Election News

According to sources, an Election Commission official’s report says that the J&K situation is conducive for assembly elections. The EC is expected to take a final call after visiting the state on Saturday. Notably, a new govt has to be in place in the state before Jan 19, when the six-year term of the current assembly ends.

Giving a hint at possible reconciliation with its former ally BJP, Shiv Sena Friday said, there should be “no bitterness any more”. Though it is difficult to mend broken hearts, Maharashtra needs stability and peace, sena said in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. Notably, almost all exit polls have predicted BJP to be the largest party in the state in assembly election.

The Election Commission held discussions with political parties in J&K, Saturday, to decide the timing of assembly polls in the state. The ruling National Conference told the Chief Election Commissioner that time was not conducive for polls because of the recent floods that devastated large parts of the state. While other parties supported holding polls before the end of 2014.

Giving a hint at scheduling J&K elections on time, the Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath Saturday said that the J&K assembly election will not affect the ongoing relief work in the flood-hit state. He also said that the state administration was thoroughly prepared to hold the assembly election. Sampath along with two election commissioners visited the Valley Saturday.

Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has retained his constituency Garha Sampla Kiloi in Jind district in the state assembly polls. Hooda defeated Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Satish Kumar Nandal by over 25k votes. BJP is running ahead in the assembly polls counting in Haryana, while INLD is on the 2nd spot followed by the ruling congress in the state.

After a good performance in the Maharashtra assembly polls, BJP is now looking at the possibilities of forming the government in the state. As BJP is not getting clear majority in the state, the party will reach out to the Shiv Sena for alliance, sources said, adding that discussions are also going on having rotational CM in the state.

BJD’s Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh on Sunday won the by-election for Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat in Odisha, defeating BJP’s Rudramadhab Ray by a huge margin of 2.98 lakhs votes. While the congress candidate was pushed to the third spot in the by-poll, which was held on Oct-15. Earlier, Pratyusha's husband Hemendra Chandra Singh, who died in Sept, was MP from Kandhamal.

The ruling BJP in Gujarat on Sunday won the Rajkot-West Assembly bypoll, defeating congress by a margin of over 23k votes. BJP's candidate Vijay Rupani got 81,092 votes, while Congress candidate Jayanti Kalaria managed 57,352 votes in the bypoll. There were nine candidates in fray apart from the nominees of BJP, Congress and NCP.

Clinching 47 of the 90 assembly seats in Haryana and 122 out of 288 seats in Maharashtra, BJP on Sunday recorded historic wins in both the states. In Haryana, it has a clear mandate, so the party will form government on its own. In Maharashtra, it emerged as the single largest party, and is ready to form a coalition government.

Late BJP leader Gopinath Munde's daughter, Pritam Munde, scripted history on Sunday with a record victory margin of around 7 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha by-elections from Beed (Maharashtra). Earlier, the record was held by Anil Basu of CPI(M), who won by 5,92,502 votes from Arambagh in West Bengal during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

The Election Commission has proposed that candidates against whom charges have been framed in serious crimes be barred from contesting elections and that false affidavits should also become a ground for disqualification. The EC’s recommendation comes against the backdrop of the SC’s intervention when those convicted of serious offences were instantly disqualified from being an MP or an MLA.

The assessment of constituency-wise results of Haryana assembly elections shows that the BJP, besides winning 47 seats, came at number two position in as many as 17 seats. The victory margins of rival parties on four of these 17 seats were less than 2,000 votes with one constituency (Ratia SC) reporting the margin to be as low as 453 votes.

The Election Commission is likely to announce the assembly poll dates for J&K and Jharkhand Saturday. The current term of the two assemblies will expire in January 2015. Voting will be held on 81 seats in Jharkhand, while 87 seats will go to poll in J&K. There are speculations that polling could be delayed in J&K because of recent floods.

The Election Commission on Saturday announced dates for assembly elections in J&K and Jharkhand. Both the states will go to the polls in five phases – Nov 25 (1st Phase), Dec 2 (2nd Phase), Dec 9 (3rd Phase), Dec 14 (4th Phase), Dec 20 (5th Phase). Counting of the polls for both the states will be held on Dec 23.

Barring the ruling National Conference (NC) party, congress and opposition parties, Saturday, welcomed the Election Commission (EC)'s move to hold assembly elections in J&K on time. NC felt the time was not "appropriate" for holding the polls in J&K because of recent floods which devastated the state. Notably, the state will go to the five-phase polls from Nov-25 to Dec-20.

The BJP Monday ruled out any pre-poll alliance in J&K and said that said it will contest on all the 87 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. The party in charge for J&K Avinash Rai Khanna said, the party would soon come out with its first list of candidates. The state will go the polls from from Nov-25 to Dec-20.

The new CM of the first-ever BJP govt in Maharashtra is expected to be sworn-in on Oct 31, party sources said Monday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leaders will elect BJP's legislature party leader Tuesday. Meanwhile, the NCP has said that it would abstain from voting if the proposed BJP govt seeks vote of confidence in the legislature.

Sources in the BJP have hinted that the party is unwilling to form the government in Delhi as it does not enjoy majority in the Assembly. They are keen on holding fresh polls in February next year. The update came from BJP sources soon after the President approved of the Delhi Governor's decision to invite BJP to form the government.