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Congress Terms EC ‘Enfeebled Commission’, Says it is Black Day For Democracy

New Delhi: The Congress Wednesday dubbed the Election Commission as “Enfeebled Commission” after the poll body was learnt to have rejected the opposition parties’ demand for pre-verification of VVPATs with EVMs while counting and said it was a “black day” for democracy.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi asked on what basis the commission had arrived at the decision as the Supreme Court ruling on VVPAT counting did not come under Rule 56-D as cited by it.

He also questioned whether the EVMs were “electronic victory machines” for the BJP and the Model Code of Conduct was “Modi’s Campaign Code”, alleging that the poll body had succumbed to the pressure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. “It is a black day for democracy and it is very sad and unfortunate for an institution like the Election Commission,” he told reporters. Addressing a press conference, Singhvi said though the Congress or any other party had not received any reply or order from the EC on their complaints, the poll body has no logistical reason to reject the demand as it entails no extra time or burden on it.

“Has the Model Code of Conduct become ‘Modi’s campaign code’ and EVMs ‘electronic victory machines’ for the BJP. Has the Election Commission become ‘Enfeebled Commission’ or is it ‘Eradicated Commission’ or ‘Eliminated Commission’ as it has succumbed to the pressure of PM and Amit Shah,” he claimed.

The Congress leader also alleged that the EC had adopted “discriminatory” standards, “one for the aam aadmi (common man) and the other for two people, who are above the law — the prime minister and Amit Shah”.

Questioning what could be the possible ground for rejection of the opposition’s demand, Singhvi said they have only asked for random checking of VVPATs at the beginning of counting so that a sample can be checked.

Asked whether the Congress will move court against the EC’s decision, Singhvi asked, “Why should we?”

He indicated that there was no enough time left to move the court. “We are appealing to the court of people. We have fought a clean battle. There is no time to go anywhere,” he said, adding that the EC’s decision had given rise to suspicion about its functioning.

Singhvi said the demand made by the opposition was only to reinforce the credibility of EVMs and that of the EC.

The Election Commission is learnt to have stuck to its plan of counting the paper trail machines slips at the end of counts and not in the beginning as demanded by opposition parties.

It is also learnt to have decided to count postal ballots simultaneously with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) count due to the “sheer size” of the ballots received this time from service voters.
Till now, the postal ballots were counted in the beginning followed by votes polled in voting machines.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2019: Rahul Gandhi Trailing by 8,000 Votes in Amethi as BJP Registers Lead in Over 50 Seats

Early trends of counting suggest that Congress President Rahul Gandhi is trailing to BJP’s Smriti Irani from the grand old party’s bastion in Amethi by more than 8,000 votes.

Amethi is a stronghold for Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been elected to Parliament from the seat since 2004. However, in 2014 BJP leader and Textile minister Smriti Irani gave him a tough contest and gathered over thee lakh votes in Amethi.

-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) that was reduced to nil during 2014 general elections has been leading in 15 seats in Uttar Pradesh, according to early trends. The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand is leading on ten seats. Trends also suggest that BJP candidates in 52 seats have registered leads. Follow all the LIVE updates of Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 here -According to early trends, Uttar Pradesh’s Jat dominated constituencies of Aligarh, Hathras, Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Muzaffarnagar seem to be siding with the BJP. RLD’s Ajit Singh and Jayant Chaudhary did not seem to have an impact on influencing Jat votes in favour of the Mahagathbandhan.

-Trends coming in from early counting also suggests that BJP’s Ravi Kishan is leading with a considerable margin in Gorakhpur. Now Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had been continuously winning from the seat since 2004.

-As per early trends, BJP seems to have swept all of Central and Northern Uttar Pradesh. The Mahagathbandhan is leading only on those seats that has more than 50 percent cumulative population of Muslims, Yadavs and Dalits.

-In an other update, counting in almost ten seats in Uttar Pradesh has been disturbed.

