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The <keyword id="19895876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Election Commission of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Election Commission of India">Election Commission of India</keyword> (ECI) has officially announced the schedules for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, setting the stage for crucial state elections next month. Here’s what voters in these states can expect: <h2>Maharashtra: Single-phase voting on November 20</h2>Maharashtra will head to the polls in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. This election will see a high-stakes contest between two major coalitions: the <keyword id="19924537" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Vikas-Aghadi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Vikas Aghadi" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Vikas Aghadi">Maha Vikas Aghadi</keyword> (MVA) and the <keyword id="21555670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Yuti-Alliance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Yuti Alliance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Yuti Alliance">Maha Yuti Alliance</keyword>. The MVA consists of <keyword id="19905331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray" source="keywords">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword>'s Shiv Sena (UBT), the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, the Maha Yuti Alliance brings together 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> (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. This intense battle for control over the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly follows the end of the current term on November 26. The model code of conduct has come into immediate effect in Maharashtra, guiding political parties on appropriate campaigning practices and ensuring fair elections. <h2>Jharkhand: Two-phase voting on November 13 and 20</h2>In Jharkhand, voting will occur in two phases: the first on November 13 and the second on November 20. The results will be declared on November 23, alongside Maharashtra’s. This election focuses on the 81-seat Assembly, with a fierce competition expected between the ruling <keyword id="20028356" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand-Mukti-Morcha" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha">Jharkhand Mukti Morcha</keyword> (JMM)-Congress alliance and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), and Janata Dal (United). Jharkhand’s current Assembly term expires on January 5, 2025. The elections will feature 29,562 polling stations across urban and rural areas to accommodate the state’s 2.6 crore registered voters. This diverse electorate includes 66.84 lakh young voters and 11.84 lakh first-time voters, with special arrangements for 3.67 lakh persons with disabilities. <h2>Pre-election preparations</h2>The ECI’s preparations for the elections began in September, with teams visiting both states to assess readiness. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met with local officials, district collectors, and political representatives to evaluate logistical arrangements and security measures. In Maharashtra, the Maha Yuti Alliance and the MVA have been ramping up their efforts to secure <keyword id="23060079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-support" source="keywords">voter support</keyword> in what is expected to be a dramatic electoral showdown. In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM, which is part of the INDIA bloc, is eyeing another term despite recent controversies surrounding Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who faced legal challenges earlier this year. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance remains strong, as the party is expected to contest all 81 seats in the Assembly. (With inputs from agencies)

ECI Announces election schedules for Maharashtra and Jharkhand; both states to vote in November

Mumbai: Indian stock markets rallied on Monday after the <keyword id="20032950" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP-led-government" source="keywords">BJP-led government</keyword> secured a majority in the latest state elections in Maharashtra. The <keyword id="20641216" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nifty-50" source="keywords">Nifty 50</keyword> index gained more than 1.45 per cent or 346.30 points to open at 24,253.55 points, while the BSE <keyword id="19896382" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sensex" source="keywords">Sensex</keyword> index surged 1,076 points or 1.36 percent to open at 80,193.47 points. Experts noted that the election results have an impact on the markets today, and if past trends are followed, the markets may witness some rally amid the return of the BJP in the Maharashtra state elections. <keyword id="20161891" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajay-Bagga" source="keywords">Ajay Bagga</keyword> Banking and Market Expert stated that "The just concluded elections in Maharashtra, the results of which were declared on November 23rd, will have a positive immediate impact on the stock markets. The landslide win for the BJP lead coalition in the Maharashtra state elections could lead to a short-term boost to the Indian stock markets which have been in a declining mode" He further added "Investors will interpret this mandate as favourable for the capex and infrastructure push that is ongoing in Maharashtra. The beneficiary sectors of this election are industrials, infrastructure, manufacturing, real estate and financials". In the sectoral indices on the National Stock Exchange, <keyword id="20065014" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nifty-Realty" source="keywords">Nifty Realty</keyword> and <keyword id="19941314" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nifty-PSU-Bank" source="keywords">Nifty PSU Bank</keyword> rallied with a surge of more than 2 percent, while other major indices also gained more than 1.5 per cent, including Nifty Metal, Nifty Media, and Nifty Oil &amp; Gas. In the Nifty 50 list, 49 stocks gained during the opening session, while only one stock declined. Shri Finance opened as the top gainer in the Nifty 50. The shares of the AdGroup also surged around 2 percent at the time of filing this report. <keyword id="19967296" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adani-Green" source="keywords">Adani Green</keyword> also climbed around 4 percent. "We are most likely to break the falling 20-day average that lies at 24,030, which will be the first time that'd happen since the record high of 27th September. Seasonality trends between now and the end of the year have been historically positive, with the Nifty rising 80% of the time during this period with an average return of over 4 per cent" Akshay Chinchalkar, Head of Research, Axis Securities. In other Asian markets, Japan and South Korea indices rallied. The Nikkei 225 index surged more than 1.5 percent, South Korea's Kospi also rose by 1.5 percent, Taiwan's Weighted Index was up by 0.48 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was down marginally by 0.14 percent at the time of filing this report.

