New Delhi: Ahead of the impending general elections, Islamic scholar Syed Shabbir Ahmed Nadvi has released an open letter stressing on the constitutional right and civic duty of voting. Endorsed by notable personalities such as Hazrat Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Naumani and Hazrat Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, the letter discusses the need for active participation in the electoral process and the importance of verifying one’s inclusion in the Voters’ List.

The open letter addresses key aspects of the electoral process, highlighting that failure to vote for the right candidate is equivalent to concealing testimony and may result in adverse consequences, including potential challenges to citizenship documentation and legal status.

It advocates for the election of leaders who prioritize national development, safeguard human life and property, and prevent the rise of oppressive regimes.

Syed Shabbir Ahmed Nadvi’s letter also points out the potential repercussions of neglecting the voting process, such as the weakening of evidence for Indian citizenship, termination of legal status, and the possibility of unsuitable leaders ascending to power. Specific instructions are provided for voter registration, including repeated encouragement for registration, training of volunteers, and enrollment of eligible youth.

Additionally, the open letter calls on community leaders, village officials, and intellectuals to actively support and promote voter registration initiatives. It underlines the importance of ensuring consistency in the spelling of names across various identification documents and encourages households to verify and correct entries in the Voters’ List.

The support and validation from prominent figures within the Muslim community, including Hazrat Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani Saheb and Hazrat Maulana Syed Mohammed Ashraf Sahib Kachochvi, further strengthen the call for civic engagement.

The names of the supporting and validating Ulama and intellectuals

1. Hazrat Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Naumani Saheb
   (Mohtamim Darul Uloom Deoband and Rukn Aamila Jamiat Ulema Hind)
2. Hazrat Maulana Syed Arshad Madani Saheb
   (Sadrul Mudarriseen Darul Uloom Deoband and President Jamiat Ulema Hind)
3.  Hazrat Maulana Syed Mohammed Ashraf Sahib Kachochvi
   (President of All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board)
4. Hazrat Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani Saheb
   (President All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Mohtamim Al Mahad Al Aali Islami Hyderabad)
5. Maulana Syed Mahmood Asad Madani Sahib
   (President of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Rukn Shura Darul Uloom Deoband)
6. Hazrat Maulana Sagheer Ahmad Khan Sahib
   (Ameer-e-Shariat Karnataka, Mohtamim Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad, Bangalore)
7. Hazrat Maulana Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri Saheb
   (Shaikhul Hadees Jamia Islamia Talimuddeen, Dhabel)
8. Hazrat Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Sahib
   (President of All India Jamiat Ahle-Hadith)
9. Hazrat Maulana Syed Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Saheb
   (Nazim Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow & Secretary AIMPLB)
10. Janab Saadatullah Husaini Sahib
    (Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hind)
11. Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Sufyaan Sahib Qasmi
    (Mohtamim Dar Uloom Waqf Deoband)
12. Hazrath Moulana Syed Tanveer Ahmed Hashmi Saheb
    (President, Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, Karnataka

New Delhi, Dec 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed BJP’s big win in the assembly polls as a victory for his government’s agenda of self-reliant India, asserting that its hat-trick in the states is a guarantee of its hat-trick of Lok Sabha poll wins in 2024.

“The results show popular support for our battle against corruption,” he told a crowd of cheering supporters at the BJP headquarters here, adding that they have served a lesson to the Congress and the opposition’s INDIA bloc that mere collecting some dynasts on dais may make for a good photograph but cannot win people’s confidence.

Voters have delivered a warning to these parties involved in corruption to mend their ways or people will finish them off, he said.

No one should come in between the Centre’s development and people, or the masses will remove them, Modi said in a stinging attack on opposition parties.

Some people are already saying our hat-trick in the states is a guarantee of hat-trick in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, he said.

He told opposition parties to not support those working against the country’s interests at a time when development is taking place at a fast pace.

Addressing a big gathering of BJP members, including many Union ministers, Modi said these results will ensure the world’s belief in India and infuse more confidence into global investors for the country.

It shows that people are increasingly supporting our agenda for a developed India, he said.

The world is watching that people are voting for a stable government which enjoys a strong majority, he said.

People can distinguish between selfish politics and the politics of national interest, Modi said, asserting that they have realised that a strong BJP leads to the development of the country and every family.

He reiterated that women, youth, the poor and farmers are the four biggest castes and their empowerment will lead to the country’s empowerment.

Noting that most members of Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Tribes belong to these categories, he said they have endorsed policies and roadmap presented by the BJP.

Every farmer, young voter and the poor and deprived are saying that they have won, Modi said, adding that the youth looking for a better future and every citizen wanting a developed India by 2047 is feeling successful following the poll results.

