Elections 2019 Highlights: BJP election panel meeting ends, Cong releases sixth list of candidates

Meanwhile, in the capital, Aam Aadmi Party made a fresh bid to forge an alliance with the Congress in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. AAP has demanded five seats in the national capital, PTI quoted sources as saying. AAP leader Sanjay Singh discussed the proposal with NCP president Sharad Pawar. AAP wants to contest on three seats in Punjab, two in Haryana and five in Delhi. "It is now up to the Congress to take the decision. We have learnt that the party is also willing to forge an alliance with the AAP in Delhi," the sources said.

Following its meeting with representatives of Internet companies on Tuesday, the Election Commission said the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) — which is representing Facebook, Twitter, Google, WhatsApp and ShareChat — had agreed to come up with a ‘Code of Ethics’ for social media platforms laying down operational details by Wednesday evening. READ THE FULL STORY HERE

The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting is still underway at the party headquarters in Delhi. The saffron party is expected to announce its first list of Lok Sabha candidates after the meeting.

#InsideVisuals from the BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting which is still underway at the party headquarters in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/JHiM81NSnW

— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2019

Congress on Tuesday released a list of nine candidates in Kerala (2) and Maharashtra (7) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. With this, the party has announced the names of 146 candidates so far. 

BJP announces that all sitting BJP candidates will lose their tickets which would include the likes of Dinesh Kashyap, Abhishek Singh, union minister for steel Vishnu Dev Sai and eight-term MP Ramesh Bais.

BJP announces that all sitting BJP candidates to lose their tickets. This will mean big faces like Dinesh Kashyap, Abhishek Singh, union minister for steel Vishnu Dev Sai and 8 term MP Ramesh Bais @IndianExpress

— Dipankar Ghose (@dipankarghose31) March 19, 2019

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Congress has officially conveyed that there will be no alliance in the national capital, ANI reported. While addressing a Jan Sabha in Delhi's Laxmi Nagar, Kejriwal attacked Congress and BJP and accused them of betraying people and urged them to not vote for a prime minister, instead asked people to vote for Delhi statehood. 

Election Commission of India has appointed civil servants Shailendra Handa and Madhu Mahajan as special expenditure observers in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu respectively, ahead of Lok Sabha elections, ANI reported.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Tuesday said the reality is different from what Uttar Pradesh government has been exhibiting and there is an expiry date to the "rant" that nothing was done in the past 70 years, reported PTI.

"There is a big difference between poll promises and fulfilling them. As far as the rant about (no development in) 70 years is concerned, it has an expiry date. You are in the government for the past five years, what have you done in five years?" she asked while interacting with reporters at a guest house in Bhadohi district, Uttar Pradesh. 

During its CEC meeting, BJP today decided to drop all 10 sitting MPs from Chhattisgarh, said BJP General Secretary Anil Jain, who is also in charge of the state, PTI reported.  He said the party has decided to face the Lok Sabha elections with "new candidates and fresh energy" in order to emerge victorious under the leadership of Modi. 

Jain said the state BJP had made the proposal to drop the MPs to the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party, which approved. 

Former Chief Minister Raman Singh is likely to be the party's candidate from Rajnandgaon, sources said.  The state sends 11 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil to join BJP tomorrow His father Vijaysinh said he will support the decision @IndianExpress @amitabhsin

— Partha Biswas (@parthasbiswas) March 19, 2019

Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for the BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting at the party headquarters. BJP President Amit Shah receives him. pic.twitter.com/q0rIIcWkaU

— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2019

Political parties and candidates have been advised by the Election Commission to refrain from indulging in political propaganda involving activities of the Defence Forces.

Political propaganda involving activities of Defence Forces include displaying of photographs of Defence personnel, photographs of functions involving personnel in advertisements by candidates and political parties. Read more

(Source: Election Commission)

Jana Sena Party (JSP) releases fourth list announcing the name of a candidate for Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha elections and eight candidates for assembly elections, according to ANI. 

Goa governor Mridula Sinha calls a special session of Assembly tomorrow, in the wake of a floor test scheduled for Wednesday in Goa to elect its chief minister. Hours after taking oath as the CM of Goa, Pramod Sawant Monday said he had asked the Governor to summon the Assembly for a floor test on Wednesday to prove the majority of the BJP-led coalition government. 

Communist Party of India (CPI) announces list of 7 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal.