Nifty, Sensex rallied around 1.5 % after Maharashtra election results, Experts noted short term rally

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a> played it safe this election — deemphasizing politics on Meta's platforms.</li><li>Although Donald Trump has said he would like to put Zuckerberg in jail, that's highly unlikely.</li></ul>Mark Zuckerberg has been burned before. In the elections of 2016 and 2020, Facebook came under intense scrutiny. (And it's still going on: There was a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx">Supreme Court hearing</a> Wednesday over lingering issues from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-deposition-sec-facebook-user-data-cambridge-analytica-2022-12">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a>.)In 2024, Zuckerberg and Meta played it safe by trying to stay as far away from the election as possible. No more elaborate efforts to register voters on Facebook. No more <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-attacks-mark-zuckerberg-in-an-angry-statement-2021-10">$400 million donations to get-out-the-vote efforts</a> like in 2020. No more promoting news pages or Facebook Groups that might do things like organize a large and dangerous rally.Meta nipped the whole thing in the bud by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/threads-twitter-politics-not-the-focus-adam-mosseri-2023-7">tamping down news and political content</a> recommendations across Facebook, Threads, and Instagram. Sure, this was at least in part because user feedback told them we all wanted less political content — but it also happened to be quite convenient for a company that wanted out of the nightmare of continuous controversies anyway.The strategy paid off: On Tuesday, there's little talk of Meta's role in the election. Zuckerberg's would-be grappling partner, Elon Musk, did the exact opposite: He went all-in on Trump with both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-donald-trump-wealth-campaign-influence-2024-11">his own money and the heft of his social platform</a>. That turned out well for Musk — but it was a risk.So Meta made it through the election without half the country convinced that it helped cause the result. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg is unlikely to be dragged in front of Congress to answer questions about his platform's perceived bias.What a Trump administration means for Meta, well, we'll see. There are some <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-presidency-affect-big-tech-2024-11">potential downsides for Big Tech</a> — tariffs could hurt parts of their businesses, for example. And Meta is already facing a variety of legal battles with states. But any possible outcomes — good or bad — are more in the realm of normal ups and downs, not existential reckonings or crises. For Meta, it'll likely be broadly business as usual.As far as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-comments-about-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-feud-history-2024-7">Trump's threat to jail Zuckerberg</a>? I'll eat my hat and Trump's if that actually happens. It was part of the rhetoric from Trump grumbling about the 2020 election outcome. Now that he's won in a clear and decisive way, I think he'll move on.And Zuckerberg, like some other CEOs, seems to have figured out the most effective way to manage Trump: deal with him privately — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-had-undisclosed-dinner-donald-trump-2019-11">Zuckerberg met with Trump</a> at an undisclosed dinner in 2019 — and praise him publicly. After the assassination attempt on Trump in July, Zuckerberg referred to Trump as looking "badass."On Wednesday, Zuckerberg continued to play it safe. He posted a message to Threads congratulating Trump on his win. But he was apparently playing it truly safe: He didn't post his message until two hours after <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-leaders-react-donald-trump-winning-election-silicon-valley-2024-11">Jeff Bezos posted a congratulations message</a> of his own.

Mark Zuckerberg played it safe with Donald Trump this election. That strategy worked.

The counting of votes cast by 64.2 crore hopeful Indian voters during the six-week-long 18th <keyword id="19923279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections" source="keywords">Lok Sabha elections</keyword> officially began at 8 AM today and it is suffice to say that the air is crackling with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Over 700 aspiring parties participated in the world’s largest democratic exercise. But the main duelling parties remain consistent with previous trends: the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) led by Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> and the opposition bloc led by the <keyword id="19964138" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-National-Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian National Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Indian National Congress">Indian National Congress</keyword> (INC). Modi is shooting for a third, historic win after spending the last ten years in office, but the road ahead does not seem as smooth as anticipated. A political party in India requires at least 272 seats to cross the majority mark in the 543-member lower house of the Indian parliament, the Lok Sabha. The PM has audaciously declared that he is expecting a huge win exceeding 400 seats, the slogan ab ki baar 400 paar is stuck in every Indian’s head — irrespective of their political inclination. The Congress-led India bloc, on the other hand, is aiming for a relatively modest 295. On Saturday, most exit poll surveys predicted 350-370 seats for the BJP and between 107-140 seats for the opposition. However, the early trends are showing a very different picture with the INDIA bloc exceeding expectations in many states. Polls have been off the mark a few times before, but as NDA looks poised to win a third term, albeit with a few last-minute struggles, here’s a look back at the previous elections responsible for Mr Narendra Modi’s unmatchable dominance over <keyword id="20184421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-politics" source="keywords">Indian politics</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak" comment="subhead" text="Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak">Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak </cmsannotation>The BJP has come a long way since 1984 when the party won just two seats. Its pro-Hindutva stance pushed it to prominence over the decades, especially in the 1990s. The BJP was in power for a considerable amount of time under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership at the turn of the century. But the kind of support that Narendra Modi has received since 2014 has been unmatched in the history of modern Indian politics. In 2014, the BJP saw a surprising landslide victory with 282 of the 543 seats. But what factors contributed to its sweeping win with a 31.3% majority? Throughout its campaigning ahead of the general elections that year, the BJP kept stressing its interest in fixing the economy and combating corruption allegedly caused by the Congress party’s rather inept governing. Modi, who called himself a chowkidar or watchman, vowed to set the government and bureaucracy to rights. He promised more jobs for young Indians and even launched a social media campaign to appeal to the younger generation. Many experts suggested that Modi created the brand “NaMo'' for himself through relentless media campaigning, something that <keyword id="19895780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-gandhi" source="keywords">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> and other major political leaders could not do at the time. Additionally, he is also said to have had the support of the 45,000 country-wide RSS branches — the Hindu cultural nationalist parent of the BJP. However, after the leader had managed to comfortably settle into his new role as the Prime Minister of India, he announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series on 8 November 2016. As per a 2018 report from the Reserve Bank of India said that “the effort had failed to remove black money from the economy”. Modi was widely criticised for the way this move impacted the middle-class people of India. Despite this setback as well as criticism against his economic reforms like GST, he continued to implement bold policy changes to strengthen the core economy. His tilt towards a digital economy and seemingly tough actions against corrupt practices received widespread acclaim. He also successfully invoked a strong sense of nationalism and security in the people through the Balakot airstrike, a bombing raid conducted by Indian warplanes in February 2019. And it worked! BJP came to power again in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, this victory being bigger than the last. The BJP won a whopping 37.36% of the vote — the highest by a political party since the 1989 general elections with 303 seats. However, similar to 2019, towards the end of his second term in 2024, joblessness appears to be on the rise and incomes of farmers continue to plummet. Amid major issues like food inflation and the threat of AI to the job market, the ruling party relied on not-so-subtle religious polarisation and a ton of welfare programmes. From being chowkidar in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been depicted to be a saint today by many of his followers. While past leaders in India have tried to hold on to their secular image, Mr Modi has been seen flouting this convention on multiple occasions, expressing that he takes pride in his religion. With crores of followers still supporting him, the PM seems to be already on a path to victory. Only time will tell if the struggles during the last phases of this year’s election will come back to haunt him. In the meantime, stay tuned to Business Insider India for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/lok-sabha-election-results-2024-live-counting-begins-at-8-am-as-bjp-led-nda-hopes-for-a-historic-third-term/articleshow/110685785.cms">more updates on the Lok Sabha elections 2024</a>.

As PM Modi awaits his third big win, here’s how BJP created history during the 2014 & 2019 Lok Sabha elections

