Lok Sabha Elections LIVE: 'The Voters Have Complete Clarity, Whom To Vote', Says Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel
Please follow this space and refresh this page for all the latest developements pertaining to Lok Sabha elections 2024.
While addressing a rally in Patan, Gujarat, CM Bhupendra Patel said, "In these elections, for the first time, the voters have complete clarity regarding whom to vote", reported ANI.
BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "Thiruvananthapuram has been denied development and jobs for the last 15-20 years... Both the MPs have done nothing for the people. People here want development, change and jobs. The youth want opportunities", reported ANI.
Congress released list of Lok Sabha Candidates for Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. Congress declares Pradeep Yadav as its candidate for Jharkhand's Godda in place of Deepika Singh Pandey, reported ANI.
While addressing a public rally in Malda, West Bengal, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "There is an atmosphere of anarchy in the entire West Bengal. Criminals are prevailing here and the common man is scared. West Bengal is known for academicians but under the current regime, there is anarchy in the state... I assure you that if the BJP government is formed here, we will see who dares to repeat the incident like Sandeshkhali", reported ANI.
BJP National President JP Nadda visited the residence of Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, Niranjan Hiremath. Hiremath's daughter was murdered in her college premises, reported ANI.
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, PM Modi in, said, "Congress is trapped in the clutches of the Leftists and urban naxals. What Congress has said in its manifesto is serious and worrying. They have said that if they form a government then a survey of property belonging to every person will be done. It will be checked how much gold our sisters own,how much money government employees have....They also said that gold owned by our sisters would be equally distributed. Does govt have the right to take your property? 'Mangalsutra' sone ki keemat ka mudda nahi hai, unko sapno se juda hua hai", reported ANI.
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara, PM Modi, said, "Today, having a stable government in the country is important...A government that can take the poor, the women, the farmers, the deprived, and the backward classes towards prosperity...A government which understands the aspirations of the youth and makes policies for them", reported ANI.
While addressing the rally in Ranchi, Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal said, "Will fight against dictatorship and win; Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren will come out of jail", reported PTI.
Sunita Kejriwal accuses the BJP government of killing Arvind Kejriwal. She also said, "he(Kejriwal) is not getting insulin in jail", reported PTI.
While addressing a rally in West Bengal's Malda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, said, "The Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not take away anyone's citizenship. Instead, it will provide citizenship to people. However, you (Mamata Banerjee) say that you will repeal CAA. I would like to say that no power in this world would be able to repeal the CAA," reported PTI.
In Ranchi, Jharkhand, while addressing the rally, Delhi CM's wife Sunita Kejriwal said, "Arvind Kejriwal has no desire for power. He just wants to serve the nation. He wants to make the country no.1... Many people say that this is difficult. 'Jail ke taale tutenge, Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren chhutenge...'... Politics is a very dirty thing. There is a camera on his food. Every morsel is being monitored... He is a sugar patient and he ha has been taking 50 units of insulin every day for the last 12 years. But he is not being given insulin in jail. They want to kill Delhi's CM. They cannot understand Arvind Kejriwal's thoughts... He is very brave. He is a lion... He is worried about 'Bharat Mata' even in jail", reported ANI.
In Rajasthan, on his candidature from Jalore Lok Sabha seat, BJP leader Lamburam Chaudhary said, "This is not the first time I am contesting elections. I have previously contested elections for Sarpanch, Pradhan, and Zila Parishad. My party workers and the people of Jalore are with me... I have been in public service for the last 46 years, hence the people stand with me and PM Narendra Modi. Water is a big issue in this constituency", reported ANI.
In Ranchi, leaders of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, including Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi's Chief Minister, came together to address a rally.
While addressing the rally AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, "INDIA alliance will work for India and Modi ji will work for Adani...BJP mislead people by giving slogans like '400 paar', '200 paar' in Bengal, '35 paar' in Delhi, '65 paar' in Jharkhand...'400 paar' slogan is farzi. This time you should tell them 'Tadi paar, tadi paar', " reported ANI.
The nomination papers of the Congress's Lok Sabha candidate from Surat, Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected after his three supporters who signed the nomination form complained that their signatures were fake. The District Collector, Surat Parliamentary Constituency canceled the nomination, reported ANI.
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Jalore, PM Modi said, "It is my mission to make sure water reaches every house and farmer in the country. In the last 5 years, Over 11 crore families have benefitted under the Jal Jeevan mission. Unfortunately, the Congress govt in Rajasthan did corruption in this also. Bhajanlal ji govt is conducting a probe into this. If there was no Congress govt in Rajasthan, then we could have reached our targets under the ' Har Ghar Jal' scheme", reported ANI.
