Lok Sabha Election Highlights: Congress says it will not take part in exit poll debates

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said the Opposition should not disturb Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meditation in Kanyakumari, news agency PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters, he accused Congress of always questioning Hindu traditions.

"If the Opposition does not know how to meditate, it should not try and disturb someone else's meditation," he said.

Congress has accused Modi of trying to "circumvent" the silence period restrictions with his meditation at Vivekananda Rock Memorial and asked the Election Commission to ensure it was not aired by the media as it could violate the model code of conduct.

As many as 70,000 security personnel have been deployed in Punjab for the peaceful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections, said officials. More than 2.14 crore voters will cast their votes at 24,451 polling stations in Punjab for 13 Lok Sabha seats.

Giving this information on Friday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab, Sibin C, announced that comprehensive arrangements have been made to provide all necessary facilities to voters and maintain a secure and peaceful voting environment in the state.

There are 2,14,61,741 voters in the state. These include 1,12,86,727 males, 1,01,74,241 females, 773 transgenders, 1,58,718 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) voters and 1,614 NRI voters. The number of first-time voters in the state is 5,38,715, while the number of voters aged 85 and above is 1,89,855. 

Law enforcement agencies have seized unaccounted cash, liquor and valuables worth Rs 801.47 crore so far since the Model Code of Conduct came into force, said Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C on Friday.

He said the total seizures comprised narcotics worth Rs 716.78 crore, Rs 26.89 crore unaccounted cash, liquor worth Rs 26.75 crore, precious metals worth Rs 23.86 crore and freebies worth Rs 7.17 crore, news agency PTI reported.

The Punjab CEO said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the seizures were to the tune of Rs 284 crore.

Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.

Preparations are underway for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha polls. EVMs are being dispatched at polling booths.

Watch video:

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EVMs and other polling materials being handed over to poll parties ahead of voting tomorrow in Bihar's Danapur.

"The EVMs are being dispatched. The poll parties have been instructed to reach the polling booths with the EVMs," says SDM Danapur… pic.twitter.com/J9IN1c1O6g

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 31, 2024

PM Modi continues his 45-hour long meditation 

See pics: 

Faith meets worship...

Glimpses from Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi's 45-hour long meditation session in Kanniyakumari. pic.twitter.com/Vvqxy02x4N

— BJP (@BJP4India) May 31, 2024

Once the sound and fury of the campaign has died down, votes are cast and counted, the electoral dénouement will converge on two critical questions: “Who won?” and “what won?” The first is answered simply in most democracies. Counting agencies do their job, and the loser’s consent seals the result as legitimate and final. That said, the process, as the fiasco that followed the last presidential election in the United States, is not necessarily seamless. However, in India, the issues that could complicate the final tally are filtered out beforehand by an alert judiciary and hyper-active Election Commission. Going by past precedents, the losers in India’s electoral game have usually conceded defeat quickly and gracefully. So, on June 4, one can expect a smooth and unproblematic regime continuity, or for that matter, a radical transition.

The answer to the other question — “what won?” — is much more complicated. Exactly what does a mandate consist of? Parties issue manifestos and in the heat of the battle, candidates make tall promises. None of this is binding on the winners. However, political parties do not want simply an episodic win. They want long-term success at the hustings and therefore, to hold on to their clientele. One clue to prognosticate the winner’s potential policy choice is to watch the subliminal message that underpins campaigns, and tease out of this triggers that have shaped the voters’ choice. What the country is in for would become clearer once detailed data from exit polls are available. However, at this point of time, the highly acrimonious and polarising campaign that we have seen, points in the direction of one vital issue. What kind of “nation” will the winners have as the domain of their authority, and how they might try to take ownership of it to assure their long-term prospects.

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#WATCH | Varanasi: Special Ganga Aarti was performed at Dashashwamedh Ghat to spread voter awareness ahead of the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha polls scheduled in the constituency on June 1. pic.twitter.com/0nY07z9WrF

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024

The mood of the country indicates it wants a change and the INDIA bloc will get a good enough number of seats that will ensure it gets a clear-cut mandate and forms a government, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said on Thursday.

In an with news ageny PTI, the Congress general secretary, Organisation, said that the Congress treated this Lok Sabha election as "poor versus rich," while noting that the BJP's tally in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra "will come down drastically." He also asserted that there was no wave for the BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi this time on the ground.

The Congress leader said that once the numbers come in their favour, the INDIA parties will decide on their prime ministerial candidate "without any delay" with consultations.

Venugopal also hit out at the Election Commission, alleging that a "lack of transparency" has been witnessed throughout the election on the part of the poll watchdog.

Elections, in the true sense, are a festival of democracy. There is anticipation for the announcements of dates, for the nomination process to begin and for the election campaign to commence. In a phased election such as the current one, the first and last days of voting also become big events. But for many in India, the most awaited event is the day when exit polls are released.

Exit polls give estimates about how people voted in an election. They are arrived at on the basis of interviews with voters right after they exit the polling stations, as well as other calculations related to voter data. Read full story here 

In Patiala, one of the most prestigious battlegrounds in Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Congress is pulling out all the stops in an effort to reclaim the decades-old citadel from former chief minister Amarinder Singh’s family in the erstwhile royal city.

Amarinder was synonymous with Congress in Patiala until he defected to the BJP after he was unceremoniously removed as the Punjab chief minister in September 2021. His wife and sitting MP from Patiala, Preneet Kaur, is now contesting on a BJP ticket.

The Congress chose former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, who had defeated Preneet Kaur in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as the best bet to retain the Patiala for the party. Dr Gandhi had quit the AAP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Read full ground analysis here. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will secure a clear majority in the Lok Sabha polls and give the country an inclusive and nationalistic government.People have endorsed their view that "it will be the end of democracy if the current government gets another chance", Kharge said while addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here on the last of campaigning for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, news agency PTI reported.

He also alleged that PM Narendra Modi spoke about "mandir-masjid" and "divisive issues" 421 times during the poll campaign despite the Election Commission's direction of no appeal for votes on caste and religion.He didn't talk about unemployment even once, Kharge claimed. "The INDIA bloc will form government with a clear majority and will give the country an inclusive, nationalistic government", he said."We are confident that people will give a mandate for an alternative government on June 4," the Congress chief said.

Constitution reflects thinking of Guru Nanak, Bhagat Singh; under attack from BJP: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that the Constitution reflects the thinking of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak and freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, and claimed that it is under attack from the BJP and the RSS.

Interacting with farmers in Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab's Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on the last day of campaigning for the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections, he asked people to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi "fatafat fatafat" (quickly).

Gandhi was accompanied by the Congress' Anandpur Sahib candidate Vijay Inder Singla. Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message for voters of Varanasi, ahead of the 7th phase of Lok Sabha Polls on June 1, says, "For me, Kashi is a city of devotion, power and detachment. Kashi is the cultural capital of the world, the land of music. Being the… pic.twitter.com/K3rrEHoKgs

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024

Time has come for a full majority government at the Centre after decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday and invoked Guru Ravidas to say that he was the inspiration for working towards the welfare of the poor.

Addressing a rally here on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase Lok Sabha poll, Modi said the country witnessed unprecedented development during the last ten years. "Welfare of poor is my government's top priority. And in this big inspiration is of Guru Ravidas," he said.

The prime minister also said that his wish is for Adampur airport, which serves Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, to be named after Guru Ravidas. Noting that it his last public meeting of this election, he said Hoshiarpur is called 'Chotti Kashi' and is Guru Ravi Das' 'tapobhoomi. "Varanasi, from where I am MP, Guru Ravidas was born there. Therefore, in this pious land of Hoshiarpur, closing of the poll campaign, for me is a matter of pride," he said.

Targeting the Congress and the INDIA bloc, he said they sought proof of surgical strike and never cared about the army and emptied the government exchequer. "The Congress has done double Ph.D in corruption," he charged. He also attacked the AAP government in the state, saying they have destroyed industry and farming.

Every Indian is aligned with Viksit Bharat dream and giving us blessings, the prime minister added. Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held in last and seventh phase on June 1. -- PTI

Weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the Manmohan Singh-led government of having said that Muslims have the first right to wealth, the former PM, in a veiled reference to the speech, said that he had “never distinguished one community from another”.

