“The applications have begun to flow in. In an interview with News18, Shah stated that scrutiny is taking place in accordance with the regulations. “And I believe that the citizenship process will begin before the elections, or at the very least, before the final stage.” Keep up with all of the Lok Sabha election coverage.
In March, the Bharatiya Janata Party-run central government implemented the CAA. This law allows unauthorised non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014, to become citizens. The development occurred four years after Parliament passed the law in December 2019.
Opposition leaders criticised the Act’s notice, arguing that the regulations were “unconstitutional,” “discriminatory,” and against the “secular principle of citizenship” that the Constitution upholds.
Shah conveyed confidence in the NDA’s ability to surpass 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections during the interview on Thursday.
“On June 4, 2024, the day of counting, before 12:30 pm, the NDA will surpass 400, and Modi ji will again be the prime minister. My team and I have conducted an extensive analysis. With over 100 seats from the first two phases, we are heading into the third. “I don’t see any issues with surpassing the 400 target,” the minister of the home told News 18.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi
In his interview, Amit Shah also discussed the arrests of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in relation to the liquor policy case.
“Despite numerous summonses, they failed to show up. They would have been taken into custody six months before the elections if they had shown up [before the agency] following the initial summons. Amit Shah told News18, “Many times, summonses were sent, but they did not come.”
Low turnout for the first two stages of voting
Regarding the poor voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections’ first two phases, Shah stated: “There are a number of reasons why the turnout was lower.” The voter lists have been updated after a twelve-year period. The second factor is the absence of a rival candidate, which somewhat influences the turnout.
The Election Commission of India (EC) revealed the final voter turnout data for the two rounds of the 2018 general elections on April 30, more than ten days after Phase 1 and four days after Phase 2 of polling.
Phase 2 turnout was 66.7%, down less than 3 percentage points for the second phase and just under 4 percentage points for the first phase compared to the 2019 elections. Phase 1 turnout was 66.14%.
