THE HEADLINES:

• Campaigning ends for first phase of Lok Sabha elections; Voting to be held for 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 states and four Union Territories on Friday.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to elect new legislative assemblies on the same day.
• Notification for fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls to be issued tomorrow.
• Ram Navami celebrated in different parts of the country with enthusiasm; Large number of devotees pay obeisance to Lord Ram at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
• Fourteen people killed in Russian missile attack at Chernihiv in Ukraine.
• Fresh spell of rain likely over Northwest India from tomorrow; Severe heat wave conditions expected over Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during next four-days.
• In IPL Cricket, match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals underway in Ahmedabad.

 

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Campaigning ended this evening for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections. Voting in this phase will be held in 102 constituencies spread over 17 states and four Union Territories on Friday.

 

All parliamentary constituencies of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu will go to polls in this phase.

 

Voting wil also take place for 12 seats of Rajasthan, eight seats of Uttar Pradesh, six seats of Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Maharashtra, four seats of Bihar, three seats of West Bengal, two seats in Manipur and one seat each in Chhattisgarh, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.
One thousand 625 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.

 

Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, former Telangana Governor and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan and BJP state president in Tamil Nadu K Annamalai are among the prominent BJP candidates in this phase. Congress’ leader in Karnataka, Karti Chidambaram and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Dayanidhi Maran are also contesting in the first phase.

 

Star campaigners of major political parties made last ditch efforts to woo the voters before campaigning came to an end this evening.

 

Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi held a poll meeting at Agartala in Tripura. Earlier in the day, Mr Modi held an election rally at Nalbari in Assam.

 

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting at Mandya in Karnataka. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also addressed a joint press conference at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi held a road show at Saharanpur.

 

BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman addressed a press conference at Aizawl in Mizoram.

 

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee addressed a public meeting at Silchar in Assam.

 

Besides voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, polling will also be held to elect new legislative assemblies in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in a single phase on Friday. In Arunachal Pradesh, the stage is set to elect two Lok Sabha Members of Parliament and 50 lawmakers for the state assembly on Friday. The ruling BJP in the northeastern state has already secured 10 seats unopposed in the 60-member assembly. 

 

“In the contest for the two parliamentary constituencies in the state, Congress candidate and Former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki will have a rematch against Union Minister and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju for the Arunachal West Parliamentary seat. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Rijiju had defeated Tuki with a huge margin of over 1.7 lakh votes. In the East Parliamentary Constituency, the main contest will be between sitting MP and BJP leader Tapir Gao and Congress candidate and former Education Minister of the state Bosiram Siram. Rakesh Doley, AKASHVANI NEWS, Itanagar.”

 

In Tamil Nadu, voting will be held on Friday for 39 Lok Sabha Constituencies. Talking to media persons, Chief Electoral Officer Satya Brata Sahoo said steps have been taken to ensure hundred percent voting. 

 

“The preparations for the single-phase polling has been going in full swing all over the State. A total of 68 thousand 321 polling booths will have the assured minimum facility with shamiana, drinking water toilet and wheelchairs for the elderly, pregnant women and differently-abled people. More than one lakh senior citizens and the differently abled have cast their votes through postal ballots from their homes. already. An engineering team has been kept ready for every ten polling booths to attend to EVM-related issues. The voters have been asked to convey any issues through 1950. Joy, AKASHVANI, Chennai.”

 

In Rajasthan, senior leaders of various political parties including BJP, Congress, BSP, CPI(M) and independent candidates put all their might to garner votes on the last day of campaigning. 

 

“Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma today addressed a public meeting in Khairthal in support of BJP candidate. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari participated in the election campaign for the party candidate in Dholpur, Banswara, Dudu, Jalore and Churu constituencies. Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot addressed public meetings in Jaisalmer and Nagaur in favor of the party and alliance candidates. State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara campaigned in support of the alliance candidate in Sikar Lok Sabha constituency. BSP Chief Mayavati also addressed a public meeting in Alwar  Jitendra Dwivedi, Akashwani News, Jaipur.”

 

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The notification for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections will be issued tomorrow. 96 Lok Sabha seats spread over nine States and a Union Territory will go to polls in this phase on the 13th of May. The filing of Nominations will end on the 25th of this month. Simultaneously, notification will also be issued for single-phase assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh for 175 seats and the first phase of assembly polls in Odisha for 28 constituencies.

 

The filing of nominations will end on Friday for the third phase of Lok Sabha polls. 94 Parliamentary seats in 10 States and two Union Territories will go to polls in this phase on the 7th of May.

 

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The Election Commission has advised the West Bengal Governor against visiting Cooch Behar on polling day on Friday, as it violates the Model Code of Conduct. Sources in the Election Commission said, being the poll day, no local program can be organized in the district for the Governor. As per the Representation of Peoples Act, the silence period for Cooch Behar starts this evening which brings a multitude of restrictions and a higher level of enforcement by the election authorities. The poll panel has instructed all District Election Officers and District Police Chiefs to ensure that all high-profile persons, campaigners, and political workers who are not voters of that election area shall exit immediately on the beginning of the silence period to ensure a free and fair poll process.

