India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an election campaign rally. (Photo: Reuters)Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing rally in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund, hit out at the Congress party for “promoting violence to hide its corruption”. Earlier in the day, he termed the opposition as a party that “divides the country on the basis of religion.” He said the party skipped the Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir consecration ceremony because “they think they are bigger than Lord Ram”.
Earlier in the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan, PM Modi said: “Congress party ki soch hamesha tushtikaran ki rahi hai, vote bank ki rajneeti ki rahi hai. 2004 jaise hi Congress ki kendra mein sarkar bani, usme sabse pehle kiye gaye kaamo mein tha… Andhra Pradesh mei SC/ST ki reservation mein se kami karke, musalmaano ko reservation dene ka prayas. Ye ek pilot prokect tha, jisse Congress pure desh mein aazmana chahati thi. 2004 se 2010 ke beech, Congress ne 4 baar Andhra Pradesh mein Muslim reservation laagu karni ki koshish ki lekin kaanooni archane ki vajah se, Supreme Court ki jaagruta ke karan, woh jo apne mazboot mansuba leke chale the, woh pure nahi kar paaye. 2011 mein Congress ne isse desh mei laagu karne ki koshish ki, SC/ST aur OBC ko mila hua adhikaar, cheen kar ke vote bank ke rajneeti ke liye, auro ko dene ka khel kiya. Congress ne itne prayas ye jaante bhujte kiye ki ye sab samvidhaan ki mool bhavna ke khilaf tha. Lekin Congress ne samvidhaan ki, Baba Saheb Ambedkar ki parvah nahi ki. (Congress party’s ideology has always been that of appeasement and vote bank politics. In 2004, when Congress formed the government at the Centre, one of the first things they did was to include Muslims in the SC/ST quota in Andhra Pradesh. This was a pilot project that the Congress government wanted to implement across the country. Between 2004 and 2010, they tried to implement a Muslim reservation four times but could not because of legal hurdles and an alert Supreme Court. In 2011, Congress wanted to implement this across the country, and give the rights of SC/ST and OBC to others for vote bank politics. Congress made these attempts despite knowing this is against the Constitution, but they didn’t care about the Constitution),” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be in Karnataka on Tuesday to address public meetings in Chitradurga and Bengaluru’s HSR Layout, with her campaign at the Bengaluru South constituency coinciding with Union Minister Amit Shah’s roadshow at Swami Vivekananda Circle in the same constituency. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will be speaking in Kerala’s Wayanad.
"My mother's 'Mangalsutra' was sacrificed for this country": Priyanka Gandhi Vadra flays PM over his remarks in Rajasthan
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was addressing a rally in Bengaluru.
Earlier in Chitradurga, she targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that "the biggest leader of the country has given up morality, does drama before people and does not walk on the path of truth." She alleged that attempts are on to weaken the opposition by suppressing their voice, seizing their bank accounts and jailing two chief ministers.
WATCH | Priyanka Gandhi in Bangalore
Maharashtra | Amit Shah raises the slogan 'Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji' during a campaign rall
In a rally held in Akola on Tuesday Union Home Minister Amit Shah raised the slogan "Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji" during a campaign rally. Last week the Election Commission (EC) issued a notice to the Shiv Sena (UBT) over the use of the words “ Jai Bhavani” in its campaign song stating that the usage of the word was objectionable. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray had however dismissed the EC notice calling it an “insult” to Maharashtra and had said that the party will not abide by the EC's direction to remove the references from the song.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Wayanad, Kerala | WATCH
S Jaishankar attends roadshow in support of BJP candidate in Telangana
Union Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday attended a roadshow organised before BJP candidate from Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana Bura Narsaiah Goud filed his nomination.
Describing Goud as a very good candidate who did a lot of public service, the senior BJP leader expressed confidence the voters would elect him as their representative to strengthen the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sonia, Rahul, Kharge among 40 star campaigners of Congress in Gujarat
Senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge are among the 40 star campaigners named by the grand old party for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat.
The state Congress unit on Tuesday shared the list of leaders, including party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, general secretary Randeep Surjewala and Rajasthan MLA Sachin Pilot, who would campaign for the party candidates.
