#will vote in five of the 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar

[n7india]

Bihar में तीसरे चरण में 54 प्रत्याशियों की सियासी किस्मत का फैसला, दिलचस्प चुनावी लड़ाई के आसार

Patna: लोकसभा चुनाव के तहत बिहार में तीसरे चरण के होने वाले मतदान को लेकर तैयारियां लगभग पूरी कर ली गई है। उम्मीदवार मतदाताओं को अपने पक्ष में करने के लिए अंतिम समय में भी हर मुमकिन कोशिश में लगे हुए हैं। तीसरे चरण में मंगलवार को बिहार की 40 लोकसभा सीटों में से पांच झंझारपुर, अररिया, सुपौल, मधेपुरा और खगड़िया संसदीय क्षेत्रों में मतदाता मतदान करेंगे। इस चरण में मतदाता जदयू के रामप्रीत मंडल,…

[dxbnewsnetwork]

PM Modi Leading in Varanasi by 600 Votes INDIA Alliance Takes Lead in Uttar Pradesh in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

The vote counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections commenced on June 4, encompassing all 543 constituencies. In Gujarat's Surat, the BJP secured a victory uncontested after the Congress candidate's nomination was invalidated, and other contenders withdrew.

In Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims for a third consecutive term. This key constituency, which launched his national political career in 2014, is closely watched as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) vies to retain power against the opposition’s INDIA bloc, defying exit polls.

Stay updated with DXB News Network on WhatsApp for the latest developments.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar confirmed on June 3 that the counting of postal ballots would initiate first at all centers, adhering to the Conduct of Election Rules.

For detailed, real-time updates on each constituency, visit our Election Results page.

Post the final phase of polling on June 1, exit polls suggested a third term for the NDA, predicting a near 360-seat win, while projecting around 150 seats for the INDIA bloc. The opposition, however, dismissed these predictions as unreliable.

June 4, 2024 10:03 PM Modi Leads in Varanasi

According to the Election Commission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads in Varanasi with 619 votes, while Congress's Ajay Rai has garnered 35,805 votes.

June 4, 2024 09:56 West Bengal: TMC and BJP in Tight Race

In West Bengal, a fierce competition ensues between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP as postal ballot counting begins. Reports from ABP Ananda indicate TMC's lead in three seats, with BJP and Congress leading in one each. TV 9 Bangla shows TMC ahead in five, BJP in four, and Congress in one.

June 4, 2024 09:52 Dharmendra Pradhan Leads in Sambalpur, Odisha

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is leading in the Sambalpur constituency. This western Odisha seat is a BJP stronghold, with Pradhan competing against BJD's Pranab Prakash Das.

June 4, 2024 09:47 G. Harish Leads in Andhra Pradesh's Amalapuram

In Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, BJP State President D. Purandeswari leads with 47,696 votes over YSRCP's Guduri Chakradhar, who has 38,712 votes.

June 4, 2024 09:39 INDIA Alliance Leads in Uttar Pradesh

The INDIA alliance leads in 44 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats, while the NDA leads in 36. The Samajwadi Party (SP) alone is ahead in 38 seats.

June 4, 2024 09:36 Market Slump: BSE Sensex Drops 2600 Points

The market sees a significant drop with the BSE Sensex falling 2600 points, erasing gains from the previous day. Adani Group stocks are notably impacted, with Adani Enterprises falling by 9%.

June 4, 2024 09:34 BJP Leads in Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, BJP candidates lead in 12 seats, Congress in 10, with one seat each for CPI(M), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, and Bharat Adivasi Party.

June 4, 2024 09:26 Sensex Down by 2200 Points

The BSE Sensex plummets by 2200 points amidst election results.

June 4, 2024 09:22 PM Modi Trails in Varanasi

June 4, 2024 09:16 Rahul Gandhi Leads in Wayanad, Kerala

Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress leads in Wayanad with a margin of 13,163 votes as of 9:09 a.m.

June 4, 2024 09:10 BJP Leads in Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP leads in 23 out of 29 seats, with Congress leading in Mandla. Omkar Singh Markam of Congress leads against BJP’s Faggan Singh Kulaste in Mandla.

June 4, 2024 09:05 Kiren Rijiju Leads in Arunachal West

In Arunachal Pradesh, BJP’s Kiren Rijiju leads in Arunachal West, while Congress leads in Arunachal East. The state saw a 77.68% voter turnout.

June 4, 2024 09:00 Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti Trailing in J&K

In Jammu & Kashmir, Sajad Lone of People’s Conference leads in Baramulla, and Mian Altaf of National Conference leads in Anantnag, with former CMs Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti trailing.

June 4, 2024 08:46 NDA Leads in Bihar

In Bihar, the NDA leads in 19 of 40 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan leads in 10 seats.

[iakshaysrivastav]

Mamata Banerjee is confident that she will win, then why does the Bhabanipur bypoll matter?

TMC has been affirming a win for Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. Why is there so much interest in the Bhabanipur bypoll? What makes it so exciting? As part of her campaigning, Mamata Banerjee visited temples, mosques, and Gurdwaras in the domestic constituency.

Mamata Bannerjee's home constituency is Bhabanipur. There have been recent reports that the people of Bhabanipur are talking about the days when Mamata Bannerjee grew up there.

The bypoll in Bhabanipur is in the spotlight. Along with Bhabanipur, Shamsher Ganj and Jangipur in the Murshidabad district will also contest the election on September 30.

Campaigning on the field by Mamata Bannerjee

"Ghorer meykey" (woman from the family) was the slogan of TMC's marketing campaign portraying the opposition are 'outsiders'. Bhabanipur will have five women candidates. Priyanka Tiberwal, the BJP candidate, seems to be Mamata Bannerjee’s strongest competitor.

Mamata Banerjee's extreme marketing campaign showcased her being a street-fighter and grassroots leader. It also gave the BJP a reason to assert that Mamata Banerjee is feeling tensed after losing the Nandigram seat despite running a massive campaign.

Keeping an eye on non-Bengali voters

TMC led the 2021 West Bengal campaign on Bangla pride by calling the BJP a foreign party. In Bhabanipur, 40% of voters are non-Bengali.

The TMC leaders have been positive in media interactions about winning votes from Marwaris, Gujaratis, and various non-Bengali ethnic groups in Bhabanipur.

In what's being seen as Mamata Banerjee versus Priyanka Tiberwal contest, the TMC seems assured of twenty percent Muslim voters in Bhabanipur. The BJP, however, banks on non-Bengali Hindu voters (around 32-35 percent) to provide Mamata Banerjee a tricky fight.

The Congress was an ally of Mamata Banerjee's TMC in 2011. The party candidate Deepa Dasmunshi, the wife of Congress politician Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, received 29 percent of the vote.

Priyanka Tiberwal is a lawyer who has initiated litigation in the case of alleged post-election violence in West Bengal. Her nomination was seen by many as a weak candidate for the BJP against Mamata Banerjee.

However, the presence of a large proportion of non-Bengali voters in Bhabanipur make Priyanka Tiberwal a potential dark horse in the voting competition.

The BJP also sent Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari, a popular Bhojpuri singer turned politician, to attract significant numbers of voters from Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

WEATHER FORECAST

Weather can be a wonderful thing in Bhabanipur. Meteorological Department forecast heavy rainfall in Bhabanipur and surrounding areas by midweek due to low-pressure build-up in the Bay of Bengal.

Bhabanipur is not known for its high turnout, which is still around 50%. The Kolkata area experienced heavy rainfall last week, leading to flooding in many places. If the weather turns inclement on polling day and turnout is lower, Bhabanipur could experience a tighter-than-expected election.

