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India Elections Phase 2 Sees Enthusiastic Voter Turnout

Second phase of Lok Sabha polls sees enthusiastic voter turnout from Jammu to Kerala, Maharashtra to Tripura

The second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, encompassing 88 seats in 13 states/UTs, spanning Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, and Maharashtra to Manipur, concluded peacefully on Friday with a vibrant display of democratic fervour as 60.96 per cent of eligible voters, young and old, braved the summer heat and logistical problems to exercise their franchise.

The queues at polling stations painted a vivid picture of India’s societal diversity, with newlyweds, senior citizens, tribals, IT professionals, persons with disabilities (PwDs), women, and first-time young voters patiently awaited their turn to press the EVM buttons for their desired candidates.

Special arrangements were made to combat the heat including the provision of shade, drinking water, medical kits, and fans.

Cricketing superstars Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath were seen voting at different polling stations in Bengaluru and posed with their inked fingers to encourage voters. In several states like Rajasthan and Karnataka, officials and voters alike came in their traditional attire to celebrate the “Chunav ka Parv”.

The fate of 1,202 candidates, including prominent figures such as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Union Ministers Shashi Tharoor and Mahesh Sharma, actress Hema Malini, actor Arun Govil of “Ramayana fame”, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, BJP youth leader Tejasvi Surya, D.K. Suresh, brother of Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, former Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, and independent Pappu Yadav, now rests in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude towards voters. “The second phase went very well! Gratitude to the people across India who voted today. The unprecedented support for the NDA is further disappointing for the opposition. The voters want the NDA’s governance. Youth and women voters are strongly supporting the NDA”, he said in a post on X.

In this phase, voting took place for all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, along with half of Karnataka’s 28 seats, the remaining seats of Rajasthan, Manipur, Tripura, as well as several in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir.

With this phase, polling has been held in 190 seats and the elections have been concluded in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttarakhand

The BJP, holding a significant number of seats in this phase, considers these elections crucial for maintaining and expanding its influence to secure a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha.

Tripura witnessed the highest voter turnout at 78.63 per cent, while Maharashtra recorded the lowest at 54.34 per cent.

Other states saw varying levels of participation, with Manipur at 77.18 per cent, Chhattisgarh at 73.05 per cent, West Bengal at 71.84 per cent, Assam at 70.68 per cent, and Jammu and Kashmir at 71.63 per cent.

Karnataka recorded a 67 per cent turnout, Kerala 65.28 per cent, Rajasthan 63.74 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 56.60 per cent, Bihar 54.91 per cent, and Uttar Pradesh 54.74 per cent.

However, these are provisional figures and the final turnout will be released following verification of Form 17A.

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India News Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar: 22 more candidates file nominations on last day

Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring…reports Asian Lite News

The Srinagar Parliamentary constituency is buzzing with political fervour as 39 nominations have been submitted for the upcoming elections on May 13, according to an official announcement made on Thursday.

On the final day for filing nominations, 22 candidates presented their papers to the Returning Officer. Notable among them, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) formally submitted his candidacy, with Salman Sagar standing as his covering candidate.

Other contenders include Hakikat Singh from the National Panthers Party-Bhim, Rakesh Handu from J&K National United Front, Amir Ahmad Bhat from Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), and Qaiser Sultan Ganai, who is the covering candidate for DPAP.

Additionally, a diverse array of candidates from various parties joined the fray, including Ashiq Hussain from Rastriya Jan Kranti Party, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat from Gana Suraksha Party, Suraya Nissar from the National Republic Party of India, and Farooq Ahmad Bhat from the National Youth Party.

Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring.

Earlier, on Wednesday, PDP’s Waheed Parra and Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir had already submitted their nominations.

With scrutiny of nomination papers set for Friday, candidates have until April 29 to withdraw their names from the race. The constituents will cast their votes on May 13 during the fourth phase of the elections, with the results scheduled to be announced on June 4.

Mega voter awareness program

The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized a mega voter awareness program under SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) at Tulip Garden in Srinagar.

The awareness program aimed to educate citizens about the importance of voting, voter registration processes, and electoral participation.

SVEEP is the flagship program of the ECI for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India. It is a multi-intervention programme that reaches out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors, and voters about the electoral process to increase their awareness and promote their informed participation.

Polling in Udhampur was held on April 19 (Phase 1), while Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar, and Baramulla will poll on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission held a meeting with concerned agencies to understand the developing weather situation and constituted a task force to review the impact of heat waves and humidity before each polling phase for any concerning developments and mitigatory measures.

