To manage post-election violence, nearly 400 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies (over 40,000 personnel) will remain in West Bengal until June 19. A significant portion of the CAPFs will consist of the Central Reserve Police Force, reported ANI. 

 Voting is underway on Monday in the biennial elections to six seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council from teachers' and graduates' constituencies. Seventy-eight contestants are in the fray. Counting of votes will be held on June 6.In the 75-member Upper House, the Congress has 29 members.

More women exercised their franchise than men during the four phases of Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand, Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said on Sunday. He cited reasons behind higher women turnout to active participation by them, besides migration of men. Of the 2.58 crore voters in the state, 1.7 crore cast their votes in the 14 Lok Sabha seats to decide the electoral fate of 244 candidates. Of the 1.7 crore voters, 87.11 lakh were women and 83.85 lakh were men, he told reporters.

Overall 66.19 per cent turnout was recorded in the four phases of elections in Jharkhand from May 13 to June 1. "The number of women voters who exercised their franchise was higher in 12 Lok Sabha seats. The number of male electors who turned up at polling stations was slightly higher in two constituencies, Ranchi and Jamshedpur," he said.

The 14 Lok Sabha seats have 81 assembly segments in Jharkhand.

As reports of post-poll violence are coming from parts of West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday decided to extend the stay of around 400 companies of central forces till June 19, news agency PTI reported quoting a senior official. The decision was taken following a review of the current law and order situation of the post-poll West Bengal, the official added.

"The central forces will now stay till June 19 primarily in the sensitive areas to see that the law and order there is not disturbed," the official told PTI.

The deployment schedule of these forces was also decided in the meeting.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dk Shivakumar, after meeting with the Congress leaders said, "We will file nominations for the MLC elections tomorrow. Our candidates will be nominated tomorrow. We have taken the signature of our MLAs."

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comfortably retained Arunachal Pradesh by winning 46 out of the 60 seats in the Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of the state and said that the BJP-led government will work with "greater vigour" for state's growth.

As Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) swept the Sikkim Assembly elections, party chief and state's Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said, "In 5 years, we will fulfill all the announcements that we made at the time of elections. I would like to thank all my workers, they worked hard. I would also like to thank the public. This is the most peaceful election of Sikkim, this is a record."

Responding on exit poll predictions regarding the Lok Sabha elections, he said, "At the national level, NDA Government - led by the BJP - will be formed. We will cross 400."

Amidst the Opposition raising questions over the electoral process, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation on Sunday met the Election Commission of India and raised concerns against repeated attempts to "undermine" India's electoral process. The delegation led by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also urged the ECI to ensure safety and security of the electoral system of the country. 

A delegation of leaders from the INDI opposition bloc met the full bench of the Election Commission on Sunday and urged it to ensure that all the guidelines are followed on June 4, when the votes polled in the Lok Sabha election will be counted, including declaring the postal-ballot results before the outcome of the EVMs is announced.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said this was the third time that a delegation of opposition leaders visited the poll panel during the general election and, among other things, urged the officials to ensure that the postal ballots are counted and their results declared before the results of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are announced.

"This is the third multi-party delegation visiting the EC during this process.... We spent time with the EC on two-three major issues. Most important was counting the postal ballots and declaring the results first. This is a very clearly stated statutory rule, which specifically says that you should take up the postal ballots first," Singhvi said.

"Our complaint is that this guideline has been given a go-by. They have repealed the practice," he added.

The Congress on Sunday released its list of seven candidates for the biennial MLC elections on June 13. The elections were necessitated due to the retirement of 11 members on June 17. The Congress has fielded Karnataka Science and Technology Minister NS Boseraju and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah. The other candidates are Vasanth Kumar, K Govindraj, lvan D'Souza, Bilkis Bano and Jagdev Guttedar.

The party also announced Basanagouda Badarli for the forthcoming MLC byelection for a seat that fell vacant owing to the resignation of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who joined the Congress briefly after he rebelled against the BJP when he was denied a ticket in the 2023 assembly election.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asserted that the BJP's victory in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections was indicative of the Lok Sabha poll results, due on June 4. Sarma, who is also the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional arm of the NDA, said the Arunachal Pradesh results reflected people's faith in the party's "politics of good governance and development". 

The BJP returned to power in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time in a row, as the party won 46 seats in the 60-member assembly, Election Commission officials said.

"The landslide victory in Arunachal Pradesh is precursor to what is to come on the 4th of June," Sarma wrote on X.

Calling all exit polls fake, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday quipped, “What was the reason for the BJP to release these fake figures?” He further asserted that exit polls are mind games, and claimed that the BJP is not forming government on June 4.

Maharajganj district administration distributed saplings to more than 1,500 voters, who turned up at a 'green (polling) booth' setup for the Lok Sabha elections. The Maharajganj District Magistrate of Anunaya Jha, on Sunday told PTI, "Ever since the election process started, we were seeing intense heatwaves and a lot of problems were faced by our voters as well as our polling personnel due to the heatwave and the intense heat. Given this, we wanted to raise awareness regarding the environment and ecological balance." 

He further explained, "The district administration took on board the forest department of Maharajganj, and we constructed a green booth in the district, wherein the forest department also displayed informative material regarding forest cover in the district as well as the Sohagi-Barwa tiger reserve."  

Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal arrived at Rajghat. He will surrender at the Tihar Jail later today at the end of his interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections on May 10. He was asked to surrender to Tihar jail on June 2.