[bbcbreakingnews]

A BJP sweep in bypolls, crucial gains in MP secure its govt

BHOPAL/LUCKNOW/AHMEDABAD: The BJP on Tuesday swept the assembly by-elections held last week winning and leading in 40 of 59 seats across 11 states, including Madhya Pradesh where it cemented its rule by bagging 17 seats and was poised to add two more. Overall, the Congress, which had sitting MLAs in more than 40 seats, won 11 seats and was leading in one, while two seats were won by the BJD. One seat each was won by the Samajwadi Party, the JMM and the NDPP, and two by Independents, according to the Election Commission data at around midnight. The BJP bagged 38 seats and was leading in two. India’s ruling party wrested all the eight seats from the Congress in Gujarat, four seats in Manipur and also retained its six constituencies in Uttar Pradesh that went to the polls in the first pan-India electoral exercise in the pandemic. It won two seats in Karnataka and one in Telangana. The BJP’s win in bypolls coincided with its impressive show in the Bihar Assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the BJP victory in the bypolls in MP, UP, Gujarat and Manipur and thanked the voters. He expressed his gratitude to the electorate in Dubbak seat in Telangana, where the TRS was defeated, calling it a “historic win”. Modi said BJP’s victory in Karnataka’s Rajarajeshwarinagar and Sira is special and the results reaffirm people’s faith in the reform agenda of central and state governments. BJP chief J P Nadda and other party leaders too thanked the voters and party workers in these states. Votes were counted for by-elections in Madhya Pradesh (28 seats), UP (seven), Gujarat (eight) Manipur (five seats), Haryana (one), Chhattisgarh (one), Jharkhand (two), Karnataka (two), Nagaland (two), Odisha (two) and Telangana (one). If the by-elections spelt a big win for the BJP, it seemed dismal for the Congress, particularly in Madhya Pradesh where it earlier had sittings MLAs in 27 seats out of 28. The party won eight seats and was leading in one seat in the state. However, it did have a few scattered wins, including in BJP-ruled Haryana where it retained its Baroda seat with its candidate Indu Raj Narwal defeating BJP nominee and Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt. It won one seat each in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The JD(U) was leading in Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha by-election in Bihar. MADHYA PRADESH The BJP government, which needed eight MLAs for a simple majority, won 17 seats and was leading in two out the 28 Assembly seats in MP where bypolls were held. A buoyed Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the outcome proves that voters supported the decision taken by the Congress MLAs to pull down the previous Kamal Nath dispensation. The BJP came to power in March after the collapse of the Congres-led government following a revolt by a section of Congress MLAs led by Jyotiraditya Scindia. The Congress has secured victory on one seat and was leading in eight constituencies. In the 230-member house, the BJP tally has increased to 124 with the win, providing stability to the government. Powered by the “progressive agenda” of the government under Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan and the hardwork of its workers, the BJP has emerged as the “unparalleled choice” of people in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said, adding that the people’s affection for the party is “invaluable”. MP Congress president Kamal Nath accepted the defeat and said the party made efforts to reach out to people. “We accept the mandate. We made every effort to reach out to voters. I also thank all voters who participated in the by-elections,” Nath said in a tweet. Despite the BJP’s gains, state minister Imarti Devi lost the bypolls from the Dabra assembly seat. Imarti Devi was among thee Congress MLAs who had switched from the Congress. Kamal Nath’s ‘item’ jibe at her during campaigning had stoked a controversy. GUJARAT The ruling BJP on Tuesday won all the eight assembly seats in Gujarat where by-elections were held, dealing a blow to the opposition Congress which had bagged these constituencies in 2017. Prime Minister Modi said the bond between the people of Gujarat and the BJP is unbreakable and this affection is again seen in the bypolls victory. The BJP’s tally in the 182-member Assembly has now reached 111. Eight Congress MLAs had resigned before the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat, and five of them, who were given tickets by the BJP, won on Tuesday. They are Pradhyumansinh Jadeja (who won from Abdasa seat), Brjesh Merja (Morbi), Akshay Patel (Karjan), Jitu Chaudhari (Kaprada) and J V Kakadiya (Dhari). On the Limbdi seat in Surendranagar district, former minister Kiritsinh Rana of the BJP, who lost in 2017, defeated Congress’ Chetan Khachar. On the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Dangs seat, BJP candidate Vijay Patel was declared the winner by the EC. The BJP’s Dalit leader and former minister Atmaram Parmar, who had lost in the last election, defeated Mohan Solanki of the Congress on the Gadhada (SC) seat in Botad district. As party workers broke into celebrations and burst firecrackers at its headquarters in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters his party’s performance was a “trailer” for the upcoming elections to local bodies and the 2022 assembly polls. UTTAR PRADESH The BJP, which already has a comfortable majority in the UP Assembly, retained six seats and the SP hung on to its Malhani constituency in the bypolls for seven assembly seats, the 6:1 outcome indicating that the ruling party continued its hold over the populous state. BJP candidate Sangeeta Chauhan won in Naugawan Sadat, Usha Sirohi in Bulandshahr, Prem Pal Dhangar in Tundla, Shrikant Katiyar in Bangarmau, Satya Prakash Mani Tripathi in Deoria and Upendra Nath Paswan in Ghatampur, according to the Election Commission. Samajwadi Party’s Lucky Yadav won Malhani, the seat which was represented by his father Parasnath Yadav, whose death necessitated the by-election. He defeated independent candidate Dhananjay Singh by 4,632 votes. A tough see-saw battle was fought for the Naugawan Sadat seat held earlier by Chetan Chauhan, the former cricketer who was a minister in Yogi Adityanath‘s BJP government. MANIPUR According to Election Commission, the BJP had won four seats and one was bagged by an Independent. The by-elections were necessitated as Congress MLAs quit the party to join the BJP. In Singhat assembly constituency, BJP candidate Ginsuanhau was elected unopposed in October this year. KARNATAKA The ruling BJP won both the seats for which by-elections were held, wresting Sira from the JD(S) and Rajarajeshwari Nagar from the Congress. It created history by recording its first-ever victory in the Sira assembly segment Dr C M Rajesh Gowda winning with a margin of over 12,000 votes. In R R Nagar, N Munirathana emerged winner with a margin of over 58,000 votes against his nearest Congress rival Kusuma. JHARKHAND The JMM-led ruling coalition of Jharkhand retained Dumka and Bermo assembly seats, albeit with reduced margins from the 2019 state polls. JMM candidate Basant Soren, who is the younger brother of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, defeated his nearest BJP rival Lois Marandi, a former minister, by 6,842 votes, in Dumka seat. The winning margin of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha reduced almost by half compared to what it was in last year’s assembly election. In Bermo constituency, Kumar Jayamangal alias Anup Singh of the Congress defeated Yogeshwar Mahto “Batul”, his nearest BJP rival, by a margin of 14,225 votes. ODISHA The state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal won both the Balasore, which was held by the BJP, and Tirtol seats for which by-elections were held. HARYANA In a big win for the Congress, its candidate Indu Raj Narwal defeated the BJP’s candidate, Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, in the Baroda assembly seat in BJP-ruled Haryana. The Congress retained the seat with Narwal winning by over 10,000 votes, said officials. “The victory of Indu Raj Narwal is a win of farmers and labourers. I assure residents of Baroda that the Congress will live up to their expectations,” tweeted Congress leader Kumari Selja. CHHATTISGARH The ruling Congress won the Marwahi Assembly bypoll, necessitated by the death of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) founder Ajit Jogi. Congress candidate Dr K K Dhruw won by 38,197 votes. TELANGANA The BJP wrested the Dubbak Assembly constituency from the ruling TRS in Telangana. BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao defeated his nearest rival Solipeta Sujatha of the ruling TRS by 1,079 votes. Sujata was the wife of sitting TRS MLA Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy whose death in August this year led to the bypolls. NAGALAND The National Democratic Progressive Party bagged the Southern Angami-I seat in Kohima while an Independent candidate won in the Pungro-Kiphire assembly segment in Kiphire district. The votes for the November 3 and 7 by-elections were counted along with the ballots for the Bihar polls and progressed in accordance with Election Commission guidelines restricting the number of people in counting halls, officials said. Extensive measures were taken to ensure social distancing.

The post A BJP sweep in bypolls, crucial gains in MP secure its govt appeared first on BreakingNews.

