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As the counting of the votes began on Thursday morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party was seen leading in the early trends in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur while the <keyword id="6354944" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party" source="Orion">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> made an early headway in Punjab. As per the early trends in Uttar Pradesh, the saffron party was leading on 155 seats while Samajwadi Party was ahead on 97. The <keyword id="6356515" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bahujan-Samaj-Party" source="Orion">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> didn't seem to woo the voters, as it was leading on only 6 seats. The Congress party continued to show its dismal performance and was leading on only 4 seats. The Assembly polls for 403 seats spread over 75 districts were held in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. More than 3.75 lakh voters exercised their franchise using ballot papers. The state's Chief Electoral Officer Ajay Kumar Shukla said that 84 counting centres had been set up across Uttar Pradesh. In Goa, the <keyword id="43771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="exit-polls" source="Orion">exit polls</keyword> had tipped a keen contest between the ruling <keyword id="14666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bjp" source="Orion">BJP</keyword> and the Congress and Goa Forward alliance, with neither being able to reach the magic figure of 21 in a 40-member state Assembly. However, the trends showed the grand-old party -- Congress -- ahead of its arch-rival BJP while the much-hyped AAP, as per the early trends, didn't seem to impress the electorate at all as it was not leading on any seat. Nearly 79 per cent voters cast ballots in the February 14 polls in Goa. In Punjab, the multi-cornered electoral battle is probably heading for a comfortable victory for the AAP as the early trends gave an edge to the Bhagwant Mann-led party over the ruling Congress. The Shiromani Akali Dal was coming as the third party. The exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab. A total of 1,304 candidates, including 93 women and two transgenders, are in the fray. The state recorded a voter turnout of 71.95 per cent, the lowest percentage compared to the voting percentage in three previous Assembly polls. In Manipur, as per the early trends, the saffron party is heading for a landslide victory. According to the election officials, around 89.3 per cent of the 20,48,169-strong electorate cast their votes in the two-phase election to the 60-member Manipur Assembly on February 28 and March 5. This year's voting percentage was higher than the 2017 and 2012 Assembly elections, when 86.4 per cent and 79.5 per cent electorate had exercised their franchise respectively. In Uttarakhand, even as the BJP is leading in the early trends, it is still hard to predict the results as the Congress party is not much behind. The new-entrant AAP, like Goa, has failed to make any impact on the voters so far. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/uttarakhand-elections-2022-former-cm-harish-rawat-of-congress-leading-in-lal-kuan-seat/articleshow/90116045.cms">Uttarakhand elections 2022: Former CM Harish Rawat of Congress leading in Lal Kuan seat</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/58-percent-of-women-employees-in-india-quit-their-jobs-to-take-on-more-family-responsibilities-in-the-last-two-years/slidelist/90102390.cms">58 percent of women employees in India quit their jobs due to more family responsibilities in last two years</a>

