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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

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mark Rutte became NATO's new secretary-general on October 1, replacing Jens Stoltenberg.</li><li>He faces a war in Ukraine, escalations in the Middle East, and the US presidential elections.</li></ul>NATO has a new leader at its helm.Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister, replaced <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-chief-alliance-generational-transformation-military-power-has-limits-stoltenberg-2024-9">Jens Stoltenberg</a> as NATO's new secretary-general on October 1, at what is seen as a crucial and turbulent time for the alliance, with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and the US election in November.He is entering his term "with threats and challenges everywhere," Abishur Prakash, the founder of The Geopolitical Business, Inc., a strategy advisory firm in Toronto, told BI.Rutte will not only have to decide the next phase of NATO's involvement in the Ukraine war, but will also have to navigate whether NATO chooses to come to Israel's aid and how to deal with the possibility of reduced US commitment to the alliance, Prakash added."Stoltenberg left big shoes to fill," said John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies."Rutte will need to take the baton in terms of pushing alliance members to fulfill their defense spending commitments and continue providing aid to Ukraine," he said.And then, with the US presidential elections now less than five weeks away, there is the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency.Rutte has experience working with Trump: He earned the nickname the "Trump whisperer" for his ability to appease the former president when he threatened to go his "own way" during a NATO meeting in 2018, per <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/mark-rutte-nato-donald-trump-vladimir-putin/">Politico</a>.Even so, a Trump victory in November would "present a challenge for Rutte in terms of managing that relationship and maintaining alliance unity," Hardie said.<h2 id="d98bcc95-e3dc-4d35-8577-3d14b72b7e18">Russia-Ukraine war</h2>Rutte's most pressing NATO challenge stepping into his new role is figuring out the alliance's stance on letting Ukraine use Western long-range weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia, Prakash said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy views permission to use Western weapons to strike Russia as a key part of the "victory plan" he presented to US officials last week.<div type="image" title="Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (C) walked with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (L) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., (R) at the Capitol in Washington, On September 26, 2024." height="3368" width="5052" msid="113849910" hostid="261" sizebytes="859396"></div>However, the alliance has shown differences of opinion on the matter, with countries like <a target="_blank" href="https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-can-use-f-16s-to-strike-russian-territory-danish-foreign-minister-says/">Denmark</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hallandsposten.se/asikter/ledare/landgrans-ska-inte-skydda-rysk-angripare.09212cc1-6c94-4389-8b1a-2956a1aa9f9e">Sweden,</a> the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.euronews.com/2024/09/15/nato-chair-backs-ukraines-use-of-long-range-weapons-to-strike-inside-russia">Czech Republic,</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://yle.fi/a/74-20076971">Finland</a> publicly saying that Ukraine can use their weapons but others showing more reluctance.The Pentagon justified the US decision not to allow such strikes last month, <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3896569/deputy-pentagon-press-secretary-sabrina-singh-holds-a-press-briefing/">saying</a> that 90% of Russian aircraft launching glide bombs are out of range of Ukraine's ATACMS, and also cited the potential for an <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3896569/">escalation in the conflict</a>.Pressure, however, is building. In late August, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-eu-weapons-restrictions-05bb594069ae7f9afdec8910ae65f467">said</a> EU countries should lift restrictions on the use of weaponry against Russian military targets "in accordance with international law."Several top House Republicans also signed a <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ATACMS-letter-FINAL.pdf">letter</a> on September 9 urging President Joe Biden to lift the remaining restrictions on US-provided long-range systems, including the ATACMS, against "legitimate" military targets deeper inside Russia.And in a <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240913IPR23906/meps-ukraine-must-be-able-to-strike-legitimate-military-targets-in-russia">resolution</a> adopted on September 19, the European Parliament called on EU countries to lift restrictions preventing Ukraine from using Western weapons systems against "legitimate" military targets inside Russia.<h2 id="05677739-e626-4ee3-afe1-6f7b6f7e11c0">Escalating tensions in the Middle East</h2>Prakash said NATO would also have to decide whether to get involved in the Middle East.Since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks on Israel and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza, tensions have ramped up between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.<div type="image" title="Smoke rises after Israeli army strikes in town of Lebanon on September 25, 2024," height="4000" width="6000" msid="113849924" hostid="261" sizebytes="871398"></div>Violence between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-pushed-hezbollah-corner-may-trigger-an-all-out-war-2024-9">intensified</a> last month, and Lebanon recorded its <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-strikes-lebanon-hezbollah-posts-warns-civilians-move-away-2024-9">deadliest day</a> for decades after Israel ramped up strikes on the country.This followed the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/more-devices-explode-in-lebanon-after-deadly-hezbollah-pager-blasts-2024-9">deadly pager and walkie-talkie explosions</a> that hit Hezbollah members in Lebanon.Hezbollah has blamed Israel for those attacks, but it has not yet claimed responsibility.The US has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-hezbollah-us-sending-troops-middle-east-help-us-citizens-2024-9">stepped up</a> diplomatic and military efforts in the region to try to bring about a cease-fire — but NATO has so far not gotten involved.Benjamin Friedman, policy director at the Defense Priorities think tank, said the alliance will likely not play any role as it has enough on its hands with Ukraine."They have enough to do in Europe, and I think NATO should focus on Europe," he told BI.<h2 id="76766d05-e1ce-4020-9a4b-1a87024f57de">US elections</h2>However, the US presidential election could be a decisive factor in NATO's trajectory in the coming years.Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House's Russia and Eurasia Programme, said that "it's not going to get easier" if Trump is elected in November.During his time in office, the former president <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-threatens-to-pull-out-of-nato/">publicly</a> <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4745235/president-confirms-threatened-withdraw-nato-funding-levels">threatened</a> to leave NATO if other members failed to meet their commitments to spend 2% of their GDP on defense.Congress passed a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/sjres37/BILLS-118sjres37is.pdf">bill</a> in 2023 to prevent a president from suspending, terminating, denouncing, or withdrawing the US from NATO, except via an Act of Congress or the approval of two-thirds of senators in attendance.But if elected, Trump could still heavily influence NATO, including by reducing the US military presence in Ukraine, withholding support for NATO's Article 5 mutual defense pact, or limiting America's involvement in the alliance.In a rally <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-touts-russia-army-history-justify-deal-putin-over-ukraine-2024-9">speech</a> last month, he again argued for ending US involvement in the war in Ukraine.<div type="image" title="Former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia, on September 24, 2024." height="1333" width="2000" msid="113849921" hostid="261" sizebytes="81086"></div>Even if Trump loses, he could still exert "baleful" influence on US politics and get in the way of policy initiatives through his network of supporters, Giles said, pointing to Republicans blocking aid to Ukraine earlier this year.Friedman of Defense Priorities struck a more positive tone, saying he doesn't believe Trump is "seriously" considering withdrawing US commitment to the alliance.The "big question," Friedman says, is whether Trump, if elected, would behave like he did during his first term, which he said was "more bark than bite."Meanwhile, Prakash said that ongoing geopolitical flashpoints and tensions around the world could actually result in Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris being markedly similar US presidents on the world stage.Prakash cited the ongoing territorial disputes in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-taking-over-south-sea-us-not-stopping-experts-philippines-2024-9">South China Sea</a> between the Philippines, a US ally, and China as likely the "single greatest" flash point facing the US right now.If Harris "feels that NATO doesn't connect with that in its current form, then she may also raise objections to NATO," he said. "So, it is not just Trump."<h2 id="005db675-3121-42fd-88f4-5f9564598e52">Looking beyond Europe</h2>NATO appears to be considering the possibility of a reduced US commitment to the alliance.In April, Stoltenberg, the outgoing secretary-general, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-plan-trump-proof-future-ukraine-aid-us-leadership-worries-2024-4">proposed</a> shifting control of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which organizes the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, from the US to the alliance.NATO also established the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-fueling-ukraine-fight-concerns-about-us-politics-2024-7">NSATU</a>, in July, to coordinate the future supply of military aid and training for Kyiv, amid growing concern about a potential change in US leadership.However, Rutte's past statements and familiarity with Trump suggest he would try to keep the US in the fold.<div type="image" title="Donald Trump (R) and former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (L) posed for photographs in the Oval Office at the White House on July 18, 2019." height="3550" width="5325" msid="113849925" hostid="261" sizebytes="813472"></div>And in an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/02/20/met-steun-aan-oekraine-verdedigen-we-onze-manier-van-leven-a4157623">op-ed</a> for Dutch newspaper NRC in 2023, a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Rutte stressed how different the first year of the war would have been without the "colossal" deployment of US material and resources.According to Prakash, Rutte is "coming into the role from a certain outlook, and that outlook is essentially saying: 'We need to stand with America.'"Beyond the most immediate threat of Russia in Europe, NATO may also want to tackle the China threat, he said.NATO's deputy secretary-general, Mircea Geoană, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.euronews.com/2024/07/12/china-is-a-threat-to-our-security-nato-deputy-chief-tells-euronews">Euronews</a> in July that China, as a direct enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine, threatened the alliance's security.Shifting NATO away from Russia and toward other threats is going to be "perhaps the greatest challenge facing Mark Rutte," Prakash said.All in all, it's likely to be a bumpy ride for NATO's new chief.

NATO's new chief is inheriting messy wars and a possible second Trump presidency. It's not going to be easy, security analysts say.

New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): With counting slated for today for the <keyword id="19923279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections" source="keywords">Lok Sabha elections</keyword>, which have seen the largest voter participation, the electoral fate of several leaders across the political spectrum will be decided. Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword>, Home Minister <keyword id="19899491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Shah" source="keywords">Amit Shah</keyword> and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are among the senior BJP leaders in the fray. Key opposition leaders, including former Congress chief <keyword id="19895780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi" source="keywords">Rahul Gandhi</keyword>, NCP's <keyword id="20083020" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supriya-Sule" source="keywords">Supriya Sule</keyword> and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, are also contesting the poll. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Infographic"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> Here is a look at some key contests involving prominent leaders: 1. Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Modi, is seeking a third term from Varanasi, the constituency that paved his way to the Lok Sabha after his stint as Chief Minister. He is pitted against Congress leader and INDIA bloc candidate Ajay Rai. PM Modi won the seat by huge margins in 2014 and 2019. 2. Amit Shah: The Union Home Minister entered the Lok Sabha in 2019 from Gandhinagar and is seeking his second straight term from the seat, which has been held by BJP veterans in the past. Shah, who earlier served as BJP President, is against Congress candidate Sonal Patel. 3. Rahul Gandhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from two seats -- Wayanad and Raebareli. Gandhi, who lost the family bastion seat of Amethi in 2019 and entered the Lok Sabha from Wayanad, is aiming to maintain the party's lone bastion left in the state. He is up against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh and BJP's K. Surendran, as well as CPI-M's Annie Raja in Wayanad. 4. Supriya Sule and <keyword id="20734555" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunetra-pawar" source="keywords">Sunetra Pawar</keyword>: The Baramati constituency is another 'hot seat' that will decide the future of the 'Pawar' legacy. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is against his cousin Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, from the seat. The exit polls have predicted a tight contest. 5. <keyword id="42749" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashi-Tharoor" source="Orion">Shashi Tharoor</keyword>: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is a three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, is facing a three-way contest against BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI-M's Panniyan Ravindran. The exit polls have predicted a tight contest. 6. K. Annamalai: BJP Tamil Nadu chief and rising face in the south, K Annamalai, is aiming to make the party's inroads in the state. Contesting from Coimbatore, the former cop is up against DMK leader Ganapathy P Rajkumar and AIADMK's Singai Ramachandran. 7. Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is seeking a third term from Lucknow. The former Uttar Pradesh CM served as the Home Minister in BJP's first term and Defence Minister in the second term. Singh is facing SP candidate Ravidas Mehrotra and BSP candidate Sarwar Malik. 8. Abhishek Banerjee: As the BJP is aiming to make further inroads in West Bengal, and TMC is looking to maintain its fortress, TMC general secretary and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee is contesting from Diamond Harbour seeking a second term from the seat. Banerjee is pitted against CPI(M) candidate Pratikur Rahaman and BJP's Abhijit Das. 9. Akhilesh Yadav: Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made a surprise entry in the Lok Sabha polls, announcing his candidature from Kannauj. Yadav, who is an MLA from Karhal assembly constituency, is facing incumbent MP and BJP leader Subrat Pathak. 10. Asaduddin Owaisi: The Hyderabad constituency is bracing for a big showdown with four-time MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi facing a challenge against BJP candidate and actor-turned-politician Madhavi Latha. The Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats of the lower house were held across seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on Tuesday, June 4. The Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing a third straight term in power, while the Opposition under the umbrella of the INDIA bloc is seeking to wrest power from the ruling party. Meanwhile, all the exit polls have predicted the BJP returning to power with a resounding majority, with further inroads in Odisha, West Bengal, and southern states.

From Modi and Shah to Gandhi and Tharoor, here's a look at some key Lok Sabha seats ahead of election results

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

Bhopal, The <keyword id="21082883" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="scindias" source="keywords">Scindias</keyword>, the influential members of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, have moved effortlessly between different political parties when it comes to fighting electoral battles on their home turf and Union minister Jyotiraditya <keyword id="19905342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="scindia" source="keywords">Scindia</keyword> will carry forward this tradition when he files his nomination as the BJP candidate from the Guna <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> seat in Madhya Pradesh. Five years after losing unexpectedly from Guna as the Congress candidate, Jyotiraditya Scindia, representing the current generation of the family in MP's politics, is back in the fray in his backyard, but this time as the nominee of his erstwhile political rival and with a different election symbol against his name on the EVM. The 53-year-old politician is the grandson of one of the BJP founders, Vijaya Raje Scindia, and son of former Union minister the late Madhavrao Scindia. The Guna Lok Sabha seat, part of the Scindias' home turf which also includes Gwalior, is spread across eight assembly seats in Guna, Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar districts. The Congress, looking to settle scores with Jyotiraditya Scindia in the poll fray after it lost its government in Madhya Pradesh following his exit exactly four years ago, is yet to name its candidate from Guna. It was a rare electoral shock for former Gwalior royals when the Union Minister for Civil Aviation faced defeat in 2019 at the hands of the BJP candidate and his old loyalist, KP Yadav, by a margin of around 1.26 Lakh votes. In 2024, Scindia is again testing electoral waters, but under the banner of a different party - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - the political home to his parental aunts - former Rajasthan Chief Minister <keyword id="21082885" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vasundhara-raje-scindia" source="keywords">Vasundhara Raje Scindia</keyword> and ex-MP minister <keyword id="21082884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yashodhara-raje" source="keywords">Yashodhara Raje</keyword>. But the Guna Lok Sabha constituency's history suggested the Scindias have never fought their first and last elections from the same party. The Union minister's grandmother, <keyword id="21082886" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajmata-vijaya-raje-scindia" source="keywords">Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia</keyword>, contested her first election from the seat in 1957 on a Congress ticket and won. She contested as the Swatantra Party nominee in 1967 then from the BJP in 1989. His father Madhavrao Scindia contested his first election from Guna on a Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) ticket in 1971 and fought his last poll in 1999 as the Congress nominee before his death in a plane crash near New Delhi in 2001. The BJS is considered the forerunner of the BJP. Senior journalist, author and political analyst <keyword id="20445085" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rasheed-kidwai" source="keywords">Rasheed Kidwai</keyword> says the Scindias' political leanings seem to be settling down now. "After decades of consciously choosing divergent political parties, the house of Scindias is finally settling down as per their past and ideological leanings. The Sangh, Hindutva and right-wing has always been Scindia flavour in the monarchical era," Kidwai noted. The Guna parliamentary seat was represented by Rajmata Scindia for 6 times, while her son Madhavrao Scindia won it on four occasions. Besides Guna, Rajmata Scindia represented the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat, part of the family turf, once. Madhavrao Scindia was elected five times from Gwalior, once as the candidate of the Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress, an outfit floated by him. Rajmata Scindia's daughter Yashodhara Raje also represented the Gwalior seat in the Lok Sabha twice for the BJP. Jyotiraditya Scindia has represented the Guna seat four times between 2002 and 2014, including after winning in a bypoll. A year after his defeat, he joined the BJP in March 2020 along with 22 Congress MLAs, leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh. The defeat of Jyotiraditya Scindia in 2019 was the second setback for the Scindias in the Lok Sabha elections. In 1984, the Union minister's aunt and former Rajasthan CM <keyword id="20004780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vasundhara-raje" source="keywords">Vasundhara Raje</keyword> had faced defeat as the BJP candidate from the Bhind Lok Sabha seat. She was defeated by Congress candidate <keyword id="21082887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="krishna-singh-judeo" source="keywords">Krishna Singh Judeo</keyword>, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Datia. The Guna Lok Sabha constituency has more than 18.80 lakh voters and it will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.

The Scindias: Moving seamlessly between parties in different elections on their home turf

Aligarh (<keyword id="19894922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>) [India], April 9 (ANI): Every election season ushers in a slew of party symbols that range from the mundane to the outlandish. The Lok Sabha elections 2024 are no different. <keyword id="19941423" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Independent-candidate" source="keywords">Independent candidate</keyword> from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, <keyword id="21244546" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pandit-Keshav-Dev" source="keywords">Pandit Keshav Dev</keyword>, decided to make the most of what the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Election Commission" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Election Commission">Election Commission</keyword> has allotted to him as the poll symbol- a pair of slippers. Aiming to build recall of people, Dev was seen sporting a garland of 7 slippers around his neck during his campaign. Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases. Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively. Aligarh will go for polls in the second phase on April 26. The counting of votes will take place on June 4. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Satish Kumar Gautam won from the Aligarh garnering 656215 votes. BJP defeated BSP Dr. Ajeet Baliyan who got 426954 votes. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 71 seats with a 42.6 per cent vote share, while Congress settled for only 2 seats with 7.5 per cent of votes. (ANI)

A pair of slippers - the most unique poll symbol of an independent from Aligarh

The stage is set for the second phase of assembly poll in <keyword id="6357783" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-bengal">West Bengal</keyword> on Thursday when more than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates in 30 seats as eyes are set on the high profile Nandigram constituency where Chief Minister <keyword id="43868" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> is pitted against her protag turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari. All 10,620 booths where polling will be held this phase have been declared as sensitive by the <keyword id="40807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission">Election Commission</keyword>, which has deployed around 651 companies of central forces to provide security, officials said. Besides, the state police will also be deployed at strategic locations during the polling which will begin at 7 am, they said. A total 199 companies of Central Armed Police Force will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura, the sources said. TMC and BJP are contesting in all the 30 seats, while CPI(M) is in the fray in 15 and its alliance partners of Sanjukta Morcha the Congress and ISF are competing in 13 and two seats respectively. Polling will take place amid strict COVID-19 guidelines in nine seats of Paschim Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four seats in South 24 Parganas and nine in Purba Medinipur - the home ground of TMC turncoat and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Nandigram falls in Purba Medinipur district. The agrarian constituency which shook the foundations of the mighty Left regime over the anti-land acquisition movement in 2007, has now turned into a battleground of titans with Banerjee suddenly deciding to switch from her Bhowanipur seat to the constituency held by Adhikari, her former lieutenant who has switched loyalty to the BJP. For Adhikari it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party the BJP. Similarly, a victory would not only establish him as one of the tallest leaders in Bengal but would also push him few miles ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power. For Banerjee, who is running for the third successive term as chief minister, a victory is a must to lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus. For the Congress-Left-ISF alliance candidate Minakshi Mukherjee of CPI-M, the challenge is to regain her party's lost ground. While Banerjee had been camping in Nandigram for the last four days, BJP fielded its 'big guns', including Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and superstar <keyword id="14672" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mithun-Chakraborty">Mithun Chakraborty</keyword> to defend Adhikari's turf, which he had won in 2016 and take on 'Didi' (as Mamata is popularly called). Apart from identity politics and Bengali sub- nationalism, the demand for jobs, inclusion of Hindu backward communities in the OBC category and setting up of agro-based industry have emerged as main poll planks in the second phase of polls. l Of the 30 seats which will see voting on Thursday, 23 were won by TMC in the 2016 assembly elections, five by Left Front and Congress and BJP one each. The political equation in the state had changed in 2019 when BJP made massive inroads in the tribal-dominated Janga Mahal region and Medinipur belt by sweeping all the five Lok Sabha seats. The TMC, however, has been able to maintain its dominance in South 24 Parganas district, where there is sizeable minority population. A prominent seat going to the poll in the second phase is Sabang, where TMC has fielded its Rajya Sabha MP Manas Bhunia. He is up against TMC turncoat and BJP leader Amulya Maity. Bhunia, a former state Congress president, had held the seat from 1982 to 016 as Congress nominee before switching over to the TMC in September 2016. TMC has fielded actor <keyword id="1076648" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sayantika-Banerjee">Sayantika Banerjee</keyword>, a popular face in the Bengali silver screen, from Bankura seat against BJP's Niladri Sekhar Dana. The Sanjukta Morcha has fielded Congress candidate Radharani Banerjee. In Debra seat, two former IPS officers will cross swords. One is BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh who is contesting against TMC's <keyword id="184573" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Humayun-Kabir">Humayun Kabir</keyword>. Both had resigned from their senior police posts to join active politics. Banerjee, who is in a wheelchair since her accident early this moth, crisscrossed the majority of the constituencies going to the polls in the second phase. TMC MP <keyword id="255730" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abhishek-Banerjee">Abhishek Banerjee</keyword> toured the rest asserting that TMC will not let Bengal to be ruled from Delhi or Gujarat in an apparent reference to the battery of central BJP leaders and ministers camping in the state. Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda had led BJP's campaign from the front addressing rallies at Kanthi, Bankura and Nandigram and urging the electorate to vote for BJP to usher in 'ashol poriborton' (actual change) to build 'Sonar Bangla' (prosperous Bengal). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-a72-mobile-phone-review/slidelist/81774857.cms">Samsung Galaxy A72 review – a premium mid-range phone in a crowded market</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/earth-lost-more-arctic-sea-ice-than-the-area-of-rajasthan-and-madhya-pradesh-combined-in-2021/articleshow/81775537.cms">The planet lost more Arctic sea ice than the area of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh combined in 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/from-smartphones-to-cars-india-needs-so-many-semiconductor-chips-that-modi-may-offer-billion-dollar-cash-reward/articleshow/81777612.cms">Howzzat! A $1 billion cash reward for making semiconductor chips in India⁠ is under consideration</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/sbi-icici-hdfc-and-other-bank-customers-could-face-otp-issues-from-april-1/articleshow/81777962.cms">Bank OTP issue – SBI, ICICI, HDFC and other bank customers could face OTP issues from April 1</a>

Bengal set for second phase polling in 30 seats, all eyes on Nandigram

Eleven Indian states and one union territory were up for vote today in the second phase of India’s general election. Security was increased in ‘vulnerable’ and ‘critical’ constituencies after multiple incidents of violence were reported during the first phase. As a precautionary measure, mobile internet services were stalled in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that saw a voter turnout of 45.46%. West Bengal, which saw a voter turnout of 76.14% — the highest during the second phase of the elections in India — had more central forces <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2019-more-central-forces-in-second-phase-in-west-bengal-election-commission/story-TLHV812ykqfO3PZXgUke2M.html">employed</a> at Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Raiganj polling stations. The only incident to occur was one EVM being vandalized in the Chopra constituency during a clash between members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Security personnel had to launch tear gas shells and lathi charge at the alleged local trouble makers. TMC was also accused by the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) of attacking the vehicle of the CPM’s Raiganj candidate, Mohammad Salim in Islampur. Manipur and Assam also recorded high voter turnouts of 76.15% and 76.14% respectively, and the polling was relatively uneventful in both statess. Even the lone union constituency, Puducherry, saw a voter turnout of 75.91%. Aside from West Bengal, security was also tightened in the Maoist affected regions of Odisha — particularly the Kandhamal, Bargarh and Bolangir constituencies — where a few booths will still have to face re-polling, but not due to violent outbreaks but due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs). The state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Surendra Kumar has recommended repolling of booths in Sundergarh, Bonai and Daspalla, citing negligence on the part of the polling officers on duty. <div type="ExtQuote" text="Technical problems arose due to lapses on part of the polling officers, action will be taken against those officers for dereliction of duty." auname="Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar"></div>

 Despite the commotion, Odisha saw a voter turnout of 57.97%. Uttar Pradesh, with a voter turnout of 62.06%, also faced EVM issues at the Gantholi Village polling booth in Mathura where voting did not begin as scheduled. One village in Fatehpur Sikri — Magoli Kala — chose to boycott the elections altogether complaining that the government had failed to provide adequate irrigation facilities in the area. Maharashtra faced similar EVM glitches in the morning but still managed to garner a 60.72% voter turnout. Karnataka, where the primary concern was that citizens wouldn’t show up to vote, saw a 67.55% voter turnout. The same was 65.33% in Tamil Nadu amid multiple allegations of voters being bought off in the days leading up to the second phase of the election.

High voter turnout marks India’s second phase of polling — aside from EVM malfunctions, violence at poll booths, and internet shutdowns

<ul><li>The <keyword id="65281" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India">Election Commission of India</keyword> announced the launch of the ‘Voter Turnout’ mobile app on Android during post poll press conference of the second phase of the general elections in India. </li><li>The app is free to download for all users in the Google Play Store. </li><li>The app shows the estimated turnout of voters by state, gender and polling constituency.</li></ul>The Election Commission of India just launched their ‘Voter Turnout’ mobile app for Android users of the Google Play Store. <div type="image" title="2" msid="68943013" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The &amp;#39;Voter Turnout&amp;#39; mobile application is now available in the Google Play Store for free&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Users have the option of looking up the voter turnout according to specific states or individual polling constituencies. And, the Election Commission explains, users will also be able to filter data according to gender and phases over the next few days. The app has a neat interface and is pretty straightforward to use. Once the <keyword id="7543675" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-turnout-app">Voter Turnout app</keyword> opens, there two buttons available to the users — one on the bottom left corner and one on the bottom right. <div type="image" title="3" msid="68943037" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The opening page of the Voter Turnout mobile app with two widgets along the bottom corners&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The bottom left widget allows the user to choose between how they’ve like to view the aggregate voter turnout out — either by state or polling constituency. <div type="image" title="4" msid="68943047" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The bottom left button allows users to filter aggregate results by polling constituency or state&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The bottom right widget gives the user the option to view the voter turnout statistics individually for states, polling constituencies and assembly constituencies. <div type="image" title="5" msid="68943060" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bottom right corner allows users to filter voter turnout results by polling constituency, state and assembly constituency&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Clicking on a particular state shows the overall estimated voter turnout for the area as well as the voter turnout at the constituencies within the state. <div type="image" title="6" msid="68943070" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Screenshot of voter turnout statistics for Maharashtra&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 So now, rather than wait on media outlets to deliver the news or stalk online publications, Indian citizens can keep updated which how the polls are performing directly through the Voter Turnout app.