-BJP has fielded Irani yet again in the hope that she will improve her performance from five years ago and snatch Amethi away from Gandhi. Irani has capitalised on Gandhi’s absence and has accused him of running away from a fight.

-Early trends also suggest Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading in Varanasi and Congress’s Imraan Masood is leading in Saharanpur.

-Samajwadi Party’s Poonam Sinha, the wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat against Union home minister Rajnath Singh is trailing. Union minister and BJP’s candidate from the seat, Rajnath Singh is leading.

In Uttar Pradesh, which is said to hold the key to power in New Delhi, is hosting some of the most exciting poll contests like Varanasi from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting, Mainpuri from where SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav is fighting his last election, Amethi from where BJP leader Smriti Irani is giving a tough fight to Congress president Rahul Gandhi.The question here was always about not “whether” the BJP would lose seats, but “how many”, considering the landslide win last time and the stiff challenge posed by the coming together of erstwhile rivals, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, after the successive drubbings of 2014 and 2017.

-Samajwadi Party’s candidate and wife of Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav leading with considerable margin in her seat.

-Manoj Sinha, Union minister and BJP’s candidate in Ghazipur is trailing according to early counting.

-Sakshi Maharaj from BJP leading from Unnao.

-Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi leading in Raebareli.

-Congress’s Imraan Masood is leading in Saharanpur.

-Azam Khan is leading from UP’s Rampur seat against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada.

Let’s look at the following important seats and indicators from perhaps the most crucial state-

-For most political pundits and psephologists, the electoral outcome was predicated on the strong caste foundations of the gathbandhan, which counted on the solidarity of the Backward and Dalit castes – that is the OBCs and SCs – along with the undisputed support from the strong Muslim population.

-Then, there was the Congress factor, equally baffling for both the alliance as well as the BJP. Though Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi claimed that her candidates if not winning will actually cut into BJP’s vote bank, the reality was that it would also hurt the alliance prospects on certain seats.

-Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking re-election to his current parliamentary seat in Varanasi, where he trounced dozens of rivals in one of the largest candidate fields in the 2014 election. In the fray in Varanasi this year are Shalini Yadav, the candidate of the SP-BSP-RLD opposition alliance, and the Congressman Ajay Rai. Modi’s win margin last year can be judged from the fact that runner Arvind Kejriwal lost by almost 3.7 lakh votes.

-This is the last election for former Samajwadi party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. The 79-year-old is fighting for his legacy from his stronghold, Mainpuri. In a historic moment, Mayawati called Yadav a real leader and in turn, Yadav urged his supporters to always respect Mayawati and said that he would never forget her gesture to campaign for him in his traditional seat.

-Former army chief and junior minister in the External Affairs Ministry VK Singh is pitted against Congress’s Dolly Sharma and gathbandhan candidate Suresh Bansal from Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh. Though Singh won convincingly in 2014, he still carries around the ‘outside’ tag in Ghaziabad, owing to his Haryana origins. The seat remains a stronghold for BJP, with a large vote bank of Brahmin and Baniya voters. However, the seat is also home to 6 lakh people from SC communities and 5.5 lakh Muslims, who are likely to sway toward the SP-BSP combine. The Jat vote could become the deciding factor.

-In Saharanpur BJP retained their sitting MP, an upper caste candidate Raghav Lakhanpal. He had won this unreserved seat defeating Indian National Congress’ Imran Masood in 2014. Approximately 41 percent of the votes were polled in BJP’s favour in the last Lok Sabha polls. Congress too retained their candidate, Imran Masood from the Saharanpur seat in Uttar Pradesh. He had finished second during the 2014 elections. BSP’s Jagdish Singh Rana won the seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and finished third in 2014. 6,267 votes were also polled for NOTA in 2014. Saharanpur has an estimated Scheduled Caste population of 22.32 percent and a Scheduled Tribe population of 0.04 percent. Although the political fate of the seat has swung between BSP, SP and BJP. The latter has won three out of the last six Lok Sabha elections.