On Exit Polls, BJP MP and candidate from Godda Lok Sabha seat, Nishikant Dubey said, "...Yesterday he (Rahul Gandhi) said that they are winning 295 seats but didn't say if that includes Wayanad and Raebareli. Rahul Gandhi himself is unable to win elections...For the last 2 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress has not had even an LoP. This time they will get less than 50 seats."

BJP leader Aparna Yadav said, “On 4th June, BJP will form the government with strong majority. PM Modi will become the Prime Minister again. The public understands that the BJP works to save the Constitution. The opposition has no vision, agenda, policy.”

Ahead of the counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections, a delegation of opposition INDI bloc leaders will meet the full bench of Election Commission of India on Sunday. Opposition leaders will discuss counting norms with the ECI, and also ask them to ensure that the laid down procedures are followed, reported PTI. 

The Congress on Sunday expressed confidence about winning the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and forming the next government at the Centre. Addressing a press conference, AICC in-charge of Nagaland Girish Chodankar said the exit poll figures were imaginary and all would be clear in the next two days.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday questioned the veracity of the exit polls, saying the opposition had already said that "pro-BJP media" would show the ruling party crossing 300 seats in the Lok Sabha.

The exit polls, which had been prepared months before and are only being shown on TV channels now, would create scope for "fraud", Yadav alleged.

He further alleged that using the exit polls, the BJP wanted to benefit from the share market which opens on Monday, and added that "disappointed faces" of BJP leaders are telling the truth. (PTI) 

On exit polls predicting big win for the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called them ‘Modi-Media Poll’. “It is not exit poll, it is Modi media poll. It is his fantasy poll,” said the Congress leader on Sunday. 

When asked about the number of seats for INDIA alliance, Rahul Gandhi said, "Have you heard Sidhu Moose Wala's song 295? 295."

Former AAP leader, who joined the BJP recently, Sheetal Angural withdrew his resignation as an MLA on Sunday. He has also written to the Assembly Speaker regarding the same. The Speaker had called Angural before him on 3rd June, but he withdrew his resignation before that. 

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary KC Venugopal hold a meeting with the party's Lok Sabha candidates, CLP leaders and PCC presidents via video conferencing. 

The BJP on Sunday, June 2, announces three candidates for the upcoming legislative council elections in Karnataka. BJP announced the candidatures of party leaders CT Ravi, N Ravikumar and MG Mule for the Karnataka Legislative Council biennial elections.

Celebrations have begun at the BJP's office in Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar. Firecrackers are being burst by BJP workers outside the party office in Itanagar as the party is set to return to power in Arunachal Pradesh. 

The ruling BJP crossed the halfway mark; won 15 seats leading on 31. National People's Party is leading on 6 seats. The majority mark in the State Assembly is 31 out of 60 Assembly seats.

Pintso Namgyal Lepcha from the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won from the Djongu Assembly constituency. "I thank all the voters who supported me and made me win with a huge margin. I also thank my party president who gave me the ticket..." he said after his victory. 

“(Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal will get justice and soon he will come out of jail,” said AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Arvind Kejriwal will be surrendering before Tihar authorities today. 

"Exit poll is completely bogus. Those who are bound to exit on June 4 have released these exit polls. The INDIA alliance is going to get a minimum 295 seats. All party leaders met yesterday, conducted a state-wise analysis and concluded that we will secure 295 seats. This is just a psychological game of present-PM and present-HM. They are trying to create a psychological pressure on our leaders and workers to shatter our confidence. This won't happen," said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. 

 “Nowadays, a concept has been created by a gang of (Supreme Court) lawyers that if the judiciary rules against the government, it is working correctly. However, if it does not overturn or quash the government's decisions, it is seen as being under government influence and pressure. This is completely wrong,” said Adish Aggarwala, the outgoing president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

PM Narendra Modi is to hold 7 meetings today on a wide range of topics, reported newsagency ANI. The first meeting to be held to review post-cyclone situation, especially in the states of the northeast. Then, he will hold a meeting to review the heatwave situation in the country. He will hold a meeting to review the preparations to celebrate World Environment Day on a large scale. Then he will hold a long brain-storming session to review the agenda for 100-day program. 
 

A day after voting concluded for the Lok Sabha polls and the exit polls predicted yet another victory for the PM Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is slated to join a virtual meeting with all candidates from his party along with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday morning, reported ANI. 

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed confidence that the Congress will win at least 10 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state and that the INDI bloc would form a government at the Centre.

After exit polls were announced, BJP candidate from South Chennai, Tamilisai Soundararajan said that Dravidian model has failed. “Results are on 4th June...Exit polls have revealed that PM Modi will be the Prime Minister for the third time...In Tamil Nadu, we (BJP) will be getting more seats than the predictions...' Dravidian model' is a failed model...We are very happy that BJP is making a mark in Tamil Nadu politics,” said Tamilisai Soundararajan. 

In collaboration with Republic TV's PMARQ and Matrize has predicted a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA, projecting a third consecutive term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With significant gains in West Bengal and Telangana and a repeat of their 2019 performance, the BJP targets over 400 seats.

Saturday's voting on June 1 marked the end of the marathon polling process that began on April 19. The final result will be declared on June 4 on Tuesday. The voting was held amid a severe heatwave in all 13 seats of Punjab and four of Himachal Pradesh, 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha and three in Jharkhand, besides Chandigarh.