Speaking over BSP-SP alliance in Maharashtra, Congress said the development would not have any adverse impact on the electoral prospects of the Congress-NCP combine.

"Just like the Shiv Sena and the BJP, the alliance between the Congress and the NCP is sealed. Smaller outfits like the PWP and those believing in the ideology of Mahatma Phule and B R Ambedkar have joined hands with us," said NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.

"During Xi Jinping's meeting with Modi in India, the prime minister was seen sitting with him over a cup of tea without uttering a single word on the boundary dispute. Even during his (Modi) visit to China he never took up the Doklam issue," Gandhi told an election rally in the Arunachal Pradesh capital, PTI reported.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said his father and party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had forged an alliance with the BSP and he only ha to "mend it".

"Netaji (Mulayam) had relations with the BSP and had forged an alliance earlier. I only had to mend the relationship," Akhilesh Yadav said, replying to questions during a TV programme.

Yadav further said, it is not time yet for his father to become the prime minister.

CPI(M) announces candidates for 38 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. Left Front chairman says there's still chance for dialogue with Congress on an alliance, PTI reported.  The Left Front chairman said that they will wait till tomorrow evening for Congress's response and then announce candidates for the remaining four seats that it won in 2014.

"We hope good sense will prevail and the Congress will realise the need for maximum pooling of anti-BJP and anti-TMC votes in the state. We will wait for their response," Left Front chairman Biman Bose said.

The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party today announced their alliance in Maharashtra today, saying that they would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi said the two parties together represent about "85-90 per cent" of the society and provided a third front for people.

Seat-sharing formula is yet to begin between the parties and committee has been constituted to take it further, said Azmi. Adding, he said the formula will be announced in two to three days.

"Secularism is about to end in the country. Those who call themselves chowkidars can go to any length, and peddle lies, to cling on to power," he alleged.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala ridiculed  Modi and other BJP leaders on adding 'chowkidaar' (watchman) before their names on Twitter saying that a watchman can be employed only by the rich.  While addressing a press conference in Delhi today, Congress further reiterated that Modi is the biggest scammer in the Rafale deal, adding how in the past five years, the ruling party has failed to provide jobs to the youth, unable to help the farmers, and stole from small traders. 

The Delhi BJP is set to move the Election Commission against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for violating the model code of conduct by attempting to incite communal intentions.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta claimed AAP's Lok Sabha candidate Raghav Chadha posted few images of a cow and its calf standing at a doorstep on Twitter titled 'Door to door campaigning by BJP' which was liked by Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"We have taken an appointment with the Election Commission of India and will apprise them about how the AAP is politicising cow which is a symbol of harmony and trying to create communal tension," Gupta told reporters.

Mirzapur: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra offers prayers at Vindhyavasini Devi temple & Dargah of Khwaja Janab Ismail Chisti. pic.twitter.com/cgnx9peska

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2019

Stating that there will no alliance with Congress in Delhi presently, AAP's Delhi Convener Gopal Rai today said, "Congress is looking distintegrated... We can't waste any more time with them... If we ally with them now, it will be a disadvantage for us."

Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit and some leaders from the Delhi Congress have so far been opposed to an alliance with the AAP, while central leaders are largely in favour of it. A final call on the coalition is likely to be taken by party president Rahul Gandhi in the next few days. Delhi will vote on May 12.

The people of Delhi are tired now. They're asking us how long will we keep waiting for. Our answer, now, to alliance is a clear No. We will now focus on our camoaign: Gopal Rai @IndianExpress

— Mallica Joshi (@mallicajoshi) March 19, 2019

"PM Modi mocks the idea of mahagatbandhan but they themselves are running coalition governments in many states. We will answer BJP by winning this election."

"We have decided, as soon as we form the government in 2019 we will remove the Gabbar Singh Tax and give you the GST."

An FIR was registered against Union minister Jayant Sinha for allegedly violating the model code of conduct while addressing students at the convocation ceremony of a management institute here, police said Tuesday. Addressing the students at IIM-Ranchi on Saturday, Sinha had allegedly sought their "blessings" for another five years, the officer said.

