LS Polls: Third Phase Begins Across 93 Constituencies In 11 States/UTs

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The Lok Sabha's third phase kicked off at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, as voters began turning out to press the EVM button for their desired candidate in 93 constituencies spanning across 11 states and Union Territories.

New Delhi, May 7: The Lok Sabha's third phase kicked off at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, as voters began turning out to press the EVM button for their desired candidate in 93 constituencies spanning across 11 states and Union Territories.

Voting will continue till 5 p.m.

The Election Commission of India has deployed robust security measures to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and ensure a free and fair voting environment for all.

It said that around 18.5 lakh polling officials have been deployed to welcome over 17.24 crore voters - 8.85 crore males and 8.39 crore females - across 1.85 lakh polling stations.

There are over 1,300 candidates, including 120 women, in the fray.

Notable contenders include Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Gujrat's Gandhinagar, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia from Madhya Pradesh's Guna, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from West Bengal's Baharampur, where his Trinamool Congress rival is former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, Congress heavyweight and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh, Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav from Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri and Aditya Yadav (Budaun), and NCP-SP's Supriya Sule who faces her sister-in-law and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar in family borough Baramati, among others.

The polling in the third phase will mark the completion of well over the halfway mark in the Lok Sabha elections and complete the electoral process in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu's sole seat.

Polling will also take place in five seats of Bihar, five in West Bengal, 10 in UP, 9 in Madhya Pradesh and 11 in Maharashtra.

While 94 seats were slated to go to polls in the third phase, polling in J&K's Anantnag-Rajouri seat was rescheduled for the sixth phase, while it was called off in Gujarat's Surat, as the BJP candidate has been elected unopposed. However, Madhya Pradesh's Betul, where polling was due to be held in the second phase but was rescheduled due to the death of the BSP candidate, has been added.

(IANS)

10 Ukrainian Drones Suppressed In Russia's Krasnodar

by Hemanta Pande

Moscow, May 19: At least ten Ukrainian drones were suppressed overnight as they attempted to attack civilian targets in Russia's Krasnodar region, the regional operational centre said on Sunday.

The centre said on its Telegram channel that the incidents occurred in Slavyansky and Kushchevsky districts in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, causing no casualties or structural damage, Xinhua news agency reported.

"In Kushchevsky, the downing of a drone resulted in a localised fire, which was quickly contained without affecting residential areas," said the centre.

"Meanwhile, in Slavyansky, a drone fell within the territory of an oil refinery but did not cause any injuries, destruction, or fires," it added.

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Market Outlook: PMI Data, Q4 Results Key Triggers For Next Week

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, May 19: Indian equity benchmarks logged positive returns last week. Sensex and Nifty closed the week with gains of 1.85 per cent and 2.03 per cent respectively.

In the last week, broader markets were in an uptrend. Nifty Midcap hit an all-time high at 11,347 and posted the biggest weekly gain in 8 months and Nifty's small-cap closed the week at 17,009 level. Nifty Realty and Nifty Metal hit a record high this week gaining 7 per cent each.

The outlook for the market will be guided by the major domestic and global economic data such as India PMI manufacturing data, India Service Data, UK CPI Inflation Data, US Initial Jobless Claims, S&P Global Services data, and S&P Global Manufacturing PMI and Q4 corporate results.

Also, US Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to deliver a speech on Monday (May 20), which is expected to further influence market sentiments.

As per market experts, "The release of PMI data for May from both the US and India next week will be closely monitored for further market insights. Amidst ongoing uncertainties surrounding election results and quarterly earnings, we anticipate continued volatility in the near term."

Pravesh Gour, Senior Technical Analyst at Swastika Investmart Ltd, said, "Nifty closed above its crucial 20-day moving average (DMA) at 22,300, hinting at a potential bullish trend. This positive momentum could push the index towards 22,525 and even 22,750 levels."

"On the downside, 22,300 will act as the immediate support level, followed by a 100-DMA of 22050. It's important to note that the market may experience volatility in both directions" he added.(IANS)

LS Polls: Third Phase Begins Across 93 Constituencies In 11 States/UTs

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