THE HEADLINES:-
- Election canvassing in full throttle as top leaders hold back-to-back rallies for fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
- Violence mars poll campaigning in Odisha as a BJP worker killed and eight injured in clashes in Ganjam district.
- Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam remanded to six day ED custody in Tender Commission scam.
- Southwest monsoon likely to arrive over Kerala around 31st of this month.
- Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri announces his retirement from national team.
- In IPL cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad to lock horns with Gujarat Titans in Hyderabad this evening.
<><><>
Election campaigning is in full throttle in poll-bound areas as top leaders are holding back-to-back rallies for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections. The campaigning for this phase will end on Saturday while polling will be held on 20th of this month.
In Uttar Pradesh, star campaigners of different political parties are using all their might to woo the voters.
Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi today said that the CAA is a burning example of the Modi ki guarantee and it is clear that whatever promises BJP government makes it fulfill them also. He was addressing an election rally in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Modi said that earlier the development was restricted to big cities like Delhi and Bombay but now a lot of development has taken place at religious places like Ayodhya and Kashi also.
Earlier, addressing a political rally in Lalganj area of Azamgarh district, the Prime Minister said that Samajwadi Party and Congress are two sides of one coin they both lie and indulge in nepotism and corruption.
Mr. Modi will be addressing back-to-back rallies for two days. He will be holding public gatherings in Bhadohi and Pratapgarh today. He is scheduled to stay in the governor’s house Lucknow tonight and will address three more rallies in Barabanki, Fatehpur and Hamirpur constituencies tomorrow. These rallies are being held in the constituencies which will go for poll in 5th and 6th phase.
On the other hand Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigning in Raebareli attacked the BJP and said that the saffron party is promoting lawlessness.
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav also attacked BJP in Banda and said that State Government and Central Government are deep neck in corruption.
<><><>
Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadami Party Leader, Arvind Kejriwal attacked the BJP today and said that the saffron party is saying that they need more than 400 Lok Sabha seats in this election because they want to change the constitution and end the reservation. He was jointly addressing a press conference in Lucknow with Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav. Mr Kejriwal said that the whole ecosystem of the BJP and the RSS has always been against the thought of reservation and we have been warning this to the people from very beginning that BJP wants to change the constitution.
Talking to the media, Mr Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP is a bluff party and people have understood the reality and they are not going to accept BJP anymore
<><><>
In Bihar, several lead campaigners and party leaders of the NDA and I.N.D.I.A. are criss-crossing across the state in the poll bound parliamentary constituencies for fifth and rest of the phases of Lok Sabha elections.
Senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah is holding a public meeting in Sitamarhi in support of the JD(U) candidate Devesh Chandra Thakur. RJD has fielded Arjun Rai, a former MP from this seat. Mr Shah will also address a public meeting today in Madhubani parliamentary constituency in support of BJP candidate.
From Grand Alliance, Congress, Vikash Sheel Insaan Party, CPI-ML and other parties are also holding public meetings and election rallies in Karakat, Saran, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and other poll bound areas.
Senior RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will also hold public meetings at Benipatti, Keoti, Marhoura and Amnour under Madhubani and Saran parliamentary constituency.
<><><>
Odisha is witnessing a high voltage campaign for the remaining three phases of both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections amidst reports of violence in some constituencies.
Top leaders of BJP, Congress and BJD are on a campaign trail seeking blessings of the voters for their nominees. BJP President JP Nadda, who is camping in the state since yesterday, held a mega roadshow at Bhubaneswar this morning. He will also address two rallies in Sundergarh and Bargarh Lok Sabha constituencies this afternoon. BJD supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is also scheduled to hold a roadshow at Bhubaneswar this evening. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is on a one-day visit to Odisha and is scheduled to address a huge public meeting at Phulbani under Kandhamal parliamentary constituency this afternoon.
Meanwhile, a BJP worker was killed and seven others were injured in a clash between supporters of the ruling BJD and opposition BJP in Odisha’s Ganjam district. The incident took place in Sri Krushna Saranapur village under Aska parliamentary constituency last night over putting up posters for poll campaigning.
In another incident in Ganjam district, one person is seriously injured in a firing due to political rivalry between two groups of people. The Election Commission has directed the Ganjam collector to take necessary steps to stop violence in the district.
<><><>
In our series of key constituencies for Lok Sabha polls, today we bring you a report on Sundergarh parliamentary constituency in Odisha. The constituency is going for polls in the fifth phase of General elections on 20th of this month. There is a high voltage campaign this time as big names are contesting with BJP fielding former Union Minister and incumbent MP Jual Oram, while the ruling party in the state, the BJD has fielded former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey against him. Congress has fielded veteran leader Janardan Dehury as its nominee.
