At least 60.9 per cent of Indians voted in the second phase of the parliamentary elections in 88 constituencies, after polling concluded in 13 states and union territories in the first two phases, India's Election Commission said on Friday.
The world’s largest democracy is carrying out a seven-phase national election to Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, which will end on June 1.
This year’s election is the second-longest in the history of the country. India took four months to complete its first general election in 1951-1952, while the operation took 39 days in 2019.
About 970 million people are eligible to vote.
In the second phase alone, more than 166 million voters were registered to vote across 13 states. There were 167,000 polling booths and 1,202 candidates in the fray.
Voters used electronic voting machines that list the candidates and symbols of their political parties. People cast their ballots by pressing the button next to their preferred candidate's name.
Among the most watched states was Kerala, which has 20 seats.
An alliance led by the Mr Gandhi's Indian National Congress swept elections in the left-ruled state during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it won 19 seats.
Mr Gandhi, leader of India's main opposition Congress party, was tested in the coastal state on Friday, where he is a parliamentarian from Wayanad constituency, a bastion of his grand-old party that has given three prime ministers to India.
He is being seen as the main challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a third term.
Winning the state is crucial for Mr Modi’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which is struggling to make inroads into southern India.
The BJP had failed to win even a single seat in Kerala in the last elections.
Voting was also held in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, in strife-torn Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir and Tripura.
There were reports of fake voting and glitches in Electronic Voting Machines in Kerala and West Bengal.
In neighbouring Karnataka state, a case was filed against Tejasvi Surya, the national president of BJP’s youth wing, for seeking votes on the ground of religion.
Mr Surya is known from his strong Hindutva rhetoric and inflammatory speeches against minorities, mainly Muslims.
Some of the prominent candidates in the fray were senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, also from Kerala, actor-turned-politicians Hema Malini and Arun Govil.
Mr Govil played the role of Hindu deity Lord Ram in Ramayan, a television show in the 1980s.
The first phase of elections took place on April 19, while the third phase is scheduled on May 7.
The BJP has launched a “Once Again Modi” campaign as the government is focusing on the agenda of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) to make the country a developed nation by 2047.
Congress is fighting the elections on promises of minimum wages, job guarantees, freedom to practise religion, and personal laws for people, particularly from religious minority communities.
Several opinion polls and media commentators are putting his party ahead of its rivals.
Meanwhile, India’s Supreme Court on Friday rejected 100 per cent cross-verification of Electronic Voting Machines EVMs with special voting verifiable machines.
The Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT are independent machines connected to some of the EVMs that print a paper slip when a voter casts their votes on the EVM.
It verifies to a voter if their vote was cast as intended for the candidate or the political party.
While the government and the ECI claim that EVMs are largely seen as tamper-proof, critics and opposition leaders often claim that the devices can be rigged.
The ECI randomly verifies the VVPAT slips of EVMs from five polling booths per assembly segment in a parliamentary constituency.
The Association for Democratic Reforms, an independent election watchdog, had filed a petition at the top court seeking 100 per cent verification of the voting machines using the VVPATs.
The petitioners had further sought measures to ensure a return to the previous method of using ballot papers for voting.
But Justice Dipankar Datta and Sanjiv Khanna had rejected all the pleas.
"We have discussed, elaborately, all protocols and technical aspects (and) we reject all pleas. Blindly distrusting a system can lead to unwarranted suspicions," the bench said.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
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Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
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