–Gorakhpur considered a BJP bastion, the party has fielded Bhojpuri movie star Ravi Kishan from this seat, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) named Ram Bhuwal Nishad as their candidate. The Congress has fielded Madhusudan Tiwari. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has won this seat five times in a row and had to vacate it after assuming the charge of the chief minister. In 2014, Yogi Adityanath of the BJP defeated his rival by a margin of 3,12,783 or 30.1 per cent votes. After he vacated the seat, Samajwadi Party’s Pravin Kumar Nishad won the 2018 bypolls. Pravin Kumar Nishad has now joined ranks with the BJP.

-Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has held the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, considered her fortress, since 2004. BJP has fielded a local leader Dinesh Pratap Singh against Gandhi. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had defeated the BJP candidate Ajay Agarwal by a margin of over 3,50,000 votes. The SP-BSP alliance has not fielded candidates from Raebareli and Amethi

-Both sides courted Jats aggressively. The support of Jats will be crucial in West UP where the community has a direct influence in at least a dozen seats. So indicators from seats like Baghpat, Mathura, Muzaffarnagar and Fatehpur Sikri could help understand which side Jats weighed.

-Will Congress score more than two? Congress, being left out of MGB, decided to go its own way and expand its influence beyond Raebareli and Amethi, its traditional seats. The big question will be whether it gets a third, a fourth or possibly even a fifth through its former strongholds like Dhaurarha, Kushi Nagar, Unnao and Barabanki.

-How well will BJP perform in seats where arithemetic is in MGB’s favour? This will be a test of MGB’s attempt to transfer party votes and BJP’s attempt to not let this happen. These are the seats to look out for – Ghazipur’s 40% huge population is comprised of Yadavs, Muslims and Dalits; Amroha similarly has a sizeable population of Muslims and SCs and a chunk of Jat votes; Bijnor again has a sizeable Muslim population which added to a number of Dalits is likely to give MGB a lot of confidence

(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Who’s Ahead in Bhopal? Former CM Digvijaya Singh or Terror-accused Pragya Thakur

As Lok Sabha election results arrive on Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be looking to continue its unbeaten streak in Bhopal. The saffron party has not lost Lok Sabha polls in this urban seat since 1989. BJP candidate, and terror accused, Pragya Thakur will be contesting former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh.

Follow all the live updates of Lok Sabha election results here: Lok Sabha Election Results 2019 LIVE: Will Modi Get Second Term as PM Or Will NDA Fall Short? India to Have Final Say Today

Thakur is currently being tried for terrorism charges in connection with the Malegaon blasts in 2008 that killed six people. She is out on bail on health grounds. During Thakur’s election campaign in Bhopal, Hindutva took centre-stage. She claimed that Hindutva and development are synonymous. She has accused the Congress of conducting “votebank politics” by appealing to members of minority communities and has said that she is fighting to uphold Hindutva. Read: Malegaon Blast Case: Pragya Thakur, Two Other Accused Exempted From Court Appearance She also claimed that she had been tortured in jail and that she is contesting to ensure that no woman faces such atrocities in prison.

Days after her candidature was announced, Thakur claimed that 26/11 hero who was killed in action, Hemant Karkare, died because she’d cursed him. She was subsequently reprimanded by the Election Commission for her statement expressing “extreme pride” in having participated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.

Follow all the live updates of Madhya Pradesh election results here.

Undeterred, last week, she stoked another controversy by claiming that MK Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse was a patriot. Though she apologised for the remarks, the controversy forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attempt some damage control: he claimed that he would never forgive Thakur for what she said.

Bhopal voted on May 12. The constituency has about 20.53 lakh voters, of whom 4.5 lakh are Muslim, according to The Economic Times.

Read: BJP Likely to Come Back with Thumping Majority in MP as Pollsters Predict Loss for Congress in Heartland

Digvijaya Singh, on his part, attempted to maintain a balance between appealing to both Hindu and Muslim voters. In an attempt to dispel Thakur’s claim that he was “anti-Hindu ”, he participated in havans (Hindu religious ceremonies) and visited several temples.