The poll body held a meeting with concerned agencies and also discussed measures to mitigate any risk due to hot weather conditions during the Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, was attended by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Head of Department, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and DG Meteorology, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Commission directed MoHFW to issue necessary instructions to health authorities in states to prepare for and extend assistance in case of heatwave conditions affecting election operations. The Commission will hold a separate review with state CEOs to ensure adequate arrangements at polling stations, including shamiyana, drinking water, fans, and other assured minimum facilities, etc., as per its existing advisory dated March 16, 2024. (with inputs from agencies)

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

NCP(SP) vows Rs 1 lakh/year dole to poor women, jobless youth

A like amount shall be given as a stipend to the educated jobless youth, who will be provided free training and skilling in the government or private sector for a year and prepare them to take up jobs of their choice…reports Asian Lite News

The Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar here on Thursday released the party’s 2024 Election Manifesto with a slew of promises to attract the poor, women, farmers, the unemployed, the depressed sections of society and other backward groups for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sharad Pawar, along with state President Jayant Patil and other senior functionaries disclosed the salient aspects of the Manifesto which include an aid of Rs 1 lakh per year to a woman from all the poor families in the country under the Mahalakshmi Scheme, and help make crores of women as ‘lakhpatis’.

A like amount shall be given as a stipend to the educated jobless youth, who will be provided free training and skilling in the government or private sector for a year and prepare them to take up jobs of their choice.

Similar to the INDIA bloc proposal, the NCP(SP) will also amend the laws to hike the quotas’ ceiling and provide for reservations to more categories, set up a special farmers’ commission to advise, streamline and recommend loan waivers to the peasantry, among other things, Pawar and Patil said.

The NCP(SP) also proposes to double the income of unorganised daily workers to at least Rs 400 per day, better sops for Anganwadi women workers, throwing open the government sector’s 30 lakh jobs currently lying vacant to the unemployed youth, and other assurances for various other sections of the populace if and after the INDIA bloc comes to power.

The NCP (SP) is contesting 10 of the state’s 48 LS constituencies, with many falling in the ‘tough fight’ category, along with support from the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies like Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Last week, the Congress and SS(UBT) leaders indicated that if the need arises, they might issue an MVA’s joint manifesto in the coming days.

Shiv Sena, BJP slam manifesto

 Shiv Sena spokesperson Susiben Shah said the announcement of Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) in its manifesto ‘Shapathnama’ with regards to minimum support price (MSP) for farmers is to “deceive” and “allure” them.

“It is important to note that he was the Union Agricultural Minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014. During his tenure, he did nothing for the farmers. The MSP announcement in the manifesto is simply an attempt to deceive and allure the farmers,” said Shah here.

“They have also shown a dangling carrot of 50 per cent reservation for women. However, the manifesto falls short in countering in leaps taken for women empowerment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde,” said Shah.

Offering cheap gas cylinders, and giving poor women Rs 1 lakh every year, are nothing but fake promises, she claimed.

“It is high time Sharad Pawar’s National Corrupt Party stopped cheating people and making such promises,” she said.

 The BJP claimed on Thursday that the manifesto (‘Shapathnama’) released by the NCP (SP) is the biggest fraud in the world.

In Sharad Pawar’s life, a dagger is more important than the oath, said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule in his reaction. Due to this manifesto, the voters will not vote for the Pawar-led party, he added.

“In Maharashtra, an oath is more important than life,” he said.

“Whenever Pawar was in power, he practiced vote politics and used power to make money and again used the same money to gain power. Maharashtra never benefited due to his politics,” claimed Bawankule.

Bawankule said that Modi’s Sankalp Patra (manifesto) is for the welfare of the country. On the other hand, in the INDIA Alliance manifesto the Congress talks about the abolition of Sanatan Dharma and also on redistribution of wealth among a particular community.

Bawankuke explained the importance of oath and Sharad Pawar’s political journey. On April 26, 1645 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of Hindvi Swarajya along with his Malvas and fulfilled his oath. In 1977, the Congress party split after the Emergency. Sharad Pawar left the Indira Gandhi led Congress and joined the Congress led by Brahmanand Reddy.

He added that in 1978, Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil’s government was ousted by stabbing him in the back. In 1980, the PDF government was formed after 40 legislators rebelled and Sharad Pawar became the chief minister

According to Bawankule, in 1988, Sharad Pawar rejoined the Congress and In 1999 Sharad Pawar fell out with the Congress and formed the NCP.

In 2019, Sharad Powar gave the word to Ajit Pawar (of joining the BJP) but later overturned it. Thereafter, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed in 2019.

“Really tell me, do Sharad Pawar and oath have any connection,” he asked.

The Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar here on Thursday released the party’s 2024 Election Manifesto with a slew of promises to attract the poor, women, farmers, the unemployed, the depressed sections of society and other backward groups for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sharad Pawar, along with state President Jayant Patil and other senior functionaries disclosed the salient aspects of the Manifesto which include an aid of Rs 1 lakh per year to a woman from all the poor families in the country under the Mahalakshmi Scheme, and help make crores of women as ‘lakhpatis’.

