New Delhi, April 17 (Reuters): India is set to begin the world’s largest general elections on Friday, held in terrain sweeping from the icy Himalayas to humid jungles, with nearly a billion people eligible to choose 543 members of the lower house of parliament. Opinion polls suggest an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party when the results are announced on June 4. But more than six weeks will elapse from the time the first vote is cast on April 19 until it is counted. NUMBER OF DAYS The election cycle sprawls over 44 days, long even

Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made four fresh arrests in connection with the alleged illegal land grab-linked money laundering case against former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and others, official sources said on Wednesday. Those taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) have been identified as Antu Tirkey, Priya Ranjan Sahay, Bipin Singh and Irshad, they said. The ED had on Tuesday conducted searches at the premises of Tirkey and some others here and the four were arrested following their questioning. Tirkey is allegedly linked to Soren while Singh is a real

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “champion of corruption,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the scrapped electoral bonds the “biggest extortion scheme in the world.” Reacting to PM Modi’s recent remarks on the scrapped electoral bonds scheme that it was rought for transparency and to “curb black money in elections,” the Congress leader asked then why it was cancelled by the Supreme Court. “A few days ago, the Prime Minister gave a very long interview to ANI. It was scripted, but it was a flop show. The Prime Minister tried to

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is favoured to win reelection when India’s 970 million voters start heading to the polls on April 19 in the country’s massive, six-week general election. Modi, who has been prime minister since 2014, has benefited from a divided opposition, glowing mainstream media coverage and high economic growth rates. However, recent polling indicates significant voter discontent over inflation and unemployment. While 44% of respondents want the Modi government to return to power, a sizeable 39% do not want his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to be reelected. Moreover, Modi’s election campaign has been tainted by several events