Ahead of the third phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, leaders across parties held campaign rallies on Friday seeking public support. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed election rallies in West Bengal and Jharkhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held public meetings in Ratnagiri and Sangli in Maharashtra. After filing his nomination from the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally in Pune. Here is a round-up of campaign rallies, as well as major political developments of the day. Rahul Gandhi files nomination for Rae Bareli seat Congress announced Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Rae Bareli seat today. It was held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and by his grandparents Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi in the past. He was accompanied by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law Robert Vadra as he filed his nomination papers. A large number of Congress workers, and those from other INDIA bloc partners, turned up at the district collectorate to cheer the Congress leader. Gandhi also contested from Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency this time, a seat from which he won in 2019 while losing from Amethi in UP. The Congress on Friday fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. He is pitted against BJP's Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in 2019. BJP, LDF criticise Rahul Gandhi's nomination from Rae Bareli With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filing his nomination from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has sprung into action, seeking to interpret the move as his fear of losing, which was making him run from one seat to another. Taking the lead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally at Bardhaman-Durgapur in West Bengal, “I had said that Shehzada will lose the election in Wayanad. In fear of losing the seat, he will look for another seat to contest the election. His party leaders were saying that he would come to Amethi. But he got so scared that he ran away from Amethi and is trying to find a way out in Rae Bareli. People like these tell people daro mat (don’t be scared)’. Today I also tell him with all my heart arey daro mat, bhaago mat (don’t be scared and don’t run away).” Speaking in Karnataka’s Chikkodi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Sonia Gandhi has tried to launch Rahul baba 20 times, but the launch failed each time. Today, for the 21st time, he ran away from Amethi and filed his nomination from Rae Bareli. Rahul baba, I can tell you the result of the Rae Bareli election. You are going to lose badly in front of Dinesh Pratap Singh of the BJP.” The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the BJP in Kerala also lashed out at Rahul alleging that the Congress leader cheated the people of Wayanad in Kerala, where he contested the general election on April 26, and said that fighting polls from another seat "does not align with political morality". ‘Congress wants to scrap SC/ST/OBC quotas, provide reservations to Muslims': Modi in Jharkhand Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress of planning to allocate property to those involved in "vote jihad" while affirming that no power on earth would be permitted to alter the Constitution. "Congress wants to scrap SC/ST/OBC quotas, provide reservations to Muslims. Congress wants to distribute your property to those indulging in 'Vote Jihad' but Modi will ensure that the poor, Dalit and tribals have the first right on the country's property. No force on earth would be allowed to change or alter our Constitution," the PM said while addressing the 'Maha Vijay Sankalp Sabha' at Tata College Ground. Hitting out at the JMM-led coalition in the state for "usurping tribal land," the PM said it was "patronising infiltration in Santhal Parganas and indulged in vote bank politics." Addressing consecutive election rallies in West Bengal's Bardhaman-Durgapur and Birbhum prior to his Jharkhand visit, Modi said the state BJP unit will create a separate legal cell to provide help to "genuine teachers and candidates" who lost jobs due to the School Service Commission (SSC) scam and assured that the culprits will not be spared. He accused the TMC of prioritising appeasement politics over justice, citing its alleged protection of the main accused Shahjahan Sheikh in the Sandeshkhali case. On the recent seizure of arms and ammunition from Sandeshkhali during a raid, Modi wondered whether the weapons were meant for "strengthening democracy" in the state and also accused the TMC of having knowledge of what was happening in the region, but not taking action as it "did not want to upset its vote bank." Will Modi scrap 50% cap on reservations: Rahul Gandhi in Pune Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether he would scrap the 50 per cent limit on reservations in the country. He asserted that the Congress party's 'Nyay' guarantees will revolutionise the future course of politics. Campaigning for the party's Pune candidate Ravindra Dhangekar, Rahul said Maharashtra is a "Congress state" in terms of ideology and that he loves to visit it. Gandhi further criticised PM Modi for "insulting" NCP (SP) leader and former Union minister Sharad Pawar with his "wandering soul" remark. Those who surrender before Rahul, Sharad Pawar for power can't protect Maharashtra's pride: Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said "fake Shiv Sena chief" Uddhav Thackeray cannot claim his father Bal Thackeray's legacy. Stating that though Uddhav is Bal Thackeray's son, "his legacy is with Narayan Rane, Eknath Shinde and Raj Thackeray". "You have abandoned his legacy," Shah said. Shah was speaking at a campaign rally at Ratnagiri in support of Union minister Narayan Rane, who is the BJP candidate from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency. Making Narendra Modi prime minister once again would mean "making the country secure and prosperous," he said, adding that the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented across the country in Modi's third term. Attacking Sharad Pawar, Amit Shah asked the NCP (SP) chief to explain why the number of sugar mills in the state dropped from 202 to about 100. Addressing a rally in Karnataka today, Shah alleged "anti-national elements belonging to the Social Democratic Party of India were involved in the bomb blast in Bengaluru" and claimed that the Congress came to power in the state with SDPI's support. Targeting the Siddaramaiah-led government, he also urged it to hand over the probe in the Hubballi student Neha Hiremath murder case to the CBI if the state was unable to investigate properly. Neha (23), daughter of Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of her college and the accused Fayaz Khondunaik was arrested by the police subsequently. Mamata criticises Bengal governor for 'misconduct' with woman employee West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has strongly criticised Governor C V Ananda Bose for his alleged misconduct towards a woman employee of Raj Bhavan, which came to light Thursday evening. "Yesterday, a young woman who worked at Raj Bhavan came out and spoke against the governor's harassment. the tears of the woman broke my heart. I have seen her video testimony," she said at a rally. Banerjee also questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Raj Bhavan last night, remained silent on the issue. "And these are the people who talk about the dignity of our mothers and sisters?" the CM asked. "It is deeply distressing that the same governor who showed great urgency in reaching Sandeshkhali now stands accused of molesting a female staff," Banerjee added. Bose had on Thursday said that the "truth shall triumph," hours after TMC leaders claimed that the woman had lodged a police complaint against the Governor for molestation.
