Indian Polls

New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) The BJP has fielded 437 candidates in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the highest number of seats the party has contested so far and perhaps for the first time more than its principal rival Congress.

The BJP had contested 427 seats in 2014 and won 282 of them, while the Congress had fielded candidates in 450 seats and bagged just 44.

Bijbehara (J-K), Apr 23 (PTI) A low voter turnout of just above two per cent was witnessed Tuesday in this assembly segment, the home of former chief minister and PDP candidate Mehbooba Mufti, in south Kashmir's Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, a militancy hotbed, where the election is being held in three phases due to security reasons.

The authorities clubbed seven polling booths of the town inside a building housing the office of the Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Bijbehara 45 kms from the summer capital Srinagar.

Wayanad, Apr 23 (PTI) Billed as a key seat given the presence of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on the ballot, the Wayanad Lok Sabha segment witnessed a record turnout of voters Tuesday as polling was held in the State's 20 constituencies.

The voting percentage was 76.21 as of 6 pm when the polling time officially ended, three per cent more than what was recorded in 2014 (73.2).

Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) Urmila Matondkar, leading Bollywood actor of the 90s who joined the Congress recently, says she has faced a lot of trolling on social media and personal attacks after her entry into politics, but asserted that she is here to stay.

Matondkar, who is contesting from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency -- a BJP stronghold, said these elections will decide the direction in which the country will go and if democracy will be saved.

Kannur (Ker), Apr 23 (PTI) An unusual "visitor" in a polling booth in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency, held up voting for a brief while Tuesday.

A small snake was found inside a VVPAT machine in a booth at Mayyil Kandakkai in the constitutency, which is witnessing heavy polling, triggering panic among officials and voters.

However, the reptile was soon removed and voting continued.

Lucknow, Apr 23 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday alleged that EVMs were "malfunctioning or voting for the BJP" across the country and termed it a "criminal negligence".

"EVMs across India malfunctioning or voting for the BJP. DMs say poll officials untrained to operate EVMs. 350+ being replaced. This is criminal negligence for a polling exercise that costs Rs 50,000 crs.

"Should we believe DMs @ECISVEEP, or is something far more sinister afoot?" Yadav said in a tweet tagging the Election Commission.

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The Congress on Monday announced the names of six candidates for Delhi Lok Sabha seats , fielding former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from North-East Delhi, Ajay Maken from New Delhi and J P Agarwal from Chandni Chowk.

The Congress also fielded Arvinder Singh Lovely from East Delhi, Rajesh Lilothia from North-West Delhi and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Election Commission Saturday asked Eros Now to stop till further orders online streaming of a web series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In its direction, the poll panel has cited its April 10 order, banning a biopic on Modi, to place a similar bar on the web series titled "Modi - Journey of a Common Man".

Bhopal, Apr 20 (PTI) The Election Commission (EC) Saturday issued a show-cause notice to Malegaon blast accused and BJP candidate from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur over her remark about Hemant Karkare, the Maharashtra ATS chief who was killed in the 26/11 terror attack, an official said here.

Addressing BJP workers here Thursday night, Thakur had claimed that Karkare died during the attack as she had "cursed" him for torturing her when he probed the blast case as chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.

However, after her remarks kicked up a row, she tendered an apology Friday.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party has extended its unconditional support to the Left Democratic Front in Kerala following which the Left front also expressed its support to the ruling party in Delhi for the general elections.

"The AAP's political affairs committee (PAC) has decided to give unconditional support to the Left Democratic Front candidates in the state (Kerala)," AAP leader Somnath Bharti said.