Lok Sabha Polls 2024 Highlights: Cong talks about eliminating 'Shakti', won't you give a befitting reply, says PM Modi

 "Many candidates contest the elections but the important point is who gets how many votes. As far as Bahujan Samaj Party is concerned, it is a dummy of BJP," said Samajwadi Party candidate from Pilibhit, Bhagwat Saran Gangwar.

Madurai, Tamil Nadu: MNM party chief Kamal Hassan holds a roadshow in support of CPI-M candidate from Madurai constituency Su Venkatesan.

The BJP, which was holding the fort in the Hamirpur civic body, on Thursday suffered a setback when the president of the civic body Manoj Minhas, his wife Nisha Minhas and another councilor Rajkumar joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. 

Manoj was "upset" with the BJP for a long time and a no-confidence motion was already pending against him for approval. 

Chief Minister Sukhu welcomed all the three in the party fold and said they will be given a "proper place" in the party.

At a rally in Andaman's Port Blair, BHP President JP Nadda accused the previous Congress regimes of trying to ensure that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and VD Savarkar were forgotten by the masses, while asserting that the Modi government will "never let that happen".

"Elections in democracy are like a celebration. It is an opportunity to meet our people and understand them. It is the time to listen to the people and express our thoughts to them. Democracy, in our country is growing stronger," says Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur Dharmendra Pradhan

Former Congress leader Rohan Gupta joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls. After joining the saffron camp, the ex-Congress leader claimed that the INDIA bloc is an ‘unnatural’ alliance. 

"This is an unnatural alliance and people will not trust anything that is unnatural. Whenever an alliance is created, it is to give a message about the core values for which we are uniting. You cannot ignore the basic core values of the country and talk about the Constitution. You cannot disrespect Nationalism and Sanatana and talk about the Constitution. Left parties have always been against the country, you are doing an alliance with them. You have been attacking Mehboba Mufti for being against the nation and you are forming an alliance with her. You accused Kejriwal had an association with Khalistan and you are forming an alliance with him... This is an unnatural alliance and this is the biggest disaster for the Congress party... The core voters of the Congress would also get distant from Congress..." Gupta told news agency ANI

PM Narendra Modi tried his hand at 'damroo' presented to him by Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pushkar Dhami during Vijay Sankalp Rally in Rishikesh earlier today.

Former Prime Minister of India Chandra Shekhar's son Neeraj Shekhar has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Ballia Lok Sabha constituency seat in Uttar Pradesh. On Thursday, Neeraj Shekhar claimed that he is still associated with the socialist ideology, and slammed the Samajwadi Party (SP) for allegedly doing away with the ideas of Ram Manohar Lohia.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday batted for the ‘one nation, one election’ idea and called the track record of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government “remarkable” for the country. 

 The 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP will go to polls in four phases between April 19 and May 13 and votes will be counted on June 4.

The Telegu Desam Party (TDP) has announced that they will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls. Further the beleaguered party is yet to take a call on who to support for the Lok Sabha polls in the state. 

Notably, the TDP is a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. 

TDP spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari, however, said the TDP will resume its political innings by contesting the local body polls, expected to be held in June or July this year.

Maratha quota row: Activist Manoj Jarange Patil has accused the Maharashtra government of cheating the ‘Marathas’. At a public rally the activist who has taken up fast until death for a Marathas reservation demand, said that he will only back those political leaders who ‘genuinely support Maratha quota’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said under the "strong" BJP-led government at the Centre, the country's security forces are eliminating terrorists on their own turf. Addressing an election rally here, Modi said the echoes of 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' were being heard across the country as people have seen the benefits of having a stable government. "Enemies took advantage and terrorism spread whenever there were weak and unstable governments in the country. But under a strong Modi government, our forces are killing terrorists on their own turf," Modi said. The prime minister said he stopped the corrupt from looting the country and their anger against him was at its height. He also asked the people of Uttarakhand to give a befitting reply to the Congress for talking about eliminating "Shakti" which is symbolised by the revered goddesses of Uttarakhand -- Maa Dhari Devi and Jwalpa Devi.