In a letter addressed to the country’s people ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Manmohan Singh said on Thursday: “I have been watching the political discussion very carefully during this election campaign. Modiji has engaged in vile hate speeches, which are downright divisive. Modi ji is the first Prime Minister who has reduced the dignity of office, and with it the seriousness of the Prime Minister’s office. No previous Prime Minister used such vile, unparliamentary and low-level language to target a particular section or opposition. They have also given me some wrong statements. I have never in my life distinguished one community from another. This is the special right and habit of BJP.”

"Modi government does not give Punjab its rights. He (Bhagwant Mann) fights alone with them. If we get 13 MPs, then we will fight together for the rights of Punjab," says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal during a roadshow with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur. 

"Work on roadmap for first 125 days of BJP's third term has been completed," says PM Modi at rally in Punjab's Hoshiarpur.

On the last day of campaigning for the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Opposition saying Congress disregarded Constitution during 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Modi also slammed the Opposition of playing vote bank politics during his address in Hoshirapur.

Here's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal to voters in Punjab.

"My dear colleagues,

India stands at a critical juncture. In the final phase of this voting, we have one last chance

Democracy and our constitution can be saved from a dictatorial state, if trying to bring dictatorship in India.

Punjab and Punjabi are warring. We are known for our sacrificial nature. We strongly believe in the principle of democratic unity. which can preserve unity, harmony and community.

In the last ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in harming Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. 750 farmers, most of them from Punjab, waited for months at the borders of Delhi, and were martyred. As if lathis and rubber bullets were not enough, the Prime Minister called our farmers 'agitating and 'parasites'. Their only demand was that the three Agrarian Acts which were brought without consultation with them should be repealed.

Modi ji had promised to double the income of our farmers by 2022. In the last ten years, their policies have damaged the income of our farmers. The national average monthly income of farmers is only Rs 27 per day, while the average debt per farmer is Rs 27,000 (NSSO).

The Congress-UPA government came up with the Rs 72,000 crore Krishi loan waiver scheme, which benefited 3.73 crore farmers. It also increased production, and encouraged exports. All this together led to a doubling of agriculture in our period.

Now, the Congress party has made five promises under 'Kisan Niyaan' in its manifesto. These include statutory guarantee of MSP, a stable export-import policy for agriculture, a standing commission for agricultural loan waivers. In my view, these steps will create the environment for the second phase of agricultural reforms."

“Mission AAP: 13-0”. Call it an ambitious or unrealistic goal, but this is the target Punjab Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Singh Mann, 50, has set for the party in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Last month, CM Mann told The Indian Express that he viewed the parliamentary polls as a reality check for his over two-year-old government.

"Mahatma Gandhi is the sun that gave strength to the whole world to fight against darkness.In the form of truth and non-violence, Bapu showed the world a path that gives courage to even the weakest person to stand up against injustice," Rahul Gandhi on X.

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— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 29, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday stopped his speech midway and asked the medical team accompanying him to attend to a man who fainted in his poll rally in Odisha's Baraiapda town, news agency PTI reported.

The youth, identified as Dolagovinda Barik, a television journalist, was later taken to a hospital.

After seeing the man fainting, Modi stopped his speech and asked the crowd to create space for him to allow flow of air.

The PM's doctors provided first aid to Barik and shifted to the district headquarters hospital.

The man later recovered after being treated in the special ward for heat wave patients, a doctor attending to him said.
Barik thanked the Prime Minister for the gesture.

“Suddenly I could not see anything and fainted. I have not heard the PM asking his doctors to treat me. Later people told me that Modi ji was worried about my health condition,” Barik said

Every person who is entitled to vote during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be granted a paid holiday on the day of the poll, Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg said on Wednesday.

No deduction or reduction of the wages shall be made on account of such holiday, and action can be taken against an employer for any violation, Garg said in a statement, news agency PTI reported.

To ensure maximum participation of voters, a paid holiday has been declared on the poll day (June 1) to enable all the employees working in government offices, boards, corporations, educational institutions, businesses and industrial establishments in the state to exercise their right to franchise, the statement said.

Daily wage employees and employees working in commercial and industrial establishments are also entitled to a paid holiday on June 1, it said, adding that instructions on it have been issued to the assistant directors of factories in Una, Solan and all labour officers in Himachal Pradesh.

