New Delhi:

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah called and intimidated district officers ahead of the counting of votes Tuesday, the Election Commission said no officer has reported any “undue influence” and asked the Opposition leader for details backing his allegation by 7 pm today so that action can be taken.

“The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch,” Mr Ramesh said in the post on X.

The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 1, 2024

The poll body said that being a senior leader, Mr Ramesh must have made the public statement based on facts he believes to be true.

“In this regard, it may be noted that during the period of enforcement of MCC, all officers are under deemed deputation of the Commission and report directly to the Commission for any directions. However, no DM has reported any such undue influence as alleged by you. As you are aware, the process of counting of votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest,” the Election Commission said in its letter to Mr Ramesh.

“Therefore, you being a responsible, experienced and very senior leader of a National Party must have made such public statement, just before the day of counting, based on facts/ information you believe to be true. It is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the Home Minister along with the factual matrix/ basis of your information are shared by 19.00 hours today i.e. June 2, 2024, so that appropriate action can be taken,” the poll body alleged.

Speaking to NDTV after exit polls predicted another BJP victory, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri trashed such charges. “The Home Minister of India doesn’t call a district officer or a subdivisional officer. The Home Minister deals with the Chief Minister of a state.”

New Delhi:

Five phases of the Lok Sabha election over, the Election Commission today came down heavily on the ruling BJP and the main Opposition Congress over poll speeches by star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

In separate directions issued to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the poll body said the country’s socio-cultural milieu cannot become a casualty to elections. The two major parties, it said, are not allowed to weaken the heritage of the Indian voter’s quality electoral experiences.

Earlier, both parties had approached the Election Commission and complained against each other’s leaders. The poll body had issued notices and sought their responses on the allegations. In today’s directions, it has rejected their defences.

New Delhi:

A viral WhatsApp forward telling women voters that they won’t be allowed to vote if they have nail polish on their fingernails is fake. BOOM reached out to an Election Commission of India (ECI) official who rubbished the viral forward. 

Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha 2024 was held in several states today, with the last two phases scheduled for May 25 and June 1. Meanwhile, votes will be counted on June 4.

The viral message reads, “Attention to All Ladies, Please remove Nail polish from fingers or else you will not be allowed to Vote”.

BOOM also received the viral message on its WhatsApp number – 7700906588 – inquiring about its authenticity.

FACT-CHECK

BOOM found that the viral message is fake and that the ECI has not announced any rules for women voters to remove nail polish before voting.

We reached out to ECI joint director Anuj Chandak, who dismissed the viral message and said it was fake. Mr Chadak further told BOOM, “Indelible ink is applied to the skin and nail both.”

Two of BOOM’s fact-checkers also independently confirmed with polling booth officials that the viral message was fake when they went to vote. Additionally, there are no recent ECI guidelines that say that voters with nail polish will not be allowed to exercise their franchise.

We also found several examples of women voters voting in the Lok Sabha election 2024 with nail polish on their fingernails. 

The polling process by ECI can be seen below:

(This story was originally published by BOOM, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said that election-time seizures have reached Rs 8,889 crore, with drugs comprising 45 per cent of the total.

“Enhanced vigil against inducements, including drugs and psychotropic substances, has resulted in big seizure actions and a continuous surge. Drug seizures have been maximum. Regular follow-ups and reviews of districts and agencies in areas of expenditure monitoring, precise data interpretation and active participation of enforcement agencies have led to this significant spurt in seizures since March 1,” the poll body said

The seizure of drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies, and cash influences elections in varying degrees, some flowing directly as inducement while others through reduced levels of circulation of money.

The Commission, led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, held meetings with the DG, Narcotics Control Bureau, to take up analytics-based proactive action for ensuring action by dedicated Nodal Officers of NCB.

Similarly, active involvement of the DRI, Indian Coast Guard, state police and other agencies was ensured during the ongoing elections. All these measures have led to significant seizures in the two months since the announcement of the polls.

“With the increasing intensity of campaigning in the last three phases, the Commission is keeping close tabs on attempts at influencing voters through inducements and has directed the CEOs and enforcement agencies to step up the vigil. The crusade against drugs and other inducements by the Commission will continue,” it added.

The EC stated that the Gujarat ATS, NCB and Indian Coast Guard, in joint operations, have made three high-value seizures of drugs in just three days, amounting to Rs 892 crore.