Sinha is the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and a BJP MP from Hazaribagh constituency in Jharkhand. "As per the direction by the district administration, the FIR was filed against Jayant Sinha yesterday (Monday) under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC and under Section 123 of the People's Representation (PR) Act at the Khelgaon police station in Ranchi," a police officer said. (PTI)

Rashtriya Lok Dal declares Chaudhary Ajit Singh as their candidate from Muzaffarnagar and Jayant Chaudhary from Baghpat

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan will contest the upcoming Andhra Pradesh elections from Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka constituencies. His brother, Chiranjeevi, who founded the Prajarajyam Party, had also contested from two places — Palacole and Tirupati — in 2009. He had, however, lost Palacole and won in Tirupati.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday said the democracy and the Country are in danger under the present Modi government adding that the NDA will cease to hold elections if re-elected. "India may not see elections if Modi re-elected PM, may go China, Russia way," he said.

In Arunachal, Rahul Gandhi also pitched the idea of Guaranteed Minimum Income. "If Narendra Modi can give money to a selected few, Congress will give the money to youth and needy of Arunachal."

Targetting the Modi-Xi "hugplomacy", Rahul said, "At the time when Modi was swinging with Xi Jinping, Chinese forces entered Doklam. But Modi stays mum. He then goes to China without an agenda. This is Modi's patriotism. We don't need this in our country"

Rahul also targetted Modi's 'Main bhi chowkidar' campaign. "How are all chors in India Modi - Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. Earlier he used to say I didn't want to be a PM, but a chowkidar. Now he says 'Hum sab chowkidar.' But it was you who has looted the country."

"Modi makes fake promises everywhere. He promised two crore jobs, but there is record unemployment in the country today. While introducing GST, Modi promised ease of business. People later realise that GST is Gabbar Singh Tax. There are five different slabs and people do not know how to fill them. We will remove this once in power."

Addressing a rally in Itanagar, Rahul Gandhi said the party does not want to stifle any voices. Talking about Modi's wish of a "Congress-mukht bharat", Gandhi said, "Look at the hatred in their heart. We would only like to tell them that they are free to lead their lives by this ideology, but they cannot impose it on Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur. We will not allow this."He also targetted  PM Modi for allegedly shooting for a film at the Jim Corbet Park post-Pulwama attack.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi reached Arunachal Pradesh. He will address a rally in Itanagar

Congress President @RahulGandhi arrives in Arunachal Pradesh to a warm welcome from the state delegation. He shares a moment of silence for the victims of the Arunachal Pradesh protests ahead of his public rally. #ArunachalWelcomesRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/Xioue2tZBV

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 19, 2019

Here are some of the claims by the BJP on its #MainBhiChowkidar campaign launched by PM Modi. The information was given by IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in a press conference. 

Tweets: close to 2 million 
Impressions: 16800 million 
Pledges: 5 lakhs
Video views on all platforms: 10 million 
Worldwide trend for full day
India trend for 2 consecutive days

BSP has declared candidates on three of the 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, one in Janjgir Champa, and one each in Bastar and Kanker. While nothing has been declared officially thus far, it does seem like the BSP is continuing its assembly alliance with the Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh.

BSP has declared candidates on three of the 11 candidates in Chhattisgarh, one in Janjgir Champa, and one each in Bastar and Kanker. While nothing has been declared officially thus far, it does seem like the BSP is continuing it's assembly alliance with the Jogi's @IndianExpress

— Dipankar Ghose (@dipankarghose31) March 19, 2019

BJP MLA Surendra Narayan Singh: "Mayawati ji khud roz facial karwati hain, vo kya humare neta ko kya shaukeen kahengi. Baal paka hua hai aur rangeen karwake ke aaj bhi apne aap ko Mayawati ji jawan saabit karti hain, 60 varsh umar ho gayi lekin sab baal kaale hain. (What will Mayawati say to our leaders, she herself gets facial done every day. By colouring her hairs mayawati ji proves herself to be younhg, she is 60 years old and still all her hairs are black.)"

#WATCH BJP MLA Surendra Narayan Singh: Mayawati ji khud roz facial karwati hain, vo kya humare neta ko kya shaukeen kahengi. Baal paka hua hai aur rangeen karwake ke aaj bhi apne aap ko Mayawati ji jawan saabit karti hain, 60 varsh umar ho gayi lekin sab baal kaale hain pic.twitter.com/SGRK4gZpEI

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 19, 2019

At a time when the BJP is pushing its 'MainbhiChowkidar' campaign, BJP leader and Haryana Minister Anil Vij targeted the Congress, saying they should add 'Pappu' as a prefix to their names.

???? ???? ??? ?? ??? #??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? #????? ??? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?

