Tag: Election

Karnataka: Election related seizure touches close to Rs 100 cr in 10 days of poll announcement

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Bengaluru: The election related seizure in Karnataka on Sunday touched close to Rs 100 crore, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.
According to the daily bulletin, the CEO said Rs 99.18 crore worth seizure were made ever since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect in the State from March 29.
In just 10 days of MCC coming into effect, Rs 36.8 crore cash, Rs 15.46 crore worth freebies, 5.2 lakh litres of liquor valued at Rs 30 crore, Rs 15 crore worth gold and Rs 2.5 crore worth silver ornaments have been seized, the bulletin said.

On Sunday, the Static Surveillance Team seized Rs 34 lakh cash in Yadgir district and 56 televisions worth Rs 21 lakh in Nelamangala constituency in Bengaluru Rural district. The Excise department has seized 54,282 litres of liquor worth Rs 1.62 crore.
The elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.
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#Karnataka #Election #related #seizure #touches #close #days #poll #announcement

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
This is my last election; will retire from electoral politics: Siddaramaiah

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Siddaramaiah further added that he will still be in active politics but after this election, he won’t accept any posts which will be in Delhi.
Karnataka Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections is going to be his last electoral battle and he will retire from politics.
Talking to ANI, Siddaramaiah said, “I am contesting from Varuna assembly constituency as my native village comes under this constituency. This is going to be my last election. I will retire from electoral politics.”

Siddaramaiah further added that he will still be in active politics but after this election, he won’t accept any posts which will be in Delhi.
“I am contesting from Varuna (assembly constituency) as it has been cleared by the party’s high command. It’s not that I am interested to contest but Kolar people want me to contest from there”, he said.
Siddaramaiah said that Congress is expecting more than 130 seats this time.
“We are expecting more than 130 seats this time and Congress Party will come to power with a comfortable majority on its own. People have decided to change the government”, he added.
He also slammed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said, “Basavaraj Bommai miserably failed to protect the interest of Kannadigas. He has no business to continue as CM. Modi and Shah are coming to Karnataka to get votes and claim it’s a double-engine government but Maharashtra government is blatantly interfering with the freedom of the state.”

Siddaramaiah also added that he treats all human beings equally and not based on which community they identify with.
“BJP is a sectarian party. Ours is a secular party. There can’t be any disparity among the people of Karnataka. I treat all human beings equally whether they belong to Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other community or religion, I treat them all equally”, he said.
Siddaramaiah said that there are no differences between him and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar.
“My relationship with DK Shivakumar is cordial. There are no differences between us. Of course, differences exist in democracy but it is not detrimental to the interests of the party”, LoP added.
Siddaramaiah also hit out at the state government’s decision to ban reservation of Muslims in the state and said “Recategorising (of reservation) is not proper, not constitutional. It is not valid… We’ve no objection to increasing the reservation of Vokkaliga & Lingayat but why you abolished the reservation of Muslims… It clearly shows vendetta, hate politics.”
Congress on Thursday announced its second list of 42 candidates, for the Karnataka assembly elections but no decision has yet been taken on who would contest from Kolar even as Siddaramaiah has expressed a desire to contest from the constituency.
According to sources, the Congress top brass has asked Siddaramaiah to contest from his traditional stronghold of Varuna in the Mysuru district, where his son doctor Yatindra Siddaramaiah won in the 2018 Assembly Elections.
Sources said that earlier, amid disagreementsbetween the party’s local leaders in Kolar, the Congress High Command had instructed the 75-year-old former chief minister to drop his plan to contest from the Kolar assembly segment
The Congress has also accommodated candidates who switched to the party from the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular). The party is seeking to wrest power from BJP in the state in the upcoming polls.
Meanwhile, former minister Vinay Kulkarni who has been named by Congress as its candidate from Dharwad constituency will have to campaign remotely since the Supreme Court has barred his entry into the district after the CBI named him in connection with the 2016 murder case of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, Yogeeshgouda Goudar.
Kulkarni has been out on bail on the condition that he will not enter the district nor will do anything to tamper with the evidence in the murder case.
Kulkarni was allegedly involved in connection with the murder of Goudar, on June 15, 2016, after he defeated the rival Congress party candidate in the Zila Panchayat elections.
On Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party will conduct an extensive discussion on candidates for the remaining 100 seats in the State.
The Congress had on March 25 announced its first list of 124 candidates for the polls, which included names of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State Party president DK Shivakumar.
Elections are slated to be held in Karnataka in a single phase on May 10, and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Karnataka, which has 224 seats in the Assembly currently has 119 MLAs of the ruling BJP, while Congress has 75 and its ally JD(S) has 28 seats.
Political parties in the State including the ruling BJP, Congress and ally JD(S) are engaged in a spate of allegations and counter-allegations, with the latter attempting to corner the government over the issue of corruption.
Notably, while the opposition Congress and Janata Dal Secular have announced 166 and 93 candidates respectively so far, the ruling BJP is yet to announce its first list of candidates for the 224-seat assembly elections in Karnataka.
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#election #retire #electoral #politics #Siddaramaiah
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023
Chicago Mayor Election Results 2023: Live Updates & Analysis