The <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> has received eight applications from aggrieved <keyword id="19902220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="candidates" source="keywords">candidates</keyword>, including those from the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> and the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4. Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the electronic voting machines "unfounded", the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system. But at the same time, the top court had opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the poll results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the poll panel. BJP's Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 <keyword id="20300567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="polling-stations" source="keywords">polling stations</keyword>. Vikhe-Patil had lost to Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction. A YSRCP and a DMDK candidate too have applied for the verification, according to data shared by the poll panel. According to the EC, eight parliamentary seats spread across six states are involved. The total number of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92. Candidates who come second or third and seek verification of the EVMs will have to pay Rs 47,200 per EVM set, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the EC on June 1. According to the EC's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the cost submitted by manufacturers BEL and ECIL to carry out EVM "check and verification" is Rs 40,000 (plus 18 per cent GST) per set of EVM. "In addition to the cost incurred by the manufacturers, there are also administrative costs like cost of labour to shift the units, CCTV coverage, electricity charges, videography costs and various other operational costs at the district election officer level," the document said. It, however, said to make the <keyword id="21143428" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="verification-process" source="keywords">verification process</keyword> "more accessible" and inclusive in compliance to the referred mandate of the Supreme Court, it is decided that instead of going purely by the actual economic costs incurred, the administrative expenditure on <keyword id="22122362" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="EVM-verification" source="keywords">EVM verification</keyword> will be treated as "election expenditure and borne by the central or state government, as the case may be". "Accordingly, the administrative charges will be waived for the applicants -- the same shall not be charged to the applicants," it noted. The charges for EVM verification to be paid by the applicant candidate is for the current financial year 2024-25 -- till March 31, 2025, it said. An EVM set has at least one Ballot Unit, one Control Unit and a <keyword id="19975285" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vvpat" source="keywords">VVPAT</keyword> machine. Separately, YSRCP and BJD candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively have also applied for EVM check following the announcement of assembly results on June 4. Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh were held along with the Lok Sabha elections. In the verification exercise for assembly poll results, total assembly constituencies involved are three where verification has been sought in 26 polling stations. According to the SOP, the concerned state chief electoral officer (CEO) was required to communicate to the manufacturers the consolidated list of applicants within 30 days of the date of declaration of results -- by July 4. The CEOs have already conveyed the same to the manufacturers 15 days ahead of the schedule, the EC said. The technical SOP enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt memory/ micro-controller of the EVM units will be issued by the EC in due course.

EC receives applications for EVM verification on 8 LS seats in 6 states

The tallies for each constituency are in, and the arithmetic for the next government is being worked out. If the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) manages to hold onto their alliances, the stage will be set for Modi 3.0. However, if the Congress-led INDIA bloc somehow lures major parties like JD(U) and TDP, they might have a chance, though it is a long shot at the moment. However, with the results out for all 543 constituencies, much has been revealed about the general attitude of the country’s voters. For instance, despite the almost-unshakable belief that the BJP will sweep almost all 80 <keyword id="19894922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> seats — especially after the Ram Mandir inauguration — the party shockingly only managed to win only 33. Some experts speculate that this outcome came from the party failing to address core issues such as employment and economic anxiety, and instead choosing to focus on religious divide to win ballots. Expert institutions, such as Bernstein and Citi Research, have now noted that new spendings may now thus become focused on the poor, women, farmers and rural areas, especially considering how rapidly BJP’s <a href="https://bfsi.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/bias-of-markets-expected-rural-agriculture-to-be-the-new-focus-areas-reports/110728041">vote share has dropped in the rural seats</a>. For context, rural constituencies make up 60% of the total constituencies in India, according to The Economic Times. However, this is not to say that the party has clear favourites among the more developed and richer states either. Many of the richest Indian states have expressed mixed to lukewarm reactions towards BJP this election cycle, and even delivered unexpected shockers. For instance, the NDA lost a lot of ground in Uttar Pradesh, <keyword id="19897316" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra" source="keywords">Maharashtra</keyword> and Rajasthan — some states with the biggest economies in the country. As for the current scenario, the party favourite remains mixed. Considering that the country has delayed the National Survey by four years, we have to rely on independent sources to come up with more current state-wide economic statistics. Therefore, as per the India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), <keyword id="19896017" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka" source="keywords">Karnataka</keyword>, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat formed the five largest state economies in India in the 2023 Financial Year. Let’s take a look at how India’s wealthiest states voted in <keyword id="20886626" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-2024" source="keywords">Lok Sabha 2024</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Karnataka" comment="subhead" text="Karnataka">Karnataka</cmsannotation> Despite struggles with making headway in the South, the BJP had made a clean sweep in Karnataka, bagging 25 seats in the 2019 general elections. While the BJP-JD(S) alliance has managed to retain a majority in the southern state with 17 seats, <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> made an impressive comeback this year, winning 9 seats compared to the 1 in the last election cycle. JD(S) managed to capture the remaining two seats. As for the four Bengaluru constituencies, BJP managed to cling onto all of them as well, with Tejasvi Surya in Bengaluru South, Shobha Karandlaje in Bengaluru North, P. C. Mohan in Bengaluru Central and C. N. Manjunath in Bengaluru Rural. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Uttar Pradesh" comment="subhead" text="Uttar Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</cmsannotation> As mentioned earlier, the biggest controversies came out of Uttar Pradesh. Housing prominent figures such as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state has been widely considered as a stronghold for the saffron party, who had won a whopping 62 seats in 2019. However, resident voters were determined to take to the booths to voice their dissent this year. Of the 80 UP constituencies — by far the state with the largest number of seats — 37 were won by the Samajwadi Party. Meanwhile, the BJP held onto 33 seats, and the INC 6. The difference is stark: BJP lost 27 of the seats it won in the previous election cycle. Many prominent figures were dethroned this year, including Smriti Irani in Amethi, Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra in Kheri and Maneka Gandhi in Sultanpur. However, perhaps the biggest shocker came from the fact that the BJP also lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which housed the contentious Ram Temple. Awadesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Party will be chairing the constituency for the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, contested for the Varanasi seat, beating INC’s Ajay Rai by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Maharashtra" comment="subhead" text="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</cmsannotation> Another of the biggest losses for the BJP also saw a resurgence for Congress in the state with the highest <keyword id="35050" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gdp" source="Orion">GDP</keyword>. While the NDA had clinched 41 out of the 48 seats in the previous 2019 elections, it managed to bag a paltry 9 this time around. While this is a monumental loss for the ruling party, they managed to hold firmly onto most of the coastal Konkan belt. Headed by the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP won 7 of the 12 coastal seats, including in Palghar, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Mumbai North. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) maintained its hold on half of the six Mumbai constituencies. Of the four Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) seats, NCP (SP) won Bhiwandi, Shinde-led Shiv Sena won Thane and Kalyan and BJP won Palghar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Tamil Nadu" comment="subhead" text="Tamil Nadu">Tamil Nadu</cmsannotation> Of all the economic powerhouses, Tamil Nadu was the only state untouched by the BJP this year. Out of the 39 seats in the state, the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) came out victorious in 22, the INC won 9, while a coalition of other parties bagged the remaining seats. This was a massive win for the DMK, especially considering the two major opposition parties, the AIADMK and BJP, had come together to contest this year. Considered by many as BJP's most promising candidate, K Annamalai, too lost to DMK’s Ganapathi P Rajkumar in Coimbatore. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Gujarat" comment="subhead" text="Gujarat">Gujarat</cmsannotation> While most of the other states endured major plot-twists, the story has remained almost the same for Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat. As per final polls, the BJP won 25 of the total 26 seats in the state, falling short of a full clean sweep due to INC clutching the final one. However, the INC win in the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat was no small victory, considering this was the first time in a decade that the party had made ground in the western state. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah contested and won from state capital Gandhinagar by a massive margin of nearly 7.5 lakh votes.

