Bengaluru:

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar said on Sunday that the exit polls would go wrong like they did during the state assembly elections last year.

He said that the exit polls predicted the Congress party would not assume power in Karnataka but eventually, they were proved wrong.

“Exit polls had predicted that the Congress party would not come to power during the last Assembly elections, but they were wrong. Exit polls had given only about 80-85 seats to Congress, but I had predicted we would win 136 seats as per the survey we had conducted. We eventually won 136 seats,” Shivakumar said while speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence on Sunday.

“I am not confident with whatever the poll predictions have come. In Karnataka, we have performed the best. According to my experience of the last 40 years, there was no Modi wave in Karnataka. BJP is looking at all emotional issues, we are looking at the development of every individual,” he said.

Shivakumar claimed the support of the people of Karnataka adding that they have reposed faith in Congress’ guarantee schemes.

“Exit polls would consider a very small sample size of 5000 people and hence I don’t believe in them. The people of Karnataka, especially women, have reposed faith in our guarantee schemes. I am sure they have supported us. Our guarantee schemes at the national level reached the people better in the second phase of the election,” he said.

“Congress does politics of development while BJP does politics of emotion. I won’t comment on the national results, but we will surely cross double digits in Karnataka,” he added.

The exit polls on Saturday predicted the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning most of the seats in Congress-ruled Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections and the Congress not putting up a good show.

The India Today-Axis My India poll predicted NDA getting 23-25 seats and INDIA bloc 3-5 seats out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

The India TV exit poll said that the NDA is poised to win 19-25 seats in Karnataka, while the INDIA bloc is to get 4-8 seats. The exit poll by News18 predicted that NDA will get 23-26 seats and INDIA bloc will get 3-7 seats in Karnataka.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP almost swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats. Congress and JD(S) — who were in coalition in the state government — could only win one seat each.

The voting for 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka was held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 in the second and third phases. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

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

New Delhi:

Bookies in Delhi have predicted a thumping victory for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, but put them well below the 370-seat target the ruling party had set.

The BJP will win over 300 seats alone, the bookies predict. A party or an alliance of parties needs to win at least 272 in the 543-seat Lok Sabha to form government at the centre.

Exit polls yesterday predicted an easy win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, with an aggregate of 12 such polls positioning the ruling alliance at 365 seats. Such predictions, however, do not always get it right.

The bookies put the BJP’s figures between 303 and 306 seats. This means those who bet on 303 seats will book a profit if the BJP wins less than that. Whoever bets on 306 seats will win if the BJP gets more than that.

Betting on election results is illegal in India, but shadow betting platforms flourish nationwide and even traders in the share market turn to such platforms for cues.

The bookies have predicted a BJP sweep in heartland states and a debut in Tamil Nadu.

The BJP will win 25-26 seats in Gujarat, 64-66 in Uttar Pradesh, 27-29 in Madhya Pradesh, 19-21 in Rajasthan, 10-11 in Chhattisgarh, 13-15 in Bihar, 10-11 in Jharkhand, 5-6 in Haryana, four in Himachal, and five in Uttarakhand, they expect.

In Delhi, the BJP will win all seven seats, according to the bookies. They will also open their account in Tamil Nadu for the first time with three Lok Sabha seats, they projected, suggesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relentless south push will bring good news for the saffron party.

In Odisha, where Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal holds power, the BJP has been projected to win 14-15 out of 21 seats. In Punjab, the bookies expect them to win two out of 13 seats, and 7-8 in Telangana.

In West Bengal, they may better their 2019 performance and win 19-21 seats out of 42 seats and in Maharashtra, the bookies project they will win 18-20 out of 48 seats.

New Delhi:

The ongoing Lok Sabha polls is probably the ‘hottest’ election in India’s history, thanks to the scorching heat.

The elections, however, are definitely the most eco-friendly elections that have been ever held in the world’s largest democracy and Indians should be proud of that fact.

“Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” is an integral motto for environmentally sound election management practices, asserts the Election Commission of India (EC).

“Thanks to many environment friendly initiatives undertaken by the Election Commission of India, there is no doubt that the 2024 General Elections are the eco-friendly elections. Other than saving of huge paper due to use of EVMs, electronic means of filing complaints, directions were given for no use of single use plastic in electoral process,” said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar

“India has now set a new global benchmark for holding environmentally sustainable elections with a low carbon footprint’. Many eco-friendly polling stations were also set up” said Mr Kumar.

Rajiv Kumar has been at the helm since 2022 and holds a master’s degree in sustainability among his many qualifications. Mr Kumar has worked in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and was part of National Mission on Afforestation.

His other colleagues are also technocrats with green ideas: Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu is a medical graduate and Shri Gyanesh Kumar is a trained civil engineer from IIT-Kanpur.

The use of 5.6 million EVMs in the elections has saved thousands of tonnes of paper. Each machine has a life of 15 years and easily three Parliamentary elections can be conducted using the same machines, in addition to three assembly elections. This makes the EVMs highly environmentally sustainable.

