INDIA

Terming the exit polls as ‘bogus’, the Congress claimed they were a ‘deliberate attempt’ to justify election rigging and part of the ‘psychological games’ played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demoralize the INDIA alliance's workers and supporters. Speaking to the press outside the AICC headquarters, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Modi for holding several meetings, including a long brainstorming session to review the 100-day agenda of the ‘new government’. Ramesh described these meetings as ‘pressure tactics’ designed to signal the bureaucracy and administrative structure that Modi is returning to power. ‘These are mind games — ‘I am coming back, I am going to be the prime minister again,’ he said. ‘He is sending a signal to the bureaucracy and...

Exit poll results are out for seven phased general elections in India with most of them predicting a comfortable return of Narendra Modi to the country's highest post of Prime Minister for the third time. Though a few pollsters have shown that the INDIA alliance may comfortably win the majority, most exit polls are bent in favour of the Bhartiya Janta Party-led National Democratic Alliance, but exit polls are a mere prediction, the accuracy of which will only be tested on June 4, when the vote count will begin. General elections were held in India from April 19 to June 1, 2024, across seven phases to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. The votes will be counted, and the results will be declared on June 4, 2024. The election is being fought between two major alliances, one led ...

The Congress party criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday for the focus of his recent election rallies. According to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Modi mentioned the word ‘Mandir’ 421 times, his own name 758 times, and referred to Muslims, Pakistan, and minorities 224 times in his speeches over the past 15 days. However, he failed to address the issues of inflation and unemployment even once. “If we look at BJP’s campaign and talk about the PM, in the last 15 days he mentioned Congress 232 times. He mentioned his own name, Modi, 758 times and on 573 occasions, he spoke about the INDIA alliance and opposition parties. But he didn’t speak once about price rise and unemployment. It shows that he kept the important issues aside and only spoke about himself in the cam...

The INDIA bloc will get a “decisive mandate” in the Lok Sabha polls and may take even less than 48 hours to decide on its prime ministerial pick, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, asserting that it stands to reason that the party which gets the maximum seats in the alliance will be a “natural claimant” for its leadership. In an interview with PTI on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls, the Congress general secretary exuded confidence that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will get seats “well above” the 272-mark needed for a majority in the Lower House. Ramesh also said that when the INDIA ‘janbandhan’ parties will get the people’s mandate, then some NDA parties may join the coalition and the Congress high command w...

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities. Imam assailed a trial court order refusing to grant him bail even though he has undergone more than half of the maximum sentence that can be awarded to him in case of a conviction, PTI reported. “Appeal is allowed,” a bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain said after hearing the counsel for Imam and the Delhi Police. According to the prosecution, Imam allegedly made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019 and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019 where he threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the North East from the country. Imam was booked in the ...

A speeding escort vehicle in the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, ran over people and killed at least two people in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda, according to a report by the news agency PTI. The Uttar Pradesh Police have reportedly seized the car involved in the incident. Following the incident, protests have erupted in Gonda area of Uttar Pradesh. The deceased individuals have been identified as Rehan Khan (17) and Shehzade (24). Police said that an FIR has been registered against unknown driver of the fortuner bearing registration UP 32 HW 1800. Karan Bhushan Singh is the BJP candidate for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency, replacing his father, the incumbent MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Brij Bhushan is currently facing criminal charges for sexu...

Social media erupted in outrage following an incident where a self-proclaimed atheist named Sameer desecrated the holy Quran, the central religious text of Islam revered by Muslims as a revelation from God. In a provocative video uploaded to YouTube, the individual, who identifies as an 'ex-Muslim', is purportedly depicted disrespecting the holy book by placing his feet upon it, tearing its pages, and setting it on fire. The dissemination of the video on social media swiftly triggered widespread condemnation and indignation, with many demanding repercussions against Sameer. The episode has ignited a contentious discourse regarding freedom of expression, religious sensitivity, and the boundaries of respectful dialogue on online platforms. The Indian YouTuber known as 'ex-Muslim Sam...

Two days after a video gaming zone in Rajkot burst into flames and killed 28 people, including nine children, and left their bodies burnt beyond recognition, the city’s municipal body came under fire from the Gujarat High Court for failing to certify at least two such structures in the city. The court was furious when told two gaming zones had been operating – for over 24 months each – without the required permits, including fire safety certificates, and said it could no longer “trust” the state government, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. This was after the Rajkot municipal body said, in court, that “our approval was not taken…” “This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you...

After the conclusion of voting on Saturday in Jaunpur, UP, a truck loaded with EVMs was caught by locals at the campus of Purvanchal University. Supporters of SP candidate Babu Singh Kushwaha, reached the spot after the truck had been stopped. https://twitter.com/Anjan94150697/status/1794920829572284580 When the locals questioned the driver, allegedly a BJP supporter, and officer on the truck, they explained that these were reserve EVMs, which are replaced when damaged during voting, and that they had arrived at the Purvanchal campus by mistake. The District Magistrate (DM), Superintendent of Police (SP), and other officials also reached the spot. However, the locals expressed suspicion that the arrival of EVMs via a mini truck indicated a possible attempt at fraud during th...

A major fire erupted Saturday at an amusement park in Rajkot, Gujarat state, western India, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people, including several children, according to police and media reports. The blaze broke out at the park, leading to a rescue operation that brought the fire under control, stated Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava. Police officer Vinayak Patel noted the difficulty in identifying the bodies. Authorities have detained the park’s owner, Yuvraj Singh Solanki, and its manager for questioning as the investigation into the cause of the fire begins. “So far we have confirmed the death of 27 persons in the fire incident," Patel said, according to the Press Trust of India. The victims included four children under the age of 12. The park, a popular weekend d...