“These elections have witnessed a series of targeted actions against the menace of drugs. Other states apart from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi have also shown seizures of drugs. On 17.04.2024 Noida Police busted drug factory in Greater Noida wherein 26.7 kg of MDMA drug valued at Rs. 150 Crore were seized and two persons of foreign origin were arrested. The seizures in other cohorts have equally been impressive and surpasses the entire seizures of 2019 Parliamentary Elections by a big margin. Meticulous and exhaustive planning stands at its base,” it stated.

Real-time reporting of interceptions and seizures under the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS)- an in-house app, has resulted in quick, regular and precise reviews on expenditure monitoring. In addition, 656 Expenditure observers deployed for Parliamentary Constituencies and 125 expenditure observers are also keeping a close tab on check posts, functioning of ground level teams and are actively monitoring to ensure that citizens are not put to discomfort in the process of monitoring.

A close vigil is also kept in 123 Parliamentary Constituencies which are marked as expenditure-sensitive constituencies for more focused vigil.

The process of motivating agencies and having an active interface started in full force during the last quarter of 2023. In the first two months of the calendar year, already Rs. 6760 crore worth of drugs were seized, which conveyed a message that the Commission has a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to any form of inducement that may influence the voters.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad:

 Around a thousand voters from across three villages in Gujarat boycotted voting in the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, while those in as many other villages partially stayed away from the process over their unfulfilled demands from the government, officials said.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that as per the preliminary information, the voters of Kesar village in Bharuch district, Sanadhara in Surat district and Bhakhari in Banaskantha district completely boycotted voting, while the voters at Bhatgam village in Junagadh district, and Bodoli and Kunjara villages in Mahisagar district boycotted it partially.

Sanadhara village falls under Bardoli Lok Sabha seat and has 320 voters.

As per the Election Commission report, none of the 320 voters cast their votes over certain outstanding issues even as the local poll administration and representatives of political parties tried to persuade them to come out and exercise their franchise.

Around 300 voters in Bakhri village that falls under Patan parliamentary constituency also decided to collectively boycott voting in protest against division of their gram panchayat.

Despite persuasion, they remained steadfast in their decision to not exercise their voting right.

Poll preparations were made since early morning, but the villagers did not turn up for voting even as polling officers kept waiting. Villagers are aggrieved over the division of their gram panchayat, they said.

Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Bharatsinh Dabhi reached the village and requested them to join the poll process, but to no avail.

Around 350 voters in Kesar village of Bharuch district also remained adamant on their decision to not cast their votes and by the end of the day not a single vote was cast.

This was not the first time that the voters had boycotted their votes. They have done so in the past as well, as their demands to build a bridge over a river has not been fulfilled by the government despite repeated demands, locals said.

Polling for 25 out of the total 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat were held in a single phase on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the Surat seat unopposed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Khargone, Madhya Pradesh:

Launching a sharp attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it is time for voters to decide if ‘vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya’.

“India is at a turning point in history; you have to decide if vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya,” PM Modi said at a public meeting on Tuesday.

“Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening of jihad against India. And here, those in Congress have also announced for vote jihad against Modi, which means people of a particular religion are being asked to vote unitedly against Modi. Imagine what level the Congress has stooped to. Do you agree with Vote Jihad? In a democracy, can it be done? Does our constitution allow this kind of Jihad?” he asserted.

The development comes after Maria Alam, a Samajwadi Party leader and the niece of senior Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, asked the Muslims to do ‘vote jihad’ in order to defeat the BJP. Alam’s remark created a huge controversy with BJP leaders accusing the INDIA bloc for the statement by the SP leader.

Alam remarked on April 30, while seeking votes for the INDIA bloc’s candidate in the Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh. She was later booked for this speech. As per the FIR, Maria Alam Khan allegedly asked the minority community to go for “vote jihad.”

On Tuesday, addressing the public meeting in Beed, Maharashtra, PM Modi also attacked Congress and the INDIA bloc over the reservation row in Karnataka. He also criticized former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav over his remarks on the reservation.

“In Karnataka, where OBC had 27 per cent reservation, the Congress government brought a ‘fatwah’, an order and overnight declared all the Muslims in Karnataka as OBC. What BR Ambedkar, the Constitution, the parliament granted 27 per cent reservations to OBC, by putting Muslims in the category of OBC, overnight, they (Congress) looted what was there for the OBC…now, they want to do the same thing across the country,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today, a leader of INDI alliance has himself accepted their conspiracy. He is the same who was convicted by the Court in ‘fodder scam’. The leader of the INDI alliance has accepted that ‘ye log Musalmaanon ko pura ka pura aarakshan dena chahte hain’ (They want to give the whole reservation to Muslims). It means they want to snatch the whole reservation given to SC, ST and OBC and give it to Muslims. This is a danger sign for tribals, backwards and Dalits,” he further added.