That paper wastage has been avoided is another positive aspect of deploying EVMs.

As per the Narrative Report of 17th Lok Sabha General Elections 2019 – which refers to General Elections 2004 – replacing the erstwhile voting method of using ballot papers, 1.075 million EVMs were used in 543 Parliamentary and 697 Assembly Constituencies making 14th General Elections fully electronic for the first time.

The use of EVMs in General Elections 2004, it states, saved around 1,50,000 trees which would have been cut for production of about 8000 tonnes of paper for printing the ballot papers if traditional system of ballot box was adopted.

During the period from 2004 to 2024 the elector base has increased from about 67.1 crores to 96.9 crores, i.e. an increase of 44.5%. Going by this, we may estimate that the use of EVMs in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, 2024 has contributed to the savings of about 11,520 tonnes of paper and prevented cutting down of about 2.15 lakh trees. This is a whopping lot paper.

The Election Commission has issued advisories on several occasions urging political parties and candidates to use only environment-friendly material and to avoid single-use plastic and non-biodegradable material. Noise pollution has also been minimal as political parties minimised the use of loudspeakers going around on vehicles and moved a lot of the campaigning to social media.

Protecting the environment is not an individual task but a collective responsibility and hence the EC urges all the political parties to avoid the use of plastic/polythene and similar non-biodegradable materials for preparation of posters, banners, etc.

With digitisation of various processes like online facilitation for registration of voters; Apps like Voter Helpline App, SUVIDHA portal, KYC App, cVigil, e-EPIC, PwD app, Voter Turnout App; online nomination facility for candidates; avoiding single use plastic in display materials for voter awareness; ensuring proper waste disposal management; has endeavoured to ensure environment friendly elections.

A major push has been given for eco-friendly infrastructure, with many local election officers adopting LED lighting, rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels in their office premises and EVM warehouses.

When the election dates were announced, the poll body had said that directions have been issued to the poll machinery to ensure “environmentally sustainable elections”.

“There should be no waste visible at polling stations across the country after casting of votes. It should be collected and disposed of as per rules. Less and less paperwork and how can we reduce the carbon footprint through recycling is our commitment and responsibility towards the environment,” said Mr Kumar.

The poll body actively promoted environmentally sustainable elections during the continuing Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Indeed, India should be proud of the global example it has set by holding environmentally clean and green elections.

Deoria:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday experienced the intense heat as he was delivering his speech at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria.

During his address, he drank water from a bottle and told the audience “garmee hai kaafi (it’s too hot).” After this, he poured water from the bottle on his head, prompting a cheer from the crowd.

Rahul Gandhi was seeking votes for Sadal Prasad, the Congress candidate from Bansgaon (SC) Lok Sabha seat.

Bansgaon (SC) Lok Sabha seat covers assembly segments of Chauri-Chaura, Bansgaon (SC) and Chillupar in Gorakhpur district, and assembly segments of Rudrapur and Barhaj in Deoria district.

There are eight candidates in the fray from Bansgaon (SC) seat with the main electoral contest between sitting MP and BJP candidate Kamlesh Paswan and Prasad.

Bansgaon will vote in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on June 1.

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

New Delhi:

Female voters outnumbered male voters for the second consecutive time in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections by 3 per cent, according to data released by the Election Commission on Tuesday.

In the fifth phase too, more women had turned up at polling stations as compared to men.

Voting for 58 parliamentary constituencies was held in the sixth phase of elections on May 25.

According to the EC, 61.95 per cent of the eligible male voters and 64.95 per cent of the eligible female voters cast ballot in the sixth phase.

In Bihar, 62.95 per cent women voted as against 51.95 per cent men. In Jharkhand, 65.94 per cent women voted and 64.87 per cent men.

Uttar Pradesh saw 57.12 per cent women and 51.31 per cent men cast ballot.

In West Bengal, women’s turnout stood at 83.83 per cent and men’s at 81.62 per cent.

In Odisha, women’s turnout (74.86 per cent) was only marginally higher than men’s (74.07 per cent).

In the fifth phase, 63 per cent women voters turned up at polling booths as against 61.48 per cent men.

Women’s participation was higher than men in Bihar, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. 

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

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Article 370 was neither the agenda of the people of Kashmir nor of the country but only of “four-five families” and that it is a matter of greatest satisfaction for him that the brothers and sisters in Kashmir came forward to vote with great enthusiasm in the Lok Sabha polls.

In an exclusive interview with the news agency ANI, the Prime Minister said there is a feeling of more unity with the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the feeling of belongingness is increasing and the result is visible in the elections and in the increase in tourism.

“Article 370 was the agenda of only four-five families, it was neither the agenda of the people of Kashmir nor the agenda of the people of the country. For their benefit, they had built such a wall of 370 and used to say that if 370 is removed, there will be a fire…Today it has become true that after the removal of 370, there is a feeling of more unity. The feeling of belongingness is increasing among the people of Kashmir and hence its direct result is also visible in elections, tourism,” he said.

Modi government abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, months after it came to office for the second successive term.

