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The final voter turnout in Delhi assembly polls was 62.59 per cent, five per cent less than 2015, the Election Commission announced on Sunday evening nearly 24 hours after the polling ended, while the Aam Aadmi Party questioned the "delay". Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh, however, said there was no unusual delay in announcing the final voter turnout as the returning officers were busy with scrutiny of data to ensure its accuracy. After elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly were held on Saturday, poll officials had said that there was a turnout of 61.46 per cent, subject to revision. However, as there was no final word from the EC till 4 pm on Sunday, AAP chief and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter saying it was "absolutely shocking" that the poll panel was not coming out with the voting figures. "What is EC doing? Why are they not releasing poll turnout figures, several hours after polling?" Kejriwal tw...

Delhi Election : Campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections has intensified with the date of polling inching closer. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in East Delhi's Karkardooma area. Yesterday, leaders of political parties made the best use of Sunday, the last before the February 8 Delhi assembly polls, to garner support for their candidates. The BJP conducted a mega contact programme, with its top leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh UP CM Yogi Adityanath and party leader Smriti Irani, visiting all 70 assembly constituencies in the national capital. Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal addressed public meetings in Vishwas Nagar, Laxmi Nagar and Rithala, and undertook roadshows in Kirari and Mundka. Voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi is slated to be held on February 8. The counting of votes will take place on February 1...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 184 candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on Thursday. It said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest from his sitting seat of Varanasi, while party chief Amit Shah will make his Lok Sabha electoral debut, contesting from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Other highlights were BJP announcing 28 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, replacing six sitting MPs, four of whom were on seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, which reflected the party’s concerns at the Samajwadi Party–Bahujan Samaj Party–Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance. In 2014, the BJP had won 71 of UP’s 80 seats, with ally Apna Dal winning two. In Chhattisgarh, the party declared candidates on five seats, replacing all five sitting MPs. It has already announced that it will replace all 11 candidates in Chhattisgarh. In 2014, the BJP had won 10 of Chhattisgarh’s 11 seats. The BJP has been disinclined to fielding leaders above 75 years of age. Senior leader L K Advani, the inc...

Business Standard : Whatever the final position of various parties turns out to be, it is evident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suffered severe body blows in the three Hindi heartland states it rules with substantial majorities – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is too far behind in Chhattisgarh and will most likely not form the next government. The trends as of noon on the counting day show the Congress in the lead in the other two states as well, although these races are quite tight. Rajasthan would likely see a Congress government, though with a smaller majority than it expected. If at all the BJP wins Madhya Pradesh, it would do so by the proverbial skin of its teeth. That should come as no surprise (except to diehard BJP supporters) as all opinion surveys and most exit polls had predicted this outcome. ALSO READ: Election results LIVE: Congress stumped out of Mizoram, MNF wins 12 seats It would be tempting to attribute this result to the anti-...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has quit the ruling alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior leader said on Tuesday, taking a veiled dig at chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party in the wake of a surge in violence in the militancy-hit state. “ It has become untenable for the BJP to continue in the alliance,” party leader Ram Madhav said. He did not, however, name Mufti or the PDP in his address to the press. Ram Madhav said the Centre’s ruling BJP did everything feasible for the development of the state, which has been on the boil since the killing of a militant leader two years ago. Madhav backed his party’s decision to tie-up with the PDP after the 2015 assembly polls, stressing the BJP’s objectives were to restore peace and encourage fast development. “ Keeping in mind the larger interest of India's integrity and to bring the deteriorating situation in the state under control, it would be apt to hand over the governance to the governor of J...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were among the first to cast their votes in Parliament shortly after polling to elect India's 14th President began on Monday morning. Modi, clad in a beige colour sleeveless jacket over a white kurta-pyjama, reached the Parliament premises early to vote. It is also the first day of the over three-week monsoon session of Parliament. The Prime Minister said the session was expected to herald in a new hope for India. "Today the monsoon session begins. Like the monsoon brings hope, this session also brings the same spirit of hope," Modi said before casting his vote. Shah, who is an MLA from Gujarat and was allowed to cast his vote in Parliament, also used his franchise. All elected MPs and members of legislative assemblies are eligible to vote and elect the successor of Pranab Mukherjee, who demits office on July 25. The contest is between National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Ram Nath Kovind a...

BJP may retain power in Goa, wrest power in U'khand; consolation prize for Cong in Punjab If the predictions of several of the exit polls, made public on Thursday, for the five states that had Assembly elections in February-March turn out to be true, Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  is set to emerge as the most influential leader of India since Indira Gandhi, who had held sway over the country’s political landscape 40 years back. Findings of at least four exit polls suggested that Modi’s blitzkrieg of public rallies in Uttar Pradesh (UP) could help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) either comfortably cross the majority mark of 202 in the 403-seat UP Assembly, or come close to it.  The BJP, along with ally Apna Dal, had bagged 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, winning a staggering 337 of the 403 Assembly segments. At least two exit polls— India Today-Axis and Today’s Chanakya — could come close to that tally by winning up to 285 seats. H...