THE HEADLINES: –
- High-voltage campaigning continues for the remaining three phases of Lok Sabha elections.
- Filing of nominations ends for seventh and final phase of general elections.
- 30 Maoists surrender before security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
- Centre extends ban imposed on LTTE for five more years.
- IMD issues Orange alert in two districts of Kerala for heavy rainfall.
- 77th Cannes Film Festival begins in France.
- In Boxing, Gaurav Chauhan enters semifinals of Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan.
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High-voltage campaigning is taking place for the remaining three phases of Lok Sabha elections after completion of polling for the first four phases. Senior leaders of various political parties are addressing multiple rallies and holding road shows in different parts of the country.
Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi held rallies at Koderma and Giridih in Jharkhand this evening. Mr Modi said, the NDA government has curbed Naxal violence in the country. Mr Modi said, abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest step taken in India’s interest.
The Prime Minister said, his government gives top priority to working for the welfare of deprived people.
Senior BJP leader Amit Shah held a public meeting at Bangaon in West Bengal.
BJP National President JP Nadda addressed a gathering at Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in support of BJP candidate Smriti Irani who is contesting against Kishori Lal Sharma of the Congress. He said, India of today does not seek but provides. Mr Nadda said, due to initiatives of the NDA government, today, India is at the third position in the world in petrochemicals and automobiles sectors. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also addressed the rally in Amethi.
On the other hand, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also held a public meeting in Amethi.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a joint rally with Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav at Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Gandhi promised new employment opportunities to the youth if INDIA bloc is voted to power.
Speaking at the rally, Samajwadi Party Chief said, INDIA bloc will waive off farmers’ loans if their alliance comes to power.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also held public meetings at Chauri Chaura near Gorakhpur and in Maharajganj.
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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 you a report on Ladakh Parliamentary constituency. Voting for the Ladakh seat will be held on the 20th of this month in the fifth phase of general elections. We have a report:
“Ladakh holds the distinction of being India’s largest constituency in terms of area. The Bhartiya Janata Party has nominated Tashi Gyalson, chief executive councilor-cum-chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh), from the seat after dropping sitting MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. Congress has nominated Tsering Namgyal from Leh and Haji Hanifa Jan is contesting polls from Kargil as an independent candidate. The administration has set up 298 polling stations in Leh and 279 in Kargil. With only five electors, a poll booth has been established for a single family, which is India’s northernmost booth in village Warshi near Siachen base camp. Helicopter services, and reserve EVMs are in place to deal with any issues posed by inclement weather and the tough terrain. The election results in Ladakh carry significant weight, serving as a primary indicator of the BJP’s influence following the abrogation of Article 370 and the establishment of the new Union Territory. Muzafar Wani, Akashvani News, Leh Ladakh.
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Filing of nominations for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections ended today. 57 Lok Sabha seats in seven States and one Union Territory will be covered in this phase. Scrutiny of nominations will take place tomorrow. Friday is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. Voting for the seventh phase will be held on the 1st of June. Counting of votes for all seven phases of general elections will be held on the 4th of June.
Several prominent candidates of different political parties filed their nomination papers on the last day today. Our correspondent has the details:
“Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi filed his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Congress has fielded Ajay Rai against Mr Modi. BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut also filed her nomination from Mandi seat of Himachal Pradesh. Vikramaditya singh is going to contest as Congress candidate from this seat. Congress leader Manish Tewari, who has been fielded by his party from Chandigarh Loksabha seat also filed his nomination paper. In this constituency BJP has fielded Sanjay Tandon. BJP candidate from Anandpur Sahib Lok Sabha seat Dr Subhash Sharma also filed his nomination. Malvinder Kang is going to contest as Aam Aadmi Party candidate and Prem Singh as Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from this seat. With Dipendra Kumar, Bhupendra Singh, Akashvani News Delhi.”
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The Election Commission has said that top leaders of political parties should set good examples of campaign discourse during the ongoing election. It also said that leaders are primarily responsible for correcting course of poll speeches to avoid a permanent dent on the country’s social fabric.
On actions taken against the complaints filed by the various political parties, the poll panel today said, over 90 percent complaints have been disposed of by it since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election in March. The Commission said, a few complaints of the Congress and BJP against each other are pending alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
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In Chhattisgarh, thirty Maoists, nine of them carrying a cumulative reward of 39 lakh rupees on their heads, surrendered before security forces in Bijapur district today. It is noteworthy that so far, since January this year, one hundred and eighty Maoists have been arrested by security forces while seventy-six have surrendered before them in the district.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today submitted before the Delhi High Court that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be made an accused in the alleged liquor policy scam. The Central investigative agency said this during the proceedings related to a bail plea by the former Deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia, concerning the excise policy case. The ED further informed Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who is presiding over proceedings, that a supplementary chargesheet would be submitted soon in the case.
