NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has ‘halted’ the release of a controversial film about the life of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of the first day of voting, India media reported.

The movie PM Narendra Modi was set to be released in cinemas on Thursday, the day when Indians started voting in 91 seats throughout the country.

Opposition parties have been arguing that the film would “affect” the elections, since it has been made as a political advertisement.

They had earlier demanded that the movie should be banned until after the last phase of voting on 19 May.

India’s election commission announced the deferral of the film until after the polls. (Agencies)

India votes in its first phase of general elections today. In the first round, 91 out of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies are in the fray.

Around 900 million voters, above 18, will be queuing up at more than a million polling stations to elect 543 representatives to the Lok Sabha, the country’s lower house of the parliament.

A total of 2,300 parties are in the fray across India’s 543 constituencies in 29 states and 7 union territories in the elections to be held in seven stages beginning today.

Voting is taking place for all the parliamentary constituencies in states including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Telangana today.

Voting will continue till May 19. The results will be announced on May 23.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term ending the first inning. However, he is facing Rahul Gandhi, President of Indian National Congress.

A snapshot:

900 million voters will cast their vote

432 million eligible women voters

83 million new voters

15 million voters aged 18 and 19

38,000 voters form the transgender community

38 days to complete the entire process beginning today — April 11 to May 19, 2019

1.035 million polling booths across India

3.96 million electronic voting machines to be used

11 million election personnel deployed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said there could be a better chance of peace talks with India if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins the 2019 election, Indian media reported.

PM Khan said if Congress forms the next Indian government, chances of peace talks would be slim since Congress might be ‘too scared’ to seek a settlement with Pakistan over Kashmir.

If the BJP wins, a kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached, according to PM Imran Khan, the reports said.

He, however, said Indian Muslims, who had been happy about their situation in India, were now worried by extreme Hindu nationalism.

Khan also stated that Modi, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was electioneering based on the “fear and nationalist feeling”. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance will win a thin majority in a general election, media report said showing four opinion polls.

The alliance led by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win 273 of the 543 parliament seats at stake, one more than the halfway mark required to rule, Reuters reported.

In the last election, the alliance won more than 330 seats – the biggest mandate in three decades.

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticized the Congress manifesto for echoing Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, Indian media reported.

Attacking the Congress, PM Modi continued his attack saying Congress views echoed Pakistan’s stand that Article 370 will not be removed from Jammu and Kashmir.

Criticizing that the Congress manifesto was about weakening the security establishment, PM Modi lambasted the Congress for its anti-national thinking and attitude. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: Indian Congress President Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP manifesto of being short-sighted and arrogant, Indian media reported.

He slammed it of not being representative of the people.

Top brass of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, among others unveiled the party manifesto named ‘Sankalp Patra’ in New Delhi on April 8.

The opposition Congress had unveiled its manifesto named ‘Congress Will Deliver’ on April 2.

Rahul said the Congress manifesto was ‘created through discussion’, and alleged the BJP manifesto of being created in a closed room. (Agencies)

KATHMANDU: The US-China trade dispute is pushing American multinational companies to relocate their factories and adjust business strategies for their supply chains in the next 12 months, according to a survey by Bain and Company.

“The shift is happening,” said Gerry Mattios, vice president at consulting firm, Bain. “Back at (the) end of 2018, when we ran a similar report, we found out a lot of companies — over 50 percent — were actually sitting on the fence … there were no major actions taken,” Mattios told.

But now, 60 percent of the respondents said they are ready to take action, as they see headwinds on their balance sheets, he added. “They see customers having to pay part of it, and they are trying to see how to reassess their supply chains.”

A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute the firm’s products. Even though China has had a significant cost advantage that propelled the country to its leading position as the world’s manufacturing hub, that advantage is eroding as costs rise, Mattios said.

The survey polled more than 200 high-level executives and senior supply chain officers at U.S. multinationals with operations in China, and sought to gauge their perspectives on the ongoing trade dispute. However, some manufacturing will still remain in China as the country moves toward being a consumption-driven economy, he said. Items that would’ve been exported will see some assembly lines move to Southeast Asia said.

Still, he added, “we don’t think Southeast Asia will become the factory of the world in the way China did two decades ago.”

Election fever has gripped the world’s largest democracy, ending the first inning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even as Modi has pitched to get re-elected, observers opine that the battle is likely to be tough for him because he will be battling the main opposition Congress and a horde of regional parties.