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After besting seven other candidates in the February election, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson represent two polarizing visions on public safety and education. Vallas, a moderate Democrat and former public schools chief, ran almost entirely on addressing the city’s crime. To his left, Johnson, a progressive county commissioner, is backed by the city’s teachers union.
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#Chicago #Mayor #Election #Results #Live #Updates #Analysis
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 5, 2023
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Results 2023: Live Updates & Analysis

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The race between Dan Kelly, a conservative, and Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, has been the most expensive judicial race in American history.

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#Wisconsin #Supreme #Court #Election #Results #Live #Updates #Analysis
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 5, 2023
Pakistan cabinet rejects top court’s verdict in election delay case

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Islamabad: The Pakistan Federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict on the case pertaining to the postponement of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The development came during the Cabinet’s meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held after a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar as members announced the apex court’s verdict on the matter which it had reserved a day earlier, Geo News reported.
Announcing the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the top court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as “null and void”.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, states that the ECP’s order dated March 22, 2023, is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect, and is hereby quashed, Geo News reported.
“The Supreme Court’s decision is a minority verdict, which is why the cabinet rejects it,” the sources in the federal cabinet said.
The top court’s decision, as per the sources, is not enforceable, Geo News reported.
The government would raise its voice in parliament regarding the verdict, the sources added. It was also decided in the meeting that the ruling coalition’s parties will talk about the apex court’s decision in parliament, they added, Geo News reported.
In the meeting, the cabinet decided to present its position on the verdict.

On the SC decision, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter and wrote that today’s verdict is the last blow of the conspiracy which began by “rewriting the Constitution and presenting the Punjab government on a plate” to the bench’s blue-eyed boy, Imran Khan.
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#Pakistan #cabinet #rejects #top #courts #verdict #election #delay #case
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 4, 2023
Florida Republicans poised to make more changes to election laws

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“We can all be proud that the 2022 election ran very smoothly across the state, but it is critical that we continue to safeguard against abuse, seek input from a variety of stakeholders, and make process improvements where we can,” said State Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills) in a statement about the legislation. “These efforts ensure we continue to maintain the integrity of our free and fair elections — a cornerstone of our nation’s democracy.”
The legislation does not address the state’s resign-to-run law, even though GOP legislative leaders said they were willing to tweak the law to make sure that DeSantis does not have to give up his office should he become the Republican nominee for president.
But Democrats still reacted sharply to the proposed bill, which was released about one day before it is scheduled for its first vote in the state Senate. The House has yet to release a similar bill, but House Speaker Paul Renner has already said he expects his chamber to push through elections-related legislation.
“It is absolutely absurd to drop a 98-page elections bill with just a 24 hour notice for its first hearing,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando). “Not only is it absurd, but it’s undemocratic and clearly designed to avoid public scrutiny. We should be introducing election reforms that make it simpler for people to vote and get registered to vote; not policies that make it harder.”
The DeSantis administration last year highlighted the arrest of nearly two-dozen people for voting illegally because they had prior convictions for murder or sex offenses. But some of those arrested said they thought they were eligible because they had been issued a voter ID card. Under the process it is usually up to the state to figure out if someone is eligible.
The proposed bill (S.B. 7050) would now require a disclaimer to be placed on the card that says it is “not legal verification of the eligibility to vote.”
Desmond Meade, executive director and president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, called the proposal “a rush job” and a “legislative cover up to fix a flaw.”
Meade led the push for a 2018 constitutional amendment that restored voting rights for many convicted felons. Many people registered to vote after its passage, but there is not one central database available that can tell potential voters if they meet the new criteria.