Lok Sabha 2024: How BJP, Congress and other parties have performed in states with largest economies in India

<keyword id="19930802" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jay-Shah" source="keywords">Jay Shah</keyword>, the current Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been elected unopposed as the new <keyword id="19901179" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Cricket-Council" source="keywords">International Cricket Council</keyword> (ICC) Chairman. Shah, who will officially take up the role on December 1, 2024, is set to make history as the youngest individual to ever lead the global governing body for cricket. "I am humbled by the nomination as the Chair of the International Cricket Council. I am committed to working closely with the ICC team and our member nations to further globalise cricket," Shah stated in a release issued by the ICC. In his statement, Jay Shah highlighted the goals he has planned to set for his tenure. “We stand at a critical juncture where it is increasingly important to balance the coexistence of multiple formats, promote the adoption of advanced technologies, and introduce our marquee events to new global markets. Our goal is to make cricket more inclusive and popular than ever before," he said. Jay Shah’s involvement in <keyword id="22941138" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cricket-administration" source="keywords">cricket administration</keyword> spans over ten years. He previously served as joint secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association before being elected unopposed as <keyword id="20593546" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BCCI-Secretary" source="keywords">BCCI Secretary</keyword> in October 2019. Since 2021, he has also held the position of Chairperson of the Asian Cricket Council. The appointment of Shah as the <keyword id="22895734" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICC-chairman" source="keywords">ICC chairman</keyword> has sparked controversy due to his connections. His father, <keyword id="19899491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Shah" source="keywords">Amit Shah</keyword>, is India’s Home Minister and a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Critics argue that this raises concerns about nepotism and the merging of cricket with politics in India. Shah's own rise within cricket administration in Gujarat, where his father previously held the role of president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, further fuels these concerns. It will be interesting to see how, under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, cricket grows on a higher level on the global pedestal.

