New Delhi, September 8 – Members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will cast their votes on Tuesday, September 9, to decide between C. P. Radhakrishnan and B. Sudarshan Reddy for the post of India’s next Vice President. Voting will take place from 10 am to 5 pm in Room F-101, Vasudha, Parliament House, with results expected by the evening.

Radhakrishnan, the ruling National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate, is pitted against the opposition’s joint nominee Sudarshan Reddy. The electoral college comprises 233 elected Rajya Sabha members (with five seats currently vacant), 12 nominated Rajya Sabha members, and 543 elected Lok Sabha members (with one seat vacant), bringing the total strength to 781 out of 788.

As per agency report, both candidates hail from southern India, with Radhakrishnan representing Tamil Nadu and Reddy from Telangana. The election was necessitated after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned during the recent monsoon session citing health reasons, even though his term had two years remaining.

Numerically, the NDA candidate enjoys a clear advantage, but Reddy has framed the contest as an ideological battle, urging lawmakers to view their vote as a choice for India’s democratic spirit rather than party loyalty.

Radhakrishnan belongs to the influential Gounder OBC community in Tamil Nadu and has a background in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He served as Governor of Jharkhand in 2023 before being transferred to Maharashtra in 2024. Known for his low-profile approach, he largely avoided controversial public comments as governor, in contrast to his predecessor Dhankhar. First elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore in 1998 and re-elected in 1999, he has long experience in public life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently praised Radhakrishnan’s simplicity and dedication to service, remarking that while he may enjoy sports, he refrains from playing political games.

Sudarshan Reddy, meanwhile, is a former Supreme Court judge and has served as Lokayukta of Goa. He is also a trustee board member of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad. His judicial record has drawn political fire, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticizing his role in the Salwa Judum judgment, accusing him of indirectly supporting Naxalism. Reddy responded by stressing that the ruling was a decision of the Supreme Court, not his alone, and urged Shah to read the full judgment before making remarks.

On Sunday, Reddy appealed to MPs not to let party allegiance dictate their vote, but to elect him in order to uphold the Rajya Sabha as a true temple of democracy. The contest, though numerically tilted toward the NDA, is expected to carry symbolic weight in reflecting the balance between ideology and majority politics.

New Delhi, March 28 : The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs 22,919 crore for the manufacturing of non-semiconductor electronic components, aiming to boost domestic production and reduce import dependency.

Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the scheme is expected to generate direct employment for around 91,600 people and attract investments of approximately Rs 59,350 crore.

This marks the government’s first targeted initiative to promote the domestic manufacturing of passive electronic components. These components, essential for regulating electrical currents, do not generate or amplify energy on their own but are vital for the functioning of various electronic systems.

Vaishnaw stated that the PLI scheme for electronic components will be implemented over six years and is designed to meet the growing demand from sectors such as telecommunications, consumer electronics, automotive, medical devices, and the power industry. The scheme is projected to lead to a total production output of Rs 4.56 lakh crore.

According to industry body Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), the production of non-semiconductor electronic components in India was valued at around USD 13 billion in 2022. This figure is expected to rise to USD 20.7 billion by 2026 and could touch USD 37 billion by 2030.

ELCINA has also warned that without adequate government support, the segment could face a cumulative trade deficit of USD 248 billion (approximately Rs 21 lakh crore) by 2030, which would need to be met through imports. To address this challenge, the association had previously recommended a support package of USD 8.57 billion (around Rs 72,500 crore) to reduce this projected deficit by Rs 12.36 lakh crore over the next six years.

The newly approved scheme is seen as a significant step toward strengthening India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem and positioning the country as a global hub for component production.

New Delhi, December 12 – The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the introduction of bills aimed at implementing the "One Nation, One Election" initiative. This move follows recommendations made by a high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which were accepted by the Cabinet in September.

The committee outlined ten key recommendations to facilitate simultaneous elections across the country:

Key Recommendations:

1. Legal Mechanism: The government should establish a legally acceptable framework to reinstate the cycle of simultaneous elections.

2. First Phase Implementation: Conduct simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all State Assemblies in the first phase.

3. Second Phase: Conduct municipal and panchayat elections within 100 days of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.

4. Designated Date: The first sitting date of the Lok Sabha after a general election will be notified by the President as the "designated date" for synchronization purposes.

5. Unified Term Adjustment: Following the "designated date," the term of all State Assemblies formed through elections will align with the Lok Sabha’s full term, requiring a one-time adjustment.

6. Mid-Term Elections: In cases of no majority or a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, fresh elections may be conducted. The new Lok Sabha will serve only the remainder of the original term.

7. Shortened Lok Sabha Terms: New Lok Sabha terms will be limited to the time remaining in the original term if mid-term elections occur.

8. State Assembly Terms: New State Assemblies elected mid-term will continue until the full term of the current Lok Sabha, unless dissolved earlier.

9. Unified Voter System: The Election Commission, in consultation with State Election Commissions, will prepare a single voter list and implement uniform voter photo identity cards (EPICs).

10. Logistical Preparedness: The Election Commission will plan and procure necessary resources, including Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) devices, and ensure adequate deployment of polling personnel and security forces.

This landmark initiative aims to streamline the electoral process, reduce costs, and enhance governance efficiency. However, it has sparked debates among political parties and experts regarding its feasibility and implications for federalism.

New Delhi, June 16 (HS): A news and a tweet once again started a debate on EVM machines on the Internet on Sunday. After temporarily retreating from the race of issues after the results, EVM has again come to the fore as an issue.

X owner Elon Musk tweeted in which he said that "we should completely remove EVMs. Even a slight possibility of it being hacked by humans or AI is too much." His statement was in local context but caused a debate on social media in India.

Former union Minister Rajiv Chandrashekhar said that it is a common statement that no one can make secure digital hardware and it is wrong. Elon Musk's idea may be applicable in America and other places - where they use regular compute platforms to make voting machines connected to the Internet. But Indian EVMs are custom designed, secure and isolated from any network or media - no connectivity, no Bluetooth, WiFi, Internet. That is, there is no way in it. Factory programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed. Electronic voting machines can be designed and manufactured exactly as India has done. "We would be happy to run a tutorial for Elon," he added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared Elon Musk's tweet and said that EVMs in India are a "black box" and no one is allowed to check them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. When there is a lack of accountability in institutions, democracy becomes a sham and becomes a victim of fraud.

New Delhi, May  —  In the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, 49 constituencies across eight states will go to the polls on Monday. Voting will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM, with over 94,000 polling stations ready to accommodate 8.95 crore voters.

This phase includes 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 5 in Bihar, 3 in Jharkhand, 13 in Maharashtra, 5 in Odisha, 7 in West Bengal, 1 in Jammu and Kashmir, and 1 in Ladakh. Additionally, voting will also occur for 35 assembly seats in Odisha. The election campaign for this phase concluded on Saturday evening, with 695 candidates contesting the 49 Lok Sabha seats. Of these, 39 seats are unreserved, three are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, and seven for Scheduled Castes. In Odisha, 21 of the 35 assembly constituencies are unreserved, while 8 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and 6 for Scheduled Castes.

Out of the 8.95 crore voters, 4.69 crore are male, 4.26 crore are female, and 5,409 are third-gender voters. Notably, there are over 7.81 lakh voters aged above 85 years, 24,792 voters over 100 years, and 7.03 lakh voters with disabilities, who have been given the option to vote from home.

Key constituencies in this phase include Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran, and Hajipur in Bihar; Chatra, Koderma, and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand; Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, and Mumbai South in Maharashtra; Bargarh, Sundergarh, Bolangir, Kandhamal, and Aska in Odisha; Mohanlalganj, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, Kaiserganj, and Gonda in Uttar Pradesh; Bangaon, Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Shrirampur, Hooghly, and Arambag in West Bengal; Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir; and the Ladakh seat.

Significant contests include Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli and BJP leader Smriti Irani from Amethi, with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh contesting from Lucknow. In Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi faces off against the NDA, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North, advocate Ujjwal Nikam from Mumbai North-Central against Congress' Varsha Gaikwad, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde contesting against Shiv Sena's Vaishali Darekar Rane from Kalyan. In Bihar, RJD leader Lalu Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya is contesting from Saran, and Chirag Paswan is the candidate from Hajipur. National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah is contesting from Baramulla.

With voting on Monday, two phases will remain, scheduled for May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes for all phases will take place on June 4. Voting for 379 seats across 23 states and union territories has already been completed in the first four phases of the general elections.

Delhi, May 18 (HS): In the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, voting will be held on May 25 for 58 seats in eight states and union territories including Delhi, Haryana. 889 candidates are in the fray in this phase. There is also an Anantnag-Rajouri seat, where voting will be held in the sixth phase instead of the third phase.

According to the Election Commission, 1978 nominations were received for 57 Lok Sabha seats in seven states including Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand. Voting for Anantnag-Rajouri seat of the union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is now being conducted in the sixth phase on May 25 instead of May 7. May 6 was the last date of nomination for the sixth phase. After scrutiny of all the nominations, 900 nominations were found valid. 28 nominations were made on Anantnag seat, out of which 21 were found valid.

In the sixth phase, maximum 470 nominations have been received for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh. After this, 370 nominations have been made for 10 seats in Haryana. 70 nominations were received for Ranchi Lok Sabha seat and 69 nominations were received for North East Delhi seat. On an average, 15 candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Talking about state-wise figures, 86 for 8 seats in Bihar, 223 for 10 in Haryana, 20 for 1 in Jammu and Kashmir, 93 for 4 seats in Jharkhand, 162 for 7 seats in Delhi, 6 seats in Odisha. 64 candidates are in the fray for Uttar Pradesh, 162 for 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 69 candidates for 8 seats in West Bengal.

Lucknow, 18 May (HS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will face six contenders for his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh's seventh and final phase of election, which begins on June 1. In the seventh phase of election in Uttar Pradesh, 144 candidates compete for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Purvanchal. UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said here on Saturday that 317 contestants have submitted nominations for 13 Lok Sabha seats in the seventh phase. Following the inspection and withdrawal of nominations, 144 individuals are presently in the running. He stated that Ghosi has the most applicants (28), followed by Deoria and Varanasi, which have the fewest (7 each).

There are eight candidates in Maharajganj, thirteen in Gorakhpur, nine in Kushinagar, eight in Bansgaon (SC), nine in Salempur, thirteen in Ballia, ten in Ghazipur, Chandauli, and Mirzapur, and twelve in Robertsganj (SC). In Sonebhadra district, there are six candidates running for the Duddhi Assembly by-election.

Ahmedabad : Gujarat is all set for polling on May 7 for 25 Lok Sabha seats, excluding Surat, and 5 assembly by-elections. The Election Commission has completed preparations, ensuring EVMs and staff reach all 50,787 polling stations by Monday evening.

Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat, P. Bharti, confirmed the completion of EVM and VVPAT commissioning, as well as the distribution of voter information slips. Among the polling stations, 182 have been designated as model polling stations, with 7 Sakhi polling centers staffed entirely by women and a youth polling station. Additionally, 13,600 polling stations have been identified as sensitive, requiring 10 SRP companies for critical areas and 1.20 lakh policemen on standby.

Precautions are being taken for the expected heatwave, with temperatures forecasted around 40 degrees Celsius. Polling booths are being equipped with pavilions, and voters are advised to follow National Disaster Management Authority guidelines, including staying hydrated and voting early.

Gujarat has seen an increase of 6.58 lakh new voters since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, bringing the total number to 4 crore 96 lakh 22 thousand 162, with 2 crore 55 lakh 43 thousand 670 male voters, 2 crore 40 lakh 76 thousand 974 female voters, and 1518 third gender voters.

Surat is set for the Navsari-Bardoli Lok Sabha elections scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot announced heightened security measures, including the deployment of paramilitary forces, to ensure a safe and smooth voting process.

District Collector and Election Officer Dr. Saurabh Parghi confirmed the dispatch of all necessary election materials from the polling dispatching center to the polling centers. He assured that voting will be conducted for the Navsari and Bardoli seats in various areas of Surat city. All voters have received their election slips, and EVMs, VVPATs, and other materials have been sent to the polling centers.

At a joint press conference, Commissioner Gehlot stated that the police force, from top officers to the entire staff, is fully prepared for the elections. Adequate security measures have been implemented around the polling stations to prevent any untoward incidents.

For the Navsari Lok Sabha constituency, Surat has allocated a total of 4266 police personnel, including one SRP platoon and 1966 home guards. Similarly, for the Bardoli Lok Sabha constituency, an estimated 2200 police personnel will be on duty, along with CRPF personnel.

All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure a peaceful and efficient voting process in Surat tomorrow.

As the Lok Sabha elections progress, voters across the country are receiving a drop of blue ink on their left finger after casting their votes. This ink, used to prevent duplicate voting, is a product of Mysore Paint and Varnish Limited, and it comes with an interesting cost and chemical composition.

Developed by scientists of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at the National Physical Laboratory in 1952, the ink formula was later patented by the National Research Development Corporation. Currently, one bottle of this ink, containing 10 ml, costs Rs 127, making the price of one drop approximately Rs 12.70. A one-liter bottle, priced at Rs 12,700, can mark up to 700 fingers.

Despite its small price, this ink is not available for retail purchase. It can only be procured by government or election-related agencies. Since 1962, Mysore Paint and Varnish Limited has been the sole authorized supplier of this ink in India under a special license granted by the National Research Development Corporation, in agreement with the Election Commission, the Union Law Ministry, and the National Physical Laboratory.

The ink's composition includes silver nitrate, which reacts with the salt in the body to form silver chloride, turning black on contact. This reaction is irreversible and cannot be washed off with water or soap. Additionally, the ink dries in less than 40 seconds due to its alcohol content.

This ink, first used during the 1962 Lok Sabha elections, is not limited to India; it is also supplied to more than 25 countries, including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, South Africa, and Maldives.

Voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 13 for 96 seats in 10 states and union territories. A total of 1717 candidates are contesting in this phase, after 253 candidates withdrew their nominations.

In Andhra Pradesh, all 25 seats will go to polls, including constituencies like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati. Bihar will see voting in five seats, including Begusarai and Darbhanga. Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir will also vote on May 13.

Madhya Pradesh will witness voting in eight seats, including Indore and Ujjain. Jharkhand will have voting in four constituencies. Maharashtra will vote in 11 seats, including Pune and Aurangabad. Odisha will see voting in four seats.

In Telangana, all 17 seats will go to polls, including Hyderabad and Nizamabad. Uttar Pradesh will vote in 13 seats, including Kanpur and Sitapur. West Bengal will see voting in eight seats, including Asansol and Krishnanagar.

The average number of candidates per constituency in this phase is 18. The Election Commission has made extensive arrangements for smooth conduct of elections, ensuring the participation of millions of voters across these regions.

The third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Gujarat is scheduled for May 7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Gujarat to cast his vote at Nishan Vidyalaya in Ranip, Ahmedabad. Voting for all 25 seats (26 with one unopposed) in Gujarat will take place simultaneously.

Prime Minister Modi, who is a voter in the Ranip area of Ahmedabad, falls under the Sabarmati assembly constituency, which is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP's candidate for the Gandhinagar seat is Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and former Chief Minister Anandben Patel will cast their votes in Sheelj village of Ahmedabad. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will vote in Naranpura.

With two phases of Lok Sabha elections already completed in the country, the third phase will see voting across Gujarat, with the Prime Minister participating in the democratic process in his parliamentary constituency.