Lok Sabha Elections LIVE: Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Sunday that the country needs a legal system where “bail is the rule, jail is the exception”. In a recent press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Chidambaram outlined legal reforms and policy changes his party plans to introduce if it comes to power. His remarks come amidst heightened scrutiny over recent arrests, including those of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, and BRS MLC K Kavitha. The I.N.D.I.A bloc is also poised to hold a major rally in Jharkhand’s Ranchi today. Click here to read the full report.
The District Collector, Surat Parliamentary Constituency on Sunday canceled the nomination papers filed by Congress's Lok Sabha candidate from Surat, Nilesh Kumbhani. The papers were rejected after his three supporters who signed the nomination form complained that their signatures were fake.
After the peaceful culmination of first phase of polling in Udhampur Lok Sabha seat on Friday, the focus has now shifted to the Jammu parliamentary constituency, which will go to polls in the second phase of elections on April 26.
A direct contest is on the cards between sitting Member Parliament from BJP Jugal Kishore Sharma and INDIA bloc candidate and J&K Congress working President Ramban Bhalla, though there are 20 more candidates, including 12 independents, in the fray.
Jagdish Raj of Bahujan Samaj Party and Advocate Ankur Sharma of Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal are the two other prominent faces trying their luck from the constituency spread across Jammu, Samba, and Reasi and one segment of Rajouri district.
A total of 17,80,738 voters -- 9,21,053 men, 8,59,657 women and 28 third genders — are eligible to vote at 2,416 polling stations – 1,750 in rural and 666 in Urban areas – set up in the constituency.
Udhampur registered over 68 per cent polling on April 19, sealing the fate of 12 candidates in the fray, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh, and two-time former Congress MP Choudhary Lal Singh, both of whom are believed to be the front runners in the contest. (PTI Input)
Here's what Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad has to say ahead of Lok Sabha Elections phase 2 voting.
LJP MP Mehboob Ali Kaiser, the lone Muslim to have been elected to the Lok Sabha from the BJP-led NDA in Bihar, joined the RJD on Sunday, in a shot in the arm for the opposition party amid the elections.
Kaiser, who sided with former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras when the latter split the LJP, and was denied a ticket this time by Chirag Paswan despite efforts to seek rapprochement, joined the RJD in the presence of its leader Tejashwi Yadav.
"Kaiser-saheb is joining us after a meeting with party president Lalu Prasad-ji. We stand to gain from his experience. It is a development that will send across a strong message in favour of our fight to protect the Constitution, which is facing threat from the ruling dispensation," said Yadav.
Born into the family that ruled the erstwhile princely state of Simri Bakhtiyarpur in Saharsa district, Kaiser started his political career with the Congress and headed the party's state unit till 2013.
He joined the LJP in 2014 and won the Khagaria seat, which he retained five years later. (PTI Input)
Campaigning in Aligarh is subdued with major parties focusing on their core support bases. In the Muslim community, views on this Lok Sabha election seem to vary, with some seeing it as crucial for India's pluralism while others feel neglected by political parties.
Muslims are a sizeable community in the Aligarh parliamentary constituency. According to the 2011 Census, Islam is the second-most popular religion in Aligarh city, a lock-making hub in western Uttar Pradesh, with over 40 per cent of people following it.
"For me, this election is about safeguarding the Constitution, which grants me and everyone else in this country the right to equality," Shadab Khan, a 45-year-old driver at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), said.
Many others in Aligarh's Muslim community echoed his sentiment. (PTI Input)
After she was shifted to Bangalore North segment for the coming Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is determined to prove a point or two and wants to ensure that BJP continues its winning streak here.
Bangalore North has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 and the 57-year-old is banking on the "Modi factor".
She is facing Congress candidate and former Rajya Sabha member M V Rajeev Gowda, who is putting up a spirited fight. Both belong to the Vokkaliga community.
Karandlaje is a two-time MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur but was moved out after she faced a "Go back Shobha" campaign there from a section of her party.
Karandlaje has been telling people how India is on the development path in the past 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
"This is an election to save India's culture and 'Sanatana' traditions," the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, who hails from coastal Karnataka, said. (PTI Inpurt)
The Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena has been served a notice by the Election Commission for their election campaign, which features the chanting of the party's slogan, including the mention of the word 'Bhawani'. The use of the term 'Bhawani' is traditionally associated with Hindu deities, prompting the Election Commission to express concern and issue the notice.
(Input from Namrata Dubey)
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and bureaucrat-turned-politician Kartik Pandian were on the list of 40 star campaigners released by the BJD for the first two phases of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the eastern state.
Elections to 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly constituencies in Odisha will be held in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.
Patnaik is contesting from two assembly seats -- Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Bolangir district -- while Pandian is not in the poll fray.
BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das, who is pitted against Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, is also among the star campaigners. (PTI Input)
The Northern Kerala constituency of Kannur is witnessing an intense battle between the Congress and the CPI(M), while the BJP is focusing on the newly registered young voters to make an impact in the seat.
With 39 percent minorities, including Muslims and Christians, the voters often support the CPI(M)-LDF in most of the assembly seats falling under this Parliament constituency in the polls to the legislature, but the Lok Sabha constituency has often swayed towards the Congress-led UDF, hoping to replace the BJP at the Centre.
The strong minority vote base is what helped the UDF win the seat as the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is its major partner. The rubber farmers in areas like Irikkur and Peravoor, predominantly Christians, have also been a strong vote bank for the Congress.
Hoping to retain the seat this time as well, the Congress has fielded Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudhakaran here. Considering his candidature in the seat, Sudhakaran had recently temporarily handed over his organizational responsibility to his party colleague M M Hassan. (PTI Input)
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will address rallies in Rajnandgaon and Kanker constituencies in Chhattisgarh on Sunday. The two seats are among three in the state that will go to polls in the second phase on April 26.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will be launching campaign in Barak Valley, Assam on Sunday. He will campaign for Congress candidates Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Chaudhury from Karimganj and Surya Kanta Sarkar from Silchar. Kharge will also attend a public meeting in Algapur under the Hailakandi district.
I.N.D.I.A Bloc Ranchi Rally: Preparations are underway for the mega rally organised by the I.N.D.I.A bloc in Ranchi’s Prabhat Tara ground on Sunday (April 21). This comes after the bloc conducted a massive rally in New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan three weeks ago on March 31. Named the “Ulgulan (uprising) Nyay rally”, the event will witness the participation of prominent leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Champai Soren, Punjab VM and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and other top figures from various I.N.D.I.A parties. Click here to read the full report.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a public meeting in Katihar in favour of NDA candidate Dulal Chand Goswami. He will then head to Assam, where two crucial seats in the Barak Valley go to the polls in the second phase on April 26.
A case was registered against Samajwadi Party MLA from Baheri, Attaur Rahman, on Saturday for making false allegations and hurling abuses on BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bareilly, Chhatrapal Gangwar, and his nephew, police said.
Circle Officer (CO) Pankaj Srivastava said that acting on the complaint of Jitendra Kumar, a resident of Devarniya police station area, a case under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence. language etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 500 (punishment for defamation) was registered against Baheri MLA Attaur Rahman in the Kotwali police station on Saturday evening on the orders of the Senior Superintendent of Police.
Citing the FIR lodged on the complaint of Jitendra Kumar, the CO said that the SP MLA had called former minister and Lok Sabha candidate Chhatrapal Gangwar and his nephew as robbers in his speech at Bareilly's Nehru Yuva Kendra on April 16. (PTI Input)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the 2550th Bhagwan Mahaveer Nirvan Mahotsav today, on the occasion of Mahaveer Jayanti.
Background
Lok Sabha Elections: Please follow this space and refresh this page for all the latest developements pertaining to Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Leaders from 14 political parties, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Farooq Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav, and Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, have agreed to participate in opposition INDIA bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyay rally' scheduled in Ranchi on April 21, alliance leaders said on Thursday.
Led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the rally will be held in Jharkhand capital's Prabhat Tara ground. In a joint press conference here, the bloc leaders claimed that the rally has the support of 28 parties and over five lakh people from across the state will take part in it.
JMM general secretary and central spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said they have received consent from the leaders of 14 parties till Wednesday. He said senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have confirmed their participation in the rally. "RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav have also given their nod to join the rally," he said.
Bhattacharya added that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita and Sanjay Singh from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Derek O’Brien from TMC, Priyanka Chaturvedi from Shiv Sena (UBT), Dipankar Bhattacharya from CPI (ML) and others would also participate in the rally. "Due to the Lok Sabha election schedule in South India, some of the leaders from there might not come but they have extended their support," he said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, would be prominent speakers at the rally. Addressing the media, Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha said the state as well as country’s direction would change after the rally.
RJD general secretary Kailash Yadav said the false claims of the BJP over the past 10 years would be exposed. Earlier, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren held a meeting with INDIA bloc members regarding the preparations for the rally. "The rally will expose the atrocities being committed by the central government on tribals and natives of the state and the conspiracy to drive them away from Jal, Jungle and Jamin," the CM wrote on X.
He said the country fully understands the central government's strategy of using agencies against the state governments of opposition parties and defame them with false allegations. "People will reply to them in the upcoming elections," he said. Meanwhile, Jharkhand BJP termed the INDIA bloc’s mega rally as "the great family get together show".
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