Jay Shah elected unopposed as the new ICC chairman

It takes an Oscar-worthy director to come up with the juicy drama that somehow seems to pervade India’s pre-general election seasons. Amid all the chaos, a political hot topic has just witnessed a major development: the electoral bonds row. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What are electoral bonds?" comment="subhead" text="What are electoral bonds?">What are electoral bonds?</cmsannotation> For those unversed in the whole episode, the government introduced the <keyword id="4697813" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="electoral-bond" source="Orion">Electoral Bond</keyword> Scheme via the Finance Act of 2016-2017, allowing anyone to anonymously make an indefinite number of non-capped donations to their preferred political parties. Before this scheme, all donations above Rs 20,000 had to be explicitly made public, and donations of more than a certain percentage of the company’s revenue were disallowed. Such restrictions were meant to ensure that no political party had an unfair monetary advantage over the others and that the policies would not be influenced by the rich. Therefore, many experts were concerned that this new lack of transparency in the donation process opened up a gaping avenue for big corporations to donate for favourable outcomes from the ruling regime in terms of acquiring licences, government contracts, leases, and even accelerating favourable policy changes. The government insists that the measure ensures transparency as the purchaser would be allowed to buy bonds only on due fulfilment of all the extant KYC norms and by making payment from a bank account. However, the opposition parties kept raising objections, with the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="congress" source="keywords">Congress</keyword> leader Rahul Gandhi terming the electoral bond scheme as a legalisation of the process of accepting bribes and commissions. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How did the Supreme Court step in?" comment="subhead" text="How did the Supreme Court step in?">How did the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> step in?</cmsannotation> Recently, in a move that many celebrated as a major win for transparent and fair electoral practices, a Constitution Bench panel of five Supreme Court judges scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme on February 15, deeming that the whole ordeal was “unconstitutional” to begin with. Subsequently, the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india" source="keywords">State Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19898108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sbi" source="keywords">SBI</keyword>) was ordered to disclose all details of the donors that had purchased electoral bonds, the amount purchased, and the recipients of these “support” donations. Nearly a month after the directive, SBI finally submitted the electoral data to the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> on March 13, after the apex court denied its application for more time. The bank attributed the delay in compiling the information to the non-digital nature of the way electoral data was collected and stored, making it harder to collate and produce. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What does the data reveal?" comment="subhead" text="What does the data reveal?">What does the data reveal?</cmsannotation> The data published by the Election Commission based on SBI’s affidavit revealed information on over 22,217 electoral bonds purchased between April 1, 2019 and February 1, 2024. This also means there exists a year’s worth of data missing from the first year of the electoral bonds scheme, amounting to hundreds of crores of Rupees. Further, the very content of the data remains lacklustre, many experts maintain. The problem is that individual electoral bonds do not have their serial numbers attached. This makes it impossible to accurately ascertain who these bonds were directed to, meaning we still do not know which corporations donated how much to which parties. Condemning the SBI for not divulging the unique serial numbers as per its previous full-disclosure directive, the Supreme Court has now issued a notice for a prompt response by March 18. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Which political party benefited the most?" comment="subhead" text="Which political party benefited the most?">Which political party benefited the most?</cmsannotation> While many political parties benefited from this scheme, the Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bjp" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) encashed about 1,300 crores worth of electoral bonds during the 2023 financial year, according to media reports. This amounted to about half of the total electoral bond donations, and more than seven times the amount Congress received during the same period. Out of a total of 12,155 crores worth of electoral bonds purchased between 2019 and 2024, BJP redeemed Rs 6061 crores, followed by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress at Rs 1610 crores. A total of 213 donors purchased bonds worth over Rs 10 crores, with the top 20 donors accounting for nearly half of the total electoral bonds. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?" comment="subhead" text="Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?">Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?</cmsannotation> The ruling party receiving such a disproportionate share of the electoral bonds has raised many eyebrows. Rajya Sabha Minister Kapil Sibal expressed discontent with the SBI report, calling it a “scam” and explaining that it needs thorough investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur emphasised that a comprehensive study is essential to ascertain the true extent to which companies might have their money to get favour from the central government. Many Congress leaders, such as Manickam Tagore and Jairam Ramesh, also held that it was suspicious that only companies that donated funds to the BJP were given projects and contracts. The other problem is the fact that several of the big purchasers have been consistently under the radar of central agencies, facing frequent raids. This includes the top donor, Lottery company Future Gaming and Hotel Services, led by “Lottery King” Santago Martin, who donated a whopping Rs 1,368 crores. Many others also concern that large corporations may have donated money through shell corporations, in order to hide their involvement in any political favouritism. Congress MP Manish Tewari asked for a Supreme Court order to “lift” this corporate veil of shell companies to reveal the true purchasers of the bonds. Further, as per a Mint analysis, several donor companies who contributed massive amounts were found to be ‘inactive’, and thus the true details of the donors were not transparent at all. According to their report, this included entities such as Rungta Sons, SN Mohanty, Sasmal Infrastructure Private Limited, Avees Trading Finance, and others, whose collective contributions amount to hundreds of crores of Rupees. The official electoral bond data can be accessed via the <a href="https://www.eci.gov.in/candidate-politicalparty" data-type="tilCustomLink">Election Commission of India website</a>.

Electoral bonds: What are they? What does the newly-released data reveal? Would it make an impact?