In a recent tweet, Singh asserted his confidence in the Congress party and its victory.

??? ???????? ???????????? ?? ??????? ??????????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) May 23, 2019

Having served as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for ten years from 1993 to 2003, Singh has considerable political experience under his belt. BJP’s Alok Sanjar had in 2014 won the seat with a vote margin of almost 3.8 lakh against Congress’ PC Sharma.

Poll agencies have predicted a landslide win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh. The News18-IPSOS Exit Poll has predicted 24-27 seats for the BJP and two-four for the Congress.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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Will Urban Rural Divide Help Congress Perform Better than BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Voting patterns in Madhya Pradesh suggest a clear divide in voting patterns in urban and rural seats. The last time this divide was visible was during the recently held assembly elections. In urban seats, the BJP was ahead on 62%, or almost two thirds of the seats, and the Congress on just 33%, or one-third of the urban seats.

Among the rural seats, the Congress was ahead on 52% and the BJP on 44% seats.

Of the 37 seats in the State which have more than 50% urban voters, the BJP’s success rate was almost double that of the Congress till late on Wednesday night, as counting was still on. The rural unease against the BJP government on account of rising diesel prices, and falling prices of rural produce hitting farmers was visible in several protests, especially ones in Mandsaur. Mandsaur was the epicentre of the farmer protests in Madhya Pradesh. During the 2017 protests, five farmers were also killed in police firing, which led to widespread condemnation.

With the state being 72% rural and thus having a lion’s share of rural and semi-rural constituencies, and given that not even six months have passed since it won assembly elections, the Congress hopes to sway results in its favour.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee Pay Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on 28th Death Anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on his 28th death anniversary. Taking to Twitter, Modi wrote: “Tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.”

Earlier, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial, Veer Bhumi, in Delhi. Besides the Gandhi family, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former president Pranab Mukherjee, among other senior party leaders, were also present at Veer Bhumi.

Tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.
— Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 21 May 2019

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 by a woman operative of the separatist Lankan Tamil outfit LTTE at a rally in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur. His death anniversary is also observed as Anti-terrorism day.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda also took to Twitter to pay tribute to the leader.

Solemnly and very fondly remembering former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) 21 May 2019

May 21st is the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi the Prime minister of India who dreamed of proud and inclusive India in the 21st century with growth and prosperity for all. pic.twitter.com/2iQb0smKG2
— Sam Pitroda (@sampitroda) 21 May 2019

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Transparency, Time-bound Procedure Important to Investigate Poll Violations: EC Ashok Lavasa

New Delhi: On a day Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and fellow commissioner Sushil Chandra turned down his demand to incorporate minority view in orders relating to model code violations, Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa Tuesday said he still believes that transparency is important and such cases should be dealt in a time-bound manner.

Talking to PTI after the meeting, Lavasa refused to comment on the issue of Commission maintaining a status quo, saying, “minutes of the meeting will be drawn, instructions will be issued. Only then there would be clarity.”

“In the meeting of the Election Commission held today regarding the issue of MCC (Model Code of Conduct), it was, inter alia, decided that proceedings of the commission’s meeting would be drawn, including the views of all the commission members,” the Commission said in a statement after the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours. “Thereafter, formal instructions to this effect would be issued in consonance with extant laws/rules, etc,” it further said. Lavasa said, “Till the time there is clarity on the reasoning of the views, it is premature to say (anything).”

He said he continues to “say that transparency is important … minority view should be included and there should be time-bound procedures. My view is very clear.”

Explaining the order, a Commission official said dissent notes and minority views would remain part of records of the poll panel.

Lavasa had dissented on a series of clean chits given by the Commission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on their speeches during the election campaign.

As his demand to record his dissent notes in EC’s orders was not met, Lavasa recused himself from cases relating to relating to violations of model code of conduct.

