Month: May 2024

West Bengal recorded a high voter turnout at 36.88 per cent till 11 am on Saturday in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, as per the data provided by the Election Commission.

Jharkhand also experienced a high voter turnout at 27.80 per cent as of 11 am, according to data released by the poll body.

Other states where polling is underway in the sixth phase are– Bihar–23.67 per cent, Haryana– 22.09 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir–23.11 per cent, National Capital Territory of Delhi–21.69 per cent, Odisha–21.30 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 27.06 per cent.

The approximate voter turnout across the country at 11 am was 25.76 per cent.

The National Capital of Delhi has seen an overall turnout of 21.68 per cent till 11 am. Delhi’s Chandni Chowk reported 18.55 per cent voter turnout, East Delhi – 22.41 per cent, New Delhi – 19.18 per cent, North East Delhi – 24.49 per cent, North West Delhi – 22.67 per cent, South Delhi – 21 per cent and West Delhi – 21.56 per cent.

Voting for the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections is underway across 58 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.

The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.

Voting for the forty-two assembly constituencies in Odisha is also underway in the sixth phase. Assembly elections are being held in the state simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

All parliamentary seats in Delhi and Haryana went to polls in this phase.

Some key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi and Chandni Chowk in the national capital and Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri, West Bengal’s Tamluk, Medinipur, Haryana’s Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur are some of the other key seats. Stakes are high for the BJP as well as for the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other constituents of the INDIA bloc in this phase of the election.

Polling has already been completed on 428 parliamentary constituencies for 25 states and UTs in the first five phases of general elections. Over 11.13 crore voters including 5.84 crore male, 5.29 crore female and 5120 third gender electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials will be involved in conducting this phase of the election.

The Lok Sabha elections will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his family cast their vote in Delhi during the sixth phase of the general elections. The Delhi CM was accompanied by her wife Sunita Kejriwal and his children.

Arvind Kejriwal was seen helping his ailing father to the polling station. Earlier, AAP leaders like Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Kailash Gehlot also cast their votes.

After casting his vote, the Delhi CM said he had voted to end unemployment and inflation.

“I voted today with my father, wife and children. My mother is very ill. She could not go. I voted against dictatorship, unemployment and inflation. You too must go and vote,” he said.

Before he cast his vote the Delhi CM urged voters to come out and support his party which he said was standing against dictatorial thinking.

“I appeal to all my voting brothers and sisters to definitely come and cast their vote. Ask your family, relatives and friends to also vote. In this great festival of democracy, each of your votes will be against dictatorial thinking and strengthen the Indian democracy and constitution. Go to the polling booth and show with your vote that there is democracy in India and democracy will remain,” he said.

Earlier today, AAP leader Atishi had alleged that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena, held a meeting with Delhi Police to slow down the voting process in areas that are strongholds of the INDIA bloc. The claim was supported by Kejriwal but denied by the Delhi LG who said he would take strict action against those making such allegations.

Meanwhile, voting is underway across 58 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) is underway. Voting is underway in all 7 of Delhi’s Lok Sabha seats and all 10 seats in Haryana.

The riveting contest in Delhi has AAP and Congress jointly taking on the BJP, which won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital in the last two elections. While Congress is contesting on three seats in the national capital, AAP is contesting on four. The two parties are part of the INDIA bloc.

Polling has already been completed on 428 parliamentary constituencies for 25 states and UTs in the first five phases of general elections. Over 11.13 crore voters including 5.84 crore male, 5.29 crore female and 5120 third gender electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials will be involved in conducting his phase of the election.

The Lok Sabha elections will end on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

Three Kashmiri fashion designers, Arwa Shah, Mir Manal, and Armaan Asif, participated in the Times Fashion Week Mumbai for the first time and represented Kashmir.

The designers conceptualized a unique collection that took months of meticulous planning and sourcing of materials. The intricate tailoring and stitching of these materials demanded tremendous effort and dedication.

These young Kashmiri designers have set a new standard for eco-friendly fashion and have inspired others to think outside the box when it comes to creating sustainable clothing.