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2020/11/10/a-bjp-sweep-in-bypolls-crucial-gains-in-mp-secure-its-govt/

[bigyack-com]

Disquiet in BJP after party’s crushing defeat in Delhi poll, but all back nationalism plank - india news

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Manoj Tiwari Wednesday dismissed reports that he offered to step down after the party’s crushing defeat in the Delhi elections in which it won only eight seats.There are voices growing within the party for an “organisational overhaul” in the national capital. The party could improve its 2015 Assembly election tally only by five seats, while losing one seat in the process.Several senior leaders blamed the loss to delay in starting the election campaign, weak organisational setup and the state units “inability” to counter the freebies doled out by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Another big reason for loss, some said, was the move to contest without a chief minister face. The BJP had a high-pitch, hyper local campaign micromanaged by Union home minister Amit Shah, who attended roadshows and public meetings in 60-plus assembly constituencies in two weeks. Close to 200 MPs, sitting and former chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and Union ministers campaigned aggressively in what was considered a prestige battle for the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two rallies and BJP chief JP Nadda campaigned in 70 constituencies.“This (eight seats and 40% vote share) is the best you can get after a 15-day-long campaign,” a senior BJP leader remarked. Another senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “The AAP started its campaign soon after its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. By the time we started, there wasn’t enough time to tell people about our schemes promised in our manifesto.” In what many leaders say should have been the “easiest election” as the party had won all seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi in 2019 for the second time with huge margins, it failed to counter AAP’s “politics of freebies”. “We lost our strongholds due to the water and electricity subsidy and free bus ride (for women). We didn’t counter it properly. In the last six months, we should have exposed the AAP on these issues,” said a former MLA. Another issue many state unit leaders said was “weak organisation”. “All our seniors campaigned. If the state unit is not in order what can they do? There is a need for an overhaul and a strong state leadership in Delhi,” said a senior leader. Tiwari said, “We did our best. Maybe there was a delay in releasing our sankalp patra (manifesto). We will analyse our performance. But we have bettered our performance as we got 40% of the total votes. BJP never got this in the past state polls.”It is not the first time the party has lost an election despite “favourable political scenario”. In 2008, due to infighting, senior leaders say, the party couldn’t take on Sheila Dikshit’s government. In 2013, while Rajya Sabha member Vijay Goel was the Delhi BJP chief, the party had announced Harsh Vardhan, now Union health minister as its chief ministerial candidate. The party was the single largest party, but lost the chance to form the government in Delhi by a whisker. The party suffered a humiliating defeat in 2015 despite coming to power at the Centre in 2014 due to “infighting” and “poor decision in ticket distribution”. Many now question the decision to bank on Purvanchalis, a term used to refer to people from eastern UP and Bihar. The BJP had made Tiwari its state chief in 2016 hoping to garner the support of the community, considered to be AAP’s support base. For the first time, the BJP fielded 11 Purvanchali candidates. “We didn’t get their support and partially lost our base among Baniyas and Punjabis too. We lost the entire rural belt,” said a senior leader. But Tiwari disagrees. “We got the support of the community," he said. “Of the eight seats we won, six are from my constituency and the neighbouring constituency which has the highest percentage of Purvanchalis.”Despite the difference of opinion, all BJP leaders were united on the decision to run a high-octane campaign on “nationalism” by raising the abrogation of Article 370, Ram temple, triple talaq and Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “The increased vote share is due to the focus on nationalism,” said a senior leader. Tanvir Aeijaz, associate professor in the department of political science at Ramjas College, said, “The BJP has not understood the evolving character of Delhi with the influx of migrants in the last few years. People associate them with identity politics and AAP presented an alternative model and addressed their issues. There was an AAP wave this time, too. Had BJP countered on livelihood issues, they would have got more seats.” Read the full article

[swedna]

Exit poll results 2019 The seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019 has concluded, bringing the curtains on the world's largest democratic exercise, which went on for over five weeks. Today, most exit polls forecast a majority for the ruling BJP-led NDA in Lok Sabha polls with varying numbers as the seven-phase polling in the general elections ended Sunday.

Two exit polls telecast by Times Now gave the NDA 296 and 306 seats, while they projected 126 and 132 for the Congress-led UPA. The CVoter-Republic exit poll has forecast 287 and 128 seats for the NDA and UPA respectively.

However, Neta-News X predicted that the National Democratic Alliance could fall short of the majority and win 242 seats. It gave the UPA 164 seats. Elections to 542 seats of the Lok Sabha ended Sunday. The majority mark is 272. The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on May 23. An exit poll on News 18 forecast that the NDA will win 292-312 seats while it gave 62-72 seats for the UPA. Many exit polls predicted that SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh is likely to trump the BJP in the country's politically most crucial state. The BJP had won 71 and its ally Apna Dal two of its 80 seats in 2014.

What are exit polls?

An election exit poll is a poll among voters conducted immediately after they leave their polling stations. It is conducted by a number of organisations and is considered an indicator to which party might form the next government.

Track LIVE updates on Lok Sabha election 2019 exit poll results CATCH ALL THE LIVE UPDATES Auto Refresh 09:23 PM Modi wave intact even after five years? Most exit polls project majority for BJP-led NDA

09:19 PM Exit poll result 2019: Today's Chanakya predicts 350 seats for NDA

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya All India Lok Sabha Tally 2019 BJP 300 ± 14 Seats NDA 350 ± 14 Seats Cong 55 ± 9 Seats UPA 95 ± 9 Seats Others 97 ± 11 Seats#News24TodaysChanakya

671 9:17 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 539 people are talking about this 09:15 PM Modi wave intact even after five years? Most exit polls project majority for BJP-led NDA

08:53 PM Exit poll result 2019: Northeast states Lok Sabha Election 2019 In the other Northeast states, the NDA is expected to win the majority, cornering 17-19 of them, with the Congress emerging victorious from four to six constituencies. 08:49 PM Exit poll result 2019: Punjab Lok Sabha Election 2019

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Punjab LS Seat Projection BJP+ 6 ± 3 Seats Congress 6 ± 3 Seats AAP 1 ± 1 Seats Others 0 ± 1 Seats#News24TodaysChanakya

501 8:46 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 258 people are talking about this 08:48 PM Exit poll result 2019: Assam Lok Sabha Election 2019 In Assam, the National Democratic Alliance is expected to win eight to 10 seats, with the Asom Gana Parishad and the Congress restricted to single digits, according to the News18-IPSOS exit poll. 08:47 PM Exit poll result 2019: Odisha Lok Sabha election winner prediction

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Odisha LS Seat Projection BJD 7 ± 3 Seats BJP 14 ± 3 Seats Congress NIL Others NIL#News24TodaysChanakya

734 8:43 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 366 people are talking about this 08:46 PM Exit poll result 2019: West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2019 In West Bengal, according to the News18-IPSOS survey, the Trinamool Congress is predicted to win 36-38 seats while the BJP will win three to five seats. The Congress is expected to win only one seat. 08:43 PM Exit poll result in Kerala: Congress-led UDF alliance in the lead, show poll of polls

08:41 PM Here’s what the poll of polls predicts for Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan

08:37 PM Every single exit poll can’t be wrong: Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah ✔ @OmarAbdullah Every single exit poll can’t be wrong! Time to switch off the TV, log out of social media & wait to see if the world is still spinning on its axis on the 23rd.

6,322 7:07 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 2,814 people are talking about this 08:36 PM Exit poll results 2019: Jharkhand Lok Sabha seat projection

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Jharkhand LS Seat Projection BJP+ 10 ± 3 Seats Congress+ 4 ± 3 Seats Others NIL#News24TodaysChanakya

524 8:31 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 270 people are talking about this 08:33 PM Exit poll results 2019: Bihar Lok Sabha seat projection

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Bihar LS Seat Projection BJP+ 32 ± 4 Seats Congress+ 8 ± 4 Seats Others 0 ± 1 Seats#News24TodaysChanakya

581 8:29 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 322 people are talking about this 08:32 PM

Chowkidar Prakash Javadekar ✔ @PrakashJavdekar Today from 5 pm onwards #ExitPoll will start predictions but #ExactPoll on 23rd May will give us the actual results. @narendramodi ji will come back with more seats than in 2014.@AmitShah @BJP4India @BJP4Rajasthan @BJP4Maharashtra #ExitPoll2019 #Election2019Results

545 4:29 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 97 people are talking about this 08:22 PM As per ABP Nielsen survey, of the total 25 seats in the Northeast, BJP+ may win 13 parliamentary seats; while Congress and others may bag six each.

08:18 PM News18-IPSOS exit poll (final tally): The survey has predicted that the BJP will cross the half-way mark on its own NDA: 336 UPA: 82 Others: 124 The survey has predicted that the BJP will cross the half-way mark on its own. 08:17 PM NDA winning 40 out of 40 in Bihar? Seriously? Now it is becoming far too farcical, says Sanjay Jha

Sanjay Jha ✔ @JhaSanjay #NDA winning 40 out of 40 in Bihar? Seriously? Now it is becoming far too farcical. #ExitPolls

631 8:13 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 309 people are talking about this 08:12 PM Lok Sabha exit polls: It's advantage TMC in Bengal, but BJP gaining seats In West Bengal, it seems to be advantage Mamata Banerjee in Lok Sabha elections 2019, with her Trinamool Congress again winning the largest chunk of the state’s 42 seats, according to exit poll predictions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, is projected to improve its position from last time. If the exit polls are anything to go by, the Left parties could be wiped out in the state this time. The India News-Polstar exit poll has projected 26 seats for the TMC, 2 for the Congress, 14 for the BJP, and none for the Left. The Times Now-VMR exit poll has projected 28 seats for the TMC, 2 for the Congress, 11 for the BJP, and 1 for the Left. Read on... 08:10 PM Exit poll results 2019 by News 18

08:06 PM

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Maharashtra LS Seat Projection BJP+ 38 ± 5 Seats Congress+ 10 ± 5 Seats Others NIL#News24TodaysChanakya

823 8:04 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 425 people are talking about this 08:03 PM Ridiculous exit poll, almost laughable, says Sanjay Jha

Sanjay Jha ✔ @JhaSanjay The silent voter will be king on May 23 rd 2019. The “ fear factor “ playing havoc with respondents to pollsters in an ugly polarized election.