Early Trends: BJP leads in UP, Uttarakhand & Manipur; AAP in Punjab; Cong in Goa

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6356515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bahujan-samaj-party">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> (BSP) has issued a whip to its erstwhile MLAs to vote against the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan in case a floor test is held during the Assembly session that will begin on Friday.</li><li>The six BSP MLAs had merged with the <keyword id="9656996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="congress-last-year">Congress last year</keyword>. The BSP has termed it illegal. </li><li>The whip has been issued by party General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra.</li></ul> The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has issued a whip to its erstwhile MLAs to vote against the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan in case a floor test is held during the Assembly session that will begin on Friday. The six BSP MLAs had merged with the Congress last year. The BSP has termed it illegal. The whip has been issued by party General Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. He has directed the six MLAs to vote as per the whip issued under section 2(1)(a) of the Tenth schedule or face disqualification proceeding under 2(1)(b) of the tenth schedule. The matter also came up before the Supreme Court but did not pass any order since the matter was already pending before the <keyword id="49015" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajasthan-High-Court">Rajasthan High Court</keyword>. The petitioner in the court contended that the Assembly elections were held in Rajasthan on December 7, 2018 in which the six MLAs were elected on tickets issued by the BSP. The six MLAs -- Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha -- later defected to the Congress in September 2019. After the truce with Sachin Pilot, the Congress government is safe in numbers as the party has more than the required majority. At <keyword id="9428604" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-congress-legislative-party">the Congress Legislative Party</keyword> (CLP) meeting, the two camps shook hands in the presence of the party observers. The two leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot met before the CLP meeting in Gehlot's house. At the meeting, Gehlot gave a call to forget the past, saying, "'Apne tau apne hote hain'. We could have proved majority on the floor of the House even without these 19 MLAs, but then there would have been no happiness around." Gehlot further said, "We will move the confidence motion ourselves. We shall also resolve the grievances of our MLAs who are annoyed with us." The BJP on Thursday announced that it will move a no-confidence motion against the Gehlot government when the special Assembly session commences. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/heres-how-indias-74th-independence-day-celebrations-will-take-place-this-year/slidelist/77523536.cms">Here’s how India’s 74th Independence Day celebrations will take place this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/how-much-deloitte-kpmg-ey-and-pwc-accountants-and-consultants-make-from-entry-level-to-executive-roles/articleshow/77533447.cms">How much Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC accountants and consultants make, from entry level to executive roles</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/a-dwarf-planet-between-mars-and-jupiter-has-a-salty-ocean-beneath-its-surface-making-it-a-contender-for-alien-life/articleshow/77495476.cms">A dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter has a salty ocean beneath its surface, making it a contender for alien life</a>

Bahujan Samaj Party issues whip to 6 defector MLAs in Rajasthan

Out of the 1,463 candidates in the poll fray in the second phase of <keyword id="9317522" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-bihar-assembly">the Bihar Assembly</keyword> elections, 502 have criminal cases against them of which 389 are serious, a report claimed on Tuesday. The report was released by <keyword id="10176486" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-bihar-election-watch">the Bihar Election Watch</keyword> and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) after analysing the self-sworn affidavits of all the 1,463 candidates contesting in the Bihar Assembly Elections Phase II. The second phase of the polls is scheduled in 94 <keyword id="68073" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Assembly-constituencies">Assembly constituencies</keyword> in 17 districts on November 3. The report said that out of the 1,463 candidates analyzed, 502, which is 34 per cent, candidates have declared criminal cases against them. "While 389 candidates, which is 27 per cent of 1,463 candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves," the report said. The report also claimed that the <keyword id="123786" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rashtriya-Janata-Dal">Rashtriya Janata Dal</keyword> (RJD) has the maximum candidates with criminal cases registered against them followed by the BJP. It said, "Out of 56 RJD candidates, 36, which is 64 per cent, candidates have criminal cases against them, followed by the BJP with 29 out of 46 candidates which is 63 per cent." The report pointed out that out of the 24 Congress candidates, 14 have criminal cases against them which is 58 per cent, and out of 52 Lok Jan Shakti Party candidates 28, which is 54 per cent, also have criminal cases. The report pointed out that the ruling Janata Dal- United (JD-U) has the least number of candidates with criminal cases. "Out of 33 candidates in the second phase, 16, which is 49 per cent candidates from the BSP have criminal cases and from the JD-U, 20 out of 43 candidates, which is 47 per cent have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits," the report said. The RJD again topped in the serious crime cases registered against candidates with 50 per cent, followed by the LJP with 46 per cent, the BJP with 44 per cent and the JD-U again at the bottom of the table with 35 per cent. The report said that out of the 50 candidates of the RJD, who were analysed, 28 have serious cases registered against them followed by the LJP with 24 out of 52 candidates, and 20 out of the 46 BJP candidates have serious cases against them. The report said that 14 out of the 33 candidates of the <keyword id="6356515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bahujan-samaj-party">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> (BSP), 10 out of 24 candidates of the Congress and 15 out of 43 candidates of the JD-U have serious criminal cases against them. It said that 49 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women, with four of them facing charges of rape. The report noted that 32 candidates are facing cases related to murder while 143 candidates are facing cases related to attempt to murder. It also said that in the second phase Assembly polls, 84 out of the 94 constituencies are red alert ones, which is a total of 89 per cent. According to the ADR, red alert constituencies are those where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases registered against them. The report said that the directions of the Supreme Court have had no effect on the political parties in the selection of the candidates in Bihar as they have again followed their old practice of giving tickets to around 34 per cent candidates with criminal cases. It said all major parties contesting in Bihar second phase elections have given tickets to 47 per cent to 64 per cent candidates, who have declared criminal cases against them. It said the Supreme Court in its directions dated February 13 had specifically instructed the political parties to give reasons for such selection and why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected as candidates. As per these mandatory guidelines, the candidates have to be selected with reference to qualifications, achievements and merit. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-is-looking-to-expand-operations-in-canada-if-h-1b-visa-issues-persist/articleshow/78884838.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> EXCLUSIVE: HCL Tech is expanding operations in Canada as H-1B visa issues persist</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/bezos-vs-ambani-battle-eight-questions-regarding-amazons-disclosures-of-future-deal-will-be-in-the-spotlight/articleshow/78883583.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Bezos vs Ambani battle: Eight questions regarding Amazon's disclosures of Future deal will be in the spotlight</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/how-to-register-for-neet-counselling-2020-online/articleshow/78884869.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">NEET counselling 2020 registrations begin today: Here’s all you need to know</a>

