Election Commission Archives - Page 3 of 6 - Lokmarg

Ram Chandra Paudel Elected New Nepal Prez

By LokMarg 9th March 2023

Ram Chandra Paudel has been elected as the new Nepal president.

Paudel secured 33 thousand 8 hundred and 2 electoral votes while his rival Subash Chandra Nembwang secured 15 thousand 5 hundred and 18 electoral votes, according to Nepal’s Election Commission.
Further, according to Nepal’s Election Commission, 313 members of the federal parliament took part in the voting while 518 members from the Province assemblies also participated in the electoral process to pick the next president.

The voting took place at Nepal’s Parliament building in New Baneshwar, Kathmandu. The Election Commission in the Himalayan nation had set up two separate polling stations for federal parliamentarians and the Province Assembly members at the Hall.

The Office of the Election Officer confirmed that the result of the presidential elections will be announced at 7 pm (NST).

Lawmakers from all provinces have arrived in Kathmandu for the election. A total of 884 members make up the Electoral College, including 275 members of the House of Representatives, 59 of the National Assembly and 550 of the seven provincial assemblies.

There will thus be a total weightage of 52,786 votes in the Electoral College if no seat in the federal parliament and provincial assembly is vacant. A candidate must secure most of the votes to secure the top post. The weightage of one vote of the federal parliament lawmaker is 79 and that of a Province Assembly member is 48.

In the Presidential election, senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Paudel is supported by eight parties while Subash Chandra Nembang, the sole candidate from CPN-UML, is expected to be supported by independent lawmakers.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) had not supported or proposed any candidate for president. Both Paudel and Nembang had later met RPP chairman Rajendra Lingden and other office-bearers at RPP’s office and sought their votes in the election. However, RPP had decided to abstain from voting on the eve of the presidential election.

Most of the central working committee members had opined at a five-hour-long meeting on Wednesday that the party should not participate in the presidential election as it stays rooted in its core agenda, which favours the restoration of monarchy.

RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha confirmed that the central working committee has decided to stay neutral in the presidential election.

“It has been unanimously decided to not participate and stay neutral in the presidential election,” Shrestha said. (ANI)

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Meghalaya, Nagaland CMs To Take Oath Today; PM To Attend Events

Nagaland Poll: CM Rio Wins Angami-II Seat

By LokMarg 2nd March 2023

Nagaland Chief Minister and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party candidate Neiphiu Rio on Thursday won the Northern Angami-II Assembly constituency, trouncing Seyievilie Sachu of the Congress by a mammoth margin of 15,824 votes.

He bagged a total of 17,045 votes, which comes to 92.87 per cent of the total votes polled in the seat.
The ruling alliance of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 17 seats in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, as per the latest counting trends shared by the Election Commission (EC) at 2.45 pm on Thursday.

According to the latest counting trends, the BJP and NDPP bagged six and 11 seats respectively.

The Republic Party of India (Athawale), which was leading in two seats — Noksen and Tuensang Sadar-II in initial rounds of counting — won both the constituencies.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which contested 15 Assembly constituencies this year, also managed to open its account in the state.

The National People’s Party and Nationalist Congress Party also won two seats each.

Independent candidates Neisatuo Mero and Kevipodi Sophie won the Pfutsero and Southern Angami-I seats respectively.

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Yanthungo Patton, meanwhile, exuded confidence that the ruling NDPP-BJP alliance was on course to return to power in the state with a thumping majority.

Speaking to ANI after the early trends amid the ongoing counting of votes put the ruling alliance in a commanding lead over rival players, Patton said, “As per the latest trends, our NDPP-BJP alliance is comfortably ahead and we are on course to return to power with a thumping majority under the leadership of our CM, Nephiu Rio.” (ANI)

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Tripura Polls: BJP Leads By 26 Seats, CPIM-Cong Alliance In 18, Tipra Motha 13 In Latest Trends

By LokMarg 2nd March 2023

The ruling BJP was leading in 26 seats, the CPI(M) in 12, Congress 6, and Tipra Motha Party in 11 seats, as per the latest trends in the ongoing counting of votes for the Tripura Assembly on Thursday.

