Posted on 05/15/2014 11:01:16 PM PDT by Maelstorm
BJP has reached the half-way mark and it is for the first time since 1984 that a single party seems set to get a simple majority.
According to recent trends, NDA is leading in 321 seats while the UPA is leading in only 67 seats.
Counting of votes, the grand finale in the nine-phased Lok Sabha elections, began today across the country.
Election Commission said the counting exercise to be held at 989 counting centres is likely to be completed by 4 PM.
By noon, a final picture should emerge on who would be the major players in the 16th Lok Sabha.
Of 989 counting centres, maximum are in AP at 168 followed by 98 in West Bengal, 76 in UP, 64 in Odisha, 51 in Assam and 48 in Maharashtra.
Ahead of the counting of votes, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath had said yesterday that the large voter turnout was a result of "good" electoral rolls prepared by the poll authorities across the country.
He had said that "a lots of steps have been taken to ensure that those eligible to vote find their names in the electoral lists."
The exercise to add fresh voters was carried out even days before the first phase of polling was held on April 7.
8,251 candidates, including top guns Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal were in the fray, in the largest-ever electoral exercise held in Indian history.
While national parties -- Congress, BJP, BSP, CPI, CPI (M) and NCP -- fielded a total of 1,591 candidates, the 47 state parties fielded 529 candidates. While the over 1,600 registered but unrecognised political parties fielded 2,897 candidates, 3,234 Independents were also in the fray.
The exit polls have projected that BJP will emerge as the single largest party.
The 'ballot unit' is switched on in the presence of senior poll officials and counting agents of candidates and the result command keyed in to get results per machine.
These were the first Lok Sabha elections when the option of 'none of the above' or NOTA was introduced on the EVMs following Supreme Court directions. Before NOTA button was installed on EVMs, voters had to fill up form 49 'O' at the polling station which compromised their identity.
Seeking to ensure transparency, EC has deployed micro observers at all counting tables. The returning officers have been directed to provide printout of each counting round and every table to the counting agents of candidates.
Lok Sabha elections 2014 witnessed the highest-ever turnout with 66.38 per cent of an estimated 814 million voters exercising their franchise -- the highest ever in the history of general elections.
Hopefully the Congress Party has learned something about progressivism in its defeat. Mealy mouthed platitudes won’t take you too far. Hopeful election result.
Sounds like good news for our Indian friends.
Indeed. Looks the right in India has found a charismatic leader to rally around, giving them what was needed to beat the Gandi family cabal.
Boy, India has a weird system, the election has been spread out with different regions voting at different times.
Kinda begs the question that at what point when a country has such an enormously large population, does it make sense to divide it up into smaller, more manageable and accountable nations ? I think when you get more than 50 million, nevermind 100, it starts becoming too great a task from a practical standpoint. A billion people under one jurisdiction is simply mind-blowing. Can you imagine the U.S. at that point, 3 times our current population ?
I do question whether India is governable. That’s an idea they should consider.
Wow, this is great to see. Thanks for the heads up.
The BJP is going to reduce/do away with the recently imposed tariffs on Gold.
what idea? you just posed a question, not an idea
Time to buy India. If she can throw off the shackles of socialism she’ll shine brightly.
And 1/10th of our current wealth.
The key to this victory appears to be BJP and Modi succeeding in crushing and running not just against the corrupt establishment but also against the corrupt media. I’ve believed that should be part of the strategy of the GOP for a long time. The biggest corporate political interest is the media. People already don’t trust them and it wouldn’t be difficult to inoculate oneself by demonizing and making them a target.
Dividing the country into several smaller nations. I refer you to the post I was replying to, post #5.
That question has been open for a long, long time.
I am impressed by Idnia because it was one of the few countries that at least survived islamisation...
It’s bad enough now.
I don’t believe that’s a good idea. The population is too inter-mixed. It would end up like Eastern Europe before WWII.
Take 5 nations for instance: Punjabis, Sindhis, Nagas, Mangalorean Catholics and Keralites
Keralites and Punjabis have their defined "areas", but they are spread throughout India, so a separation of their nations would make those outside the border to be suspect
Sindhis don't have any area of their own, so what about them?
Nagas have a defined historical area, but their nation is too small and economically not able to cope on its own, plus they work outside the borders for remittances
Finally, Mangalorean Catholics are from South Canara which has 3 (or 4) different linguistic and religious groups in near equal proportion. Breaking this up is impossible or at best very bloody
Good points.
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