WATCH | Priyanka Gandhi addresses a rally in Karnataka's Chitradurga
Here's what Modi said in Chhattisgarh today
- "Nobody can harm Modi, millions of mothers and countrymen are Modi's protective shield"
- "Everytime around elections, the Congress keeps repeating that the BJP will come to power and change the Constitution. But leave Modi or the BJP, even if Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar comes and says, reservation cannot be removed, the Constitution cannot be changed."
WATCH | PM Modi speaks at rally in Janjgir-Champa, Chhattisgarh
PM Modi hits out at Congress: “Under Congress rule, even listening to Hanuman Chalisa was a crime”
Recalling an incident in Bengaluru where a shopkeeper was allegedly attacked for playing Hanuman Chalisa, PM Narendra Modi pointed at how under Congress’ rule, listening to devotional songs becomes a crime.
PM Modi was speaking at Tonk, Rajasthan during a public meet on April 23.
Watch here:
'We did not divide the nation, we want clean politics': Rajnath Singh
Addressing a rally in Bisahda village in Uttar Pradesh's Noida, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh came heavily on the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led Congress government and said, "In 2006...PM Manmohan Singh had said that the first claim to any benefits in India is the Muslims. They said that not us... they had said that the reservation for OBCs...some % should be for Muslims...that Dalits should be given reservation even after converting to another religion... it was their commission, not ours...we did not divide the nation, we want clean politics."
"Whatever we have promised, we have served to the people. Some people are trying to question the Prime Minister's intentions...they never try to do divisive politics between Hindus and Muslims...He was merely stating facts...he was quoting what the Congress has written in their own manifesto. Why do people have a problem with that?" he said in his address.
'BJP is different, whatever we say, we do': Rajnath Singh in Noida
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, campaigning at Bisahda village near Noida for former Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, the two-time sitting MP from Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is different from other parties, and fulfils the promises it makes to the people.
"In the past whenever there were elections, parties and candidates would go to people and ask for votes, promising miraculous change. The moment they would win, they would disappear. But the BJP is different, what we say we do. We used to say "Ram lalla hum ayenge, mandir yahin banayenge"...and look, we did the Ram Lalla Pratishtha there..."
"This is a miracle of double engine government...look at the progress UP has made in the last few years... we'll soon touch a 1 trillion economy...," he said in his speech.
'Congress tried to steal reservations meant for Dalits, backward classes...': PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan on Tuesday said that Congress party wanted to give separate quota to a "special community" by stealing reservations meant for Dalits and backward classes.
"Sachai ye hai ki jab Congress aur INDI alliance jab satta mei tha, toh ye log dalito or pichhdo ke aarakshan mei sendhmaari karke, vote bank politics ke liye, unki khaas jaamaat ko alag se aarakshan dena chahte the. Jab ki samvidhaan iske bilkul khilaaf hai," he added. (The truth is when Congress and INDI alliance were in power, then they wanted to give separate quota to a “special community” by stealing it from reservation meant for Dalits and backward classes, for vote bank politics. However, this is against the Constitution)."
'Congress party didn't care about the Constitution, Baba Saheb Ambedkar': PM Modi
Addressing a rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "Congress party wanted to push this [Muslim quota] in the country... without caring about the Constitution and B R Ambedkar."
He said, "2011 mein Congress ne isse desh mei laagu karne ki koshish ki, SC/ST aur OBC ko mila hua adhikaar, cheen kar ke vote bank ke rajneeti ke liye, auro ko dene ka khel kiya. Congress ne itne prayas ye jaante bhujte kiye ki ye sab samvidhaan ki mool bhavna ke khilaf tha. Lekin Congress ne samvidhaan ki, Baba Saheb Ambedkar ki parvah nahi ki."
"(In 2011, Congress wanted to implement this across the country, and give the rights of SC/ST and OBC to others for vote bank politics. Congress made these attempts despite knowing this is against the Constitution, but they didn’t care about the Constitution.)”
Congress govt’s Andhra Muslim quota push was a pilot project, but faced legal hurdles, says Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing rally in the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan, hit out at the Congress party for “appeasement” and “vote bank” politics.