“If a returning citizen can’t rely on the state to figure out if they are eligible, who can they rely on?” Meade said.
Since the 2020 election — where mail-in voting was repeatedly criticized by former President Donald Trump — GOP legislators in the Sunshine State have pushed through several changes to mail-in voting, many of them at the insistence of DeSantis. Democrats and voting rights groups widely criticized a 2021 law that place a two-ballot limit on how many mail-in ballots someone could gather for elderly or sick voters.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd had recommended several additional changes to voting laws this year including blocking voters from being able to request a mail-in-ballot by telephone. That change, however, was not included in the proposal released on Monday.
But some of the notable provisions in the bill would increase fines and penalties against outside groups that conduct voter registration drives. The proposed measure would require these organizations to give someone a receipt after they register.
The legislation would also make it a felony for anyone to intimidate or threaten election workers, a move that comes after local election officials have reported coming under repeated pressure the last few years after Trump falsely asserted there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
The measure would also tweak campaign finance laws by reducing the frequency that candidates and political committees have to file reports except for a five-month period during election years. It would also alter vote-by-mail request deadlines and require first-time voters to vote in person if they do not have a social security number or Florida driver’s license or state issued identification.
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#Florida #Republicans #poised #election #laws
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 4, 2023
No country other than India has made its G20 presidency an ‘election campaign’: Jairam Ramesh

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New Delhi: Taking a swipe at the Narendra Modi government, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Friday that no other country has made its G20 presidency an “election campaign” as has been done by India.
“G20 has 19 countries + European Union as members. Its Annual Summit has been held in 17 countries & India is holding the 18th. No other country has made it an election campaign like India has, proving Mr. Advani’s insight on the man he prevented Mr. (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee from sacking,” he tweeted.
The Congress leader also attached a media report on BJP veteran L K Advani claiming in April 2014 that Narendra Modi was not his protege and was a “brilliant events manager”.
Prime Minister Modi had said earlier that India’s G20 presidency was a unique opportunity to showcase the country’s strengths to the entire world.
The G20 summit is not merely a diplomatic meeting, he had said, adding India takes it as a new responsibility and as the world’s trust in it.
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#country #India #G20 #presidency #election #campaign #Jairam #Ramesh

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
Election officials search Bommai’s car in poll-bound Karnataka

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Bengaluru: Election officials on Friday intercepted and checked Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s car when he was on his way to a temple in Chikkaballapura district.
The Model Code of Conduct is in force in the State, which goes to polls on May 10.
A video showing officials checking the vehicle has gone viral on social media.
#WATCH | Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai’s car checked by the Flying Squad team of the Election Commission as he was on his way to Sri Ghati Subramanya Temple in Doddaballapur
Model Code of Conduct is enforced in the State in view of the May 10 Assembly elections. pic.twitter.com/esBkFcIMAL
— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2023
According to sources, Bommai was heading to Ghati Subramanya temple in a private car — as he had surrendered his official car on the day the election schedule was announced on Wednesday — when it was stopped at Hosahudya checkpost.
“Nothing objectionable was found, and officials then allowed the vehicle to go, and the Chief Minister continued his journey,” sources added.
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#Election #officials #search #Bommais #car #pollbound #Karnataka

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
Election Commission to announce Karnataka Assembly elections schedule today