In a strongly-worded letter to Arora on May 4, Lavasa is learnt to have said that he is being forced to stay away from the meetings of the full commission since minority decisions are not being recorded.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Lavasa stuck to his ground, pressing for his demand to include dissenting views in the orders.

The EC had maintained that the dissent notes cannot be made part of the order as poll code violation cases are not quasi judicial in nature and that they are not signed by the chief election commissioner (CEC) and fellow commissioners.

“They are like executive orders. They are summary decisions where decision is taken by the EC without hearing out counsels of the two parties. The orders are brief which are not signed by the three commissioners,” explained the official.

Such orders are usually signed by the principal secretary concerned or secretary of the EC, the official said.

Lavasa had dissented in as many as five of the 11 EC decisions involving complaints against Modi and Shah for alleged MCC violation and where they were given a clean chit.

An official said the EC is likely to come out with a circular clearly outlining the procedure relating to complaints of poll code violation.

“Status quo will be maintained. Dissent will not be made public but would form part of EC records,” explained an official.

As per the law governing the functioning of the EC, efforts should be to have unanimity but in cases of dissent a majority (2:1) view prevails.

In his May 4 letter, Lavasa is learnt to have also said that his participation in EC meeting is “meaningless” as his dissent remained unrecorded.

He had said that his notes on the need for transparency have not been responded to because of which he has decided to stay away from meetings on model code related complaints.

Sources said Lavasa had written to the CEC about the issue on at least three occasions.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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Poll Body Sets Up Control Room to Deal With Complaints Related to EVMs Used in Lok Sabha Elections

New Delhi: On a day it dismissed allegations that the voting machines used in the Lok Sabha election were being switched with fresh ones ahead of counting of votes on May 23, the Election Commission Tuesday set up a 24-hour control room here to monitor complaints relating to EVMs.

“The complaints related to storage issues at strongrooms, security of strongrooms, permissions to candidates to post their agents at strongrooms, CCTV monitoring, movement of any EVMs, and any complaints during counting related to EVMs can be informed at control room, number is 011-23052123 (with 5 hunting lines),” it said in a statement.

Referring to the allegations and complaints, the commission earlier in the day said it would like to “emphatically and unambiguously” clarify that all such reports and allegations are “absolutely false and factually incorrect.” The visuals on TV and social media “do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls”, it said. In an earlier statement, the EC said, after the close of polls, all polled EVMs and VVPATs are brought under security cover to designated strongrooms, which are sealed with double locks in the presence of candidates and observers of the commission.

The entire process of storage and sealing of the strongroom is videoed.

“Continuous CCTV camera coverage is done till completion of counting. Each strongroom is guarded with round-the-clock security by Central Armed Police Forces.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)

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Kerala Lok Sabha election results 2019 live updates: Congress-led UDF leading in 19 seats

The counting of votes for 20 Lok Sabha seats is Kerala along with other 522 seats, spread across 29 states and seven union territories, began at 8 am on Thursday.

Election trends will start pouring in at around 10 am, depicting the probable winners as well as the trailing candidates. However, the final result can be delayed by five hours this time around after the Supreme Court instructed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to also take into account the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips tally.

The VVPAT slips of at least five EVMs per assembly segment in a Lok Sabha constituency will be counted and the tallying of votes will take place only after the last round of counting.

