Indian Polls

Chandigarh, May 19 (PTI) No polling took place at four booths in Ferozepur Parliamentary Constituency in Punjab on Sunday, officials said.

There was no voter turnout at polling booth number 61, 62, 63 and 64 which were set at a school in cantonment area of Ferozepur city.

"There is a report that voting did not take place at four polling booths," Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju said Sunday evening.

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Monday, with India and Australia leading gains for the region following elections that looked set to keep incumbents in office.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.3% to 21,343.09 after the government reported Monday that the economy grew at a better-than-expected 2.1% annual pace in January-March.

Hyderabad, May 18 (PTI) AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Saturday said reports of a war within the Election Commission were worrying and emphasised on unanimity of views in the poll panel.

ECI is one of the more trusted public institutions in the country, a 'war within' is extremely worrying. The SC, in TN Seshan case had made it clear that CEC doesnt enjoy a higher status than other ECs & must strive towards unanimity.

Basic Constitutional norms must be respected, he tweeted.

Bhopal, May 19 (PTI) Voters boycotted polling at six booths in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday over some local issues, a senior election official said.

Efforts were on to pursuade the voters to exercise their democratic right, MP's Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao told reporters here.

Polling was underway in the eight constituencies of Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa since 7 am, he said.

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Indians voted in the seventh and final phase of national elections Sunday, wrapping up a 6-week-long grueling campaign season with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party seeking reelection for another five years.

The voting also covers Modi’s constituency of Varanasi, a holy Hindu city where he was elected in 2014 with an impressive margin of over 200,000 votes.

He spent Saturday night at Kedarnath, a temple of Hindu god Shiva nestled in the Himalayas in northern India.

Varanasi, May 17 (PTI) Voters may complain that the competitive zing was missing in the prime minister's constituency but the BJP had a clear-cut strategy to keep the campaign ship sailing -- entrusting senior leaders and celebrities to canvass for votes while a handful of carefully chosen lieutenants managed the back end.

A string of senior leaders such as Sushma Swaraj and Yogi Adityanath visited the town to address meetings and Bhojpuri showbiz stars Manoj Tiwari and Nirahua added a dash of glamour in the campaigning for the BJP's most prestigious seat.

Mumbai, May 17 (PTI) Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement that he will not forgive BJP's Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur for calling Nathuram Godse a "patriot", Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan Friday said the definition of "patriotism" was different for the ruling party.

"Its definition is different from the rest. Modi and Amit Shah might have distanced themselves from her comments but the fact is Godse's ideology and BJP's ideology are the same," Chavan alleged.

New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) The Congress Friday said it is committed to constituting a progressive and secular government and ready to lead a coalition, a day after its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the party is not averse to supporting a regional leader for the Prime Minister's post even if it emerges as the single largest party.

Chandigarh, May 18 (PTI) The Election Commission has issued a notice to BJP candidate from Gurdaspur Sunny Deol for allegedly violating the model code of conduct.

Poll officials took serious note of a public meeting held by Deol in Pathankot on Friday night, after the silent period came in force.

Lucknow, May 18 (PTI) TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu Saturday met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here and was set to call on Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati later, continuing his efforts to put together a coalition to form the next government at the Centre.

He reached the state capital after meetings in New Delhi with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav.