Emmys 2026: Matthew Rhys wins Best Actor twice, sets historic 78-year record

3 Italians fly from Delhi to Munich without immigration clearance; Air India gets notice on major security lapse

Did India risk its US trade deal despite softer stance at BRICS?

Pakistan puts Pak Rs 70 lakh bounty on UN terrorist Masood Azhar; move draws skepticism in Delhi

‘US ensuring global energy supplies’: Trump demands reimbursement for securing Strait of Hormuz

'She married her brother': Ilhan Omar faces criminal probe over immigration fraud claims

'Huge destructive power': North Korea calls its latest missile launches 'live-fire drill' even as US dismisses 'immediate threat'

Ukraine strikes Syzran Oil Refinery deep inside Russia, fires erupt

‘Let’s go’: Newly declassified videos show dramatic rescue of US Air Force officers downed in Iran

Emmy Awards 2026: Widow's Bay and The Pitt win in lead categories- check out the complete list of winners

Emmys 2026 In Memoriam: Catherine O’Hara honoured by on-screen children Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, Dan Levy; Dolly Parton, Rob Reiner remembered

Iran, India agree to deepen humanitarian and political ties, President Pezeshkian says

‘Want to reset ties with India, have engagement based on mutual interests,’ says Bangladesh minister

Emmys 2026 Red Carpet: Zendaya, Nicole Kidman and Julia Garner lead the glamour peak

Turkish Airlines plane flies through a storm three times, triggering severe turbulence

Why Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missiles use dual-pulse motors compared to European interceptors

What is Hyrox, in news for athlete who soiled herself, but kept running and using common equipment?

Russia proposes to build 360 kmph Ivolga FG trains in India: What happened on sidelines of BRICS

800 million years old - Scientists discover 'fingerprints' of supercontinent Gondwana in ancient rocks

Former Pak PM Imran Khan's ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith marries Australian financier: Who is Cameron O'Reilly

Plane carrying prominent figure crashes at Libya’s Misrata airport: Report

UPI payments up to Rs 2,000 to stays free, but bigger transactions may soon cost you: Govt

New OTT releases this week (September 14-20, 2026): Lust Stories 3, Waiting Hai, Irumudi- 5 new titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more

Sent home midway from UK tour, Pakistan's Salman Agha hits 300* in domestic return

Who is Kalyan Bainsla, accused in the Gurugram hit-and-run case involving woman biker?

Nigerian Navy seizes 10,000 litres of suspected illegal fuel in Rivers State crackdown

Saudi Arabia discovers 110 million tonnes of Uranium-rich ore in Madinah region

Dodgers beat Reds for playoff berth in bid for third consecutive World Series

Ecstasy tablets are rage in 'drug haven' Libya | Gravitas

'Now Trump is copying us': Shivakumar links US $5,000 plan to Congress guarantees

Video of Pakistani lawmaker struggling to read English tribute to Jinnah goes viral - WATCH

Trump downplays China's alleged 'help' to Iran in strike on Jordan base | Gravitas

Trump loses Supreme Court battle over mail ballots ahead of US midterms: What happened?

BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla says Mohsin Naqvi 'did not object' India refusing trophy from ACC chief

Photographs, LeT labels vanish from two 2008 Mumbai attack entries in Pakistan’s most wanted list

Delhi govt to roll out ₹13,820 crore development projects under Seva Sankalp Abhiyan: CM Rekha Gupta

UK man admits drugging, raping wife for 20 years in shocking abuse case

Extreme warming in Indian Ocean added 695 billion tons of ice to Antarctica ice sheet

China thinned Himalayan troop presence in 2025, India defence report says; terms border situation 'stable'

Nearly 60 per cent female voters came out to exercise their franchise in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections as against just about 55 per cent turnout for men.

As per the figures released by the Election Commission here, the overall turnout for female voters stood at 59.92 per cent as against 55.26 per cent for men.

The constituencies which registered the highest female turnouts were Katihar (72.37), Supaul (71.64), Kishanganj (70.37), Araria (69.39), Purnea (68.15), Begusarai (67.13), Samastipur (66.74), Vaishali (66.62) and Ujiarpur (65.12).

In contrast, the male turnout did not exceed 65 per cent in any of the 40 seats in the state and exceeded 60 per cent in only five Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea, it said.

Notably, among the constituencies with the highest female turnouts, only Supaul and Vaishali had a woman candidate as one of the main contestants.

While sitting Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan is in the fray from Supaul, in Vaishali the LJP has fielded Veena Devi. In some constituencies, the difference between male and female turnout was significantly high. In Sitamarhi 54.53 per cent men voted as against 64.36 per cent women.

In Madhubani and Jhanjharpur, the male turnout stood at 48.14 per cent and 51.25 per cent respectively as against 59.97 per cent and 63.83 per cent for female voters in these constituencies.

Siwan, where the main contest is between Kavita Singh of JD(U) and Heena Shahab of RJD, both married to local bahubalis, the female voters appeared similarly enthusiastic as their turnout stood at 59.56 per cent as against only 50.17 per cent for men.

However, in adjoining Gopalganj (SC) and Maharajganj, which did not have any prominent female candidate, womens turnout was, similarly, about 10 per cent higher than that of men.

However, all the constituencies which went to polls in the last phase registered lower female turnouts. Patna Sahib, which covers the entire Bihar capital, saw a measly 43.07 per cent female turnout as gainst 49.27 per cent men.

The seat is witnessing a high-profile battle between actor-turned-politician and second term MP Shatrughan Sinha, who is the contesting on a Congress ticket, and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who has been fielded by the BJP.

In adjoining Pataliputra, Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti's presence in the fray seems to have failed to enthuse female voters as their turnout stood at 52.40 per cent compared with 59.07 per cent for male.

In Sasaram (SC), which former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar seeks to wrest back from BJPs Chhedi Paswan, female turnout was 51.65 per cent as against 56.88 per cent for male.

Even in Nalanda, the home turf of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has been working over the years to carve out a following among female voters, cutting across caste and religious lines, through measures like reservations in panchayats ban on alcohol and free uniforms and bicycles to school-going girls, only 47.44 per cent women voted compared with 50.15 per cent men.

Female turnout was similarly lower than that of men in the remaining four seats Arrah, Jehanabad, Karakat and Buxar which went to polls on May 19.

The only other seat besides these eight where the female turnout remained lower than that of male was Gaya (SC).

Former chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi is engaged in, virtually, a straight contest with JD(U)s Vijay Manjhi in the constituency which went to polls in the first phase on April 11 and where 55.55 per cent women came out to vote as against 56.74 per cent men.

Nearly 60 per cent female voters came out to exercise their franchise in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections as against just about 55 per cent turnout for men. As per the figures released by the Election Commission here, the overall turnout for female voters stood at 59.