Ridiculous #ExitPolls , almost laughable.

UPA > NDA when the “ real counting “ happens.

767 7:47 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 483 people are talking about this 08:00 PM Exit poll result 2019: News18-IPSOS on Tamil Nadu UPA (DMK+): 22-24 NDA (AIADMK+): 14-16 Here's the breakdown: AIADMK: 8-10 BJP: 1-2 PMK: 2-4 DMDK: 1-2 DMK: 12-14 Congress: 3-5 MDMK: 0-1 VCK: 1-2 CPM: 1-2 CPI: 0-1 IUML: 0-1 07:59 PM VDP Associates predict a win for NDA The agency suggests that Narendra Modi led BJP will win 281 seats. NDA will win 333 seats. Congress is projected to win 64 seats and UPA partners are likely to win 51 seats. Others to win 94 seats. 07:58 PM BJP likely to win 19-22 seats in West Bengal, says India Today-Axis exit poll result 2019 07:53 PM I don’t trust exit poll gossip, says Mamata Banerjee I don’t trust Exit Poll gossip. The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip. I appeal to all Opposition parties to be united, strong and bold. We will fight this battle together, said Mamata Banerjee.

07:46 PM Exit poll result: Telangana Lok Sabha Election 2019

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Telangana LS Seat Projection BJP 1 ± 1 Seats TRS 14 ± 2 Seats Congress 1 ± 1 Seats Others 1 ± 1 Seats#News24TodaysChanakya

626 7:19 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 374 people are talking about this 07:41 PM Lok Sabha elections 2019: How reliable are exit polls? While exit polls should be seen as an indicator, their veracity can only be judged by their proximity to the actual results. In recent times, there have been several instances of exit polls predicting results that have been very far from the ac tual verdict. For example, in 2004, the exit polls wrongly predicted BJP-led NDA coalition winning again. In 2009, again, Congress-led UPA's seat share was underestimated. In 2014, too, the actual seat tally of of the BJP-led NDA came to be much bigger than those predicted by the exit polls. 07:39 PM Exit poll result 2019: News18-IPSOS says NDA may lead in second phase seats In the second phase of Lok Sabha polling, in which 95 seats went to polls, the NDA may get 50 to 54 seats in its kitty. The UPA lags behind with 31 to 35 seats in the second phase. 07:32 PM

Today's Chanakya ✔ @TodaysChanakya #TCPoll Himachal LS Seat Projection BJP 4 ± 1 Seats Congress 0 ± 1 Seats Others NIL#News24TodaysChanakya

1,058 7:27 PM - May 19, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 456 people are talking about this 07:22 PM Today's Chanakya Exit poll result 2019: Delhi Lok Sabha seat projection BJP 7 + 2 Seats Congress 0 + 1 Seat Others NIL AAP: 0 + 1 seats

[u4u-voice]

Notification for first phase of Lok Sabha polls issued

NEW DELHI: Notification for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was issued on Monday, setting in motion the high-voltage electoral battle where the BJP seeks to return to power amid opposition’s efforts to present a united fight to unseat it. Polling would be held in 91 parliamentary constituencies spread across 20 states on April 11 under the first of the seven-phase general elections. The Election Commission Monday issued a notification signed by President Ram Nath Kovind for the first phase of the election. With the issuance of the notification, the nomination process has begun which would continue till March 25. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on March 26 and the last days of withdrawing nominations is March 28. By the evening of March 28, a clear picture on the number of candidates in each of the 91 constituencies will emerge. All parliamentary constituencies in 10 states and Union Territories will go for polling in the first phase. These include, Andhra Pradesh (25 seats), Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya (two seats each), Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep (one seat each), Telangana (17 seats) and Uttarakhand (five seats). Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal will see polling in all the seven phases. In the first phase, eight west UP constituencies, two in West Bengal and four in Bihar will go for polls. UP has 80 seats, while West Bengal and Bihar have 42 and 40 Lok Sabha seats respectively. The Jammu and Baramulla seats in Jammu and Kashmir will also go for polling in the first phase. The election will pit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance against mostly different opposition groupings in various states, including of Congress, the Left and regional forces who are continuing to work out a grand alliance to minimise a division of votes against the saffron party. The BJP has worked out a seat-sharing formula with some new allies and several old partners, by even making concessions in states such as Bihar. However, opposition parties are yet to do so in several states. While the NDA hopes to make history by coming back to power for a second full term, the Opposition wants to unseat the Modi dispensation by raising questions on its performance on a host of issues, including economic growth, unemployment, corruption and social harmony. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had led the NDA to back-to-back wins in 1998 and 1999 general elections but he was at the helm for only one full term. The BJP, which lost three state polls last year, believes its Lok Sabha campaign is back on track following decisions such as 10 per cent quota for the general category poor, money transfer to farmers and a populist budget. What has injected further confidence into the NDA fold is the fronting of the nationalist plank in the poll campaign after the Indian Air Force’s strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Modi has launched an aggressive campaign accusing the opposition of coming together for the sole purpose of removing him from power, when he is working to “remove poverty, corruption and terrorism”. He had led the NDA to a sweeping victory in 2014 as it won 336 seats, reducing then incumbent Congress to its lowest total of 44 seats. (AGENCIES) Read the full article

[todaybharatnews]

via Today Bharat Campaigning for Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls ended on Saturday, with the BJP confident of retaining power in both states where it continued to play the nationalism card and accused the Opposition of failing to honour its promise to abrogate Article 370. Along with these two states, bypolls will be held in 64 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats mdash; Samastipur in Bihar and Satara in Maharashtra. It also repeatedly accused the Congress of ldquo;destroying the countryrdquo; with wrong policies and strategy. Despite sluggish economic indicators and high rate of unemployment, the Opposition partiesrsquo; campaign strategy failed to corner the BJP over these critical issue. In both the states, the Opposition camp remains divided, a repeat of the Lok Sabha elections. While abrogation of the contentious Article 370, implementation of the National Register for Citizens and attack on Pakistan were some of the high points in the BJPrsquo;s leadersrsquo; campaign, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congressrsquo; campaign lacked enthusiasm. Voting for Maharashtrarsquo;s 288 Assembly seats and Haryanarsquo;s 90 Assembly seats will be held on October 21 and the results will be declared on October 24. While Modi addressed more than 16 rallies in both the states, Congress working president Sonia Gandhi did not campaign. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held seven public meetings in both the states. Maharashtrarsquo;s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed around 40 rallies, while Haryanarsquo;s Manohar Lal Khattar addressed more than 30 rallies in their respective states. While almost the entire BJP leadership, including party president Amit Shah and many Union ministers and senior leaders, addressed a number of public rallies in both states, the Congress leadership was busy resolving factionalism. In Maharashtra, where the BJP has strengthened its position in state politics as well as within the state alliance since 2014, the saffron partyrsquo;s manifetso promised five crore jobs in the next five years and houses for all by 2022. It also promised Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar, and social activists and social reformers Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule, that garnered the Opposition camprsquo;s attention. In Haryana, where the BJP formed its first government in 2014 and gave the Jat-dominated state its first non-Jat Chief Minister, its poll document emphasised on farmers, irrigation, MSP for crops and tested seeds of high-yielding variety, among other sops.

