Lok Sabha Election 2024 Highlights: EC calls Congress chief’s letter over delay in releasing voter turnout data an ‘attempt to push biased narrative’

Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday said that the Election Commission "should remember that it is not beyond criticism", adding that there was much that the poll body had done and not done which deserves to be criticised. "When RBI, C&AG, Finance Commission and other bodies can be criticised, why does ECI think it should not be criticised," the Rajya Sabha MP said in a post on X. Chidambaram said that he had been closely observing the poll body "since the days of the redoubtable T N Seshan" and that he had many stories to share. "Mr Mallikarjun Kharge had raised valid points in his letter. ECI may refute them, but why take exception to the letter," he questioned. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should be "ashamed" that the women in Sandeshkhali were tortured on the basis of religion. Addressing an election rally in West Bengal's Ranaghat, Shah also said that Mamata had taken out rallies opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and "in support of infiltrators."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sita Soren on Friday filed nomination from the Dumka Lok Sabha seat in presence of BJP state president Babulal Marandi, according to news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Jharkhand | BJP candidate from Dumka Lok Sabha seat, Sita Soren files her nomination in the presence of BJP state president Babulal Marandi in Dumka pic.twitter.com/ZcKgEVVeW7

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing the reporters in Hyderabad on Friday, said, "We are giving the guarantee of apprenticeship to the youth. We will also provide those 30 lakh vacant posts in government to the youth... We will give 50% reservation to women in government jobs... will work to strengthen the labour laws for the unorganised workers. This Modi government is only for the rich people. It does not work for the poor...," news agency ANI reported.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge says, "We are giving the guarantee of apprenticeship to the youth. We will also provide those 30 lakh vacant posts in government to the youth... We will give 50% reservation to women in government… pic.twitter.com/0dMYagQ02D

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj on Friday affirmed that INDIA alliance and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav are going to win in the constituency.

"...INDIA Alliance and Akhilesh Yadav are going to win here. I give it to you in writing, a storm of INDIA Alliance is coming to Uttar Pradesh. I give it to you in writing, BJP is going to face its biggest defeat in the country, here in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh paves the way for the country. Uttar Pradesh has made up its mind that a change has to set in here, that a change has to set in in India and that is why decision has been made. Public has made up its mind," he said.

#WATCH | Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh: Congress MP and candidate from Wayanad & Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi says, "...INDIA Alliance and Akhilesh Yadav are going to win here. I give it to you in writing, a storm of INDIA Alliance is coming to Uttar Pradesh. I give it to you in writing, BJP… pic.twitter.com/YFdoYMCyJt

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Nandurbar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, ''Ye maha aghadi, aarakshan ke maha bakshan ka maha abhiyaan chala rahi hai', whereas to protect the reservation of SC, ST and OBC, Modi 'aarakshan ke maha raksan ka maha yagya kar raha hai'.'

He added, 'I have been challenging Congress for the last 17 days, I had asked them to give it in writing that they won't cut the reservation of SC, ST and OBC into pieces and give one piece to Muslims, but they aren't replying. Congress's silence on my challenge shows they have a hidden agenda...'

#WATCH | Addressing a public meeting in Maharashtra's Nandurbar, PM Narendra Modi says, ''Ye maha aghadi, aarakshan ke maha bakshan ka maha abhiyaan chala rahi hai', whereas to protect the reservation of SC, ST and OBC, Modi 'aarakshan ke maha raksan ka maha yagya kar raha hai'.… pic.twitter.com/jthYgnxtl5

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public rally in Maharashtra's Nandurbar alleged that the Congress party had opened a 'factory' of lies this election season.

He said, "Congress knows that they can't compete with Modi on development and hence they have opened a 'factory' of lies in this election... Regarding reservation, Congress' condition is like 'chor machaye shor'. Religion-based reservation is against the principle of Babasaheb Ambedkar. It's like stabbing at the back of those who framed the Constitution, it's a sin that can't be measured," news agency ANI reported.

