Poll India: 2004
First phase of General Election kicks off
New Delhi: The first phase of the general elections kicks off today with polling being held in 140 constituencies in 13 states and three union territories. Votes are being cast in all of the 26 constituencies in Gujarat and 24 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra.

In Andhra Pradesh, polling will take place for 21 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly seats, while Karnataka will see polling in 15 of its 28 Lok Sabha constituencies and 120 assembly seats. Eleven Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh will also go to polls, and six each in Assam and Jharkhand. Two seats each in Jammu and Kashmir and Meghalaya, and one each in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman Diu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will also feature in today's polling.

Coalition is a burden: Vajpayee denies saying it
New Delhi: The Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has said that there was no truth in reports quoting him as having said that he did not want to be saddled again with a 22-party coalition. Defence Minister and NDA convener George Fernandes clarified that the Prime Minister was very much looking at a majority for the NDA.

After 'spiritual pressure' Jethmalani decides to contest
New Delhi: Independent candidate Ram Jethmalani has said that the fast by Swami Agnivesh 'was a sort of spiritual pressure' and that he was going to contest from Lucknow. Swami Agnivesh had gone on hunger strike to force Jethmalani to fight against Prime Minister Vajpayee in Lucknow. In the face of Jethmalani's decision to contest, the Congress has said that it would back his candidature, and accordingly the Congress candidate from Lucknow - Akhilesh Das - has now withdrawn from the contest.
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NCAER forecasts 6.7 per cent GDP growth
New Delhi: The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has forecast the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the current fiscal at 6.7 per cent against 8.13 per cent in fiscal 2003-04. According to the report though the industrial sector is expected to remain buoyant during 2004-05, there would be a deceleration in growth compared with last year, and the industry would clock a growth of 6.8 per cent against last year's 7.5 per cent.

On the trade front, even with an appreciating rupee, lower import costs would help exports to grow by 8.1 per cent in rupee terms and a comfortable 12.6 per cent in dollar terms in 2004-05. On the other hand, a stronger rupee would lead to more buoyant imports, with a projected growth of 10.4 per cent in rupee terms and about 15 per cent in dollar terms. The trade balance with the stronger rupee would lead to a trade deficit of 2.3 per cent of the GDP.
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Auto components exports cross $1 billion
Pune: For the year ended March 2004, the automobile component sector has touched $1.1 billion (Rs 4,800 crore) as its export figures. This is 38.8 per cent higher compared to last year.
The projected compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) is 18 per cent and the Automotive Component Manufacturers' Association of India's (ACMA) export projections for 2010 is $2.7 billion.
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