— CHOWKIDAR ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) March 19, 2019

The Election Commission will today meet representatives of Internet companies to discuss unresolved issues related to social media content at a time when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force. The EC has asked a meeting to discuss channels of grievance redressal, evolve a mechanism to prevent abuse on social media and a “notification mechanism” for the EC to flag violations, and work out awareness programs particularly during the silence period and a “general Code of Ethics by Social Media intermediaries”.

What is likely to be discussed today?

* All political ads will require pre-certification from EC
* Firms must remove content in the 48-hour silence period within three hours of notice.
* Decide who is a political advertiser? Read more

Launching a fresh attack on Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief Amit Shah targeted the Congress chief over the alleged arrest of some techies in Bengaluru for raising pro-Modi slogans. "Hugs for 'Tukde Tukde' gang and arrest of peaceful youth raising pro-Modi slogans? Where are the champions of 'Free Speech'? Yuvraj (prince) of CONgress must know that time follows the course taken by youngsters. Stop intimidating youth of India, which has rejected your brand of politics," Shah tweeted.

The BJP chief in his tweet tagged a post by his party's Karnataka unit which said the state police had arrested some techies for raising pro-Modi slogans at Manyata tech park in Bengaluru. Gandhi was to address a meeting at the venue. "This is the real face of democracy in a Cong-JD(S) ruled state. It's total dictatorship where freedom of choice & expression of citizens is suppressed," it had said, posting a purported video of some people being taken away by cops.

In Maharashtra, meanwhile, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, NCP MP from Madha and his son Ranjitsinh are likely to switch to BJP. Patil, a former deputy CM, was one of the four NCP leaders to have withstood the Modi wave of 2014. NCP's move to field former bureaucrat Prabhakar Deshmukh from Madha has apparently upset the leader. A meeting of their supporters has been called at Akluj

Priyanka Gandhi today rejected the two-year governance report card presented by Yogi Adityanath, saying that "nothing has been done on the ground." "I have been talking to people on ground. Nothing has been achieved yet. The argument that they pose to us - 'What did they do in 70 years?' also has an expiry date. Now they (BJP) should tell what they have done in their five years when they are in power.

Marking two-years in power, Yogi Adityanath today said, "Congress had made UP a bimaru state. Mafias were rampant under BSP, SP governments. Under BJP, not a single riot took place in the state. The BJP-led state government has been able to change the perception about UP in two years."

Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) released their party manifesto and promised to scrap NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and usher quota in the private sector. It also vowed to waive education loans The reversion to the old pension scheme in place of the newly-introduced contributory scheme. The DMK president said the party would revert to the administered-price mechanism to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Another key feature of the manifesto is doing away with the direct cash transfer of subsidy for the LPG and bringing down the prices of cylinders. Read more

Day 1 of the river route campaign by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra turned out to be of trial and errors for the Congress as well as journalists.

While one boat was readied for Priyanka who started her campaign from Manaiya Ghat about two hours behind schedule, there was confusion after she sat on the boat. Initially, Congress leaders said they were not sure whether another boat would be allowed or not but once Priyanka’s boat was about to leave, leaders on another boat started inviting other leaders and media persons, triggering a rush.

As soon as Priyanka Gandhi’s boat, which had an air-conditioned room, a wash-room and a sitting area on the roof, left, journalists rushed towards the other boat, which started tilting. Boatmen rushed to ask people to get off the vessel and later it resumed journey. However, after travelling a few metres, the boat was stuck in the middle of the river. The Congress leaders and journalists were brought back in smaller boats to the Manaiya Ghat from where they travelled to Priyanka’s next stop by road. “This is new for everyone. We are learning from our mistakes and as the yatra moves ahead, we will make it better,” a Congress leader said on condition of anonymity, while another leader said that officially no boat was arranged for anyone else. Read more

Ending the speculation about her participation in the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, actress Sumalatha on Monday announced that she would contest as an Independent candidate from Mandya.

Sumalatha (55), widow of former Congress MP from Mandya M H Ambareesh, will be pitted against Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumarawamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the JD(S)-Congress alliance candidate.

The actress, who lost her husband last year, said that she was being backed by local Congress leaders in the Mandya region who fear losing ground in the constituency if it is handed to the JD(S). JD(S) leaders in Mandya have warned that the Congress’s fortunes in other constituencies, like neighbouring Mysuru, will be affected if its party leaders in Mandya fail to support Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

With Sumalatha’s entry into the poll fray — with the tacit support of local level Congress leaders and BJP in Mandya — the JD(S) is expected to face a tough fight in what was otherwise considered a cakewalk. The constituency is set to vote on April 18. Read more

BSP chief Mayawati Tuesday took a jibe at Narendra Modi's 'Main bhi chowkidar' campaign. "After BJP launch 'Mai Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, PM Modi & others added the prefix 'Chowkidar' to their Twitter handles. So now Narendra Modi is Chowkidar & no more a 'Chaiwala' which he was at the time of last LS election. What a change India is witnessing under BJP rule. Bravo!" she tweeted.