#WATCH | Addressing a public meeting in Maharashtra's Nandurbar, PM Narendra Modi says, "Congress knows that they can't compete with Modi on development and hence they have opened a 'factory' of lies in this election... Regarding reservation, Congress' condition is like 'chor… pic.twitter.com/9bT6oiwXHY

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned to campaigning after a day’s break, hit out at the Congress while addressing a rally in Maharashtra, saying that the party was “conspiring to eliminate the Hindu faith in India”. “Guru of Shehzada has even told US that the Ram temple construction is against the idea of India,” the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned to campaigning after a day’s break, hit out at the Congress while addressing a rally in Maharashtra, saying that the party was “conspiring to eliminate the Hindu faith in India”. “Guru of Shehzada has even told US that the Ram temple construction is against the idea of India,” the Prime Minister added.

Commenting on Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav's scheduled rally on Friday, Uttar Pradesh Minister & BJP leader Swatantra Dev Singh says "The people of Uttar Pradesh have rejected Congress and Samajwadi Party. They never formed the government in the state based on their popularity. No one even notices their roadshow. BJP will win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh," news agency ANI reported.

Yadav is set to campaign for INDIA bloc candidates in Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar and Kanpur Dehat on Friday.

#WATCH | Lucknow | On Rahul Gandhi & Akhilesh's joint public rally in Kannauj today, UP Minister & BJP leader Swatantra Dev Singh says "The people of Uttar Pradesh have rejected Congress and Samajwadi Party. They never formed the government in the state based on their popularity.… pic.twitter.com/pEautR6MnR

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will cover three states on Friday, beginning with a public rally at 11.30 am in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar, followed by rallies in Telangana at 3.15 pm in Mahabubnagar and at 5.30 pm in Hyderabad.

As per the orders of the Election Commission, repolling is underway at four polling stations in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul on Friday after a few electronic voting machines (EVMs) were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling personnel post-voting caught fire on Tuesday night near Sonora Gaula village.

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh | Repolling at 4 polling stations is going on, in Betul.

A bus, carrying polling personnel, burst into flames while returning from Goula Village in the Multai assembly constituency of Betul Lok Sabha constituency on May 7. The polling personnel jumped off… pic.twitter.com/RYVsI5pCMH

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024

BJP’s Rae Bareli candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh has accused the Gandhi family of harbouring “hatred” for Rae Bareli-Amethi, and asked why they did not field a local leader but opted for “Priyanka Gandhi’s clerk” to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Amethi.

Singh, who is taking on Rahul Gandhi in a high-profile electoral contest here, also claimed that the Gandhi scion will lose by a bigger margin than his mother Sonia Gandhi had won in the 2019 polls. Read more

SP chief Thursday said, "INDI alliance is definitely winning 79 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh." 

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: “INDIA alliance is definitely winning 79 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh; we are facing a tough competition on just one seat (referring to Varanasi),” says Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh).#LSPolls2024WithPTI… pic.twitter.com/JGdoKMlqao

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday termed as an "absolute lie" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that her party will put a "Babri lock" on the Ram temple in Ayodhya if it is voted to power, saying court judgements will be honoured. Prime Minister Modi had recently stated at a rally in Madhya Pradesh that he wants the BJP-led NDA to win 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls to ensure the Congress does not bring back Article 370 in Kashmir and put a "Babri lock" on the Ram temple in Ayodhya. -- PTI

The Congress candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh, Vikramaditya Singh, on Thursday attacked the BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut, saying her “movie written and directed by respected Jai Ram Thakur ji (former BJP chief minister) will flop in Mandi’s box office”.

Speaking to the media after filing his nomination paper for Lok Sabha elections 2024 before the returning officer in Mandi, Vikramaditya said, “Motarma (referring to Kangana Ranaut) Hume kuch bhi bole, hume koi Farak nahi padta paar vo Mandi kaa kaya Vikas karnai gi uss paar kuch bole (Whatever ma’am say about us, it does not affect us. But she should tell what her vision is of Mandi)…”

After filing nomination from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency, Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh told PTI, ""Today, I have filed my nomination from Mandi Lok Sabha constituency on behalf of Congress party. This election is not a battle against any individual, it is to make Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) a smart city and ensure its growth." 