Click here for latest trends

Stay tuned with Zee News for the latest updates as poll results pour in from Kerala:

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Rahul Gandhi is comfortably leading in Wayanad by a huge margin of 2,74,471 against CPI’s PP Suneer.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Communist Party of India’s Adv. AM Ariff is leading from Alappuzha, while Congress’ Ramya Haridas is leading from Alathur. Adv. Adoor Prakash of Congress and Benny Behanan are ahead from Attingal and Chalakudy, respectively.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has extended his lead in Thiruvananthapuram to 14,443 votes against BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress-led UDF is leading in the state with 19 seats while the LDF is currently leading from jus one Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Rahul Gandhi is way ahead in Wayanad, leading by almost two lakh votes.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is leading from Thiruvananthapuram seat by 11,407 votes against BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekhran.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Rahul Gandhi has extended his lead in Wayanad to 1,24,537 seats against CPI’s PP Suneer.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress is leading from 15 seats, while LDF is leading from four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is way ahead in Wayanad, leading by approximately 60,000 votes against P.P. Suneer.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress-led UDF is leading in the state with 12 seats while the LDF is currently leading from seven Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. The BJP, meanwhile, is leading from one seat.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is currently leading from Wayanad by approximately 30,000 votes.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is currently leading from Wayanad by 16,842 votes against CPI P.P. Suneer.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: The LDF is leading from five seats while Congress is currently leading from three Lok Sabha constituency in the state.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is leading on four seats in Kerala while the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance is currently leading from three seats.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Kerala Congress‘ Thomas Chazhikadan is leading by 937 votes against V.N. Vasavan of Communist Party of India (Marxist).

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Adv. Dean Kuriakose of Congress is currently leading from Idukki constituency against Independent candidate Joice George.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor trailing from Thiruvananthapuram constituency against former Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Congress president Rahul Gandhi leading from Wayanad.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: The counting of votes begins.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, offers prayer at Ayyaguru Ashram in Thycaud ahead of counting of votes.

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan said that for the development of the state and welfare of its people, Kerala should move along with the Bharatiya Janata party-led NDA govt in Delhi.

Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: For development of the state&welfare of its people,I think Kerala should move along with NDA govt in Delhi. Now that Kerala is coming up in mainstream, I am very much confident that I’ll win in this election. pic.twitter.com/kBpg4YWWXj
— ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2019

# Lok Sabha Election result 2019: The counting of votes is all set to begin at 8 am.

Live TV

Kerala saw a triangular battle between the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)the Communist Party of India (Marxist)(CPI)(M) led Left Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at least in Pathanamthitta, which is the epicentre of the Sabarimala Temple protests.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, who has never won a Lok Sabha seat in the Kerala, is expected to open his account this time around according to the exit poll predictions on May 19.

It will be interesting to see whether the actual results will match the exit polls or the situation will exactly be the other way round.

Lok Sabha Election Results 2019: Vidyasagar, Urban Voters And Mamata Magic: Why BJP Failed to Make Inroads in Kolkata

West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2019: West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2019: While the BJP has made significant inroads across Bengal, its success has been concentrated in rural Bengal. In Kolkata, and suburbs around it, the saffron party has been unable to so far make any inroads. In Kolkata South, TMC’s Mala Roy was leading ahead of BJP’s Chandra Kumar Bose – Subhas Chandra Bose’s grand nephew and CPI(M)’s Nandini Mukherjee. In Kolkata North, TMC’s Sudip Bandypadhyay was leading against former BJP state president Rahul Sinha and the CPI(M)’s Kaninika Bose Ghosh.

A key factor in the bitterly contested and often violent battle, that culminated with the Election Commission curtailing the time for campaigning, was marred by widespread violence during BJP president Amit Shah’s massive road on May 14. The incident also saw a bust of 19th century Bengali icon Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar being vandalised. This polarised the already fraught polls and the result for the two seats in Bengal’s capital – Kolkata North and Kolkata South – with Shah dubbing it an attempt to “strangulate” democracy. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee countered that the violence was triggered at the behest of BJP goons from outside the state.

Follow all the live updates of Lok Sabha Election results here: Top Developments: 1. While the trends in the state suggest that the Left vote — that had hovered around the 20 percent mark since 2011 — had shifted largely to the Right, chosing the BJP as an opposition. However, this trend – admitted BJP leaders – didn’t extend to urban areas, where the Left leadership is stronger

2. The desecration of the Vidyasagar bust, a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance, further angered voters in the urban areas of the state. A BJP leader told News18.com, “The fact is that the idea of Bengali Pride is one that is concentrated in urban Kolkata. When the TMC raised the issue that the BJP was an anti-Bengali party or a party from outside, it resonated with the upper class voters of the area, who have in the past voted for the BJP.”