The Prime Minister noted that the people in Kashmir warmly welcomed the delegates during events related to the G20 summit.

Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituencies in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir saw record turnout in Lok Sabha polls held in different phases earlier this month.

Srinagar recorded 38.49 per cent polling, Baramulla 59.1 per cent and Anantnag-Rajouri 51.35 per cent as of 5 pm on April 25, the day the polling was held on the seat. The polling has been highest since 1989. These were the first Lok Sabha elections in Jamu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

The Prime Minister said that the decisions of the government were always for a good cause.

“First of all, I would like to pray to the justice system of our country that if the government wants to do any work, they have a design, strategy to do that work. To solve such problems, work had to be done under that strategy. Now sometimes I had to shut down the internet for that. Some NGO went to court and it became a big issue in the court but today the children there proudly say that the internet has not been shut down for the last 5 years and we have been getting all the facilities for the last 5 years. There was some pain for a few days, but it was for a good cause… It is very important to save the country from such NGOs,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that enthusiastic participation of voters in Lok Sabha polls has given a message to the world and “those who had doubts”.

“When the common man votes there, it is not just to make someone win, voting means that the voter accepts the Constitution of India and expresses his dedication towards the entire spirit of India… As a result, voting records of 40 years have been broken. It is a matter of greatest satisfaction for me that my brothers and sisters from Kashmir came forward to vote with great enthusiasm. By voting, they have given a message to the world and to those who used to have doubts,” he said.

Voting has been held in six phases of Lok Sabha polls and will conclude with the last phase on June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.

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

New Delhi:

One more phase to go for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 to end, what’s the public mood? NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking to win a third term, while the Opposition is counting on a very slim chance of anti-incumbency.

Here are the Highlights of NDTV Battleground on public mood after 6 phases

Get NDTV UpdatesTurn on notifications to receive alerts as this story develops.

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election

Neerja – Except Nehru, no other PM remained popular after 10 years. We have to understand the changing India. Opposition is fighting this time and not giving up compared to last time. BJP has a leader and a strong party that can convert sentiment to vote. 

Sandeep – Opposition chose the correct strategy to not fight it with a face but the problem was there was no common strategy. 

Sanjay – The election started from somewhere but headed into a different direction. 

Amitabh – People vote for a good future. In the last 5 years, through covid, cash income schemes, people from SC/ST communities got access to mobile phone and these 2 communities are deciding the elections and this helped BJP to use social media for communications.

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election

Sanjay Kumar – BJP wanted to fight elections on national issues like abrogation of Article 370, but the Opposition continued to raise the issue of inflation and unemployment and change in the constitution.

Neerja – Except Nehru, no other PM remained popular after 10 years. We have to understand the changing India. Opposition is fighting this time and not giving up compared to last time. BJP has a leader and a strong party that can convert sentiment to vote. 

Sandeep – Opposition chose the correct strategy to not fight it with a face but the problem was there was no common strategy. 

Sanjay – The election started from somewhere but headed into a different direction. 

Amitabh – People vote for a good future. In the last 5 years, through covid, cash income schemes, people from SC/ST communities got access to mobile phone and these 2 communities are deciding the elections and this helped BJP to use social media for communications.

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election

Amitabh – Today the opposition is fighting to bring BJP below 272 and not win the elections and it’s a defeatist attitude. 

Neerja – Congress might gain in Karnataka, BJP will lose. BJP will compensate in Telangana, Odisha, there are 2 opinions in Bengal. If you’re losing the 303 mark but your gaining somewhere. 

Sanjay – In 2019, BJP got more than 50% vote on 224 seats. The discussion is not about whether BJP is losing or not? Now is it about whether BJP will get 300 or not. Even if BJP is losing then it’s not much to create a diff in its tally.

Amitabh – When BJP gave the 400 target, there was an ambition to break Rajiv Gandhi’s 1984 record. If the opposition is losing then they’ll look for the gains in that defeat for their supporters.

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election

Amitabh – To covert discontent into anger was somehow missing in the Opposition’s campaign

Professor CSDS Sanjay Kumar – Discussion is not about BJP will lose, but the discussion is about will the BJP get 370 plus seats

Sanjay –  Do you see BJP tally’s going below 300 or above 

Lokniti Network National Coordinator Sandeep Shastri – For BJP to cross 300 plus mark depends on Maharashtra West Bengal. There won’t be much change in Uttar Pradesh 

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election

Senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury – It’s difficult to decode this election. The election is complex. At some level, we are not seeing that Modi wave, on a different level there are some fence-sitters. Modi Wave cannot control the opposition, who have local issues. Opposition is giving a fight but that doesn’t mean they are equal to BJP.

NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia – There are some states where BJP performed well in 2014, 2019 looks weak this time but is expected to do well in states where it didn’t do well earlier. It looks like a waveless election.

Sandeep – There are small waves in states. 

Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari- Voting is an emotional decision, there’s discontent. Last time BJP got 40% votes but converting discontent to anger is important. There was one-sided election in Dec 2023 polls. Wave is seen after election. It’s not easy to understand the psyche of the voter.