VIDEO | "Today, I have filed my nomination from Mandi Lok Sabha constituency on behalf of Congress party. This election is not a battle against any individual, it is to make Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) a smart city and ensure its growth," says Congress candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha… pic.twitter.com/EXmuef2Lwd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's address in Telangana is underway. "Its 'vote for jihad vs vote for vikas this time," Amit Shah said. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the “vote jihad” issue during his rally in Bihar. It comes after Congress leader Salman Khurshid and his niece Maria Alam Khan, an SP leader,were bokked over an appeal Khan made for “vote jihad” in support of INDIA bloc candidate.In her speech, Maria, in her forties, reportedly urged those present to practice “vote jihad” discreetly and intelligently, stating that they can remove the party in power from government only by doing this.Speaking to a crowd enthusiastic to elect Modi Ji for the third term, in Bhongir, Telangana.

VIDEO | "The election of 2024 is an election of Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi. In this election it is 'vote for jihad' against 'vote for vikas'," says Union minister and BJP leader Amit Shah (@AmitShah) in Bhongir, Telangana#LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024

(Full… pic.twitter.com/tckTaONwHn

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi slammed the Central government over inflation, unemployment during her address at a meeting in Raebareli. Gandhi said, "Its difficult to sustain when there's no work for two-three days...Those who attack women are saved in the country, whether it be in Hathras, Karnataka."

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli. Her brother and MP Rahul Gandhi contests from the family bastion.

Watch video:

LIVE: Smt. @priyankagandhi ji addresses a corner meeting in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. https://t.co/9C1PkQ40z3

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 9, 2024

Row continued to brew over the remarks of Sam Pitroda, close aide of the Gandhi family and has put the Congress in a difficult spot amidst elections. The INDIA bloc ally Samjwadi Party's leader  Ameeque Jamei told PTI in response to his resignation from Congress post."Sam Pitroda should not have made such an irrelevant statement by sitting in America during the election time. What was the need to give life to BJP's campaign when they were losing? Purushottam Rupala said that Kshatriya used to give their daughters and sisters to British and Mughals. The Kshatriya community is angered. Does BJP have any respect for Kshatriya community? PM Modi will have to answer on this."

Emphasising the diversity of India, Pitroda in an interview to The Statesman, said: “People in the East look like the Chinese, people in the West look like the Arabs, people in the North look like, maybe, White, and people in the South look like Africans,” adding, “It does not matter. All of us are brothers and sisters.”

Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency is on spotlight with actor Kangana Ranaut and Congress' Vikramaditya Singh's candidature. Ahead of filing nomination, Singh said Ranaut has no knowledge of things there."We too will support that an airport come up here in the time to come. We will make all efforts for it but the location at which they were trying for it to come up, is a very fertile area...If we build an airport at such a fertile area, we will have to listen to the issues of farmers..." Singh told ANI in a video.

In Himachal Pradesh, Congress candidates Vikramaditya Singh and Anand Sharma will file their nominations Thursday. While minister Singh has been fielded from the Mandi seat, party veteran Anand Sharma has been fielded from the Kangra constituency.

"I will be filing my nomination today. I have a long association with people of Mandi and will take this relationship forward. We will talk about development only. We were standing in solidarity with the people here during the natural disaster. I promise that a smart city will be developed in Mandi," Singh told PTI.

VIDEO | Here what Congress candidate from Himachal Pradesh's #Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh (@VikramadityaINC) said ahead of filing his nomination from the constituency.

"I will be filing my nomination today. I have a long association with people of Mandi and will take… pic.twitter.com/EtLhWFYb5J

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 9, 2024

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) released the list of two candidates from Kushinagar and Deoria constituences - Subh Narayan Chouhan and Sandesh Yadav, news agency ANI said in a post on X.

Uttar Pradesh: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) releases a list of two candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/h9IU0abY96

— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2024

Hello and welcome to today's Lok Sabha election 2024 live blog ! Stay tuned here for updates, ground reports and analysis on the  elections.