Evening News 2100 -

THE HEADLINES:-

Polling concludes for seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha Elections with over 59 per cent voters exercising their franchise.
Counting of votes for assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to be taken up tomorrow.
Both BJP and I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders express confidence of getting majority in Lok Sabha polls.
At least 20 people feared killed in a boat tragedy in Afghanistan.
in sports, India’s D.P Manu clinches gold in Javelin throw at Taiwan athletics open.

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Polling for the General Elections to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh concluded this evening. In the Seventh and last phase of General Elections polling was held in 57 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over 7 states and one Union Territory, beside 42 seats of Odisha assembly. Polling was held for 13 seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and one Parliamentary Constituency in Chandigarh.

Starting from 19 April, in the past 43 days, people across 542 constituencies out of 543 voted to elect their representatives to the 18th Lok Sabha. In Surat, the BJP candidate was elected unopposed.

According to the Election Commission, overall 59 per cent voter turnout was recorded in today’s polling.

The State wise polling percentage is:

West Bengal nearly 70 per cent
Jharkhand, nearly 69 per cent
Himachal Pradesh, over 67 per cent
Odisha and Chandigarh nearly 63 per cent
Punjab and Uttar Pradesh nearly 56 per cent
Bihar, over 49 per cent

A total of 904 candidates were in the fray in this phase. Prominent among them are: Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi, party leaders Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Kangana Ranaut, Congress leader Manish Tiwari and Vikramaditya Singh, RJD leader Misa Bharti, and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee. Polling also took place for remaining 42 seats of Odisha Assembly in the fourth phase. In addition, Assembly by-elections for six constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and one seat each in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were also held.

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The counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections 2024 and State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and bye-elections to Assembly Constituencies will be held on Tuesday starting 8 AM onwards. The counting of votes for Assembly elections of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will begin from 6 AM tomorrow. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have reviewed the counting day preparations with all Chief Electoral Officers and Returning Officers.

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Polling concluded peacefully in 13 lok sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the seventh and final phase of elections. Voting was also held today for the bye election of Duddhi assembly seat in Sonbhadra district.

“Voter arrived early at the polling booths to avoid the scorching heat. At some places polling started tittle late due to glitches in EVMs. First time voters were very enthusiastic to cast their votes. Barring some sporadic incidents polling was peaceful on all 13 seats spread over Poorvanchal. Many stalwarts are in fray on these 13 seats including Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Pankaj Chaudhari, Anupriya Patel Mahendra nath Pandey, film stars Kajal Nishad and Ravi Kishan, Congress leader Ajay Rai, Samajwadi Party candidate, Afzal ansari, Ramesh bind and Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar. SUSHIL CHANDRA TIWARI, AKASHVANI NEWS, PRAYAGRAJ.”

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West Bengal has seen a peaceful election today. But reports of intimidation and voters and clashes came in from all the constituencies in the state today.

“An election marred with violence and clashes and bloodshed today in West Bengal. Though overall it can be said that election was peaceful but there are blots of intimidation and obstruction to voters. Opposition parties in the state have submitted their complaints to the Commission. Two arrests have been made. Today 9 seats have gone to poll spanning North and South 24 Parganas districts and Kolkata. Coastal areas of West Bengal and villages near Sunderban Biodiversity areas and islands were polled today. As the last figure came in more than 68% votes were recorded. Bye election for Baranagar assembly constituency was also conducted today. KALYAN LAHA, AKASHWANI NEWS, KOLKATA.”

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Himachal Pradesh saw a high voter turnout today, with over 67 percent of people voting for four parliamentary seats. Women, youth, and the elderly all participated in large numbers. The main competition was between the BJP and Congress, with key battles in important constituencies. Both parties are competing closely, making the election very tight and closely contested.

“Himachal Pradesh today witnessed highly engaging voting, with women, youth, and the elderly all participating in large numbers to exercise their right to vote. The state cast votes for all four of its parliamentary seats and six assembly seats. According to approximate data provided by the Election Commission at 8 pm, over 67 percent of people participated in the election for Lok Sabha seats. The assembly constituencies also recorded significant turnouts. Except for the Barsar constituency, all recorded an approximate turnout of between 60 to 70 percent. For the Lok Sabha elections, the key contest was between the BJP and Congress. DURGESH BHADAURIA, AKASHVANI NEWS, SHIMLA.”

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In Punjab, about 55.6 percent voters exercised their franchise out of nearly 2.14 crore voters.

“The voters of Punjab sealed the fate of 328 candidates in the EVMs today. Braving the scorching heat, people of all age groups came out to exercise their franchise in this festival of democracy. Especially in the morning, queues of voters were seen at the polling booths, much before the voting started. The extensive arrangements made by the Election Commission also played an important role in the successful conduct of the voting process. SHISHU SHARMA SHANTAL, AKASHVANI NEWS, JALANDHAR.”

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In Odisha, election to 6 Lok Sabha and 42 Assembly constituencies passed off peacefully today barring few minor untoward incidents with nearly 63 percent of polling. The Lok Sabha constituencies which went to polls are Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara.

