THE HEADLINES:-
- Most Exit polls predict landslide victory for BJP-led NDA in Lok Sabha elections.
- Over 62 percent polling recorded in seventh and final phase of Parliamentary elections.
- Counting of votes underway for Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
- Counting for Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to be taken up on Tuesday.
- GST collection in May grows by 10 percent year on year to 1.73 lakh crore rupees.
- And in Cricket, opening match of T20 World Cup 2024 between US and Canada underway at Dallas in America.
<><><>
Ahead of counting for Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Tuesday, private TV news channels and other agencies have issued figures of Exit polls.
Most of the Exit polls indicate that BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to retain power in the Lok Sabah elections. The Exit polls suggest the NDA could secure a two-thirds majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, surpassing the simple majority threshold of 272 seats. Multiple pollsters are predicting a return of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, winning over 350 seats. The Opposition’s INDI Alliance will get somewhere between 125 and 150 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 have witnessed a direct fight between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDI Alliance. The ruling BJP is hopeful of a third straight term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
<><><>
Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi has said that the opportunistic INDI Alliance failed to strike a chord with the voters. He alleged that they are casteist, communal and corrupt. He said, this alliance, aimed to protect a handful of dynasties, failed to present a futuristic vision for the nation. Mr Modi said through the campaign, they only enhanced their expertise on one thing – Modi bashing. He said, such regressive politics has been rejected by the people.
<><><>
A voter turnout of 62.36 percent has been recorded in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections for which polling was held yesterday.
In this phase, polling was held in 57 Parliamentary Constituencies spread over seven States and one Union Territory. These include 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.
In Bihar, 51.92 per cent voter turnout was recorded while Chandigarh registered 67.90 per cent, Himachal Pradesh 70.05 per cent and Jharkhand 70.66 percent voting. In Punjab, 61.32 percent of polling was recorded while in Uttar Pradesh, it was 55.59 percent and West Bengal registered 73.79 per cent turnout. In Odisha, the voter turnout remained 70.67 percent where simultaneous polling was also held for the remaining 42 Assembly seats.
A total of 904 candidates were in the fray in this seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections. 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. In addition, assembly by-elections for six constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and one seat each in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal was also conducted yesterday.
This seventh phase marked a grand finish to the world’s largest polling marathon that began on 19th of April.
The Election Commission in a statement said, polling across the country was held smoothly and peacefully across seven phases. The Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu kept a close watch on every aspect of the poll process during the seven phase General Elections. It said, stringent security measures were in place creating a conducive environment for voters to cast their vote without fear or intimidation. The Commission added that with meticulous advance planning and rigorous training of election officials, elections this time have seen a drastic reduction in the number of repolls, demonstrating the robustness of the election process.
The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections will take place on Tuesday.
<><><>
The Election Commission has extended profound gratitude to voters, political parties, polling machinery and everyone involved in making voting a stellar success. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and the Commisson are deeply humbled by the voters, who made it to the polling station overcoming many challenges and dilemmas they might have. The Commssion said, the massive participation in the democratic exercise reaffirms the democratic ethos and spirit of India. The importance of votes cast by centenarians, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and transgenders are an inspiration to many, especially youngsters who will take forward the democracy further.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended the Election Commission of India (ECI) for their exemplary efforts in ensuring a smooth and fair electoral process. In a social media post, Mr Modi said, their dedication and meticulous planning have been crucial in upholding the integrity of Indian democracy, allowing citizens across the nation to vote with confidence and security. He said that country’s electoral process is something every believer in democratic values takes inspiration from.
<><><>
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided central forces to prevent any post poll violence based on assessment provided by the States and central observors. Sources said, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have been provided with security forces for 15 days after counting day. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh have been provided security forces till two days after counting day.
<><><>
Counting of votes for assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim assembly is underway. The counting in both the states began at 6 this morning. The term of the two assemblies is coming to an end today. Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the two north-eastern states were held simultaneously on 19th of April.
Arunachal Pradesh has 60 Assembly constituencies, out of which BJP has already won 10 seats uncontested. Twenty-four counting centres have been set up across the state.