 

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In our series, covering profiles of key constituencies across States and Union Territories during the Lok Sabha elections, today we bring a report on the Bangalore South Parliamentary constituency of Karnataka. Polling in Karnataka is scheduled to be held in two phases on the 26th of this month and the 7th of May.

 

Bangalore South Parliamentary constituency, is known for old temples and famous eateries. The polling in the seat will be held on the 26th of April. 

 

There are over 23 lakh 41 thousand voters in the constituency. For the Lok Sabha election to be held on April 26, there are 22 candidates in fray. BJP, Congress and BSP have fielded their candidates from here. There are 12 Independents and the rest are from the Registered Unrecognised parties.  BJP has a coalition with JD(S) and hence JD(S) has not fielded its candidate from the seat. Ananth Kumar from BJP held this seat for six terms since the 1996 election. After his demise in 2018, the BJP gave the ticket to Tejasvi Surya for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Surya h ad defeated the Congress candidate B K Hariprasad by a margin of over three lakh 31 thousand votes, garnering 62.2 percent of the total votes cast. In this election, Sowmya Reddy from Congress is fielded against Tejasvi Surya. SUDHINDRA, AKASHVANI NEWS, BENGALURU.”

 

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Ram Navami is being celebrated today across the country with religious fervour and enthusiasm. The festival marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Devotees in large numbers are visiting Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to pay obeisance to Lord Ram. 

 

“Followers of Sanatan Dharma from all over the world today witnessed the historic, amazing and unique scene of Surya Tilak created by the rays of sun on the forehead of Ramlala in the newly constructed divine and grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. It was made possible by the eminent scientists of the country. Amidst the chanting of Shri Ram Sankirtan and Veda mantras, the devotees became emotional and started cheering after seeing their beloved incarnate on earth. With Tanmay Soni’s report from Ayodhya, Shagun Chopra for Akashvani News.”

 

This was the first Ram Navami celebration since the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lala idol at the Ayodhya temple earlier this year.

 

Ram Navami was also celebrated in Chitrakoot in a spiritual atmosphere.

 

In Jammu and Kashmir, the nine-day long deeply revered Shat Chandi Maha Yagya organised by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board during Chaitra Navratra for universal peace and prosperity concluded on a grand note with “Purna Ahuthi”. Our correspondent reports that three lakh pilgrims made their journey to the revered Shrine during the auspicious Chaitra Navratri.

 

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Aditya Srivastava who has topped the Civil Services Examination, 2023 has said that smart work along with studies and balanced physical activities is the key to qualify any examination. In an exclusive interview with Akashvani News, Aditya Srivastava, shared key strategies of preparation for the UPSC exam.

 

The full interview can be heard in our Spotlight program immediately after the bulletin at 100.1 MHz on Akashvani Gold.

 

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In Gujarat, at least ten people were killed in a road accident on the Ahmedabad Vadodara highway today. The mishap took place when a speeding car rammed into a stationary tanker near Nadiad on the highway.

 

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In Ukraine, 14 people, including two children, were killed in a Russian missile strike in the northern city of Chernihiv today. Authorities said that three Russian Iskander missiles slammed into residential buildings, a hospital, and a higher educational institution. Over 60 people were also injured in the attack.

 

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The United Arab Emirates has been hit by an unprecedented downpour. The country is receiving more rain in the past few days than it typically sees in a year. The torrential rains have caused widespread travel disruption, particularly at Dubai International Airport which was forced to shut down operations for a period due to flooding, and many passengers missed their flights. Roads leading to the airport remain flooded and impassable. Dubai-based airline Flydubai has partially resumed flights. However, many other flights have been cancelled due to the ongoing weather conditions and road closures.

 

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a fresh spell of rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over Northwest India from tomorrow till Sunday. IMD has also forecast isolated to scattered rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi during the next three days. The IMD has forecast severe heatwave conditions over Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during the next four days. Heat Wave conditions are also likely over Jharkhand, north Konkan, Saurashtra, Madhya Maharashtra, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

 

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In IPL Cricket, the match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals is underway in Ahmedabad. Put in to bat first, Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 89 runs in 17.3 overs. Gujarat has set a target of 90 runs.

 

Earlier, Delhi Capitals won the toss and decided to field.
Currently, Gujarat stands at the 6th position, while Delhi is at the 9th spot on the Points table.

 

Tomorrow, Punjab Kings will take on Mumbai Indians at Chandigarh. The match will start at 7.30 PM.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

• Campaigning ends for first phase of Lok Sabha elections; Voting to be held for 102 parliamentary constituencies across 17 states and four Union Territories on Friday.
• Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to elect new legislative assemblies on the same day.
• Notification for fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls to be issued tomorrow.
• Ram Navami celebrated in different parts of the country with enthusiasm; Large number of devotees pay obeisance to Lord Ram at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
• Fourteen people killed in Russian missile attack at Chernihiv in Ukraine.
• Fresh spell of rain likely over Northwest India from tomorrow; Severe heat wave conditions expected over Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during next four-days.
• In IPL Cricket, match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals underway in Ahmedabad.

 

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