Nearly 60 per cent female voters came out to exercise their franchise in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections as against just about 55 per cent turnout for men. As per the figures released by the Election Commission here, the overall turnout for female voters stood at 59.92 per cent as against 55.26 per cent for men. The constituencies which registered the highest female turnouts were Katihar (72.37), Supaul (71.64), Kishanganj (70.37), Araria (69.39), Purnea (68.15), Begusarai (67.13), Samastipur (66.74), Vaishali (66.62) and Ujiarpur (65.12). In contrast, the male turnout did not exceed 65 per cent in any of the 40 seats in the state and exceeded 60 per cent in only five Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea, it said. Notably, among the constituencies with the highest female turnouts, only Supaul and Vaishali had a woman candidate as one of the main contestants. While sitting Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan is in the fray from Supaul, in Vaishali the LJP has fielded Veena Devi. In some constituencies, the difference between male and female turnout was significantly high. In Sitamarhi 54.53 per cent men voted as against 64.36 per cent women. In Madhubani and Jhanjharpur, the male turnout stood at 48.14 per cent and 51.25 per cent respectively as against 59.97 per cent and 63.83 per cent for female voters in these constituencies. Siwan, where the main contest is between Kavita Singh of JD(U) and Heena Shahab of RJD, both married to local bahubalis, the female voters appeared similarly enthusiastic as their turnout stood at 59.56 per cent as against only 50.17 per cent for men. However, in adjoining Gopalganj (SC) and Maharajganj, which did not have any prominent female candidate, womens turnout was, similarly, about 10 per cent higher than that of men. However, all the constituencies which went to polls in the last phase registered lower female turnouts. Patna Sahib, which covers the entire Bihar capital, saw a measly 43.07 per cent female turnout as gainst 49.27 per cent men. The seat is witnessing a high-profile battle between actor-turned-politician and second term MP Shatrughan Sinha, who is the contesting on a Congress ticket, and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who has been fielded by the BJP. In adjoining Pataliputra, Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti's presence in the fray seems to have failed to enthuse female voters as their turnout stood at 52.40 per cent compared with 59.07 per cent for male. In Sasaram (SC), which former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar seeks to wrest back from BJPs Chhedi Paswan, female turnout was 51.65 per cent as against 56.88 per cent for male. Even in Nalanda, the home turf of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has been working over the years to carve out a following among female voters, cutting across caste and religious lines, through measures like reservations in panchayats ban on alcohol and free uniforms and bicycles to school-going girls, only 47.44 per cent women voted compared with 50.15 per cent men. Female turnout was similarly lower than that of men in the remaining four seats Arrah, Jehanabad, Karakat and Buxar which went to polls on May 19. The only other seat besides these eight where the female turnout remained lower than that of male was Gaya (SC). Former chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi is engaged in, virtually, a straight contest with JD(U)s Vijay Manjhi in the constituency which went to polls in the first phase on April 11 and where 55.55 per cent women came out to vote as against 56.74 per cent men.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Bihar records substantial female turnout, highest in Katihar

Former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday claimed that BJP would repeat the electoral success in Chhattisgarh.

"People of Chhattisgarh have voted for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are preparing to repeat the electoral success of 2014," Singh told ANI.

"Within five months, people have become angry with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. They have not fulfilled their poll promises here. They have stopped the development works in the state," he said.

In 2014, the BJP had swept the polls and won 10 seats out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Commenting on the exit polls which predicted a second term for Modi-led government, Singh said, "Nobody has any doubt about PM Modi in any part of the country. BJP is also performing well in the states where its presence was not perceived to be good."

Commenting on Congress president Rahul Gandhi's tweet terming exits polls as fake, the former chief minister said,&nbsp;"Different agencies have carried out the exit polls. They just do not want to accept it. Tomorrow, they will know the decision of the people."

Earlier, Rahul tweeted,&nbsp;"Dear Congress party workers, the next 24 hours are really important. Be cautious and vigilant and don't be afraid. You are fighting for the truth. Do not be upset because of the fake exit polls. Believe in yourself and the Congress party. Your hard work won't go in vain."

Singh also attacked the opposition parties for questioning the credibility of the EVMs.

"When they had won in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, EVMs were good. When they think they are losing, they blame the people and EVMs," he said. In Chhattisgarh, 11 Lok Sabha seats witnessed polling in the first three phases of Lok Sabha polls. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.&nbsp;

Former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday claimed that BJP would repeat the electoral success in Chhattisgarh. "People of Chhattisgarh have voted for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday claimed that BJP would repeat the electoral success in Chhattisgarh. "People of Chhattisgarh have voted for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are preparing to repeat the electoral success of 2014," Singh told ANI. "Within five months, people have become angry with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. They have not fulfilled their poll promises here. They have stopped the development works in the state," he said. In 2014, the BJP had swept the polls and won 10 seats out of 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Commenting on the exit polls which predicted a second term for Modi-led government, Singh said, "Nobody has any doubt about PM Modi in any part of the country. BJP is also performing well in the states where its presence was not perceived to be good." Commenting on Congress president Rahul Gandhi's tweet terming exits polls as fake, the former chief minister said, "Different agencies have carried out the exit polls. They just do not want to accept it. Tomorrow, they will know the decision of the people." Earlier, Rahul tweeted, "Dear Congress party workers, the next 24 hours are really important. Be cautious and vigilant and don't be afraid. You are fighting for the truth. Do not be upset because of the fake exit polls. Believe in yourself and the Congress party. Your hard work won't go in vain." Singh also attacked the opposition parties for questioning the credibility of the EVMs. "When they had won in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, EVMs were good. When they think they are losing, they blame the people and EVMs," he said. In Chhattisgarh, 11 Lok Sabha seats witnessed polling in the first three phases of Lok Sabha polls. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

BJP will repeat its electoral success in Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh

Stock market will reach a new record high by end-year, a Reuters poll of strategists showed, building on an election-driven rally in which investors have bet the ruling party will retain power and continue current economic policies.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/after-witnessing-eventful-day-stock-market-close-at-record-high-sensex-surges-over-1400-points-220115">BSE Sensex index rose</a> by its biggest amount in one day since September 2013 on Monday after exit polls showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) party led by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/at-nda-meeting-pm-modi-expresses-concern-over-needless-controversy-over-evms-by-opposition-220526">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> will retain power for a second consecutive term.

Final results are due on Thursday.

Having gained 8% so far this year, the index is forecast to add another 2.6% by end-2019, touching an all-time high of 40,000 from Tuesday’s close of 38,969, the poll of nearly 50 strategists taken May 14-21 showed.

All but one of the equity strategists who answered an additional question said they have factored in either the BJP winning a majority or a victory of the BJP-led NDA into their forecasts.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/experts-view-sensex-crosses-39500-mark-for-first-time-220374/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“I feel a stable government and more policy action to come will definitely give a boost to the economy and that will act positive for the market,” said B.V. Rudramurthy, managing director at Vachana Investments.

Still, the predicted rise is much smaller than the 15% per cent stock market surge in the first six months after Modi came to power in 2014, suggesting some investors are less optimistic about the NDA administration than they were then.

The benchmark index is forecast to hit another fresh high of 42,250 by end-2020. Similar gains are predicted for the broader NSE Nifty.

The overall optimism among investors lines up with a separate Reuters poll of mostly financial sector economists conducted last month, which concluded that the BJP winning a majority or a BJP-led NDA government would be best for the economy.

“As per the exit polls, NDA led by BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is likely to easily cross the half-way mark. Markets will have a big sigh of relief as it favours continuity and familiarity in terms of roll-out of policies,” said Ajay Bodke, CEO at Prabhudas Lilladher.&nbsp;

The Reserve Bank of India cut interest rates twice before the elections. Like most major central banks, it is not expected to tighten policy any time soon, another factor that has kept share prices around the world well-bid this year.

However, not all respondents were optimistic.

Nearly one in three contributors forecast the index to decline from the current level by end of this year, including four participants predicting a correction - a decline of 10% or more.

“We do expect weakness in global equities throughout the rest of the year as the global economy disappoints,” said Shilan Shah, senior India economist at Capital Economics.

“For India, especially with the recent rally, they (stocks) look extremely stretched...It is one of the reasons to think the rally probably can’t continue for much longer.”

Shah has predicted a decline of nearly 12% by end-2019 with one of the most pessimistic calls at 34,250.&nbsp;

Although stocks have risen about 65% since Modi first took office in 2014, that was significantly less compared to the previous two terms of the Congress party-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) between 2004-2014.

The reason for lagging was largely due to weak corporate earnings, which fell about 4% annually during Modi’s tenure after gaining nearly 12% under the prior government.

This is also reflected by a higher average price-to-earnings ratio and lower dividend yield under Modi’s tenure.