[headlines-twentyfour]

What is the top issue dominating the minds of voters this critical election season? Multiple surveys have thrown up a unanimous answer— jobs, or more precisely, the lack of them. Surveys by Pew Research, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Times Now have revealed unemployment as the top issue. The ADR survey, which queried 2.7 lakh people, said employment is the top priority for voters, and they ranked the incumbent government’s performance in this area at an abysmal 2.15 on a scale of 5 — a forgettable performance appraisal. Key opposition party Congress says it will make unemployment the rallying issue in its campaign. There are good reasons why the jobs crisis is getting so much attention. India is reeling under perhaps its worst ever job crisis. According to a leaked official report (denied by the government), India’s unemployment rate stood at a 45-year high at 6.1%, with youth being the most affected. In the world’s youngest and second most populous nation, unemployment is understandably an emotive issue. With a workforce of more than 450 million people, close to 10 million new workers enter the labour market annually. The jobs situation is a reflection of the economy. GDP growth has slowed down. Investment cycle hasn’t picked up. Amid sub-optimal capacity utilisation, fresh investment, especially in the private sector, has been of concern. Foreign direct investment, household savings and farm income have all shown worrying trends. Worse, some of the most labour-intensive sectors led by real estate are going through a rough patch. Post demonetisation and the GST roll-out, the MSME sector is facing multiple challenges. Manufacturing jobs fell in absolute terms from 58.9 million in 2011-12 to 48.3 million in 2015-16. Multiple sectors — from IT services, airlines to telecom — are going through a structural shift or consolidation. Understandably, this election, political parties are laying thrust on the job crisis, trying to put the Modi government on the mat. In the 2014 general elections, he promised to create two crore jobs annually if voted to power. The government has failed to deliver. Yet, when it comes to votes, jobs may not be the biggest rallying factor. Voting is a complex decision in India with caste, class, community, religion, political alliances and sops, etc. being important variables. Also, voters are aware that creating millions of jobs isn’t going to be easy for any party. Rising global trade barriers, automation and intensifying farm-to-non-farm transition make things difficult. A bigger problem is the demand-supply mismatch and India’s employability crisis where graduates are poorly skilled. Demographic dividend turning into a demographic curse has been a constant worry. So, will jobs be top of mind when the Indian voter steps into the voting booth this summer? ET Magazine reporters travelled to trade and industry hubs across the country to find out.Constituency Gautam Buddha Nagar, UP Jobs a Concern, But Will Vote ModiIt’s 10 am on Sunday and the so-called Labour Chowk in Noida’s Sector 49 is abuzz with activity. A few hundred daily wage labourers anxiously await their day’s business. The corner stall serving hot chhole bhature is doing brisk business. Men — young and old — rush to every car that stops by, hoping to land a job for the day. 68648661 “It has become worse. Unemployment has risen. We have become poorer,” says Priyanshu Tiwari, 22, a jobless graduate who has been soliciting work here since 2017. He says the number of workers has multiplied — from around 200 then to now more than 500. Women, a rarity earlier, now have a visible presence. Tiwari, like many others here, barely manages to get hired for 10 days a month, at a daily wage Rs 400. “There are no jobs in Noida’s factories,” he says.As a job seeker, Tiwari is disappointed with the Modi government. “He promised us jobs but did not deliver,” he says. But as a voter, Tiwari has no doubts: “I will vote for Modiji. I like him. He is good for India.” Noida, the economic engine for the politically important Uttar Pradesh, has been a hub for migrant workers. It has seen its voter count grow from 12.14 lakh in 2014 to 14.9 lakh in January 2019. Of them, 1.2 lakh are first-time voters. Meanwhile, Amity University bustles with youthful energy. With 25,000 students, the mood here seems more upbeat. Campus placement has been average. A noticeable trend is that startups are showing up in large numbers. About 30% of MBA students have opted to become entrepreneurs. 68648676 “Five years back, nobody here talked of startups,” says Kritika Das Gupta, who heads the placement cell. Understandably, colleges and universities have become important battleground for parties. Last Sunday, a day before ET Magazine visited Amity, BJP leader and union minister Sushma Swaraj addressed industrialists on campus. The next day, a news channel hosted a show with leaders from all major political parties and students in the audience. Gunendra Singh, 22, says he is impressed with the way the Modi government has pushed the Startup India campaign. His batchmate Aditya Narula, 21, is happy with MSME loan schemes like Mudra. Many ofhis friends, who have launched startups, have managed to get funding. 68648690 “I too applied but didn’t get it. Still, their mentoring helped me,” he says. Now, instead of launching his startup, he has opted to take up a job. Prateeksha Tyagi, a 23-year-old MBA student, is happy with the way the Meerut expressway was built. Manya Khanna, 23, from Chhattisgarh, has landed a job with Hyundai Motor and says she is happy with what the BJP government did in her home state. Her batchmate Shubham Sagar says Modi has delivered in dramatically changing his hometown Varanasi. His support isn’t blind. “Of course, there are ifs and buts. I don’t like the communal overtones or the cow move,” says Sagar. However, of the 40-odd students this reporter met, at least 15 did not have a voter card. 68648697 Co-working hub 91 SpringBoard in Sector 1, Noida, echoes the mood. It houses 190 startups with 800 members. Nikhil Mishra, 27, a serial entrepreneur, says: “Except for the PSUs, the government has little role to play in jobs. I firmly believe that there is a long curve and a short curve game. The Modi government has had just five years. We need to give them more time,” he says. Startup employee Eesha Kapoor, 25, says she is not 100% satisfied but she is sure Modiji has worked hard. “Tell me what is the alternative. There is none,” she says. Over two days, this reporter met close to 100 voters, young and old, educated and illiterate, employed and unemployed. Undoubtedly, job is a critical issue. But the job crisis hasn’t dented Modi’s appeal. Everyone has their own reasons —a decisive and muscular government, its grand ambitions, the infrastructure push, brand India, its attempts to formalise the economy, the TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor, and so on. How will the job crisis affect votes? Voters don’t seem to see a correlation between the two.Constituency -- Surat, Gujarat Back in BusinessBy Shantanu Nandan Sharma 68648781 Rutvik Vaghasiya is a second-generation textile entrepreneur in Surat. The 23-year-old, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is convinced that he can now expand the mill set up by his father, Nitin Bhai, a decade ago. The demand for textiles, Vaghasiya insists, would now pick up, as Surat — the second largest city in Gujarat, after Ahmedabad — is limping back to action. The city, which is a major hub of textiles and diamond processing, faced severe job loss after the double whammy of demonetisation in 2016 and the implementation of GST in 2017. While the diamond industry — with about 6,000 units sustaining 12 lakh people — shrank, it was the loss of jobs in the textiles sector that shook the city. About 300,000 employees, many from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, became jobless when 70,000 looms out of 700,000 were sold in scrap markets after GST, according to data being prepared by the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association. 68648814 About 60,000 embroidery designers in the city, many of whom hail from the Saurashtra region, also lost their jobs, the data reveals. So, what could be the political fallout of job loss, as Surat goes to polls on April 23? Vaghasiya says job loss won’t matter much: “The majority of people will continue to vote for peace and stability. Surat is one of the safest cities in the country. We don’t want to experiment with something new and bring in potential disruptions to our businesses.” At least a dozen people ET Magazine spoke to echo the sentiment: job loss is a reality, but voters won’t experiment. However, a few among auto drivers and small vendors say they were hit the hardest and election will be an opportunity to vent their anger. 68648830 In the 2017 state poll, 15 of 16 assembly seats in Surat city went in favour of the ruling BJP even when demonetisation, GST and the reservation agitation of Patidars were urgent issues. In the entire state, the ruling party did not fare that well, clinching just 99 seats in an assembly of 182, with the opposition Congress sweeping the Saurashtra region — the home of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. In Surat, the original dwellers — the Surtis, as they are called — comprise less than 10% of the city’s population today. About 60% of a population of 44.6 lakh people (according to Census 2011) have come in from other states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Many of them are now staunch supporters of the BJP. 68648845 A prominent BJP leader from the city, CR Patil, for instance, is a Maharashtrian. He won the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from Navasari constituency with a huge margin of 5.58 lakh votes. The city of Surat is spread across three Lok Sabha constituencies: Surat, Navasari and Bardoli. When asked about a possible dent in his vote bank because of job losses, Patil says: “Surat has not witnessed any job loss. If one mill shut, another cropped up. Anyway, this Lok Sabha poll is not about Surat, but about the nation. People are not voting for me this time. They are voting for a strong prime minister.” In the city, the BJP has shifted the political narrative from jobs to the air raids on terror camps in Pakistan, thereby packaging PM Narendra Modi as a decisive leader. In Surat — which runs on trade and entrepreneurship, not government jobs — the issue of joblessness has receded to the background. When ET Magazine asked five undergraduate students in Surat’s Veer Narmad South Gujarat University on whether they were concerned about the unemployment numbers, they all said, “No.” They were all from well-to-do families of chartered accountants, designers and diamond traders. “I chose interior design as my subject because I love creativity and I don’t need to look for a job. As an interior designer, I can be on my own,” says Saumya Khandelwal, a student. Jobs is not a poll issue for many in a city where “josh” is in running their own businesses.Constituency Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu Loyalties Intact Amid Job WorriesBy Indulekha Aravind 68649388 For some, Sriperumbudur is where memories of good times lie buried. The manufacturing hub located 60 kilometres from Chennai was where Nokia and Foxconn had set up manufacturing units in 2005, employing some 9,000 permanent workers at one point. When an embattled Nokia sold its assets to Microsoft in 2013, the Sriperumbudur plant was left out because of legal complexities surrounding multiple tax demands amounting to thousands of crores. The plant was shut down in 2014 and the Foxconn unit, its major supplier, in 2015. 68649393 “I was a permanent employee at Foxconn for eight years. When I left, I was earning Rs 18,000. Now I’m earning Rs 12,000 as a driver on contract,” says I Jayakumar, while shooting the breeze at a tea shop in the SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu) industrial complex in Sriperumbudur before his work starts. No political party, he says, can remedy this. Sriperumbudur and Oragadam are part of the auto manufacturing belt outside Chennai, where auto and two-wheeler companies such as Hyundai, Renault Nissan, Royal Enfield and Yamaha have plants, along with a slew of units supplying parts. M Vijayabaskar, professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, says this region, considered part of Greater Chennai, forms one of the most important hubs in Tamil Nadu in terms of job creation, along with Coimbatore. According to the Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy, Tamil Nadu’s unemployment rate was 1.4% in February 2019, considerably lower than the 7.2% nationally. Workers here say jobs are “100%” an important issue. They bring up the lack of job security, low salaries and the inability to find jobs commensurate with educational qualifications. Diploma- and degree-holders in engineering, who work in low-skill jobs, for instance, are dime-a-dozen. Like Vinod N, rushing to make it to his 3 pm shift as a machine technician in an auto major. “Note the point: I am a BE in mechanical engineering. But I am earning Rs 14,000 a month in my current job,” he says. Or Nandini S, who has a diploma in electrical engineering but is working in the quality department of a cable manufacturer, earning Rs 12,000 a month. “We have to work 8-hour shifts, standing,” says the 21-year-old, taking shelter from the fierce midday sun while waiting to hail a shared cab to work. 68649402 Others rue companies’ preference for contract labour from outside the state and trainees replaced every two years, to quell worker unrest. In the past one year, employees of Royal Enfield, Yamaha and Hyundai have gone on strike for better wages. Yet, when they enter the polling booth next month, none of this will matter. 