Bihar polls: 502 candidates have criminal cases, Lalu Yadav’s RJD tops the list

<ul><li>BJP state president Satish Poonai said the motion will be moved on Friday. </li><li>After the meeting, Kataria told reporters that the motion of no confidence will be moved in the assembly session beginning Friday. He said the proposal was being finalised.</li><li>He said even though the political crisis in the Congress has been resolved, all is still not good in that party as "one is going to east and the other to west". </li></ul> The BJP in Rajasthan will move a motion of no confidence against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the <keyword id="144407" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-Assembly">state assembly</keyword>, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said. The decision was taken in a BJP legislature party meeting held here on Thursday. After the meeting, Kataria told reporters that the motion of no confidence will be moved in the assembly session beginning Friday. He said the proposal was being finalised. "Coronavirus cases are on the rise and the law and order situation is badly deteriorating. Attempts were made to link those, who were arrested by the SOG (Special Operations Group) over allegations of conspiring to topple the government, with BJP but the government failed in this. We will mention all these issues in the proposal," Kataria said. He said even though the political crisis in the Congress has been resolved, all is still not good in that party as "one is going to east and the other to west". BJP state president Satish Poonai said the motion will be moved on Friday. He said the BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) have a total of 75 MLAs and of them, 74 were present in Thursday's legislature party meeting held at the BJP's office. He said union agriculture minister <keyword id="268357" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Tomar">Narendra Tomar</keyword> was also present in the meeting and talked about agriculture-related issues. Poonia aleged that the Ashok Gehlot-led state government is a "government of contradictions". BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, who has challenged in the high court the merger of six <keyword id="6356515" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bahujan-samaj-party">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> (BSP) MLAs with Congress, said the Rajasthan government has gone into a "state of coma" and therefore the opposition party has to move the no-confidence motion. "This government is unstable and the works of people are not being done. We already had our preparations for the motion but it was finalised today in the meeting after taking the MLAs in confidence," he said. Dilawar also said all 75 BJP and RLP MLAs will support the motion. BJP national vice president and former chief minister <keyword id="6361795" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vasundhara-Raje">Vasundhara Raje</keyword>, national vice president and state in charge <keyword id="5336554" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Avinash-Khanna">Avinash Khanna</keyword> and other senior leaders were present in the meeting. The opposition party's decision comes days after an "amicable resolution" of the nearly month-long political cisis in Rajasthan. Congress leader Sachin Pilot had openly rebelled against chief minister Gehlot last month along with 18 other party MLAs. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's Rajasthan chief. The Congress on Monday had said the crisis in Rajasthan was a "closed chapter" and all legislators supporting its government will work towards strengthening the state government and fighting COVID-19 and economic calamities. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/trump-was-rushed-from-the-briefing-room-by-secret-service-after-a-shooting-outside-of-the-white-house/articleshow/77474005.cms">Trump was rushed from the briefing room by Secret Service after a shooting outside the White House</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/mckinsey-facebook-amazon-nokia-and-some-other-companies-looking-for-a-product-manager-right-now/slidelist/77464438.cms">McKinsey, Facebook, Amazon, Nokia — and some other companies looking for a product manager right now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-karan-bajaj-sold-his-less-than-18-month-old-startup-white-hat-jr-to-byjus/articleshow/77415329.cms">A WhatsApp message, six weeks of talks and a $300 million deal – how Karan Bajaj sold his less than 18-month old startup White Hat Jr to Byju’s</a>