There is a neck to neck fight between the ruling BJD and BJP in most of the parliament and assembly constituencies, while in some constituencies there is a straight fight between the BJD and Congress. Prominent figures whose fate has been sealed in the EVMs include BJP’s former Union minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi and national vice-president Baijayant Panda. Former Union Minister Srikant Jena of Congress and JMM’s Anjani Soren are among the other notable contenders among the 66 Lok Sabha candidates who are contesting in the Lok Sabha polls. In the Assembly polls which were held simultaneously in Odisha, BJD’s state ministers Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Preetiranjan Gharei are in the electoral arena. Results of which will come on the 4th of this month.

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BJP President J P Nadda today expressed confidence that his party will get over 370 Lok Sabha seats and NDA will emerge victorious on over 400 seats in this General Elections. He told the media that people of the country will reject the politics based on appeasement, nepotism and corruption in this election and favour the idea of empowered, developed and self-reliant India. Mr. Nadda lauded BJP workers and NDA allies for their hard work in the elections. He also thanked the Election Commission for successfully conducting the elections with proper arrangements.

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Ahead of counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc today held a meeting in New Delhi and expressed confidence that they will win over 295 Lok Sabha seats. Briefing media after the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said they discussed a range of issues including elections and challenges they might face ahead. He said they have also decided to participate in Lok Sabha exit poll debates on the TV channels this evening.

After the meeting, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is moving forward to form a strong government at the Centre. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that I.N.D.I.A. bloc will win most of the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said I.N.D.I.A. bloc is winning and the face of the Prime Minister will be decided later.

Senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and NCP (SCP) leader Sharad Pawar were among those who attended the meeting. However, TMC and PDP skipped the meeting.

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The Election Commission has extended profound gratitude to voters, political parties, polling machinery and everyone involved in making voting a stellar success. The Commission said that the real winner, indeed is the Indian voter.

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The North-western part of the country is still reeling under the heatwave condition; however, temperature has dipped by one to two degrees celsius. Talking exclusively to Akashwani News, India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist Dr RK Jenamani said that despite the slightly gradual reduction in temperature, heat wave to severe heat wave conditions will continue to prevail over parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha today.

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Heavy rain continues in Kerala. Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts are under red alert while Idukki, Palakkad, Wayanad districts are under orange alert. Alappuzha, Kottayam Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Kannur and Kasaragod districts have yellow alerts.

As rain continues, severe water-logging is being reported in many districts. The situation has worsened in Thrissur, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts. Relief camps have been opened in affected regions. The State disaster management authorities had issued warning of landslides in hilly regions. Fishermen are warned not to venture into the sea off Kerala and Lakshadweep coast.

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At least 20 people were killed after a boat capsized in a river in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province today. Quraishi Badloon, the head of Nangarhar province’s information department said that a boat with women and children on board sank this morning in the river in the Basawul area of Momand Dara district. Local media reported that five people have been rescued while five bodies have been recovered.

The Taliban-led Health Ministry in a statement said that emergency aid teams have been dispatched to the site of the incident to search for the victims’ bodies. The cause of the tragedy is being investigated. Further details are awaited.

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In athletics, India’s DP Manu and Nithya Ramraj brought home one gold and one silver medals, respectively, at the Taiwan Athletics Open 2024, today. In men’s Javelin throw, Manu clinched the gold medal with the best effort of 81.58 metres. He started the competition with a throw of 78.32. However, he secured the top spot in the competition in the sixth and final attempt, to finish with the best throw of 81.58 metres. In the women’s 100 metre hurdles, Nithya Ramraj bagged the silver medal with a timing of 13.23 seconds.

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In badminton, India’s Tanvi Sharma bagged the women’s singles title of the Bonn International Badminton Tournament, in Germany today. The young Indian shuttler defeated Wang Pei Yu of Taiwan in straight sets, 21-19, 22-20. This is the first senior title for 15 year old Tanvi.

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In Boxing, India’s Jasmine Lamboria stormed into the quarterfinals of the women’s 57 kg at the Boxing World Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand today. She defeated Ana Marija Milisic of Switzerland with a dominating 5-nil victory in the round 16. Jasmine is one bout away from securing the Paris Olympic quota. She will face Marine Camara of Mali in the quarterfinals.

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In Uttarakhand, the World Heritage Valley of Flowers located in Chamoli district has been opened for tourists from today. The first group of 48 tourists was sent to the valley from Ghangaria at 8 am this morning. Divisional Forest Officer of Nanda Devi National Park BB Martoliya said the trek fee for the Valley of Flowers trekking is 200 rupees for Indian citizens and 800 rupees for foreign citizens. Located at an altitude of 12 thousand 995 feet above sea level, Valley of Flowers is spread over an area of about 3 square kilometers.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-

Polling concludes for seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha Elections with over 59 per cent voters exercising their franchise.
Counting of votes for assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to be taken up tomorrow.
Both BJP and I.N.D.I.A. bloc leaders express confidence of getting majority in Lok Sabha polls.
At least 20 people feared killed in a boat tragedy in Afghanistan.
in sports, India’s D.P Manu clinches gold in Javelin throw at Taiwan athletics open.