68649408 S Chandrashekhar, for instance, says he has always voted for the AIADMK though former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s death has left him unsure about who he will vote for this time. He says he cleared the railway recruitment exams but could not join because he was unable to afford the bribe he was asked to pay. Praveen N, a 21-year-old trainee at a motorcycle manufacturer who says none of his batchmates from the ITI (industrial training institute) he attended have found jobs, will be casting his debut vote for the DMK, the party his family votes for. Rahul Kumar, waiting in queue to enter a manufacturing plant in Oragadam where he has been a trainee for two years, intends to return to his hometown in Patna to cast his vote for Modi because the last five years, in his view, have been very good. “No party can be successful in job creation,” he says. Quite a few locals voice support for former minister TR Baalu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Sriperumbudur who won the seat in 2009, before he shifted to Thanjavur in the last Lok Sabha elections. He will be contesting against NDA candidate A Vaithilingam from the Pattali Makkal Katchi. And while Tamil Nadu is considered a tough nut to crack for the BJP, which has just one Lok Sabha MP in the state, Modi finds a few backers. “Educated people support Modi,” says Suresh K, a supervisor at a twowheeler plant. But there is a general air of resignation when discussing parties, promises and how the state will vote next month. The cynical consensus— people will vote for the candidate who pays them the most.Constituency -- Agra, UPReeling from Job LossesBy Prerna Katiyar 68649447 At Heeng ki Mandi, the hub of Agra’s famous footwear market, one is greeted by the sight of lockedup stores and piles of unsold stock. Traders claim half the shops and factories have shut down. “Business has halved; half of the shoe-making factories have shut down,” laments Gagan Das Ramani, president of the Agra Shoe Federation. The man who has spent a good part of his life spearheading the leather industry here has seen better days. 68649486 The shoe industry that dates back to the Mughal era caters to an estimated 65% of country’s footwear demand and 25% of shoe exports, according industry estimates. With leather shoes available for around Rs 500, Agra footwear is seen as great value for money. Since they are handmade unlike the machine-made ones of Delhi or Ballabhgarh, they also offer more designs. Till Partition, the footwear here was made by Dalit families and traded by Muslims. After Partition, Sindhis and Punjabis came into the trade. Business was booming. Annual sales were to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore until about two years back, according to the federation. With cow vigilantism, demonetisation and GST, the footwear business has nearly come to a standstill. “I know of craftsmen who have left shoemaking and picked up menial jobs like driving e-rickshaws for livelihood,” says Ramani. Original GST slab for footwear was 5% for shoes up to Rs 500 and 18% for pricier ones. Subsequently, the rate was cut to 12% for footwear costing more than Rs 500. “Under the VAT (value added tax) regime, there was no tax on it. Additionally, the imposition of 28% GST on raw material has been a double whammy. Thousands associated with the industry are now jobless,” says Harsh Vanjani, a member of the Agra Shoe Federation. Vaibhav Mishra, 21, had a dream of getting a “stable” government job like many others. A 2016 science graduate from Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University he applied for a couple of jobs immediately after college but to no avail. He now works in the accounts department of Kripa Karan Shoe at Dayalbagh and is also preparing for the Staff Selection Commission exams. “I don’t blame anyone else. It is strange — the number of vacancies have risen yet the youth is not getting adequate jobs. Irrespective of local candidate, I’ll vote for Modi. He is the youth’s first choice.” Agra produces nearly 200 million pairs of shoes annually in an industry that employs a quarter of the city’s population, according to Fair Labour Association (FLA), an organisation that promotes workers’ rights. “The shoe industry was once the lifeline of the city; today the industry is on life support,” says Narendra Pushnani, an Agra-based shoe exporter. Aved Khan, 37, has been a marble craftsman in the Gokulpura area. Today, he has left his skilled job and is looking for any work that pays him enough to feed his family. Traders claim imposition of 18% GST has hit the industry hard. “The trade has turned unattractive. I’m not the only one who was forced to leave the business. Earlier, there were close to 70,000 craftsmen; now there are just 15,000. I will vote for the mahagatbandhan candidate,” says Khan. Sunil Kumar Verma, president of Agra Handicrafts Association, points to wider political ramifications. “It’s mostly Muslims who work as marble craftsmen. 2014 was different. This time, most of the minorities will not vote for the BJP.” The BJP has replaced MP Ram Shankar Katheria with UP minister SP Singh Baghel. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance has fielded Manoj Kumar Soni. Making the fight triangular will be Congress candidate and former IRS officer Preeta Harit.Constituency -- Pune, MaharashtraFence SittersBy Suman Layak 68649528 Pune offers a variety of employment opportunities, and job prospects often sit side by side with hopelessness. Political opinion is likewise divided. Between 17-year-old Alisha Pathan (pictured above), an apprentice at Tata Motors Skill Development Centre, and 34-year-old Harpreet Saluja, an out-of-job techie who drives for Uber, there is hope and desperation. Alisha and her colleague Prithviraj Ghadge at Tata Motors are still not eligible for vote but they feel prospects have improved in five years, especially for women. Just as there are voices of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, there is dissent too. Aspiring beautician Komal Korda is learning the tricks of the trade at Aundh Lighthouse, a centre started by the Pune Municipal Corporation and Pune City Connect, a non-profit with corporate backing. Korda is joining duty at a beauty parlour on April 1 for a stipend of Rs 3,000 a month and hopes to set up her own shop in a year. She was a BJP supporter but now feels that on creating jobs, the government has not kept its word. So she will vote for change. 68649564 “Many of my friends were selected for government jobs after ads were published and exams were conducted but they are yet to get appointment letters.” And there are others like Saluja, who are circumspect. A member of the Forum for IT Employees, a union of IT/BPO staffers, he is fighting a case against his former employer in the labour court. He wants a change in legislation and says he will vote for the party that can protect his ilk. Contrast this with Gaurav Sisodia, a 27-year-old engineer who switched to an IT biggie from a mid-sized tech company last year after teaching himself Java through free resources. “I will go with the development agenda and vote for the BJP candidate.” Pune is an education hub and attracts students from across India and the job scene here is seeing a transition. Instead of hiring permanent staffers, the manufacturing units are opting for contractual and outsourced models.Jobs have become diverse, but permanent employment is decreasing. Suruchi Wagh, cofounder of Jombay, a B2B human resource startup, says the onus is on employees to upgrade their skill sets, especially if they are in the IT/BPO sector. “Permanent employment, as we understand it, is going down. But livelihood options are on the way up….And this has nothing to do with politics,” says Pradeep Bhargava, president of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. Pune’s youngsters, who have understood the transition, are adapting quickly. Yet, politically, many are undecided. Atul Bhandare, a 21-year-old from Bopali, who has passed Class 10, did a bakery course at Aundh Lighthouse and landed a job as a baker at Café Peter. In his spare time, he also works as an electrician’s assistant. Bhandare’s family members are traditional voters of the Nationalist Congress Party but he says he will wait before deciding which party to vote for. Rohan Gaikwad, a commerce graduate who found a job at a BPO unit, says his sympathies are with the BJP but he is yet to decide which party to back. “Parties just want our votes.” It may be worth the wait. While the BJP has replaced incumbent MP Anil Shiroke with Girish Bapat as its candidate, the Congress is yet to name his challenger.Constituency -- Ludhiana, PunjabSkill Gap Hurts Job ProspectsBy Ishani Duttagupta 68649674 It is not just the top manufacturing hub in Punjab but also a centre for small industries in India. So it is not surprising that business leaders in Ludhiana are more concerned about finding skilled people rather than raising the red flag on unemployment. Punjab’s Ghar Ghar Rozgaar & Karobaar mission, launched in November last year, was aimed at addressing the skill gap in small and medium enterprises. Pradeep Kumar Agrawal, deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, is not willing to comment specifically on the impact of the mission on the upcoming elections since the Election Commission’s model code of conduct is in place. “However, industries here have been struggling to find people with the right skills. And now, the district bureau of employment and enterprises is trying to connect jobseekers with employers through a new website, counselling sessions as well as job fairs,” he adds. 68649694 Many business leaders say the state government has just made a start and a lot remains to be done on the jobs front. “Most companies here are facing high attrition rate and are looking for the right people for various kinds of jobs, even as youth in the villages and small towns around here face unemployment. We are evenwilling to partner with the government to train people,” says Upkar Singh Ahuja, president of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking and president of auto parts manufacturing group, New Swan Enterprises. Jaskaran Singh is one of the lucky ones who got employed recently. The 20-year-old was among the 15,000 who applied for a job at a fair held in Ludhiana in February. He landed a job with Ludhiana’s City Bus Service, earning about Rs 10,000 a month. “I was helping out at our family farm after I finished Class 12 but I was constantly looking for a job also. Getting this job was a big break for me. I feel that positive steps like job fairs will play an important role in helping young people in deciding which party to vote for,” he says. Women make up a significant number of the labour force in the factories across Ludhiana, and they are likely to play a significant role in deciding who will represent their constituency in Parliament. “I have a permanent job in a good company where women can work without any fear,” says Jyoti Sharma, 35, who earns around Rs 10,000 per month, working the wheel assembly line at Avon Cycles, Ludhiana’s second largest bicycle manufacturer. But the softspoken single mother of two children is aware that her income is not enough. “As a single mother who must think of the future of her children, I will be closely watching which political party addresses the issues of employment and wages.” The Vardhman group, one of the largest manufacturing companies in Ludhiana, employs 10,500 people in Punjab, including 3,700 women. “We employ many women in our factories and address the issue of their welfare in a big way, including running four hostels for them,” says DL Sharma, director, Vardhman Textiles. But to deepen the pool of talent available to employers in Ludhiana, he says the central and state governments need to take more meaningful steps. Elections are more than a month and a half away and none of the political parties have declared their candidates for this constituency. No matter who contests the polls in this bicycles and knitwear hub, jobs and employability will certainly be important issues.Constituencies: Bangalore Central & Bangalore North, Karnataka Choke CollarBy Rahul Sachitanand 68649727 Bellandur and Peenya, once sleepy backwaters of Bengaluru, provide contrasting views of the city, which is known as an employment magnet. Bellandur, in southeast Bengaluru, is a throbbing hub of large technology and startup offices and campuses. Peenya, in the northwest, is a grungy industrial suburb with thousands of small manufacturers crammed into a warren of roads. Factories often operate out of cramped facilities here, a far cry from the glass and chrome buildings of Bellandur. Those working in Bellandur grumble about choked roads. During peak time, a vehicle might take an hour to cover 5 km. Cab aggregator drivers shudder when they get a trip to this area. A lake next door, foaming over with industrial effluent, keeps this borough in the news. Nevertheless, places like Bellandur, Whitefield and Electronic City house sought-after offices for technology coders. A significant chunk of voters here are young people or are first or second timers. The major contestants in the locality in Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency are incumbent MP PC Mohan (BJP) and Rizwan Arshad (Congress). Actor Prakash Raj is also contesting this seat as an independent. 68649741 From his office building in Bellandur, Arpit Bhatt, 32, an engineer with a multinational networking and security firm, is keenly watching the election drama. He has felt the pangs of unemployment, albeit in the US. When he graduated from his master’s programme in 2009, the financial meltdown was in full flow. Barely 30% of his classmates bagged internships. He could not. “I want to vote for candidates who have a vision for key issues such as jobs and job creation and have the capabilities to execute it.” Lok Sabha polls candidates should provide a broader framework for the country’s progress rather than promise to solve Bengaluru’s local issues, says the engineer. The city — once a magnet for technical and blue-collar workers thanks to staterun firms such as ITI, HAL, BEL and BEML — saw a spurt in jobs from an assortment of sectors. Bengaluru was a favoured destination for technology behemoths, too. But technology outsourcing’s sheen as a pre-eminent employer has now dulled. Rapidly changing technology needs and tightening immigration norms have slowed job and salary growth. This has also affected indirect employment in this IT hub. Some 34 km to the northwest, Peenya houses several industries based here for decades. There are some 6,000 small enterprises crammed into a warren of roads in the industrial area, employing as many as 800,000 people, according to Peenya Industries Association. Companies in this cluster generate over Rs 12,000 crore in revenue, it says. Despite the change in work-scape, the primary issue is the same. Over the past couple of years, jobs in this primarily cash-driven industrial hub dried up due to demonetisation and GST. “Peenya continues to be a hub of employment for south India,” says Giri MM, president of Peenya Industries Association. “We business owners require at least 100,000 people for our factories.” But Giri wants actual employability, rather than empty job generation boasts. “We hire poorly trained technical talent and invest our resources to train them.” The primary contestants from the locality in Bangalore North constituency are the BJP’s DV Sadananda Gowda and the Congress’ Krishna Byre Gowda. Two streets away from the cool offices of Peenya Industries Association, M Rajanna, 50, a blue-collar worker in a small steel fabrication unit, says the job generation claims made by ruling party politicians are bunkum. Dressed in dark-blue oil-soaked overalls, he takes a moment to wipe his brow with a rag. “These are all empty promises that politicians have made over time and this party (BJP) is no different. We tend to ignore these claims and vote for the candidate that at least promises the most changes to where we live and work.” He rushes away to grab a quick lunch before resuming work. Several small-scale units here have been operating on a knife edge after demonetisation and GST. If business dives, employment dries up. Rajanna and people like him are taking it one day at a time. from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2TPE4aY