“At present stocks are defying gravity. With the price-to-earnings ratio at a historic high of 28, the market is too expensive. My fear is if earnings don’t pick up soon, the chances of a correction are high,” said Milind Vasudev, senior equity analyst at Arihant Capital Markets.&nbsp;

Stock market will reach a new record high by end-year, a Reuters poll of strategists showed, building on an election-driven rally in which investors have bet the ruling party will retain power and continue current economic policies.

Stock market will reach a new record high by end-year, a Reuters poll of strategists showed, building on an election-driven rally in which investors have bet the ruling party will retain power and continue current economic policies. The BSE Sensex index rose by its biggest amount in one day since September 2013 on Monday after exit polls showed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a second consecutive term. Final results are due on Thursday. Having gained 8% so far this year, the index is forecast to add another 2.6% by end-2019, touching an all-time high of 40,000 from Tuesday’s close of 38,969, the poll of nearly 50 strategists taken May 14-21 showed. All but one of the equity strategists who answered an additional question said they have factored in either the BJP winning a majority or a victory of the BJP-led NDA into their forecasts. “I feel a stable government and more policy action to come will definitely give a boost to the economy and that will act positive for the market,” said B.V. Rudramurthy, managing director at Vachana Investments. Still, the predicted rise is much smaller than the 15% per cent stock market surge in the first six months after Modi came to power in 2014, suggesting some investors are less optimistic about the NDA administration than they were then. The benchmark index is forecast to hit another fresh high of 42,250 by end-2020. Similar gains are predicted for the broader NSE Nifty. The overall optimism among investors lines up with a separate Reuters poll of mostly financial sector economists conducted last month, which concluded that the BJP winning a majority or a BJP-led NDA government would be best for the economy. “As per the exit polls, NDA led by BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is likely to easily cross the half-way mark. Markets will have a big sigh of relief as it favours continuity and familiarity in terms of roll-out of policies,” said Ajay Bodke, CEO at Prabhudas Lilladher. The Reserve Bank of India cut interest rates twice before the elections. Like most major central banks, it is not expected to tighten policy any time soon, another factor that has kept share prices around the world well-bid this year. However, not all respondents were optimistic. Nearly one in three contributors forecast the index to decline from the current level by end of this year, including four participants predicting a correction - a decline of 10% or more. “We do expect weakness in global equities throughout the rest of the year as the global economy disappoints,” said Shilan Shah, senior India economist at Capital Economics. “For India, especially with the recent rally, they (stocks) look extremely stretched...It is one of the reasons to think the rally probably can’t continue for much longer.” Shah has predicted a decline of nearly 12% by end-2019 with one of the most pessimistic calls at 34,250. Although stocks have risen about 65% since Modi first took office in 2014, that was significantly less compared to the previous two terms of the Congress party-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) between 2004-2014. The reason for lagging was largely due to weak corporate earnings, which fell about 4% annually during Modi’s tenure after gaining nearly 12% under the prior government. This is also reflected by a higher average price-to-earnings ratio and lower dividend yield under Modi’s tenure. “At present stocks are defying gravity. With the price-to-earnings ratio at a historic high of 28, the market is too expensive. My fear is if earnings don’t pick up soon, the chances of a correction are high,” said Milind Vasudev, senior equity analyst at Arihant Capital Markets.

Nifty, Sensex to climb a bit more if PM Modi wins decisively: Poll

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked.

Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties'&nbsp;demand that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/election-commission-rejects-oppositions-demand-for-tallying-vvpat-slips-with-evm-220642">VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data</a> first before counting of votes on May 23.

Talking to ANI, Rawat said, "EVMs can't be tampered with. EVM security protocol is so strict whenever a strong room has to be opened, representatives of all political parties have to be there, machines are taken out in their presence."

"A mock poll is also conducted at the polling station where all the polling agents are asked to vote and then count, so all these arrangements ensure transparency in the whole process," he added.

On the possibility of accepting the demand made by 22 political parties, Rawat said, "If there is no utility of this exercise, then why do it? SC in its order has also said that it should be done only at five polling stations in a legislative assembly. That is more than sufficient."

He also said that all institutions are aware of unnecessary complaints filed in a frivolous manner.

Maintaining that no substance was found in past complaints regarding the EVMs, Rawat said, "EVM is a standalone machine which is not connected to the Internet, wifi or even an electricity cable. We even got the VVPAT sample verified by the Indian Statistical Institute which also said that EVMs are completely safe and tamper-proof."

Voting for the general elections, in seven phases, has concluded.&nbsp;The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked. Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties' demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes on May 23.

Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Wednesday said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tamper-proof and cannot be hacked. Earlier on Wednesday, the EC rejected the opposition parties' demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes on May 23. Talking to ANI, Rawat said, "EVMs can't be tampered with. EVM security protocol is so strict whenever a strong room has to be opened, representatives of all political parties have to be there, machines are taken out in their presence." "A mock poll is also conducted at the polling station where all the polling agents are asked to vote and then count, so all these arrangements ensure transparency in the whole process," he added. On the possibility of accepting the demand made by 22 political parties, Rawat said, "If there is no utility of this exercise, then why do it? SC in its order has also said that it should be done only at five polling stations in a legislative assembly. That is more than sufficient." He also said that all institutions are aware of unnecessary complaints filed in a frivolous manner. Maintaining that no substance was found in past complaints regarding the EVMs, Rawat said, "EVM is a standalone machine which is not connected to the Internet, wifi or even an electricity cable. We even got the VVPAT sample verified by the Indian Statistical Institute which also said that EVMs are completely safe and tamper-proof." Voting for the general elections, in seven phases, has concluded. The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

EVMs are completely tamper-proof, cannot be hacked: Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat

BJP President Amit Shah will host a dinner for NDA allies tomorrow, ahead of results for the national election on Thursday. The dinner-cum-meet comes after exit polls predictions of a comfortable win for the NDA. Mr Shah will host the NDA leaders at Delhi's 'The Ashok' hotel, where the BJP chief is expected to discuss alliance's strategy with them.

BJP President Amit Shah hosts dinner for NDA allies ahead of LS polls results

The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected the opposition demand that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-elections-2019-counting-to-take-place-on-thursday-matching-vvpat-slips-likely-to-delay-results-220581">VVPAT slips be matched with EVM</a> data first before counting of votes in a constituency when votes will be counted in the general elections tomorrow.

The Election Commission said there would be no change in the procedure of matching Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips.

The decision was taken a day after the leaders of 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission and demanded verification of VVPAT slips of randomly-selected polling stations before the counting begins of the votes polled in the just-concluded elections.

The delegation included the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The opposition had also demanded that in case of any discrepancy during VVPAT verification, 100 per cent counting of the paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that particular Assembly segment be compared with the electronic voting machine (EVM) results.

The current provisions say five randomly-selected EVMs will be verified in each assembly segment with the VVPAT slips.

"If any discrepancy is found in the tally, then VVPAT for the whole assembly segment should be counted. We do not know what is the problem of the Election Commission? Former Chief Election Commissioner has also endorsed our demand. Former President (Pranab Mukherjee) also made it very clear that EC should keep transparency and create confidence among Indian voters," Naidu had said after the meeting on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had also earlier rejected opposition's plea demanding at least 50 per cent VVPAT verification saying it is "not inclined to interfere".Counting of votes for Lok Sabha election 2019 will begin at 8 am on May 23. The results are already expected to be delayed due to tallying of VVPATs with EVM count for the first time. 
&nbsp;

The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected the opposition demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes in a constituency when votes will be counted in the general elections tomorrow.