Showcased by the SSMD School of Design, the three designers showcased their creativity and innovation by transforming trash into beautiful and wearable pieces of clothing. From plastic bags to old newspapers, they managed to transform discarded materials into stunning garments that wowed the audience

The ultimate goal was to foster greater awareness and encourage more sustainable fashion choices among this influential demographic. They also highlighted the power of creativity and resourcefulness.

This collection exemplified the fact that fashion does not necessitate a high price tag and can still captivate audiences on a limited budget.

Talking to ANI, Arwa Shah said, “This was a big platform and we have showcased our performance art not collection. We were not very confident because we felt that we would be trolled after showcasing our performance art on the big stage. But, we prepared our minds, prepared people’s minds and made a note for the audience. The note read that we are giving a message that it is not important to wear expensive clothes, we can wear normal clothes by designing beautifully.”

She added, “We made changes in our designs in the last minutes, but when they were presented on stage, people appreciated our performance art. People asked us about how we got the idea and made these types of outfits.”

“It was very tough to make outfits from waste materials,” she concluded.

On asking about how they felt about being presented on the big stage, Armaan Asif said, “We were happy that we are representing Kashmir on that big platform.

“It is said that the people of Kashmir are talented but they didn’t get any opportunity to represent that but we got that opportunity, we are very grateful for that,” he added.

Mir Manal shared that fashion designing was her dream in her childhood, she said, “I used to cut my new socks to make my dolls new dresses.”

Mir also shared how they started sourcing their materials to make their outfits.

“We started collecting waste materials from the last six months. We collected paper cups, balloon wastes and cement bags from the factory and made our collection from those materials,” she added. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.

Forty-two assembly constituencies in Odisha are also going for polls in the sixth phase. Assembly elections are being held in the state simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

All parliamentary seats in Delhi and Haryana will go to the polls in this phase.

The prominent candidates in the fray include two former Chief Ministers – Manohar Lal Khattar and Mehbooba Mufti. Khattar is contesting as the BJP candidate from Karnal and Mehbooba Mufti as the PDP nominee from Anantnag-Rajouri.

Some of the prominent candidates in the fray include Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi.

Bansuri Swaraj, Somnath Bharti, Manoj Tiwari, Kanhaiya Kumar, Dinesh Lal Yadav alias ‘Nirahua’, Dharmendra Yadav, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Agnimitra Paul, Naveen Jindal, Raj Babbar, Deepender Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja and Aparajita Sarangia are among other prominent candidates in the fray.

Some of the key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi and Chandni Chowk in the national capital and Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri, West Bengal’s Tamluk, Medinipur, Haryana’s Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur are some of the other key seats.

Stakes are high for the BJP as also for Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and other constituents of INDIA bloc in this phase of the election.

The riveting contest in Delhi has AAP and Congress jointly taking on the BJP, which won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital in the last two elections.

While Congress is contesting on three seats in the national capital, AAP is contesting on four. The two parties are part of the INDIA bloc.

The BJP campaign has been bolstered by rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other party leaders. Senior leaders of Congress have also held rallies in the national capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been released on interim bail by the Supreme Court in the Delhi excise policy case, also sought votes for AAP and Congress candidates.

AAP and Congress have also joined hands in Haryana where BJP won all the seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Some seats in the state, including Hisar, are witnessing multi-cornered contests.

Apart from BJP and Congress, the electoral stakes are high for INLD, Jannayak Janata Party in Haryana. The state will also go for assembly polls months after the Lok Sabha election.

Odisha is also seeing some key battles in Sambalpur, Bhubaneshwar and Puri.

Election Commission said that the concerned CEOs and state officials have been directed to take adequate measures to manage the adverse impact of hot weather or rainfall wherever predicted.

Polling stations will have ample shade, drinking water, ramps, toilets, and other basic facilities to ensure that polling takes place in a comfortable and secure environment.

The Election Commission appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers at polling stations and vote with responsibility and pride. It specially reminded voters in urban centres like Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad about the right and duty to vote and break the trend of urban apathy.