Despite Modi’s resilient nationalism, he seems not very confident this time as in 2014. And, the general impression is that India’s votes are not easy to predict. Or perhaps, it could be a mug’s game. This means that Modi’s party faces immense pressure this time. The BJP is still India’s favorite but questions remain.

Consider this: The unexpected defeats faced by the BJP in the key state-level elections and the opposition Congress getting majorities in several states have given been a setback for Modi.

However, India retaliatory attack on Pakistan has helped Modi bolster his strongman and nationalistic image though opposition parties, especially the Congress, has alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of failing to deliver as promised. Opposition parties of every hue say inflation has risen steeply, corruption has been unbridled, joblessness has risen, poverty level has gone up, and some state banks drowning in bad loans, among others.

Consider this: The unexpected defeats faced by the BJP in the key state-level elections and the opposition Congress getting majorities in several states have given been a setback for Modi.

Other factors that could possibly spell trouble for him is the declining confidence in the country’s economy, and the ‘aggressive approach’ of the Congress teaming up with other opposition parties to take on Modi’s party – the BJP, although alliances in India are considered ‘messy’. The AAP-Congress alliance in New Delhi can be a snag for BJP in New Delhi.

Even as polls suggest that Gandhi with his voluble speech has been successful to narrow the gap, Modi still remains popular though he failed to deliver on his promises to create over 10 million jobs annually – a Herculean task, among others.

This, however, is not the dipstick since polls have suggested that BJP’s coalition, albeit with a shrunken majority, is likely to retain power. Modi, 68, who is still considered as a diligent and dedicated leader in wide swathes of India, came to power in 2014 with an absolute majority after crushing the 48-year-old Rahul Gandhi, whom a significant number of Indians call him a young, visionary and energetic leader – the Gandhi scion.

Rahul is the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of former PM Indira Gandhi and the great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister while Modi comes from a common family.

Even as polls suggest that Gandhi with his voluble speech has been successful to narrow the gap, Modi still remains popular though he failed to deliver on his promises to create over 10 million jobs annually – a Herculean task, among others.

Three states in India– Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar — are considered crucial this time.

Despite this, Modi’s party still controls 17 out of 29 states, including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. However, the Congress and other opposition parties have alleged him of turning a blind eye on instances of attacks on religious minorities.

One aspect that Indian voters could consider is the BJP government’s — what has been dubbed as “tactful and befitting” — response to the terrorist attack in Kashmir on February 14 for which Modi received a boost for his rigid stance on Pakistan.

Around 900 million voters, above 18, will be queuing up at more than a million polling stations beginning April 11 to May 19 to elect 543 representatives to the Lok Sabha, the country’s lower house of the parliament. Around 2,300 parties will be in the fray across India’s 543 constituencies in 29 states and 7 union territories in the elections to be held in seven stages.

Whatever the analysis might be, all eyes are on May 23 when the votes would be counted.

Some facts:

In India, (from 1951), no party has won 50 percent vote share in the elections.

Till 1984, Congress has more than 40 percent vote share.

In 1984, Congress got 48 percent vote share when Rajiv Gandhi was elected the Prime Minister after his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

Congress vote share declined below 20 percent in 2014.

BJP’s vote share reached over 30 percent in 2014.

KATHMANDU: The Red Cross Society of China provided USD 50,000 to the storm-affected families in Bara and Parsa districts.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi handed over the amount to Prime Minister K P Oli on behalf of Red Cross Society of China on Saturday, a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu said today.

During the meeting with PM Oli, Chinese Ambassador Hou said China has paid close attention to the disaster.

She also said that Ambassador Hou extended condolences to the deceased, and expressed sympathies to families of those injured.

According to the statement, she said the Chinese people will stand by the Nepali people, and would also like to provide assistance to the post-disaster reconstruction within capacity, and cooperate in disaster prevention, and reduction with the Nepali side.

KARACHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has blamed India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for whipping up war hysteria.

He also accused the party of an attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria. The remarks by the Pakistani prime minister come following a revelation by US-based magazine that India didn’t down the fighter F-16 aircraft.

“The truth always prevails and is always the best policy,” Khan said in a Tweet. “BJP’s attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria and false claims of downing a Pak F 16 has backfired with US Defence officials also confirming that no F16 was missing from Pakistan’s fleet,” he said in a tweet.