The Election Commission on Wednesday rejected the opposition demand that VVPAT slips be matched with EVM data first before counting of votes in a constituency when votes will be counted in the general elections tomorrow. The Election Commission said there would be no change in the procedure of matching Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips. The decision was taken a day after the leaders of 22 opposition parties met the Election Commission and demanded verification of VVPAT slips of randomly-selected polling stations before the counting begins of the votes polled in the just-concluded elections. The delegation included the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The opposition had also demanded that in case of any discrepancy during VVPAT verification, 100 per cent counting of the paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that particular Assembly segment be compared with the electronic voting machine (EVM) results. The current provisions say five randomly-selected EVMs will be verified in each assembly segment with the VVPAT slips. "If any discrepancy is found in the tally, then VVPAT for the whole assembly segment should be counted. We do not know what is the problem of the Election Commission? Former Chief Election Commissioner has also endorsed our demand. Former President (Pranab Mukherjee) also made it very clear that EC should keep transparency and create confidence among Indian voters," Naidu had said after the meeting on Tuesday. The Supreme Court had also earlier rejected opposition's plea demanding at least 50 per cent VVPAT verification saying it is "not inclined to interfere".Counting of votes for Lok Sabha election 2019 will begin at 8 am on May 23. The results are already expected to be delayed due to tallying of VVPATs with EVM count for the first time.

Election Commission rejects opposition's demand for tallying VVPAT slips with EVM

Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-amit-shah-meet-union-ministers-thank-them-for-service-to-nation-220445">Narendra Modi</a> Tuesday expressed concern over the "needless controversy" created by the Opposition over EVMs at a meeting of NDA leaders, even as the ruling alliance laid out its agenda for the next five years if it is elected to power again.

At the BJP-led ruling alliance meeting, which was attended by 36 parties, a resolution was passed, terming the 2019 general election decisive for the country and pledging to make India "strong, developed, prosperous and inclusive" by 2022 when India completes 75 years of its independence, party leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh told reporters.

In his address, Modi stressed on the need to change the narrative from caste lines and orient it for the poor, Singh said.

The prime minister expressed concern over the Opposition making "needless controversy" over electronic voting machines, the home minister said.

The resolution was proposed by BJP ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami were among the BJP allies who attended the dinner-meeting hosted by BJP president Amit Shah.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed concern over the "needless controversy" created by the Opposition over EVMs at a meeting of NDA leaders, even as the ruling alliance laid out its agenda for the next five years if it is elected to power again.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday expressed concern over the "needless controversy" created by the Opposition over EVMs at a meeting of NDA leaders, even as the ruling alliance laid out its agenda for the next five years if it is elected to power again. At the BJP-led ruling alliance meeting, which was attended by 36 parties, a resolution was passed, terming the 2019 general election decisive for the country and pledging to make India "strong, developed, prosperous and inclusive" by 2022 when India completes 75 years of its independence, party leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh told reporters. In his address, Modi stressed on the need to change the narrative from caste lines and orient it for the poor, Singh said. The prime minister expressed concern over the Opposition making "needless controversy" over electronic voting machines, the home minister said. The resolution was proposed by BJP ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami were among the BJP allies who attended the dinner-meeting hosted by BJP president Amit Shah.

At NDA meeting, PM Modi expresses concern over 'needless controversy' over EVMs by opposition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slams opposition parties for creating 'Needless Controversy' over Election Commission of India. Opposition parties alleges tampering of EVM.

PM Modi slams opposition for creating 'Needless controversy' over EC

BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday accused the Opposition of "disrespecting" people's mandate by raising doubts on electronic voting machines and said it is "tarnishing" Indian democracy as it is rattled by its "likely defeat" in Lok Sabha elections.

Slamming opposition parties, he said in tweets that they started protesting against EVMs only after the sixth phase of polling and intensified it after exit polls, which have predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

"How can you question EVMs credibility on the basis of exit polls," he asked.

He also termed as unconstitutional the demand of 22 opposition parties that the Election Commission change its counting protocol and count five random VVPATs first, saying any decision in this regard is not possible without an all-party consensus.

The EC has rejected the Opposition's demand. Counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

Referring to statements of some Opposition leaders like Upendra Kushwaha that people can take up arms and resort to violence, he said such comments have no place in democracy and asked who is challenging democracy.

The Opposition in Bihar on Tuesday had alleged that attempts were being made to manipulate Lok Sabha poll results in favour of the ruling NDA, and warned that "blood may spill on the streets".

"Opposition to EVM amounts to disrespecting people's mandate. Rattled by their probable defeat, these 22 parties are tarnishing the country and its democracy in the world by raising questions on the democratic process. Their demands have no rationale and are driven by selfish interests," Shah said, adding that he wanted to ask them some questions.

Most of these opposition parties, such as the Congress, SP, BSM, Trinamool Congress, NCP, AAP, Telugu Desam Party, the Left and RJD among others, have won elections held through EVMs at some point of time, he said.

"Should it be presumed that when the opposition wins, then it emerges victorious in elections but when it loses it does so due to EVMs? If they do not trust EVMs, then why did they form the government?" Shah asked.

He said the Supreme Court has given final shape to the electoral process by hearing three PILs and asked if the opposition is raising questions on the apex court.

The Election Commission had earlier thrown an open challenge to anyone to show that EVMs can be tampered with but no opposition party took it up, he said.&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday accused the Opposition of "disrespecting" people's mandate by raising doubts on electronic voting machines and said it is "tarnishing" Indian democracy as it is rattled by its "likely defeat" in Lok Sabha elections.

BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday accused the Opposition of "disrespecting" people's mandate by raising doubts on electronic voting machines and said it is "tarnishing" Indian democracy as it is rattled by its "likely defeat" in Lok Sabha elections. Slamming opposition parties, he said in tweets that they started protesting against EVMs only after the sixth phase of polling and intensified it after exit polls, which have predicted a comfortable victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. "How can you question EVMs credibility on the basis of exit polls," he asked. He also termed as unconstitutional the demand of 22 opposition parties that the Election Commission change its counting protocol and count five random VVPATs first, saying any decision in this regard is not possible without an all-party consensus. The EC has rejected the Opposition's demand. Counting of votes will take place on Thursday. Referring to statements of some Opposition leaders like Upendra Kushwaha that people can take up arms and resort to violence, he said such comments have no place in democracy and asked who is challenging democracy. The Opposition in Bihar on Tuesday had alleged that attempts were being made to manipulate Lok Sabha poll results in favour of the ruling NDA, and warned that "blood may spill on the streets". "Opposition to EVM amounts to disrespecting people's mandate. Rattled by their probable defeat, these 22 parties are tarnishing the country and its democracy in the world by raising questions on the democratic process. Their demands have no rationale and are driven by selfish interests," Shah said, adding that he wanted to ask them some questions. Most of these opposition parties, such as the Congress, SP, BSM, Trinamool Congress, NCP, AAP, Telugu Desam Party, the Left and RJD among others, have won elections held through EVMs at some point of time, he said. "Should it be presumed that when the opposition wins, then it emerges victorious in elections but when it loses it does so due to EVMs? If they do not trust EVMs, then why did they form the government?" Shah asked. He said the Supreme Court has given final shape to the electoral process by hearing three PILs and asked if the opposition is raising questions on the apex court. The Election Commission had earlier thrown an open challenge to anyone to show that EVMs can be tampered with but no opposition party took it up, he said.

Opposition raising questions on EVM as it is rattled by likely defeat: Amit Shah

About 500 masked men carrying guns and machetes attacked election officials in Arunachal Pradesh and made off with computerised voting machines, officials said on Wednesday.

Country's mammoth election staggered over nearly six weeks ended on Sunday and were largely peaceful.

Opposition&nbsp;parties have alleged tampering of voting machines and intimidation of election officials in isolated areas.

On Sunday, a team of officials was travelling through dense jungle to a polling station in Arunachal Pradesh when it was ambushed, district magistrate Rido Tarek said.