“Congress party ki soch hamesha tushtikaran ki rahi hai, vote bank ki rajneeti ki rahi hai. 2004 jaise hi Congress ki kendra mein sarkar bani, usme sabse pehle kiye gaye kaamo mein tha… Andhra Pradesh mei SC/ST ki reservation mein se kami karke, musalmaano ko rservation dene ka prayas. Ye ek pilot prokect tha, jisse Congress pure desh mein aazmana chahati thi. 2004 se 2010 ke beech, Congress ne 4 baar Andhra Pradesh mein Muslim reservation laagu karni ki koshish ki lekin kaanooni archane ki vajah se, Supreme Court ki jaagruta ke karan, woh jo apne mazboot mansuba leke chale the, woh pure nahi kar paaye," he said.
(Congress party’s ideology has always been that of appeasement and vote bank politics. In 2004, when Congress formed the government at the Centre, one of the first things they did was to include Muslims in the SC/ST quota in Andhra Pradesh. This was a pilot project that the Congress government wanted to implement across the country. Between 2004 and 2010, they tried to implement a Muslim reservation four times but could not because of legal hurdles and an alert Supreme Court).
Glad to see Noida become a centre of business under leadership of Modiji and Yogiji': Rajnath Singh in Bisahda village
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, campaigning at Bisahda village near Noida for former Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, the two-time sitting MP from Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday, asserted that he is glad to see Noida become a centre of business under the leaership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
"I'm glad to say under the leadership of Modiji and Yogiji it has become a centre of business, he said, addressing a rally.
"If there is any place that has become the model of law and order in India, it is Uttar Pradesh's Noida...people from abroad have come to settle here, there are gleaming beautiful highways here...there's the Jewar airport...I want to express my gratitude towards PM Modiji and CM Yogiji...people would see Jewar as banjar zameen. But I'm glad to say we'll see Asia's biggest airport being made here."
‘Everyone saw what a stable, honest govt can do for the country in last 10 yrs,’ says PM Modi in Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing rally in the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan, asserted, “Everyone saw what a stable and an honest government can do for the development of the country in the past ten years.”
“In 2014, when you gave Modi the opportunity to serve, the country took decisions which no one had even imagined,” he said.
'Whatever has happened, it is because of you': PM Modi in Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan, said. "Who brought the country to its strongest form?... This is your love and blessings that we are all giving credit to Modi. But the truth is that whatever has happened is because of you. Those 25 crore poor people who came out of poverty, it is because of you," PM Modi asserted in his speech.
"If there would have been Congress in power, our soldiers in Kashmir would have been under attack... One Rank, One Pension scheme would have never been implemented... innocent people would have continued to be killed due to serial blasts. Neither people would have got free ration during Covid, nor free vaccines," Modi said.
Only INDIA bloc govt can deliver vastly more inclusive economic growth: Congress
In its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'redistribution of wealth' remark, the Congress on Tuesday said he will never tell people that more than 40 per cent of the wealth created in the country from 2012 to 2021 has gone to just one per cent of the population, and asserted that only an INDIA bloc government can deliver a vastly more inclusive economic growth, news agency PTI reported.
This comes after at a rally in Rajasthan on Sunday, Modi said that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to "infiltrators" and those who have more children, and cited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources.
The Congress has hit back at Prime Minister Modi over his remarks targeting the party, saying after facing "disappointment" in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, the PM has now resorted to "lies" and "hate speech" to divert people from the real issues, the report stated.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said on X (formerly Twitter), "The Prime Minister will never tell you that: More than 40% of the wealth created in the country from 2012 to 2021 has gone to just 1% of the population."
"Most of the public assets and resources sold in the last ten years have gone to one or two companies - economists have shown that the growing monopolisation of the economy has led to higher inflation," he alleged.
"India needs faster economic growth. India needs vastly more inclusive economic growth. India needs hugely more ecologically sustainable growth. Only INDIA can and will deliver this triad," Ramesh asserted. (PTI)
Watch | PM Modi addresses rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in currently addressing a rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan.
Watch live here:
'People saw PM Modi as a 3rd time PM': Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai on Tuesday said, "We have done very well in the first phase of election. There was a very positive mood. Tamil Nadu was getting national attention with 'Sanatan Dharma' like comments, they boiled down to the campaigning during election. There was also a misrule by the DMK."
"Tamil Nadu for the first time saw issues at hand. People saw PM Modi as a 3rd time PM. We'll do well, we're extremely confident about it," he told news agency PTI.
After expulsion from BJP, KS Eshwarappa addresses press conference
After being expelled by the BJP for six years for violating party discipline and contesting Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate, KS Eshwarappa addressed a press conference on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.