A like amount shall be given as a stipend to the educated jobless youth, who will be provided free training and skilling in the government or private sector for a year and prepare them to take up jobs of their choice.

Similar to the INDIA bloc proposal, the NCP(SP) will also amend the laws to hike the quotas’ ceiling and provide for reservations to more categories, set up a special farmers’ commission to advise, streamline and recommend loan waivers to the peasantry, among other things, Pawar and Patil said.

The NCP(SP) also proposes to double the income of unorganised daily workers to at least Rs 400 per day, better sops for Anganwadi women workers, throwing open the government sector’s 30 lakh jobs currently lying vacant to the unemployed youth, and other assurances for various other sections of the populace if and after the INDIA bloc comes to power.

The NCP (SP) is contesting 10 of the state’s 48 LS constituencies, with many falling in the ‘tough fight’ category, along with support from the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies like Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Last week, the Congress and SS(UBT) leaders indicated that if the need arises, they might issue an MVA’s joint manifesto in the coming days.

Shiv Sena, BJP slam manifesto

 Shiv Sena spokesperson Susiben Shah said the announcement of Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) in its manifesto ‘Shapathnama’ with regards to minimum support price (MSP) for farmers is to “deceive” and “allure” them.

“It is important to note that he was the Union Agricultural Minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014. During his tenure, he did nothing for the farmers. The MSP announcement in the manifesto is simply an attempt to deceive and allure the farmers,” said Shah here.

“They have also shown a dangling carrot of 50 per cent reservation for women. However, the manifesto falls short in countering in leaps taken for women empowerment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde,” said Shah.

Offering cheap gas cylinders, and giving poor women Rs 1 lakh every year, are nothing but fake promises, she claimed.

“It is high time Sharad Pawar’s National Corrupt Party stopped cheating people and making such promises,” she said.

 The BJP claimed on Thursday that the manifesto (‘Shapathnama’) released by the NCP (SP) is the biggest fraud in the world.

In Sharad Pawar’s life, a dagger is more important than the oath, said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule in his reaction. Due to this manifesto, the voters will not vote for the Pawar-led party, he added.

“In Maharashtra, an oath is more important than life,” he said.

“Whenever Pawar was in power, he practiced vote politics and used power to make money and again used the same money to gain power. Maharashtra never benefited due to his politics,” claimed Bawankule.

Bawankule said that Modi’s Sankalp Patra (manifesto) is for the welfare of the country. On the other hand, in the INDIA Alliance manifesto the Congress talks about the abolition of Sanatan Dharma and also on redistribution of wealth among a particular community.

Bawankuke explained the importance of oath and Sharad Pawar’s political journey. On April 26, 1645 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of Hindvi Swarajya along with his Malvas and fulfilled his oath. In 1977, the Congress party split after the Emergency. Sharad Pawar left the Indira Gandhi led Congress and joined the Congress led by Brahmanand Reddy.

He added that in 1978, Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil’s government was ousted by stabbing him in the back. In 1980, the PDF government was formed after 40 legislators rebelled and Sharad Pawar became the chief minister

According to Bawankule, in 1988, Sharad Pawar rejoined the Congress and In 1999 Sharad Pawar fell out with the Congress and formed the NCP.

In 2019, Sharad Powar gave the word to Ajit Pawar (of joining the BJP) but later overturned it. Thereafter, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed in 2019.

“Really tell me, do Sharad Pawar and oath have any connection,” he asked.

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-Top News India News

1202 candidates in fray for Phase II

Over 15.88 crore voters will be determining the fate of 1202 candidates in the second phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections…reports Asian Lite News

Over 15.88 crore voters will be determining the fate of 1202 candidates in the second phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.

The second phase of polling will be held in 88 constituencies across 13 States/Union Territory. With weather conditions predicted to be within normal ranges, voters can cast their votes comfortably. For convenience for voters, meticulous arrangements have been made at all polling stations including facilities, to deal with hot weather conditions, according to the Election Commission.

The second phase of polling was to be held on 89 seats but it has been deferred to May 7 in Betul in Madhya Pradesh due to the death of the BSP candidate.

According to the ECI, over 15.88 crore voters will be voting in the second phase which includes 8.08 crore male electors, 7.8 crore female electors and 5929 third-gender electors.

A total of 4553 flying squads, 5731 static surveillance teams, 1462 video surveillance teams and 844 video viewing teams are keeping surveillance round the clock to strictly and swiftly deal with any form of inducement of voters across the 1.67 lakh polling stations, as per the ECI press note.

The ECI further said that webcasting will be done in more than 50 per cent of the polling stations along with deployment of micro-observers in all polling stations.