“I want to tell you with full honesty that your dream is my resolve,” he said, noting how the country’s infrastructure is undergong a transformation while its economy remains the fastest growing in the world.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed BJP’s big win in the assembly polls as a victory for his government’s agenda of self-reliant India, asserting that its hat-trick in the states is a guarantee of its hat-trick of Lok Sabha poll wins in 2024.

“The results show popular support for our battle against corruption,” he told a crowd of cheering supporters at the BJP headquarters here, adding that they have served a lesson to the Congress and the opposition’s INDIA bloc that mere collecting some dynasts on dais may make for a good photograph but cannot win people’s confidence.

Voters have delivered a warning to these parties involved in corruption to mend their ways or people will finish them off, he said.

No one should come in between the Centre’s development and people, or the masses will remove them, Modi said in a stinging attack on opposition parties.

Some people are already saying our hat-trick in the states is a guarantee of hat-trick in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, he said.

He told opposition parties to not support those working against the country’s interests at a time when development is taking place at a fast pace.

Addressing a big gathering of BJP members, including many Union ministers, Modi said these results will ensure the world’s belief in India and infuse more confidence into global investors for the country.

It shows that people are increasingly supporting our agenda for a developed India, he said.

The world is watching that people are voting for a stable government which enjoys a strong majority, he said.

People can distinguish between selfish politics and the politics of national interest, Modi said, asserting that they have realised that a strong BJP leads to the development of the country and every family.

He reiterated that women, youth, the poor and farmers are the four biggest castes and their empowerment will lead to the country’s empowerment.

Noting that most members of Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Tribes belong to these categories, he said they have endorsed policies and roadmap presented by the BJP.

Every farmer, young voter and the poor and deprived are saying that they have won, Modi said, adding that the youth looking for a better future and every citizen wanting a developed India by 2047 is feeling successful following the poll results.

“I want to tell you with full honesty that your dream is my resolve,” he said, noting how the country’s infrastructure is undergong a transformation while its economy remains the fastest growing in the world.

Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin

Hyderabad: After a close rectangular contest, Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi’s sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath triumphed the Jubilee Hills seat, defeating Mohammad Azharuddin.

In the meantime, BJP’s Lankala Deepak Reddy secured the third spot in the contest.

While the BRS reaffirmed its support to Maganti Gopinath, who has been an MLA twice before, as their candidate. Gopinath previously won as a TDP candidate in 2014. On the other hand, the Congress party selected former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, to run for the same seat. The competition became even more intriguing when the AIMIM decided to rope in Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin as their candidate from the constituency.

Anumula Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Anumula Revanth Reddy, whose political trajectory has surged from student activism with the ABVP to a brief period of incarceration amid allegations of bribery, now finds himself on the brink of a potential chief ministership.

The 56-year-old Congress leader is known among fellow politicians, partymen and people for his never-say-die attitude.

A fierce critic of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy, the Telangana Congress chief, is often the target of virulent political attacks by the BRS and the AIMIM.

The BRS leaders attack him for changing parties, with regard to the 2015 ‘cash for vote’ case in which he was arrested and for allegedly being the “agent of” TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi targets him over his ABVP background.

Reddy, who was briefly in BRS (then TRS) was first elected to a political office in 2006 when he was successful in a Zilla Parishad election. He was elected as a Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member then as an independent.

He was elected to the legislative council in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2007 as an independent.

Reddy had joined the TDP and became a confidante of party chief and former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Reddy, a graduate in arts, was elected to the Legislative Assembly on a TDP ticket in 2009 and later in 2014 when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

He faced the biggest challenge of his political life in 2015 when he was allegedly caught on camera trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote in favour of the TDP in a legislative council election.

He was sent to a jail in Hyderabad but was released after he secured bail.

Revanth Reddy lost the 2018 Assembly poll to the BRS candidate and remained in political wilderness for a while.

He quit the TDP and joined the Congress in 2017-18 in the presence of party leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 elections from Malkajgiri here, described as a ‘mini-India’ in view of the presence of people from all over the country in the constituency.

Reddy was appointed the PCC president in 2021 in spite of being a junior in the Congress. This has led to a heartburn among many seniors in the state Congress unit.

He had the unenviable task of reviving the fortunes of the Congress amid challenging circumstances and succeeded in bringing together the party leaders.

The ruling BRS was at the pinnacle of its power and glory after a resounding victory in the 2018 Assembly polls and 12 Congress MLAs joining the ruling party in 2019.

The Congress continued to face setbacks as the BJP scored major wins in the bypolls to two Assembly constituencies and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election during 2020 and 2021 after Bandi Sanjay Kumar took over the reins of the BJP in Telangana.

Undaunted, Reddy continued to lead the party in the face of stiff challenges and the Congress in Telangana saw a change in its fortunes after the Karnataka elections in May this year.