Priyanka Gandhi, Amit Shah to campaign in Karnataka
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be in Karnataka on Tuesday to address public meetings in Chitradurga and Bengaluru’s HSR Layout, with her campaign at the Bengaluru South constituency coinciding with Union Minister Amit Shah’s roadshow at Swami Vivekananda Circle in the same constituency.
PM Modi to address rallies in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday will address rallies in the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh’s capital Raigarh, from where he will travel to Baradwar village in the Janjgir-Champa Lok Sabha constituency to address a rally.
He is also scheduled to visit Shyamtarai village in Dhamtari district, where the Mayasamund Lok Sabha constituency is set to go to polls on April 26.
K S Eshwarappa expelled from BJP for 6 years
PM should never have made statements that spread communal hatred: SAD chief
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on 'redistribution of wealth' made at a poll rally in Rajasthan, saying he should never have made such a statement which spread "communal hatred".
Addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara on Sunday, the prime minister had said the Congress plans to give people's hard-earned money and valuables to "infiltrators" and "those who have more children".
Level of debate has sunk to a new low after April 21. It is a shame: P Chidambaram
Here's what former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, condoning PM Modi's speech in Rajasthan:
"Will the BJP tell the world:
a) when and where did the Congress say that we will distribute people's land, gold and other valuables among Muslims?
b) when and where did the Congress say that a survey will be conducted to value the property of individuals, gold held by women and silver owned by tribal families?
c) when and where did the Congress say that land and cash belonging to government employees will also be distributed?
The Prime Minister must have some respect for his predecessor. Dr Manmohan Singh's speech to the NDC in December 2016 has been reproduced in the Indian Express today. Dr Singh had said that the first claim on resources lies with SC, ST, OBC, minorities, women and children. It is scandalous to distort his words as Mr Modi has done."
BJP's Mukesh Dalal, elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha seat, receives MP certificate
Surat District Collector gives Member of Parliament (MP) certificate to BJP's Mukesh Dalal, who was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha seat after all other candidates withdrew from the fray.
I want to open the eyes of those who keep identifying Yogi ji only with bulldozers: PM Modi
Speaking at a poll rally in Aligarh, PM Modi said: 'I want to open the eyes of those who keep identifying Yogi ji only with bulldozers, the industrial development that did not happen in UP after independence has happened during the rule of Yogi ji (UP CM Yogi Adityanath) alone.'
'Be it the locks of Aligarh, Heeng of Hathras, metal industry, Gulal industry, BJP is increasing the strength of each one.'
'We have made a special PM Vishwakarma scheme of Rs 13000 crore. Modi ka Labharthi garib hai.'
'It is a matter of pride that after 500 years we are seeing a grand Ram temple. And when it comes to Ram temple, they lose sleep. They had been holding it back for 70 years. It was in this anger that they rejected Ram Mandir invitation.'
BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal declared winner, uncontested, for the Surat Lok Sabha seat
BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal declared winner, uncontested, for the Surat Lok Sabha seat.
In a setback to Congress, the nomination of the party’s Surat Lok Sabha candidate was rejected on Sunday over alleged discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.
Congress, INDIA bloc is eyeing your earnings and property: Here's what PM Modi said in Aligarh
- "Congress and INDIA bloc is eyeing your earnings and property. Congress shehzaada says that they will get investigated about who earns how much, how much property you have, how much money you have, how many houses you have. He further says that the government will take possession of this property and distribute it to everyone."
- "Our mothers and sisters have gold. This is Stri dhan, it is considered sacred, the law also protects it. Their eyes are on your mangalsutra."
- "This is Maoist thinking, this is leftist thinking. By doing this they have ruined many countries. Congress and INDIA bloc wants to implement this policy in India."
'24x7 for 2047, Modi rukne wala nahi hai', says PM in Aligarh
'Today the families of Aligarh and Hathras have got ration, free treatment and housing facilities. Modi's guarantee is that in every family in the country, an elderly person above 70 years of age will get free treatment worth Rs 5 lakh. All this has been done by your one vote,' said PM Modi while addressing a rally in Aligarh on Monday.
'AMU was in Aligarh, now the construction of Raja Mahendra Pratap University is about to be completed,' he said.
'24x7 for 2047, Modi rukne wala nahi hai,' he said further.