According to the latest data shared by the Election Commission at 10.45 am, Congress candidate from Agartala, Sudip Roy Barman, was leading BJP’s Papia Dutta by 3,668 votes.
Tripura BJP president and the party’s candidate from Banamalipur constituency, Rajiv Bhattacharjee, was trailing Congress’ Gopal Chandra Roy.

Chief Minister Manik Saha was leading Congress’s Asish Kumar Saha by 337 votes.

Independent candidate Kartush R Marak was leading in the Baghmara constituency against BJP’s Brigady Napak Marak, by 904 votes.

Exit poll projections for Tripura, where the BJP created history in 2018 by wresting the state from the Left, put the rival parties ahead of its rivals.

The poll panel made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process. A three-tier security arrangement has been made with the required the deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Tripura State Rifle (TRS) and Tripura Police. Sufficient security arrangements are there besides round-the-clock patrolling by 30 vehicles in which CRPF officers would be there.

“Counting of votes will take place at 21 counting centres. The EC has deployed 60 election observers. All counting staff have been trained. Security arrangements and CCTV coverage have been arranged outside and inside counting centres,” Kiran Gitte, Tripura’s Chief Electoral Officer said earlier.

Gitte said Section 144 has been imposed at certain locations in light of apprehensions over law and order.

The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP.

While the BJP which is looking to retain the power contested in alliance with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Tipra Motha which is being seen as a kingmaker in case of a hung assembly scenario, emerged as an influential regional party floated by the royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma in 2021.

In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 30 and the exit polls predicted a clear edge for the BJP over its rivals in the state.

The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.

The Left contested on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

BJP won 36 seats in the assembly and got 43.59 per cent of the votes in the 2018 election. The CPI (M) won 16 seats with a 42.22 per cent vote share. The IPFT won eight seats and Congress could not open its account.

The CPI-M-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power. (ANI)

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Nagaland Goes To Poll On Monday: Here Are Keys Issues

By LokMarg 26th February 2023

As Nagaland goes to Assembly polls on Monday, there are various issues which have been in the spotlight for years, including the demand for a separate state.

The election campaign for the Assembly polls ended on February 25. The polling will begin at 7 am on Monday and will go on till 4 pm amid tight security. Several issues pertain to the state that might affect the voting on Monday.

The Janajati Dharma-Sanksriti Suraksha Mancha’s (JDSSM) Assam chapter have put forward a demand to delist from the Scheduled Tribes those who have converted to other faiths, making it an election issue in poll-bound Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Notably, both states go to Assembly elections on the same day.

The ruling BJP and its ally NDPP have been accused of maintaining silence on the issue, while the BJP opposed the demand.

Earlier, the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) had called for the boycott of the polls until its demands are met by the Centre. The ENPO had demanded a separate state — ‘Frontier Nagaland’ comprising six districts of eastern Nagaland — Tuensang, Mon, Shamator, Kiphire, Noklak and Longleng.

The demand had raised concerns over the uninterrupted and smooth conduct of Assembly polls in nearly 20 constituencies.

However, following an assurance by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 2 that an agreement will be signed with the ENPO after the elections, the Naga tribal organisation withdrew its call for a poll boycott.

A forum of MLAs representing the 20 constituencies, named Eastern Nagaland Legislators Union, had rejected the boycott call by the ENPO and announced that they will contest the elections.

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland(IM) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG), which is a large firm of seven rebel groups, on January 14 jointly declared their commitment to resolve the rights of the Nagas based on the agreements signed with the central government.

Notably, there was a ‘Framework of Agreement’ signed between NSCN(IM) and the Centre in 2015 to resolve the “Naga political issue”. While in 2017, Naga National Political Groups had signed an ‘Agreed Position’ with the government, the Centre had said that it would sign a single peace accord with all the rebel groups.

During the election campaign, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with “cheating” the people of Nagaland, claiming that the government failed to resolve the Naga political issue and also questioned its omission from the party’s election manifesto.