Referring to Uri surgical strike and Balakot air strike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that in the 10 years of the BJP government at the Centre "terrorists are being killed in their own homes" Addressing a public rally in Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister highlighted the major decisions taken by his government emphasising that it was under the NDA regime that Article 370 was abrogated from Jammu and Kashmir. "Today, there is a strong government in the country. Under this 'mazboot Modi sarkar, atankwaadiyon ko ghar mein ghus ke mara jata hai'. The Indian tricolour has become a guarantee of security even in the war zone. After seven decades, Article 370 was scrapped from Jammu and Kashmir and a law was made against triple talaq. It was our strong government which ensured 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and the poor of the general category also got 10 per cent reservation," the PM said.

Congress talks about eliminating 'Shakti', won't you give it a befitting reply: PM Modi at Uttarakhand rally.

As we stopped corrupt from looting, their anger against Modi is at its height: PM at Uttarakhand rally.

Under strong Modi government, our forces are killing terrorists on their own turf: PM Modi at Uttarakhand rally.

Often considered a fringe player in Tamil Nadu's electoral arena dominated by the Dravidian heavyweights, a resurgent BJP in Tamil Nadu has seen it's stock rising much beyond its expectations this time, thanks to an assertive and aggressive K Annamalai who is steering the party. The BJP has made no bones about its intentions to make good electoral inroads in the Dravidian heartland and is hopeful of turning the positive wave into votes for the April 19 general election. It is heading a non-DMK, non-AIADMK bloc and is contesting directly from 19 seats, including Coimbatore from where Annamalai has been fielded. Much of the party's newfound confidence stems from Annamalai's "En Mann, En Makkal" (My Land, My People) padayatra, a crucial political journey that made many heads turn towards the Tamil Nadu BJP and the former IPS officer. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the culmination of the nearly seven month-long yatra.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat in Assam, has said that Congress failed to address the concerns of the small tea farmers. "For the most part, the concerns of small tea growers in Assam fell on deaf ears during the successive Congress governments, who completely disregarded their concerns. The All Assam Small Tea Growers Association repeatedly appealed to the Congress government for land rights, but to no avail. Conversely, the BJP government acknowledged their demands and granted land rights to over 2 lakh tea growers," said Sonowal.

Echoes of 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' being heard across country as people have seen what stable govt can do: PM at rally in Uttarakhand.

Enemies took advantage, terrorism spread whenever there were weak, unstable governments in country: PM Modi in Uttarakhand's Rishikeh.

Delhi minister & AAP leader Atishi says, "Everybody in Delhi know that Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested in a false case. What has he been arrested? - because he gives free electricity, water, good education & Mohalla Clinics. The people of Delhi are angry with the arrest of CM Kejriwal...Everyone knows why Raaj Kumar Anand resigned. A 23 hour raid was conducted at his residence in November...There was a lot of pressure on him from ED..."

Addressing a public rally in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh, PM Modi says, "Today, there is a strong government in the country. Under this 'mazboot Modi sarkar, atankwaadiyon ko ghar mein ghus ke mara jata hai'. Whenever we have had a weak government in the country our enemies have taken advantage."

The filing of nominations for the third phase of the 2024 general elections will begin on Friday, the Election Commission said. "Nominations for the third phase of General Elections 2024 will begin tomorrow," the poll commission said on Thursday. Voting under phase 3 will be held in 94 constituencies in 12 states and Union territories (UT) on May 7. The counting of votes for all polls will done on June 4. The Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases, with voters across the country going to the polls on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda released the party's manifesto for the Sikkim Assembly Election at Gangtok on Thursday. The manifesto is titled "Modi Ki Guarantee--Viksit Bharat Viksit Sikkim." Launching an attack at the Congress, Nadda said, "The previous governments believed in isolation and ignorance. They wanted to keep the people isolated, ignore them and increase their vote bank politics. This was the style of functioning of the Congress party and other parties. But when PM Modi became the Prime Minister, he said, "Look East, Act East, Act Fast and Act First."

Price rise and jobs are of utmost concern to voters in India, the world's largest democracy, which is gearing up for the general election in the next few days, a pre-poll survey revealed. The seven-phase Lok Sabha election will kick off on April 19 and will continue till June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

The Election Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the Voice of the People's Party in Meghalaya over an alleged violation of the model code of conduct by its supporters who were accused of disrupting Lok Sabha poll campaigns of the ruling NPP by raising slogans during public meetings in several locations. The Returning Officer of Shillong parliamentary constituency SC Sadhu also issued another notice to VPP chief Ardent Basaiawmoit after the election agent of NPP candidate Ampareen Lyngdoh alleged that the opposition party was "spreading fake news" using social media. Basaiawmoit was asked to reply by April 12 as to why action should not be taken against his party under the relevant provisions of the model code of conduct.

