🗳️ Indians have officially begun voting for the Lok Sabha elections | 🟠 DD News goes saffron
The great Indian polls have begun with 102 seats across 17 states and 4 union territories going to polls today; and how many times is too many when it comes to turning things saffron?
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India has officially entered the polling phase
The Lok Sabha elections are off to a fervent start. Nearly 60% voter turnout has been registered in the Phase 1 Lok Sabha Polls held across 21 states and union territories like Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
While the NDA bloc is fighting 77 out of the 102 seats, the INDIA bloc has put up 114 candidates, resulting in more than one INDIA bloc candidate in 12 seats, highlighting internal contests within the coalition.
Courtesy: NDTV
Key events: West Bengal witnessed violence with stone pelting and the recovery of a bomb from a BJP candidate’s house. Blame-game erupted between TMC and BJP over the violence. Despite the violence, West Bengal recorded a 77.57% voter turnout which is the highest amongst the states voting in the first phase today.
In Manipur, there was gunfire near a polling booth leading to injuries and reports of alleged booth capturing and widespread voter intimidation and manipulation by the Meiti activist group Arambai Tengol, purportedly in support of the BJP.
In Tamil Nadu, two voters died after casting their vote possibly due to health concerns.
Bird's eye view: In Uttar Pradesh, contests are expected to be three-way between the NDA, opposition INDIA bloc, and BSP, with a significant Muslim electorate influencing outcomes in several constituencies.
West Bengal is poised for a BJP vs TMC showdown, especially in the northern constituencies of Coochbehar, Alipurduars, and Jalpaiguri. The BJP aims to retain its 2019 wins, while the TMC seeks to build on its 2021 Assembly election gains.
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP is attempting to create a base by allying with regional parties like the PMK to appeal to caste-based electorates, while in Bihar, the BJP faces a challenge from the RJD-led INDIA bloc, particularly after the latter's strong showing in the 2020 assembly polls.
With polls being held in Jammu and Kashmir, this will be a litmus test for BJP's claims of development post revocation of Article 370.
2019 performance: A total of 102 seats are going for polls today. In 2019, BJP had contested only 56 of these seats and won 39. The Congress had contested 63 and won just 15.
But when Assembly leads are analysed, it shows that the INDIA bloc leads in 55 seats of the total 102 seats compared to 42 for the NDA. While INDIA partners have lost some ground in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, they stand to gain as many as nine Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan and two seats in Madhya Pradesh.
Key seats to watch out for: In Maharashtra’s Nagpur, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking reelection from Nagpur where he faces Congress's Vikas Thakre.
In Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, a former IPS officer and the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit chief, is contesting from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, against DMK's Ganapathy P Rajkumar.
Former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has resigned to contest as a BJP candidate from Chennai South.
In West Bengal, INDIA bloc confronts challenges, particularly in areas where the BJP has gained ground. For instance, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) faces tough competition from both the BJP and a loose coalition of Left parties and Congress. Here’s an analysis:
In Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara, Nakul Nath, son of Kamal Nath, is contesting against BJP's Vivek Bunty Sahu in a bid to keep the Congress's stronghold.
In Assam's Dibrugarh, Former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal faces competition from Asom Jatiya Parishad's Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
In Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur, Union Minister Jitendra Singh is being challenged by Congress's Choudhury Lal Singh and DPAP's GM Saroori.
In Uttar Pradesh, Congress turncoat Jitin Prasada is contesting from Pilibhit against candidates from the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
Clip du jour
This video of a Congress election rally in Maharashtra, using a fake SRK
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DD News goes saffron
Doordarshan News has introduced a new saffron logo. The logo change from ruby red to saffron comes just before the Lok Sabha Election 2024, drawing criticism from social media users who question the timing and the potential violation of the Moral Code of Conduct.
The new logo's colour is not only a part of India's national flag but is also the predominant colour of the ruling BJP's party flag, making the timing of the change controversial.
Prasar Bharati, who leads Doordarshan, had earlier decided to revamp its television channels and has been allocated a significant budget for broadcasting infrastructure upgrades, including plans for an OTT platform.
Reactions:
Too much saffron? In July 2023, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav revealed that the new colour for the Vande Bharat Express would be saffron, inspired by the Indian national flag.
Of note: DD was recently caught in a controversy for broadcasting the movie, 'The Kerala Story'. Kerala's CM called out the network for potentially promoting a communal agenda. He urged the government to avoid using Doordarshan to criticize Kerala, citing an earlier instance when the network aired the Ram Temple Inauguration, a non-government event, in January.
ICYMI
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