Elections

A pre-poll survey conducted by Star News and Nielsen has predicted that the Shiela Dixit led-Congress government might get a third chance in Delhi.

Residents of Delhi are although unhappy with the Congress government over issues like inflation, deteriorating law and order, terror attacks and lack of drinking water; but this might not be enough for BJP or any other party to form a government in Delhi.

In a landmark gesture, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Barack Obama on his historic win, becoming the first Iranian leader to offered such wishes to the 44th US President elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ahmadinejad sent a message to Obama in which he congratulated the President elect on “attracting the majority of voters in the election,” and said he hopes Obama will use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name for history during his term in office.

The Election Commission has appointed 530 officers as Observers to supervise the election process of Legislative assemblies of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Rajasthan.

The Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami and Election Commissioners Navin B Chawla and Dr. S.Y. Quarishi briefed these officers in New Delhi on Monday to ensure quick redressal of complaints that are received from political parties and candidates from these states.

While Barack Obama and John McCain battle against each other in the run for the White House seat, a University of Missouri professor has claimed that the television ads for 2008 presidential campaign have been one of the most negative in history.

Based on candidates'' television spots along with the latest 30-minute ad by Obama, William Benoit, professor of communication in the College of Arts and Science, found that only one other campaign matched this level of negativity.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama told supporters to expect rival John McCain’s campaign to end in a crescendo of attacks on him.

“More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together,” Obama told 25,000 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Illinois senator said he admired a presidential candidate who said in 2000, “I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land.”

In the most recent poll Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama remains in a close race with his Republican rival John McCain, having a three point lead.

The George Washington University Battleground Poll shows Obama leading McCain 45 percent - 42 percent. Twelve percent of likely voters remain undecided.

The disapproval rating for Congress is 73 percent. The economy is the most important issue among registered “likely” voters (41 percent compared to 7 percent for terrorism/homeland security and 8 percent for war in Iraq).

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has opened up an eight-point lead over his rival John McCain in Virginia, and the Illinois Senator is entering the final week of the campaign with several core advantages when it comes to turning out his supporters.

According to a new Washington Post poll, Virginia voters think that Obama is the candidate who would do more to bring needed change to Washington, who understands the economic challenges people are facing and who is the more honest and trustworthy of the two rivals.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain has acknowledged that the race to get to the magic number of 270 electoral votes is tough, but said polls are “all over the map” and he is doing better than the numbers would suggest.

“We’re doing fine, we have closed in the last week, we’ll continue to close in the next week and you’ll be up very, very late on election night,” McCain told "Meet the Press" anchor Tom Brokaw in an interview taped in Iowa.

McCain is campaigning in the Hawkeye State despite a 12-point deficit in an average of Iowa polls.

Republicans bracing themselves for defeat in the November 4 election are already contemplating the prospect of Sarah Palin becoming their presidential candidate against Democrat President Barack Obama in 2012.

Conservative Republicans are talking enthusiastically about Palin as a White house contender next time, acknowledging that if a week is a long time in politics then four years amounts to several lifetimes, The Telegraph reported.

“Sarah’s the one,” said one leading conservative who is convinced McCain will lose this election.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain seemed to be in a good position to win support among Hispanic voters at the start of his campaign after he had sponsored legislation for comprehensive immigration overhaul in Congress, and made a point of speaking warmly about the contributions of immigrants.

But less than two weeks before Election Day on November 4, those advantages appear to have evaporated. Recent Gallup polls show McCain running far behind his rival Barack Obama among Hispanic voters nationwide, only 26 percent of whom favor the Republican.