Some of the attackers opened fire but there were no casualties, police said.&nbsp;

"About 500 miscreants attacked our polling team and also resorted to firing although no one was injured," Sunil Garg, the state police inspector general told Reuters by telephone.

The team was on its way to Koloriang constituency for a repoll set for Tuesday following allegations of malpractices during the voting in April.

The election was held on Tuesday after a new team was sent with machines, Garg said.

The Election Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it said it had received some complaints about attempts to tamper with voting machines in strongrooms from other parts of the country but they were not true.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-polls-2019-counting-of-votes-to-take-place-on-thursday-fates-of-over-8000-candidates-to-be-decided-220612">Votes are to be counted on Thursday</a>.

About 500 masked men carrying guns and machetes attacked election officials in Arunachal Pradesh and made off with computerised voting machines, officials said on Wednesday.

About 500 masked men carrying guns and machetes attacked election officials in Arunachal Pradesh and made off with computerised voting machines, officials said on Wednesday. Country's mammoth election staggered over nearly six weeks ended on Sunday and were largely peaceful. Opposition parties have alleged tampering of voting machines and intimidation of election officials in isolated areas. On Sunday, a team of officials was travelling through dense jungle to a polling station in Arunachal Pradesh when it was ambushed, district magistrate Rido Tarek said. Some of the attackers opened fire but there were no casualties, police said. "About 500 miscreants attacked our polling team and also resorted to firing although no one was injured," Sunil Garg, the state police inspector general told Reuters by telephone. The team was on its way to Koloriang constituency for a repoll set for Tuesday following allegations of malpractices during the voting in April. The election was held on Tuesday after a new team was sent with machines, Garg said. The Election Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But it said it had received some complaints about attempts to tamper with voting machines in strongrooms from other parts of the country but they were not true. Votes are to be counted on Thursday.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Masked attackers snatch voting machines in Arunachal Pradesh

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day.&nbsp;

The Ministry has asked state authorities to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

The authorities have further been asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes.&nbsp;

This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of the counting of votes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-polls-2019-counting-of-votes-to-take-place-on-thursday-fates-of-over-8000-candidates-to-be-decided-220612">The counting of votes of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls</a>, that concluded on May 19, will take place tomorrow. More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
States/UTs were further asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of counting of votes. <a href="https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO">https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1131163592894668802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time.

On Monday, the Election Commission had rubbished the reports of alleged EVM tampering stating that adding that visuals doing the rounds in sections of media "do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls".

"Complaints of alleged movement of EVMs, purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms, doing rounds in sections of media. Would like to unambiguously clarify that reports are absolutely false. Visuals seen viral on media do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls," the EC clarified.&nbsp;

On May 19, various exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls.&nbsp;

The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.&nbsp;

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day.

Ahead of the counting of votes, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued an alert to State Chief Secretaries and DsGP regarding the possibility of eruption of violence in different parts of the country on the counting day. The Ministry has asked state authorities to maintain law and order, peace and public tranquillity, news agency ANI reported. The authorities have further been asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of the counting of votes. The counting of votes of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls, that concluded on May 19, will take place tomorrow. More than 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats across the nation. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections. States/UTs were further asked to take adequate measures for the security of strong rooms and venues of counting of votes. This is in the wake of calls given and statements made in various quarters for inciting violence and causing disruption on the day of counting of votes. https://t.co/1A8T5cCgoO — ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2019 × It is suggested that the counting of votes and the announcement of results may get delayed due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count. The exercise will take place for the first time. On Monday, the Election Commission had rubbished the reports of alleged EVM tampering stating that adding that visuals doing the rounds in sections of media "do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls". "Complaints of alleged movement of EVMs, purportedly to replace polled EVMs in strongrooms, doing rounds in sections of media. Would like to unambiguously clarify that reports are absolutely false. Visuals seen viral on media do not pertain to any EVMs used during the polls," the EC clarified. On May 19, various exit polls predicted a thumping win for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls. The party, along with its allies, is predicted to sweep a lion's share of the Hindi heartland of the nation including states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar as well as the national capital.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Home Ministry alerts state authorities of possible violence on counting day

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls.

The Congress had fielded the maximum of 54 women candidates. The opposition party was closely followed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had fielded 53 women candidates.

Among the other national parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded 24 women candidates, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) 23, the CPI(M) 10, the CPI four, while one woman candidate was fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

As many as 222 women contested the polls independently.

Four transgender candidates also contested the polls independently, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the only party to field a transgender nominee.

According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch, 100 (15 per cent) women candidates declared criminal cases against themselves, while 78 (11 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against their names.

Two women candidates declared cases in which they were convicted, four declared cases related to murder, 16 had attempt to murder cases against them, 14 were accused of crimes against women such as causing miscarriage without a woman's consent while seven had cases related to hate speech registered against them, the report said.

Of the 100 women candidates with criminal cases against them, 13 are from the BJP, while 10 from the Congress.

The ADR report said of the 716 women candidates analysed, 255 (36 per cent) were crorepatis. Of the 665 women candidates analysed during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 219 (33 per cent) were crorepatis.

Among the major parties, the average worth of assets per candidate for the Congress's women nominees is Rs 18.84 crore, while for the BJP candidates, it is Rs 22.09 crore. The average worth of assets of the BSP's women candidates is Rs 3.03 crore, while for the TMC nominees, it is Rs 2.67 crore.

The average worth of assets of the CPI-M's women candidates is Rs 1.33 crore, while for the Samajwadi Party (SP) it is Rs 39.85 crore and for the AAP, Rs 2.92 crore.

The average worth of assets of the 222 Independent women candidates is&nbsp;Rs 1.63 crore.

Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is the richest woman nominee in this election with assets worth Rs 250 crore, followed by Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) DA Sathya Prabha (Rs 220 crore) from Andhra Pradesh's Rajampet constituency and the Shiromani Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Rs 217 crore) from Punjab's Bathinda, the affidavits showed.

Six women candidates -- all of whom contested the polls independently -- have declared zero assets in their self-sworn affidavits.

The ADR said 232 (32 per cent) women candidates declared their educational qualification to be between Class 5 and Class 12 pass, while 396 (55 per cent) declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above.

Thirty-seven women candidates have declared themselves to be just literate and 26 are illiterates. Two candidates did not give their educational qualification details.

The report further said 531 (74 per cent) women candidates declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 180 (25 per cent) declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years.

While one woman candidate declared she was over 80 years of age, three did not disclose their age and one said her age was below 25 years, the report said.

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls.

The fate of 724 women candidates in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls will be decided on Thursday when the results are announced. A total of 7,928 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls. The Congress had fielded the maximum of 54 women candidates. The opposition party was closely followed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had fielded 53 women candidates. Among the other national parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded 24 women candidates, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) 23, the CPI(M) 10, the CPI four, while one woman candidate was fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). As many as 222 women contested the polls independently. Four transgender candidates also contested the polls independently, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was the only party to field a transgender nominee. According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch, 100 (15 per cent) women candidates declared criminal cases against themselves, while 78 (11 per cent) declared serious criminal cases against their names. Two women candidates declared cases in which they were convicted, four declared cases related to murder, 16 had attempt to murder cases against them, 14 were accused of crimes against women such as causing miscarriage without a woman's consent while seven had cases related to hate speech registered against them, the report said. Of the 100 women candidates with criminal cases against them, 13 are from the BJP, while 10 from the Congress. The ADR report said of the 716 women candidates analysed, 255 (36 per cent) were crorepatis. Of the 665 women candidates analysed during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 219 (33 per cent) were crorepatis. Among the major parties, the average worth of assets per candidate for the Congress's women nominees is Rs 18.84 crore, while for the BJP candidates, it is Rs 22.09 crore. The average worth of assets of the BSP's women candidates is Rs 3.03 crore, while for the TMC nominees, it is Rs 2.67 crore. The average worth of assets of the CPI-M's women candidates is Rs 1.33 crore, while for the Samajwadi Party (SP) it is Rs 39.85 crore and for the AAP, Rs 2.92 crore. The average worth of assets of the 222 Independent women candidates is Rs 1.63 crore. Hema Malini, the BJP candidate from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, is the richest woman nominee in this election with assets worth Rs 250 crore, followed by Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) DA Sathya Prabha (Rs 220 crore) from Andhra Pradesh's Rajampet constituency and the Shiromani Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Rs 217 crore) from Punjab's Bathinda, the affidavits showed. Six women candidates -- all of whom contested the polls independently -- have declared zero assets in their self-sworn affidavits. The ADR said 232 (32 per cent) women candidates declared their educational qualification to be between Class 5 and Class 12 pass, while 396 (55 per cent) declared having an educational qualification of graduate and above. Thirty-seven women candidates have declared themselves to be just literate and 26 are illiterates. Two candidates did not give their educational qualification details. The report further said 531 (74 per cent) women candidates declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years, while 180 (25 per cent) declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years. While one woman candidate declared she was over 80 years of age, three did not disclose their age and one said her age was below 25 years, the report said.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Fate of 724 women candidates to be decided on Thursday

