Prospects for a strong economic rebound in India are dim as industry remains weak, and although a business-friendly opposition party looks likely to form a new government, its ability to pass sweeping reforms is in doubt, a Reuters poll showed.
The Gujarat chief minister's wealth is Rs 68 lakh higher than his main opponent AAP's Arvind Kejriwal who on Wednesday declared his individual assets at Rs 96.25 lakh. However, the former Delhi chief minister and his wife Sunita together have higher movable and immovable assets worth Rs 2.14 crore.<br />
High voter enthusiasm today marked the sixth phase of polling covering 117 constituencies spread across 12 states as the race to the Lok Sabha crossed the half-way mark with stakes high for Congress and BJP.<br />
Nearly 15 percent turnout was recorded in the first few hours in 19 seats across Maharashtra in the third and final phase of elections in the state today with the tribal-dominated Nandurbar recording the highest 20.60 percent polling.<br />
The biggest challenge for India's next government, due to take charge after election results in May, will be to pull the economy out of its deepest slump in decades.<br />
NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has hoped that the new prime minister will "not worry" about a "few industrialists" and run a government that thinks for the poor.
He has also said land deals between the Gujarat government and various corporates have not been appropriately done as farmers were not adequately compensated and they should also be investigated
A final set of opinion polls predicted a strong showing by the BJP and its allies in Tamil Nadu in the south and West Bengal in the east that could make it less dependent on the two women who rule those states and who have in the past proved to be fickle coalition partners.<br />
Around 75 professors and other academics of Indian origin working at some of Britain's prestigious institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford universities and London School of Economics today issued an open letter, sharply attacking Narendra Modi and saying, "The idea of Modi in power fills us with dread".<br />
In his affidavit filed along with nomination papers for the Lok Sabha election from this constituency, the AAP supremo also mentioned about six cases that are pending against him in various courts.<br />
Of the 117 seats, the Congress has 37 while the BJP has 24
The study, conducted by think-tank CMS, comes at a time when various political parties are accusing each other of using alleged black money in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, which began on April 7 and will continue till May 12.<br />
He faces criminal charges, including attempted murder in a case dating back to 2007, and has close links with a jailed mining tycoon from the southern Indian town where the scandal has put thousands of miners out of work.
According to the list on my.aamaadmiparty.org, the candidate receiving the highest donation (by total value) so far is - no surprises for guessing - Arvind Kejriwal. Contesting from Varanasi, where he will fight the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Kejriwal has attracted about Rs 52 lakh in donations from 1,464 donor contributions to his campaign.<br />
If the Modi juggernaut currently looks unstoppable, it is because of effective marketing. This is not something for political parties to be ashamed of. It is what makes them tick.
So far, the AAP has received nearly Rs 30 crore as donations, even though it had hoped to raise around Rs 100 crore.
Some of the top business leaders and trade associations today came out in support of the Union Minister of State for Telecom and sitting MP from Mumbai South, Milind Deora, who is seeking a third term from the constituency
As American media reports on the sounds, colours and smells of India's crucial parliamentary election, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is the flavour of the season.
Hema Malini is contesting from the Mathura constituency in Uttar Pradesh. She has declared assets worth over Rs 178 crore.
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the average assets per candidate contesting from phase 1 to 5 of the Lok Sabha elections is Rs 5.83 crore.
The study says emergence of new tools like social media for reaching out to voters have also led to political parties hiring specialised agencies to handle their poll campaign.<br />
Amit Shah, Modi's campaign manager in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh, was banned from election rallies and meetings this month after making speeches deemed to have stirred tensions with minority Muslims.<br />
Election officials have seized a record $36 million dollars of cash concealed in cars, private planes and even ambulances that they say was destined to buy off voters and pay for expenses over and above the spending limit.<br />
An estimated 116 million people voted peacefully Thursday in the critical sixth round of parliamentary election to pick 121 MPs from 12 states, officials said.
Voting on Thursday is taking place in 120 constituencies across 12 states, from the fractious Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir - where election materials had to be airlifted to some remote polling stations - to the lush state of Karnataka whose capital is the IT and outsourcing hub Bangalore.<br />
CNBC-TV18, India's leading business news channel, has tied up with the country's largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services for its newly launched app, iElect, which helps users gain social insights into the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
The notice is over charges that GMR Aviation "falsified pre-flight breath analyzer (BA) tests" that are mandatory for Special Protection Group (SPG) protectees.<br />
Election officials have seized a record $36 million dollars of cash concealed in cars, private planes and even ambulances that they say was destined to buy off voters and pay for expenses over and above the spending limit.