Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections has begun, revealing early trends of NDA and the INDIA bloc. The NDA secured 353 seats in 2019, while the INDIA bloc comprises major opposition parties united against the BJP.
The National Company Law Tribunal has ordered the initiation of insolvency proceedings against Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL). This action comes six years after lenders, led by ICICI Bank, first sought such measures. The decision is expected to impact JAL’s real estate operations in Noida and Greater Noida. However, these operations are on a smaller scale compared to Jaypee Infratech, which was admitted for insolvency in 2018 after ICICI Bank had also moved against JAL.
On Monday, the Himachal assembly speaker accepted the resignation of three independent MLAs. This event took place a day before the results were to be announced for the state's four Lok Sabha seats and six assembly bypolls. These three MLAs, along with six Congress MLAs, had previously voted for a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls. Speaker K S Pathania had already disqualified the six rebels, declaring their seats vacant, which reduced the House strength from 68 to 62.
The BJP on Monday asserted that Congress and its allies have lost the trust of the populace and failed to act as a responsible opposition. They have repeatedly undermined democratic institutions by making unfounded accusations against them. Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi stated at a press conference that the opposition parties have been influenced by «external forces» intent on weakening the spirit of the country's democracy.
An exit poll conducted by Times Now-ETG on Monday indicates a near-repeat of the 2019 landslide victory for Naveen Patnaik's BJD in the Odisha assembly elections. This projection stands in contrast to other polls that suggest a closer contest with the BJP. The exit poll predicts that BJD could secure between 100 to 115 seats in the 147-member assembly.
A day after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted that all exit polls that predicted a third term for BJP-led NDA were “fake”, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday demanded a ban on exit polls. He further claimed that while there are five seats in Uttarakhand, exit polls are giving BJP six seats, and in Rajasthan where there are 25 seats the results are being shown for 33 seats.
In a press conference, senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi claimed that Kejriwal's weight was measured with three weighing machines during his medical examination in Tihar on Sunday. She also claimed that at a time when temperature in Delhi is ranging from 48 degrees to 50 degrees, Kejriwal was kept in a cell where not even a cooler was provided. «Coolers are provided to even notorious criminals lodged in Tihar. While the popular Chief Minister Kejriwal has not been given the cooler. I want to ask the BJP and the LG how low will they stoop,» she said.
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, witnessed the Lok Sabha election 2024 with active participation from key candidates like Tokhan Sahu (BJP) and Devendra Yadav (INC). The constituency has a history of competitive elections and diverse voter demographics.
During his presser, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar light-heartedly said that Form 17C was the country's most popular form and everyone preparing for the UPSC or the civil services ought to know about the form.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on June 1 with votes to be counted on June 4 by the Election Commission of India.
Former engineer Nishant Agarwal from BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nagpur district court for leaking sensitive technical information to Pakistan's ISI, leading to his arrest in 2018. He also received a 14-year rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 3,000 fine. BrahMos Aerospace is a collaborative venture between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia.
The Centre has notified new regulations for dam safety, requiring owners of specified dams to install hydro-meteorological instrumentation networks. This is crucial as 'above normal' rainfall is expected, posing flood risks. The specified dams are listed in the National Register of Large Dams.
Karnataka's industries minister MB Patil criticized the Union government for the decline in foreign direct investment in the state, pointing to faulty policies and lack of vision.