Earlier in the day, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav called for a Muslim quota in the reservation.

“Muslims should get a reservation (Reservation toh milna chahiye Musalmano ko, pura),” he told ANI.

However, later the RJD supremo backtracked and said that reservation is given based on social backwardness and not based on religion.

“I implemented the ‘Mandal Commission’. Reservation samajik adhar par hota hai dharmik aadhar par nahi hota hai (it is based on social backwardness and not based on religion). Atal Bihari Vajpayee constituted the Constitution Review Commission,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Betul, Madhya Pradesh:

A bus carrying polling officials and electronic voting machines caught fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, causing damage to a few EVMs, according to a senior official.

However, no polling staff and the driver of the bus suffered any injury in the incident, Betul Collector Narendra Suryavanshi told PTI over phone.

The incident took place near Gola village around 11 pm in the district on Tuesday, he said.

The fire took place because of a spark in the bus, but no one suffered any injuries in the incident, the collector said.

The fire damaged EVMs of four polling stations, including booth numbers 275, 276, 277, 278, 279 and 280, he said.

The fire tender doused the flames which had totally gutted the bus, he added.

Six polling parties and as many EVMs were there in the bus at the time of the incident, among which four EVMs got damaged while two others are safe, Suryavanshi said.

In the four affected EVMs, either a control unit or a ballot unit suffered damages in the fire, he said.

Asked whether the incident would affect the vote count recorded in the EVMs, the collector said that he will send his report to the Election Commission on the issue and the poll body will take a decision regarding re-polling on the affected booths.

A total of 72.65 per cent polling was recorded in the Betul Lok Sabha seat, a poll official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

As the Election Commission issued notices to the leaderships of the BJP and Congress over complaints received in connection to political speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, many questioned why the poll body did not address the leaders directly, choosing to flag the matter to the party chiefs.

In both cases, the Election Commission press releases do not name the leaders – Prime Minister Modi or Mr Gandhi. The rival complaints against them are attached to the poll body’s notice.

What EC Says

In its notice, the Election Commission underlines the role of star campaigners in the election campaign. It says star campaigners are “expected to contribute to a higher quality of discourse, inter alia, by way of providing an all-India perspective, which sometimes gets distorted in the heat of the contests at the local level”.

“Thus, the expectation from Star Campaigners is to provide corrective action or a sort of healing touch, when intensity of local campaign disrupts or inadvertently crosses over such boundaries. The Star Campaigners are thus expected to utilize this privilege for “propagating the programme of the political parties” and, therefore, their speeches in the campaign space necessarily needs to be judged at a higher threshold of compliance,” it says.

Holding the political party primarily responsible for star campaigners, the poll body says, “Whereas, in view of the foregoing and the plenary power of the political parties to nominate or withdraw the star campaigner’s status with associated responsibility and authority to control their star campaigns, the Commission has taken a view that while the individual star campaigner would continue to remain responsible for speeches made, the Commission will address party President/Head of the political party, on case-to-case basis.” BJP chief JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge have been asked to respond by 11 am on Friday.

What is Congress’s Complaint

The Congress’s complaint, dated April 21 and filed by party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, flags Prime Minister Modi’s speech in Banswara, Rajasthan, the same day.

Accusing the Congress of a hatching a wealth redistribution plan, the Prime Minister said in the rally, “What Congress has said in its manifesto is serious. It has said that if the Congress forms the government, everyone’s property will be surveyed, it will calculate gold belonging to mothers and sisters and then redistribute it. They won’t even spare your mangalsutra,” he said, adding that the Congress is now “in the grip of urban Naxals”.

The Prime Minister alleged that when the Congress was in power under Dr Manmohan Singh, it had said Muslims have the first right on the country’s wealth. “This means that they will gather this property and distribute it among people who have more children, among infiltrators. Will your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you accept this? The Congress manifesto is saying this.”

The Congress has accused the Prime Minister of making “false and divisive insinuations targeted at a particular religious community and a clear provocation to the general public to act out and breach peace, potentially against such a religious community”. It has also alleged that the Prime Minister tried to mislead voters by making false and unverified allegations and to “falsely tarnish the sacrifices and legacy of an almost hundred and 140-year-old party” for “petty political gains”.