[whittlebaggett8]

Why shouldn’t Modi get credit for Balakot strike, asks Rajnath

Ahmedabad: Union House Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday requested if previous prime minister Indira Gandhi can be credited for liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan, why should not Prime Minister Narendra Modi be credited for the Balakot air strike.

Singh was addressing a rally listed here in assist of BJP president Amit Shah, who submitted his nomination from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency afterwards in the working day.

“It was the bravery of our forces that they divided Pakistan into two pieces. Just one remained Pakistan, although Bangladesh was formed (out of the other),” he said.

“After the war, our leader A B Vajpayee praised Indira Gandhi in Parliament. She was also praised all above the region,” Singh additional.

Referring to the Pulwama attack, the household minister reported, “When our 40-42 CRPF troopers missing their life in a fidayeen assault, Modiji gave a cost-free hand to our forces.”

“If Indira Gandhi can get the credit history of dividing Pakistan in 1971, why should not Modiji get the credit rating for what he has done in Balakot,” Rajnath asked.

“If our key minister has proven this sort of strong willpower to avenge the terror assault on our CRPF jawans, then I would like to inquire you why our prime minister should really not be praised?” he questioned.

Singh hit out at the Congress for not carrying out related retaliatory motion following the 26/11 Mumbai assault in 2008.

“The Congress was in electric power when 26/11 assault took position in Mumbai. And they (Congress-led UPA) could do almost nothing in opposition to Pakistan. When political ability and military could go hand in hand, then I can guarantee you that no energy in the entire world can challenge the might of our navy,” he reported.

He asked the people to “punish” Congress president Rahul Gandhi for earning allegations of corruption towards the prime minister.