Key issues ranging from unemployment, violence against women, economic development, long-pending grievances of farmers, crisis funds and inflation were among the most highlighted across the country.

While, topics that led the debates in the country included Ram Temple, Sanatan Dharma, GST, Caste Census, OBCs and reservation, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Five seats, namely Karimganj, Silchar, Mangaldoi, Nawgong and Kaliabor, out of the total 14 will go to polls in Assam on Friday.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Assam Anurag Goel on Thursday assured that sufficient commissioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT). He also requested the voters to be cautious of the “unnecessary narratives” about EVMs.

“The second phase of elections in Assam will be conducted in 5 parliamentary constituencies. 9,133 polling stations have been set up and more than 77 lakh voters are going to vote, almost equal number of males and females. We have done sufficient commissioning of EVMs and VVPATs. One thing that I would like to request the electors to be cautious about is the unnecessary narratives going around about EVMs,” the Chief Electoral Officer told ANI.

In Bihar, too five seats will be polling tomorrow out of the total 40, which are Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, Bhagalpur and Banka.

Kishanganj District Magistrate Tushar Singla urged the voters to participate in the “festival of democracy” and increase the voter turnout.

“All the EVM dispatch has been done. All the facilities have been ensured at every polling booth. The awareness programs have been conducted for the voters. We expect the voters to participate in the festival of democracy and increase our voter turnout,” Tushar Singla told ANI on Thursday.

As per the ECI press note, polling time in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar extended till 6 pm to facilitate voters in hot weather conditions.

Three seats namely Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Kanker out of the total 11 will be voting tomorrow in Chhattisgarh

On poll preparations, Rajnandgaon IGP Incharge, Deepak Jha said, “There are four districts in Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency. Forces have come in according to the demand of the four districts. 60 companies of CAPF, paramilitary and we have also received forces from Madhya Pradesh. They have all been deployed.”

The polling is held in a single seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir in the second phase.

Ahead of the polling, a Mega Voter Awareness Program under SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) was organized at Tulip Garden in Srinagar on Wednesday. The awareness program aimed to educate citizens about the importance of voting, voter registration processes, and electoral participation.

On arrangements for Lok Sabha elections, Kengoo Zuringla, Ukhrul District Collector in Manipur said, “We are getting all the polling personnel ready and we are distributing their EVMs. We are distributing their polling materials. We already have the security arrangements for them.”

“We are very happy that our Ukhrul district is able to conduct such exercise to ensure that every person, every citizen of our country has the right to express, to be able to choose a leader which is of their own desire. So, this time, we have four candidates from the outer Manipur parliamentary constituency. A total of 145 polling stations are there in the Ukhrul district,” she said.

Out of the total 28 seats, 14 seats will go to the polls in Karnataka on Friday namely Udupi Chikamagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikballapur and Kolar.

While all 20 seats will voting in the second phase in Kerala. These include Kasaragod, Kannur, Vatakara, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ponnani, Palakkad, Alathur, Thrissur, Chalakudy, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Mavelikkara, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Attingal and Thiruvananthapuram.

On preparation for the Lok Sabha elections, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul said, “We have 25,231 polling booths which are ready to welcome all the voters tomorrow morning at 7 am. 70 per cent of the polling parties have reached the booths today.”

“We have made elaborate arrangements for the comfort of the voters who come there. There will be an orderly queue management system. We will have volunteers managing the queues. There will be separate queues for elderly people. There is drinking water and toilet facilities. For our friends who are physically challenged, we have ramps on all the booths. We have wheelchairs,” he said.

“We are ready as far as security is concerned. Police forces also have been deployed. There are about 1700 vulnerable and critical booths spread across all the statistics in the state. Vulnerable and critical booths, we have special facilities. We have cameras both inside and outside the booth and also central paramilitary forces deployed,” the Chief Electoral Officer added.

In Madhya Pradesh, out of the 29 seats, six will be voting in the second phase namely, Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hoshangabad.

On the preparations, Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said, “There are polls in 6 constituencies tomorrow. There are around 13,000 polling booths. 1 crore 11 lakh voters will cast their votes. Looking at the heat, there are sheds, water, waiting rooms and chair facilities. Around 2500 booths fall in the category of sensitive. We have made special arrangements for them. More security forces have been deployed there.”

Out of the 48 seats, voting will be held in eight seats in Maharashtra in the second phase. Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded and Parbhani will go to the polls tomorrow.

13 seats namely Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran out of the total 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight out of the total 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, namely Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura and Bulandshahr will go to the polls on Friday.

While voting will be held in three seats namely Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat in West Bengal. There are a total of 42 seats in the state.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 61 of the 88 seats that will go to polls in the second phase.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 24 seats and other parties namely, BSP , CPM and NPF won 3 seats.