Paying obeisance at the local 'namghar' (traditional Vaishnav prayer hall), playing the drum with artistes welcoming him at a rally and highlighting BJP's initiatives for the people are all a part of the day’s campaign for Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal contesting from Assam's Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat. The Dibrugarh constituency in Upper Assam constituency comprises of 10 assembly segments in two districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. Sonowal has been campaigning extensively to reach out to the diverse electorate ranging from tea garden workers, women, farmers, urban traders, students, senior citizens and even the disabled people of his constituency. "I begin connecting with people right from 6:30 am which continues till midnight and this is my normal routine. My campaign is not only about holding public rallies but about reaching out to the diverse sections of my constituency," Sonowal told PTI in an interview before commencing his campaign for the day.

Amid a tussle within the Pawar family over the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, where NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule is pitted against cousin Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar, an old interview of Sharad Pawar has been shared by his party, in which he speaks about giving equal opportunities to girls. This video is being viewed as the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) party's response to the appeal made by the rival camp's head and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to vote for the name 'Pawar' in Baramati in the upcoming general elections. Baramati, from where Ajit Pawar is an MLA, is the home turf of the Pawar family. Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, has represented the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency thrice so far and is seeking a fourth term. Speaking at a programme of party workers in Baramati earlier this week, Ajit Pawar sought support for his wife in the Lok Sabha polls and sent out a message to the voters, telling them they have elected his uncle Sharad Pawar's daughter three times, but now they should elect his daughter-in-law. "...You have been with the Pawars for so long, but now there must be some thought about what to do (in Lok Sabha polls) as there are two candidates from the same family. You must be wondering whom to support, whom to vote for. It is simple, as you have been with the Pawars for so long, just go and vote for (another) Pawar (referring to Sunetra Pawar)," he said.

With six children of Karnataka Ministers in the Lok Sabha poll arena, the campaign scene is getting spiced up in the high-stakes elections for the ruling Congress in the state. Prabha Mallikarjun, wife of Minister S S Mallikarjun, is also in the poll fray. The grand old party tried its best to make several ministers enter the Lok Sabha election fray but none of them agreed and, instead, they proposed the candidature of their family members.

Lok Sabha polls 2024 LIVE: Senior Congress leader has attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising South India, saying he does so when he's in North but praises Kerala when he's in the state. “When the Prime Minister comes to Kerala, he praises Kerala. When he is in North India, he criticizes South India... Mission India (of BJP) is not going to work, especially in South India,” he said.

Samajwadi Party national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, who is the party's official candidate from the Budaun Lok Sabha seat, on Wednesday announced that his son Aditya Yadav will be contesting from this seat in his place on demand of people. 

Addressing a meeting here, Yadav said that Aditya would contest from this seat on demand of youths and will file his nomination in Navratri.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday charged Union Home Minister Amit Shah with fomenting communal tension in Bihar by raising the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya in his election campaign ahead of Eid and Ram Navami. 

The former deputy chief minister made the remark referring to Shah’s rally in Gaya during the day.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vandra will visit Assam next week to campaign for opposition candidates. 

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Vadra will address public meetings in Assam's Jorhat and Tripura on April 16. 

Congress on Wednesday announced the candidatures of Shobha Bachchav from Dhule Lok Sabha seat in north Maharashtra and Kalyan Kale from Jalna in the central Marathwada region of the state. 

The party has, thus, so far announced candidates for 15 out of 17 Lok Sabha constituencies it would be contesting in the state as part of the seat-sharing arrangement with its allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked the opposition for saying that the Constitution and democracy would be in danger if he wins a third term in office and asserted abrogation of Article 370 ensured the statute book was implemented throughout the country.

Modi said even during the Vajpayee government's tenure, it was alleged the Constitution will be changed and the same narrative now shows the "opposition is facing bankruptcy of new ideas". 

"When a poor man becomes PM, democracy comes under threat for the opposition. It (opposition) cannot see a poor mother's son growing in stature. But Modi is committed to serve the people of India," he noted.

AAP will announce its candidates for the Jalandhar and the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seats in Punjab on April 16, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Wednesday. 

"Candidates for Jalandhar and Ludhiana will be announced on April 16," Mann, the AAP's Punjab unit chief, said in a post on X. 