3. The BJP had finished second in the north Kolkata seat. The south Kolkata seat, meanwhile, has been synonymous with Mamata Banerjee where she has contested for decades.

ALSO READ | https://www.news18.com/news/politics/tmc-to-meet-poll-body-after-stone-pelting-arson-at-amit-shahs-kolkata-roadshow-sparks-war-of-words-2141187.html

4. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sudip Bandyopadhyay of TMC won in this seat by defeating the BJP candidate by a margin of 96,226 votes which was 10.07% of the total votes polled in the constituency. TMC had a vote share of 35.96% in 2014 in the seat. There were a total of 18 contestants in 2014. In 2009, Sudip Bandyopadhyay of TMC emerged victorious in this seat by defeating the CPM candidate by a margin of 1,09,278 votes which was 12.45% of the total votes polled. TMC had a vote share of 52.50% in 2019, in the constituency. There were 13 contestants in 2009.

5. In the 2014, Subrata Bakshi of TMC won the Kolkata South seat by defeating the BJP candidate by a margin of 1,36,339 votes which was 11.67% of the total votes polled in the constituency. TMC had a vote share of 36.96% in 2014 in the seat. There were a total of 15 contestants in 2014. In 2009, Mamata Banerjee of TMC emerged victorious in this seat by defeating the CPM candidate by a margin of 2,19,571 votes which was 21.79% of the total votes polled. TMC had a vote share of 57.18% in 2019, in the constituency. There were 13 contestants in 2009.

6. On May 14, suspected ABVP supporters allegedly barged in to the nearby Vidyasagar College at Shankar Ghose Lane and went on a rampage, damaging college property. They also desecrated a statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a key figure of Bengal Renaissance who was instrumental in introducing widow remarriage. While Amit Shah escaped unhurt, he was forced to cut short the roadshow and had to be escorted to safety by police.

7. A war of words ensued between the BJP and Trinamool Congress, with Amit Shah accusing the Trinamool Congress of indulging in violence in the state and alleged that the Election Commission has been a “mute spectator”. The BJP is contesting polls in all states. There has been no violence. But there has been violence in West Bengal as TMC is contesting elections there … it is simple,” he said.

8. Shah also accused TMC “goons” of vandalising the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar inside a college, saying it was done to gain “sympathy” as the Mamata Banerjee-led party has realised its “reverse count” has begun.

9. While home minister Rajnath Singh held Banerjee “responsible”, finance minister Arun Jaitley wondered if Bengal is being run by a “government of gangsters” and Union minister Mahesh Sharma said that Banerjee has turned the state of Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose into a zone of violence and hatred.

10. In response, TMC spokesperson Derek O’ Brien claimed that BJP had brought in “desperate goons” to smash Vidhayasagar’s bust. “Violent mob of BJP ‘outsiders’ in presence of Pukeworthy Shah. How little you know about Bengal, its rich history, its culture. Bengal will never forgive for what you did today. (sic),” he wrote in a tweet.

11. While the BJP and Trinamool continue to trade barbs, the incident seems to have wounded the Bengali sentiment with a majority of people, irrespective of their class and political opinion, condemned the incident at Vidyasagar College.

ALSO READ | https://www.news18.com/news/india/kolkata-remains-on-the-edge-as-tmc-and-bjp-blame-each-other-for-violence-desecration-of-vidyasagars-statue-2141833.html

12. The saffron party is eyeing victory from Kolkata Uttar and Kolkata Dakshin as it houses more than 40% percent non-Bengali voters. Trinamool Congress veteran Sudip Bandyapadhyay is pitted against the BJP’s national secretary Rahul Sinha to retain his Kolkata North seat.