Voting will begin at 7 am tomorrow and will conclude at 6 pm. The Lok Sabha election is being held in seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)

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Economy India News

Middle East Tensions Threaten Indian Economy

Though India does not import any crude from Iran owing to the sanctions, the ongoing geo-political tensions have led to an increase in Brent crude prices…reports Asian Lite News

A sustained flare-up in geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and the consequent increase in crude oil prices, would negatively impact Indian macros, ratings agency ICRA said on Thursday.

“Geopolitical tensions may impact the Indian macros like CAD, currency, FPI inflows and inflation. For India, Iranian trade is not significant. However, a further escalation of the ongoing geo-political conflict may keep oil prices elevated. If Iran chooses to close the Straits of Hormuz, Indian macros would see a further negative impact,” ICRA said.

While a $10/bbl increase in average crude oil prices is likely to push up the Current Account Deficit (CAD) by 0.3 per cent of the GDP, an escalation of the conflict would also exert pressure on the USD/INR pair and may impact Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) inflows to India.

Additionally, this would pose upside risks for WPI inflation, and to a smaller extent to CPI inflation projections for FY2025. A sustained surge in crude oil prices could also exert a drag on GDP growth during the fiscal, ICRA said.

Following Western sanctions on crude oil, Iran’s share in the total Indian merchandise imports declined to below 1 per cent in FY2023 from the average of 2-3 per cent seen in the decade before FY2019.

Though India does not import any crude from Iran owing to the sanctions, the ongoing geo-political tensions have led to an increase in Brent crude prices, the research said.

Further, there is a threat that Iran may close the Straits of Hormuz, which is the main route of transport for crude oil from the Middle East (holding a major share in oil imports) to India, ICRA said.

According to the Acuite Ratings & Research experts, the price of crude oil would breach $100, the central bank may delay cutting the repo rate over uncertainty over disinflation, exports to West Asia may be affected and an increase in shipping costs are some of the likely impact if the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates.

“With the drone and missile attacks on Israel by Iran, there is a perceptible increase in the geo-political risk quotient, imparting higher uncertainty to the global economic outlook. Although crude oil prices are yet to rise sharply beyond $90 per barrel, there is a significant likelihood that it will breach the $100 level if the conflict intensifies further over West Asia,” Suman Chowdhury, Chief Economist and Head-Research, Acuite Ratings said.

According to him, the US Federal Reserve and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would delay cutting the interest rate owing to the increased geopolitical risks and uncertainty on disinflation.

Further, there will be higher under-recoveries for the public sector oil companies in India if the increase in crude prices are not passed on to the consumers of petrol, diesel and LPG.

“The oil subsidy bill is likely to be above the interim budget for FY25. If the price rise is sustained, there is also a likelihood of pass-through after the elections,” Chowdhury said.

Similarly, the prices for oil derivatives are likely to rise, impacting the operating margins for sectors like petrochemicals, speciality chemicals, and paints.

In the area of exports-imports, the escalation in conflict will result in increase in shipping costs for imports pushing up the wholesale inflation; merchandise exports to West Asia might slowdown.

“While we have a forecast of 6.7 per cent and 5.0 per cent for GDP growth and retail inflation in FY25, these can become vulnerable to revisions if the Iran – Israel conflict escalates further,” Chowdhury added.

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INDIA 2024 India News

‘BSP does not align with policies of NDA or INDIA’

On being asked whether the SP is BSP’s main opponent, he refuted it, saying that Akhilesh Yadav’s party do not have sway across UP, but is restricted to certain regions of the state…reports Asian Lite News

As the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, once an elephantine force in Uttar Pradesh politics is experiencing a decline in its influence, party national convenor Akash Anand said that the BSP does not align with the “policies” of both alliances -NDA and INDIA, hence decided to go solo in the Lok Sabha polls despite its seat number reducing elections after elections.

Akash Anand, BSP supremo Mayawati’s nephew and her political successor, in an exclusive interview with ANI, said that the record of the party being in alliance indicates its core support base shifting its allegiance to other parties, but the BSP, he added, is currently keeping its vote share intact while being out of any coalition.

“If you see the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, our vote share continued to remain at 19 per cent, but the number of seats is a big concern for the party. When we were standing alone back in 2014, we managed to get 19 per cent vote share, but our seat count was zero. We went in alliance, our vote share remained the same, but we were able to garner 10 seats. We feel that we do not actually make a lot of headway in terms of increasing our vote share while being in alliance,” Akash said.

He also said that as per the party’s analysis, its core vote share which is mostly the Dalit community shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress when Mayawati joined hands with once considered its main opponent- Samajwadi Party.