Polling has already has been completed on 428 parliamentary constituencies for 25 states and UTs in the first five phases of general elections.

Over 11.13 crore voters include 5.84 crore male, 5.29 crore female and 5120 third gender electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials will be involved in conducting his phase of election.

Over 8.93 lakh registered over 85-year-old voters, 23,659 voters above 100 years and 9.58 lakh PwD voters have been provided the option to vote from the comfort of their homes in the penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls.

Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency of Jammu and Kashmir will also vote tomorrow. The poll panel had revised the date of polling from May 7 to May 25 after it received representations for shifting the poll date.

The Lok Sabha will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4.

A look at key constituencies in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls.

DELHI:
All seven constituencies will be voting in this phase. BJP won all seven seats in 2014 and in the 2019 general elections.

1) Chandni Chowk: BJP has replaced sitting MP Harsh Vardhan with debutant Praveen Khandelwal to face Congress’ JP Agarwal, who is a veteran of Lok Sabha battles. He has fought parliamentary elections 10 times and has been elected four times to Parliament.

2) East Delhi: Harsh Deep Malhotra of the BJP is pitted against Aam Aadmi Party’s Kuldeep Kumar, popularly known as Monu. Kuldeep Kumar is MLA from Kondli seat.

3) New Delhi: Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj, is facing AAP’s Somnath Bharti from the seat.

4) North East Delhi: BJP’s sitting MP Manoj Tiwari is pitted against Congress’ Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader from JNU, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls unsuccessfully as a CPI candidate from Bihar’s Begusarai.

5) North West Delhi: Former BJP MP Udit Raj is seeking to make a comeback from the reserved constituency. The former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer is pitted against Yogender Chandolia of the BJP, who has served as mayor of North Delhi.

6) South Delhi: BJP’s Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, MLA, is facing Aam Aadmi Party’s Sahi Ram Pehalwan in this constituency.

7) West Delhi: Kamaljeet Sehrawat from the BJP is facing Mahabal Mishra from AAP. Mishra is a three-time MLA and a former MP.

BIHAR:
Eight out of the total 40 constituencies in the state will be polling in this phase.

1) Valmiki Nagar: The constituency was earlier known as Bagaha. JD(U) has pitted Onil Kumar as the NDA candidate against RJD’s Deepak Yadav.

2) Paschim Champaran: BJP’s sitting MP Sanjay Jaiswal is facing Madan Mohan Tiwari of Congress.

3) Purvi Champararan: BJP’s Radha Mohan Singh is in the fray as NDA candidate against Rajesh Kushwaha of Vikassheel Insaan Party and of INDIA bloc. Vijay Kumar Sahani of Rashtriya Jansambhavna Party is also in the fray.

4) Sheohar: Lovely Anand of the JD-U is contesting against Ritu Jaiswal of RJD.

5) Vaishali: Sitting MP Veena Devi of the LJP (Ram Vilas) is facing Vijay Kumar Shukla of the RJD.

6) Gopalganj: Sitting JD(U) MP Alok Kumar Suman is taking on Prem Nath Chanchal of Vikassheel Insaan Party and Dinanath Manjhi of AIMIM.

7) Siwan: RJD’s Awadh Bihari Chaudhary is pitted against Vijay Lakshmi Devi of JD(U)

8) Maharajganj: BJP’s Janardan Singh ‘Sigriwal’ is contesting against Akash Kumar Singh of the Congress.

HARYANA:
The state bordering Delhi has multi-cornered contests on some of its 10 seats with a former Chief Minister also in the fray.

1) Ambala: This city, which is famous for appliances manufactured here, is seeing a contest between BJP’s Banto Devi Kataria, who is the widow of late MP Rattan Lal Kataria, and Varun Chaudhary of the Congress. Kiran Punia of the JJP and Gurpreet Singh of the INLD are also in the fray.

2) Kurukshetra: A three-cornered contest is taking place between BJP’s Naveen Jindal, AAP’s Sushil Gupta, and INLD’s Abhay Chautala.

3) Sirsa: Former Union Minister Kumari Selja of Congress is pitted against Ashok Tanwar of BJP.