All District Election Officers in the state have also been directed to monitor that every employee, especially daily wage workers and labourers of the unorganised sector, get a paid holiday on the poll day, the statement said.

Voting in all four Lok Sabha constituencies and six assembly bypolls will be held on June 1.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah holds a roadshow in Ghazipur. pic.twitter.com/3R4uunZ4eF

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2024

#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress delegation meeting the ECI, Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi says, "We told the Election Commission, that during the silence period of 48 hours, no one should be allowed to campaign, directly or indirectly. We have no objection to whatever any… pic.twitter.com/yzLsr7av89

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2024

The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he was withholding Rs 7,000 crore of paddy procurement funds to West Bengal and if the CBI case against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has got "washed away" in the ruling party's "washing machine".

Raking up the BJP candidate Sambit Patra's recent remarks that even "Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi", Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asked if the PM believes Lord Jagannath to be his devotee, news agency PTI reported.

Ramesh said that the Patra's remarks are is "deeply insulting" to crores of Lord Jagannath's devotees across the world.
"The outgoing PM himself has claimed that he was not biologically born but sent to Earth by the Creator himself. Can he tell us where he claims to fit in the pantheon of Indian Gods? Does he truly believe Lord Jagannath to be his devotee?" he asked.

?? ???? ???? ??????? ??????????????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ???

???????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?????????? ???? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ????????? ????? ??? ?????? ? pic.twitter.com/59JQoCG58l

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged that demography in the bordering areas of West Bengal is changing because of infiltration while illegal entrants are snatching away the opportunities meant for local youths, news agency PTI reported.

Modi also claimed that the Trinamool Congress government in the state was giving away the rights of "original" OBCs to Muslims by issuing false caste certificates.

He said, "The demography in the bordering areas of Bengal is being changed. The TMC is against giving citizenship to religiously persecuted minorities. Why are they opposing the CAA so much? Why are these people (TMC leaders) lying about the CAA?" The prime minister alleged that the TMC has indulged in the politics of appeasement so that illegal infiltrators could settle in Bengal.

"INDIA bloc will scrap Agnipath scheme, throw it in dustbin on June 4," Rahul Gandhi said at Ludhiana rally.

"If voted to power, INDIA bloc will waive farmers' debt, give legal guarantee on MSP."

"Drug problem in Punjab is increasing, strict action needed."

Like he went to Kedarnath in 2019 and Pratapgarh in 2014, this time, after campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections incessantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s destination is set to be the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, where he will stay from May 30 to June 1 and meditate.

Top security sources, who are handling the arrangements, said that Modi will arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on May 30, and will take an MI-17 helicopter to Kanyakumari, landing at 4:35 pm.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024, which began on April 19, have reached the seventh and final voting phase scheduled for June 1 for the remaining 57 seats. Polling in the sixth phase of the General Elections held on June 25 recorded an approximate voter turnout of 61.20%. Counting votes on all 543 Lok Sabha seats will take place on June 4.

When is Lok Sabha Elections 2024 counting?

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has paid tribute to slain singer Sidhu Moosewala on his second death anniversary. Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh is seated on the dais along with Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi is in Ludhiana to address a rally shortly.

"TMC compromising national security by allowing unchecked infiltration from Bengal's borders," PM Modi said.

On the penultimate day of the campaign for the final phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Trinamool Congress party saying, “When BJP works to develop country, TMC says they won’t let it happen”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses rally in Mathurapur, West Bengal

Watch video:

The support for the BJP across West Bengal is at an all time high. The affection of the people here is exceptional. Watch from Mathurapur.https://t.co/L7JNH6K0OY

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 29, 2024

• PM Modi's rally Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal
• PM Modi to address public meetings in Mayurbhanj, Balasore and Kendrapara
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah to campaign in  Ballia, Deoria, Maharajganj and Robertsganj in Uttar Pradesh
• BJP national president J P Nadda to address rallies in Jharkhand's Dumka and Godda
• Opposition's schedule
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to address rallies in  Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab
• AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will campaign in Himachal Pradesh
• Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will hold a roadshow in Chandigarh in support of Congress’s nominee Manish Tewari

Hello and welcome to live blog! Stay tuned here for latest updates on Lok Sabha Election 2024 on the penultimate day of campaigning.