“Over 2000 officials have been deployed in 24 counting centres across that state. 27 Observers and over 289 micro-observers have been deployed for smooth counting process. Arunachal Pradesh went to simultaneous polls for its two Lok Sabha seats and Legislative Assembly in a single phase on April 19. From the 60 Assembly seats in the state, ruling BJP has already won 10 seats uncontested. Among the 10 seats which BJP has won uncontested are the seats of Chief Minister Pema Khandu’s Mukto Assembly seat and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein’s Chowkham Assembly seats. Polling was held for 50 Assembly seats with 133 candidates in fray. Rakesh Doley, Akashvani News, Itanagar”.
In Sikkim, polling was held to elect 32 member-State Assembly. Six centres have been set up across the state for counting of votes to decide the fate of 146 candidates.
Prominent among them are: Incumbent state Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and State Legislative Assembly Speaker Arun Kumar Upreti of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and ace football player Baichung Bhutia of Sikkim Democratic Front, Chief Ministerial candidate of newly floated Citizen Action Party, Ganesh Kumar Rai and State unit President of BJP D R Thapa.
We spoke to Chief Electoral Officer of Sikkim, D Anand about the latest uipdate on counting.
<><><>
Arunachal Pradesh has 60 Assembly constituencies, out of which BJP has already won 10 seats uncontested.
Out of the remaining 50 seats, trends available from 27 seats so far show,
Bharatiya Janata Party leading in 16
Nationalist Congress Party leading in 2
People’s Party of Arunachal in 2
Indian National Congress in 1
Independent in 2
In Sikkim, polling was held for 32 assembly seats.
According to the latest trend out of 28 seats
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha is ahead in 27
Sikkim Democratic Front is leading in 1
<><><>
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. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Elections Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had reviewed the counting day preparations with all Chief Electoral Officers and Returning Officers.
The Election Commission said that the counting trends and results will be available on the ECI Website at results.eci.gov.in. We spoke to Himachal CEO Manish Garg:-
<><><>
The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue for the month of May this year stood at one lakh and 73 thousand crore rupees. Ministry of Finance in a statement said that this represents a 10 per cent year-on-year growth. Out of the total collection in the month of May, Central Goods and Services Tax is over 32 thousand crore rupees, State Goods and Services Tax is over 40 thousand crore rupees, Integrated Goods and Services Tax is over 87 thousand and 781 crore rupees and cess is over 12 thousand crore rupees. The Ministry added that after accounting for refunds, the net GST revenue for the last month stands at one lakh 44 thousand crore rupees, reflecting a growth of 6.9 per cent compared to the same period last year. The Ministry further informed that the gross GST collections in the financial year 2024-25 stood at 3 lakh and 83 thousand crore rupees. This represents an impressive 11.3 per cent year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in domestic transactions and marginal increase in imports.
<><><>
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 has begun in the USA today. The tournament is being jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies. The opening match between the USA and Canada is underway at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. Put into bat first, Canada scored 194 for 5 in the stipulated 20 overs.
<><><>
TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES :-
- Hindustan Times leads with the headline, ‘Exit polls predict big win, hat-trick for Modi.’
- The Times of India carries a photograph of women celebrating after voting at Tashigang, a tiny village in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, hosting the highest polling station in the world.
- Hyderabad ceases to be a common capital from today and will be the capital of Telangana alone, reports The Hindu.
- The Indian Express reports that with the southwest monsoon intensifying in Kerala two days after its onset, several parts of the state have faced flooding and landslides. The India Meteorological Department has issued red alert for 3 districts.
- And finally, Indian-origin Sunita Williams is set for her third space flight in NASA Boeing Starliner, reports The Tribune.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Most Exit polls predict landslide victory for BJP-led NDA in Lok Sabha elections.
- Over 62 percent polling recorded in seventh and final phase of Parliamentary elections.
- Counting of votes underway for Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
- Counting for Lok Sabha polls and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to be taken up on Tuesday.
- GST collection in May grows by 10 percent year on year to 1.73 lakh crore rupees.
- And in Cricket, opening match of T20 World Cup 2024 between US and Canada underway at Dallas in America.
<><><>