In March 2022, Amit Shah announced to remove Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from several districts of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

In October last year, the Centre decided to extend AFSPA in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland for another six months.

“Nine districts and 16 police stations in four districts of Nagaland were being declared as ‘disturbed areas’ after a review of the law and order situation in the state,” the Home Ministry had said in a notification.

Notably, AFSPA has been in force in the whole of Nagaland since 1995.

Corruption has emerged to be another big issue in Nagaland ahead of the state polls.

While the Nagaland Congress vowed to end corruption if voted to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his election campaign, accused the Congress of using the Northeast as its ATM, neglecting the development of the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the previous Congress governments saying that they considered all states in the Northeast as ATMs, adding that the entire region is now “punishing” the grand old party for its “sins”.

“I can sense huge support for the BJP and NDPP. I see so support for the BJP-NDPP government in Nagaland. This is because we are working tirelessly to bring development to the Northeast. The Congress and its partners have been following the policy of taking votes, while not doing anything for the welfare of the people. Congress leaders in Delhi have a habit of not looking at Nagaland. Congress and its allies never gave importance to stability and prosperity of the state. There was always political instability during the Congress rule,” PM Modi said while addressing a poll rally here.

“Congress always ruled the Nagaland government through remote control from Delhi. From Delhi to Dimapur, Congress indulged in dynasty politics. The entire northeast along with Nagaland is punishing Congress for its sins,” he added.

The voting for the Assembly elections in Nagaland will take place on Monday, and the counting of votes will be held on March 2 along with those of Tripura and Meghalaya. (ANI)

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SC Refuses To Stay EC Decision On SS Name, Symbol

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay the Election Commission’s order to allot the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol to the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying, “we can’t stay an order at this stage”.

The SC clarified that the Uddhav Thackeray camp can pursue other remedies of law if any action is taken which is not based on the EC order.
The top court listed the matter after two weeks.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal insisted on SC granting interim relief and said that they are taking office after office and urged the court to pass a status quo order.

Supreme Court asked rival camp Eknath Shinde to file a reply to the petition.

On Tuesday, Kapil Sibal urged the Supreme Court to hear the plea on Wednesday, submitting that if the EC decision is not contested and challenged, the rival faction will take over everything, including the party’s bank accounts, among other things.

CJI Chandrachud said, “It will not disrupt the Constitution Bench hearing because three judges are waiting for them.” He added that he would finish the Constitution Bench hearing on the Maharashtra political crisis and take it up the plea contesting the EC’s ruling on the Sena symbol thereafter on Wednesday.

The court said that it will read the matter first.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena moved the Supreme Court challenging the EC’s move to allot the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol to the rival faction led by CM Shinde.

Uddhav, in his plea filed on Monday, said that ECI failed to consider that his faction enjoys the majority in the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha.

Uddhav Thackeray in the plea, also submitted that the legislative majority alone, in this case, could not be the basis for passing of the order by EC.

Challenging the EC decision, Uddhav Thackeray said the poll panel was erroneous in its decision and said that, “the entire edifice of the impugned order (EC’s decision) is based upon the purported legislative majority of the Respondent (Shinde) which is an issue to be determined by the top court in the Constitution Bench”.

“The ECI has failed to consider that the Petitioner enjoys a majority in the Legislative Council (12 out of 12) and Rajya Sabha (3 out of 3). It is submitted that in a case of this kind where there is a conflict even in the legislative majority i.e., Lok Sabha on the one hand and Rajya Sabha on the other as well as Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, more particularly, having regard to the fact that there is a possibility of the alleged members losing their right of membership, the legislative majority alone is not a safe guide to determine as to who holds the majority for the purposes of adjudicating a petition of the Symbols Order,” the plea said. (ANI)

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Delhi Likely To Get Its New Mayor Today

By LokMarg 22nd February 2023

After three failed attempts by the municipal body to hold the election to the top post, Delhi Mayoral elections will be held on Wednesday in which the city is expected to get its new Mayor following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.