4) Hisar: Ranjit Singh of the BJP is facing INLD’s Sunaina Chautala, JJP’s Naina Chautala and Jai Prakash of Congress.

5) Karnal: Former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is taking on Congress’ Divyanshu Budhiraja.

6) Sonipat: Mohan lal Badoli of BJP is pitted against Satpal Brahmachari of the Congress.

7) Rohtak: Incumbent BJP MP Arvind Sharma is facing Deepinder Singh Hooda of the Congress and Ravinder of JJP.

8) Bhiwani-Mahendragarh: BJP’s Dharambir Singh is pitted against Rao Dhan Singh of Congress and Bahadhur Singh of the JJP.

9) Gurgaon: Union Minister MP Rao Inderjit of the BJP is facing actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar.

10) Faridabad: Union Minister Krishan Pal Gujjar is facing Congress veteran Mahendra Pratap Singh while the JJP has fielded Nalin Hooda and INLD has fielded Sunil Tewatia.

JHARKHAND:
Four out of a total of 14 constituencies in the state will see polling in this phase.

1) Giridih: AJSU’s Chandra Prakash Chaudhary is pitted against JMM’s Tundi MLA Mathura Mahato and student union leader Jairam Mahato.

2) Dhanbad: BJP’s Baghmara MLA Dulu Mahato and Congress’ Anupama Singh, wife of the party’s Bermo legislator Kumar Jaimangal, are in the electoral battle.

3) Ranchi: Congress’ Yashaswini Sahay, daughter of former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, is facing BJP’s sitting MP Sanjay Seth.

4) Jamshedpur: BJP’s sitting MP Bidyut Baran Mahato is contesting against JMM’s Baharagora MLA Samir Mohanty.

ODISHA:
Six out of total 21 seats will face polls in this phase.

1) Sambalpur: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting against Nagendra Kumar Pradhan of Congress and Pranab Prakash Das of the BJD.

2) Keonjhar: In this constituency reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, Ananta Nayak from the BJP is facing Binod Bihari Nayak of the Congress and Dhanurjaya Sidu of the BJD.

3) Bhubaneshwar: In the capital city of Odisha, BJP’s Aparjita Sarangi is in contest against Syed Yashir Nawaz of Congress and Manmath Kumar Routray of the BJD.

4) Dhenkanal: Rudra Narayan Pany of BJP, Sushmita Behra of the Congress and Abhisnash Samal of BJD are in contest from this constituency.

5) Puri: BJP’s Sambit Patra is facing Arup Mohan Patanayak of the BJD and Jay Narayan Patnaik of the Congress.

6) Cuttack: Bharturari Mahtab of the BJP is facing Suresh Mohapatra of the Congress and Santrut Misra of the BJD.

UTTAR PRADESH:
Fourteen out of a total of 80 constituencies will be voting in this phase.

1) Sultanpur: BJP’s Maneka Gandhi is up against Bhim Nishad of the SP and BSP’s Udraj Verma.

2) Pratapgarh: Sitting MP Sangam Lal Gupta of the BJP is facing SP Singh Patel from the Samajwadi Party.

3) Phulpur: Praveen Patel of the BJP is facing SP’s Amaranth Maurya and Jagannath Path of BSP.

4) Allahabad: This pilgrim city will see a contest between Neeraj Tripathi of the BJP and Ujjwal Rewati Raman Singh of the Congress.

5) Azamgarh: Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ of the BJP, Dharmendra Yadav from the SP and BSP candidate Sabeeha Ansari are in fray.

6) Jaunpur: BJP candidate Kripashankar Singh is facing SP’s Babu Singh Kushwaha and Shyam Singh Yadav from BSP.

The other constituencies going for polls in this phase are Ambedkar Nagar, Shrawasti, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Machhlishahr and Bhadohi.

WEST BENGAL:
Eight out of 42 seats in the state will go to the polls in this phase.