“Who will deny the fact that India’s respectability in worldwide fraternity has grown. We all settle for the truth of the matter that India’s management is in powerful hands. But the irony is that the leader of our opposition social gathering and Congress countrywide president abuses our key minister. I charm to the men and women via this party to punish that political celebration which abuses our PM,” he stated.

“You have noticed before governments. In the past 5 years, no a person can dare say there is a blemish of corruption on PM Modi or any of his ministers,” the house minister claimed.

Taking on the Congress’ “chowkidar chor hai” jibe, Singh mentioned, “Congress countrywide president Rahul Gandhi states ‘chowkidar chor hai’.The chowkidar is not a chor, he is pure, his re-election as PM is certain, and for all the country’s troubles, he is the heal.”

He claimed beneath Modi, the region was now the sixth premier economic climate in the entire world and would occupy fifth position in the fiscal starting April 1.

“Who will deny the reality that India’s respectability in the international fraternity has grown. We all take the truth of the matter that India’s leadership is in sturdy fingers,” he explained.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari, talking at the same party, claimed regardless of what occurred in the very last five years under PM Modi’s management “did not come about in 50 years”.

“Amitbhai gets the credit rating of earning the BJP the world’s most significant celebration. The NDA will unquestionably acquire in this election, and I am particular our federal government will appear back again less than Modiji’s management,” Gadkari explained.

“People comprehend that our authorities has not discriminated versus everyone on the basis of caste, faith, creed or language,” he reported.

Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and previous Punjab main minister Parkash Singh Badal showered praise on Shah, saying he is the country’s “biggest organiser, campaigner”.

“Amit Shah ji was the main campaigner and organiser in the 2014 election when Modi was elected. If there is anyone other than Modiji who gets credit score for the governing administration acquiring shaped, then it is Amit Shah,” Badal claimed.

“Modi ji produced the region very pleased by using the selection to carry out (aerial, surgical) strikes to crush militancy. This happened devoid of any jawan having harmed. This decisive mother nature belongs to Modi saheb’s,” Badal claimed.

“We pray to god that Modi saheb results in being the country’s key minister all over again by a enormous vast majority, and Amit Shahji also contributes to it,” he explained.

Union minister and Lok Jantantrik Get together head Ram Vilas Paswan claimed he will be pleased if Shah breaks all the past records by winning with the maximum vote margin.

“I grew to become MLA in 1979, MP in 1977, profitable from Hajipur (in Bihar) with the greatest margin. I will be happy if you crack all past data,” he claimed.

Paswan reported Modi’s statements of a “Congress-mukt” place was coming accurate as the opposition get together was nowhere to be observed.

“Gathbandhan has turn out to be lathbandhan as its constituents are combating versus each individual other. I can say with self esteem that the NDA and the BJP will get extra seats in 2019 than what they obtained in 2014,” he claimed.

“When the push asked me a few a long time ago, I had explained there is no vacancy for the key minister’s put up in 2019. They should prepare for 2024, and we will see them then,” Paswan stressed.

He claimed that the NDA govt was with the bad, and cited the memorials it had designed for Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.   PTI

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[bbcbreakingnews]

Blog: Cong should appoint a non-Gandhi president

I had just finished a TV debate when within minutes, the same channel flashed my immediate suspension from the Congress party in gigantic fonts. Momentarily, I was stunned by the abruptness of it all; the Congress had a month earlier similarly dumped me as the national spokesperson with a cold brusque one-line dispatch. Clearly, I was committing perfidious acts that were deemed blasphemous by my Grand Old Party. If writing two op-eds in The Times of India (March 3 and June 7, 2020) that raised red flags on serious fault-lines within the party is an act of treachery, I am guilty of intransigence. If advocating a measured response to the cross-border military tensions with China is deemed as apostasy, I must apologise. If supporting the case of Sachin Pilot for Rajasthan CM makes me a BJP accessory, I humbly crave forgiveness. Honestly, Congress appears thin-skinned, intolerant of dissenting voices giving contrarian views, and demonstrating raging impatience with those having political ambitions. It legitimately accuses BJP of illiberal democracy, but encourages a similar imperious culture within. The luminous hypocrisy is showing. But most importantly, the Congress is suffering from delusions of grandeur and that could prove perilous if there is no immediate course correction. There are five factors that signal a blockbuster washout.

1. DECLINING VOTE SHARE The Congress traditionally aggregated average vote-share of 45%, which peaked at 48.1% in 1984 (a black swan election because Mrs Indira Gandhi was assassinated just a few months earlier). Since then, there has been a precipitous decline. Just a decade later in 1998, the Congress had slumped to 25.8%,  nearly 50%  of its supporters had vaporised. Clearly, few paid heed. The UPA years saw a minor bump to 28.5% in 2009 (Dr Manmohan Singh’s middle-class romance flourished briefly), before the catastrophic fall in 2014 to 19.52%, a fall of 59.5% from 1984. Worryingly, a strategy to arrest the fall is non-existent.

2. LOST STATES The Congress has virtually surrendered political space in key large states of India. It has not formed governments in the following states for decades: Uttar Pradesh (1989), Bihar (1990), West Bengal (1977), Tamil Nadu (1967),  Gujarat (1985) and Odisha (2000 ). These states add up to 247 Lok Sabha seats. The once formidable bastion of Andhra Pradesh of 40 seats can be added to the casualty list. We should not forget that it was after 15 years that Congress recaptured Madhya Pradesh (since magnanimously gifted back to the BJP) and Chhattisgarh. Who is accountable for the sustained underperformance and near extinction of the party in vote-rich states? The BJP often sarcastically dismisses the Congress as a “super regional party”.

3. NUMBER OF VOTERS STATIC This statistic is probably the knock-out punch. Between 2004 (10.3 crore voters) to 2019 ( 11.9 crore voters), the Congress added a miserable incremental growth of 15% to its voter base. During the corresponding period, the BJP grew from 8.6 crore to 22.9 crore voters, a staggering 166% increase in new voters. This shows how the Congress lost the youth vote, one of the reasons behind its electoral losses of late.

4. POST-2019 SURRENDER Following the devastating defeat of 2019, the Congress withdrew into a cocoon, allowing the BJP to get back into Karnataka (which just a year earlier had seen the Grand Alliance photo-op). But it was the political naivete in Madhya Pradesh that took the cake and the bakery, besides the defection of a huge political asset in Jyotiraditya Scindia. Gujarat, which in December 2017 was being hailed as the bearding of the lions (Narendra Modi and Amit Shah)  in their own den, has since haemorrhaged as well.  Rajasthan is the final nail in the coffin, a cavalier misadventure by the political leadership that has backfired. The Congress PhD thesis should be titled: Self-Destruction Assured in 10 Easy Steps!

5. LEADERSHIP VACUUM Any organisation needs a continuous churn across hierarchies to remain fit. In the last 20 years, the Congress has had just two presidents and there have been no elections to the powerful Congress Working Committee since 1997. Since May 2019, it does not have a permanent president. Organisational atrophy is inevitable. The state of the party in Mumbai (the Congress was born here in 1885) reflects the shocking apathy towards India’s investment capital, industrial hub and entertainment industry; three significant constituencies in the political calculus. The ossified manner of working with a high-command taking decisions from a Delhi darbar is obsolete. A cunning cabal runs the party. It can still be a serious competitor in 2024 but it does not have a moment to lose. It needs to take a bold call to signal its political intent; appoint a non-Gandhi Congress president and announce transparent internal elections. Perhaps after reading this article the party may decide to expel me altogether. But then everything has an end, only the sausage has two.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author’s own.

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[swedna]

Five states — Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana — would go to the polls between the second week of November and the first week of December, the Election Commission announced on Saturday. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.

The Assembly elections will be a precursor to the Lok Sabha polls of 2019, and an indicator of the political temperature, at least in the Hindi belt, which is crucial for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Amit Shah-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has been the ruling party since 2003. Rajasthan, however, had never elected an incumbent government since 1993.

In Telangana, the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti government had recommended early dissolution of the Assembly. Mizoram is one of three states, along with Punjab and Karnataka, where the Congress is still in power.

The elections come against the backdrop of farmers’ protests in the three northern states, and a demand by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that the Narendra Modi government bring in an Ordinance for early construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

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The Congress, the principal opposition party in the three north Indian states, suffered a setback with the Bahujan Samaj Party deciding against an alliance in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Telangana, the Congress has struck an alliance with the Telugu Desam Party and the Communist Party of India.

Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases on November 12 for 18 seats and November 20 for the rest 72 seats. In 2013, the vote difference between the BJP and Congress was less than 1 per cent. In Madhya Pradesh (230 seats) and Mizoram, elections are to be held on November 28. In Rajasthan and Telangana, elections are on December 7.