Lok Sabha Elections HIGHLIGHTS: Delhi: AAP, Congress Leaders Meet To Chalk Out Poll Strategy
Lok Sabha Elections HIGHLIGHTS: Please follow this space and keep refreshing the page for all the latest developments pertaining to the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.
A meeting of AAP and the Congress' coordination committee was held on Friday to discuss the alliance's strategy in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections, as reported by news agency PTI. Polling for the national capital's seven Lok Sabha seats will be held in the sixth phase on May 25.
Devender Yadav, the interim chief of the Congress' Delhi unit, said the meeting was held for improved coordination between the two parties' workers. "Today, we held a meeting in order to improve coordination between the workers of both parties. We took some important decisions. Seven coordinators have been elected," he said, as quoted by PTI. "The coordinators discussed the issues being faced so that those can be resolved at the local level. We will also implement the suggestions that come to us," Yadav added.
Hyderabad, Telangana: Case registered against T Yaman Singh, BJP's Hyderabad candidate Madhavi Latha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, state party chief G Kishan Reddy and party leader Raja Singh for violating guidelines of Election Commission during election campaigning.
I.N.D.I.A bloc Coordination Committee meeting underway in Delhi. AAP and congress leaders discuss campaign coordination for the Lok Sabha Elections in Delhi.
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel was felicitated by BJP leaders at a public meeting in Vijapur, Mehsana today.
Jharkhand: Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducts a roadshow in Ranchi in support of BJP candidate from the Lok Sabha constituency, Sanjay Seth.
Panaji, Goa: "In recent years, the experience of Muslims has not been good. This is happening for the first time in this country that no Muslim is an MP in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. No Muslim is a minister in the cabinet. This is a wrong thing that the BJP has done. Our (Congress) government was the reflection of the whole nation. But, they want to change the identity of the nation with their slogan of 'Hind, Hindu, Hindutva'. This is not good," says Congress MP & candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor on AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi's 'Muslims in today's India are in a situation similar to that of the Jews during Hitler's era' remark in a podcast with ANI.
Congress MP and candidate from Wayanad and Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi arrives in Pune, Maharashtra.
Gujarat: Union Minister and BJP candidate from Porbandar, Mansukh Mandaviya holds a roadshow in Porbandar with actress Rupali Ganguly.
Maharashtra: During a public rally in Sangli, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "...I want to ask the chief of 'fake' Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray, you should make it clear in front of the people of Maharashtra, should CAA be implemented or not? should PFI be banned or not? Construction of Ram temple was good thing or bad thing? Removal of triple talaq was a good thing or not?... Uddhav ji won't answer this because he is scared of his new vote bank...The vote bank of Sharad Pawar and Congress has now become his vote bank..."
Jharkhand: In Singhbhum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "My adivasi brothers and sister have a right on the jal, jungle, and zameen of Jharkhand. JMM and Congress consider it their property, which is why they are openly looting every resource of the state. JMM was involved in such a big liquor scam. Sand is being illegally mined and looted. Everyone from small leaders to the former CM, everyone is involved in it... After taking away the lands of adivasis, they have their eyes on the lands of the Indian Army..."
West Bengal: In Bolpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Today, I am seeing a different atmosphere here...I am here to seek your blessings. In 2014, you elected Modi not only to run the government or to show the power of PM post. You elected me to fulfill big goals."
PM Modi's impromptu roadshow in Krishnanagar during his visit to West Bengal today.
PM Narendra Modi addresses election rally in in West Bengal's Bolpur, says, "I bow before all the mothers and sisters who have come here today."
Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh: BJP workers raise slogans of 'Rahul Gandhi wapas jao' at Congress leader and party candidate from Raebareli Rahul Gandhi.
Gurugram: Congress leader Raj Babbar files nomination from Gurgaon (Haryana) Lok Sabha seat. Haryana votes on all 10 Lok Sabha seats on 25th May. BJP has fielded Rao Inderjit Singh from the constituency.
Taking a swipe at the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi, Amethi's sitting MP and BJP leader Smriti Irani said "We will not leave a stone unturned in welcoming the guests (referring to Rahul Gandhi)." Her remarks came as a response after the grand old party finally revealed who will be contesting from Amethi and Raebareli on Friday, the last day to file nominations for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections. Both the constituencies are scheduled to go to polls on May 20.
"No member of the Gandhi family contesting from Amethi in itself is an indication that Congress has accepted its defeat from Amethi even before elections," Amethi MP & Union Minister Smriti Irani remarked. Read the full report here.
Congress's Amethi candidate Kishori Lal Sharma on Friday said he would rather a Gandhi fight from the seat, but he cannot refuse the party's order which asked him to fight the election.
Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded by the Congress from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat – a longstanding bastion of the Gandhi family, breached in 2019.
"Even today, I want the Gandhi family to contest the election from Amethi. But I consider it my duty to accept the order given by the family," Sharma told PTI at the Gauriganj Congress office here.
"I have always been a 'sevak' of the Gandhi family and whatever responsibility the Gandhi family has entrusted to its sevak, I will fulfil it," he said.
After days of suspense, Congress on Friday fielded Sharma, a representative of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and before them, Rajiv Gandhi, in Amethi, as its candidate for the seat. (PTI Input)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge arrives at Raebareli Congress Office ahead of Rahul Gandhi's nomination filing from the seat. BJP has fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh from Raebareli.