1) Tamluk: The headquarters of the Purba Medinipur district will see a contest between BJP’s Abhijeet Gangopadhyay, Debangshu Bhattacharya of Trinamool Congress and Sayan Banerjee of CPI-M. Abhijeet Gangopadhyay is a former High Court judge.

2) Kanthi: This parliamentary constituency will see contest between Shomendu Adhikari of the BJP, Uttam Barik of the TMC and Urbasi Banerjee of Congress.

3) Ghatal: BJP’s Hiranmoy Chattopadhyay is pitted against Deepak Adhikari of the Trinamool Congress and Tapan Ganguly of CPI.

4) Jhargram: The reserved is seeing a face-off between BJP’s Panat Tudu, Kalipada Saren of TMC and Sonamani Tudu of CPM.

5) Medinipore: BJP’s Agnamitra Paul is contesting against June Maliah of Trinamool and Biplab Bhat of CPI.

6) Purulia: Jyotirmay Singh Mahato of BJP is in the fray against Nepal Chandra Mahato of the Congress and Shantiram Mahato of the Trinamool Congress.

7) Bankura: Subhas Sarkar of BJP is facing Arup Chakraborty of TMC and and Nilanjan Dasgupta of CPM.

8) Bishnupur: Khan Saumitra of BJP, a sitting MP, is contesting Sujata Mondal of TMC and Sital Chandra Kaibartya of CPM on the reserved seat.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR:
The Union Territory has seen enthusiastic turnout in the earlier phases.

Anantnag-Rajouri is seeing keen battle between People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, Mian Altaf of the National Conference, and Zafar Iqbal Manhas of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday claimed that the “trends are extremely encouraging” for the opposition INDIA alliance across the country after the fifth phase of polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and said the BJP will “drop a long way below the majority mark”.

“I think we are not going to mention the numbers. But I will say the trends we are seeing are extremely encouraging for the INDIA alliance,” Shashi Tharoor told ANI.

“This is not in one region of the country but everywhere. We are seeing noticeable enthusiasm for our candidates and a noticeable lack of enthusiasm for the BJP. In many cases, in the BJP’s strongholds, there has been a perceptible drop in turnout. And I will say that though we are not going to come up with numbers, it is becoming increasingly clear to us that the trend is heading in a certain direction,” Tharoor added.

He also expressed confidence that there would be a change in government at the Centre on the day of the counting, June 4.

“And on the fourth of June, there is going to be a change of government in Delhi. The government at the moment, the BJP, has a majority of 303 in the Lok Sabha. It is manifestly clear that they are going to drop a long way below the majority mark. And almost certainly, it will become clear that they are dropping to a point where even their existing alliance will not be enough to help them to get to majority,” he said.

The first five phases of polling were held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.

The next two rounds of voting will be held on May 25 and June 1.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases, in a six-week marathon running from April 19 to June 1.

The counting and results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

Launching a blistering attack on the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Friday that the BJP has been spreading lies about his health, adding that he is perfectly well and has been campaigning for his party for around a month across the state.

Patnaik’s remark came while he was speaking to ANI in Mayurbhanj. “There is a limit to the lies that the Bharatiya Janata Party can tell. As you can see, I am in very good health, and I have been campaigning for around a month all over the state,” Odisha CM told ANI.

Adding to the criticism of the BJP, BJD leader and key campaign strategist VK Pandian called the attacks substandard and urged the BJP to

“I only hope that BJP comes up with innovative ideas instead of talking about something which is non-existent. You are all watching the CM, it is very unfortunate, below the belt. The people of Odisha will not appreciate this kind of demeaning of CM who enjoys such popularity among the people of Odisha. I only suggest letting them come up with something innovative. It is so substandard,” said Pandian

Naveen Patnaik and Pandian’s statements came in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent jibe at the 77-year-old BJD leader.

Shah, on Tuesday, while addressing a poll campaign in Odisha, said that Patanaik should retire due to his advanced age and health issues, promising that the BJP will make a young Odia-speaking ‘bhumiputra’ the CM if people of the state vote BJP into power.

Shah also asserted that the that the Patnaik-led government in Odisha is forcing ‘Babu Shahi and hurting the dignity of the Odia people.

