024 too, a direct fight among these three political parties is expected though there is high speculation over a BJD-BJP alliance. However, both the parties have not yet formally announced any pre-poll alliance. On the other hand, the Congress, which is out of power since 2000 in the state, is gearing up to oust the Naveen Patnaik government.

Voter turnout in 2019

In 2019, the overall voter turnout in the state was 73.2%, while the total electorate size was more than 2.37 crore.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha Election 2024: Results on June 4, check polling dates in each state

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Election Commission on Saturday, March 16, announced that the upcoming polls for the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament), as well as simultaneous elections to four states, will be held in seven phases starting April 19.

Twenty two states will vote for Lok Sabha candidates in the first phase on April 19. The results will be announced on June 4.

All the states and union territories that go to polls on April 19 include Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.

Nearly 970 million people are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming polls at over 1.2 million polling stations.

“We have 18 million first-time voters and 194.7 million voters between the age group of 20-29 years. 5-6 lakh people will attain the age of 18 by April 1 this year,” the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.

There are now 948 women for every 1000 male voters in India. In 12 states the ratio of women voters is higher than men voters, according to the EC.

The Election Commission will launch a ‘Myth vs Reality’ section on its website to curb misinformation and fake news during the polls.

These are some of the other highlights to ensure free and fair polls from the Election Commission’s announcements:

Strict directions given to District Magistrates and the Police to ensure level playing field for all parties.

2,100 observers will be appointed, aside from the field officers.

The Central Armed Police Forces will be deployed, and they will be assisted by integrated control rooms in each district.

Drones will be used for vigilance.

The EC has held extensive reviews with enforcement agencies to ensure coordination to curb the flow of illicit money in the elections. In the 2022-23 election cycle, unaccounted cash seized by authorities surged nine times to ₹3,400 crore in 11 states compared to five years ago.

Enforcement agencies are directed to crackdown on illicit money, liquor, drugs, and freebies, staying vigilant against disruptive methods..

According to a News 18 opinion poll, the BJP-led NDA is headed for a “historic mandate” in the upcoming polls.  The opinion poll claimed that the NDA is set to win 411 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha with the BJP alone clinching a record 350 seats.

In 2019, the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and held in seven phases beginning April 11. Votes were counted on May 23. In the last parliamentary polls, the BJP had won 303 seats while the Congress got 52 seats. It could not muster enough numbers to claim the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Over 10,000 aspirants apply for BJD tickets in Odisha Lok Sabha and Assembly elections

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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More than 10,000 people have applied for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly elections which will be held simultaneously, a senior party leader said.

The Odisha Assembly has a strength of 147 MLAs while there are 21 Lok Sabha MP seats in the state.

“More than 10,000 people, including many professionals, have applied for party tickets for the coming polls”, BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das said in a post on X.

“We strongly believe that BJD is moving towards a historic victory in this election with the blessings of 4.5 crore people of Odisha”, Das said.

The BJD leader claimed that the people of Odisha have already made up their minds to install Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister for the sixth consecutive time.

“The BJD is all set to register a massive victory in the upcoming elections”, Das claimed.

The BJD leader claimed that all the national-level survey reports in recent years have found Naveen Patnaik as the number one Chief Minister of the country.

Das said the regional party has won more than 52 per cent of the votes in the 2022 panchayat elections.

“There should be no doubt that the BJD is the number one political party in the state”, he said, claiming that Patnaik is the tallest leader in the state.

BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said “Many people have applied for the party tickets. But the candidates will be selected on the basis of winning ability, loyalty to the party and some other parameters.”

Odisha BJP vice-president Lekhashree Samantasinghar ridiculed 10,000 applications for BJD tickets and said, “Many people may appear for examination, but some selected few get first class. Similar is the situation. BJP candidates will crack the 2024 examination.”

Congress Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar claimed that there is a lot of “resentment” in the BJD and many senior leaders are in contact with us. They may join Congress soon, he said.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattnayak said as many as 3,000 people including some professionals have also applied for Congress tickets in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow