Aiden Randall

The top leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the Congress for skipping TV debates in the wake of exit polls, saying that it might be wise for the party to “stay in their bunkers” on June 4. Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Congress has been in a “denial mode” since he began playing a key role in its affairs. “Exit polls have been happening for a long time but, because of the defeat, they don’t know how to explain and that’s why they are boycotting. Since Rahul Gandhi has taken charge of Congress, they are in denial mode,” Shah said. “The BJP has lost many polls but has never boycotted the media or exit polls,” he added. BJP president J P Nadda claimed that the Congress’ decision to not participate in exit poll debates amounts to an “unequivocal confirmation” that the opposition party has conceded the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.  In a post on X, he asked voters not to waste their votes in the seventh and last ...

  Kolkata: Polling is underway for the nine Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal in the seventh phase on Saturday, marked by reports of violence and tension across various areas. Clashes were reported in the Satuliya area in Bhangar, within the Jadavpur constituency near Kolkata, between the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and CPI(M) supporters. The confrontation led to several injuries among ISF members, exacerbated by the presence of country-made bombs. In Kultali, South 24 Parganas district, an angry mob forced its way into polling stations, seizing an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and throwing it into a nearby pond. This incident occurred after some polling agents were allegedly barred from entering the booths, prompting local residents to retaliate by seizing the EVM equipped with Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and discarding it. "Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-...

 In the early hours of May 19, two IT professionals tragically lost their lives in Kalyani Nagar, Pune, when a Porsche, purportedly driven by an inebriated minor, collided with their two-wheeler. The 17-year-old minor has been remanded to an observation home, while his father, realtor Vishal Agarwal, and grandfather, Surendra Agarwal, have been apprehended. They stand accused of allegedly abducting the family's driver and coercing him to shoulder the blame for the incident. Earlier on Friday, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) granted permission to the police to investigate the minor reportedly implicated in the Porsche collision that resulted in the deaths of two tech professionals, PTI reported. The police had submitted a request to the JJB, seeking authorization to conduct an inquiry into the 17-year-old who is presently detained in the observation home. “The hearing took place before the JJ board and it allowed our plea," said Shailesh Balkawade, Additional Commissioner of P...

  Voting for the final and seventh phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections began at 7 am on Saturday, marking the conclusion of the largest democratic exercise of electing the 543 representatives for the 18th Lok Sabha. As many as 57 constituencies (General- 41; ST- 03; SC-13) across eight states and Union Territories are voting to decide the fate of 904 candidates. Polling for 42 assembly constituencies of the Odisha Legislative Assembly is also taking place simultaneously on Saturday....Read More The states and union territories where polling is being held in the 7th phase are Bihar (8/40 seats), Himachal Pradesh (4/4), Jharkhand (3/14), Odisha (6/21), Punjab (13/13), Uttar Pradesh (13/80), West Bengal (9/42) and the Chandigarh Union territory. As voting closes, it would mark a grand finish to world’s largest polling marathon that began on April 19 and already covered 6 phases and 486 Lok Sabha seats. Several key candidates are in the fray in the seventh phase, including Prime Mini...