Australians vote to elect PM in climate-dominated election
Melbourne: Australians on Saturday voted to elect their next parliament and prime minister, in what has been widely referred to as the climate-change election, with the first exit poll showing a victory for the opposition Labor Party.
After five weeks long election campaigning across the country, around 16 million Australians swarmed to the polling booths across the country to elect the nation's prime minister.
A Nine-Galaxy poll released shortly before the voting stations closed in the east of the country showed a victory for the centre-left Labor party and Liberal Party-led coalition losing its bid for a third three-year term.
The poll showed the Labor winning as many as 82 seats in the 151-member House of Representatives, beating the governing Liberal coalition.
To win a majority in the House of Representatives, either major party will need 77 seats. The Coalition currently holds 73 seats, while Labor has 72.
Some 16.5 million Australians were enrolled to vote on Saturday, with more than 4.7 million having already cast ballots in early voting by Friday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison cast his vote at Lilli Pilli Public School in Sydney while Labor party leader Bill Shorten cast his vote in Melbourne.
Morrison said this federal election was a choice about who you want to continue to be the Prime Minister of this country, myself or Bill Shorten .
Tonight the votes will be counted and we will see what the outcome is. I make no assumptions about tonight. I respect this process. It is dear to my heart, the democracy of our country. I don't take anyone's support in this country for granted, Morrison said.
Shorten after casting his vote said, "Today, vote for change, vote for real change, and vote for Labor. Vote to stop the chaos. Today, vote to stop the cuts to schools and hospitals. For a better childcare system for families. Vote to tackle climate change. Vote Labor.
Hitting out on climate change, Shorten said it wasn't the Aussie way to be missing from the big fights. We will convene the parliament as soon as possible to start action on climate change."
Anger over the government's inaction on climate change may prove the real difference between the two parties.
Australia has experienced some of the worst effects of climate change in recent few years, from deadly bush fires to the destruction of natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef.
Concern about climate change is now at a 10-year high among Australians, with 64 per cent believing it should be a top priority for the government, according to an Ipsos poll released in April.
The Labor party is promising to cut Australia's carbon emissions by 45 per cent on 2005 levels, compared to the government's minimum pledge of 26 per cent.
Meanwhile, Labor lodged an official complaint against Liberal for allegedly using Australian Election Commission (AEC) colours and telling voters to use their first choice in front of a Liberal candidate in Melbourne seat of Chisholm.
However, AEC responded that the signs were not a breach of electoral rules because they appeared to be properly authorised and there is nothing in the Electoral Act regarding use of colour.
The poll comes just two days after the death of Bob Hawke, a long-serving former prime minister whose achievements have been hailed across the political spectrum.
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Amit Shah holds meeting with Ladakh L-G for smooth ‘darshan’ of Lord Buddha’s relics
Leh (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday took a meeting with Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and senior officials of the Union territory to ensure that people can have 'darshan' of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha for the next two weeks without any inconvenience.
In a message on X, Shah, who reached Leh on Thursday, said that Friday will be a historic day for Ladakh when people can have 'darshan' of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima.
“I consider myself fortunate that I, too, will have the rare opportunity tomorrow to have darshan of these holy relics,” Shah said in the post in Hindi.
"To ensure that these sacred relics are easily accessible for darshan by the people of Ladakh over the next two weeks, I held a meeting today with the lieutenant governor of Ladakh and the concerned officials in this regard,” he said.
Shah is on a two-day visit to Ladakh during which he will attend the first-ever international exposition of the holy relics of Lord Buddha in India, commencing on Buddha Purnima on Friday.
The sacred relics were brought to Leh from Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh in a special Indian Air Force aircraft on Wednesday by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal from the Matho Monastery.
The relics, excavated from Piprahwa (ancient Kapilvastu), will be displayed at Jive Tsal, Choglamsar, from May 2 to 10.
The relics were accorded a ceremonial reception on their arrival in Leh, as people poured out of their homes and gathered along the roads to pay their respect.
The Piprahwa relics refer to ancient sacred remains and associated objects linked to Gautam Buddha, which were discovered at Piprahwa, an archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh near the Nepal border.
The relics have gained renewed global significance in recent years, especially after a collection of associated gems and offerings was repatriated to India in July 2025 from a British family and a private collection, ending over a century of colonial possession.
The relics have been exhibited internationally in several countries; this is the first time they have been brought out from their original place of preservation for exposition within India.
The relics were previously exhibited in Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, attracting global attention and devotion, according to a statement.
In Ladakh, the relics will be open for public veneration at Jivetsal from May 2 to May 10. They will subsequently be taken to Zanskar on May 11 and 12, followed by exposition at the Dharma Centre in Leh from May 13 to May 14, before being returned to Delhi on May 15, it said.