Meanwhile, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi extended the judicial custody of BRS leader K. Kavitha till the 20th of this month in connection with the case.
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The Home Ministry has advised the people to beware of fraudsters posing as officials of Police, Central Bureau of Investigation, Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank of India, Enforcement Directorate and other Law Enforcement Agencies. According to the Ministry, a large number of complaints are being reported onthe National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion and digital arrests by cyber criminals posing as government officials.
The Ministry said, several victims have lost large amounts of money to such criminals. It has advised that the citizens should immediately report the incident on cybercrime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for assistance.
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Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Sehgal today stressed on the need to make Akashvani a more effective, flexible and viable organisation. He also talked about reaching out to more listeners through the digital medium. Mr Sehgal said this while interacting with Akashvani officials of the News Services Division, Programming and Engineering sections during his visit to the organisation’s Headquarters in New Delhi.
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The Centre has extended the ban imposed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for five more years. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its notification said, the central government has taken the decision as LTTE continues to pose a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. The government had declared the LTTE an unlawful association in May 2019 and banned it for five years.
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In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the situation continues to worsen as fresh violence erupted due to clashes between protestors and authorities. Four people were killed and more than 100 injured following violent clashes which comes amid a wheel-jam strike that started on Friday. Thousands of people are on the streets, to protest against the high prices of basic essentials like flour and the severe power cuts in the area. Following the intense violence over the weekend, the authorities imposed Section 144, shutting down schools and also suspending mobile communications in the area. Pakistan has been witnessing extremely high inflation and dismal economic growth for more than two years due to rising energy costs.
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The second round of the India-US Dialogue on Africa is being held in Washington today. The External Affairs Ministry said the two-day India-US dialogue aims to share ideas and perspectives and explore ways to develop institutional, technical and bilateral synergies to work together in Africa.
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The 77th Cannes Film Festival began today in France. The world’s most popular film festival unfurled with a French comedy, “The Second Act”, made by well known director and musician Quentin Dupieux.
22 films will be competing for the Palme d’Or this time, while renowned actress Meryl Streep will be recognized with an honorary Palme d’Or.
India is hosting a Bharat Parv for the first time in the 12-day event. The Bharat Pavilion at Cannes will serve as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in various activities. The official poster and trailer of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024 will also be unveiled at the Bharat Parv. This year’s IFFI will be held in Goa from the 20th to the 28th of November.
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has issued an ‘Orange’ alert in Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts of Kerala for heavy to very heavy rainfall. Yellow alert has been issued in eight districts of the state.The State Disaster Management Authority has asked the public to avoid night travel to the hilly regions, in view of the possibility of heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, IMD has said that heat wave conditions are likely over Konkan region today and tomorrow. It said, West Rajasthan is expected to face heatwave conditions from tomorrow till the 18th of this month.
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In Boxing, India’s Gaurav Chauhan advanced to the semifinals of Men’s 92 Plus kg at the Elorda Cup at Astana in Kazakhstan today. He defeated home favourite Danial Saparbay, 3-2, ensuring a medal for the country. Meanwhile, six-time Asian Championships medalist Shiva Thapa lost against Kazakhstan’s Abduali Almat in the Men’s 63.5 kg bout. Another Indian pugilist, Sanjay also went down in the Men’s 80 kg category.
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India’s ace women’s table tennis player Manika Batra became the first Indian woman paddler to break into the top 25 of the World Women’s singles rankings. She rose to her career-best ranking of 24, following her success in the Saudi Smash, last week.
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In IPL Cricket, match between Delhi Capital and Lucknow Super Giants is underway in Delhi. Put in to bat, Delhi Capitals were 175 for 4 in 18 overs when reports last came in. Earlier, Lucknow won the toss and elected to field.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –
- High-voltage campaigning continues for the remaining three phases of Lok Sabha elections.
- Filing of nominations ends for seventh and final phase of general elections.
- 30 Maoists surrender before security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
- Centre extends ban imposed on LTTE for five more years.
- IMD issues Orange alert in two districts of Kerala for heavy rainfall.
- 77th Cannes Film Festival begins in France.
- In Boxing, Gaurav Chauhan enters semifinals of Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan.
For details of these stories and more, log on to our website www.newsonair.gov.in and News On Air App.
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