Sundargarh district is known for its dense forests and mountains and Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
In the elections since the 90s, sometimes Congress and sometimes BJP have won Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat. Frida Topno of Congress had won in the parliamentary elections of 1991 and 1996, but in the 1998 general elections, BJP opened its account by winning this seat. Tribal leader Jual Oram was elected as Member of Parliament from Sundergarh seat. Jual Oram completed his hat-trick by winning the parliamentary elections of 1999 and 2004. After the win in 2004, Jual Oram became country’s first tribal affairs cabinet minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government. But in the 2009 general elections, Jual Oram had to face defeat. Congress candidate and former chief minister of Odisha Hemanand Biswal defeated Jual Oram in a tough fight by a margin of 11,624 votes.
In the 2014 parliamentary elections, BJP once again fielded Jual Oram. He defeated BJD candidate and former Indian hockey team captain DilipTirkey by a margin of 18,829 votes.
BJP retained this seat in the 2019 elections also. Jual Oram achieved his big victory this time.
He defeated BJD by a margin of 2,23,065 votes. Prakash Dash, Akashvani News, Bhubaneswar.
<><><>
Over four hundred fifty one million people have cast their vote in the first four phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission in a statement today informed that the collective voter turnout in the first four phases of the General Election 2024 is 66.95 per cent. The poll body said higher voter turnout is a message from Indian voters to the world. It also called upon voters to vote in large numbers in the remaining three phases.
<><><>
Jharkhand Rural Development Minister, Alamgir Alam was today presented in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him yesterday after interrogation. The court has agreed to six days’ remand duration of him beginning tomorrow. Meanwhile, the ED has requested the court to grant a remand period of 14 days to investigate more in the Tender Commission Scam, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Mr. Alam was arrested yesterday in the Tender Commission scam after recovery of cash amounting to more than 35 crore rupees by the ED.
<><><>
The National Commission for Women NCW has taken suo moto cognizance of the alleged assault of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Bibhav Kumar, the Private Secretary of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the CM residence. The Commission has asked Bhibhav Kumar to appear before it tomorrow.
<><><>
In Uttarakhand, pilgrims cannot undertake the Char Dham Yatra without registration. Stringent checking will be done at barriers and other points, and those without registration will not be allowed to proceed for the pilgrimage.
The Chief Secretary of the state, Radha Raturi, mentioned that chief secretaries of all states are being informed through letters to create awareness among pilgrims coming from their respective states regarding the registration process for the Char Dham Yatra.
<><><>
Southwest monsoon is likely to arrive over Kerala around the 31st of this month with a standard deviation of four days. India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that advance of the southwest monsoon over Indian main land is marked by the monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterising the transition from hot and dry season to a rainy season. Last year, the southwest monsoon set on 8th June.
Talking to Akashvani News, Senior IMD scientist R.K. Jenamani delineated on the upcoming monsoon. He said that the conditions are favourable and the monsoon is all set to arrive in time.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department forecasts widespread rain and thundershowers across the State of Kerala for the next five days. Yellow alert is issued in nine districts of the State today. Heavy rain is predicted in isolated regions of the State. Fisherfolks are warned from venturing into the sea in the southern Kerala coasts today.
<><><>
Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur appreciated the collaboration of several private sports channels with India Signing Hands Private Limited for providing Indian Sign Language and audio descriptive commentary during T20 World Cup 2024. In a social media post, He said that it is an important step in line with the government’s vision for inclusivity.
<><><>
Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri has announced his retirement after a distinguished career with the national team. In a social media post, Chhetri revealed that the upcoming match against Kuwait on June 6, this year at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata will be his final appearance in the national colours.
<><><>
In IPL cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns with Gujarat Titans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad today. The match will begin at 7:30 this evening.
<><><>
In Badminton, India’s Meiraba Luwang Maisnam has advanced to the Men’s singles Quarter Finals of the prestigious Thailand Open Badminton in Bangkok, Thailand today. The 21-year old Indian shuttler stunned Mads Christophersen of Denmark in straight games, 21-14, 22-20, to march into his first quarter-final in the Super 500 tournament.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Election canvassing in full throttle as top leaders hold back-to-back rallies for fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
- Violence mars poll campaigning in Odisha as a BJP worker killed and eight injured in clashes in Ganjam district.
- Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam remanded to six day ED custody in Tender Commission scam.
- Southwest monsoon likely to arrive over Kerala around 31st of this month.
- Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri announces his retirement from national team.
- In IPL cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad to lock horns with Gujarat Titans in Hyderabad this evening.
<><><>
