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Tripura goes to the polls

          Agartala: Polling for two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura began on Thursday morning on a peaceful note amidst tight security measures. Voters were seen standing in queues to exercise their franchise as polling began at 7 a.m., and there were no reports of violence from any part of the state. "The voting is going on smoothly. Lots of people are participating in the process which is largely peaceful," said a voter at the polling booth. Elections are being held in the two Lok Sabha constituencies of East Tripura and West Tripura, where 1,976,503 voters would exercise their franchise to make a choice out of a total of 12 candidates. Authorities have stepped up security fearing violence in the wake of a poll-boycott call issued by the banned All Tripura Tiger Force militant outfit. Special security measures have been taken in 150 booths located in insurgency-prone areas, which are being aerially monitored to thwart any attempts by the insurgents to disrupt polling. Border outposts in the state have also been put on high alert. About 20,000 security personnel, including CRPF, Assam Rifles, Tripura State Rifles and state police have been deployed in the state. Polling was rescheduled for today from the earlier April 20 date as it coincided with the Gariah pooja of the tribals.

Repolling for 405 stations in 3 states (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday ordered repolling in 405 polling stations in Bihar, Jharkhand and Manipur. The repoll was ordered after the voting process had been vitiated due to different reasons. An EC offical said repolling would take place tomorrow in 349 polling stations in Bihar, 49 in Jharkhand and 7 more in Manipur. Yesterday, the Commission had ordered re-poll in 283 polling stations spread over Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Assam, Orissa and Manipur, besides some in Manipur.

Sonia, Priyanka to address joint rallies in Rae Bareli (Go To Top)

          Lucknow: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Vadra will address two joint rallies in Rae Bareli today. Meanwhile, Sonia's son Rahul was scheduled to undertake a road show in eastern Uttar Pradesh today, but has postponed it to Friday.

Mamata, Nafisa Ali file papers (Go To Top)

          Kolkata: Top leaders on Thursday filed their nomination papers for the remaining phases of elections, after exit polls from the first round suggested the BJP-led coalition would retain power. The first phase of polling concluded on Tuesday. Federal coal minister Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting from easten Calcutta South constituency, came in a procession alongwith hundreds of her supporters to file her nomination. Banerjee is facing a quadrangular contest as the state's ruling Left Front, Opposition Congress party and the low-caste Bahujan Samaj Party have fielded their candidates. Model-turned-politician Nafisa Ali is the Congress candidate in the constituency. In West Bengal, a left bastion for almost three decades, all the 42 constituencies vote on May 10.

          In Tamil Nadu, leaders of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) filed nominations in Chennai. The DMK, an earstwhile ally of the BJP, split with the BJP in late 2003 to float a new alliance alongwith the Congress. The BJP on its part switched loyalties to the ruling All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), arch rival of the DMK. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh, Bollywood hunks Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty added glamour to the campaign of their former colleague Jayaprada, a candidate of the Samajwadi Party.

          More than a quarter of India's electorate of 670 million voted in Tuesday's first round. Exit polls have predicted Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee-led coalition would return to power with a reduced majority. The polls said the alliance would win 260-280 seats in the Lok Sabha, or lower house. Vajpayee's coalition now holds 287 seats, with 273 required to rule. The BJP has played down its hardline Hindu image and campaigned on a feel-good platform of economic growth and peace with Pakistan. But the Congress accuses the BJP of being biased against the nation's 120 million Muslims and a threat to the country's secular traditions. Counting for all stages is on May 13 and results are expected that day.