Morning Filter: World’s largest polling exercise to elect 18th Lok Sabha ends on Saturday

World’s largest polling exercise to elect 18th Lok Sabha ends on Saturday The world’s largest polling exercise to elect the 18th Lok Sabha ends on Saturday after one and a half months, with 57 Lok Sabha constituencies going to the polls in the seventh and final phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the 906 candidates in the fray in this phase, during which 10.06 crore electors are eligible to cast their votes. Polling is scheduled to be held in eight States and Union Territories, including Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Voting will also take place in the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies of the Odisha State Legislative Assembly. Excise case: Delhi court to hear Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail plea on Saturday A Delhi court is likely to hear on Saturday an application moved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking interim bail for a week on medical grounds in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja had on May 30 directed the ED to file its response to Kejriwal’s plea by June 1, when period of his interim bail, granted by the Supreme Court, ends. Central Railway mega block: Mumbaikars face commuting woes, delays due to train cancellations Users of Central Railway’s suburban services faced delays and overcrowding on Friday morning after a 63-hour-long block commenced to widen platforms at Thane. As per Central Railway, 930 suburban locals and 86 long distance trains will remain cancelled during the 63-hour mega block. Of these, the highest 545 suburban services and more than 35 long distance trains will remain cancelled on Saturday. Besides cancellation of trains, there will be short termination and short-orientation of suburban trains on Saturday and, hence, passengers are likely to face maximum inconvenience, officials said. South Africa heads closer to coalition govt as ANC’s vote count drops further Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party, which has ruled South Africa since the advent of democracy 30 years ago, is likely to lose its majority after voters overwhelmingly turned to alternative parties in the just-concluded polls, with a coalition government now most likely. Almost all results are expected to be in on Saturday. Lloyd Austin to address Shangri-La defence forum on Saturday The U.S. Defence Secretary met his Chinese counterpart for more than an hour on Friday, as the two countries seek to repair lines of communications between their militaries that could be critical as tensions continue to rise between the two in the Indo-Pacific region. It took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La defence forum, Asia’s premier security conference, which features defence officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world. Austin is due to address the forum on Saturday morning, while Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun will speak on Sunday, the final day. 16 pugilists to feature in inaugural Global Boxing Series on June 1 Sixteen pugilists will feature in eight fights at the inaugural edition of the Global Boxing Series, to be held in Mumbai on Saturday. Most of these 16 boxers in action at the Jade Garden Banquets in Worli will be making their pro-boxing debut. T20 World Cup: India eye redemption as big-ticket cricket touches base in America There will be the usual favourites, the mavericks, the chokers and also the unpredictable minnows — the script is familiar for a World Cup but the scale would be unprecedented when the T20 showpiece, featuring a record 20 teams, spearheads cricket’s audacious charge into the American market starting in New York on Saturday. [morning filter logo] The Morning Filter 01 June 2024 [morning filter logo] The Morning Filter 01 June 2024 Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Here are the latest news and big news stories to follow today World’s largest polling exercise to elect 18th Lok Sabha ends on Saturday The world’s largest polling exercise to elect the 18th Lok Sabha ends on Saturday after one and a half months, with 57 Lok Sabha constituencies going to the polls in the seventh and final phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the 906 candidates in the fray in this phase, during which 10.06 crore electors are eligible to cast their votes. Polling is scheduled to be held in eight States and Union Territories, including Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Voting will also take place in the remaining 42 Assembly constituencies of the Odisha State Legislative Assembly. Excise case: Delhi court to hear Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail plea on Saturday A Delhi court is likely to hear on Saturday an application moved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking interim bail for a week on medical grounds in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja had on May 30 directed the ED to file its response to Kejriwal’s plea by June 1, when period of his interim bail, granted by the Supreme Court, ends. Central Railway mega block: Mumbaikars face commuting woes, delays due to train cancellations Users of Central Railway’s suburban services faced delays and overcrowding on Friday morning after a 63-hour-long block commenced to widen platforms at Thane. As per Central Railway, 930 suburban locals and 86 long distance trains will remain cancelled during the 63-hour mega block. Of these, the highest 545 suburban services and more than 35 long distance trains will remain cancelled on Saturday. Besides cancellation of trains, there will be short termination and short-orientation of suburban trains on Saturday and, hence, passengers are likely to face maximum inconvenience, officials said. South Africa heads closer to coalition govt as ANC’s vote count drops further Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party, which has ruled South Africa since the advent of democracy 30 years ago, is likely to lose its majority after voters overwhelmingly turned to alternative parties in the just-concluded polls, with a coalition government now most likely. Almost all results are expected to be in on Saturday. Lloyd Austin to address Shangri-La defence forum on Saturday The U.S. Defence Secretary met his Chinese counterpart for more than an hour on Friday, as the two countries seek to repair lines of communications between their militaries that could be critical as tensions continue to rise between the two in the Indo-Pacific region. It took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La defence forum, Asia’s premier security conference, which features defence officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world. Austin is due to address the forum on Saturday morning, while Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun will speak on Sunday, the final day. 16 pugilists to feature in inaugural Global Boxing Series on June 1 Sixteen pugilists will feature in eight fights at the inaugural edition of the Global Boxing Series, to be held in Mumbai on Saturday. Most of these 16 boxers in action at the Jade Garden Banquets in Worli will be making their pro-boxing debut. T20 World Cup: India eye redemption as big-ticket cricket touches base in America There will be the usual favourites, the mavericks, the chokers and also the unpredictable minnows — the script is familiar for a World Cup but the scale would be unprecedented when the T20 showpiece, featuring a record 20 teams, spearheads cricket’s audacious charge into the American market starting in New York on Saturday. 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