As a part of the campaign, PM Modi and other BJP leaders added the prefix ‘Chowkidar‘ to their Twitter handles.  The prime minister while launching the campaign on Saturday had said, “Your Chowkidar is standing firm and serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar.” 

In Andhra Pradesh, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party (JSP) has released the third list of candidates for 13 Assembly and 1 Lok Sabha seat, reported news agency ANI. The Jana Sena has tied up with the Left and the BSP in Andhra Pradesh. It has allotted 21 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats to the BSP. Seat-sharing talks with the Left parties are ongoing.

Pawan belongs to the Kapu community, but he says it would be a mistake to call the Jana Sena a Kapu party, or assume that his party is seeking Kapu votes. Pawan, whose films are mostly blockbusters, has a huge fan following among the youth and women.

However, Pawan remains a political novice and the Jana Sena a fledgling party, and what impact they can make in the elections in Andhra Pradesh is not clear yet. Read more

According to sources, once a decision is taken, the Congress Delhi unit will have to work on the seat-sharing calculation. The formula currently under discussion is to share three seats each, while the seventh will be contested by a joint candidate. Both parties are also keen on the New Delhi seat, where Congress wants to field former DPCC chief Ajay Maken, it is learnt.

The wait, however, is proving to be frustrating for AAP, with senior leaders confused about the status of alliance talks. “Every day, we hear new theories or formulae about seat sharing that the Congress floats in the media. No conversations are happening with AAP leaders. All of these are one-sided conversations. The wait has now become frustrating. While the AAP is open to an alliance, these games are not going down well with us,” said a senior leader.

The Congress is not alone in facing resistance from cadres on the question of an alliance. AAP volunteers, too, are unhappy with the prospect as they feel they will lose ground during the Assembly polls next year.

The "will they or won't they"continue in Delhi as Congress and AAP are yet to take a final call on forming an alliance in the Capital. While leaders from both the parties had announced that no coalition will take place, the talks are still on.

“If the high command decides to go for an alliance, we will automatically accept it,” Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit told The Indian Express. An internal survey was recently conducted via the party’s Shakti app to seek the opinion of 52,000 Delhi Congress workers on an alliance. The results of the survey have been passed on to Rahul.

When contacted, P C Chacko, AICC general secretary, told The Indian Express: “The 14 district committee presidents and four former presidents of the Delhi Congress unit are in favour of having an alliance with AAP. Sheila ji and some leaders are not in support of the idea. I have passed on the opinions of all of them to Rahul ji and requested him to come up with a decision which is favourable for the party.” He also added that defeating BJP is the main purpose of the party. Read more

"The previous governments left us with a state where people were battling poverty, the youth was involved in crime. Congress made the state a 'bimaru' state. There were a lot of scams under SP and BSP governments. Farmer suicides were high when the BJP government took over.," Yogi Adityanath said. 

Marking the completion of two-years of governance in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is addressing the media. Submitting the two-year report card of Uttar Pradesh govt, Adityanath thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his guidance. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes new Goa chief minister and hopes that Pramod Sawant will fulfill the dreams of Goans. "Best wishes to Dr. Pramod Sawant and his team as they begin their journey towards fulfilling the dreams of the people of Goa. I am sure they will build on the work done in the last few years and boost Goa’s growth trajectory," he wrote on Twitter. Read more

The political tussle that started in Goa with Manohar Parrikar's failing health, ended late Monday night after BJP's Pramod Sawant was sworn-in as the chief minister. Hours after Parrikar, who passed away on Sunday, was cremated, Sawant was handed over the state's charge. The negotiations which were ending in a deadlock were resolved after BJP chief Amit Shah stepped in. As a part of the deal, leaders of two key allies, Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)’s Sudin Dhavalikar, were offered posts of Deputy Chief Ministers. 

Welcome to The Indian Express' live blog. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will campaign in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Election Commission will also meet social media firms today. Follow this space as we track the latest developments in the race to power in Lok Sabha Elections 2019