The party has so far declared candidates for Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Sangrur, Amritsar, Patiala, Khadoor Sahib, Bathinda, Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab.

The Central government has provided 'Y escort' category Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security cover to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilli Ram Thapa, sources said on Wednesday. He has been granted the facility only in Sikkim, it added. The BJP has named Dilli Ram Thapa from the Upper Burtuk Assembly Constituency.

Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha workers carried out a major cleanliness drive to clean up a road and pavement after a massive election rally of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP's North Mumbai candidate and Union Minister Piyush Goyal. 

Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, said: "PM Modi has shown us the vision of 'Vikshit Bharat 2047," and the first step towards it is 'Swaach Bharat'. Like PM Modi said, in our country there are four castes: youth, women, Farmers and the poor. PM Modi has shown so much respect to everyone. Today the world is filled with energy and through energy we can make our nation 'Viksit Bharat'. Viksit Bharat has to be built only through everyone's effort. We should work toward taking the nation forward without any expectation of getting any position. I want to request that all the youth of the country should work towards nation-building." 

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, besides the party's national president, Mallikarjun Kharge, are likely to campaign in Bihar later this month, a senior leader said on Wednesday. 

State Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh said this while replying to queries at a press conference that he addressed here jointly with AICC Bihar in-charge Mohan Prakash here on Wednesday.

Lanka Dinakar, Bharatiya Janata Party Andhra Pradesh spokesperson on Wednesday said that Congress and the ruling YSRCP see Muslims as a "vote bank machine" while PM Modi-led government considers them an "integral part of the Indian society." 

Dinakar told ANI that the Congress-led INDI bloc depends on appeasement politics since they have lost the faith and trust of the general public due to their acts. 

Uttar Pradesh minister Jaiveer Singh, the BJP's pick from Mainpuri against Dimple Yadav, Wednesday said she had won in the bypoll riding on sympathy wave over SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's death but the "time has crossed" now. 

Singh said the people are asking about her work in the constituency and claimed that she has no satisfactory answer to it. 

He is "100 per cent" confident of winning the Lok Sabha elections on the basis of the people-oriented policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he claimed.

Highlighting the evacuation operations carried out for the safety of Indians across world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated the assurance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment (Modi Ki Guarantee), extending beyond India's borders. 

EAM Jaishankar emphasised the reliability of the Indian government's support for its citizens, whether they encounter crises abroad or face challenges like those witnessed in Ukraine, Israel, or Sudan.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday claimed the resignation of Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand vindicated its stand that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest was aimed at finishing the party. 

Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP was using the ED and the CBI to "break our ministers and MLAs". 

"It is 'agnipariksha' (trial by fire) of AAP ministers and MLAs," he said.

Taking a dig at the opposition INDIA bloc, BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday termed it a "ghamandiya (arrogant) alliance full of corrupt leaders".

Nadda, who earlier in the day released the BJP's manifesto for the April 19 simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, also alleged that the opposition alliance was giving refuge to corrupt leaders.

Addressing an election rally here, Nadda said, "The INDIA bloc is an alliance of arrogant people who indulge in corruption and dynasty politics. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is against corruption, many of the opposition grouping's leaders are involved in scams."

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday challenged in the Delhi High Court an order of the Lokpal directing the CBI to probe two properties which are in the name of the party. 

Justice Subramonium Prasad said he will hear the matter on April 23. 

The petitioner, the JMM, represented through senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chowdhury, challenged the March 4 order of the Lokpal of India which was passed on a complaint filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren.

Of the 13,500 polling booths in Delhi, police have so far identified around 2,000 as "critical" based on past cases as well as the probability of deterioration of the law-and-order situation and extra security personnel would be deployed there, officials said on Wednesday. 

As many as 1.47 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise at the seven Lok Sabha constituencies of the city where polling will be held on May 25.

Enforcement agencies have seized drugs, unaccounted-for cash and liquor worth ₹192 crore in Punjab since the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections came into force last month. 

The poll code came into effect on March 16. 

According to data provided by the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer's office, various law enforcement agencies seized drugs, narcotics, liquor and cash worth ₹192.08 crore till Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday came to the defence of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai after "joker" jibe by DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran and said "insulting words" were used against the BJP leader. 

He also said that the remarks reflected the character of the ruling party in the state and that "arrogance is against the great culture of Tamil Nadu".