Addressing a public rally in Sambalpur, Shah said, “The BJD government is destroying the state of Odisha. Naveen Babu is forcing ‘Babu Shahi’ on Odisha and hurting the Odia people’s dignity. Naveen Babu is ‘strangulating’ the culture and pride of Odisha.”

He said that Odisha has a lot of mineral wealth and hardworking youth but lacks a hard-working Chief Minister.

“Odisha is a very beautiful place; it has a long coastline, a lot of mineral wealth, and hardworking youth but the only thing missing is a hard-working Chief Minister. For the BJP government, we will give a hard-working young CM,” the Home Minister said.

“Ironically, Odisha is amongst the most prosperous states of Bharat, and it’s here only that those among the poorest reside! Naveen Babu is leaving no stone unturned to loot and destroy this mineral resource-rich Utkal Bhoomi,” he added.

Hitting out at the Odisha government, Shah said, “The BJD government is destroying the culture and tradition of Shri Jagannath temple in the name of tourism. It wants to turn this Shri Kshetra into a commercial centre.”

The Union Home Minister also exuded confidence in winning the Lok Sabha polls. He said after the conclusion of the fifth phase of the polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed 310 seats.

“This time, lotus will bloom in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. After 5 phases, Modi ji has crossed 310 seats. You have to make the lotus blossom here by getting more than 75 seats in the assembly elections,” he said. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

Taking a swipe at the anti-India ecosystem over their ‘negative’ portrayal of India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that just like the ‘Khan Market Gang’ in India, there is also a global extension of it, like the ‘International Khan Market Gang’.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jaishankar said, “In the country today, there is a certain thought process, or entitlement process, which the metaphor of ‘Khan Market Gang’ is a very good description. I want to tell you there is an international Khan Market Gang as well.”

“These are people, who are sort of linked to entitled people out here. They are socially comfortable with them, they know them, they feel like them,” he added.

Further taking a jibe at the anti-India ecosystem, the EAM said, “The sales are down in the domestic Khan Market, the international Khan Market Gang feels like ‘I need to pep up these guys and give them support’.”

On being asked about the Prajwal Revanna case; why the former JD(S) leader’s passport was not impounded and why was he allowed to leave, Jaishankar said that the Ministry of External Affairs got a request from the Karnataka government only on May 21 and MEA has to function only as per the law.

“The MEA got the request from Karnataka only on 21st May…people were saying a lot of things to the press. I don’t know how others, other state governments, function, we at least in MEA function as per the law,” he added.

Regarding the claim of Opposition parties that BJP will be ‘Dakshin mein saaf aur Uttar mein half’ (rout in the South, and half in the North), Jaishankar exuded confidence in the Modi government’s return to power with an even bigger majority.

“For us (BJP), it would be dakshin mein double (twice in South), and for the Opposition, I would say uttar mein even more trouble,” he stated.

He also rebuffed the allegations by Congress and other Opposition parties that the BJP government is “against the Constitution”, highlighting that it was the Congress party under whose rule, around 80 amendments were made to the Constitution.

“Constitution does not provide for faith-based reservation. You are actually implementing and advancing faith-based reservations, and then you are saying I have respect for Constitution…this is against the Constitution….80-odd amendments were done to the Constitution by whom, by the Congress party,” Jaishankar further added.

Catch the entire podcast of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at ANI YouTube channel. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

The scorching heat continues in most parts of Rajasthan, and now even the nights are getting hotter. Due to the heatwave and scorching heat conditions on Friday, it became difficult for people to come out of their homes.

Thursday was the hottest day of this season in Barmer. To provide relief from the heat, water is being sprinkled on the streets and roads.

On Thursday, the maximum temperature in Barmer increased by 0.8 degrees, reaching 48.8 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature decreased by 0.4 degrees, reaching 32.2 degrees Celsius.

On Friday, the maximum temperature reached 48.8 degrees Celsius in Barmer. A red alert was issued in most of the districts of Rajasthan, with temperatures expected to increase by two degrees Celsius from May 25 to 27.