BJP candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and son of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh- Karan Bhushan filed his nomination from Kaiserganj on Friday.
Congress candidate from UP's Amethi Lok Sabha seat KL Sharma arrived at the District Magistrate's office to file his nomination.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami held a massive roadshow in Delhi, in support of the BJP candidate from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday ridiculed the fact that there was no Gandhi family member contesting the Amethi Lok Sabha seat this year. Referring to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's slogan of 'daro mat [Don't be scared]' PM Modi said: "Bhago mat [Don't run]."
Read the full report here.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, commenting on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, said, "Rahul Gandhi is not the person who is going to get scared. He fights and wins from Wayanad, however, we all had that wish that someone from the Gandhi family should fight from Uttar Pradesh whether it's Amethi or Raebareli. Sonia Gandhi has informed Rahul Gandhi to fight from Raebareli and we welcome that. Since the period of Indira Gandhi, the Nehruvian family kept fighting from Raebareli. Anyone can win Amethi, KL Sharma is part of the Gandhi family member. This time Smriti Irani is not going to Lok Sabha, but KL Sharma is."
Congress on Friday finally brought an end to the long-standing suspense around its candidates from the Gandhi family's traditional bastions--Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, on the last day of filing the nominations for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The grand old party announced Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi as it candidate from Rae Bareli and Congress loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi. Read full report here.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: "I am in a rush because I have to leave for Raebareli to attend the nomination filing of 'bhaiya' (Rahul Gandhi). Kishori Lal Sharma is going to contest from Amethi and you know him for 40 years. He is very well aware of the issues of Amethi. We will fight together and will ensure Kishori Lal Sharma's victory..."
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in an X post said, "Our family has had a long association with Kishori Lal Sharma ji. He has always been dedicated to serving the people of Amethi and Raebareli. His passion for public service is an example in itself."
"Today it is a matter of joy that the Congress Party has made Shri Kishori Lal Ji a candidate from Amethi. Kishori Lal Ji's loyalty and dedication towards duty will definitely bring him success in this election," she said.
On Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Rahulji, you said 'Daro Mat' and now you are saying 'Amethi se Lado mat'. The Congress has confirmed that they have surrendered and have run away from Amethi... After defrauding Amethi for so many years, they went to Wayanad. They are defrauding Wayanad also. They are doing 'use and throw' with Wayanad... They have chosen, what they feel, is a safer seat in Raebareli... 80/80 will be the scorecard for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and 400+ for NDA across the country... KL Sharma's first priceless reaction tells everything. He feels like he is made a scapegoat. I feel bad for Robert Vadra. He tried hard but did not get a chance..."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday attacked Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that his party will get such a drubbing in election that he will have to take out a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra' after June 4.
Addressing an election rally in Bareilly, Shah alleged that Rahul, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and SP's Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya fearing their going may alienate their vote bank.
"The 'shehzade' (prince) of 'ghamandia' INDI Alliance started his election campaign with Bharat Jodo Yatra but on June 4 (counting day), it will end with a 'Congress Dhoondho Yatra'," Shah said.
"In the first two phases, Congress is nowhere, while Narendra Modi has made a century and taken a lead in the '400 race' (race to 400 seats)," he said.
He said that this election is for ending terrorism and Naxalism and making India the third major economy globally. (PTI Input)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier.
Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement.
Sharma was the key man who looked after the two key constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis.
The two will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer told ANI, "We have finalized the list of contesting candidates and after finalizing the list of contesting candidates the seven A has been published. Electronic ballot papers have been sent to all the service voters. We have 67,000 service voters from today onwards. Home voting has also started in some districts. So the Home voting process is for specially challenged people as well as the 85-plus category of voters...28,000 voters have registered themselves for Home voting. 46,389 are the total number of polling stations now".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to file nomination from Raebareli whereas Congress leader KL Sharma is likely to contest from Amethi, sources told news agency ANI.
Background
Lok Sabha Elections HIGHLIGHTS: Please follow this space and keep refreshing the page for all the latest developments pertaining to the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.
PM Modi Arrives In Kolkata, To Address 3 Poll Rallies In Bengal On Friday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to address three election rallies in West Bengal on Friday, arrived in state capital Kolkata on Thursday evening, an official said. The Prime Minister went straight to the Raj Bhavan from the airport, he said, adding, the PM will stay the night at the governor house.
PM Modi is scheduled to address public meetings in Krishnanagar, Purba Bardhaman and Bolpur Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday. "PM Modi reached the Raj Bhavan around 10.20 pm. Security arrangements have been tightened around the governor house and other parts of the city," the official told PTI. The PM was welcomed by Governor C V Ananda Bose at the Raj Bhavan.
Amit Shah To Address Poll Rally In North Goa On Friday
Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah will address an election rally in North Goa on Friday, a senior party functionary said on Thursday. Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade told reporters that Shah, a star campaigner of the saffron outfit, is scheduled to address the rally in Mapusa town of North Goa at around 5 pm.
Tanavade said more than 25,000 people are expected to attend the gathering. The BJP has fielded four-time MP Shripad Naik from North Goa, where his main rival is Congress candidate Ramakant Khalap. Revolutionary Goans Party leader Manoj Parab is also in the fray.
This is the second biggest rally organised by the ruling party in Goa in run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in the coastal state. On April 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed a poll rally in South Goa. The tiny coastal state, which has two Lok Sabha seats -- North Goa and South Goa -- will vote in the third phase on May 7.
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