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister <keyword id="6355042" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Devendra-Fadnavis" source="Orion">Devendra Fadnavis</keyword> will take decisions on <keyword id="549985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="seat-sharing" source="Orion">seat-sharing</keyword> and <keyword id="22753690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="negotiations-with-allies" source="Orion">negotiations with allies</keyword> for the upcoming assembly polls in the state, a party leader has said. The move aims to prevent undesired delays by streamlining preparations for the assembly elections due in a few months, BJP's Mumbai unit chief <keyword id="6367689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Shelar" source="Orion">Ashish Shelar</keyword> told reporters on Sunday. "The core committee (of the state unit) has met in Mumbai to delegate all decision-making powers concerning seat-sharing and the selection of assembly constituencies to Fadnavis," he said. Party observer and Union minister Bhupender Yadav, BJP national secretary Vinod Tawde, Union minister and Mumbai North MP Piyush Goyal also attended the meeting. Of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, the BJP won 104 in 2019. Shelar confirmed finalisation of the "formula for winning, besides the planning and seat-sharing arrangements with the allies". "Fadnavis has been granted full authority in this regard," he said. The BJP-led Mahayuti, also comprising Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the NCP headed by Ajit Pawar, won only 17 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recent parliamentary polls. The BJP's tally came down to 9 from 23 five years ago. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, consisting of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), bagged 30 seats. Shelar said, "We have decided to save time by streamlining the planning, discussions, and decision-making processes with all the NDA constituents to finalise the candidates. Once this is done, we can begin preparations for the assembly polls. The list of candidates will be released at the appropriate time." After the BJP's Lok Sabha tally came down to 9 in Maharashtra, Fadnavis had offered to quit the deputy CM's post to enable him to focus on party work ahead of assembly elections. Later, after a party meeting where state BJP legislators passed a resolution reposing faith in him, Fadnavis said he would continue to work.

Maharashtra polls: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis to decide on seat-sharing, negotiations with allies