13. In the adjoining seat of Kolkata South, the TMC’s Mala Roy faces BJP’s Chandra Kumar Bose, grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In both the seats, the CPI(M) has fielded women candidates Nandini Mukherjee from Kolkata South and Kaninika Bose from Kolkata North.

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Sikkim Assembly Elections Results 2019 LIVE: SDF Leads 16, SKM 7 as Counting Progresses

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) stands at a position of strength in Sikkim, leading 16 out of the 32 seats. Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling looks set to return to power for a record sixth term, leading by 1,000 votes at Namchi-Singhithang. Chamling also continues to lead in Poklok-Kamrang, his home constituency in South Sikkim. SKM, meanwhile, presently leads in seven seats, hinting at an outcome that may be similar to the 2014 results. With a minimum of 17 seats required to form government, SDF looks to be on course for yet another victory, continuing their run in the state to nearly three decades. Campaigning by national giants BJP and INC seem to have proved fruitless, and so has Bhaichung Bhutia-led newcomers, Hamro Sikkin Party (HSP). Voting for electing the state government was held in Sikkim at the very first phase on April 11, with a total of 150 candidates battling it out in 32 constituencies.

SDF has enjoyed overwhelming stronghold for 25 years now, with the Sikkim Chief Minister and the party’s founder-president Pawan Kumar Chamling presently being India’s longest serving Chief Minister for any state, after independence. The party looks set to continue its rule in Sikkim for another five years, and despite showing early promise, prospects for principal opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and the rising Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) look bleak at the moment. SDF’s candidate Dek Bahadur Katwal is also leading in Sikkim’s only Lok Sabha seat, as of now.

Here are the latest developments from the state: 1. SDF leads the Sikkim Legislative Assembly in 16 seats, with incumbent CM Pawan Kumar Chamling set to win the Namchi-Singhithang seat and standing at a lead of about 1,000 votes right now. Chamling is also leading at his home constituency, Poklok-Kamrang. 2. SKM has taken the lead in seven of the 32 seats, while fellow opposition and newcomers HSP are behind in all seats. The BJP and INC have also failed to make any headway in Sikkim. No independent candidate has managed to pull off any upset, either.

3. If the leads convert into victory, SDF stands at the cusp of returning to power yet again. This will mark the sixth term as CM for Pawan Kumar Chamling, who already holds the record for the longest-serving Chief Minister of any state in independent India.

4. The Sikkim election office reported a total of 4,32,306 eligible voters in the state, and eventual turnout of 78.19 percent, which albeit high, is lower than the 83.85 percent voter turnout recorded during the 2014 elections.

5. A total of 150 candidates have contested for the 32 Assembly seats, with the 17 seats required to form the new government. Alongside SDF, prime opposition SKM and newcomers HSP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC) are also looking to make inroads in Sikkim for the first time in history.

6. The BJP had initially struck a strategic alliance with SKM to take on the might of SDF in Sikkim. The alliance broke down soon after it was publicly announced, following which the BJP blamed SKM for having “chickened out at the last minute without giving any reasons,” as per a PTI report.

7. Prem Singh Tamang, popularly known as P.S Golay, was a minister in the Chamling-led government, before being convicted in a cattle distribution scam. He was subsequently forced to relinquish his Legislative Assembly membership, and serve a one-year imprisonment term.

8. Indian footballing legend and ex-national team captain, Bhaichung Bhutia, has led the formation and promotion of Hamro Sikkim Party. The party is headed by 35-year-old Dr. Beena Basnett, an MBBS graduate.

9. Both the SKM and HSP have accused the SDF of blatantly corrupt practices, charging that the incumbent government is using its amassed financial might to draw away senior party members by brute force.

10. While the SDF had won a record 32 out of 32 Assembly seats in 2009, the SKM hit a considerable dent in the SDF’s tally in 2014, when it won 10 out of the 32 seats in the state.