Exit polls have been used for years to provide the pulse of India's political climate once voting is over.

Exit polls: Reliability, methodology and other things you need to know

Watch this video of India Election Watch: State Govt. in Tamil Nadu, MP, are nervous. Bypolls in Goa could alter the Govt. Govt. change could also happen in Goa & Manipur too. #LokSabhaElection2019 #GeneralElections2019 #PMModi

India Election Watch: May 23- Judgement Day For Many Seats

In this segment of WION's India Election Watch, We Decode with Panel of Special Guests or Experts With Us, Why Are Some State Govt. Nervous? #LokSabhaElection2019 #GeneralElections2019 #PMModi

India Election Watch: Decodes Why Are Some State Govt. Nervous

In this segment of WION, Know what's special about India's EVM? Have a look at it's brief history.

What's special about India's EVM? Have a look at it's history in brief

The Election Commission of India rejects opposition party's plea to verify VVPAT. It is a major setback for the opposition parties as EVM tampering is a major issue coined by many parties in India.

Setback for opposition ahead of LS results; EC rejects VVPAT verification demand

A day ahead of counting of votes for the Parliamentary elections, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana is upbeat about winning 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats, while opposition Congress and BJP also sounded hopeful of winning a good number of seats.

"We have full confidence that we will definitely win 16 seats. We have no doubts about it. The majority (winning margins) may vary, but we will win 16," TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwara Reddy said.

TRS has been focused on winning 16 out of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana (leaving Hyderabad seat to its ally AIMIM).

BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao, who is the candidate from Malkajgiri in the Lok Sabha polls, said his party is going to pull off surprises by winning seats in "unexpected numbers".

As per the party's internal surveys, it stands a good chance to win Adilabad and it did well in Nizamabad and Karimnagar, Rao said.

It is a keen contest in Mahabubnagar, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri, he said, adding that the party is expected to win at least two or three among the above mentioned six seats.

State Congress working president Ponnam Prabhakar, who is the party candidate in Karimnagar, said his party is expected do very well in constituencies, including Chevella, Nalgonda, Khammam, Karimnagar, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad and Bhongir.

While some exit polls predicted TRS to win 16 seats, some others gave the ruling party 13-14 seats.

A day ahead of counting of votes for the Parliamentary elections, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana is upbeat about winning 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats, while opposition Congress and BJP also sounded hopeful of winning a good number of seats.

A day ahead of counting of votes for the Parliamentary elections, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana is upbeat about winning 16 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats, while opposition Congress and BJP also sounded hopeful of winning a good number of seats. "We have full confidence that we will definitely win 16 seats. We have no doubts about it. The majority (winning margins) may vary, but we will win 16," TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwara Reddy said. TRS has been focused on winning 16 out of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana (leaving Hyderabad seat to its ally AIMIM). BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao, who is the candidate from Malkajgiri in the Lok Sabha polls, said his party is going to pull off surprises by winning seats in "unexpected numbers". As per the party's internal surveys, it stands a good chance to win Adilabad and it did well in Nizamabad and Karimnagar, Rao said. It is a keen contest in Mahabubnagar, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri, he said, adding that the party is expected to win at least two or three among the above mentioned six seats. State Congress working president Ponnam Prabhakar, who is the party candidate in Karimnagar, said his party is expected do very well in constituencies, including Chevella, Nalgonda, Khammam, Karimnagar, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad and Bhongir. While some exit polls predicted TRS to win 16 seats, some others gave the ruling party 13-14 seats.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: TRS upbeat on 16 seats, BJP hopes to pull off surprises in Telangana

Counting of votes for the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 146 Assembly segments in Odisha will be held at 63 different centres across the state amidst tight security on Thursday, a senior election official has said.

Polling was held in 21 Lok Sabha seats and 146 Assembly segments in four different phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29.

The counting of votes will start from 8 am on Thursday and will be conducted in around 2,500 tables, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Kumar said on Tuesday.

Each counting hall will have at least seven tables each for Assembly and&nbsp; 
Lok Sabha seats and three officials including a supervisor, a counting assistant and a micro observer will be engaged for each table to ensure free and fair counting of votes, he said.

"Each hall will have 15 tables. Seven tables will be allocated for counting of votes of Lok Sabha seats and seven others for Assembly seats. One more table will be there for postal ballot counting by the returning officer," he said, adding that 6,700 officials have been engaged in vote counting across the state.

The CEO said an observer has been appointed for each counting centre and one observer can take charge of maximum three halls of a centre.

The ECI has granted additional 411 tables for Odisha since the state conducted simultaneous polls for both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly, Kumar said.

Replying a question, he said it has been estimated that each constituency will require an average of 30 rounds of counting. While Sambalpur will record the lowest with 19 rounds of counting per constituency, maximum 49 rounds of counting per constituency will be witnessed in Patnagarh.

The CEO also informed that there has been increase in postal ballots this time which is around 1 lakh against 2014 election's 31,326 postal ballots.

He said counting of postal ballots will be held in the first place and after 30 minutes, the counting of EVM votes will begin.

This will be followed by counting of VVPAT votes, he said, adding that as per the directive of the Supreme Court, the counting of VVPAT votes will be taken up in five booths of each constituency.

"Before actual polling, a mock poll is conducted in each booth. After the mock poll, the presiding officer deletes the mock poll data from the EVM control unit. In case the presiding officer has not deleted the mock poll data, there will be an error. In such cases, the ECI will take a call," he said replying a question.

The polling in Patkura assembly segment in Kendrapara district was postponed in view the death of a candidate and again due to cyclone Fani.&nbsp;

Counting of votes for the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 146 Assembly segments in Odisha will be held at 63 different centres across the state amidst tight security on Thursday, a senior election official has said.