In Aligarh PM Modi speaks on Triple Talaq law and increasing Haj quota for Indian Muslims
Speaking about the Triple Talaq law during a rally in Aligarh, Prime Minister Modi said: 'Muslim women's lives were ruined due to triple talaq. Modi has secured their lives by making a law against triple talaq'.
'Earlier, due to less Haj quota, there used to be fights, bribery was prevalent and influential people used to get the opportunity to go to Haj. I had requested the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to increase the Haj quota for our Muslim brothers and sisters,' he said further.
"Today, not only has the Haj quota increased, but visa rules have become easier. Earlier, Muslim mothers and sisters could not go alone for Haj. Our government allowed women to go to Haj without Mehram. I have received blessings of thousands of sisters whose dream of going to Haj has been fulfilled," he said.
Congress and SP always played appeasement politics, never did anything for upliftment of Muslims: PM Modi in Aligarh
"Earlier, in the name of Article 370, separatists lived proudly in Kashmir and used to throw stones at our soldiers. There has been a full stop on all this. Earlier, a curfew was imposed every day in Aligarh also. Before coming to Aligarh, people had to call and ask whether there was peace or not. Marriages did not take place in these areas because of the fear of riot," said PM Modi while addressing a rally in Aligarh on Monday.
"Parties like Congress and SP always played appeasement politics and never did anything for the political, social and economic upliftment of Muslims," he said further.
Earlier bullets used to be fired on the border every day, now this has stopped: PM Modi in Aligarh
"Earlier, bombs and bullets used to be fired on the border every day. Our brave sons were martyred, their bodies used to come home wrapped in the tricolour. Today all this has stopped, said PM Modi while addressing a rally in Aligarh on Monday.
“Earlier terrorists used to bomb in our areas, there were serial blasts. Ayodhya was not spared, Kashi was not spared, and there were blasts in every big city. Now there has been a complete stop on serial bomb blasts also,” he said.
‘Time has come to free country from dynastic politics’, says PM Modi in Aligarh
Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, PM Modi on Monday said that the “time had come to free the country from dynastic politics”. “Last time when I came to Aligarh, I had requested you to lock the factory of nepotism, corruption and appeasement of Samajwadi Party and Congress. You put such a strong lock that both ‘Shehzaades‘ are unable to find the key till date,” he said.
Day after Modi’s remarks, Kharge seeks appointment with PM to ‘convince him’ about party manifesto
A day after PM Modi claimed that the Congress’s manifesto talks about taking stock of “the gold of mothers and sisters” and distributing that wealth, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has sought an appointment with the PM to ‘convince him’ about party manifesto.
Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara yesterday, Modi had said: “Earlier, when they (the Congress) were in power, they had said Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you agree to this)?” Reacting sharply to his remarks, Kharge On Sunday said “no Prime Minister in the history of India has lowered the dignity of his office as much as Modi.
Actor Ranveer Singh files FIR in deepfake video case
After Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh flagged a deepfake video of himself, a purported election pitch for a certain political party, the actor filed an FIR regarding the same.
A video of the Padmaavat actor recently surfaced online in which he is purportedly heard voicing his political views. However, it now turns out that the video was made using an artificial intelligence voice clone of the actor. While the video, from the actor’s recent visit to Varanasi, appears genuine, the audio is of an AI-enabled voice clone of Ranveer.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 2: Know date of voting, constituencies and states
The second phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held on April 26 with voters in 89 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states casting their ballot to elect the new government.
Read the list of constituencies that will go to polls in Phase 2 of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, here
Watch | Congress MP Shahshi Tharoor joins his supporters in a dance while campaigning in Thiruvananthapuram
Congress MP and candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor joined his supporters in a dance while campaigning in the constituency on Monday.
PM has several techniques to ‘divert from issues’: Rahul Gandhi
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made remarks over the Congress party and Muslims, senior leader Rahul Gandhi said the prime minister has “several new techniques to divert from the issues” like unemployment and price rise, but the “end is near for business of lies”.
“Unemployment and inflation are at their peak in the country and Narendra Modi says ‘everything is fine’.” “He (Modi) has several new techniques to ‘divert from the issues’, But the end of the business of lies is near,” he said in a post in Hindi on X.