After the momentum generated following the Karnataka win, the graph of Congress rose further in Telangana in view of a perception among people and political circles about an alleged tacit understanding between the BRS and the BJP, especially with regard to allegations against MLC and CM KCR’s daughter Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case.

Reddy, a football lover, who is considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, could well become the chief minister in view of the Congress coming out on top in the Assembly polls.

Raipur: Incumbent  Chhattisgarh Chief Minister  and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has handed over his resignation to the Governor, following his party’s defeat in the state elections

Chhattisgarh CM and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel hands over his resignation to the Governor following the defeat of Congress in Chhattisgarh 

New Delhi: With the Assembly election results throwing up surprises, most exit polls got the outcome in Chhattisgarh and the scale of the BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh wrong.

Only India Today-Axis My India, Today’s Chanakya and India TV-CNX had predicted a big victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh.

Many pollsters, however, got their prediction for the Telangana and Rajasthan polls right.

The BJP tightened its stranglehold in the Hindi heartland with big victories in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh polls, while the Congress is set to oust the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) from power in Telangana.

According to the Election Commission (EC), while the BJP is projected to win 54 seats and the Congress 35 in Chhattisgarh, in Rajasthan, the saffron party is set to win 115 seats and the Congress 69.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is set to win 165 seats and the Congress 64. In Telangana, the Congress is poised to win 64 seats, the BRS 39 and the BJP eight.

Elections to five states, including Mizoram, took place between November 7 and November 30 and the counting of votes for four states was taken up on Sunday.

The poll results for Mizoram will be declared on Monday.

In Madhya Pradesh, while Dainik Bhaskar had predicted 95 to 115 seats for the BJP and 105 to 120 seats for the Congress, India Today-Axis My India had said the saffron party would get 140 to 162 seats and the Congress between 68 and 90.

India TV-CNX had also predicted a landslide victory for the BJP, pegging the number of seats at 140 to 159 and 70 to 89 for the Congress. Today’s Chanakya had predicted that the BJP would get up to 163 seats while the Congress’s tally would be between 62 and 86.

While the Jan Ki Baat exit poll had predicted that the BJP would get 100 to 123 seats and the Congress 102 to 125, Republic TV-Matrize had given 118 to 130 seats to the saffron party and 97 to 107 seats to the Congress.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had said the BJP would get 106 to 116 seats and the Congress between 111 and 121. Times Now-ETG had given 105 to 117 seats to the BJP and 109 to 125 seats to the Congress.

Jist-TIF-NAI had said the Congress had an edge in Madhya Pradesh, just like in 2018, and predicted 107 to 124 seats for the party as against the BJP’s tally of 102 to 119 seats.

In Rajasthan, India Today-Axis My India had hinted at a tight race, predicting 86 to 106 seats for the Congress, 80 to 100 seats for the BJP and nine to 18 seats for others.

While Dainik Bhaskar had given 98 to 105 seats to the BJP and 85 to 95 seats to the Congress, Jan Ki Baat had forecast that the saffron party would get 100 to 122 seats and the Congress between 62 and 85.

TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had predicted 100 to 110 seats for the BJP and 90 to 100 seats for the Congress in Rajasthan. Times Now-ETG had predicted 108 to 128 seats for the BJP and 56 to 72 seats for the Congress in the desert state.

Today’s Chanakya got it wrong, giving a simple majority to the Congress, projecting that it would get 101 seats as against the BJP’s tally of 89.

While India TV-CNX had put the Congress’s tally at 94 to 104 in the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly and the BJP’s at 80 to 90, Republic TV-Matrize had given 115 to 130 seats to the saffron party and 65 to 75 seats to the Congress.

P-MARQ pollsters gave 105 to 125 seats to the BJP and 69 to 91 seats to the Congress.

Jist-TIF-NAI had predicted that the revolving-door tradition would continue in Rajasthan and said the BJP would bag 110 seats and the Congress 70.

For Chhattisgarh, while ABP News-C Voter had predicted 41 to 53 seats for the Congress and 36 to 48 seats for the BJP in the 90-member House, India Today-Axis My India had forecast 40 to 50 seats for the Congress and 36 to 46 seats for the BJP.

India TV-CNX had forecast 46 to 56 seats for the Congress and 30 to 40 seats for the BJP.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya was off the mark in Chhattisgarh, predicting that the Congress would secure a clear majority with 57 seats (plus-minus eight) while the BJP would get 33 seats (plus-minus eight).

According to Jan Ki Baat, the BJP would get 34 to 45 seats and the Congress between 42 and 53.

Dainik Bhaskar had also predicted a Congress victory, putting the party’s tally at 46 to 55 seats as against the BJP’s 35 to 45 seats.