Counting of votes for the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 146 Assembly segments in Odisha will be held at 63 different centres across the state amidst tight security on Thursday, a senior election official has said. Polling was held in 21 Lok Sabha seats and 146 Assembly segments in four different phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The counting of votes will start from 8 am on Thursday and will be conducted in around 2,500 tables, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Kumar said on Tuesday. Each counting hall will have at least seven tables each for Assembly and Lok Sabha seats and three officials including a supervisor, a counting assistant and a micro observer will be engaged for each table to ensure free and fair counting of votes, he said. "Each hall will have 15 tables. Seven tables will be allocated for counting of votes of Lok Sabha seats and seven others for Assembly seats. One more table will be there for postal ballot counting by the returning officer," he said, adding that 6,700 officials have been engaged in vote counting across the state. The CEO said an observer has been appointed for each counting centre and one observer can take charge of maximum three halls of a centre. The ECI has granted additional 411 tables for Odisha since the state conducted simultaneous polls for both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly, Kumar said. Replying a question, he said it has been estimated that each constituency will require an average of 30 rounds of counting. While Sambalpur will record the lowest with 19 rounds of counting per constituency, maximum 49 rounds of counting per constituency will be witnessed in Patnagarh. The CEO also informed that there has been increase in postal ballots this time which is around 1 lakh against 2014 election's 31,326 postal ballots. He said counting of postal ballots will be held in the first place and after 30 minutes, the counting of EVM votes will begin. This will be followed by counting of VVPAT votes, he said, adding that as per the directive of the Supreme Court, the counting of VVPAT votes will be taken up in five booths of each constituency. "Before actual polling, a mock poll is conducted in each booth. After the mock poll, the presiding officer deletes the mock poll data from the EVM control unit. In case the presiding officer has not deleted the mock poll data, there will be an error. In such cases, the ECI will take a call," he said replying a question. The polling in Patkura assembly segment in Kendrapara district was postponed in view the death of a candidate and again due to cyclone Fani.

Counting of votes to be held in 63 centres in Odisha: Chief Electoral Officer

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and by-election to Aonglenden Assembly constituency on Thursday, a top election official has said.

Polling for the Lok Sabha seat and Aonglenden bye-poll was held simultaneously on April 11.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Abhijit Sinha said on Tuesday that there would be three-tier security cordon on the day of counting.

The first and second tier security cordon would be manned by the district executive force, state police and Indian Reserve Battalion personnel and the third and last tier close to the counting hall would be manned by Central Armed Police Force personnel, he said.

The path that would be taken for transportation of EVMs from the strong rooms to the counting halls have been delineated and barricaded and it would be under CCTV coverage, the CEO said.

The counting will commence at 8 am on Thursday in 19 halls in 12 centres for the Lok Sabha polls while counting of votes for the bye-poll will be&nbsp; 
conducted in one hall in Mokokchung district, he said.

The CEO said after completion of last round of counting of votes recorded in the EVM control units of an Assembly segment, there would be mandatory verification of VVPAT paper slips of randomly selected five polling stations of that Assembly segment.

These five polling stations would be selected through a draw of lots by the concerned Assistant Returning Officer in the presence of candidates or their agents and the Observers and counting of VVPATs would be done in a sequential manner.

The lone parliamentary seat in the state witnessed a four-cornered contest between ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) nominee Tokheho Yepthomi, Congress candidate K L Chishi, Hayithung Tungoe of the National People's Party (NPP) and Independent candidate Dr M M Thromwa Konyak.

Tokheho is seeking re-election for the Lok Sabha seat.

The bye-poll to Aonglenden Assembly constituency under Mokokchung district was a straight contest between the Congress nominee Alemjongshi Longkumer and Sharingain Longkumer of ruling NDPP.

The by-poll was necessitated following the demise of sitting ruling MLA Imtikumzuk in September last year.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and by-election to Aonglenden Assembly constituency on Thursday, a top election official has said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of votes for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and by-election to Aonglenden Assembly constituency on Thursday, a top election official has said. Polling for the Lok Sabha seat and Aonglenden bye-poll was held simultaneously on April 11. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Abhijit Sinha said on Tuesday that there would be three-tier security cordon on the day of counting. The first and second tier security cordon would be manned by the district executive force, state police and Indian Reserve Battalion personnel and the third and last tier close to the counting hall would be manned by Central Armed Police Force personnel, he said. The path that would be taken for transportation of EVMs from the strong rooms to the counting halls have been delineated and barricaded and it would be under CCTV coverage, the CEO said. The counting will commence at 8 am on Thursday in 19 halls in 12 centres for the Lok Sabha polls while counting of votes for the bye-poll will be conducted in one hall in Mokokchung district, he said. The CEO said after completion of last round of counting of votes recorded in the EVM control units of an Assembly segment, there would be mandatory verification of VVPAT paper slips of randomly selected five polling stations of that Assembly segment. These five polling stations would be selected through a draw of lots by the concerned Assistant Returning Officer in the presence of candidates or their agents and the Observers and counting of VVPATs would be done in a sequential manner. The lone parliamentary seat in the state witnessed a four-cornered contest between ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) nominee Tokheho Yepthomi, Congress candidate K L Chishi, Hayithung Tungoe of the National People's Party (NPP) and Independent candidate Dr M M Thromwa Konyak. Tokheho is seeking re-election for the Lok Sabha seat. The bye-poll to Aonglenden Assembly constituency under Mokokchung district was a straight contest between the Congress nominee Alemjongshi Longkumer and Sharingain Longkumer of ruling NDPP. The by-poll was necessitated following the demise of sitting ruling MLA Imtikumzuk in September last year.

Lok sabha polls 2019: Tight security arrangements for counting of votes in Nagaland

Terror, connectivity and Afghanistan were the main focus areas for India during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.&nbsp;

Recalling the Sri Lanka terror attack on April 21, Swaraj said, "Our wounds of Pulwama attack were still raw and the news from the neighbourhood has made us more determined to fight firmly resolutely against this menace."

SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure or RATS has emerged as an important forum for counter-terror cooperation and India called for making it more effective.

On connectivity, India talked about five connectivity initiatives the International North-South Transport Corridor that will connect Mumbai with Moscow, Chabahar Port that will connect India to Afghanistan &amp; beyond, the Ashgabat Agreement for central Asia connectivity, the India Afghanistan air corridor &amp; towards the east the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.

But New Delhi said the connectivity projects needs to be, "inclusive, sustainable, transparent and respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", a comment that questions Chinese Belt &amp; road initiative that is causing debt crisis in many countries participating in it.

On Afghanistan, Sushma Swaraj said, "India stands committed to any process" which can help "Afghanistan emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation, with guaranteed gender and human rights."

Comments on Afghanistan comes in the backdrop of Delhi's increased engagement with stakeholders such as the US, China, Iran and Russia on the Afghan peace process.

This is the last high-level engagement of Sushma Swaraj in a foreign country as the external affairs minister under the present government.&nbsp;

This is the second SCO FMs meet in which New Delhi is participating as a full member of SCO, the first meet held in April of 2018 in Beijing.&nbsp;

During the SCO FMs meet on Wednesday, Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi came face to face for the first time since the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 whose responsibility was taken by Pakistan based UN-listed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

On expected lines, no meeting happened between the 2 India Pakistan ministers.

The last time both ministers were under the same roof was during informal SAARC meet on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly in New York in 2018.

India got full membership of the grouping along with Pakistan in 2017 during the Astana summit of SCO with the process beginning during 2015SCO summit in Russia.

The SCO FMs meet comes weeks before the SCO leaders summit in Kyrgyzstan in which the new Indian Prime Minister will be participating. Focus in that summit will be on his likely meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping or if New Indian PM would like to meet his Pakistani counterpart —Pakistani PM Imran Khan.