Rajasthan BJP to move no-confidence motion against Ashok Gehlot led-Congress government

MLA Narayan Dutt Sharma, who quit the AAP recently, will contest the February 8 Delhi Assembly election from his Badarpur constituency on a BSP ticket. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced its first list of 42 candidates. The party has decided to field its nominess in all 70 seats in Delhi. Another list is expected on Sunday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) denied Sharma ticket this time and has fielded Ram Singh Netaji, a Congress leader and former MLA who joined the party recently. Ram Singh Netaji had won the Assembly elections in 2008 from Badarpur on a BSP ticket. The BSP won two seats in the 2008 elections. Of the 42 candidates fielded by the BSP on Saturday, eight belong to the Scheduled Castes.

BSP candidate list for Delhi Election 2020, 2nd list expected on Sunday

Taking the India-US bonhomie further, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=donald+trump&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">US President Donald Trump </a>called <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=prime+minister+narendra+modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> to congratulate him on success in recent <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=assembly+elections&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">assembly elections</a>. 
 Modi’s <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP) formed government in four states-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uttar+Pradesh&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uttar</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uttar+Pradesh&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> Pradesh</a>, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur-out of five. Congress party claimed Punjab. 
 The BJP returned to power in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> after 15 years, toppling <keyword id="6354265" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="samajwadi-party">Samajwadi Party</keyword> and the Bahujan Samaj Party. 
 
Goa and Manipur had hung assemblies after the polls, but the BJP managed to form the government with the support of other parties. 
 
The elections in the five states had turned into a virtual referendum on Modi's popularity following his decision to<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=demonetisation&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> demonetise</a> Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

Trump congratulates Modi on assembly polls success

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (<keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword>) couldn’t have asked for a better time than now to take their massive election campaign in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> forward and Modi used it to the fullest. He slammed the entire opposition, including state parties, and said growth and development stalled in the state because the BJP was out of power for 14 years. 
 He hit out at the ruling <keyword id="6354265" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="samajwadi-party">Samajwadi Party</keyword> (SP), which split yesterday, and <keyword id="6356515" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bahujan-Samaj-Party">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> (<keyword id="6355170" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BSP">BSP</keyword>), which is grappling with black money allegations, and the Congress which has been having trouble regaining its lost glory in Uttar Pradesh. 
 
"There is one party with minimal presence in UP, that is trying for 15 years to establish their leader but with little success. There is another party trying to save money and there is one more party trying to save their own family," the PM said at what the BJP has dubbed the 'Parivartan Rally' or the rally for change. 
 
He also made a point that he made sure that his party wants to work for the people and not hoard black money or save their family. 
 
“Some want to save their black money, some want to save their 'parivaar'. But BJP is the only party that will work to save the people,” he said. 
 
He also said that all the parties, for the first time has come together against him as they are intimidated by what he is doing and it will harm them. 
 
“For the first time in years, SP and BSP share the same opinion on one issue: 'Modi hatao'. But I say 'corruption hatao, kaala dhan hatao'. Now, it's up to the people to decide what they want,” PM modi said. 
 
The first party he referred to was the Congress, which has seen its political fortunes wane compared to its glory days in Uttar Pradesh in the 1970s and the 1980s. 
 The second party he referred to was Mayawati's BSP which has not been able to shake off the taint of corruption allegations. The third party he was referring to was the Samajwadi Party, which split yesterday following months of bickering between father <keyword id="6357168" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mulayam-Singh-Yadav">Mulayam Singh Yadav</keyword> and his chief minister son Akhilesh. 
 
The PM also said that even though the BJP has not been in power in Uttar Pradesh, that doesn't bother him and his party but the fact that there has been minimal development in UP. 
 
