Chennai, April 12 (IANS) With temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius across several parts of Tamil Nadu, the ongoing Assembly election campaign is being dictated as much by the weather as by political strategy. Candidates and party workers are recalibrating their routines to cope with the oppressive summer heat, even as they strive to maintain momentum in voter outreach.In districts such as Tiruchy and Madurai, campaigning now follows a split schedule. Activities begin early in the mor…
Latest Assembly Election News & Updates
Thiruvananthapuram, April 9 (IANS) Kerala’s high-stakes Assembly election gathered remarkable momentum on Thursday, with nearly 50 per cent of the state’s 2.71 crore electorate having exercised their franchise by 1 p.m., raising expectations that the final turnout could challenge long-standing records.With polling set to close at 6 p.m., all eyes are now on whether the state will breach the elusive 80 per cent mark and possibly inch closer to its historic high of 85 per cent recorded in 1960…
Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of an Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed polls observer for the forthcoming two-phase Assembly election in West Bengal later this month, as the observer concerned did not have the practical knowledge about the polling booth network in the area for which he was appointed by the Commission. The lack of knowledge of the poll observer, Anurag Yadav, the general observer for …
Thiruvananthapuram, April 7 (IANS) Alleging a series of “secret meetings” with top BJP leaders, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday mounted a sharp attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, releasing an open letter that raises ten pointed questions over alleged backroom deals and governance issues ahead of the Assembly election.Kerala goes to the polls on Thursday to elect 140 new MLAs.Leading his charge, Venugopal questioned Vijayan’s private meeting with Union Home Minister…
New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala John Brittas has approached Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia seeking a grant of a paid holiday to postal employees on the day of the Assembly election on April 9. In a letter addressed to the Union Minister, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP sought an urgent intervention to enable postal employees to exercise their franchise.In his letter, Brittas expressed concern over instructions issued by the Kerala Postal Circ…
Kolkata, April 2 (IANS) As many as 14 Bangladeshi infiltrators were arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on the New Delhi-bound North-East Express train.The arrests were made late Wednesday night at Jalpaiguri Road Station. Of the 14 arrested, five are women, and four are minors. Fake Indian identity documents, including fake Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Indian mobile SIM cards, and Malaysian Ringgit, have been seized during their processions.The state…
Thiruvananthapuram, March 30 (IANS) With the Assembly election campaign entering its final and most intense phase, Kerala’s political discourse is being shaped by a high stakes challenge, an open debate between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan.What began as a political dare has quickly evolved into a potential centrepiece of the campaign narrative.Satheesan’s call for a public debate on development has been met with a guarded but clear willingness …
Kochi (Kerala), March 29 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday reiterated the party’s previous allegation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and CPI(M) are engaged in a “deal” in the run-up to the Assembly election in the state on April 9.Chennithala told IANS, “Yes, there is a deal between the BJP and the CPI(M). Actually, the deal is between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. We have exposed this, and people are discussing the issue…
New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh vehemently criticised the Trinamool Congress government on Sunday, asserting that the “entire nation is suffering due to the unrest in the state,” and that only the Bharatiya Janata Party can bring peace to the region.Speaking to IANS, Ghosh said, “People coming from Bangladesh, including criminals and terrorists, are causing destruction across the nation.” He said the situation demands urgent administrative control, adding that B…
Thiruvananthapuram, March 28 (IANS) Kerala’s evolving electoral landscape has thrown up a rare and striking trend this Assembly election — direct contests between six sitting legislators.As many as six incumbent MLAs are locked in head-to-head battles across three constituencies. This means that at least three will return to the Assembly while the remaining half face inevitable defeat when votes are counted on May 4.The state will go to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 new legislators.This i…