“We also witnessed that core voters of the Bahujan Samaj Party were not convinced to coalition with Samajwadi Party so, we saw some of the vote share moved from us to BJP and Congress. We feel that if we remain in non-alliance then we can at least keep our vote share intact and can increase it. In the future, when time allows we can do social engineering and in the right circumstances and political environment, we will be able to guard more seats,” he added.

As the BSP has chosen to go alone for the Lok Sabha elections despite alliances being firmed up, Akash said that the leading parties of both factions- BJP and the Congress failed to represent the Dalit community for whose rights the party advocates.

“We do not align with their policies and looking at their track record, we do not think that these people will be able to deliver. We do not want to be in a coalition where we are not aligned with our partners’ thought process and their execution style. We tried it with SP and during the campaigning only, we realized that they were not the right partner for us. There were a lot of commitments made, but they could not do anything on the execution level. So, we parted ways with the SP,” he said.

He also took a swipe at the BJP and said that the ruling party does not address the issues emerging at fore forefront like- inflation, employment, security and safety which includes country’s borders too.

“Be it NDA or INDIA bloc, leading parties of both factions- BJP and Congress have been in power with the majority at the Centre and in the state also, but both failed to represent our community. With the BJP, there is even more challenge because of rising unemployment, inflation, safety and security and border issues. And these issues are not being addressed,” the BSP leader said.

On being asked whether the SP is BSP’s main opponent, he refuted it, saying that Akhilesh Yadav’s party do not have sway across UP, but is restricted to certain regions of the state.

“If you come towards Western UP, then they have very little activity on the ground and they have also very little vote share. I would constrain them to one part of UP rather than the whole UP and our competition is not with the SP, but we actually try to keep our voters intact anyhow,” he added.

Notably, the BSP hasn’t done great when it went solo, barring the 2007 assembly polls. In the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly elections in 2007, winning 206 seats and becoming the sole majority party. Mayawati was sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time without any support of a second party, marking the peak of the party’s electoral success.

However, its performance in polls — both Lok Sabha and assembly — since 1996 reflects the downfall of the party.

In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, which it fought alone, the party could manage just six seats out of 85 in undivided UP. Similarly, BSP’s attempt to enter other states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka on its own has proved futile.

It first allied with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 1993, when the two parties formed a coalition government in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Yadav became Chief Minister.

In 2009, BSP registered its best performance in Lok Sabha polls winning 20 seats, closely trailing behind the SP with 23 seats and the INC with 21. In the 2012 state elections, the party could only manage to win 80 seats. SP’s Akhilesh Yadav took over as CM.

In 2014, the party faced a major setback, failing to secure even a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls. BSP’s seat tally went from 80 to 19 in the 2017 state elections. In 2019, the BSP-SP alliance managed to secure 15 seats, with the BSP winning 10 in the 2019 general elections. The BSP only managed to secure one seat in the 2022 state polls. (ANI)

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Pink booth set up in Bangalore Rural constituency

Bangalore South and Mysuru stand as other pivotal constituencies going to the polls on April 26…reports Asian Lite News

As Bengaluru prepares for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26, a pink booth model has been set up in the Ramnagar district of Bangalore Rural constituency for women voters, decorated with balloons, banners and chairs with pink colour etc.

Polling in Karnataka for the 28 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha will be held on April 26 and May 7 in the second and third phases, respectively.

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and JDS party Leader HD Kumaraswamy, Anitha Kumaraswamy, and Nikhil Kumaraswamy will cast their vote here.

Karnataka, which contributes 28 seats in 543-member Parliament, will witness polling in two phases in which voting will be held on 14 seats on Friday – Udupi Chikamagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikballapur, Kolar.

Karnataka, saw the BJP securing 25 seats out of 28 seats in the 2019 elections. This time, the BJP is contesting in 25 seats, with its state ally JDS vying for the remaining 3 seats. The three constituencies contested by JDS are part of the second phase – Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar.

Bangalore South and Mysuru stand as other pivotal constituencies going to the polls on April 26.

From Bengaluru Rural, sitting MP Congress’ DK Suresh is pitted against BJP’s Cholenahalli Nanjappa Manjunath, son-in-law of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.

Voting will begin at 7 am on Friday and will conclude at 6 pm. The Lok Sabha election is being held in seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.

The first phase of voting for the seven-phased Lok Sabha election, the world’s largest electoral exercise, was held on April 19 in 102 constituencies across 21 states and UTs. According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout registered was over 62 per cent. The third phase election will be held on May 7. (ANI)

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Congress’ manifesto takes centrestage in Phase II

Key issues ranging from unemployment, violence against women, economic development, long-pending grievances of farmers, crisis funds and inflation were also among the most highlighted across the country…reports Asian Lite News

The stage has been set up for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections that will witness voting across 13 States/ Union Territory in 88 constituencies with an increased focus on issues revolving around the contents of the Congress’ manifesto.

Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda has backed the party’s stand on redistribution of wealth and advocated an inheritance tax law in the country. Emphasing the need for policy towards wealth redistribution, Pitroda elaborated on the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America.

Key issues ranging from unemployment, violence against women, economic development, long-pending grievances of farmers, crisis funds and inflation were also among the most highlighted across the country.

While, topics that led the debates in the country included Ram Temple, Sanatan Dharma, GST, Caste Census, OBCs and reservation, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among “those having more children.”While stressing the importance of ‘Mangalsutra’ (traditional Indian jewellery worn by married Indian women) for women, he said that no government has the power to snatch it away.

Addressing the public meeting, PM Modi said, “The leaders who have left Congress are saying one thing: It is not the Congress of before, it is now trapped in the clutches of the Leftists and urban Naxals…look at their manifesto, what Congress has said in its manifesto is serious and worrying. They have said that if they form a government then a survey of property belonging to every person will be conducted.”

As the debate initiated by the Prime Minister escalated across the length and breadth of the country, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that “PM Modi should read our manifesto first and then we can have a discussion on it”.

Former Rajasthan CM and  Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that the manner in which he (PM Modi) is trying to provoke people by saying things about ‘Mangalsutra’ and dismissed the allegation against the party manifesto.

Gehlot said, “The kind of language used in Tonk, the people across the country are agitated and worried. The way he (PM Modi) is trying to provoke people by saying things about ‘Mangalsutra’ and alleging that we will take away gold and all, these things have no link to our manifesto and it’s surprising to see PM Modi using such languages. He is in a misconception that people accept whatever he says be it right or wrong but he doesn’t know that people now understand all these things… I don’t want to say anything as he (PM Modi) will manipulate my words which will harm my party. I am more worried about what will happen in the country than losing the elections. Will democracy continue to be in the country? It’s very unfortunate, that the PM is using such language.”

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda said.”In India, you don’t have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing…So these are the kinds of issues people will have to debate and discuss. When we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only,” Pitroda added.The second phase of voting is scheduled for April 26 over 13 states and Union territories will witness a tight battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance.

Voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections will begin at 7 am on Friday and conclude at 5 pm.

Nearly 1 billion Indians will vote in the country’s largest election, with opinion polls predicting an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who are running the polls for a third consecutive term.

The key issues that are to dominate the elections to 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, being held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1 include economic development, inflation, corruption and others.

The Prime Minister has been campaigning extensively across the country, promising to expand India’s economy and put India on track to become a developed country by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence from British colonialists.

Amid pushback, Pitroda sought to downplay his remark saying he only cited inheritance tax in the US as an ‘example’.

“Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why are the BJP and the media in panic? I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kinds of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with the policy of any party including Congress,” Pitroda posted on X.

The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases on – April 19 and followed by April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

The counting of the votes for the same will take place on June 4. (ANI)

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Shiv Sena (UBT) promises ‘dignity’ to all states

Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray released its election manifesto on Thursday…reports Asian Lite News

The Shiv Sena (UBT) released its election manifesto on Thursday, promising ‘dignity’ to all states and opposition to mega-projects like the world’s two biggest ventures — the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant at Madban, and the Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemical Ltd at Barsu — both in Maharashtra.

Releasing the manifesto, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that though the party has published its independent ‘vachan-nama’, it would remain duty-bound to follow the INDIA bloc constituents’ manifestos released earlier.

Treading sensitive territory, Thackeray said that the SS (UBT) would strongly oppose the two upcoming mega projects — the JNPP at Madban village and the RRPL at Barsu village — both in the coastal Ratnagiri district.

“In the past, there have been several agitations opposing these projects and also the Vadhavan Port in Palghar, as they could destroy the state’s ecology… If the local people don’t want such projects that can damage the environment, we shall respect their sentiments and say ‘no’ to these ventures,” declared Thackeray.

While farmers remain the focal point of the SS (UBT) manifesto, Thackeray assured that all other sections of the society, including women, youth, the unemployed, and the deprived classes, shall also be treated with equality and given their due.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party has systematically looted business and investments from Maharashtra… When the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was ruling the state, the Centre did not help us in any way. When the INDIA bloc comes to power, we shall treat all states, including those ruled by the BJP, with dignity,” Thackeray said.

He also said that the INDIA bloc government would resolve all the problems created by the BJP-NDA regime by disregarding the country’s federal structure.

The SS (UBT) will ensure that all the farming inputs like seeds, fertilisers, or equipment, shall be removed from the GST ambit to make the peasants debt-free, ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all farm produce, improve the lives of the farmers as recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission Report, and put an end to the malaise of widespread farmer suicides.

If voted to power, the new regime will open up 30 lakh government vacancies for the youth and give them all the other benefits as promised in the manifestos issued by the INDIA bloc constituents.