“Kuch log kehte hain BJP ka 14 saal ka vanvaas khatam hoga, mudda BJP ke vanvaas ka nahin hai. Mudda 14 saal ke vanvaas ka nahin, 14 saal ke liye Uttar Pradesh mein vikaas ka vanvaas ho gaya hai,” he said. 
 
India, he said, can't prosper and grow unless Uttar Pradesh prospers and grows. 
 
The PM also predicted a win for the BJP in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. 
 
“Political pundits pontificate on the outcome of the UP elections. But after seeing this crowd gathered here, there's no need for them to expend further efforts. It is clear which way the wind is blowing,” PM said.

PM Narendra Modi addresses massive rally in UP. Here are key takeaways from his speech

<keyword id="20392679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP-candidate" source="keywords">BJP candidate</keyword> <keyword id="21392066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Dalal" source="keywords">Mukesh Dalal</keyword> was on Monday elected unopposed from <keyword id="19933716" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="surat" source="keywords">Surat</keyword> Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat after all other nominees withdrew from the fray, a poll official said. The development marks the first victory of the <keyword id="19931558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharatiya Janata Party" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bharatiya Janata Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "I declare that Mukeshkumar Chandrakant Dalal, sponsored by the BJP, has been duly elected to fill the seat in the House from Surat parliamentary constituency," district collector cum election officer Saurabh Pardhi told media persons as he handed over the Certificate of Election to Dalal. Voting for all 26 constituencies in Gujarat is scheduled for May 7, but with the result of Surat seat already out, polling will be held on 25 seats. Except for Dalal, all 8 candidates in the fray from Surat- 4 Independents, 3 from smaller parties and Pyarelal Bharti of Bahujan Samaj Party- withdrew their nomination papers on the last day, as per the Surat district election office. Notably, the candidature of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat seat was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers. The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated. The Congress on Sunday alleged that Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected at the behest of the BJP and said it would challenge the rejection in the High Court. "Surat has presented the first Lotus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I congratulate our candidate for <keyword id="21392065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Surat-Lok-Sabha-seat" source="keywords">Surat Lok Sabha seat</keyword> Mukesh Dalal for getting elected unopposed," Gujarat unit BJP president C R Paatil posted on X (formerly Twitter). In the 2019 polls, BJP won all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-8a-may-be-more-expensive-than-its-predecessor-as-per-a-new-leak/articleshow/109499394.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-8a-may-be-more-expensive-than-its-predecessor-as-per-a-new-leak/articleshow/109499394.cms" target="_blank">Google Pixel 8a may be more expensive than its predecessor, as per a new leak</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/webstories/at-17-indian-chess-prodigy-d-gukesh-becomes-youngest-challenger-for-world-championship/slidelist/109492021.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/webstories/at-17-indian-chess-prodigy-d-gukesh-becomes-youngest-challenger-for-world-championship/slidelist/109492021.cms" target="_blank">At 17, Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh becomes youngest challenger for World Championship</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/playstation-5-is-now-available-at-a-discount-of-10000-for-a-limited-period/articleshow/109183034.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/playstation-5-is-now-available-at-a-discount-of-10000-for-a-limited-period/articleshow/109183034.cms" target="_blank">PlayStation 5 is now available at a discount of ₹10,000 for a limited period</a>

BJP candidate wins Surat Lok Sabha seat unopposed as his challengers pull out of race