Gandhi also shared Congress’ latest advertisement in his tweet, which features two individuals discussing the burdensome “mehengai” (inflation) and the lack of wage hikes in the past 10 years. (Read More)
As temperatures soar, Election Commission discusses measures to mitigate risk due to heat wave
Given the forecast of above normal maximum temperatures and heat waves in certain parts of the country, the Election Commission is currently holding a meeting with different stakeholders to discuss measures to mitigate the risk due to heat waves. The IMD has predicted harsher spells of heat waves that may last between 10 and 20 days instead of the usual two to four days.
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: 'Trend after first phase of elections in favour of Congress', says Ashok Gehlot
"The trend after the first phase of elections is in favour of Congress,” said Congress leader and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
“They (BJP) are worried now and have started to visit the state. They (BJP) will now stop talking about "Ab ki baar 400 paar". We are campaigning equally on all 25 seats...It is beyond my understanding what the PM is saying (on Congress manifesto). The people of the country can't understand why is the PM connecting the manifesto with the Muslim League. The PM doesn't belong to any party, caste or section, so he should maintain the stature of his post,” he said further.
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: Unemployed Youth Blasts BJP In Hema Malini's Rally, Says "Will Vote For Rahul Gandhi"
This young government job aspirant blasts the BJP government for cases like unemployment, agniveer and paper leak scams in Uttar Pradesh. Sitting in a rally that was being conducted by BJP candidate Hema Malini in Vrindavan, this youth has expressed his disagreement with BJP policies and leadership.
Watch | Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai & BJP MP Tejasvi Surya hold a roadshow in Bengaluru
Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya held a roadshow in Bengaluru today.
Also Read: Buoyed by Modi factor, Tejasvi Surya sits pretty in Bangalore South as Congress rides on guarantee delivery
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: Kapil Sibal criticises PM Modi for his 'infiltrators' remark in Rajasthan
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday slammed PM Modi for his 'infiltrators' remark at a rally in Rajasthan and questioned why no action was taken by the Election Commission regarding the issue.
"You (PM Modi) are giving a speech that the Congress will give the properties of the women to infiltrators and terrorists...Politics has stooped down to such a level and it has not happened in history and I do not want it to happen. I want to ask a question to the Election Commission why action was not taken immediately. You (EC) should condemn it and a notice should be given to PM Modi..." he said.
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: What PM said is hate speech, says Congress in response to Modi's remark in Rajasthan
TERMING Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks as “hate speech”, the Congress on Sunday said it was “a well thought-out ploy” to divert people’s attention, prompted by the “panic” and “disappointment” over the first phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The party said its manifesto “has no mention of the words Muslim and Hindu” and talks about equality and justice for all.
In his speech in Rajasthan, Modi claimed that the Congress’s manifesto talks about taking stock of “the gold of mothers and sisters” and distributing that wealth, adding that the then Manmohan Singh government had said Muslims have the first right to the country’s assets. (Click here to read our full report)
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: Day after his remarks sparked row, PM Modi to address rally in Aligarh
PM Modi will address a rally in Aligarh of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, a day after his comments at a poll rally in Rajasthan sparked a row.
On Sunday, addressing a rally in Banswara, Modi had said that the Congress, if voted to power, could distribute the nation’s wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.
“Pehle jab unki sarkar thi, unhone kaha tha ki desh ki sampati par pehla adhikar Musalmano ka hai. Iska matlab, ye sampati ikatthi karke kisko baatenge? Jinke zyada bacche hain, unko baatenge, ghuspaithiyon ko baatenge. Kya aapki mehnat ki kamayi ka paisa ghuspaithiyon ko diya jayega? Aapko manzoor hai yeh? (Earlier, when they (the Congress) were in power, they had said Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you agree with this)?” the PM said.
Lok Sabha Elections Live Updates: Re-polling in 11 booths of Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat
Re-polling is being held today in 11 booths across five Assembly segments of the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, following a directive from the Election Commission, which declared voting held at these stations on April 19 as null and void.
Polling in the Inner Manipur seat on April 19 was marred by incidents of shooting, damage to Electronic Voting machines (EVMs), threats to voters and polling agents by armed miscreants and alleged rigging.
Despite heavy deployment of forces, videos and photos on social media showed armed miscreants roaming freely and gunshots being fired near at least one polling station. One voter sustained bullet wounds in one such incident at a polling station under Khurai assembly seat.