What Is BJP’s Complaint

In its April 19 complaint filed by Om Pathak, the BJP flagged a speech by Rahul Gandhi in Kerala’s Kottayam the previous day. “……. If a daughter graduates from a university, her parents congratulate in Malayalam. When a brother loses the other brother, he communicates in Malayalam. Thus, Kerala is Malayalam, Malayalam is Kerala. I get surprised when I hear PM giving speeches where he says one nation, one language, and one religion. How can you tell people of Tamil to not speak Tamil, people of Kerala to not speak Malayalam, people… Every single Indian language is as important as any other language. BJP does this with language, place, caste and religion. Whenever they get an opportunity, they divide the country…,” the Congress leader is quoted as saying.

The BJP accused Mr Gandhi of trying to “create linguistic and cultural divide in the minds of the people of India for electoral gains”. It also accused the Congress leader of trying to “tarnish the Prime Minister, defame him and indulge in his character assassination”.

The BJP’s complaint also targets Mr Kharge, accusing him of misleading voters by declaring that the BJP is going to change the Constitution if it wins the election.

Recent Precedents

Earlier this month, the Election Commission of India issued showcause notices to Congress leader Supriya Shrinate for social media posts targeting BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut. The same day, a notice was issued to BJP MP from West Bengal Dilip Ghosh for derogatory remarks against Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee.

Prior to that, showcause notices were issued to AAP leader Atishi and Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. Atishi was pulled up for allegations that the BJP had approached her to switch over, and Mr Surjewala over his remark on actor-politician Hema Malini.

In all these cases, the Election Commission addressed its notices directly to the leaders in question. Another notice issued to Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrashekar Rao was also addressed directly to the former Chief Minister.

New Delhi:

The nomination process for 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and Union territories for the 2024 general elections with the Election Commission on behalf of the President issuing its notification.

Candidates contesting in the elections must file their nomination papers within a specified timeframe. The last date for filing nomination papers for most constituencies is March 27. However, in Bihar, due to a festival, the deadline is extended to March 28. Candidates also have the option to withdraw their nomination before a specified deadline. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 20 for most constituencies, and April 2 for Bihar.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases, starting on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Each phase will cover different constituencies across various states and Union territories. The results of the election will be announced on June 4.

The first phase of polling includes states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

Simultaneous Elections

Simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states: Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir, under President’s Rule since 2018, will not have simultaneous elections due to security concerns.

By-elections will also be conducted for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.

Election Commission’s Measures

The Election Commission has taken several measures to ensure fair and transparent elections. Special attention is given to combatting fake news on social media, with severe penalties for dissemination.

Strict guidelines are in place to prevent hate speeches and maintain the integrity of the electoral process.

Special provisions are made for elderly voters above the age of 85 and persons with disabilities, allowing them to vote from home.
Approximately 82 lakh voters fall under the category of those above the age of 85.
 

Nalgonda, Telangana:

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, as part of vehicle checking, Nalgonda police in Telangana seized gold worth Rs 5.73 crores, officials said.

The gold was seized within the jurisdiction of Miryalguda 1 Town police station limits.

Sudhakar, Station House Officer, Miryalguda 1 Town Police station said, “The gold was being transported from Miryalguda to Khammam in a vehicle. Further details awaited”.

In a press conference, Chandana Deept, Superintendent of Police, Nalgonda informed that as part of the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect with the announcement of the schedule for Lok Sabha polls earlier in the month, to keep a check to prevent illegal transportation of cash and other valuables to lure the voters, the district police has kept a strict vigil by organising vehicle checkings in large scale, as per an official statement.

In this way, on March 18 at about 11:30 am, a police team led by G Sudhakar – Inspector of Police, found 3 persons proceeding in a vehicle bearing towards Kodad side, the release added.

“When they checked the said vehicle, they found gold worth Rs 5.73 crores being transported in it illegally in violation of the guidelines of the ECI. As such, as per the complaint lodged by Flying Squad, the respondents and the gold were taken into custody by the police and an investigation was taken up,” the release stated.

The ECI has announced various steps to eliminate the misuse of money and muscle power in the general elections in 2024.

Earlier Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar informed that to curb the flow of illicit money, the poll body has held extensive reviews with enforcement agencies.

“Cash movement worth around Rs 3,400 crore was restricted in the last 11 state assembly elections in Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Tripura,” CEC Kumar said.

Mr Kumar also noted that daunting challenges in conducting free and fair elections are “muscle, money, misinformation, and MCC violations” and asserted that the poll panel has put in place measures to deal with these disruptive challenges.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)