For Telangana, while India TV-CNX had forecast 63 to 79 seats for the Congress, 31 to 47 seats for the BRS, two to four seats for the BJP and five to seven seats for the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Jan Ki Baat had forecast that the Congress would get 48 to 64 seats, the BRS would get 40 to 55 seats, the BJP would get seven to 13 seats and the AIMIM between four and seven seats.

Republic TV-Matrize had predicted that the Congress would get 58 to 68 seats in Telangana, the BRS would get 46 to 56 seats, the BJP four to nine seats and the AIMIM five to seven seats. TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat had said the Congress would get 49 to 59 seats, the BRS 48 to 58, the BJP five to 10 and the AIMIM six to eight.

News 24-Today’s Chanakya had predicted a clear victory for the Congress, giving the party 71 seats against 33 of the BRS and seven of the BJP.

Hyderabad: Three BJP Lok Sabha members from Telangana who contested the assembly elections lost the polls on Sunday.

However, three Congress Lok Sabha members and a BRS MP, who fought the state election, emerged victorious.

BJP national general secretary and Lok Sabha member Bandi Sanjay Kumar lost from Karimnagar, while the BJP’s Nizamabad MP D Arvind was defeated in Koratla.

Another BJP Lok Sabha member from Adilabad Soyam Bapu Rao lost the assembly election from the Boath constituency.

State Congress president A Revanth Reddy, who is the Lok Sabha member from Malkajgiri, won from Kodangal. He also contested from Kamareddy seat but lost.

Congress Lok Sabha members Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and N Uttam Kumar Reddy won from Nalgonda and Huzurnagar, respectively.

BRS Lok Sabha member from Medak Kotha Prabhakar Reddy won from the Dubbak assembly segment.

As results emerge out of the states of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, it’s bricks and bouquets for the two key parties — the BJP and the Congress. 

The Congress is making a comeback in Telangana and is likely to retain Chhattisgarh. However, voters in Rajasthan and MP seem to have gone with the BJP, according to the latest trends.

Many stories are set to be written during the course of counting day.

Counting of votes in the assembly elections, which is being seen as a semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, began at 8 am. 

If Telangana, India’s newest state, votes out KCR who spearheaded its creation, it will be a tale of the fall of a leader who once could do no wrong.

In Madhya Pradesh, on the line is the fate of the BJP’s longest-serving CM. Also, waiting to know his destiny is Kamal Nath, as seasoned a politician as they come.

In Chhatisgarh, it is Bhupesh ‘the great survivor’ Baghel, who will be keen to return to power. Then there is Raman Singh, the ex-CM from BJP, who is seeking redemption by leading his party to a win.

Finally, let’s not forget Rajasthan, where Ashok Gehlot will hope to cock a snook at everybody once again. The state has never voted back a party to power. Gehlot believes he can buck that trend.

Mizoram, which voted on November 7, will see its results counted on December 4 — a day after it was originally scheduled. The Election Commission altered the date for tallying votes, citing the significance of Sunday for the predominantly Christian population in the state.

Chhindwara/Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Congress president Kamal Nath on Friday voted in their respective constituencies after polling began in the state in the morning.

Chouhan along with his wife Sadhna Singh and their two sons cast their votes in village Jait, part of the Budhni assembly seat in Sehore district, from where he is a BJP candidate.

Before heading to the polling booth, Chouhan offered prayers at a temple in the village.

Nath, his son and Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath and daughter-in-law also cast their votes at Shikarpur in the Sausar assembly seat of Chhindwara district, the home turf of the state Congress chief. Nath is the Congress candidate from Chhindwara assembly seat.

Prominent among those who voted early in the polls also include home minister Narottam Mishra, sports and youth welfare minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, industries minister Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, former minister and Congress leader Jitu Patwari and MP’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s son and former minister Jaivardhan Singh, who is contesting from Raghogarh, also cast his ballot along with his family members.

Polling began at 7 am across all 230 constituencies, including 47 reserved for ST and 35 for the SC, in the state, a poll official said. A total of 2,533 candidates, including 2,280 males, 252 females and one third gender person, are in the fray.

“Ladli Behnas are turning out in large numbers to vote across the state,” Sharma said, referring to the BJP government’s flagship Ladli Behna’ scheme.

Voting will continue till 6 pm in all the polling stations except those in Naxalite-affected areas of Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori districts where it will end at 3 pm, the official said.

At a polling booth in Datia district, poll officials made arrangements for voting in candlelight after the power supply was interrupted. It was restored after about 10 minutes, an eyewitness said.

A total of 64,626 polling stations have been set up in the state. Among these, 64,523 are main booths and 103 associate (sahayak) stations, where the number of electors is more than 1,500, CEO Anupam Rajan said.

As many as 5,60,58,521 voters, including 2,87,82,261 males, 2,71,99,586 females and 1,292 third gender persons, are eligible to exercise their franchise. The total number of voters also includes service and overseas electors, Rajan informed.