The polling will take place at 11 am after the Supreme Court stepped in and ruled that the election to the Mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi shall be conducted first. The court also said that the aldermen (nominated persons) would have no right to vote.
The last three attempts to elect the Mayor failed due to the political bickering between the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party. The civic centre met for the first time on January 6, second on January 24 and last on February 6.

Aam Aadmi Party, which won the MCD polls, with 134 seats has fielded Shelly Oberoi for the mayor’s post while Rekha Gupta, a three-term councillor from Shalimar Bagh, is the BJP’s nominee.

In the last meeting, Presiding officer Satya Sharma of the BJP administered oath to the aldermen, the members nominated by Lt Governor Vinai Saxena before administering the oath to the elected councillors.

A plea was thereafter filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi LG’s decision to permit the nominated members to vote, after which the top court on February 8 issued a notice to the LG.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also had sent a proposal to the LG to conduct elections on February 22 which was approved on February 18.

As per the order issued by the Lieutenant Governor, elections for the mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee will be held on February 22.

“As recommended by Chief Minister, GNCTD, I approve the proposal to convene the adjourned first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 11 am for the election of Mayor, Dy. Mayor and six members to the Standing Committee,” the order said earlier.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also directed the concerned authority to issue notice for the election of mayor.

According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Municipal House has to meet within a month after the conclusion of the civic polls and elect the mayor. However, the election has been stalled thrice over the dispute over the voting rights of nominated members.

The House was stalled thrice due to ruckus following differences between AAP and BJP members.

The municipal elections in Delhi were held on December 4 and the results were announced on December 7. Aam Aadmi Party won 134 seats out of 250. (ANI)

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Tripura Records 69.96% Voter Turnout Till 3PM

By LokMarg 16th February 2023

A 69.96 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in the ongoing polling in Tripura for 60 Assembly seats, the Election Commission (EC) informed on Thursday.

The voter turnout recorded by the state stood at over 51.35 per cent at 1 pm, 32.06 per cent at 11am, and 13.69 per cent at 9 am.
The fate of the 259 candidates will be sealed in the ongoing polls for 60 Assembly seats.

The polls this year will see a triangular contest, with the Congress-CPM fighting in alliance and the Trinamool Congress also fielding candidates in several seats. The Tipra Motha, an alliance of regional outfits, is the dark horse in the ongoing election and could emerge as the kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly.

The BJP has declared candidates for 55 assembly seats, leaving the remaining five seats for its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Left-Congress alliance declared candidates for all 60 seats.

According to Election Commission, there are over 28.14 lakh registered voters this year of which 14,15,233 are men, 13,99,289 are women and 62 belong to the third gender.

Polling is underway in a total of 3,337 polling stations.

Adequate security arrangements have been made for the polls, with 97 all-women police stations. As many as 94,815 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years while 6,21,505 belong in 22-29 age group. The highest number of voters is in the 40-59 age group, at 9,81,089.

A total of 259 candidates across parties are fray for the ongoing Assembly polls.

Tripura is the first state to go to the polls this year while polling for Nagaland and Meghalaya assemblies will be held on February 27.

Five more states will go to polls this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. (ANI)

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Tripura Records 32.06% Voter Turnout Till 11 am: EC

By LokMarg 16th February 2023

Tripura witnessed a voter turnout of over 32.06 per cent till 11 am in the ongoing polling for 60 Assembly seats, the Election Commission (EC) informed on Thursday.

The state recorded a 13.69 per cent voter turnout till 9 am.
Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm.

According to the latest data shared by the Election Commission, Dhalai recorded the highest at 33.92 per cent, Gomati saw 30.57 per cent, Khowai at 30.88 per cent, North Tripura was logged at 29.48 per cent, Sepahijala at 31.72 per cent, South Tripura saw 33.61 per cent, Unakoti saw 31.85 per cent and West Tripura at 33.18 per cent.

The fate of the 259 candidates will be sealed in the ongoing polls for 60 Assembly seats.

The BJP has declared candidates for 55 assembly seats, leaving the remaining five seats for its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Left-Congress alliance declared candidates for all 60 seats.