Election Commission of India launches ‘Voter Turnout’ mobile app

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Second Phase - 95 Constituency Candidate List from Key Parties

On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, the Election Commission of India <a href="https://eci.gov.in/files/file/9448-general-election-to-lok-sabha-2019-notification-for-phase-2-by-mo-law-justice/">issued</a> the Lok Sabha Election 2019 second phase notification. As per the announcement made by the Election Commission of India on March 10, 2019, The 2019 Lok Sabha Elections will be conducted in 7 phases. The second phase notification pertains to the polling across the country scheduled on April 18, 2019. Among the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies of the country, 91 will go for polling on April 11, 2019 during the first phase. During the second phase of polling on April 18, 2019, a total number of 97 constituencies scattered across 13 states and union territories will go for polling. After the polling across all the 7 phases ending on May 19, 2019, the votes will be counted on May 23 and the results will be declared by the evening on the same day. Since the tenure of the government in the center will end on June 3, 2019, the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections will decide who will rule the largest democracy for the next five years. Phase-1 notification highlights As per the formal gazette notification on phase-2 of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections issued on March 19, 2019, the second phase of polling will happen on April 18, 2019 in 97 constituencies. Last date to file the nomination to contest in these constituencies will be March 26, 2019. Nomination papers will be scrutinized on March 27, 2019. Last date to withdraw the nomination is March 29, 2019 Date of polling during the second phase is April 18, 2019 Date of counting and announcement of results is scheduled on May 23, 2019 By March 29, the electors across the country will get to know the total number of candidates contesting in all of these 97 constituencies. 97 Constituencies that will go for polling during Phase-2 During phase-2 polling on April 18, 2019, all the 39 constituencies of Tamil Nadu will go to polls. There will also be bye-elections in 18 Assembly constituencies on this day clubbed with the Lok Sabha polls. Puducherry, a union territory with a single constituency will also poll on this day. The other states and constituencies that will go for polling during the second phase include 14 constituencies in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra, 8 constituencies in UP, 5 in Assam, 5 in Bihar, 5 in Odisha, 3 in Chhattisgarh, 3 in West Bengal, 2 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1 in Manipur, and 1 in Tripura. Notably, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are the three states that will see polling during all the 7 phases of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. During the second phase on polling on April 18, 2019, 8 constituencies of UP including Agra, Aligarh and Mathura will go for polling. Alongside, three constituencies in West Bengal that will include Darjeeling and 5 constituencies in Bihar will vote on this day. In Uttar Pradesh, there are totally 80 Lok Sabha seats while Bihar and West Bengal have 40 and 42 seats respectively.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Second Phase Notification