Barmer district collector Nishant Jain said that the leaves of Health, PHED (Public Health and Engineering Department), Discom officials, and administrative officers have been cancelled till further orders.

“In view of the heat, the health department is keeping a vigil on reserve beds and essential medicines. These officers are also going and checking whether all the facilities are available or not,” Jain said.

He added further, “Efforts are being made by the administration to provide relief to the people. My appeal to people would be to go out of the house only if necessary, especially in the afternoon.”

A resident, Ramesh, while speaking with ANI, said, “The temperatures are reaching 46-47 degrees Celsius. It’s becoming very difficult for us. I would urge people to plant trees so that next year, we don’t have to bear such rising temperatures in Barmer.”

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued a heatwave alert. “Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions very likely in many parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, few parts of West Uttar Pradesh and heatwave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha on May 27 and 28, 2024,” IMD said in a post on X. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

The death toll from the boiler blast at a chemical factory in Dombivli has risen to 10, with rescue operations ongoing to retrieve two missing individuals.

Chairman of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Siddhesh Kadam, inspected the site on Friday and said that they are working to complete this rescue operation as soon as possible.

“There have been a total of 10 casualties here, with 2 people missing, so the rescue operation is ongoing. We are working to complete this rescue operation as soon as possible and dealing with the hazardous chemicals,” Kadam said.

Under the directive of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Kadam reviewed the incident and discussed plans to prevent future tragedies.

“I am here at the site today to review this tragic incident under the direction of the Chief Minister. He has given strict instructions to provide all necessary support for the ongoing rescue operations and to prepare a plan to swiftly relocate the hazardous chemical unit from here. After this visit, we will have a meeting with our officers to finalize the plan, which we will then present to the Chief Minister,” Kadam said.

When asked about the opposition’s stand on the incident, he said, “I believe it is not appropriate to engage in politics at this place. If the opposition wants to contribute, they should not always oppose but also assist and support us.”

Earlier in the day, Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, criticized the lack of industrial safety measures in the area.

“There has been no Industrial Safety Department here. If you look at this area, such a factory should not have been here near the residential area and is the biggest crime…A technical person should have been here because a normal worker or labourer cannot handle a reactor. It is wrong to have such expectations from a normal labourer…The management of this factory is responsible for the blast. The Industrial Safety Department has been ignorant towards this. Under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray a meeting was held in this area,” Danve said.

“There are around 450 factories in this area and an order was given to move all the chemical factories from this area…This is not the first accident in this industrial area since 2016 this is the fifth or sixth such accident,” Danve added.

The increase in residential areas around the industrial zone has raised safety concerns.

“This used to be an industrial area, but over the years, the number of residents has increased. To prevent such incidents from recurring in the future, we are planning to either relocate the hazardous chemical unit to a safer place or repurpose the area for something else,” Kadam said.

“This could have been very dangerous. Therefore, the hazardous chemical units in this area must be removed as soon as possible. We have made all the necessary plans, and the final approval will come after the Chief Minister’s approval,” he added, informing about the ongoing planning to remove hazardous chemical unit to some other place.

Meanwhile, Thane Police have registered a case against the company owners of Amudan Chemical Private Limited, Malti Pradeep Mehta, Malay Pradeep Mehta, and other officials under various sections of the IPC, including 304, 324, 326, 285, 286, 427, and 34. The accused are currently absconding, with five police teams formed to apprehend them.

“The accused is absconding after a case was registered against the Mehta family and the owner of the Amudan factory. A total of 5 teams have been formed to arrest the accused and are tracing the accused,” Thane Police said.

According to the Thane Police, inadequate precautions in chemical processing and storage led to the explosion. The blast, which occurred on Thursday at a plant in Phase Two of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, was so powerful that it was heard several kilometers away. Initial reports indicated seven fatalities and 48 injuries, with large reactor pieces scattering up to a kilometer away.

“Proper precautions were not taken regarding the chemical process and the storage of the raw materials and final products, which led to chemical explosions,” Thane Police added.

Efforts continue to manage the aftermath of this event and ensure the safety of the community.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/