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While pushing the EVM button, the voters who turned up in large numbers at the polling booths in the first phase of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, overwhelmingly showed their choice and preference for the INDIA bloc and especially Congress. However, they were fairly sceptical of the final result of their democratic exercise, wondering if it was indeed free and fair. Would their vote preference be accurately recorded, or will the final count favour the BJP candidates irrespective of the actual voting pattern. Everyone fears that the Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar will preside over the undue favouring of respective BJP candidates in most seats, whether or not the voters gave him/her the democratic mandate. The INDIA bloc, people fear, would not pass the trial by the unreliable EVM.

The historic fourth Bitcoin halving event came at 00.09 UTC on Saturday (05.39 am IST on Sunday) when the Bitcoin network posted its 840,000th block. The highly-anticipated moment embarks the cryptocurrency industry on a new phase when mining rewards for minting new blocks on Bitcoin are reduced to half. Before the halving, miners were receiving 6.25 BTC for each new block minted on the Bitcoin network. Now, it is reduced to 3.125 BTC. It means miners, who play a critical role in verifying transactions on the Bitcoin network, will receive less for their work.

Tamil Nadu with 39 seats went to the Lok Sabha polls in the first phase on April 19. The DMK supremo chief minister M K Stalin is fully confident in sweeping the polls in 2024 just like 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It was Stalin and Stalin alone who led the DMK headed INDIA front in the rigorous campaign in the last few weeks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday tweeted the BJP had received a "great response" in the first phase of polling in which 60 percent of the electorate voted. It is news Prime Minister Modi considers 60 percent “record numbers”. Modi-bhakt journos did not share the same enthusiasm. One of them settled for the easy way out: Opposition vote-banks did not turn up in good numbers at polling booths because they knew a Modi victory was inevitable.

It is irrefutable fact that women are not getting their dues in India, though we have been hearing PM Narendra Modi’s big talks of women welfare under his premiership. Now in a bid to attract women voters he has assuring a new chapter in rise of women power in his third term.

The Bangladesh government has garnered significant experience in countering insurgency activities in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT). Through operations like ‘Operation Dabanal’ the Bangladesh Armed Forces have effectively neutralized separatist armed groups. After the peace treaty, to date, ‘Operation Uttaron’ has aimed to uphold law and order and improve the living standards of the Jumma people.

NEW YORK: "De-escalation” is probably the most repeated word in television news broadcasts and newspaper commentary columns over the past 48 hours. But is anyone doing any actual de-escalating?

Congress is well set to win majority of the 14 Karnataka Lok Sabha seats that are scheduled for poll in the second phase of Lok Sabha election on April 26. . For the BJP, the campaigning in this southern state is showing acute factionalism and open fighting among the senior leaders. As against this, the Congress is solidly united under the dual leadership of the chief minister and the deputy chief minister.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is no mistaking it. The Left Democratic Front(LDF) has a clear edge in the election campaign for the Lok Sabha from Kerala. No wonder, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is seeing a pro-LDF wave in the State. Almost all pre-poll survey have also predicted LDF victory in majority of 20 seats in Kerala scheduled for polling on April 26.

If the mood of the common people is any indicator, it can safely be said that the Bihari voters do not appear to have rejected the five pillars of justice (nyay patra) of Rahul Gandhi. But of course, what has badly struck the people is the utter lack of initiative and showing least interest in electioneering by the state Congress leaders.