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New Delhi: The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule of the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka slated this year at 11:30 am on Wednesday, the ECI said.
The EC will hold a press conference at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital.
Karnataka, which has 224 seats in the Assembly currently has 119 MLAs of the ruling BJP, while Congress has 75 and its ally JD(S) has 28 seats.
With months to go for the Assembly elections, the political parties including the ruling BJP, Congress and ally JD(S) began the spate of allegations and counter-allegations, with the latter attempting to corner the government over the issue of corruption.
The BJP government, being led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is also putting in efforts to return to power and stressing on the Kannadigas issue, reservation to the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities by scrapping a religion-based reservation for the Muslim community, a decision which the state government took recently.
The government, last year, had proposed that the companies that do not give first preference to Kannadigas will not be eligible for incentives. The government’s move came in the later part of last year in a bid to promote Kannada. It was included in the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made several visits to Karnataka, a state which he has described on numerous occasions as the BJP’s “gateway to the South”.
Shah on Monday chaired a meeting with the state BJP core committee and election management committee in Bengaluru on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, Amit Shah lauded Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his immediate predecessor and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa stating that both have provided “good governance” during their respective tenures.
Citing the developmental work done by the BJP government under both chief ministers, Shah urged the people to form the party’s government with a full majority in the upcoming Assembly elections slated this year.
In February last year, Amit Shah urged the people to give a chance to former chief minister BS Yediyurappa for forming a corruption-free government.
He said that Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) are dynastic parties and such parties can never work for the welfare of the people.
“Give a chance to Yediyurappa and we will give you a corruption-free government. Congress and JDS are dynastic parties and such parties can never work for the welfare of the people. Every vote polled for JDS will benefit the Congress party, and every vote polled for Congress will benefit Siddaramaiah and his ATM government in Delhi,” he said.
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#Election #Commission #announce #Karnataka #Assembly #elections #schedule #today
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 29, 2023
BJP’s IT, minorities cells go on overdrive in UP for 2024 general election

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New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh is the most important state to capture the power in Delhi. For the last two Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been achieving stupendous success in Uttar Pradesh. In 2024 also, the party wants to repeat this success again. This is the reason why the saffron party has made a completely different strategy this time in the state.
The BJP is considered far ahead of its opponents in terms of social media and IT reach. This time the BJP is further strengthening its IT team in the state — a strategy that will not be easy for its opponents to match.
About 27,000 IT teams are being prepared in the state. In fact, there are about 27,000 ‘Shakti Kendras’ in BJP’s state. These centres play an important role in taking the party’s campaigns, programmes to the grassroots level and taking feedback.
The BJP wants to strengthen its network by connecting these Shakti Kendras online. By doing this, the leadership will have a direct eye on the workers working at the grassroots level. Information related to the programmes and campaigns of the party will reach the workers in a better way. Along with this, the party will be able to do video conferencing with the workers even at the smallest level and will be able to get the grassroots feedback directly.
Significantly, in 2019, BJP had won 62 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Ten seats went to the BSP and five to the SP, while Congress got only one seat.
The BJP had won 71 out of 80 seats in the state in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. This success of the party was surprising as it had got only 10 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Not only the IT department, BJP’s Minority cell in Uttar Pradesh is also way ahead in the preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
‘Sufi Samvad’
BJP’s Minority Morcha on Wednesday launched a year-long outreach programme for Muslims, named ‘Sufi Samvad’. The campaign launched in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections especially focuses on the Muslim-dominated districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala and Telangana.

According to the party’s minority morcha head Jamal Siddiqui, a team of 150 people associated with Sufism has been formed for the campaign, which will culminate in a large meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative comes months after Prime Minister Modi suggested that the party workers reach out to Sufis, Bohras, and Pasmandas in the country’s Muslim community.
At the launch of the campaign on Wednesday, people working in Sufi dargahs across 30 states and Union territories gathered at the BJP headquarters to firm up various events under the campaign.
Majority of the events under this initiative will be held in the Muslim-majority districts and where there is a substantial population of Muslims.
A special focus will be laid on Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar and Telangana, which cumulatively send 199 members to the Lok Sabha.
Earlier in March, the BJP made history by retaking control of Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, three northeastern states that recently had Assembly elections, and keeping them under its control with the aid of its allies.
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#BJPs #minorities #cells #overdrive #general #election
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 26, 2023