<ul class="summary-list"><li>North Carolina is a critical part of Trump's electoral calculus for winning a second term.</li><li>But Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's troubles could have a "reverse coattail" effect among Republicans.</li></ul>North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — a staunch conservative and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-robinson-north-carolina-governors-race-past-comments-trump-2024-2024-3">ally</a> of former President Donald Trump — is no stranger to controversy.During a 2019 Facebook Live video, Robinson said abortion "is about killing the child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down." In 2023, he said God "formed" him to fight against LGBTQ+ acceptance while also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wral.com/story/god-formed-me-to-fight-lgbtq-issues-nc-s-mark-robinson-says-as-2024-governor-s-race-looms/20779390/">noting</a> that it made him "sick" to see any church fly a Rainbow flag. And earlier this year, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/mark-robinson-transgender-comments-spark-gop-backlash-rcna138610">he called for the arrest</a> of transgender women who choose to use women's bathrooms.Despite Robinson's history of polarizing comments, he easily won the state's GOP gubernatorial primary in March. But <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/19/politics/kfile-mark-robinson-black-nazi-pro-slavery-porn-forum/index.html">in a bombshell CNN story</a> published last week, the network reported that Robinson made a series of racist, antisemitic, and sexually explicit comments on a pornographic site more than a decade ago — before he was in public office.On the site Nude Africa, Robinson <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-mark-robinson-donald-trump-advertisement-north-carolina-governor-2024-9">describes himself</a> as a "black NAZI!" and argues that "slavery is not bad," among other remarks.Robinson has denied the accusation and vowed to remain in the race. But even before the report was published, he was behind in the polls against his Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Stein. Meanwhile, Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race in North Carolina.Here's a look at how Robinson's scandal could not only imperil Trump's ability to win the Tar Heel State but also potentially obliterate the former president's chances to win the general election.<h2 id="aae2c330-7b3b-4c15-a4c7-ca21beb74295">The swing-state dilemma</h2>Robinson rose to prominence in GOP circles after his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmE9tK-O58Q">forceful defense of gun rights</a> during a 2018 address to the Greensboro City Council went viral. In his speech, he decried what he said were attempts to enact gun control, arguing that criminals would simply ignore the laws.The speech helped pave the way for Robinson's 2020 victory in a race for lieutenant governor, which he won by three percentage points even as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper was reelected to a second term.That year, Trump also won North Carolina — albeit narrowly — against now-President Joe Biden. Anchored by the support of rural conservatives, the then-president eked out a one-point victory in what has become one of the nation's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/battleground-states-2024-presidential-election-road-white-house-2022-12">premier swing states</a>.Robinson's political brand is rooted in a more confrontational Republican style, though. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-carolina-governors-race-robinson-stein-cooper-abortion-guns-lgbtq-2023-4">His biggest advantage</a> is with social conservatives, not the sort of college-educated suburban voters who have turned away from the GOP in the Trump era.It's encapsulated in earlier polling. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/17/us/elections/times-siena-poll-north-carolina-likely-electorate.html">New York Times/Siena College poll</a> released in August showed Stein leading Robinson 49% to 39% among likely voters. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3904">Quinnipiac University poll</a> released earlier this month showed Stein up by 10 points (51% to 41%) among likely voters. And a recent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/september-2024-swing-state-polls-trump-and-harris-locked-in-tight-presidential-race/">Emerson College poll</a> showed Stein ahead of Robinson by eight points (48% to 40%) among likely voters.<div type="image" title="Donald Trump at a campaign rally." height="3819" width="5728" msid="113573925" hostid="261" sizebytes="357806"></div>Robinson's campaign has stumbled in the state for some time — and it's unclear what the ramifications of the latest allegations will be for his candidacy. But state Treasurer Dale Folwell, who lost to Robinson in this year's gubernatorial primary, last week <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article292757504.html">told the News &amp; Observer</a> that taxpayers and donors were "getting fleeced" by the lieutenant governor.Such a remark from a fellow statewide GOP official usually doesn't bode well for party unity. And Trump is now caught in that web.<h2 id="a28321c7-1a5e-471b-b82b-af47656c6e29">A tale of 'reverse coattails'</h2>When popular candidates are running at the top of the ticket — notably in presidential, gubernatorial, or Senate races — they often boost down-ballot candidates.A strong candidate leading the party on the ballot can have an immeasurable impact on turnout and enthusiasm for candidates who need help getting over the finish line.In 2020, Robinson outperformed Trump in North Carolina, but the former president also brought out voters who undoubtedly boosted the lieutenant governor in areas where he wasn't as well known.Now, Robinson's latest scandal threatens Trump's hold on a state that Harris has targeted since her campaign began in July. The vice president has reversed the slide that the party faced when Biden was the nominee, and recent polls taken in North Carolina have showed her tied with Trump or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/17/us/elections/times-siena-poll-north-carolina-likely-electorate.html">with a slight lead</a>.Harris' competitiveness in the state is driven by her advantages with women, young voters, urban voters, and college-educated suburbanites. And she's running a distinctly pro-choice campaign, in contrast to Robinson — an anti-abortion champion who also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/1819379051594711415">revealed last month</a> that his wife had an abortion 30 years ago.Pessimism over Robinson's campaign could depress Trump's numbers in the state, creating a "reverse coattail" effect — especially if Robinson loses by a sizable margin.The GOP is up against a Harris campaign that's flush with cash and has 26 field offices and over 200 paid staffers in North Carolina. The Harris campaign also released an ad seeking to tie Robinson to Trump, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFKkKJi7698">weaving in old footage</a> where the ex-president said the lieutenant governor was "better than Martin Luther King."Democrats believe that Harris' presence on the ballot will be able to help them in other races."[W]hat's very exciting to me is that we have a lot of people that are interested in the top of the ticket, but that are also getting educated about the importance of down-ballot," North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/why-is-this-happening/building-new-south-anderson-clayton-podcast-transcript-rcna170724">recently told MSNBC's Chris Hayes</a>.Should Harris win North Carolina and its 16 electoral votes, she'll likely already be on her way to a national victory, given the state's slight Republican lean in presidential races. However, although she'd clearly like to do so, Harris doesn't have to win the state to win the election.But North Carolina is critical for Trump. It has been a Southern anchor of support in his last two presidential runs. And the state's penchant for close elections is a reflection of just how much Robinson's woes could ultimately decide Trump's political fate.During a Saturday rally in Wilmington, Trump seemed to acknowledge that reality. Robinson was not present at the event. And the former president didn't mention the lieutenant governor's name.

You Searched For "maharashtra state elections 2019" and got 10 results

ECI Announces election schedules for Maharashtra and Jharkhand; both states to vote in November

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Mark Zuckerberg played it safe with Donald Trump this election. That strategy worked.

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As PM Modi awaits his third big win, here’s how BJP created history during the 2014 & 2019 Lok Sabha elections

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EC receives applications for EVM verification on 8 LS seats in 6 states

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Lok Sabha 2024: How BJP, Congress and other parties have performed in states with largest economies in India

Ankush Banerjee

Jay Shah elected unopposed as the new ICC chairman

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Electoral bonds: What are they? What does the newly-released data reveal? Would it make an impact?

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PTI

Mark Robinson's scandal could cost Trump North Carolina's electoral votes — and the election

John L. Dorman

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