Terror, connectivity and Afghanistan were the main focus areas for India during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Terror, connectivity and Afghanistan were the main focus areas for India during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Recalling the Sri Lanka terror attack on April 21, Swaraj said, "Our wounds of Pulwama attack were still raw and the news from the neighbourhood has made us more determined to fight firmly resolutely against this menace." SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure or RATS has emerged as an important forum for counter-terror cooperation and India called for making it more effective. On connectivity, India talked about five connectivity initiatives the International North-South Transport Corridor that will connect Mumbai with Moscow, Chabahar Port that will connect India to Afghanistan & beyond, the Ashgabat Agreement for central Asia connectivity, the India Afghanistan air corridor & towards the east the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. But New Delhi said the connectivity projects needs to be, "inclusive, sustainable, transparent and respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", a comment that questions Chinese Belt & road initiative that is causing debt crisis in many countries participating in it. On Afghanistan, Sushma Swaraj said, "India stands committed to any process" which can help "Afghanistan emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation, with guaranteed gender and human rights." Comments on Afghanistan comes in the backdrop of Delhi's increased engagement with stakeholders such as the US, China, Iran and Russia on the Afghan peace process. This is the last high-level engagement of Sushma Swaraj in a foreign country as the external affairs minister under the present government. This is the second SCO FMs meet in which New Delhi is participating as a full member of SCO, the first meet held in April of 2018 in Beijing. During the SCO FMs meet on Wednesday, Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi came face to face for the first time since the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 whose responsibility was taken by Pakistan based UN-listed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. On expected lines, no meeting happened between the 2 India Pakistan ministers. The last time both ministers were under the same roof was during informal SAARC meet on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly in New York in 2018. India got full membership of the grouping along with Pakistan in 2017 during the Astana summit of SCO with the process beginning during 2015SCO summit in Russia. The SCO FMs meet comes weeks before the SCO leaders summit in Kyrgyzstan in which the new Indian Prime Minister will be participating. Focus in that summit will be on his likely meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping or if New Indian PM would like to meet his Pakistani counterpart —Pakistani PM Imran Khan.

India speaks out against terror at SCO FMs' meet in Kyrgyzstan

A Delhi court Wednesday reserved for June 7 order on a complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged 'Khoon ki Dalali' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal reserved order on the complaint, filed by advocate Joginder Tuli, which has sought direction to the police to register an FIR against Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks in 2016 against PM Modi, accusing him of hiding behind the blood of soldiers and cashing in on their sacrifice.

The Delhi Police had on May 15 filed an action taken report before the court in which the police had said that Gandhi allegedly made the defamatory statement against the prime minister for which a suit may be filed.

A Delhi court Wednesday reserved for June 7 order on a complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged 'Khoon ki Dalali' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A Delhi court Wednesday reserved for June 7 order on a complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged 'Khoon ki Dalali' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal reserved order on the complaint, filed by advocate Joginder Tuli, which has sought direction to the police to register an FIR against Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks in 2016 against PM Modi, accusing him of hiding behind the blood of soldiers and cashing in on their sacrifice. The Delhi Police had on May 15 filed an action taken report before the court in which the police had said that Gandhi allegedly made the defamatory statement against the prime minister for which a suit may be filed.

'Khoon ki Dalali' remark against PM: Court reserves order on complaint seeking FIR against Rahul

Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, in which over 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats, will begin at 8.00 am Thursday and results are expected only by late evening due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count for the first time.

67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections.

This is the highest ever voter turnout in Indian parliamentarian elections.

This is for the first time in a Lok Sabha election that results of voting machines will be matched with slips generated by paper trail machines.

The exercise will take place in five polling stations per assembly segment which effectively means that out of nearly 10.3 lakh polling stations, the EVM-VVPAT matching will take place in 20600 such stations.

The Election Commission is yet to provide the number of counting centres being set up for Thursday, saying the data is not centrally available.

As per procedure, postal ballots would be the first to be counted.

Service voters stood at 18 lakh.

These include personnel of the armed forces, central police force personnel and state police personnel who are posted outside their constituencies.

Diplomats and support staff posted in Indian embassies abroad are also counted as service voters.

Out of 18 lakh registered voters, 16.49 lakh have sent their postal ballots to their respective returning officers as on May 17.

The exercise of counting postal ballots manually will itself take a couple of hours at least, an EC official said.

The paper trail machines slips will be counted in the end.

As per the procedure, first the slips will be counted &nbsp;and the EVM displays would be switched on later to match the results.

In case of a mismatch, the results based in paper slip count will be considered as final.

The entire exercise of EVM-Paper trail machine matching will take an additional four to five hours.

Out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, elections were held in 542 constituencies as the EC had cancelled polls to the Vellore constituency on the grounds of excessive use of money power.

The poll panel is yet to announce a fresh date for elections in Vellore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav are among key leaders who contested the polls.

Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, in which over 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats, will begin at 8.00 am Thursday and results are expected only by late evening due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count for the first time.

Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections, in which over 8,000 candidates were in the fray for 542 seats, will begin at 8.00 am Thursday and results are expected only by late evening due to tallying of voter-verified paper audit trail slips with EVM count for the first time. 67.11 per cent of the 90.99 crore electors had cast their vote in the seven-phase elections. This is the highest ever voter turnout in Indian parliamentarian elections. This is for the first time in a Lok Sabha election that results of voting machines will be matched with slips generated by paper trail machines. The exercise will take place in five polling stations per assembly segment which effectively means that out of nearly 10.3 lakh polling stations, the EVM-VVPAT matching will take place in 20600 such stations. The Election Commission is yet to provide the number of counting centres being set up for Thursday, saying the data is not centrally available. As per procedure, postal ballots would be the first to be counted. Service voters stood at 18 lakh. These include personnel of the armed forces, central police force personnel and state police personnel who are posted outside their constituencies. Diplomats and support staff posted in Indian embassies abroad are also counted as service voters. Out of 18 lakh registered voters, 16.49 lakh have sent their postal ballots to their respective returning officers as on May 17. The exercise of counting postal ballots manually will itself take a couple of hours at least, an EC official said. The paper trail machines slips will be counted in the end. As per the procedure, first the slips will be counted and the EVM displays would be switched on later to match the results. In case of a mismatch, the results based in paper slip count will be considered as final. The entire exercise of EVM-Paper trail machine matching will take an additional four to five hours. Out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, elections were held in 542 constituencies as the EC had cancelled polls to the Vellore constituency on the grounds of excessive use of money power. The poll panel is yet to announce a fresh date for elections in Vellore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav are among key leaders who contested the polls.

Lok Sabha elections 2019: Counting to take place on Thursday, matching VVPAT slips likely to delay results

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes on May 23 for Lok Sabha polls.

A vacation bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra refused to entertain the plea filed by a Chennai-based organisation 'Tech for All', saying that a larger bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had already dealt with the matter and passed an order.

"The CJI had dealt with this matter. Why are you taking chance before a two-judge vacation bench?" the Supreme Court asked.

"We cannot override the CJI's order... This is nonsense. The petition is taken on board. Dismissed," Justice Mishra said.

The Supreme Court had on May 7 dismissed a review plea filed by 21 opposition leaders, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, seeking that random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs be increased to 50 per cent.

The Supreme Court had on April 8 directed the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs from one to five polling booths per assembly segment in Lok Sabha polls, saying it would provide greater satisfaction not just to political parties but also to the entire electorate.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes on May 23 for Lok Sabha polls.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking 100 per cent matching of voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips with electronic voting machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes on May 23 for Lok Sabha polls. A vacation bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra refused to entertain the plea filed by a Chennai-based organisation 'Tech for All', saying that a larger bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had already dealt with the matter and passed an order. "The CJI had dealt with this matter. Why are you taking chance before a two-judge vacation bench?" the Supreme Court asked. "We cannot override the CJI's order... This is nonsense. The petition is taken on board. Dismissed," Justice Mishra said. The Supreme Court had on May 7 dismissed a review plea filed by 21 opposition leaders, led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, seeking that random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs be increased to 50 per cent. The Supreme Court had on April 8 directed the Election Commission to increase random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs from one to five polling booths per assembly segment in Lok Sabha polls, saying it would provide greater satisfaction not just to political parties but also to the entire electorate.

Supreme Court junks PIL seeking 100% VVPAT matching with EVMs on May 23

Watch 'India Election Watch.' This is the show that brings you the latest on world's biggest electoral exercise, Verified updates & Unbiased analysis. #LokSabhaElection2019 #GeneralElections2019 #PMModi

India Election Watch, 20th May 2019

India Election Watch, 21st May 2019