The party will have similar policies to empower women, ensure their safety and security, and other benefits that are committed in the national opposition’s ‘vachan-nama’, said Thackeray.

“When the MVA was in power in Maharashtra, we had frozen the prices of five essential commodities for five years… We shall propose the same on an all-India basis. If it could succeed in Maharashtra, why can’t it be implemented in other states? It would benefit the poor masses in a big way,” Thackeray claimed.

The Congress released its manifesto a fortnight ago in Delhi, while the MVA allies — Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and SS (UBT) — published their policy documents in Pune and Mumbai on Thursday, respectively.

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EC notice to BJP over Modi’s Banswara speech

In its complaint to the ECI, the Opposition parties accused PM Modi of committing blatant violations of electoral laws, as well as of the Indian Penal Code…reports Asian Lite News

Taking cognisance of the alleged Model Code of Conduct violation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Election Commission of India (ECI), on Thursday, sought a response from the BJP by April 29, on the complaints raised by Congress, CPI and CPI-M(L).

In its complaint to the ECI, the Opposition parties accused PM Modi of committing blatant violations of electoral laws, as well as of the Indian Penal Code, while addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on April 21.

Congress said that the speech delivered by the Prime Minister, the ‘star campaigner’ of BJP for the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections, was “highly objectionable, divisive and ex-facie illegal.”

During the rally, PM Modi had said: “The Congress manifesto says that they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom… Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets.”

“When their government was in power earlier, they had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets. This means to whom will this property be distributed? It will be distributed among those who have more children and to the infiltrators. Will your hard-earned money be distributed to the infiltrators and do you really approve of this?” PM Modi had added.

Directing BJP president J. P. Nadda to respond to the complaints by 11 a.m. on April 29, the Election Commission asserted that the role of political parties in an electoral democracy, particularly after the notification of the general elections, is pivotal and hence stands clearly recognised in the formal statutory framework of the Representation of the People Act.

The ECI said that the grant of the status of the ‘star campaigner’ statutorily lies entirely within the realm of the political parties under Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the ‘star campaigners’ are expected to contribute to a higher quality of discourse, inter alia, by way of providing an all-India perspective, which sometimes gets distorted in the heat of the contests at the local level.

Police did not accept complaint: Brinda

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had delivered a hate speech on April 21 in Banswara and despite Supreme Court guidelines, police did not accept the complaint.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said, “We met the Police Commissioner on the issue of the hate speech given by PM Modi on April 21st in Banswara. We asked the Police Commissioner why an FIR had not been filed. According to the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the police are duty-bound, if there is any hate speech, to lodge an FIR and to take suo moto action on the basis of that FIR. Twice, those guidelines have been issued, first in October 2022 and again in April 2023.”

She further said that despite the guidelines of the Supreme Court, when she went to Mandir Marg Police Station, the police did not accept the complaint.

“When I went to Mandir Marg PS, they didn’t even accept the complaint, let alone an FIR. Police Commissioner agreed that it was wrong and he accepted the complaint but as far as filing an FIR is concerned, the commissioner said he would have to take legal advice. I don’t know what that means because the Supreme Court has given clear instructions to file an FIR and do the investigation,” she added.

She further stated that the police will have to act as per Supreme Court guidelines.

She further added, “The Supreme Court has also said that if police don’t file an FIR, it will be taken as contempt of court. PM is a citizen of India and the law of India applies to him. He is not above or beyond the law. Police will have to act as per Supreme Court guidelines as they would have in any case.”

BJP complains to ECI against Abhishek Banerjee

The BJP’s West Bengal unit on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accusing him of making abusive remarks against its candidate Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, popularly known as Nirbhaya Didi.

The state BJP unit sent an e-mail complaint to the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). The state unit of BJP has also released a video where Banerjee was heard calling Mitra Chaudhury, party’s candidate from Maladaha-Dakshin in Malda district, as ‘behaya’ (shameless).

“Abhishek Banerjee’s disgusting tirade against Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, resorting to abusive slurs like ‘BEHAYA’, epitomises the toxic culture of misogyny and disrespect rampant in Bengal. It’s a shameful reflection of his party’s values,” the state unit of BJP said in a statement.

It has also appealed to the poll panel to bar Banerjee from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.

However, issuing a counter statement, Trinamool Congress said, “The BJP whose leaders from top to bottom use the most shameful remarks for women, daily, should be the last one to speak on the dignity of the fair sex.”

“Oh, the irony! Those who indulge in gratuitous use of hate speech and attack the only female CM in India in the most foul and derogatory language imaginable are now delivering sermons on ‘Nari Samman,” Trinamool Congress said.

“We’re not taking lectures from degenerates who don’t know the first thing about respectful discourse!” the Trinamool Congress said.

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