<ul><li>Tamil Nadu is going to poll for the first time in the second phase of the 2019 Parliamentary elections in India.</li></ul><ul><li>The Neduvasal hydrocarbon project and Chennai-Salem expressway project driven by the central government have faced severe public outrage. </li></ul><ul><li>The Narendra Modi government’s stance on imposing a central exam for medical college admissions has further tilted the scales in favour of its rivals.</li></ul><ul><li>While the country’s largest copper smelter operated by Sterlite has been shut by court order, the police firing that killed 14 protestors in 2018 is still fresh in the voters’ minds. </li></ul><ul><li>The blame for the shootout in Tuticorin fell on the ruling state government under AIADMK, which is now fighting the Parliamentary elections in alliance with the BJP. </li></ul>The voters of one of India’s <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/himachal-pradesh-tamil-nadu-and-kerala-top-ranking-in-sdg-index-niti-aayog/articleshow/67192585.cms">relatively developed states</a>, Tamil Nadu, are an angry lot. A series of missteps by the Narendra Modi government meant that their indignation has been directed towards the incumbent alliance between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the other side is the coalition between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Indian National Congress, the Left Front, and a set of other local parties that significance within certain segments-- either geographically or among specific sections of the electorate. While there are other regional outfits and smaller coalitions in the fray, including the iconic movie star Kamal Hasan who is making his electoral debut, almost <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019/tamil-nadu/news/tamil-nadu-poll-survey-says-dmk-front-to-get-30-33-lok-sabha-seats/articleshow/68784727.cms">all opinion polls</a> in the run up to the elections have handed a landslide to the challengers led by the DMK and Congress. There are at least four big decisions that work against the incumbent <keyword id="5013725" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIADMK-BJP-Alliance">AIADMK-BJP alliance</keyword>. A small oil field In 2015, the <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/energy/no-noble-gases-57750">Modi government approved a project to dig</a> for oil and natural gas from a 10 square kilometre field in Neduvasal, in Pudukottai district. The reason being the oil field was located in one of the more fertile parts of Tamil Nadu’s delta region around the Cauvery river. The proposal to dig for oil in the region scratched the wounds of an existing wound in the minds of the local farmers. A standoff with the neighbouring state of Karnataka over <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/a-brief-history-of-the-cauvery-dispute/tale-of-two-states/slideshow/63698683.cms">the sharing of Cauvery’s water</a> is decades old. Even after a settlement ordered by the Supreme Court, the farmers’ in Tamil Nadu’s rice bowl feel parched as well as wronged by the system. Farmers were caught by surprise when they were asked to give up their land to extract oil, while they were still hoping to their share of water to till the land. A big highway Farmers have been up in arms in five other districts too, far away from Neduvasal. The point of contention is an eight-lane expressway stretching nearly 280 kilometres west from the state capital Chennai to the industrial town of Salem. Once again the BJP has found itself in the firing line of the voters as it continues to push for the project despite stiff resistance that the party’s rivals have capitalised on. The Madras High Court on April 8 quashed the land acquisition process for the Chennai-Salem Expressway project. The challenging coalition led by Congress and the DMK have vowed to scrap the project if voted to power. A medical entrance test Seventeen-year-old Anitha, an aspiring medical student, committed suicide in September 2017 after she failed to clear the then newly-introduced medical entrance exam, that goes by the acronym NEET. The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) replaced the admission tests for medical colleges across the country with a centralised process. The <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/why-neet-election-issue-tamil-nadu-98604">people’s resentment against NEET</a> stems from the view that it puts local students, even the high-scorers, at a disadvantage because the curriculum is structured based on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is different from the state syllabus. The state administration’s high-handed approach in the wake of protests, and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/piyush-goyal-neet-tamil-nadu-bjp-aiadmk-1500468-2019-04-12">the BJP’s persistence</a> on imposing NEET, has only hurt the alliance’s chances in the state. Once again, BJP’s rivals have promised to let states decide the mode of admission into medical colleges. The <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/QgYD6W50rev6VcHmGs9GKP/NEET-protests-More-states-join-the-fight.html">protests against NEET was not unique</a> to Tamil Nadu, but the outrage in the southern state was the most severe. Tamil Nadu is known for its huge population of aspiring doctors. The state has 22 medical colleges, among the highest in the country, and 4 doctors for every 1,000 people, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/6-states-have-more-doctors-than-whos-11000-guideline/articleshow/65640694.cms">nearly at par with</a> developed countries like Norway and Sweden. Despite the enduring resentment, Tamil Nadu had the <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/education/2019/feb/03/tamil-nadu-has-the-highest-number-of-doctors-who-cleared-pg-neet-1933745.html">maximum number of students</a> clearing the NEET exam in 2019. The shootout In May 2018, The Tamil Nadu Police <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-violence-video-shows-policemen-taking-aim-and-shooting-protesters-81744">opened fire at a sea of protestors</a> outside the country’s largest copper smelter, operated by Sterlite, a Vedanta Group company. More than 10 people died in the shootout and the public anger that swelled further poured on the ruling state government led by the AIADMK. Sterlite’s plant was accused of violating pollution norms, causing fatal health issues to its workers and the population in its vicinity. Local protests against the plant have been underway in patches since 1996, and they escalated once again in 2018 leading up to the <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/editorials/tuticorin-massacre/594415.html">‘Tuticorin Massacre’</a>. Subsequent probe and judicial inquiry revealed gaping regulatory lapses, eventually leading to the closure of the plant pending investigations and corrections. The London-based Vedanta Group has been a big donor to <a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/sterlite-congress-bjp-fcra-violation-finance-bill-amendments">both the BJP and the Congress</a> between 2004 and 2015. However, BJP also found itself further on the wrong side of the debate soon after the issue came to the fore, as some of its leaders tried to colour some of the protestors as anti-social elements. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="HRajaBJP" handlename="Chowkidar H Raja" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/690063070870241280/uH8lVPNK_normal.jpg" favoritecount="668" retweetcount="333" status="Not only Thoothukudi even the protest against the 8 way highway is orchestrated by the same anti social elements. https://t.co/UcjvxjiDsV" createdat="1530593499000" id="1014008749197946880"></div>





 Going into the 2019 elections, the party is in alliance with the regional party, AIADMK, which bore the brunt of the public anger. A year on, the memory of the lethal attack on protestors is still fresh among voters, particularly in the region. As is the outrage against NEET, the Chennai-Salem expressway, and the proposed oil field in Neduvasal. The odds are heavily stacked against the AIADMK-BJP alliance. This is the first-time in decades that Tamil Nadu is going to polls without a strong, regional leader to back. Over decades, a series of larger-than-life leaders, with their share of taints, from <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/cn-annadurai-legacy-of-a-dravidian-stalwart-6007351.html">CN Annadurai</a> to <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19880115-m.g.-ramachandran-death-marks-the-passing-of-an-era-of-stability-in-tamil-nadu-796866-1988-01-15">MG Ramachandran</a> to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/karunanidhi-1924-2018/newslist/65311339.cms">M Karunanidhi</a> and <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/jayalalithaas-legacy/article9435860.ece">J Jayalalitha</a> had turned Tamil Nadu into a politically unbreachable fortress for national parties. The mandate kept passing between the DMK and AIADMK for years. However, the passing away of Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha in recent years has left a political vacuum that the national parties intended to capitalise on. Neither the BJP nor the Congress by itself has made any significant headway so far.

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