According to Election Commission, there are over 28.14 lakh registered voters this year of which 14,15,233 are men, 13,99,289 are women and 62 belong to the third gender.

Polling is underway in a total of 3,337 polling stations.

A total of 259 candidates across parties are fray for the ongoing Assembly polls.

Tripura is the first state to go to the polls this year while polling for Nagaland and Meghalaya assemblies will be held on February 27.

Five more states will go to polls this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. (ANI)

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Tripura Records 13.69% Voter Turnout Till 9 am: EC

By LokMarg 16th February 2023

Tripura recorded 13.69 per cent voter turnout till 9 am in the ongoing polling for 60 Assembly seats, the Election Commission (EC) informed on Thursday.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm.
According to the latest data shared by the Election Commission, West Tripura saw 14.56 per cent voting till 9 am, while Dhalai logged 13.62 per cent, Gomati 12.99 per cent, Khowai 13.08 per cent, North Tripura 12.79 per cent, Sepahijala 13.61 per cent, Unakoti 13.34 per cent and South Tripura 14.34 per cent.

Chief Minister Manik Shah is the BJP candidate from West Tripura’s Town Borodowali.

The fate of the 259 candidates will be sealed in the ongoing polls for 60 Assembly seats.

The BJP has declared candidates for 55 assembly seats, leaving the remaining five seats for its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Left-Congress alliance declared candidates for all 60 seats.

According to Election Commission, there are over 28.14 lakh registered voters this year of which 14,15,233 are men, 13,99,289 are women and 62 belong to the third gender.

Polling is underway in a total of 3,337 polling stations.

A total of 259 candidates across parties are fray for the ongoing Assembly polls.

Tripura is the first state to go to the polls this year while polling for Nagaland and Meghalaya assemblies will be held on February 27.

Five more states will go to polls this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. (ANI)

Jairam Ramesh Calls Modi ‘Prachar Mantri’

By LokMarg 8th December 2022

As the Indian National Congress (INC) registered a victory in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election, veteran leader of the party Jairam Ramesh took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the party failed to retain the government in the state despite the PM Narendra Modi’s high voltage campaign.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP national President who hails from the hill state, Ramesh said that Congress managed to win the elections even after the PM’s high voltage campaign in the home state of the BJP President JP Nadda.
He also called the PM a “Prachar Mantri”.

“The Himachal Pradesh result is a definite morale booster for the Congress. The PM (Prachar Mantri)’s high voltage campaign in the home state of the BJP President failed significantly. The pledges made to the people of Himachal by the Congress will be fulfilled,” Jairam Ramesh wrote in his tweet on Thursday.

While the BJP bagged 25 seats in Himachal, the Congress party is tipped to win 40 of the 68 Assembly seats, keeping the alternative government tradition.

In Himachal Pradesh, Independent candidates won three seats while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to open its account in the state. The others in the fray, including Independents, combined to garner a further 10.4 percent vote share in the hill state.

The Congress, which had not projected a chief ministerial candidate for the hill state, has planned to hold a meeting of its victorious MLAs in Chandigarh, amid fears of ‘poaching’ by the BJP.

Jairam Ramesh, while commenting on the result of the Gujarat Assembly election, called it a “disappointing” result and added that only Congress was the “only alternative” in Gujarat.

“The result in Gujarat is disappointing. Congress was up against- a 3 party alliance of BJP, AAP, and MIM -the campaign of provocative polarisation –machinery of state and Centre,” Ramesh said adding that the vote shares for the Congress in Gujarat is for rebuilding and revival for the party.

The BJP today registered a phenomenal victory in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

The Congress was seen as putting up a token campaign in Gujarat, where it won 77 seats in 2017.

According to the latest information from the Election Commission, BJP is poised to win 156 seats in the 182-member Gujarat assembly having already won 142 seats and leading on 14 seats. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made its entry into the state assembly having won five seats. The party has increased its vote percentage to 12.82 percent in an indication of its growing presence in the state. (ANI)