New Delhi, About 82 per cent of the total income from unknown sources declared by national political parties in 2022-23 came from electoral bonds, according to a poll rights body. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) also said that the analysis of the national parties' audit reports and donation statements filed with the Election Commission (EC) shows that the sources remain largely unknown. Out of the Rs 1,832.88 crore as income from unknown sources, the share of income from electoral bonds was Rs 1,510 crore or 82.42 per cent, according to the analysis of the financial reports for the fiscal year 2022-23 submitted to the poll panel, it stated. For this study, six national parties were considered -- the <keyword id="19931558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharatiya-janata-party" source="keywords">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP), the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the National People's Party (<keyword id="20864989" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="npep" source="keywords">NPEP</keyword>). The BJP declared the highest income from unknown sources among the national parties at Rs 1,400 crore or 76.39 per cent of the total amount. The Congress declared an amount of Rs 315.11 crore (17.19 per cent). The BSP has declared that it did not receive any funds from voluntary contributions -- above or below Rs 20,000, sale of coupons or electoral bonds, or unknown sources of income, the ADR said. Though the amount of donations from electoral bonds has been highlighted for the national parties, state parties also get a substantial amount of money from electoral bonds, the NGO noted. Between the financial years 2004-05 and 2022-23, the national parties collected Rs 19,083 crore from unknown sources, it said. On its latest analysis for the financial year 2022-23, the ADR said among these unknown sources, the major contributor was income from electoral bonds, constituting a "massive 82.42 per cent of the total income from unknown sources". Further scrutiny revealed that out of the total income from unknown sources, Rs 1,510 crore came from electoral bonds, it said. In addition, the Congress and the CPI(M) have also declared a combined income of Rs 136.79 crore from the sale of coupons, constituting 7.46 per cent of the income from unknown sources, its analysis showed. The BSP received Rs 29.27 crore from other known sources of income which included bank interest (Rs 15.05 crore), membership fees (Rs 13.73 crore), gain on sale of immovable property (Rs 28.49 lakh) and interest on income tax refund for 2021-22 (Rs 20.65 lakh), the organisation said. The total income of the six national political parties in the financial year 2022-23 is Rs 3,076.88 crore, it said. Donations from voluntary contributions below Rs 20,000 formed 10 per cent of the income from unknown sources, totalling Rs 183.28 crore. Currently, political parties are not required to reveal the names of individuals or organisations giving less than Rs 20,000. The ADR has suggested stringent measures to enhance transparency and accountability in political funding. It advocates for full disclosure of all donors under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and proposes that the mode of payment for all donations, regardless of the amount, be declared in the audit reports submitted to the Income Tax Department and the EC. Moreover, the EC's recommendation to grant tax exemption only to parties contesting and winning seats in elections, along with the disclosure of donors contributing above Rs 2,000, has received support from the ADR. In a landmark verdict delivered last month, ahead of the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> polls, the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> scrapped the government's electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding, terming it "unconstitutional" and ordering disclosure of the names of the purchasers, value of the bonds and their recipients.

About 82.4% of national parties' unknown income tied to electoral bonds says poll rights body

Initial counting of votes cast in the <keyword id="4117561" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh-Assembly-elections" source="Orion">Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections</keyword> revealed that Chief Minister <keyword id="43254" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yogi-Adityanath" source="Orion">Yogi Adityanath</keyword> is leading from the Gorakhpur Urban constituency, as per <keyword id="40807" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="Orion">Election Commission</keyword> sources. The initial trends available at 9.30 a.m. were mostly from postal ballots. This is Yogi Adityanath's first full fledged contest for an Assembly seat from his home turf, from where he had contested and won the Lok Sabha seat for multiple terms. According to the ABP C-Voter <keyword id="609507" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="exit-poll" source="Orion">exit poll</keyword>, the ruling BJP is set to retain power in Uttar Pradesh with a tally of 236 seats. The BJP will, however, return to power with a reduced margin in the 403-member state Assembly, with a loss of 89 seats after winning 325 seats in 2017, it had predicted. <keyword id="12959721" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gorakhpur-Urban-seat" source="Orion">Gorakhpur Urban seat</keyword> had witnessed 53.30 per cent voting held on March 3. The Chief Minister's opponents include Chandra Shekhar Aazad of Bhim Army contesting on the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), Chetana Pandey of Congress, Shubhawati Shukla of Samajwadi Party and Shamsuddin Khwaja of Bahujan Samaj Party. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/punjab-chief-minister-charanjit-singh-channi-currently-leading-in-chamkaur-sahib-trailing-in-bhadaur/articleshow/90117150.cms">Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi currently leading in Chamkaur Sahib, trailing in Bhadaur</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indices-extend-sharp-gains-sensex-up-over-1300-points/articleshow/90117102.cms">Indices extend sharp gains; Sensex up over 1,300 points</a>

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